Tobias Beecher lay in bed wondering what he'd done to make Chris Keller break his promise to be there when he woke up. Possibly, he'd been disappointed by Toby's inexperience. Or, maybe he realized Toby wasn't really all that hot, something Toby had long suspected. But Chris had been so effusive in his compliments.

Toby got up to shower, and continued to ponder the reason for Chris's early departure. By the time he was dressed and packing to leave, he was starting to get angry. After all, wasn't Chris the one who'd instigated this whole thing, with his little show out on the highway? Toby had been innocently, at least for a little while, sitting in his car. As he started the drive home, Toby became more and more determined to put the night before out of his mind. He would forget about Chris Keller and get back to his life, such as it was.

Chris wasn't having such a great morning, either. He'd lain awake all night, watching Toby sleep, wondering what he'd gotten himself into. Even though he had went into it intending for it to be a one night stand, he had told Toby the truth: there had been something about him. But Chris also understood that guys like Toby didn't fall for guys like him. Finding someone to screw was easy, but finding a guy who didn't bore him after a couple of days was another story. And he knew Toby was out of his league. What he hadn't counted on was how shy and sweet Toby would be. He'd told Toby the truth when he told him he was hot. That was part of the reason for the show, giving Toby his phone number. He never realized Toby would affect him so in the short time they were together. But the expression on his face after Chris kissed him, the trust in his eyes when Chris asked to fuck him, and his shy admission that it had never been like that for him — it all touched Chris in a way he couldn't explain.

So he had lain there, Toby lying trustingly in his arms, and some time near dawn, he'd known he would leave Toby before he awoke. He told himself he didn't want to deal with the awkwardness that sometimes followed a one night stand. In truth, he couldn't face the possibility that Toby regretted the night before. So he'd crept out and left Toby without a word.

Now here he was, miserable, hot and unable to think of anything except Toby. Once this morning, he'd almost let a line of cars go, with another already headed toward them on the one-lane road. And he'd lost track of how many people had honked at him.

As Toby headed out of town, his thoughts were still of Chris. He was angry, but even so, desperately wanted just one more glimpse of him. He turned in the direction of the road construction he'd encountered the day before. Soon, he saw the familiar orange signs that announced there was road work ahead. Toby figured he could see Chris one more time, and show him how he felt about him.

Toby ended up third in line. He looked at Chris, who seemed both bored and distracted. He knew the exact moment Chris saw him. Chris's mouth fell open and he stared for a minute, then looked away. He didn't look back, but Toby kept his eyes firmly on Chris, angered all over again by Chris's apparent attempt to ignore him. When Chris turned his flag around to let the line of cars go by, Toby followed the others, but as he got close to Chris, he drove by dangerously close, and gave Chris the finger as he passed. Chris jumped back, and stared at Toby in disbelief. Then he got angry.

Right before he looked up to see Toby back in line, Chris had been rooting around in his pocket for the business card he'd taken from Toby's wallet before he'd left that morning. Imagining for a minute that he would call Toby, maybe explain that he had to leave for work and Toby looked so peaceful he couldn't wake him. And maybe he would suggest they could see each other again. Lost in that lovely daydream, he looked up and saw Toby. He was shocked for a moment, but then looked away. Had Toby come back because he did want to see him again? He couldn't look back, that would be very bad for his concentration, and possibly embarrassing if he stared too long at Toby. He waited for the signal to let the cars go, then turned his sign around. Maybe Toby would stop and tell him something. As Toby drove toward him, his heart soared. Then when Toby almost hit him and kept going, accompanied by a rude gesture, Chris was shocked. Then he got angry, as much at himself for hoping as at Toby for what he did. He stood there, trying to calm down, knowing there was nothing he could do now. But after work...

Toby had managed to keep the superior feeling he had almost until he got home. He stopped by his apartment to drop off his bag and dress for work. He stared at his neck as he dressed in front of the full length mirror. The purple mark Chris had left was stark against his pale skin. Naturally, that made him think of how it got there. By the time he headed to the office, he was feeling hurt all over again.

His father came in shortly after he arrived.

"Toby, you're back. I don't even have to ask how it went. Mrs. Clark called this morning. She's staying with the firm, and wants you to handle all her legal affairs."

"That's great, Dad," Toby said, without much enthusiasm.

It didn't slow Harrison Beecher down. He did grow annoyed with having to repeat everything for Toby, whose attention kept wandering.

"Toby, is anything the matter?"

Toby only shook his head, blushing, unable to tell his father what was distracting him. Soon, Harrison left, and Toby got to work. He somehow managed to make it through the day, not fucking up anything too badly, even though he thought of Chris all day. He couldn't help but think of him. He sat at his desk all day doing paperwork, and every time he shifted in his seat, the burn in his ass reminded him of the night before.

Toby got out of the office at a little after six. As he walked out the door, very preoccupied, he almost walked right into the object of his thoughts.

"Chris?! What are you doing here? How do you know where I work?"

Ignoring Toby's latter question, Chris said angrily, "I'm here because of the stunt you pulled this morning! What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I was mad at you. Did you not get that?" Toby asked, angry now himself. People were starting to stare at them. Toby lowered his voice. "Can we do this somewhere else?"

"Where?"

"My apartment's near here."

"I'll follow you."

Toby drove home, Chris right behind him on his motorcycle. Neither man spoke as Toby led them up to his apartment. Toby stood aside and let Chris enter first. He looked around the living room, pleasantly surprised at how simply the place was decorated. Good quality furniture, but nothing lavish like Chris would've expected.

Toby dropped his briefcase in a chair and took off his jacket, laying it across the back. "Can I get you something to drink?" he asked politely.

Chris had to laugh.

"What?"

"Not ten minutes ago, we were at each other's throats. And now you're so polite, asking me if I want a drink."

"Well, it's how I was raised," Toby replied with a huff. "Look, Chris, I was angry — I am angry with you."

"So am I! You tried to run over me, then you gave me the finger."

"I admit, it was immature —"

"No shit."

"Listen, Chris, I was trying to apologize."

"Not anymore?"

"Well, with your attitude —"

"My attitude? I didn't do anything to you!"

"You didn't — get out," Toby said tightly.

"What?"

"Get out!" Toby yelled, anger showing. "'Didn't do anything,'" Toby sneered. "You..." All at once, Toby deflated. He sank into a chair. "Just go, Chris," he said softly.

"Wait, Toby..."

"You hurt me, Chris," Toby said as softly as before. "You told me you'd be there this morning, and I believed you. Then I woke up, and you were gone. I figured I... disappointed you. It hurt."

Chris gasped. "Toby, no! It wasn't like that." He sat on the coffee table in front of Toby. Chris didn't even consider telling him the lie he'd been planning earlier. If Toby could be this honest, so could he. "Toby, I thought you'd hate me."

"Hate you?" Toby asked, confused.

"I was sure you'd wake up and regret what we did. I couldn't face that, and I ran away."

"Chris, I didn't regret it. Not a minute of it. You made me feel so... wanted, desired. I haven't felt that way in so long."

Chris put his hands on Toby's. "I know that now. I'm sorry, Toby."

Toby looked away, then jumped up to walk over to the window, but not before Chris saw what looked like tears glittering in Toby's eyes.

"Toby, baby..." Chris said, going to him. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I never meant to do that."

Chris put his hand on Toby's shoulder, expecting an angry response. Instead, Toby turned to look at him, his blue eyes brimming with tears.

Chris put his arm around Toby's shoulders. "Come here, come with me," Chris said, leading Toby to the couch. They sat down and Chris pulled Toby into his arms. "Baby, I'm sorry, I fucked up," Chris said as he smoothed Toby's hair. "I was a coward. I couldn't deal with the thought that last night didn't mean as much to you as it did to me."

Toby looked up at Chris. "What did it mean to you?"

"I... you need to understand something, Toby. When you asked me why I chose you, I told you the truth. There was something about you. Toby, what I did, the little show I put on for you... I have done stuff like that before. I've have had a lot of one night stands. I don't mean to hurt you by saying that, but that is how this started out. I just didn't know how you would affect me, Toby," Chris said, stroking Toby's cheek. "And I figured you would regret it the next morning, and maybe you would be angry. I couldn't take it. And anyway, I know guys like you don't end up with guys like me."

Toby pulled away from Chris and sat up. "Guys like me? What does that mean?"

"Well, rich guys."

"Are we back to that again? Chris, you don't really know anything about me."

"I know you're rich. I know I work road construction. What could we have in common?"

"I don't know," Toby said. "We haven't really done enough talking to find out. I can't believe you still think of me as just another repressed rich boy."

Chris shook his head. "I don't, Toby. I just... I'm trying to look at this objectively. We live in two different worlds. How could this possibly work?"

"It won't if you don't give it a chance. It seems you're just determined it won't work."

"Toby, all we have in common right now is great sex."

Toby grinned at that. "Okay, maybe you're right. Maybe this didn't start out the right way. Do you want it to be more than that, Chris?"

Chris stared at Toby for a few seconds, processing what Toby asked him. "Oh, yes," he breathed.

"Well, what do we do now, then?"

Chris thought for a minute. "Would you go out with me? Or I could make you dinner."

"Okay. When?"

"Tomorrow's Friday. Saturday night?"

"Okay. Will you kiss me now?"

Chris grinned. "Yeah, I can do that." Chris put his hands on Toby's shoulders, and touched his mouth to Toby's, just brushing his lips. "How's that?"

Toby looked at him, annoyed. "Like you did last night."

"Oh," Chris said, smirking now. "Okay." He pulled Toby back to him, kissing him with bruising force, tasting every part of Toby's mouth, sucking gently at his bottom lip before ending the kiss. "Like that?"

"How do you do that?"

"What?"

"Make me dizzy when you kiss me."

"It's just the loss of oxygen."

"I don't think so."

Chris pulled Toby back into his arms, holding him close as they sat there.

"Toby, I love this, but if I don't go now, I'm not going to."

Toby cupped Chris's cheek. "I'll be honest, I don't want you to go."

Chris groaned. "Baby, I'd love to, but I gotta get home. I've been wearing these clothes for a couple of days, I gotta feed my dog..."

"You'd better go, then. Because I'm not going to be able to resist you if you stay."

Chris laughed. "Me, too."

"We can wait two days, right?"

"Right." Chris stood up. Toby walked him to the door. "I'll see you Saturday night, around six?"

"Sure. Where do you live?"

"I'll call you tomorrow and give you directions."

"Don't you need my phone number?"

Chris grinned sheepishly. "Actually, I took a business card from your wallet this morning."

Toby smiled. "Oh. So that's how you knew where I worked."

"Yes."

"Okay. And Chris?"

"Yeah?"

"One more kiss before you go?"

Chris was more than happy to oblige.

"Wow," Toby said, "Are you sure we have to be adults about this?"

"Yep. Just remember, babe — when I'm jerkin' off tonight, I'll be thinking of you."

Toby laughed. "Same here."

- TBC -

 

 

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Go to the sequel Road Work 4: Dinner with Chris
 

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Title: Road Work 3: The Day After
Author: Maddie
E-mail: maddiec24@mchsi.com
Website: Maddie's Fanfiction
Feedback: Yes, please!
Pairing: B/K
Rating: NC-17
Archive: Sure.
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. No copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made.
Summary: Chris and Toby deal with their feelings after their night together.
Notes: Thanks to Ahavia and Haven for beta and their great ideas.
First Published: July 3, 2004

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