"Mustafa, I can't spend my life with a switch-hitter, I'm sorry, I can't help but feel that someday you might actually leave me for a woman," said Dalton Whitaker, and the tall, slender young Jamaican-Canadian man looked at his silent lover dejectedly. Mustafa Ali leaned back in his chair, quietly absorbing what his boyfriend of three years was telling him. They were seated inside East Side Mario's inside Ottawa's Saint Laurent Mall, one of their favorite eateries.
"Dalton, come on, can we talk about this?" Mustafa asked, and Dalton shook his head, grabbed his coat and left the restaurant in a huff. Mustafa watched him go, feeling as though he ought to chase him but he remained firmly rooted to his chair. Shaking his head, Mustafa took a sip of the iced tea he'd ordered, and pursed his lips. Amazing how things could turn to shit so damn fast, Mustafa thought, saddened by this turn of events.
"No, we're done," Dalton hollered quite loudly as he exited the mall. From the restaurant window, Mustafa saw Dalton cross the parking lot, get into his car and leave. Dalton was still fuming over an incident that happened over a year ago. He and Mustafa had gone on vacation to Cancun, and while staying there, they had a bit of a falling out. Dalton is such a drama queen, Mustafa thought bitterly.
After one of Dalton's many useless arguments over random crap that didn't matter, such as the color of their towels and the mannerisms of the hotel staff, Mustafa ended up leaving Dalton's hotel room. Mustafa felt like he needed some space after a particularly vicious argument. Pissed off by Mustafa's callousness, Dalton hooked up with Pedro, the handsome Mexican guy who was in charge of security at the gay-friendly resort where they stayed.
In revenge, Mustafa had some fun with an attractive, curvaceous and big-bottomed Mexican female escort named Marianna. That put Dalton on notice, that's for damn sure. The couple eventually made up, and returned to the City of Ottawa, Ontario, to resume their regular lives after that tumultuous vacation. Dalton eventually never got over the fact that Mustafa cheated on him with a female, and kept bringing that up every time they had an argument.
Like a lot of gay men, Dalton, who had never felt any sexual desires for women throughout his entire life, felt distrustful of bisexual men. Dalton had known that Mustafa Ali was bisexual from the first moment they met, during a meeting for business students at the famed Dunton Tower Building at Carleton University. In fact, Mustafa was there with Beatrice Lucien, his girlfriend at the time, but Dalton set out to seduce him anyway.
Fast forward five years, and Dalton Whitaker and Mustafa Ali were done with their studies at Carleton University. Beatrice was long gone, and Mustafa now lived with his lover Dalton. They stayed at a nice three-bedroom townhouse in the South Keys area of Ottawa. Dalton got himself a job with Coldwell Realty, the international real estate company. Dalton was doing well for himself, and wanted his lover Mustafa to keep up.
As for Mustafa, he bounced from job to job, from cell phone salesman at the Rideau Shopping Center to security guard, from security guard to security manager. Dalton constantly got on Mustafa's case for his lack of ambition. Sadly, on the day that Mustafa actually began to get some career advancement, it spelled doom for his relationship with Dalton. Too bad, Mustafa didn't see it coming...
Earlier that day, Mustafa received an email and a phone call from the Department of Public Works. A month ago he'd applied for a position with them at their offices in the Portage area of Gatineau, Quebec. Amazingly, he got it. Finally, Mustafa was going to put to good use his bachelor's degree in business management, acquired through four and a half painful years of study at Carleton University. He'd called his lover Dalton and invited him to lunch to celebrate, and then this happened...
"Josh, are you alright?" came a feminine voice, snatching Mustafa out of his murky thoughts, and he finally looked up from his glass of iced tea. Before him stood Gianna Rutelli, a tall, curvy, bronze-skinned and brown-eyed young Italian woman with a concerned expression on her lovely face. She'd been his friend for ages, ever since their halcyon days at Carleton University. Now she was a restaurant manager, and he was...in between jobs, and possibly in between relationships.
"Oh, you saw that, eh, Gianna? Dalton is tripping again," Mustafa replied, trying to play it cool, but Gianna saw right through that. Pulling up a chair, she sat opposite Mustafa, and looked into his eyes. Such sadness in those eyes, Gianna thought, and her heart winced. Gianna brushed her hand against Mustafa's, and the tall, handsome and well-dressed young black man flinched. She almost regretted that gesture...key word being almost.
"Mustafa, come on, it's me, you can tell me what's happening," Gianna said, and she locked eyes with Mustafa. Nodding gently, Mustafa swiftly gave her the Cliffs Notes version of his issues with Dalton. Yet another one of those endless fights that Mustafa had enough of, and this time, Dalton looked like he meant it. Still, Mustafa was having trouble letting go of that tumultuous, ultimately toxic relationship...
"Dalton gets on my damn nerves with his hissy fits, but we've been together since I came out as bisexual, so that's that," Mustafa replied, his voice barely above a whisper. Gianna nodded understandingly and gently patted Mustafa's arm. She'd known Mustafa since their freshman year at Carleton University. He'd always been the most wonderful friend, so generous, so awesome, and oh-so unattainable.
Back then, Mustafa Ali was the dashingly handsome brother from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Gianna was the doe-eyed newcomer from Salerno, southwestern Italy. They bonded while volunteering at the Carleton University International Student Bureau. Gianna had a major crush on Mustafa, who was tall, athletic, and carried himself like an authentic African prince. Something about Mustafa's confidence and swagger appealed to Gianna immensely, and she thought about putting the moves on him.
Unfortunately, Mustafa Ali ended up bypassing Gianna and dating her good friend Beatrice Lucien, a pretty young Haitian woman originally from Montreal, Quebec. Gianna envied Beatrice, until the day Mustafa came out as bisexual, and informed her that he'd fallen in love with some guy named Dalton. Beatrice ended up leaving Ottawa, heartbroken over losing her boyfriend to a man. Gianna actually stayed friends with Mustafa, even though she never approved of his relationship with that whiny bitch Dalton.
"Mustafa, I hope you don't mind my saying this, but you can do better than Dalton, there's lots of guys and girls who wouldn't mind a shot at you," Gianna said, smiling at Mustafa. Sighing, Mustafa nodded, even though, from his facial expression, he didn't fully believe what Gianna was saying. She's trying to be supportive and has no idea what life is like for a bisexual man, everyone hates my kind, Mustafa thought somberly.
"Gianna, thanks, but when you're bisexual, nobody likes you, gay guys think men like me can't be trusted, and women think I'm always going to run off with some guy, so I'll always end up alone," Mustafa said. Squaring his shoulders, Mustafa gently laid his hand on Gianna's, wished her the best and got up. Time get this show on the road, Mustafa thought sourly.
After settling his bill at the cash, and leaving a generous tip, Mustafa Ali walked out of the restaurant with his head held high. A lot of fellow patrons witnessed the scene caused by Dalton, and glanced at him. Ignoring them, Mustafa headed back into the mall. He was starting a new job and would need a new wardrobe. He went to the suits store located close to the Payless Shoe spot, and bought a couple of business suits. Satisfied, Mustafa called an Uber and headed to a hotel.
As it turns out, Mustafa's move to a hotel turned out to be smart, since Dalton put his stuff out in neat little boxes when he came by the next day. Mustafa put his stuff on storage and returned to his hotel. He began browsing the web on his phone, looking for a new place. He found a furnished one-bedroom apartment in the By Ward Market, and went to check it out. It cost eleven hundred a month, all included. Mustafa ended up taking the spot. It was too good to pass up...
When Gianna got home that night, she kept thinking about Mustafa and the scene with Dalton. She'd never liked Dalton, and it had nothing to do with the fact that the flamboyant, annoying gay Jamaican dude was the one who stole a fine hunk like Mustafa and turned him away from women. Nope, Gianna had nothing against gay people. She didn't like assholes, and that's what Dalton was. Mustafa can do so much better, Gianna thought to herself.
"Mustafa, I would treat you so much better," Gianna said to herself. Lying in bed, stark naked due to the summer heat, she began touching herself. Rubbing her clitoris while pinching her erect nipples, Gianna licked her lips and fantasized about the hunky Mustafa. The hard-bodied, muscular and handsome Somali-American stud was oh-so fine, and she yearned to feel his touch...