Heartbeat

2023, All Rights Reserved by the author. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between the story and reality are purely coincidental. Names of brands or products do not imply endorsement by the brands or their respective owners. Please contact the author at doncornelius69 AT yahoo DOT com if you'd like to share your thoughts, feelings, or opinions.

I promise, if you've written I will respond to you. It's been a little hectic recently and I've fallen behind. I will catch up soon!

Please take a moment to donate to Nifty. Your contributions keep the archive going. https://donate.nifty.org/

Heartbeat, Chapter 11

TATE

The courtroom was far larger than I thought it would be, paneled in wood and stuck in a large building near downtown Dallas. I was seated behind the prosecution waiting to be called as a witness. I'd been told what to expect and felt reasonably well prepared, but I was anxious waiting for the confrontation I knew was inevitable when I hit the stand.

At 10 AM the Judge walked in and we did the ALL-RISE thing, then sat back down. The judge laid out the basics then started the opening statements. The prosecution did a good job, starting out with the brutality of the crime and then getting into the specifics, winding up with an emotional appeal. I could feel Eddie tense up next to me when he got into that part.

Derek's lawyer made this whole thing about it being consensual and only after it was finished did the victim talk about being `raped'.

"My client did nothing to his accuser that the accuser didn't want", and my favorite "This is a case of consensual sexual activity between two consenting adults." Eddie was having none of it and let go a steady stream of softly spoken expletives, in Spanish and English, describing what he was saying, and the attorney himself, at a volume low enough for only me to hear.

The subtext to all of this is that Eddie had seduced the poor little straight boy with his irresistible ass.

Unlike Eddie, Zach was quiet and clenching his jaw, while Aaron sat at his side. He was sitting up stiffly, on point, giving every indication that he not only expected a physical attack, he was ready to repel one. It was kind of funny and he didn't loosen up until after the Judge called lunch and ordered everyone to be back at 1.

Eddie and I got up and moved without regard to Derek, while Zach effectively herded us in another direction without being too obvious. Once we were outside, we searched for a place nearby and ended up at a Subway. Eddie was steamed.

"I can't believe that motherfucker is saying that! I wasn't flirting with him at all."

"I can. Lying is like breathing to him," Aaron offered.

"True. And in this case, he's lying to keep himself out of jail so it's even up worse than usual," I added.

Throughout lunch, Zach never said a word. He looked over me at me a few times, a very small and casual smile on this face, but he didn't talk as we continued. I chose to ignore it for now, but I filed it away to ask him about once we left. I was actually concentrating on Eddie's critique of the jury and how they were dressed, including BananaAnna who was wearing an unfortunately bright yellow suit coat with a black skirt.

I was laughing pretty hard as I asked him, "How do you know her name is Anna?"

He shrugged, "I don't. It just worked better like that," which made Aaron snort.

We sat around chatting and checking our phones for about 30 minutes before walking back. About halfway there, I told Aaron and Eddie to go ahead, that I needed to talk to Zach about something.

He looked at me with a curious expression on his face and once they were out of hearing range asked, "What's up?"

I looked into his eyes, hoping I wouldn't see what I thought I would.

"You've been so quiet today; I know you're thinking about things and planning something. Care to share?" and as the last word left my lips, I could see his eyes get darker. It was really something.

"I can't talk about it right now," he responded, flatly.

"But why?"

"Because I don't want to scare you."

"You're thinking about acting out today, aren't you?" I said, accusingly.

He smiled, "That is a possibility. Won't it be fun waiting to see if I actually do something?"

I watched him walk away, my mouth hanging open at how relaxed he was. He made it about 20 feet from me, then looked back and said, "Coming?"

I walked up to where he was standing. He hugged me and whispered in my ear.

"You have nothing to worry about. Whatever I decide, it will not involve you. It will be clean and brutal, but I will not drag you into it"

I looked up at him and realized, once more, that I loved and had to trust him. Standing there in downtown Dallas, he looked amazing, strong and thoroughly independent. This was the moment I like to think he finally came out of his weird insecurities and stopped worrying. This is when he became the most honest version of himself with me.

"But you don't have to do anything. You being here is what I..."

"I knew you needed me to come and I'm happy I did. But this is about punishing him the way he deserves."

I started to say something but he cut me off.

"We both know this is necessary and that he deserves it. There's no changing that."

I sighed, "I know he does and I know you are intent on doing it. I'm just saying all I needed was you to do what you've been doing. I'm fine with you doing what you want here and I'm actually blown away that you feel the need to do it. That said, I can't imagine a worse time."

He stood, staring at me for about ten seconds.

"OK, I see what you're saying."

I nodded and held out my hand, which he took, and we walked silently back to the courthouse.

After calling some experts, about 1:45 the prosecution called me. As I started to rise, the defense attorney objected and asked to speak in chambers.

I knew at that moment the indictment, especially asking Aaron to testify, had all been a trap. They needed me to recant the charges so he'd have a chance here. I looked over at Derek to find him staring at me, smiling, probably the result of the shocked look on my face. I looked over at Zach and he was tenser than I'd ever seen him, ready to jump up and destroy Derek.

I felt Eddie's hand on my arm and I turned to see him smiling.

"It's OK. We thought this might happen."

"WE did?" I said, softly. To say I was confused was an understatement.

"Just don't worry," Eddie replied. "This is all playing out the way the ADA thought it would."

I nodded, then looked back at Zach and whispered to him, "Apparently, this is no big deal."

He smiled, but it looked angry. "I don't see how that could be..."

And Eddie piped up, "Shhhhh, just trust the prosecutor."

We calmed back down and sat there patiently waiting for the next five minutes until everyone filed back out and the prosecution called Aaron to the stand.

Eddie was almost gleeful, "You're going to love this."

The prosecutor called Aaron to the stand. That wasn't supposed to happen until after Eddie, or so I thought.

"Mr. McGee, can you tell the court what you saw on the afternoon of March 2nd, 2022?"

"OBJECTION!" Derek's attorney shouted as he rose out of his chair. Then, more quietly, "Your Honor has already ruled on this..."

"Your Honor, the witness didn't recant his statement to prosecutors in Collin County. He was a first-hand witness to a previous sexual assault by the defendant."

The Judge cleared her throat, "So, this isn't the witness we discussed earlier?" she asked of the prosecutor.

"No, Your Honor," he responded.

"Then I'll allow it. Objection overruled."

"Mr. McGee, could you please describe what you say on the afternoon of March 2, 2022 in the athletic department of Plano West High School?"

And Aaron gave a very detailed description of what he saw when he came back into the locker room. Throughout his description I was numb. I was listening to his words and strangely detached, calm. Zach's head was set ahead but his eyes were clearly focused on Derek.

"Why didn't you try to stop it?"

"I was in shock. I just ran. I didn't want to think about it or know about it. I tried to make myself believe that it had been consensual. I couldn't do that when Derek started to deny everything the next day. Then, when the boy he raped..."

"Objection! Your Honor, the witness can't use that term, which describes a criminal act for which my client hasn't been convicted."

"Overruled."

"Your honor, I..."

"Object? Yes, that's clear and I am overruling you. The witness is detailing what HE saw and I will give the jury specific instructions regarding that word. You didn't object previously to the witness's description of the act or the appearance that your client was forcing himself sexually on another boy and in that context that word is perfectly acceptable." She then turned to the jury, "Ladies and gentleman of the jury, I am giving you specific instructions with regard to the witness's use of the word `raped'. The witness is describing what he saw using his own words, not a criminal term, and you should not consider it evidence of a prior criminal conviction."

And Dereks attorney flopped down into his chair, looking completely deflated. Derek wasn't smiling any longer. Whatever plan they'd had was clearly disintegrating.

The defense continued, "So you knew this had happened, but you remained friends with the defendant?"

"No. Not long after I began to distance myself from him."

"OK. Can you tell us what you witnessed the night of September 9th?"

And Aaron described the party and walking into the bedroom where he saw Derek raping Eddie. There were three other guys standing there watching. He started to cry when he talked about Eddie looking up at him and pleading for help. This time, Aaron acted and gave Derek a beating, which gave Eddie enough time to escape while the other guys were distracted trying to pull Aaron off Derek.

Eddie whispered to me, "Those other guys are on the list to testify against Derek. The DA here, at least, was more interested in him than in them."

I nodded, realizing immediately that it put Derek's defense completely into a box. If the attorney couldn't tear down Aaron, he might have to put Derek on the stand and then he'd open himself to perjury. A sense of calm detachment fell over me and I realized Derek was going to be convicted. Nothing would stop it. He would, for the rest of his life, be a convicted rapist and it meant something to me because a neutral third party, not just me, had determined that.

I glanced over at Zach who was smiling.

"What?" I asked.

He whispered in my ear, "He's done. Aaron is ruining him."

Aaron continued to answer questions for another 5 minutes or so, before the prosecutor wrapped up. At that point, it was close to 3 and judge asked him if he'd like to cross examine the witness now or if he'd like to wait until tomorrow.

"Tomorrow morning would be fine, your honor."

And not long after, the judge adjourned for the day. We stayed behind and waited for Derek to leave before talking to the prosecutor.

"I'm guessing you're not going to need me, right?" I asked.

He smiled, "No, that's all done. I decided to let it go once I knew what Aaron had witnessed before and decided to put all this together for Mr. Tillet."

"So, what's next?" Zach asked, intensely curious now.

"Andrews will cross examine Aaron in the morning. Then I'll put Eddie on the stand and submit evidence regarding the DNA match. Tomorrow afternoon Derek will probably testify and then the jury will break."

I was sad, "Then we'll miss the end."

Eddie looked at me, "Yeah, but now you know the outcome."

We all left at that point, agreeing to meet at 8 for dinner. Zach and I went back to our hotel. We didn't talk much on the way; I was kind of out of it. I had what I wanted and for some stupid reason, I wanted to stay and hear the verdict actually read out despite there being no need. I didn't need to be there and being there would actually hurt me by keeping me from school. When we walked into the room, I immediately started to strip down.

"What are you doing," Zach asked.

I looked back at him, "I need sex."

"You're horny??" he asked, amazed.

"No, but I want to have sex right now. I need to get out of my head and this will help."

Zach, being himself, didn't need to be told twice and seconds later we were on the bed rolling around. It really was exactly what I needed to cure the shock I'd felt from the moment I became aware of Derek's fate. After, we laid in bed with Zach spooning me. I fell asleep, feeling truly relaxed for the first time in days.

Zach woke me up a few hours later and we went to meet the guys for dinner at a Mexican place in Highland Park. While Eddie was festive, almost giddy with excitement about tomorrow, I wasn't. We would be there in the morning and I was dreading it. Sure, I'd been able to get Zach's commitment not to do anything, since I wanted nothing to happen to him that would make the jury sympathetic. But there was something else making me uneasy, the way Derek looked at me today when he knew I was going to be barred from testifying. I wasn't looking forward to seeing that lecherous smile again.

And right then, Derek walked into the restaurant and I knew this would be where he met his fate.

The fight started innocently enough when Derek went to the bathroom. Maybe 30 second later, Zach got up and made his way there as well. We'd paid the check, deciding to go somewhere else for dessert and when Zach came back, we got up to leave. It wasn't until we were in Eddie's car that I noticed his knuckles and immediately cast my eyes up to see him smiling, completely unaware that I noticed anything.

"You promised," I said softly.

He smiled darkly at me, "I promised not to do anything that would make the jury sympathetic to him. I didn't hit him in the face..." He paused, then turned to look me directly in the eyes, and darkly continued, "...and there were no witnesses."

I have to admit, I was a little turned on by this side of Zach. Sure, I'd always known it was there theoretically, but in the time we'd been together, he'd never been scary. I rapidly imagined him beating Derek badly, moving him around, despite Derek's size, like a blowup doll while using his far superior strength to throw punches into him that would cause severe damage.

"Uh, OK." Was all I could manage in reply. I turned back to the look out the front, turning at one point to look back at him and seeing the sideview of his `job well done' smile. As I looked, he turned to me just a bit, winked, then turned back to face forward.

I was so hard my dick could cut glass.

ZACH

A funny thing happened in Dallas when I finally got to act on my desire to punish Derek Tillet, it made Tate OUT OF CONTROL horny. We'd left the restaurant to go to a place for dessert. The whole time we were eating and talking he was clearly flustered and blamed it on seeing Derek at the restaurant where we'd had dinner.

He was a cool liar when he needed to be. What had him red faced was his desire to get railed by me right at that moment. And he didn't even know just how badly I'd beaten Derek.

By the time we got into the Uber back to the hotel, he was borderline frenzied. When I opened the door to the room, he didn't start shedding clothes as he'd done that afternoon, he started tearing at mine and at that point I took control, moving swiftly to disrobe us both and bury myself inside him. This wasn't going to be a nice easy fuck, since he was open from earlier. This was going to be relentless until he begged me to stop.

90 minutes later, as I came again, he breathlessly said, "Babe, I need a break. Please?" and I knew we were done. I'd broken him in thoroughly, for first time since we'd been together and we had settled the question of whether or not he'd give out before me.

He laid there, catching his breath, and at one point, looked over at me with look I can only describe as wonder.

"Can I have a glass of water?" he asked, softly.

"Sure," I replied as I got up to get him one from the bathroom. I returned to find him finally relaxed, somewhat, as I sat next to him and he propped himself up to take the glass. He gulped down the water, then tried to place the empty glass on the nightstand. As he fumbled I reached over to help him, gently pushing it onto the table top.

"Baby, that was amazing. I was stupid to ever think I'd be able to keep up."

I smiled, leaning down to kiss him gently knowing that he was spent and that his passion had cooled.

"Every time we have sex, it's best I've ever had, Tate. I don't need this all the time if it was too..."

"MUCH?," he blurted out, cutting me off. I nodded.

"Zach, I'm worn out, but I'm fine. I loved every second, and I love you."

I smiled, "I love you, too."

He replied, sleepily, "Goodnight, baby."

I watched as he dozed off quickly into what appeared to be a deep sleep. He was so beautiful it made me want him again and I ran to the shower and quickly took care of myself and then washed clean. On my way back to bed, I brought a wash cloth and gently turned him over on his side to clean him. His body was totally limp, completely relaxed, as I did my work and let him drop back into place when finished.

I got into bed and laid there watching him sleep, feeling quite proud of myself. I'd achieved two goals today and was very satisfied.

He looked so peaceful as he slept, and I realized that a huge piece of that was knowing I was here with him. He'd told me in January that he slept best when he slept with me, that even naps were better. He felt safe because he knew I was there protecting him from all the evil in the world. I laughed at that, and made a comment about `all the evil' we were exposed to in Palo Alto. He frowned and told me, "I'm really being literal here. I feel completely safe with you."

It was one of those open and honest admissions for which Tate was well known in our circle of friends. He was outgoing, extroverted, with people he didn't know, but there was always something he held back. With me and Chels, and even Ben to some extent, he didn't feel the need to be anything other than completely open. For us, knowing where Tate stood would always be a simple matter of asking him how he felt.

As I drifted off, I remembered a conversation I'd had with Kim's boyfriend, Jerry, when he told me that Kim was transcendent. It stuck with me because I immediately knew what he meant and could compare it to someone in my life. He'd moved halfway across the country and met people who, though they'd known him only briefly, thought the same way about him.

I woke up holding him and softly kissed the back of his neck, only to feel him wriggle in my arms as he returned to consciousness. We laid in bed, kissing, for a few minutes before the alarm went off and we rose to face the day.

We met Eddie for breakfast in the lobby, the knowing smile on his face giving away that he knew what we'd done the night before. He asked Tate how he was feeling.

"Good. A little sore, but I'm good," he said with a smile.

Eddie looked at him, then turned to me, "What did you DO to him?"

I laughed as I got up from the chair, "Everything you can imagine. I'm going to the buffet."

I had to be strategic about breakfast since lunch, if it happened at all, would be at the airport waiting for our flight. I piled eggs, sausage, and some hash browns high on the plate, then walked back to the table to find the two of them looking at menus while laughing. They straightened up as I got closer and I think expected me to ask about the source of their amusement, but I didn't. I knew and was happy to be the cause.

About an hour later we were back in the court room waiting for the trial to start up. About 9:30 the judge walked out and sat down, then brought down the gavel.

"Mr. Andrews, are you ready to proceed?"

He stood quickly, "Your Honor, I have to ask for a continuance. My client suffered a fall in a restaurant last night that resulted in some pretty severe injuries and is in the hospital even now."

She sighed heavily, "I will need to see evidence of the injuries and a projection from his attending physician as to when he will be fit to resume the trial. Do you think you can have that together by tomorrow?"

"I do, Your Honor."

"OK, then I'll expect that by noon and evaluate the materials provided to determine the length of the continuance. Mr. Wallace?"

The ADA stood, "Yes, Your Honor?"

"Do you have any reason to believe your witness will not be available for cross when we resume at a later date?"

"No, Your Honor."

"Do you have any objection to Mr. Andrews request for a continuance?"

"No, Your Honor, not at this time. I may have one depending on the timeline."

"I understand." She then turned to the jury, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, I want to thank you for your service. My court will notify of the timeline regarding the continuance so that you may plan accordingly for the continuation of this trial. I do not believe we will need you, once we resume, for more than another day or two. I am instructing you not to research any party involved in this case or the case itself, nor are you discuss it with anyone. This hearing is adjourned."

And with that, we were done and the smile I'd been wearing all morning evaporated.

"It's OK," I heard Tate say, softly.

I took a deep breath, "I didn't think I fucked him up bad enough for a hospital."

Aaron piped up at that point, overhearing our conversation.

"Dude, five ribs broken, four fractured along with the sternum. You bruised his heart and one of his kidneys."

"Seriously?" I asked. "Where did you hear that?"

"From a friend. Apparently, her mother works with Dereks father."

Eddie got up, walked the three steps to me, sticking out his hand.

"You beast! I can't thank you enough!" he said, smiling.

At that point the prosecutor wrapped up his brief conversation with Derek's attorney and came over to us.

"Well, that's the best we're going to do for now. They think it's going to be a week to ten days before he's well enough. Then we'll finish this. You OK with that, guys?" he directed to Aaron and Eddie, both of whom nodded in return.

He held out his hand to Tate, who stood to shake it, "I'm sorry we couldn't put you on the stand, but I promise you this is going forward and there will be justice."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it." He said, his voice cracking just a bit at the end.

We decided to head to the airport and find out if there was an earlier flight we could take. Luckily, there was one leaving at noon for San Jose which we paid another $300 to take. At that point, I would have paid anything to get him out Texas.

We killed the 45 minutes before we boarded at a little restaurant. I ordered food, Tate, with his fake ID, ordered a drink and lied to the waitress that he was a nervous flyer. We talked a little, mostly about dumb stuff until we were about to go when I held his gaze.

"Justice delayed is still justice and no matter what, you didn't back down."

He smiled, "Honestly, I'm fine. He deserved what you did to him. Another 10 days until his conviction is a small price to pay for the knowledge that he received a beating that will haunt him forever."

TATE

The morning of the second day of the trial, I received a text from Tom that Love Story had been accepted to Cannes. I was dimly aware that it was a movie thing that was pretty important, but beyond that it didn't mean much to me.

I quickly replied, "That's great! Congratulations and pass that on to Davis!" and put my phone away. I didn't look at it again until we were at the airport and I saw a text from Tommy.

"OMFG... CANNES, DUDE! FUCKING CANNES!"

Chalk it up to being distracted by the trial or the continuing electric buzz I was feeling from the fucking of a lifetime provided by Zach the night before, I didn't think it was a big deal. I replied, "IKR! Really excited!" to Tommy as I rolled my eyes. Then I asked Tom if we could talk after I landed since I wasn't completely up to speed on `the Cannes thing'. He replied "Yeah, right. LOL", and I responded, "NO, REALLY... I don't fucking get it, dude. I'll call you when we land in about 4.5 hours. Cool?".

Zach came back to the table and said, "We need to move to the gate, they're going to close up in about 5 minutes."

"Ok," I replied, putting up my phone.

"Is something wrong," he asked.

I sighed, "It's something with the movie."

"What?" he asked, smiling.

I was embarrassed that I didn't know more about this and it came out like I was irritated, "It's been selected for the Cannes film festival."

Zach's eyes went wide and he grabbed me into a tight hug, lifting me off my feet as he kissed me.

"That's incredible, babe!"

"Thanks, but I have no idea what it means."

He stopped and looked at me, "You really don't get how awesome that is, do you?"

I shook my head, "I know it's a city on the Mediterranean coast of France and that it has a film festival. That's about it."

As we walked to the gate, and in far quieter tones as we boarded and took our seats, he explained what was happening using his admittedly small knowledge base on the subject.

"Shit," I said softly when he was done. "I had a feeling something was going on and thought it was just the aftershocks from last night," I finished, smiling shyly at him.

He blushed which I absolutely loved, like a little boy who's been caught doing something slightly naughty that people think is hilarious.

He cleared his throat and adjusted his oversized frame in the seat, I guessed to give him a little more room in the seat of his pants.

"Tate, this is a big deal. You need to talk to Tom when we land. This could propel the movie forward in a big way."

I narrowed my eyes, "Because some people in coastal France get to see it?"

"Babe, this is a huge event for the entertainment industry. HUGE. And if it wins awards, it's massive PR for the movie that the studio can play off. It's a big deal."

I exhaled, "OK, fine. I'll deal with it when we land," I spit out as if calling Tom was creating some exhausting burden. Zach just laughed and grabbed my hand, which he held as I slept, until we touched down in San Jose.

We made it back to the house about 2:45 and he left to go to the gym, then home to his parents. I went upstairs and called Tom.

"Tate! My man!"

I laughed, "Hey Tom! Zach clued me in a bit, this is like a huge film industry thing?"

"Yeah, something like that," he said laughing. "You really didn't know anything about this?"

"No. Well, kind of. I was in France a few years ago on a shoot and someone mentioned it."

"Where was the shoot?"

"Antibes. It's near Nice."

Tom laughed, "You know, I have travelled a bit"

"So how big could this be?"

Tom replied, "Well, if we win awards, it's a big deal. Even being selected to compete is a huge win for us, but if we win something it could be huge for foreign markets. The studio is wanting to premier there and then release wide the next weekend."

"Oh my God, so this is all going to happen in less than a month."

Tom sighed, "Oh, now I get it. Yeah, Tate, you're going to need to get used to the idea of being famous. In about 5 weeks, your face is going to be inescapable."

I laughed, nervously, "Seeing myself on posters isn't weird, I'm used to that."

"Then what is it?"

"What if people don't like it or they love the movie but hate me in it."

And Tom started to laugh. And laugh. And laugh. I was kind of annoyed with him until he stopped and said, "YOU need to get out of your head. This movie is amazing and you're the primary reason. Trust yourself, kiddo, and let the doubt go."

"OK..."

"On a business note, your contract requires you to be there for the premier. We'd like to fly you out on the 18th and then back on the 21st. You'll arrive back at SFO in time to go to school that Monday."

"Can I bring Zach," I asked.

"Absolutely, but not on the studios dime."

"Cheap fucks," I spat out.

Tom laughed, "Yeah, pretty much."

"OK, how does this work?"

"I'll book the tickets, email me your names and DOBs. Then I'll send you a bill for his ticket and we'll be done."

"OK," I replied in a dull monotone. I didn't want to admit I was a little overwhelmed, which Tom picked up on.

"Tate, don't worry about this, it's going to be good."

"Ok, thanks Tom. I'll talk to you later." I hoped he wouldn't think me rude, but I desperately wanted off the phone right then.

"Sure. Goodbye Tate," he said, then the line went dead.

I sat kind of staring into space until about 7 when Zach showed up. My mother was still travelling and he decided I needed to have dinner with his family. We told them about the trip, then a bit about the movie. His mom was over the moon excited and his dad actually gave me a hug, which he was getting better about. He'd made a comment how hugging me wasn't like hugging Zach or his brothers, he was afraid he might squeeze too hard. It made me love the man that much more.

On the way back to the house, I told him about the date for the trip and that I'd already told Tom to buy the tickets, so he needed to get his parents on board.

"Is it too much if I want to pay for my own ticket?" he asked, shyly, which impressed me.

"No, it's not too much but I'd feel terrible making you pay for something you're going to for me."

"OK."

"OK? That's all I get?"

"Hey, I thought I was doing a good job not being the type A asshole."

I laughed, "You did really good, babe," I told him as I leaned over to kiss him goodnight.

Later, I called my mother to catch her up. She was really impressed by his actions and the thought he put into them. I told her I was as well, but I couldn't figure out why Derek hadn't accused Zach.

"No evidence," my mom replied. "It would be Derek's word against Zach's and that goes nowhere. I'm sure they probably talked to someone about it, but in the end decided against doing anything since the natural response is `You injured yourself to avoid trial!'"

My head was spinning with the implications of this. Had Zach really thought this through to that degree?

"Hey, kiddo, you ok?"

"Yeah, mom, I'm just a little..."

She laughed, "Shocked at how well Zach thought this through? He did get lucky because someone could have come in to the bathroom. He took a risk and it paid off. You found a smart one."

I smiled, "Yeah, I guess I did."

She caught me up on what she'd been doing and I told her about Cannes.

"So, you're only going to miss Friday?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll be back Monday early so I can go to school directly from the airport."

"Was that your idea?" she asked.

I snorted, "Nope. The producer had it already planned out. I assume he remembered my scheduling constraints."

"I have to tell you, I'm really impressed with the team you're part of. They seem to be very conscientious and professional people."

"They are, mom. I'm lucky."

"Well, this is really exciting sweetie! I'm so proud of you," and I could her start to tear up, "and I want you to know that! I love you very much!"

"I do and I love you too, Mom," I told her.

The next morning I got up to a YouTube link from Tommy. It was the trailer for the movie.

ZACH

The day after we got back from Texas, the studio loaded the trailer to YouTube. Tate showed me that morning when I picked him up for school and it looked amazing. I know I'm biased, and it was only a one-minute trailer, but he did so well.

"Baby, this is amazing!"

He blushed, "Thank you!"

I hugged him, "I'm excited to see the whole thing!"

"In Cannes. They're not sending out any DVDs or links. They're worried about file sharing."

I nodded, "That's cool. I can wait. I get to see my man doing his acting thing and I get to be pumped for the next 30 days!"

"Your parents said yes?" he asked.

"Yep. My mom really wanted to go, so we have to take her to the next movie you have in the festival."

He looked at me laughing, "The `festival'? Is that what we're calling it?"

"It IS the name."

He sighed, "I know, I just can't believe everyone knew about this but me. I'm such a goon sometimes."

I laughed and hugged him to me.

"You're just a little bit of a goon, not a big goon," I told him and felt him start to shake with laughter.

I know he was thinking about changes in his professional life that were rapidly approaching, but I was focused on us, especially as we got closer to graduation. We'd found a sweet little two bedroom in Sunnyvale for the bargain price of $3200 a month, no bills included. We'd been easily approved since Tate had not only credit but income on his own and we were set to move in June 5th.

The trailers release added another layer to the changes. What I saw was good, and that wasn't just the remark of a proud boyfriend. I had to remind myself that it had only been a minute and any movie could look good with a decent trailer.

The thing is, I didn't think it was the case.

We walked in and he showed the thing to Chels, then forbid her to tell anyone about it. He was desperate not to appear like he was bragging. One thing he finally seemed past was worrying about how people would react to it. He hadn't said as much but I knew after that trip to LA when he saw the movie he was satisfied with the work he'd done.

He'd never say he knocked it out of the park, but I knew he had. I could tell by how he talked about things; he was almost proud of his performance and it gave him a quiet confidence that was really appealing. If he had doubts, he certainly didn't share them with me.

I realized, later that day as I was lifting, that I needed to prepare mentally for what I suspected was coming. Sure, I'd had the random thought about dealing with intrusive people at a restaurant, but we would be really public from here on out. Strangely, I didn't feel super self-conscious, just aware that I needed to think through things a bit more, like beating the crap out of the guy who raped him.

TATE

By lunch, the trailer was blowing up. Several gay influencers had already posted about it. By the time I was out of school, Ben had called four times and Nina had called three. I called her back first because, well, it's Nina.

"Doll! How was school?"

I laughed, "You know, when you use that taunting voice I think it's hilarious!"

She laughed, "Yeah, I know. I'm a comic talent. So, I have offers."

"They know I can't do anything until after June, right?"

"Yeah, they don't care. I have a fall shoot for Rob Lamb and Prada wants to use you as an anchor for their fall campaign."

"NO SHIT?", I responded, so loudly it drew looks from the people around me.

She laughed, "Yeah, it's a fuckload of money and they're really flexible. I have offers from some smaller houses, but this is the meat. Oh, and Patek Phillippe."

"The company that makes those really expensive watches?"

She giggled, "Yeah. That one is nice, too. And they offered to throw in a watch."

"We're definitely taking that one then. Accept Lamb and Prada and pick one of the smaller houses, the one you like the best."

"You're sure? You don't want to look at a few more?"

"No. That's it. I'm going to have a movie going on and I have to schedule around that. This is IT for the summer, let's book it all over the next few days and send me what I need to sign."

"Fantastic! I'll get on it!"

"DON'T HANG UP!!!" I yelled, trying to keep her on the line.

"OK, what's up?"

I cleared my throat, "Nina, I wanted to thank you for putting up with the break and for what you've done for me."

"Kiddo, don't go all soft, I might actually shed a tear or something. This is the business; I work for you and I'm happy I do. Now, go on with your day and I'll get to work pulling money out of these people."

And then the line clicked.

I walked over to the gym where my ride was working out, past the tennis court, and had a pang of regret as I'd not been able to play my senior year. I'd played a couple of games with a few guys on the team, but that had been it. Love Story had become my February and there was no way the coach would have let me do it and miss practice and competition. And right then Ben called, which reminded me I'd forgotten his messages.

"Where you been?" he asked, angrily.

"Ben, you know I've still got school, right?" I told him.

"Oh, fuck. I forgot. Uhm, so we have some stuff coming in. I'm going to work through the treatments and screen out the obvious losers..."

"What about the script from Gloria Imdahl? Did you have a chance to read it?"

"Uh, yeah, that. Lookit, I don't like it, but if you want to do it, I'm good. You want me to start working on your contract?"

"What is she offering now?"

"Right at $1mn. They'll handle all logistics."

"You think that's too low?

"You tell me."

I sighed, "I want this role, Ben. I don't think this movie is going to be a blockbuster, but I think it will do well and will show that I'm not just a pretty boy," I spit out the last two words in a way that made Ben snort.

"With all that in mind, this isn't a terrible offer. You want me to see if I can get it and points?"

I smiled, "I do. Max out the cash, but even a point of the gross would be nice."

"I'm on it. You know, these treatments and scripts are going to keep coming. Any producers you want me to prioritize?"

"Tom Hendry and Gloria Imdahl. I know them. On the others, I trust your judgment. Remember, we're looking for quality not just money."

He laughed, "That's just what an agent wants to hear! It's all about the art, right?"

"Right now, yeah. I want to take work I really like," I cleared my throat, laughing, "But I promise I won't let us starve!"

"That's what I like to hear!"

I walked into the training room to see Zach talking to some of the guys who had a phone out. I know the look on my face was down, since Zach saw me and immediately started to explain, with his hands up.

"Babe, they found it on their own."

"Yeah," one of his bros piped up, "We were actually giving him hell for not telling us about it."

I smiled, "It was bound to happen."

They all agreed it looked good for a chick flick and I knew right then, straight guys were going to hate me.

I chatted with them a bit while Zach cleaned up, then we left to go back to my house. It was early and my mom was still gone.

On the way to the house Tom texted to let me know they were going to hold a package for me at a FedEx. So, we made a detour to pick it up and I was glad we had the truck since it wasn't a package, it was 5.

When we got home, we started unpacking everything and found a camera, a mic boom with a good mic, a light source, a diffuser, and a green screen along with instructions on how to set it all up. I called Tom.

"Dude, what is all this crap?"

"Well, we decided with your schedule it would be easier to do interviews for the movie from home. So, I sent all that stuff to you."

"Tom, I have a web cam built in."

He laughed, "Not like this. Trust me. This is broadcast quality so tell your mom and everyone else to stay off the internet when you're doing interviews. Or get another line."

"Shit. Is this something I can bail on?"

He laughed again, "Nope. It's in your contract, but we're doing the scheduling in conjunction with studio PR so I'll take it easy on you. Two in the morning, Four in the afternoon."

"This is going to be my life for the next couple of weeks, right?"

"You'll do the last one two days before you leave for France. This is the life, kid. You can do it."

"Yeah, I can." I said, starting to smile, "When are you sending the schedule?"

"Uhhh, tonight. Your first will be Friday am and then it's solid from there except Saturday morning and all day Sunday. You need to get everything set up so you can do a test run tomorrow."

"Oh, my mother is going to love this."

Zach and I, over the next hour, got everything set up and the software updated. It honestly did look pretty good. Then, foregoing sex, we opted for dinner and a trip to Verizon for a home internet box. This was one thing I wasn't going to bother my mother about.

This was my job. For better or worse, this was the life I was choosing.