Disclaimer:
This story is a hybrid between Sports/Drama/Romance and contains sexual acts between young males. If you do not enjoy this type of content, or if it is illegal in your country or place of residence, please stop reading immediately. This story is PURE FICTION and in no way depicts reality. Any relations to real people or acts that may appear are unintentional, I repeat IT IS FICTION.
The story is written for the enjoyment of anyone who had enough time on their hands to read it and should not be reproduced or reposted without the writers consent.
Author's Note: Any feedback is greatly appreciated because I would love to hear where I can improve on this story. I will try to update it as regularly as possible but can't commit to a schedule at this point in time. Please note that this story will build up slowly and will not depict anything explicit early on. Any questions or feedback can be sent to marlerff@yahoo.com . Enjoy!
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"Hey Jason, hold up!"
I turned around just in time to see Romeo running towards me with his mom lagging behind him. I was not quite sure why he was here so I stopped and waited for him to catch up with me.
"Hey man, guess what!" Before I even got a chance to think about an answer he continued, quite clearly excited about what was coming next. "After my last training Mark asked me if I wanted to try a training session together with you. He said we are technically paying for private sessions but he thought it would be nice for you to train together with someone your age every once in a while, and at the same time it's going to be good for me to train with a stronger player." He paused for a moment looking at me expecting an answer, but when one didn't come he continued again. "So? What do you think? Pretty cool, no?"
Still a little unsure what just happened, I attempted a smile. "Yeh, euhm... Cool."
"I know right!" It was obvious he was excited about the whole thing so we started walking towards the court where Mark was already waiting for us. After taking a moment to wrap my head around the things I just heard I came to the conclusion it wasn't all that bad, and that Mark probably had a slightly more refined explanation. Not that I really needed one, as long as the quality of my practice didn't suffer from it.
We entered the court together when Mark spoke. "Hey Jason, Romeo, good to see you, everything alright?" We both nodded before he continued. "Sorry for not giving you a heads up Jason but as you can see I invited Romeo to join us today."
"So I've heard, he said you thought it was good for me."
"Well, that's half of the story but yes, I think it would be good for you to change up your practise a little bit. Apart from your official matches, we almost exclusively train together 3 times a week, which means you are getting used to playing me. Since different players have different styles of play I asked Romeo if he would be interested in training together with you. He is not quite on your level but should still be able to provide a challenge so you get to play a different player and he gets to practise against a better one. Win-Win right?" He looked very pleased with himself and what he said appeared to make sense so I just accepted his explanation and agreed. "Alright then, let's get this show on the road, and see what you boys can do today."
We began with a couple easy exercises to get warmed up and spent the next hour and a half of our training doing various drills that focused on pressuring the enemy player by hitting the ball deep into their side of the court. Without taking any unnecessary risks hitting a ball like that makes it much less likely that your opponent is able to go on the offensive. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Romeo was keeping up pretty well. His strokes lacked a bit of power compared to mine but his ball placement was very consistent. Apart from cheering each other on and exchanging the odd compliment here and there when one of us hit a particularly good ball, we barely talked and all our attention was focussed on the different exercises. It was pretty obvious he is most likely just as competitive as I am because every missed ball resulted in a bit of frustration on his end. Trust me when I say I can relate, because I do exactly the same.
After Mark was satisfied with the results he decided to up the ante by pitting us against each other for a bit of a friendly competition. He put down seven cones on his side of the court and challenged us to knock them over. We had to take turns taking a shot at the cones and whoever lost had to do 25 push-ups.
We lined up on our side and a grin formed as I confidently said to him. "Feel free to take the first shot, I don't want to ruin your day by hitting the first cone right off the bat."
He just smiled back and retorted. "Are you sure? I don't want to hear any complaints when you're struggling with your push-ups."
I motioned for him to step up so he was the first to take a shot and instantly knocked over the first cone on the other side of the field. His mom cheered from the side of the court and when he turned around to face me I saw the biggest shit eating grin imaginable. "All right then mister, game on!"
We both took our shots one after the other, but in the end I lost to Romeo three to four. He was cheering like a little kid, and as much as I hated losing I had to admit it was rather cute. As per our arrangement I got to the floor to do my push-ups when Romeo followed and did the same.
"I am not sure if you noticed but I think you won." I said, somewhat confused.
"I know, thanks for the reminder but let's do this together, it's more fun that way." He got in position and started counting them out loud as I followed his lead. The 25 were over in no time and before we knew it we were ready for round 2. This kept on going for a few more rounds where we both kept doing the push-ups regardless of who ended up winning. It was good exercise and as Romeo had said it was definitely more fun this way. At the end of it all I was properly exhausted and almost collapsed on the bench next to Romeo.
"I don't know... Who thought of this... But this was a horrible idea." I said in between heavy breaths and some big chugs from my water bottle.
"What are you on about... I could do this for... Forever." He said equally out of breath. He then slowly turned his head and when we made eye contact we both couldn't hold our laughter.
"Alright boys." Mark interrupted. "I think you both gave it your all today, good work." We both nodded as we enjoyed the comfort of not having to move for a few moments. After a short silence and some contemplating Mark spoke up again. "Considering this was a bit of a test, and I would call it a success, I think we should turn this into a permanent arrangement Jason. We would have to change your schedule a bit, but I think starting next week you could have your private lessons on Monday and Wednesday, and train with Romeo on Friday. What do you think? Assuming they agree as well of course."
I thought about it for a moment but didn't really see any reason not to do it. Romeo was a good enough player to practise with and I still had my other two lessons to work on my own technique. The fact that he is fun to be around was a nice bonus and his mother cheering both of us on was actually quite nice as well. After a deep breath I replied. "Sure, I think it could be fun."
"What about you Romeo? Considering you only practise with me once a week, and you were supposed to get private lessons as well, I can understand if you would rather get those." He looked over his should to see what his mom thought but she was giving him the `I don't care as long you are happy and think it's good for you' look, then turned back to him and said. "I think it's a great idea Mark, thank you for having me."
"The pleasure is all mine Romeo, that should be sorted then. You guys did great today, I think we can call it quits and see eachother back here next week." Mark said as he started packing his bag and collected all the training material scattered around the court.
We both thanked him for the training and grabbed our stuff to leave. Victoria joined us as we made our way to the exit. "Did you come here by yourself Jason?" She asked.
"Yes ma'am, I always walk here since I live pretty close by."
"Would you like me to drop you off then? It wouldn't be any trouble." She offered.
I didn't want to be any trouble to them so I politely declined. "Thank you, but that won't be necessary. It's only a 15-20 minute walk from here, I will be fine."
In typical motherly fashion I should have seen her response coming. "Nonsense, you are coming with us, I would be a terrible mother if I didn't drop you off."
I tried to protest again but Romeo cut me off. "You should give up Jason, you don't know my mom very well but I do, you are not winning this one."
"Well... Ok then... If you insist...." I smiled at her as I somewhat awkwardly agreed and followed them to their car. Did I mention it was a rather nice one?
We both jumped in the back and once I had explained where I live, we took off. I instantly got bombarded with questions and found myself a little overwhelmed. By the time we got home she pretty much knew everything about me except for the pin code to my bank card. Romeo wasn't really helping either as he was just taking in the information and laughing at my expense. I guess it's another one of those things mothers do to figure out who they are dealing with, but since I grew up without mine I was completely unaware.
When we arrived I got out and thanked her for dropping me off. It was obviously no problem and when I made my way inside after waving them goodbye, I felt like I had just ran a marathon. I usually just keep to myself and the only other people I really talk to frequently are Mark and my dad. So on top of the physical exhaustion being drilled like that caused some mental exhaustion as well. Add to that the fact that I was sweaty and smelly so I decided this was as good a time for a shower as any and made my way upstairs.
Because our shower is quite big I often end up sitting on the floor with my back against the wall if I am tired. Even though it's not the most comfortable position with my legs being a little jumbled in there, I just enjoy the sensation of the water crashing down on me while my muscles can relax. I somehow managed to fall asleep though this time around, because when I woke up again the place felt like a sauna. I quickly got dressed in something easy and comfortable so I could listen to some music while browsing Youtube and god knows what else to kill some time until dad showed up. The rest of the night was pretty much as every other Friday night. We ate together, watched a movie together, discussed the movie for a bit and then called it a night.
The next morning I woke up much later than I normally do. Apparently I was much more tired than I originally thought. If it wasn't for dad knocking on my door, telling me to get my lazy ass moving, I would probably have been asleep still. Once I got downstairs we both made ourselves breakfast (which was more like a lunch at this point) and sat down at the table. Sometimes I wondered if our conversations at the table are the equivalent of those of a married couple that have nothing interesting to say to each other anymore after 25 years. It was always the same routine, work, school, tennis, and the occasional `when do I get to meet your girlfriend'. This time was no different, except I suddenly realised I hadn't told him last night about the new training schedule, and more importantly the addition of Romeo. His addition was rather unique considering I had taken private lessons almost exclusively.
After listening to a quick recap of yesterday's events he felt the need to be nosey. "That was very nice of her to bring you back. Maybe we should have them come over some time? I mean if you are going to be training with him for a while, we might as well."
"Euhm no? Why would we do that? We barely know these people."
"Well, nobody said you had to invite everyone right away, but you pretty much never bring anyone over. At least try hang out with Romeo or something, if you both like tennis you might have other similar interests, it could be fun."
"What do you mean I never bring anyone over, that's so not true!" I don't know why but I felt the need to get super defensive, although he did have a point.
"Really... is it? Because I honestly can't remember the last time you had someone come over."
"Seriously dad? What about two weeks ago then? Dave was here."
"Dave is your cousin, I don't think that counts. Besides, he was here together with your aunt because we hadn't seen them in a while. I don't think that counts." He wasn't shouting, he wasn't wrong, but for some unexplainable reason I just didn't want to deal with this and got incredibly frustrated.
"Well, maybe if you were around the house every once in a while, you would know who does and doesn't come over!" I spat, taking an annoyed bite from my sandwich.
He sighed and took a deep breath before responding. Always calm, always reasonable, god I hated that about him. Can't you just shout at me like a normal parent. "Jason, that's not fair, and you know that, I try to..." I cut him off, slammed my sandwich on my plate and started shouting.
"You try what dad? What is it exactly you try? To get your bonus at the end of the year, to keep your clients happy? Please enlighten me, because you sure as hell aren't home." As soon as I said those words I got up and left for my room as he tried to talk to me.
"Jason... Jason sit down please... Jason." I didn't listen and slammed the door as I collapsed on my bed.
I didn't cry, but an incredible sadness washed over me. It wasn't fair to blame my dad for having to work a crazy amount of hours so I could pursue my tennis career. He did the best he could as a single parent and obviously cared for me deeply. If I had to guess, he is probably aware of the fact that I am a little bit of a loner, and suggested bringing someone over because of it. It's not like I don't interact with people, but he was right. I don't really hang out with friends after school, I don't bring people home with me, or have any sleepovers. It's just easier that way. Who in their right mind would want to hang out with the gay kid anyway. They might not know it now, but once they find out they will all abandon me anyway, so I might as well save them the trouble.
I kept thinking similar thoughts for a few minutes until I heard a knock on the door. "Jason, I'm coming inside." I sat up on my bed and put my feet back on the floor as I waited for the inevitable. I didn't dare look him in the eyes because I felt the shame wash over me, so I just looked at the floor as I fiddled with my hands.
"Jason..." I looked up when he spoke and I could see the disappointment in his eyes.
"I know dad, I am sorry." The first tear started to form which I tried to fight back when he spoke again.
"Me too son, me too. I know I haven't exactly been around much and..." The pain in his voice was quite apparent and I couldn't deal with it anymore as the tears now started to slowly make their way down my cheeks.
"Don't apologise dad, you shouldn't apologise. I was being an asshole. I know you try your best to be here as much as possible, and I know you would do anything for me. What I said was really fucked up, I'm sorry. It didn't come out quite as clearly as I had hoped in between the sobs and a poor attempt at wiping my face clean, but I could see it meant a lot to him.
"I know I haven't been around as much as you would like me to be Jason, and it's ok to be angry at that. But you know that I love you more than anything in the world. Please tell me you know that."
"I know dad, I am sorry."
"It's ok son, it's ok." He sat down next to me and wrapped an arm around me while I tried my best to calm down. After a minute or two I felt I had calmed down again and decided for myself that this was as good a moment as any.
"Dad?"
He looked down at me as he let go a little so I could actually look at him while I spoke. "What is it?"
"I think I want to tell you something." As I said those words I instantly regretted saying them because the voice in the back of my mind was telling me I was making a big mistake. I had never told anyone before, so why should I start doing it now. It's not like I was going to gain anything from it, right?
He just waited for me to continue and I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was trying to figure out what I was about to tell him. "I..." I turned away and looked at the floor because there was no way I could look him in the eyes while telling him this. "I..." Trust me when I say I tried, but I just couldn't say it. I looked up at my dad once more and all I could see in his eyes was a mixture of love, and concern. I turned to the floor again and after another big breath finally managed to get it out in a whisper.
"I am gay."
As soon as the words left my mouth I closed my eyes and prepared myself for the worst. Every second felt like an eternity, and I was too afraid to look up to see his reaction. If nobody wants a gay friend, imagine the disappointment of having a gay son. After what felt like hours my dad grabbed me by my shoulders and turned me towards him.
"Is that all?" He said softer than usual. "Look at me." I didn't, I couldn't. "Jason... Look at me, please." I slowly opened my eyes but couldn't bring myself to look at him so he slowly pushed my chin up with his free hand until I finally looked him in the eyes. "I couldn't care less what you are, you are my son, no matter what."
The moment I realised what he had sad I closed what little space was left between us and hugged him for all I was worth. I cried into his chest while he tried to calm me down and it felt like a literal ton of weight had fallen off my shoulders. If I could stay like that forever I would probably do it but after a while I let go and tried to put myself back together. This wasn't particularly easy, but once I was composed enough I looked up to find my dad smiling happily at me with a bit of a goofy expression on his face. Not quite sure why, I looked confused and asked. "What?"
His expression didn't change and after a while he responded. "Nothing."
"What do you mean nothing, obviously there is something." His goofy smile was infectious so I involuntarily smiled as well when I said it.
"It's just... I guess I have been asking the wrong question all this time."
"Really dad, really?"
"What?" He tried to look innocent but failed miserably.
"Your only son just came out of the closet and that is your response?" Even though I said that, the fact that nothing had changed felt like the most amazing thing ever. The moment I dreaded ever since I figured out the truth for myself was done, just like that. And everything was still the same.
"Well... I mean... I guess I have some questions, but they can wait."
"Questions? Like what?"
"Well, is that why you don't really hang out with anybody? Does anybody else know? Do you get bullied? He was obviously lost in his train of thought as he just asked me what came to mind.
"No dad, nobody knows, at least I don't think so. And I don't get bullied either. It was just easier you know? I thought if I didn't interact with any guys I could just do my thing and that would be that." He thought about my answer for a while before he spoke again.
"Is that why you got so angry when I suggested spending time with your new tennis buddy? What's his name again?"
"Yes... No... Maybe... Who knows, I guess so. And his name is Romeo." Thinking about it clearly made me uncomfortable and I heared him chuckle a bit before he asked his final question.
"And eeuhm... Is he cute?"
I think my eyes popped out of their sockets when he said that and my entire face felt like it was set on fire. "Whaaaat, NO!!! Get out, we are NOT having this conversation!"
He just laughed even louder and got up to leave my room. "Alright, I will be downstairs if you change your mind."
To Be Continued