CHANCES ARE

Darrell was an accountant and had only sort of been out a few years since his divorce. David was in advertising and had not really been out since he called off his engagement with his childhood sweetheart.. They were a strange couple and were not prone to public displays of affection. In fact, Darrell had a hard time being out in public with David. He got uncomfortable and was always afraid he would run into one of his clients. How would he explain their relationship? What would he call David? So they spent many evenings at each others homes or would plan weekend getaways together, driving up to the Wine Country or down to Monterey and Carmel. They once stayed a week in Puerto Vallerta at a gay resort hotel and were the most demonstrative in public that they had ever been. The pool was clothing optional and each day they would venture down and look at one another and smile before deciding to take off their trunks and swim naked. It was the only time they went to a gay bar. They loved one another deeply, but were both not really out to all their friends, families and colleagues.
Darrel had explored his sexuality after his divorce by frequenting bathhouses and a sex club. Anonymous sex had left him very unsatisfied and he yearned for something more. So, when David answered his ad in the "Strictly Platonic" section of Craigslist, he was thrilled that he might have found a kindred soul. They met for coffee and the relationship swiftly blossomed into something more. They had many things in common; a love of old movies, musicals and Stephen Sondheim in particular. Their first real date was a community theatre production of Sunday in the Park With George and they talked for hours about Seurat, Sondheim and a production of Sweeney Todd they had both seen in San Francisco. That night David got his first blow job from a man.
David had never been with a man. He had always known he was gay, but chose to pursue a life of domesticity and a life with a woman. He had known his fiance since High School and they had a somewhat satisfying sexual relationship, in spite of the fact that sometimes David could not perform due to the occasional erectile dysfunction. They were engaged for five years and had been dating for ten. Two months before the wedding date he decided he could not go through with it and much to the dismay of the bride-to-be and her family, he called it off. Two weeks later he met Darrell.
Darrell had entered into a marriage of convenience, knowing full well that he did not love his wife, but afraid that he would not find happiness any other way. They stayed together and tried to have children, but after ten years decided to divorce and go their separate ways. Two years later he met David.
They had discussed the possibility of moving in together, but they always seemed to find reasons for not doing it right then. Maybe later.
David was doing very well at his firm. They were all aware of the engagement fiasco and some of the women and a few of of the men in the company were always trying to set him up with their friends or sisters. He politely declined and said he just wasn't ready. They all felt sorry for him but continued their matchmaking.
“There's an advertising convention in Seattle next month. Do you want to come with me?” David asked Darrell one evening while they were watching Singing in the Rain on a DVD.
“Uh, maybe.” Darrell replied.
“There's a big dinner and awards presentation at the end and I'll be receiving an award that night.”
“Oh, great. Congratulations, baby.”
“Thanks.” They continued watching Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor tap dance.
“So, we'd be going as a couple? Right?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“So, what do we call each other? I mean, how would you introduce me?”
“I don't know. This is Darrell, my accomplice.” They laughed.
“This is Darrell, my concubine.” Darrell said. They laughed again.
“This is Darrell, my consort. This is Darrell my boyfriend. Yuck. This is Darrell my lover.”
“No, this is Darrell my significant other. No, this is Darrell, my alter ego.”
“I like that. I might just use that.”
“Co-conspirator, playmate or how about accessory?” They laughed again, nervously and then sat silently eating popcorn watching Gene Kelly dance and sing in a fake rain shower on a movie set.
The day arrived and they flew into Tacoma and rented a car that they drove to their hotel in Seattle. The next morning they visited Pike Market and took the elevator to the top of the Space Needle.
Darrell drove to Port Townsend the next day while David attended the convention. That night at the hotel they showered together before getting dressed. David was especially excited but stopped Darrell short of coming when Darrell was sucking his cock.
“Let's save ourselves for after the dinner.” Darrell looked up at him with his big blue eyes and his hand still on the base of David's cock and his lips on the head..
“OK. If that's what you want.”
They helped one another get dressed. Neither one of them had too much experience with tuxedos and through trial and error they got the studs in the right holes and managed to end up looking very dashing and debonair in their rented clothes.
“You look really hot.” Darrell said as he stood back and admired his boyfriend after he had attached his bow tie for him.
“So do you.” They smiled at one another and David moved toward Darrell and kissed him.
“I'm getting hard.” Darrell remarked.
“So am I.” David replied.
“We're going to be late.” Being an accountant, Darrell was always very concerned about being on time.
They decided to take a cab to the dinner and on the way there continued to discuss how they should present themselves.
“I'm a little bit nervous about this. These people all think I'm straight and that I'm still getting over the engagement. I'm also worried about how it might affect my status at the company.”
“They're giving you an award for crissakes. So they obviously think you do a good job.”  Darrell was feeling very liberal since it wasn't his accounting firm they were coming out to.
“I guess so. But this is certainly going to burst Cindy Edwards' bubble. She's been trying to set me up with her sister ever since I called off the engagement.”
They laughed as the cab pulled up to the hotel convention center. They paid the cab driver, sharing the fare and walked into the hotel lobby. Several of David's peers were standing in the lobby with wine glasses in their hands. A waiter walked up to them and asked them if they would like a glass. They each took a glass of white wine from his tray and thanked him. Cindy Edwards turned from the conversation she was having with Roberta Guisti and her mouth dropped open as she watched David and Darrell take their glasses from the waiter.
“Oh my god!”
“What?” Roberta asked.
“He's a fucking homo.”
“Who?”
“David. All this time I've been trying to get him to date my sister and he's a goddamn queer. Of course. It all makes sense now. How could I have been so stupid?”
“His boyfriend is adorable. Which one do think is the woman?”
“The woman? What the hell are you talking about? They're both men.”
“You know what I mean. Which one takes it up the... you know?”
“God, Roberta, sometimes you can be so...”
David took a drink from his glass and finally turned to see his colleagues all staring at him. He smiled sheepishly.
“Oh shit.” He whispered to Darrell.
“Be brave, my warrior. I'm right here beside you as your...whatever.” They giggled nervously and walked over to the group.
“Cindy.” They air kissed each other. “This is Darrell, my...good... mate.”
Darrell grimaced and put out his hand.
“Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you.”
“That's nice. I haven't heard a word about you.” She gave David a look and cocked her head.
“And this is Ramona.”
“Nice to meet you, Ramona.”
“Nice to meet you too, Darrell. Congratulations, David, he's gorgeous.”
Darrell and David looked at one another and both blushed as they laughed nervously.
“Thank you, Ramona. I think so too.” David smiled, letting out a big sigh of relief.
They all made their way to the dining room, meeting and greeting other co-workers.
“This is Darrell, my mate.” “This is Darrell, my partner.” “And this is Darrell, my best friend and alter ego.”
At their table everyone had the good taste not to indulge in discussions of gay rights and gay marriage. David received his award graciously and thanked his very good friend and mate, Darrell for being in his life. Darrell blushed shamelessly and smiled reluctantly. After the ceremony, several people came up to David and congratulated him on both the award and his good fortune for finding such a handsome mate.
A few of the more liberally minded men actually watched them together and thought about what they might be like in bed and what they did. Roger Thoreau, David's closest co-worker at the firm, actually found himself having pangs of jealousy and for the first time realized that he had a crush on David. His wife looked at him and wondered why he was staring so intently at the gay couple.

A band began playing after the awards ceremony and several couples made their way to the dance floor. Before long, David and Darrell found themselves seated alone at their table.
“It seems to be going very well.” Darrell remarked.
“Yeah, everyone seems to be taking it in stride. I suppose some of them must have suspected.”
“I don't think so. I think it came as a surprise to most of them.”
“You think so?”
They stared at the dancers on the dance floor. Most of them making fools of themselves trying to look hip and dancing dances that were ten to twenty years out of fashion.
“I've always thought that you can tell how a person makes love by the way they dance.” David remarked.
“Really? So, that guy in the gray suit must be a really lousy lover.” They laughed and took a sip from their wine glasses.
“Do you wanna dance?” David asked.when the music changed to a slow dance. The singer in the band was singing the old Johnny Mathis ballad, Chances Are.
“Really?” Darrell looked at his lover and after a pause, they both stood at the same time. They reached out their hand to one another and grasped them. Walking to the dance floor hand in hand they both felt nervous and elated at the same time. All eyes were on them. When they got to the dance floor they stood facing one another.
“Um, which one of us leads?” David whispered. They grinned at one another and Darrell put his hand on David's shoulder as David placed his other hand on Darrell's hip. They moved in closer to one another as Darrell rested his cheek up against David's. They both felt a stirring in their loins as they danced, moving as one with the music and feeling more together than they had ever felt before.
“This will always be our song from now on.” David whispered in Darrell's ear as they both sang along softly.
That night at their hotel, they slowly undressed one another. Removing cuff links and studs, cummerbunds and bow ties. David entered Darrell for the first time that night and Darrell gladly opened himself up to his lover, his mate, his alter ego and friend.