Snow on the Roof: Billy: A Gay Love Story, #9

By Tmothy Lee

Billy Butler and Ice are floating on a cloud of love, even after two years. On the other hand, Mirna Chen, Billy's sister, is on the warpath. Her marriage is on the rocks as are her many drinks to make her troubles more palatable. An opportunity arises for Billy to daddy-sit an elderly gentleman, Sanjay, for a week and this erupts in every direction but the right one for both Ice and Mirna, threatening Billy and Ice's relationship.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tmothy Lee
• Release date: Dec 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223525875

Book preview

Snow on the Roof

Billy: A Gay Love Story

––––––––

Timothy Lee

Snow on the Roof

Copyright 2016 Timothy Lee

––––––––

License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

About the Author

Chapter 1

Billy, Goddamnit! In exactly ten seconds I'm gonna lose my dinner, lunch and twelve other previous meals, and I'm gonna do it squarely in your lap. And after that I'm gonna rip your head off and poop in it! Mirna Chen complained, her vocal tone suggesting more levity than substance. Why the fuck did I let you talk me into getting on this damned thing?!

In the undulating and colorful neon lights of the carnival that were holding the nighttime darkness at bay, Billy Butler could see that his sister's hands were firmly planted upon the ride's safety bar, quite possibly to the point of fusion. This left the younger member of the Butler family some doubt as to whether or not the Jaws of Life might need to be employed to extract Mirna from the carnival car once their ride was over.

An upward lift of the Octopus arm sent their ride car into a spin that had Billy cheering and Mirna screaming bloody murder. Admittedly, his cheer was part thrill and part evil enjoyment over his older sister's misery. Mirna, apparently picking up on the second part, pried one hand loose from the safety bar long enough to slug him in the shoulder before returning it and clamping back onto the black metal.

What was that for? he complained, rubbing his shoulder.

Billy, I hate you with the white hot heat of a million suns, and if I live through this I will not only never speak to you again but I will dance the Hokey Pokey on the fucking dumpster I dispose of your mangled body in! she cried out as their car again twirled around in a complete circle.

He turned to face her, his smile no doubt clearly showing his delight over her agony. You were the one who said you could handle this ride, he reminded. You dragged me on it, not the other way around.

You know damned well that you tricked me into wanting to go on it! she countered angrily.

Billy laughed. How the hell did I do that?

Mirna fell into silence for a few moments, her long straight brown hair clearly tussled from the wind created by the ride. Finally she turned to him, her brown eyes blood red with rage. Because you were born!

Not entirely understanding the retort, her brother felt his face wrinkling in confusion. What the hell does that mean?

It means, she began, their car coming to a rolling halt as the ride stopped with their arm suspended high in the air, that if you had been aborted like I told dad to do in the first place I wouldn't be here barfing my brains out!

Oh, that's real smart, he said, though wishing that he, himself, had come up with something a bit more intellectual.

Twisting in the cramped seat, Billy observed two people far behind them being let out of the car opposite theirs; one of which was moving rather slowly, leaving the Butler siblings suspended high in the air for an indeterminate amount of time. He turned back and stared up into the star-filled sky. What a perfect night, he said, changing the subject abruptly.

Oh sure, if dying a thousand deaths is your idea of a perfect night, she moaned loudly.

Oh, you aren't dying. Stop being so melodramatic.

Billy, my stomach feels like a cement mixer, my brains have been permanently scrambled, and I think my vagina fell off during that last spin. Yeah, I would count that as 'dying'.

Chuckling at her overly-dramatic language, Billy then took a deep breath, inhaling the tempting aroma of corn dogs and popcorn from the carnival's concession stands below. The warm breeze felt good on his bare arms and smooth hairless scalp: the latter being different after only two days ago having shaved off all his hair. He ran a hand across the top of his head absently.

What are you doing? Mirna growled. Don't make the damned car move, it'll probably fall off! They never maintain these things like they're supposed to. Don't they know I don't like heights. What the hell are they doing down there? Why aren't they letting us off?

Tackling this armada of remarks and questions in the order of their priority, Billy said, They're letting people off and they'll let us off shortly. Somebody has to be up here so the other side can be let off. And, no, they don't know that you hate heights.

It was your job to tell them I have to be the first one off this death trap, Billy! she demanded.

He laughed, jostling the car. Oh, right, blame your brother.

If you move one more time and we fall to our deaths, I will haunt you forever, you little bastard!

So, Billy mused aloud, turning to face his aggravated sister, basically what you're saying is that the living hell you've been putting me through all my life will continue after my death?

A crooked smile began to spread unevenly across her red lips. Mirna looked straight ahead. Maybe...

I'm not entirely certain whether that's incentive for me to keep living or to jump off a cliff.

I vote for the cliff, she said sharply, the smile continuing to spread. I'll catch up to you in about eighty years when I die to continue the torture. And while we're on the subject, when are you going to get a wig to wear until your hair grows back in?

I dunno, I kinda like it like this, the twenty-nine-year-old said, again running a hand over his bare scalp while taking delight in Mirna's disapproval.

Well I don't. I swear, you look like a bowling ball with a nose. I feel like I should put my fingers in your eyes and mouth and roll you down a bowling alley, she complained. She stared at him a second. You don't have the face for a bald head.

Really... So what do I have the face for? he asked sarcastically.

A baboon, she replied abruptly.

Although the insulting remark had no doubt been meant as such, Billy could not help but laugh, jostling the car again.

Mirna dug her hands into the metal bar even more tightly. Billy, stop moving the seat, damn it!

It's not gonna fall off. Stop worrying.

It's not only gonna fall off, but it'll probably burst into flames on impact and I'll be fried to a fucking crisp, so stop moving it!

Billy conceded. All right, all right. Don't have a cow.

She sat in silence for a couple moments before again speaking. You know, I'm not entirely sure Refrigerator is the perfect match for you, Billy, she finally said.

Billy could not readily remember a single instance in which his sister who was four years his senior had gotten his boyfriend's nickname right; this being yet another perfect example. Ice, a favored acronym for his actual name; Isaac Conrad Elway, seemed to roll off every tongue but Mirna's; this evening's alternate choice apparently being 'Refrigerator'.

Where the hell did that come from? And what do you mean by that? he asked casually.

I mean that he's gotten you to do some pretty strange things, lately, Mirna replied with a hint of venom in her voice.

Billy turned to her abruptly, jiggling the car. Strange? Like what?

Like shaving your stupid empty head, for starters. And if you make this car move one more time I'm tossing you the hell out.

He sighed, having addressed this issue of no hair with Mirna for two whole days. If you had been paying attention, you may recall that it was my idea to shave my head. Ice had nothing to do with it. In fact, he was against it initially.

Then it was his fault for not stopping you. I swear, Billy, you have the common sense of a pile of dog shit. And Freezer is about as useless as your mummified brain. And for God's sake, at least buy a hat and wear it. She then folded her arms across her chest in apparent satisfaction of having one-upped her brother.

Shifting his gaze back to the stars above, Billy briefly considered his relationship with Ice and felt himself to be pretty damned lucky to have found the man. Things were going remarkably well between them, despite Mirna's constant nagging and mangling of the man's name. In fact, Billy had never been happier in his life. The two men fit together like two peas in a pod, or to use Mirna's vernacular: two ice cubes in a tray.

I wonder what they're up to? he asked absently.

Who?

Ice and Wei, he clarified, referring to his lover and Mirna's husband, respectively. They were roaming the carnival grounds somewhere, having decided not to join Billy and his sister on the ride.

Oh. Probably bribing the ride jockey to keep me up here indefinitely, she grumbled.

Billy again turned in his seat to glance back down to the opposite side of the ride. They're doing something to the car down there, he said, seeing two men appearing to be scrubbing the ride seat with a water hose in hand. Looks like somebody got sick and they're cleaning it.

If they don't get me down soon they'll be cleaning another one, she grumbled.

They're working on it. Just have a little patience.

She turned her head toward him, the look upon her face showing mild disgust. Since when have you ever known me to be patient?

Billy chuckled. Well, you've got a point there, he admitted.

So, she began, glancing down to the ground briefly, you and Chill have been together, what? Three months now?

His name is 'Ice', and we've been together for two years, Billy corrected lightly.

Three months, two years, same difference. And everything is going well? ...despite the fact that you're both males and will eventually end up burning in the pits of Hell for eternity.

Shaking his head, Billy chuckled. No more so than you will burn for being divorced once before.

She nodded. Well, at least I'll be in a better part of Hell reserved for heterosexuals. You know what the Good Book says.

He frowned. Oh give me a break. You've never read the Bible in your life. Besides, you're the biggest Atheist that's ever walked the face of this planet.

Well... she began, pausing briefly in thought. I've heard things. I know how it works.

Mirna, you don't even know how dirt works so stop with the preaching.

All right... Shit, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the casket this morning, Mirna said, afterward adding in a more subdued tone, So seriously, how are you two doing?

I can honestly say that I am happy as a clam and Ice is a wonderful man to be with. I love him deeply, he admitted with a smile borne from the heart.

And he's still a cop?

You know he is, Billy said flippantly.

Eh, just wondering if he'd finally come to his senses and changed to a decent job. Of course, if he had come to his senses he would have dumped your worthless butt long ago.

Nice. Look, after all I've been through to finally find a man I'm compatible with, I would think that you'd be happy for me.

You'd think so... Mirna mumbled.

So what's the problem? Why are you always trying to make me feel bad about my relationship with Ice? And while we're on the subject, why can't you even get his name right?

She slowly turned to face him, the blue and red neon twinkling in her eyes making her look like some demented demon. Are you really that stupid, Billy? In your twenty-eight years on this planet with me, have you ever known me not to be supportive of you?

Sometimes you have a peculiar way of showing it, Billy grumbled, though more for sympathy than anything else. Admittedly, his older sister had been a major source of familial support over the rocky years of his coming out ten years ago, and that she had also made herself available whenever he had any problems. He knew that she loved him and would do anything for her brother, as he would for her.

Billy, Mirna said solemnly, you know that I love you and I'll always have your back: shaved skull and all.

Yeah, I know, he relented.

I just wish you would find a man whose name isn't associated with the North Pole and who works a decent job.

Oh, come on, Mirna, Billy said with a gentle shake of his head.

I'm serious, Billy. Why can't you find a nice guy who works stocking shelves or selling used cars or castrating animals?

Billy felt his forehead wrinkle. Castrating animals?

You know what I mean; a real job, she said with a quick jerk toward him, inadvertently jostling the car. Billy, what did I say about making this death trap move?

Laughing, Billy reminded her that she had been the responsible party this time. Besides, he continued, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Ice. I love the man very much.

Again Mirna turned her head, though this time a little less violently to keep their car from moving. Oh please. How can you love a cop?

Seeing as how Billy was not entirely certain whether or not she was just jerking his chain he sat in a brief silence while attempting to read his sister's face. Indeed, she appeared to be serious. What's wrong with loving a cop? he asked with some reservation.

Mirna turned her eyes to the star-filled sky splayed out before them like a black diamond sparkling in beat to its own beautiful symphony. Cops have a greater-than-normal chance of getting killed and I just don't want you to have to go through another painful loss. It took you years to get over Abraham's death, you know.

So that was it, he thought. Yes, her heart was in the right place after all, albeit a little off center. It was true that Billy had a very difficult time getting over the loss of Abraham Adoni, his one true love in life, but he had crested that grade and now had a man who made him feel wanted, needed and loved. So, according to your flawed logic I should go home and hide in a corner alone for the rest of my life so I don't risk getting hurt.

With your favorite Teddy bear, yes, she said smugly.

Look, I appreciate your concern but I'm a grown man now, the Teddy Bear has long since been retired, and I think I'm capable of making my own decisions.

You'll always be my little brother, she reminded him with a quick side-glance.

I realize that, and, yes, I did have trouble recovering from Abe's murder, he said, once more feeling the pangs of sorrow over the loss of his first deep long-term relationship. But I moved on. Besides, Abe was an architect, not a cop, and he got killed.

I just... she began, pausing a moment before continuing. There's just something about... All right, I'll just come out with it: I don't like Refrigerator. There, I said it.

He studied her eyes briefly before determining that she was deadly serious. Having not been aware of her dislike for his longtime partner until now, he was taken aback somewhat by this revelation. But why not? He's a nice guy. He loves you. He speaks highly of you all the time, Billy defended, now feeling as if he had been harpooned by her caustic remark.

I can't help it, Billy. I never did like him. There's just something about him that rubs me the wrong way, she confessed. I feel like he's hiding some deep dark secret, like he's a serial killer or something and one morning you'll wake up dead.

Well, hell, he said with mounting heat, feeling a strong sense of betrayal. This is a fine time to drop that load of crap in my lap. We've been over to your place for dinner countless times, and you and Wei have been to our place and never once did you say anything about not liking Ice. Why now?

I don't know, she mused aloud calmly. Maybe it's the prospect of being suspended in the air facing imminent death that makes me want to get everything off my chest.

Billy was now angry. Angry at his sister, angry at her bad timing, angry with the truth. Even more so was he angry that he had no way of putting some distance between himself and his sister in order to cool off a bit before again confronting her. Right about now the prospect of leaping out of the ride vehicle was beginning to sound enticing.

I suppose you hate me now, Mirna said.

The obvious answer to Billy was that he was not entirely happy with Mirna at the moment, and yet upon further reflection he had to give her credit for being truthful, no matter how much that truth hurt. No, I don't hate you, Mirna. I just wish that you had told me this sooner. I really feel like a fool, kinda like I've been living a lie or something.

Look, she said with her eyes firmly planted on his own, just because I don't like your boyfriend doesn't mean you have to come to your senses and find somebody I like better.

Oh swell, he said, frowning. Everything eventually comes full circle around to you again, doesn't it?

You know it does, she said smugly. Took you long enough to get the idea. I swear, Billy, I was starting to think I'd have to draw you a map.

Still angry, only now to a little lesser degree because of her smugness, Billy decided it best to just drop the subject. He and Ice would discuss this calmly over dinner this evening and come to some equitable solution, assuming there was one to be had. Glancing back over his shoulder he spotted his lover and Wei standing beside the queue, talking to one of the ride operators who appeared to be overlooking the cleaning of the apparently soiled car.

Ice was pretty easy to spot, being that he was the most gorgeous creature walking the carnival grounds, not to mention the entire face of the planet, at least in Billy's opinion. Mirna's opinion obviously differed from her brother's, although the beauty of the man, both inside and out, could hardly be debated; at least by anybody with two eyes and a brain. Staring back down at the slender tall figure, Billy could not help but melt over the fact that this tall, well-built man with the hint of black facial hair defining his slender face had chosen him out of all others in the city. Those sensuous lips could be seen from this distance, prompting Billy to want to kiss them right here and now. Being suspended high overhead in what Mirna determined to be the 'ride of death' made that impossible for the moment, but that deep down urge was there all the same and growing the more he stared at the masculine figure below in blue jeans and red plaid work shirt.

Wei, on the other hand, was a prominent figure in his own right. His Eastern heritage shown clearly on his handsome face, and were he not straight and not married to Mirna, Billy would definitely have considered him a love interest. Moreover, Wei was a gentle, soft spoken and caring man who had taken good care of Mirna for seven years, and considering her peculiar personality, that made him a hero in Billy's eyes. Wei was not as tall as Ice but his proud stature and prominent attractiveness made him stand out in a crowd as well.

Ice and Wei are down there, he commented as he turned forward again.

Good. Maybe my stupid husband can give the ride guy a kick in the balls and get me down from here.

Glancing about, Billy observed vocally, We're not the only ones waiting to get off and they're handling it a lot better, and more quietly than you are.

That's because they are not as important as I am, Mirna declared proudly. Turning again to face him and now paying no attention to the resulting movement of the car, she added, And while we're on the subject, if you and Glacier are so much in love how come after two years of supposed bliss you're not living together?

Because we both own our own homes and we're not ready to sell either one and consolidate our belongings. Besides, we're usually always together: I spend some nights with him and he spends alternate nights with me. This arrangement works fine for us for now. When the time comes we will decide whose house to settle into and move in together once and for all.

Mirna frowned. Sounds like a shaky relationship, at best. Any normal couple would have moved in together by now.

He cast her a look of surprise, her words contradicting declarations from the past. Excuse me? You're the one who's always telling me not to jump into anything too fast.

Pay attention, Billy. Do what I say in the present, not in the past.

Oh, perfect, he said sarcastically, turning away. I think I'm a pretty good judge of people, and I have never sensed anything other than love from the caring man I fell in love with.

Mirna shrugged. It's your funeral, but don't come crying to me when Freezer stuffs your lifeless body in an oil drum and sets you adrift in the middle of the ocean.

There were so many things wrong with this analogy that Billy did not know exactly where to begin his reply. Of course, her words were so far out that he really felt as if no response were necessary. The biggest problem was that he had been massively hurt by her confession, mainly because he always valued her opinions. This one, however, would be more difficult to deal with. Being that Ice was an easy-going man by nature, he would undoubtedly take it with a grain of salt, but right about now Billy was not that forgiving. That said, he was at a total loss as to what to do or say to make Mirna like his partner.

Look, Billy finally said softly, how about if the four of us sit down to dinner some night soon and calmly discuss the whole thing. I'm sure you'll find that Ice is not the bad guy you seem to think he is.

She turned her eyes upon him. I never said I thought he was a bad guy. I just said that I don't like him. Don't put words in my mouth.

Billy put both hands up defensively. All right, sorry. I just assumed by your suggesting that he might be a serial killer kinda meant that you thought he was a bad guy, he said sarcastically.

That's what you get for thinking, she muttered, her face now turned away, no doubt to prevent her brother from seeing her expression.

Mirna's confession, as well as her casualness about a subject very dear to her brother's heart now began to fester and boil in his gut, and with every passing second his anger mounted. Finally, he turned his eyes upon his sister and said, Look, Mirna, we have a really big problem here and I'm not entirely certain that I can live with it.

She turned to face him, her expression stoic and unreadable. She said nothing.

I cannot in good conscience be placed in the middle of a conflict like this. You're forcing me to choose between you and Ice, and it isn't a decision I want to make.

Mirna shrugged. Then I'll make it for you: dump Iceberg. There now, wasn't that simple?

Billy shook his head, now actually feeling sorry for his sister and her inflexibility. Not quite that simple. I love you both, but when it comes down to it I will choose the man I love over my own sister who is forcing this issue. He watched as her expression quickly changed to one of surprise, then to anger. Our step-mother tried to dictate my life and whoever I was allowed to love and I ended up never speaking to her again. Do you want the same thing to happen between you and me?

Mirna opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out. She turned away briefly before returning her eyes to his. She remained unnaturally quiet for a few moments before saying, in a subdued voice, Billy, if I tell you something in confidence do you promise not to blab it all over the place?

By her tone, Billy could tell that the conversation he and his sister were about to embark on was of a more serious nature, possibly making his choice easier by bowing out altogether. Of course.

Once again she paused before continuing. It's me and Wei.

This immediately intrigued Billy who, for whatever reason, sensed that news of an upcoming birth might be in order. Fighting back overwhelming excitement, he said calmly, Oh?

This... is hard to say, and if you tell another living soul about this I will personally shave your head myself, only this time at the neckline!

I promise, he reassured her while simultaneously knowing damned well that she would go directly for his jugular were he to violate her request.

Well, Wei and me are hitting a kind of rough spot in our marriage.

Surprised to hear this, his excitement immediately waned, replaced by a sense of disappointment. You and Wei? I thought you two were the perfect couple.

That makes two of us, she said with a heavy sigh.

Well, all relationships have their ups and downs. Maybe you could both get some couple's counseling or something. That way you could figure out the... he began his thoughts being cut off mid-sentence.

We're getting a divorce. Having lay this bomb squarely in her brother's lap, Mirna then sat in silence staring out to the starry sky.

From below came sounds of laughter and screams from nearby amusements, but within the suspended Octopus ride car came stone silence. Billy, having not prepared himself for such devastating news, could not think of a single thing to say. Therefore, he sat like a gargoyle: unmoving, cold and silent. His previous anger was now entirely gone.

We've been talking about it for a couple months and we finally decided to file.

Billy wanted to say something, to offer his sister some words of encouragement, understanding and support, but his mind and body would not cooperate. He now understood her lashing out at Ice: he was the scapegoat. She was really lashing out at the demise of her own marriage.

He's been sleeping at the restaurant for the past few weeks, she continued, referring to the Chinese restaurant that Wei owned and operated. He comes home just to drop off his laundry and pick up clean clothes.

Following that statement, Mirna seemed to collapse in exhaustion, slumping down in the seat while paying no attention to the fact that the car was jostled again slightly by her movement. Billy, feeling the need to stop being a lump of lifeless clay, turned in his seat to face her, again jiggling the car.

This is a fine time to dump that in my lap, he said, surprising himself. He had wanted to be supportive, and yet apparently that had been blindsided by an undercurrent of the previous rage with which he had not yet come to terms. It seemed to him that he was, for whatever reason, taking it personally and now making his sister feel guilty for opening up her heart to him, and for this he was truly sorry; and angry with himself. His sister needed consolation right now, not the sharp edge of his tongue, and yet Billy seemed helpless to curb his renewed anger at the moment.

Why didn't you tell me about this sooner? he demanded.

Mirna did not look at him, instead continuing to stare ahead at the night sky. I wanted to make sure it was really over before I told anybody.

Well, what's he doing here with us all at the carnival tonight if you two are splitting up?

Mirna shook her head, saying somberly, One last show of solidarity, I guess. I dunno. It just seemed the right thing to do.

Now Billy was seething with anger: anger at Wei for not being the ideal husband, anger at his sister for not telling him about their problems sooner, anger for being led to believe that they had the perfect marriage all these years. Mostly, though, he was furious with himself for dealing with this devastating news defensively rather than being sympathetic. He took a deep cleansing breath and let it out slowly, feeling the heat of anger slowly abating.

Mirna, I'm sorry, he said, gradually turning to again face his sister. I always looked up to you and Wei for having the perfect marriage. What happened?

I'm not really sure, she admitted thoughtfully. I guess we just drifted apart.

Was he having an affair? Billy asked for no other reason than to propel the conversation forward.

She frowned, feigning a laugh. Of course not. If he was I'd have cut off certain parts of his anatomy and fed them to the neighbor's dog. No, it was just that we're both growing tired of one another.

Have you told dad, yet? he asked of their father, Mel.

Just you, she answered, shaking her head.

Billy considered this mess for a few moments before surprising himself with a chuckle, this being met with a frown from his confused sister. Well, this is a first. Usually it's me that's going through relationship hell and you're the rock. Now it's the other way around.

Go figure... she muttered aloud.

Is it really over between you two? I mean: really over? he asked softly, hoping to hear something offering even a thread of hope.

Mirna frowned, casting him one of her famous glares. "What part of filing for divorce is confusing you, Billy?"

"All right, all right. I get