SCRUBS AND CROCS (Episode 2)

Xavier had lost a patient earlier that day. She was a widowed mother of 3, who’d been cooking in the dark, when she fetched a cup of what she thought was water from a jerrycan to pour into her pot of boiling soup. She had actually fetched a cup of adulterated kerosene laced with petrol, and turned it into the pot, after which there was an explosion that burned her badly. Although he knew there wasn’t much he could have done for her, he still felt bad that he lost her. He thought about her children and felt sad all over again.

Seated in the bar, Xavier had seen him walk in and had instantly recognized him from the drama in the ward earlier that day. He remembered how vulnerable and utterly embarrassed the man had looked during that ward round. And he’d watched him sit by himself, wearing his forlornness like a toga as he sipped from his drinking glass and probably questioned why he’d left whatever town he’d relocated to Lagos from just to get here to meet a disrespectful new life. Even though Xavier realized that the man probably wanted to be alone, he knew it wasn’t a good idea to let him be. Besides, misery loves company, and in being together, they could help each other get over the bad days they’d had today.

And that was how he found himself rising from his seat to go join the man who introduced himself as Ehis Ufuah.

Ehis seemed to cheer up shortly after they started chatting. Xavier noticed that his smile caused dimples to appear on each cheek. It then suddenly occurred to him how handsome Ehis actually was. The sad expression had given way to a brighter countenance, which seemed to accentuate Ehis’s strong facial features. His fair skin contrasted with the jet-black of his tight, curly hair. He had full eyebrows hanging over the type of long lashes that most women would find enviable. And every time his lips curved around a smile, they appeared more and more kissable. It was all Xavier could do not to lean forward, across the table, and claim Ehis in a kiss.

What had he gotten himself into? All he’d wanted to do when he came over here was to drink with a fellow doctor. Now, he was developing the hots for him?

The drinks kept on coming as the two men talked about everything and nothing. From the abysmal state of the health sector in the country to Bree Van de Kamp, their favorite Desperate Housewives character. Favorite dishes and most embarrassing moments. Ehis talked about how he had lived his whole life in Ekpoma, his excitement at being in Lagos, and how he was settling down as his friend’s roommate for the meantime. Xavier talked about growing up in Uyo, Lagos, Enugu and Abuja – a childhood that didn’t have any real roots because of the job transfers his policeman father frequently got. He talked about the different housemaids that took care of him because his mother had passed away when he was 8. And how he was pretty sure these housekeepers doubled as his father’s girlfriends. Even though both men mentioned that they were single at different points in the conversation, they did not delve much into their personal lives as neither of them seemed eager to pry. They had only just met anyway.

They talked on and drank on. They laughed hard, loud and long. And commiserated at the sober points of their conversation. They hadn’t realized how much time and alcohol had slipped by so easily while they reveled in each other’s’ company. It wasn’t until Ehis tried to stand up to go and ease himself, and stumbled a bit, that it dawned on them that they were probably more intoxicated than they thought and they laughed together over even this too. Upon Ehis’s return from the bathroom, they decided to call it a night, so as to prevent full-on drunkenness, especially on Ehis’s part, seeing that Xavier was not as inebriated; a fact he was somewhat relieved by because he had to drive back to his lodge.

“Let me give you a ride back to David’s room,” Xavier was saying to Ehis, who was excited to have this new friend of his hold him close as they made their way towards the car. He exaggerated the staggering and overdid the leaning, swinging his arms in a calculated way so as to brush them against Xavier’s thighs and his crotch. He could feel the tide of sexual desire begin to overpower him and he seriously hoped he would be fucked that night.

They got into Xavier’s car and headed back towards the House Officers’ lodge, while Asa’s Bibanke played on the car stereo. Xavier glanced at Ehis as he sat there beside him, looking half-asleep, smiling and seeming at peace. It felt like such a romantic atmosphere. There was so little he could do to keep from growing an erection. He had to adjust his legs to conceal it – not that Ehis looked like he would even notice – and consciously reminded himself of how foolish that line of thinking was. The fact that Ehis had so readily welcomed his company and that they had gone on to enjoy each other’s’ company did not say anything about Ehis’s sexuality. He could just be a regular straight guy who was grateful for the company of a colleague. Plus, all that alcohol did not make it easy to tell if Ehis was just being nice or was actually flirting with him with all the compliments and smiles and winks he had thrown his way at various times during their conversation in the bar. On their way to his car, he had even felt Ehis’s hand brush against his crotch a few times, but again, that didn’t mean anything considering how shit-faced he was.

Xavier cussed under his breath. Sometimes, he really hated not having what his friend, Simeon, would call a gaydar. This guy was a hottie, the kind of hottie Simeon would say was too good to make him straight.

Oh well, it’d been a fun evening and he could not wait to get back to his lodge and sleep. He would have to wank first of course. Alcohol always made him horny.

When they arrived at the building of the House Officers’ lodge, Xavier had to help Ehis up the stairs because apparently, he was too inebriated to stay on his feet. The fact that he had a larger frame than Ehis’s slim build and was some inches taller should have helped. But Ehis’s uncoordinated movements made the task somewhat more difficult than it should have been. They finally made it to David’s room, and Xavier had to reach into Ehis’s right trouser pocket to get the key. It was during that process that his hand brushed against what he quickly realized was Ehis’s erection. Startled, he grabbed the key and jerked his hand out of the pocket, feeling a little embarrassed while Ehis chuckled.

During the ride to the lodge, Ehis had felt a curious sense of ease in the passenger seat of Xavier’s 2015 model Toyota Camry. He had enjoyed the feel of Xavier’s body against his as Xavier assisted him into the car. Sitting drowsily in the car, he could almost swear he’d seen Xavier turn and check him out. That was when he looked toward Xavier’s crotch and the streetlight that shone into the car illuminated what looked like a bulge. He couldn’t be sure because Xavier had quickly repositioned himself. It was probably all in his imagination, because even though he had flirted several times with the other man during their time in the bar, Xavier had stayed steadfastly unresponsive.

He probably isn’t gay anyway, he’d thought to himself. So much for having a potent gaydar.

At the lodge building, he could barely walk up the stairs but for Xavier’s assistance. All their body contact was making his mind – and body – come alive with lecherous thoughts, all of them involving Xavier. When Xavier had tried to get his key from his pocket and came in contact with his hard-on, he’d found himself chuckling, because it almost seemed as though his mind was conspiring with the universe against him to make him lose all self-control and restraint in Xavier’s presence.

After fumbling with the lock for a while, with their bodies pressed against each other, Xavier finally opened the door. They walked into the dark room and Xavier shut the door. The next step he took had him tripping over a pair of shoes someone had carelessly placed just after the door, and both men toppled and fell to the ground with Ehis landing on top of Xavier.

And in that moment, one on top of the other, Ehis could feel Xavier’s erection against his thigh, and without thinking, as if he wanted to be sure of what he was feeling, he reached his hand downward to grasp the length of it, causing Xavier to moan lightly. It was then that Ehis conceded defeat to his mind and let his desire take over, leaning forward to plant a kiss on Xavier’s lips. There was a brief moment of hesitation on Xavier’s part, a pause that betrayed how startled he was by the act of intimacy. And then he was responding to Ehis’s kiss, which very quickly deepened. Mouths hot with desire and tongues wrestling as if for conquest.

The kiss lasted a few minutes, and then Xavier was exerting all of his will power to break away from it. He had to be rational here. For all he knew, Ehis may be too drunk to know what he’d done when he kissed him. He was the one who still had his faculties intact of the two of them. It would be wrong to take advantage of Ehis like this. He reached for his phone, turned on the torchlight, and got up, all the while still supporting Ehis. And he navigated his way through the small apartment to the bed, where he deposited Ehis.

He was about to leave the room when he heard Ehis call out, “Please stay.”

He paused and turned, just as Ehis added, “You can lie beside me. I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

The surge of sensation inside him betrayed to him how much he wanted to stay. But he did not trust himself. He had not had sex in ages, and he was horny from all the alcohol. Plus, they had both succeeded in creating a lot of sexual tension between them within just a few hours of meeting each other.

As if sensing Xavier’s reluctance, Ehis said again, “Please… Just stay.”

And as if the fates had joined in on the conspiracy, there was a crack of thunder, followed by another, and within seconds, a heavy downpour was drumming down on the earth. Xavier had driven here, and the rain was no real obstacle to him getting back home, but it was an obstacle to him leaving the familiar closeness of his new friend. He made up his mind to stay.

He locked the door and pulled off his shirt and shoes, before joining Ehis in the bed. He could only hope that they would both not do anything that they would end up regretting in the morning.

Written by Bryan Peters