Chapter 1

"I'm HOME!" Rachel yelled as she threw her black purse and car keys onto the couch.

"Eric! Are you home?!"

"Hey, Rach, what's up?" Eric walked out of the bedroom with a basket full of assorted laundry, the summit consisted of dirty socks and boxers. Rachel squealed with delight and ran up to Eric, holding her hand in courtesy fashion, as if she expected him to kiss it. Eric looked at her hand and nodded, "Nice ring... did you just get it?" Eric grinned at her tenderly. Rachel began to jump up and down screaming.

"He asked me, he FINALLY asked me!!" Rachel squeaked still holding her hand out.

"Asked you what? Who?" Eric's brow furrowed in confusion.

"DUH, Eric! Jack did! He asked me to MARRY him!" Rachel resumed hopping up and down in place. Eric forced himself to continue grinning, though he was wilting on the inside. His stomach sank like a stone.

"That's great, Rachel. Congratulations. I'm happy for you both," Eric lied. "What did you tell him?"

Rachel laughed manically, "You crack me UP, Eric! I said YES, of course!" She threw her arms around Eric's neck and hugged him. Eric's grin faded.

"So when's the big day?" Eric asked after she let go of him and became fixated on her engagement ring again.

"We haven't picked one, but sooner is better!" Rachel was ecstatic. "I have to go tell Angela and Topanga! I'm so excited!" She gathered up her purse and keys, heading for the door. "See you later!"

Eric frowned after Rachel left. He slowly started walking his laundry downstairs.

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Jack trotted into the laundry room just as Eric finished putting the last load into the dryer. He snuck up behind Eric and covered his eyes, "Guess who!?"

"I give up," Eric said weakly. Jack spun Eric around and grinned at him. He cupped Eric's face gently and kissed him on the mouth. Eric pulled away.

"What's the matter? Aren't you glad to see me?" He looked deeply into Eric's eyes.

"Should I be? Did you come down here so I could congratulate you?" Eric responded sarcastically. Jack sighed, pulling Eric close to him and wrapping his arms around Eric's zombie-like posture.

"C'mon, you know this was gonna eventually happen."

"What? That you were gonna propose to Rachel while you were sleeping with me or that you were gonna dump me like this?" Jack winced at the pain he saw in Eric's misty, deep brown eyes.

"Look, buddy, we will ALWAYS be best friends..." Jack leaned in and kissed Eric again, this time Eric leaned back before Jack's lips made contact.

"Sure, you need a best man... someone that knows you better than anyone... INSIDE and out."

"Look, we both know that this is just a phase... we're supposed to do stupid, weird things when we're in college. That's why they call it 'experimenting'." Jack swept his hand up the back of Eric's neck and held his head firmly as he leaned in for another kiss. This time Eric only fought him briefly before giving in fully. He let Jack's mouth envelop his own as they played their familiar tongue twisting games.

Jack still made him feel weak, his knees buckling slightly. He thought that what he and Jack had was far more than a 'phase' to 'get through'. He loved the way Jack would nearly force himself upon him, pressing his body into Eric's. He loved Jack's aggressiveness, how his body heat always overpowered him. He loved... Jack.

Jack backed Eric up against the warm dryer, pinning him with his steadily mounting lust. Eric seemed more of a sexual outlet than a romantic partner to Jack. It was uncomplicated. A simple give and take. It was a 'friends with benefits' type of arrangement. Jack certainly did NOT consider himself or Eric gay by any means. They were just two close friends that shared a little intimacy. A little fun.

Jack gently broke the kiss and looked Eric in the eyes, "We can resume this later tonight." He adjusted himself and smoothed his pants before turning to leave Eric alone in the basement.

"We sure will, after we straighten a few things out," he mumbled as he watched Jack leave. He caught himself staring at the curves of Jack's ass, watching his jeans as they hugged each cheek with every step.

Eric shook his head, "I must be crazy. What did I get myself into?"

He leaned against the dryer, partly to contemplate his shifting relationship and partly to conceal the evidence of his brief encounter with Jack.

"It's not going to end like this, I promise you that."

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A knock at the apartment door woke Eric from his sleep. The alarm clock read 1:30am. He rolled out of bed and walked to the front door. He opened it to find Jack and Rachel lip locked and all over each other. Eric slammed the door closed and began to scuffle toward the bedroom.

Jack opened the door and Rachel poked her head in, "Hey, Eric. Take care of my man for me. He's all yours now."

"You have no idea," Eric sighed under his breath. Jack gave Rachel another peck and closed the door behind her and locked it.

"Did you hear that? I'm all yours," Jack smiled seductively. Eric continued to stumble back into the bedroom and got back in bed.

"Oh no you don't, what do you think your doing?" Jack inquired as followed him into the bedroom, taking off his shirt and unbuttoning his pants.

"Going back to bed? I'm tired..."

"...and I'm NOT," Jack jumped on Eric's bed and lay next to him, so that they were facing each other. Eric rolled onto his back and was about to turn his back to Jack when Jack grabbed him by the chin. He could feel Jack's hungering smirk in the dark as Jack slid his right leg up and over onto Eric's thighs. Jack took Eric's arm and moved it across his lower back and rested it on his bare cheek.

"I want you, right now," Jack whispered in his ear. He playfully nibbled on his lobe. Eric could feel the powerful stirring in his own loins, his libido struggled to take over. He jumped out of bed, startling Jack who lay naked before him.

"I can't do this anymore. This isn't right."

"What are you talking about?"

Eric continued to fight his almost instinctual urge to have his way with Jack, "This isn't fair to Rachel and it isn't fair to me... I..."

Jack sat up and hugged his knees as he pondered Eric's words.

"I love you, Jack. I mean... I'm IN love with you. I don't know why I haven't told you this before... I didn't want to pressure you or make you feel weird, but I have to know where this is going, and I need to know now."

"What do you want me to say? I'm in love with Rachel..."

"Yet you can still come home and sleep with me?"

"We're best friends, people do this all the time..."

"No. They don't. I've never 'fooled around' with any of my male friends before. To me, we are a couple. I thought you continued to date Rachel because you were embarrassed of what we shared or maybe because it made things feel more 'normal' for you. If you're bisexual, then that's fine, but I don't want you stringing me along as you make plans to spend your life with a woman... I won't be a part of your cheating on Rach." Eric couldn't see the frown that had crept over Jack's face in the dark.

"Eric, we are just friends... this is nothing... just letting off sexual steam..."

"If that's all you think it is, then that's all it will ever be. Thanks for making me feel so cheap. Obviously, you don't feel what I feel about our little 'arrangement'. I didn't know I was a convenient fling. Well, now you have Rachel, so have her 'vent' your 'steam'."

"Eric, man, I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me. I didn't mean that 'it' means nothing. You're just confused. We aren't gay..." A flash of anger struck Eric to his very core, mixing with his sexual frustration and longing. Eric angrily pulled off his shirt.

"Then what do you call two guys having sex? This isn't the Playboy Mansion."

"I don't know... I don't wanna think about it right now... can't we just..." Eric felt a new kind of frustration overriding his mind. He had never been so attracted to Jack and so mad at him at the same time as he was now. He dropped his boxers and began massaging himself with something he had picked up from his open nightstand drawer.

"What are you..."

"Shut up!" Eric growled at him. He climbed onto the bed and on top of Jack, kissing him forcefully. Jack's shock quickly subsided as he felt every part of Eric's body grinding into his own. Jack was breathless.

"You wanna let off some steam, I'll give you steam," Eric grabbed Jack by the shoulders and pushed him into the mattress. Jack let out a cry.

"Oh yeah, Eric... that's my boy."

He pushed his way into Jack, his own emotions and sensations roaring through his head and heart. Eric felt even more heated by Jack's pleading and groaning. Eric pounded Jack with a fury, Jack held on to Eric for dear life, loving every moment.

"Is that enough for ya? Huh? You want more?" Eric moaned through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, please... don't stop!" Jack held Eric tighter, licking his skin and tasting his sweat. Eric pumped harder and faster, taking his hurt and frustration out on Jack the only way he knew how.

"You're gonna take it and you're gonna LIKE it!" Eric huffed. Jack just moaned louder. Jack's lips finally found Eric's. They kissed roughly, tongues dueling in an interlocking tapestry of pleasure and desire.

A moment after they broke the kiss, both men cried out in unison as they reached their breaking points. Eric's last few thrusts sent them both over the edge, causing Eric's motion to slow. His body collapsed on top of Jack, they both laid there panting.

"That was the hottest and best experience of my life," Jack gasped.

"Yeah, too bad it won't ever happen again... I'm giving you back to Rachel, you're all hers now," Eric kissed Jack gently on the lips, got up and walked into the bathroom to shower.

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Looks like I'm back in the saddle. Don't forget to review... Thanks for reading!