Silver Shorts: In The Dark

This is the first week of the Silver Shorts. My story In The Dark is below but if you would like a copy of all the participating authors stories you can download a free copy at the Silver Publishing, CLICK HERE 

Our prompt this week: "This closet ain't big enough for the both of us..."

Here’s a list of all the authors who contributed stories this week:

RJ Scott
T.L.K. Arkenberg

Lily Sawyer

L.M. Brown

Julie Lynn Hayes

Cherie Noel

AJ Jarrett

Diane Adams

Freddy MacKay

Chris Quinton

Be sure to get your copy and as always happy reading!

In The Dark

AJ Jarrett

"Excuse me," Caleb said in a rush as he sidestepped

party goers and rushed down the hallway. He glanced over his

shoulder to confirm that his ex, Wes, just strode into the party

with a hot piece of arm candy next to him.

Caleb didn't care that Wes had met someone else and

was moving on with his life, no, what he did care about was

being caught flying solo in front of his ex and his new flavor of

the month. He shouldn't care, but he had some pride to keep. The

split was amicable, but he still didn't want to come off as the

lonely loser of the two. To be pitied would be an insult.

He and Wes met the beginning of their sophomore year

in college when Wes came looking for a tutor so he wouldn't get

kicked off the football team. If he didn't get a passing grade in

his English Lit class, he would  be benched and ultimately lose

his scholarship. Being the nice guy that he was, Caleb agreed to

help him. He had a weakness for hot guys in need.

They started out as friends, than gradually became more.

The late night study sessions became getting breakfast together

after a long night of making love. That went on for a blissful

nine months, then they parted ways. It wasn't for lack of feelings,

just they grew up, and with that, apart.

It was so cliché their relationship, the hot jock with the

nerdy intellectual. They were  batting in completely different

leagues, but they both held on to the hope they would work

through their differences. No such luck.  

Caleb glanced over his shoulder and a disappointed sigh

passed his lips. He did miss the man. Wes sure knew how to…

"Oh shit!" 

As if he could hear Caleb's thoughts, Wes looked up and caught

his eye. He so wasn't going to look like the needy desperate ex.

Reaching The End of the hallway, he cursed when it didn't lead

to a back door, taking away his escape route. He could hear

someone calling out his name, but he didn't acknowledge it, he

needed to hide. Caleb turned in a circle, debating his options.

Going to the first door, he turned the knob and ran into the room,

shutting the door behind him. It was dark, but he didn't want to

turn the light on and give away his location. 

A light knock on the door had him stumbling across the

room and opening the closet door and stepping inside. Pathetic,

but he couldn't go back in time to erase the last two minutes, so

that left the only option of hiding like a chicken.

The closet door front had horizontal wood slates so he

could see a little bit, but with the darkness he couldn't make out

much. He held his breath as a man came into the room. The

man's face was veiled by the blackness in the room, and he

couldn't tell if was Wes or not.

The stranger stepped farther into the room and shut the

door behind him. As if he had a homing device to find chicken

shit losers, he walked straight to the closet door. Caleb covered

his eyes as the man opened the door.

"Hey," the man said in greeting. "Why are you in the closet?"

Caleb started to bring his hands down from his face to

confess his foolishness to a complete stranger, when the sound of

the door knob turning had him acting before he could think about

it.

He grabbed the man by the shirt front and yanked him

into the closet with him. Caleb wrapped his hand around the

guy's mouth when he parted his lips to speak. The overhead light

flicked on, and Wes stood in the doorway. He looked from side

to side, oblivious to the only other door in the room, and turned

to leave. But not before his new hottie boyfriend came up behind

him.

"Babe, what are you doing?" the sexy boyfriend asked.

"Oh, nothing." Wes wrapped his arms round the guy's

waist and kissed him on the lips. "I thought I saw someone I

knew come in here." He shrugged. "Oh well, I guess I was

wrong. Let's go get a drink."

Caleb stood still as he watched Wes turn down the

switch, leaving the room in total darkness again. He released the

breath he had been holding and let his hand fall away from the

stranger's face. Now he just had to wait for a little bit until the

coast was clear. If he left now and got caught coming out of the

bedroom Wes just checked, he didn't think he could make up a

believable lie quick enough. As it  was, he wasn't sure why he

even ran. It's not a crime to be single.

"So, what was that about?"

Caleb jumped in surprise when the stranger spoke. He

turned to get a better look at the guy, but between the tight

quarters and hanging clothes, he couldn't make out much. But he

did feel like he owed the guy an explanation for holding him

hostage in the closet.

"That," Caleb pointed toward the door, "was my ex and

I'm guessing his new boyfriend." He ran his hand across his

forehead, wiping away the sweat that started to bead up. "Shit,

did you see that guy? He looked like a fucking Channing Tatum

clone."  

As the man beside him began to laugh, Caleb shoved the

hanging shirts to the side. The man made snorting sounds as he

tried to contain his merriment. "What is so funny?" he snapped.

"Oh nothing," the man said in a high pitch squeak. After

a few deep breaths, he sobered up. "I just never heard anyone

describe us like that before; thanks."

"Huh?" Caleb reached up and pulled down on the string

hanging from the ceiling. Light flooded the small area and he

gasped in shock. A carbon copy  of the guy feeling up his ex

stood right in front of him. What the hell? "You're fucking

Channing Tatum's clone's double." Caleb pulled the cord again

to shut the light off and sank back against the wall, grunting in

pain when he bumped his head  on the closet's top shelf. The

likeness between the two could only mean one thing.

"Once again, thanks." The clone double held out his

hand. "Hi, I'm Liam and that was my brother Luke. We're twins."

"I kind of figured that out." He shook Liam's hand. "I'm

Caleb." His pulse sped up as he realized his little run and hide act

had just been witnessed by the brother of the guy sleeping with

Wes. Just perfect. Sinking to the floor, he crossed his legs; the

tight confines of the closet didn't allow enough space for him to

stretch out.

He heard some shuffling, then Liam sat next to him.

Liam was quite a bit bigger than him and had to fold his large

frame into a pretzel just to take a seat. 

"So I have to ask—why are we hiding in a closet? Still

got feelings for Wes?"

Caleb turned his head to so fast he bumped Liam in the

nose. Liam let out a groan. 

"Sorry." Caleb reached his hand out to run his fingertips

along Liam's nose. The skin was so smooth and soft; he let his

hand drop to cup the side of Liam's face. "Are you okay?"

Heat radiated off of Liam like a space heater. The faint

scent of his cologne met Caleb's nose and he took a deep breath.

If only he met this gorgeous man under different circumstances.

When Liam didn't respond, he jerked his hand back, not

knowing if his touch was welcomed. Just because he and his

brother were twins didn't mean they both batted for the same

team.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Liam rubbed his nose. "This closet ain't

big enough for the both of us."

"Well, you don't have to stay," Caleb shot back. He

hated the situation he was in. Running from an ex he didn't have

feelings for anymore and being stuck in a closet with a sexy as

sin man, who just happened to be said ex's new lover's brother. 

"Don't change the subject. You didn't answer my question."

Caleb had no clue why Liam wanted to know what his

feelings for Wes were. He could only assume he was making

sure that he wouldn't be a problem to Wes and Luke's budding

relationship.

"Do I still have feeling for Wes? No. I just," Caleb

paused, unsure how to explain his actions. "I just haven't had a

chance to do much dating since we broke up, and of course the

first party I choose to go to, I run into him." He let his head fall

back on his shoulders. "Then, to top it off, he has a hot new

boyfriend." Caleb turned toward Liam. "So I ran in here instead

of looking like a loser. Pretty pathetic huh?"

"It's not pathetic, but neither is being at party alone.

Don't most people go to parties to meet people?" 

"Yeah, I guess. I didn't look at it like that." Caleb sighed.

"Does this make me an even bigger loser?" he asked Liam.

"No, it makes you human. I mean, we as people don't

like to deal with that awkward first encounter with an ex and

their new partner. No one knows what to say, then you're just left

staring at each other like idiots." Liam shrugged. "I get it."

"Thanks." 

They sat there in the closet talking and getting to know

one another to pass the time. Liam was in no hurry to leave, and

Caleb enjoyed the company he offered. They talked about school

and their majors. Came to find out they were both attending

school to become teachers.

Liam was also minoring in physical education so he

could have the opportunity to become a high school football

coach in the future. He said he enjoyed playing the sport but

didn't see himself pursuing it further after he graduated. Being a

football star was more his brother's forte.

The more Liam talked, the more Caleb started to like

him. He wasn't just good looking, but smart to boot. Whenever

he was with Wes, Caleb always found himself having to explain

everything he said but with Liam, he didn't have to. To be able to

have a conversation with another person that wasn't just one

sided was refreshing. With every passing minute, Liam knocked

down the stereotype that all jocks were morons, because he was

far from it.

"Can I confess something to you?" Liam asked.

"Sure." He barked out a laugh. "Can't be as bad as what I

confessed to you. So spill it. I'm all ears." He nudged his

shoulder against Liam's and felt the man stiffen.

"I kind of knew who you were before we got stuck in

this closet together."

"What?" Caleb sat up on his knees and turned the light

back on. His heart skidded to a stop as Liam looked up at him

with the greenest eyes he had ever seen. In the emerald depths,

he could see a vulnerability that he hadn't heard in Liam's voice.

"I found this picture of you in Wes's room when I was

looking for a pencil in his desk." 

Caleb stared at him blankly, not sure where his picture

and a pencil went together. 

"Since you no longer tutored him, Luke asked me to," he

explained. "When I asked who the guy in the picture was, he said

his ex-boyfriend." Liam barked out a laugh. "I actually stared at

the picture for so long I thought my eyes would cross."

He sat there and listened to Liam's confession. The

thought that Liam sought him out all from just one little photo

was actually really sweet. "So I take it you liked the picture?"

"Yeah, I did." Liam looked at him and grinned. 

"That's quite a gamble, don't you think?" Caleb asked.

"Pictures can be deceiving. I could have been a total douchebag."

Liam sat with his lips pursed as if thinking about what

Caleb just said. "That's very true, but I've seen you around

campus and I know that to be false." Liam rested his hand on

Caleb's thigh and scooted a little closer. "See, I believe in fate

and I feel like it led me to you."

"Are you fucking kidding me with that?" His eyebrows

shot up to his hairline as his skepticism rose. Caleb was a man of

facts, he didn't believe in what he couldn't see and to hear Liam

talk about fate had him questioning the guy's sanity.

"No, hear me out." Liam turned to his side and rested

one of his long legs over Caleb's lap. The warm pressure of the

heavy limb had his skin tingling under his clothes. "When I saw

that picture, my heart skipped a beat. Your smile radiated off the

paper like a spot light. Your ruby colored lips," Liam lightly

rubbed his thumb over his lips and Caleb moaned at the gentle

touch. "Your tan skin with just a hint of sunburn on your cheeks

spoke volumes. You had this carefree happiness about yourself

that flowed through that picture. I knew then I had to at least

meet you to see if the real thing was as good as the picture."

Caleb sat speechless. He had no words to compete with

what Liam had just said. No one had ever spoken such sweet

words to him before. He had to know if he in fact did live up to

Liam's expectations so far. 

"So what do you think of the actual man?" he whispered

as he stared at Liam lips.

"I think the man is whole hell of a lot better than the

photograph." Liam closed the distance and brushed his lips

across Caleb's. He teased the seam of Caleb's mouth and just as

he opened for Liam's invasion, the man pulled back. "Plus, I find

odd behavior like running and hiding in closets very attractive in

a man."

Caleb smacked Liam's arm as he began to laugh. "You

ruined a perfectly good moment."  Caleb started to giggle. He

pushed at Liam's chest, and Liam grabbed his wrist and pulled

him forward.

"I also like having a lover I can laugh with."

Liam shifted on the floor, stretching his legs out as far as

he could before they hit the wall of the closet. He lay back and

tugged on Caleb's hand to follow him down. They lay

awkwardly on their sides, pushing shoes and other clutter out of

the way to make room for them both to lie somewhat

comfortably in the small space.

Caleb nuzzled his nose against Liam's, then turned to

lightly rub his cheek against the other man's. Was it horniness or

the innocent charm about Liam that made him want him so

much? 

He ran his fingers through Liam's short brown hair and

lowered his head the fraction it took to press their lips together.

He wasted no time sliding his tongue into the velvety warmth of

his mouth. Their tongues twined together, each trying to gain

control over the other. 

Caleb took a deep breath and slowly let it out through

his nose. His unabashed desire had him reaching for Liam's belt

buckle, then undoing the fastening on his jeans. The crown of

Liam's cock peeked out at the top, begging for attention. Caleb

eased his hand into Liam's jeans, pushing past the waistband and

letting his hand curl around the impressive erection.

As he gave a teasing squeeze to the length, Liam

grabbed his hand. "You don't have to do this, Caleb."

"I know I don't have to, but I," he dropped a kiss to

Liam's swollen lips, "want," another kiss, "to."

What control Liam had snapped. He quickly reached

down, freeing Caleb's cock. With their pants both pulled half

way down their legs, they lay close, pushing their growing

erections against one another. Warm flesh against warm flesh

stirred the fire growing between them. 

Liam wrapped his long warm fingers around both their

cocks and began to move his hand up and down. Caleb released

a breathless cry, thrusting his hips forward for more of the

sensual touch. 

Very slowly, Liam rubbed his thumb against the head of

Caleb's cock, spreading pre cum over the sensitive tip. His pace

picked up, and Caleb bit down on his lower lip to help strive off

his need to come. A tingling sensation curled around his balls,

signaling his orgasm had neared.

Dropping his hand down over Liam's, he squeezed tight.

Sensing his need, Liam pumped his fist harder. As his orgasm

roared to the surface, Caleb threw his head back, the tendons of

his neck bulging as his eyes fluttered closed. His balls drew up

tight as white-hot sparks shot from his cock and wetness covered

Liam's hand.

Still super sensitive after his orgasm, his body shook as

Liam speed up his hand, on the cusp of his own release. Liam

took his lips in a bruising kiss as he came. Letting his hand slow

down to lazy caresses along their softening lengths, Liam nipped

and bit at his mouth. Caleb moaned and pushed further into

Liam, mixing their combined juices together.

They laid there in their afterglow, letting their pulses

returned to normal. Caleb rubbed his fingers along Liam's scalp,

enjoying his soft little mumbles of pleasure. 

All too soon, the knowledge that he and Liam laid on the

floor of someone else's closet came rushing back. His kissed

Liam one more time then reached up to grab one of the hanging

shirts. Liam looked at him questioningly, and he just shrugged

his shoulders.

"I'll throw it in the hamper on our way out. We can't

walk out there with jizz on ourselves." He chuckled as he wiped

away the residue of their jerk off session.

"Oh, shit." Liam whispered. "Still a little sensitive, be

careful with that hand."

They both broke down into peals of laughter that turned

into more kissing and fondling. Caleb didn't want the night to

end. It started off shitty, but ended with a bang. A bang in the

form of Liam. 

Standing upright in the closet, they straightened their

clothes and stood in the dark, just staring at one another. Caleb

didn't know what to say. They both started to speak at the same

time.

"You go first," Caleb suggested.

"Okay." Liam beamed a smile at him. "Let me start off

by saying I don't typically do this." He waved his hands around,

indicating the whole closet episode. "But there's just something

about you. I would really like to see where this can go."

Caleb mentally gave himself a pat on the back. He liked

Liam, and the best part about being stuck in the closet wasn't the

sex they shared, but the conversation. The getting to know him

and realizing he did actually like the guy. He wouldn't lie to

himself and say it wouldn't be weird dating the brother of the guy

who was now sleeping with his ex.

"I would love to, but do you think your brother will be

okay with this? I don't want to come between you guys." He had

to put it out there for Liam to decide. Luke was his brother and

family came first. He and Wes weren't on bad terms, but he

didn't want to create a problem for anyone else, even at his own

expense.

"Why should it? He's fucking Wes, not you." Liam

wrapped his arms around his waist and kissed his forehead.

"Now, if he starts to put the moves on you, then we will have a

problem."

Caleb laughed. "Not going to be an issue. I kind of have

a thing for this one twin in particular."

"Oh really." Liam ground his hips into Caleb's, pressing

his semi erect cock against his thigh.

"Yeah really." Caleb smiled against Liam's lips. "He's

smart, sweet and oh my god, so hot."

They started to laugh and it turned into another toe

curling kiss. So distracted, they didn't realize the bedroom light

had come on until the closet door swung open.

"I thought I saw you two come in here!" Wes stood in

front of them with a huge smile on his face. "See, Luke, I told

you they would be a good match."

"Huh?" Caleb and Liam said in unison.

"After we caught you drooling over his photo for like the

hundredth time," Luke pointed at him, "Wes and I talked about it

and decided it was our duty to introduce you two to each other."

"You two genius's came up with that all from me staring

at a picture." Liam stood with his arms crossed. "It didn't seem a

bit odd to set your brother up with your new boyfriend's ex?"

Caleb nodded his agreement. It was strange that they

would want him and Liam to meet, and possibly start dating. He

wouldn't begrudge whatever brought them together in that dark

closet, he was just glad they did.

"What's with the attitude? I thought I was doing

something nice," Luke whined.

"I'm not complaining, I just got to hear the reasoning

behind this. No offence, but you two don't seem all that into

matchmaking."

"I was my idea," Wes confessed. "After getting to know

you from all the tutoring sessions we had together, I realized you

were a lot like Caleb. Smart and funny. You guys made learning

fun for me. Talking to you was like talking to him."

"So you're okay with this?" Caleb took a step forward

and rested his hand on Wes's forearm.

"Yeah, I am. At first, I thought it would be a little weird

and old feelings might get in the way." A thoughtful expression

crossed his face. "But you and I were always better friends than

lovers, and friends do stuff like this for each other."

"I guess they do." Caleb smiled at Wes then turned to

face Luke. "Are you good with this, too?"

"Totally." He wrapped his arm around Wes's shoulders.

"If my brother is happy, then I'm happy. Also, you don't strike

me as a relationship wrecker or the type to sleep around on the

guy you're dating." Luke winked at him.

"No, I'm not."  He chuckled. "I'm a one man kind of

guy."

"That's good to hear," Liam whispered into his ear as he

wrapped his arms around Caleb's waist, pulling his back flush

against his chest. "Because you're all mine."

Caleb sunk back into the embrace and a happy sigh

passed his lips. He turned his head to capture Liam's lips in a

quick kiss.

"Enough of that." Luke covered his eyes. "I wanted you

to be happy, but fuck, I don't want to watch you two get it on.

Jeez."

"Oh Luke, stop complaining." Wes grabbed Luke's hand

and started to lead him toward the door. "Hey, do you guys want

to come hang out with us? They just popped another keg."

Liam turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised in

question. Caleb nodded to the unspoken question. "No, we're

going to pass. It's getting late, so we're just going to call it a

night." 

"See, I told you they were just alike," Wes whispered to

Luke as they left the room.

Caleb turned in Liam's hold and twined his arms around

his neck. "Call it a night, huh?"

"Well, I was kind of hoping we could call it a night

together. You know, go back to your place and see what

happens."

Liam placed soft kisses along his jaw line and Caleb

tilted his to the side to give him more room to play. How could

he say no to such a tantalizing offer?

The End