Warning: This story will NOT contain a lot of graphic sex between consenting males. If this is objectionable in your country, province, or state of mind, then please look elsewhere (and then come back when you feel like reading a story ;-). Please do not repost or reprint this story without the author's permission. Thanks! --Ev
Chasing Love Part 3: Doin' the Love Thing --Evan Dane
A faded orange explosion suddenly engulfed the helicopter. Well, maybe it would be more correct to say it half-covered the helicopter because the helicopter was still visible under the haze on the screen. Tyler and Ron were laughing their butts off.
Flipping through the channels on a lazy Saturday afternoon, Tyler noticed a 007-lookalike movie on the local cable access station. Delighted with the campy special effects and the earnest yet very subpar acting and plot, he had called Ron into his room to watch it with him.
The plot seemed to be that some gangsters wanted to force the hero to deliver some drugs for them by kidnapping his daughter. The whole situation was ridiculous because the daughter looked to be just five years younger than her father and all the actors couldn't have been out of high school. The movie was redeemed by frequent use of car chase scenes, nice gunshot effects, and a good use of a wide variety of scenes all around town. For a high school production, the level of editing and camera work was actually surprisingly good.
"Hey, cut that out!" said Tyler, swatting behind him at Ron as another popcorn hit him in the back of the head.
"Well, maybe if you'd pay attention to what I was saying, I wouldn't have to pelt you with popcorn. Are you off in your own little world thinking about that guy again?"
"I'm not a lovesick teenager, okay?" Tyler replied grouchily. "In fact, I wasn't even thinking of that sophomore. I was actually checking out the hero, Max Jenks, on the screen there. He's pretty hot."
"What is it with you and younger men?" Ron laughed. "A sophomore here's okay, but the guy on the tube's a sophomore in high school most likely!"
A cutting remark like that could not go unpunished, of course, so Tyler turned quickly and pounced on top of Ron without a word. Since the couch doubled as a bed, the struggle was awkward but did not result in the duo tumbling to the floor. Ron was fairly adept at karate and was limber, but his gales of laughter kept him from concentrating. Tyler finally used a half-remembered technique from high school junior varsity wrestling and had a giggling Ron pinned under him, arms immobilized behind his back.
"I yield, sir. I yield!" Ron yelped between chuckles.
Tyler's grin of victory faded as he realized uncomfortably that he was beginning to sport an erection. He quickly rolled off Ron and turned away from him to discretely adjust himself.
"So what did you find so attractive about Mr. Jenks, huh?" Ron asked, seemingly unaware of Tyler's situation. "His charm, his cosmopolitan outlook, his grace under fire?"
"Mostly it's those green eyes, nice facial bones, wavy blonde hair. Ooh and good overall build."
"So he would be 'your type' because of his hair, eyes, and build?"
"Pretty much."
"I see. Well, I'd better go and finish writing up my paper on those childhood disorders. You have fun watching the credits. Thanks for the comic relief tonight, Ty," Ron said as he hauled himself off the couch reluctantly and disappeared into his room through the bathroom.
Tyler sighed as he had finished his work hours ago and watched as a steady stream of words filed the screen. "Cast: Maxwell Jenks --- JP Torrence...Celia Jenks --- Hope Dean...Crime Boss Merski --- Jan Salminen..."
"Wait! JP Torrence? Could that be Philip's brother?" Tyler thought. Maybe this was the opening he needed.
"Thank you all for coming. Remember to have some juice and light hors d'oeuvres at the back of the room and to mingle with some of the current officers and members. We hope to see all of you applying for membership in the Regent's Circle." Tyler smiled and waited for the applause to die down. He walked to the back of the room to get some lemonade and cookies.
"Tyler, do you have a second?" asked Gena. Gena Schiotti was one of the top 25 sophomores tapped for special invitation to membership in the Regent's Circle, the university-wide junior-senior honor society, and she also happened to be a fairly good friend. Six and a half feet of muscle and speed, she was an amazing asset to the volleyball team in addition to being a member of the Circle K service group and a part-time model.
"Yeah, Gena, what's up? How're things going with the double major?"
"Well, the physiology's pretty easy, but I write butt-loads of papers for history. Anyway, um, the 25 of us were just specially invited, but others can apply too, right?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Gena punched him in the arm. It was supposed to be a friendly tap from the big grin on her face, but Tyler actually wondered ruefully if he'd bruise. "Regent's Circle honors 25 sophomores who excel in academics and another area like sports or service. Then we encourage them to apply for membership. The application process is as blind as we can make it--no names--so even you 25 are not guaranteed admission, but we do have some minimum GPA and activity requirements. Why? Have someone in mind for us besides your illustrious self?" Grinning, Tyler easily sidestepped her fist this time.
"Well, this guy on my floor asked me about Regent's Circle qualifications when he heard I was one of the honorees tonight. I told I don't know, but I do know the junior year President and I'd ask him. So I asked."
"Is he a love interest? Cute?" Tyler grinned mischievously.
"Well, he's blonde with nice green eyes, but he's a little short for me. Heck, why don't you judge for yourself? He's right over there," she pointed, indicating a knot of students and parents. "Hey, Phil!"
"Phil?" Tyler thought, wondering if the sinking feeling in his stomach was anxiety or elation.
Philip Torrence did indeed extricate himself from conversation and walked toward the two. Furiously, Tyler ran through the names of the 25 sophomores to see if Philip had been an honoree or if he was someone's guest.
"Hey, Gena. Ty. You don't mind if I call you Ty, do you?" Philip asked.
"Ty's fine," Tyler managed.
"Oh, you two know each other? Well, I'm going to grab some munchies. I didn't have dinner yet," Gena breezed off.
Tyler and Philip barely noticed.
"Who are you here with, Philip?"
"You mean the president doesn't know the very people he invites?" Philip raised an eyebrow mockingly.
"Of course, I do. I was on the selection committee, and I'd have remembered if your name had come up--" Tyler replied, flustered.
"Oh, you've been keeping an eye out for my name? That's nice to know," Philip smiled.
Tyler blushed. Philip decided to end the mystery. "Well, you probably wouldn't have noticed it if you were going off of official transcripts and stuff like that. Maybe you'll recall the name John Torrence-Price."
"Torrence-Price is definitely on the list. Hm, isn't he president of Sophomore Honors and conference swimming champion? Is that your cousin or something? I wanted to ask him how he became president of SH because I was president last year and I gave the president's transition orientation to an Alicia Nguyen. Oh, and I also wanted to ask you if you were related to a JP Torrence because you went to high school in this area, right?"
Philip was obviously trying to keep a straight face. "Well, actually, I am both John Torrence-Price and JP Torrence. John's my first name, but I've told everyone to call me Philip, my middle name, since elementary school when my class had five John's. The rest is a long story, and I've been trying to have all my official records changed for a few years now. Every once in a while something will come up and I'll be identified as God knows what variant. Where's you hear about JP? I haven't used that one since high school when I was trying to be cool," Philip chuckled.
Deeply confused, Tyler started to ask a question then stopped. Opened his mouth, and again shut it. "Your hair's changed since high school, I guess. It was more pure blonde than now, huh?" The words slipped out, and Tyler cringed.
"Um, well, like I said, I tried to be cool in high school, and I hated my dishwater blondes so I bleached them pretty regularly. How'd you know what I looked like in high school? Is THAT on my transcripts, too?!" Philip joked a trifle uneasily.
"Does the title 'Running for Celia' ring a bell?" Tyler smiled anxiously.
"Oh, no!" Philip gasped. "Please do NOT tell me that they're still showing that on the cable access station." But from Tyler's hesitant grin, Philip was only too aware that the unthinkable was indeed true.
"You want to tell me about it? I thought it was pretty good for a group of high school students." Unsure of what was wrong, Tyler felt increasingly worse about his opening line. Generating nausea was nowhere near generating interest or affection.
"Actually, I'm feeling kind of light-headed right now. Why don't we sit down?" Philip gestured weakly to the row of chairs behind him. Swaying a trifle, he murmured a "thank you" to Tyler who caught his elbow.
Both seated, Philip began, "Well, I'm embarrassed by the whole thing. We did it for our senior year theater project about three years ago. There were some hard feelings over the whole thing, and I was not--well, still aren't--a great actor. I think I was more in it for the glory." Philip shrugged, his eyes distant.
Tyler sensed that something was running through Philip's head. The whole story was not out in the open, but Tyler was already trying to think of a new line of conversation since this one seemed to be distressing--maybe even angering--Philip. He rubbed lightly damp palms nervously over his slacks. Just as the pause was beginning to turn uncomfortable, they were interrupted.
"Well, nice speech there young man. I hope Philip is able to make it into Regent's next year. He's been talking about it non-stop for the past few days," said an older man with gray pants, navy blue jacket, and a tasteful black and gold tie. His eyes were a washed-out cornflower-y blue, but they had a friendly crinkle in their corners and a mouth that obviously smiled a lot. "I'm Daniel Price, Philip's step-father."
"Hey, Pop. This is my good friend Tyler Adams." Philip smiled warmly.
"Mr. Price," Tyler said, extending his hand. This was obviously not one of those unhappy step-families. "Well, Philip is a great candidate, sir; I was a member of the selections committee for tonight's event. We do honor the best here tonight, but there are no guarantees once all the applications come in since there are always those diamonds in the rough that seem to do much good yet don't wait around for recognition. That's where the faculty, staff, and friend recommendations come in so handy."
"I know the drill," Mr. Price chuckled. "I am a MU alumnus from way back, but I was never quiet studious enough to aspire to being in the Regent's Circle. I 've been talking to some of your colleagues, though, and I think that I can honestly say that you young men and women seem to be continuing a fine tradition of service and scholarship quite well."
"Well, thank you very much, Mr. Price. I was nervous about running for junior president since I really respect the history of this group. It is a real thrill and honor to be part of an organization that prides itself as much on upstanding citizen alumni as it is on recognizing professional and political alums." Tyler realized that he had been making a bit of a speech and stopped awkwardly.
"Well, you wear the honor well, Mr. Adams," said Mr. Price with a knowing grin. "Philip, I need to head home soon. Do you want a ride to your room?"
"No thanks, Pop. I think Tyler and I will finish up here, and then I'll just walk back. It's nice out, and I'd like to stretch my legs."
"Okay. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Adams." Mr. Price shook Tyler's hand. "See you next weekend, Philip."
Philip waved to his father and turned back to Tyler. "Actually, I have to go too, Ty; my friend Elise gets off work soon and I promised to pick her up. I forgot. Say, what are you doing tomorrow night?"
Caught by surprise, Tyler shrugged and tried to be nonchalant as he said, "Nothing much, why?"
"Well, Elise is having a backyard barbecue tomorrow afternoon. I wondered if you'd want to do something afterward. Say around seven?"
"Just you and me?" Tyler stuttered.
"Well, I guess we could invite your floor to come out with us, but I'm only paying for dinner for you," Philip grinned at the amazement in Tyler's voice. "So is that a yes?"
"Um, yeah. I mean, yes. I'd like that," Tyler said hesitantly.
"Great it's a date!" Philip beamed. "And don't worry; this is not some feeble attempt to butter you up so that I can get in to Regent's okay? Your conscience should be clear because that is not my goal. See you tomorrow, guy!"
"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Philip," Tyler managed bravely. "A date, huh?" Tyler marveled. "What exactly is your goal, Philip Torrence?"
Scowling at his reflection in the mirror, Tyler tugged his tie a little too tight and squawked a muffled curse as he loosened it. Lots of little things had contributed to making what should have been a dream day come true go wrong.
First, Professor Honeywell, Tyler's English prof had e-mailed the class late Friday evening adding an extra question to the class' weekend essay on "Twelfth Night." The question called into doubts some of the theories Tyler had postulated in the first portion of the essay forcing a major re-write. He had picked up six references for his chemistry seminar presentation, but re-reading the requirements saw that he needed to include more non-review articles necessitating another trip to the library. As 2 pm rolled around, Tyler had dashed off to get a haircut.
The haircut was the issue of greatest frustration. A tiny slip of the clippers had made one side uneven and to compensate, the stylist had cropped the other side higher. In doing so she unfortunately exposed an evil cowlick-like clump that just refused to stay down; a fact Tyler hadn't noticed after the fluffing and mousing at the salon but which became apparent after he had taken his shower.
There was a knock at the door. Tyler glanced worriedly at the clock and saw that it was 6:50. Suppressing an urge to run around the room screaming, he wiped a little nervous moisture from his brow and opened the door.
"Wow!" Philip whistled, obviously impressed with what he saw. "Were you expecting a supermodel or something? You are dressed to kill!"
"Am I overdressed? You didn't tell me where we were going and...I don't even know why we're having dinner," Tyler's voice trailed off sadly. He looked at Philip's collared shirt, unbuttoned at the top, and his khaki shorts; a contrast to his own long-sleeve shirt, tie, black slacks and the sport jacket he had not yet removed from his closet.
With compassion in his eyes, Philip said, "Hey, look, don't be upset. You're right; it is my fault. I should have told you. It wouldn't have made a difference, though." He grinned. "Last night I was planning to take you to The Tavern so your outfit would have been totally appropriate, but then this afternoon I realized what a nice day it is and how we have until almost 9 tonight before the sun goes down, so I made and packed a picnic dinner for us. All spur of the moment-type stuff. As to why we're going..."
Philip's eyes scanned Tyler's and seeming to find the answer they sought, he nodded to himself and continued. "You really have no idea, do you? Why don't you let me in so we can talk?" Philip stepped inside as Tyler waved him in. "I think you do know, but you don't want to admit it. I really like you, Ty, and I'd like to get to know you better. And I'm willing to bet that you like me, too, so I asked you out. Q.E.D."
Tyler gulped and asked, "But why me?"
"You're not fishing for compliments or anything are you?" Philip asked suspiciously, squinting one eye skeptically. Seeing no hint of guile, Philip continued, "Well, you're friendly, ambitious, good-looking, and reportedly a nice guy. And yes, you are quite cute and sexy," Philip stated firmly, noticing Tyler's slight shake of the head when he had mentioned that he was 'good-looking.'
Raising his hands helplessly, Tyler said, "I've just never done this before. You're one of the first people I've ever told I was gay." A wave of relief, terror, and joy filled him as he finally stated his feeling openly.
"That's the impression I got, so I didn't want to wait around for you to ask. I know what I like, so I go after it." Philip waited a moment for Tyler to digest. Then before Tyler could think too long about what he was about to do or, worse, talk himself out of doing it, Philip extended his hand and said softly, "Shall we go?"
Tyler looked outside of himself at Philip's hand and, smiling shyly, placed a hand in Philip's.
Philip gave it a warm squeeze and led Tyler out the door.
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Hope you guys enjoyed that. I don't want to ruin the mood here, so instead of the usual Batman 'n Robin-type questions, I'll just say, "Send comments to Evan at kencyr@hotmail.com"
p.s. Well, darn, also have to say that I have been neglecting work on a presentation I am giving in Florida in a few weeks. Thus, Part 4 will almost certainly not come out in a week's time--say 2 weeks. I'll still answer e-mails. My deepest apologies for not balancing my work and play better. --Ev
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