"Wow, this looks really cozy," commented when I walked into Fran's place. Mike was sitting on the one couch that Christine didn't take and had his feet up. "Told you it's -- perfect!"

"Yeah," he said with a wry smile. "We're just like Luke and Princess Leia!" He motioned to the kitchen. "The princess is getting a bag of ice."

"Your knee?"

"Yeah. Just sore. Wouldn't think just moving would hurt it, huh?" In came Fran, looking very sweet with the large bag of ice.

"Hi, Greg," she said, and than plopped that bag of ice smack on top of Mike's sore knee.

"Ow, shit!" he gasped under his breath. "Thanks...Frankie." He glared. She glared.

Ah, I love it when friends get along.

*****
Fran took off for some dyke football game or something, and made me promise to stay with Mike. She didn't much trust him, and frankly, she didn't have to ask me twice to hang out with him.

"Is she always so -- "

"Charming?" I finished up for him. "Nah. She's really sweet. She just got the shaft from her girlfriend, so she's kinda in a bitchy mood."

"Well, I can understand how that feels." Oh, yeah. He was single.

"Any word from your girlfriend?" I asked, hoping against hope he would tell me he was so heartbroken, he needed the comfort of a good man.

"No. Someone told me she took all the stuff she didn't sell or toss on the street and carted it over to my mother's building and left it in the lobby. Fucking bitch. I hate women."

"Funny. Fran said the same thing just the other day." I hesitated. I mulled it over. And then I said. "Say, listen. You must be sore from all that hauling. Do you want me to give you a massage?"

I knew he wanted it. I knew that look. It said, "Iām straight and you want to do more than soothe my aching muscles, but Iām desperate for a massage so Iāll take my chances." Honest -- Iāve seen that look a hundred times and Iām never wrong. Of course, in Mikeās case, neither was he.

Finally he spoke. "Uh, sure...."

I grinned. I think he cringed.

"Okay, Iāll get my table. You get naked." When I saw him hesitate, I teased him. "Itās not like I havenāt seen you before." And I skipped out to my car.