Doctors Orders (Manxman)

Chapter 9

Tristan

I was hard at work figuring out the layout for our new issue when the intercom rang. I picked up to be informed by the doorman that someone had left a parcel for me.

Confused, I said that I was coming to get it and got up. I stretched my aching back muscles from having sat for so long and went down the stairs. The elevator took too long anyway.

The doorman was a nice old man who had been here for as long as I could remember. He always greeted everyone with a gentle smile and a cheerful good morning. If ever I was having a bad day, his greeting was enough to cheer me up.

He smiled widely upon seeing me and waved me over. "Tristan. A young man left this for you," he said while showing me a brown bag.

I took the bag from his hands and peeked inside. It was a lunch box with a note stuck on top.

"Thought you would escape me? Not so easy babe."

I just had to smile. I should have known he would do this. He had packed chicken and cheese sandwiches with a cranberry juice and gods was it good. Much better than whatever I would have ordered from the cafe.

Work after that was happier than before with two amazing sandwiches swimming in my stomach. I completely forgot that I was supposed to be mad at him.

Marly came in again and I guess he got the hint that I didn't want to talk about anything relating to Damien or the club. Our conversation was mostly about work and how big a bitch our boss was.

My cell rang between our conversation. I picked up thinking it was Damien since he was like the only person who called me but was surprised to hear a feminine voice.

"Brother mine! How are you doing," the cheerful light voice said. My eyes widened in surprise and then joy.

"Bethany?," I almost screamed into the phone. "Yes bro. It's me, the one and only Beth."

I could have danced with joy. Beth was my sister or rather adopted sister. The pastor of the church to which my parents went had found her abandoned in a basket. He had taken her in and given her milk. He and the nuns present took care of her for a few weeks before realising that the responsibility was too big for them to handle.

They had decided on putting her up for adoption. The matter had come up while he was talking to my parents. They had immediately proposed to adopt her. I was four then. I had been overjoyed by the prospect of having a baby sister. It got lonely in the house alone.

Bethany lived up to her name. She was nothing less than an angel. She had been there for me at every step. She was the one who took the initiative to get me out of my depression when Damien left for college. She was the one who held my hand when I just needed someone to be there. She was the one who had taught me how to bake, how to do anything really.

"Okay so I have something to tell you. It's kind of big so please don't freak out. I am engaged."

I did freak out.

I stood up fast enough to knock my chair down. The noise made Marly jump and a few people look towards my cubicle but I didn't even register them.

"WHAT. Oh my god! Are you serious. When did this happen," I asked in a rush. I knew she had been dating a guy named Harry for quite some time. I had been expecting this news for some time but it was still a huge shock.

My baby sister was to get married. She would soon be someone's wife and later someone's mother.

Bethany told me all the details of the proposal. It was so sweet and sickeningly romantic but that was just how Harry was. He loved Beth to bits and I knew that he would take care of her.

The news of my Beth's engagement completely took away my focus. My mind kept on drifting to images of her walking down the aisle with dad by her side and Harry in a tux waiting for her. The images brought tears of both joy and sadness to my eyes. I had always known that one day I would have to give away my sister to another man but that didn't make it any easier.

I left work early and almost skipped the way home. I got weird looks all around but who cares. Today was a day to celebrate.

When I got home, I didn't even wait to take my clothes off. It was a weird habit of mine to bake whenever I was really happy or just really sad. I didn't bake often but whenever I did it made me feel so good. And I loved to hear Damien's praises.

I switched on the small speaker we had in one corner of the kitchen and put on upbeat songs perfect for dancing and baking. I was vaguely aware of flour on my face and all over my apron but I couldn't care less. I was too busy mixing everything with the spatula and twerking to some rapper.

The doorbell rang and I rushed to open it. Damien stood there and his eyes gradually widened as he looked me up and down. He chuckled.

"What's up Tris. I see you have been doing some baking."

I waved him in and shut the door behind him. "Yep. I have."

"What's the reason. You look deliriously happy and excited," he remarked while carefully keeping his suitcase and stethoscope away.

I paused for effect before announcing the reason for my happiness dramatically. Damien's reaction was equivalent to mine though far more masculine. He loved Beth almost as much as I did. Damien Rogers was my mother's second son anyway.

"So that's why you are so happy. I still can't believe our little Beth is engaged," he exclaimed while shaking his head disbelievingly. "It seems almost yesterday when she would play house with us both and have us clean all the cups later on."

I smiled fondly at the memory. It had happened years ago but I still remembered it all vividly. How she would order us around her 'house' and make me clean all the toy utensils. She used to make Damien the husband and I was usually the butler.
I used to fear that someday Damien and my sister would become a thing but that went away when I realised that he preferred the dick.

When I realised myself that I was not really attracted to girls, Damien was the first person I ran to. I was so confused and scared but he helped me through it all. I was still doubtful as to whether I was really attracted to boys or if it all was just a phase.

Damien helped solve that too though unintentionally. It had been a hot sweaty summer day and our families had gone to the pool together. The changing room was filled to the brim and we didn't get any empty ones. So we had decided to change outside.

It was all going good until the moment when Damien took his shirt off and suddenly I had found my eyes glued to his muscular abdomen. The heat that I had felt inside me had nothing to do with it being hot outside. I had tried to look away in fear of being caught but it was easier said than done. Where ever I looked my treacherous eyes seemed to find their way back to his rippling muscles.

After that incident there had been no room for doubt. I was into boys and ready to accept it. Telling my parents was tough but I did it with Bethany by my side. They were reluctant to accept it at first and even stopped talking to me for a while but eventually came around.

We spent the rest of the night eating the cookies I had baked and remembering things we used to do with Bethany. The wedding was in two weeks but she had requested us to come as soon as possible to help her with all the arrangements. I had already applied for a two week leave and so had Damien. If all went good we would start for our hometown the day after tomorrow.

As I lay in bed that night, I imagined what it would be like to return home again. I hadn't been back in so many years. After all the drama with my sexuality and the mild bullying, I had never really wanted to go back. But this time I had to. There was no way to avoid it.

With that thought in mind, I rolled over and fell asleep.