Note To Readers: In my past installment I was unaware that using bikers in the restaurant would be a stereotype and I apologize to anyone who was offended by it. I only used them in that manner because of stories that I have heard and truthfully it was the first thing that came to mind. Sorry.
I have received many e-mails saying that they enjoyed the first person versions so I will continue writing them that way. Thanks to all who e-mailed me about it, I am trying my best to respond to every one of them.
I hope you all enjoy this installment.
Warning: The following story has homosexual content. If you are offended or made uncomfortable by material concerning sexual relations between consenting adult men, then don't read. If it is in any way illegal for you to be reading this, then be very careful not to get caught. Otherwise please continue reading and send ANY comments to NCBOY1982@juno.com. Also I have AOL Instant Messenger and can be reached by that method. My screenname is KVBOY1982 Enjoy!
Locker Room Romance
By: JRC
Chapter 14
Jason was very happy when he pulled into the parking lot of Shawn's apartment. It was starting to get dark and they were both tired. Shawn had fallen asleep on the way home after he made sure Jason knew where he was going.
Jason looked over at his sleeping beauty in the passenger seat and smiled. He was surprised that someone like him could take so much that has happened to him and still make sure that someone else is okay. Shawn had asked many times on the way down if Jason was okay, which he responded with okay.
But Jason wasn't okay. Deep down he was scared now. He was scared of people seeing them together and not liking them and doing more personal harm to them. Jason and Shawn had been through too much of that lately.
Jason knew that this feeling would pass and he wouldn't be afraid anymore. It would just take time and he would give it. He smiled at his reassurance as he put the car in Park and shut of the engine.
He opened the door and walked over to the passenger side and opened the door. Shawn was starting to wake up. Jason smiled at him when he opened his eyes.
"Where are we?" He asked.
"We're home." Jason answered. Shawn smiled and tried to get out of the car. He had gained a little strength but he still needed help.
After 10 minutes of struggling, Jason got Shawn in bed and all their stuff in. It wasn't real late and Jason didn't want to go to bed yet, unlike Shawn who went out like a light when he hit the covers.
He decided that he would watch some television in the living room for a while. As he grabbed to remote from the TV the cordless phone rang. It was hanging on the base in the kitchen and Jason answered it.
"Hey, when did you and Shawn get back in town?" Jason's mom asked.
"About fifteen minutes ago." Jason answered.
"How is he?" She asked.
"He's real weak from being in the hospital. He's sleeping right now." He said.
"How is he doing emotionally?"
"I don't know." Jason said. "I haven't asked him yet."
"I hope he gets better. I called the school again and they said that you two were okay to miss a couple days as long as you went to school and got any homework assignments." His mom said. Jason smiled as she talked. 'Leave it to Mom to think of everything.' He thought.
"Thanks Mom. I guess I'll call work and explain what happened and that we will be out of work for a couple days." Jason said as he sat back down on the couch after getting a drink from the fridge.
"I already did that but they still wanted to hear from you. I think the manager just wanted to hear it from you too." Mrs. Andrews said.
"Anything else?" Jason asked.
"One thing."
"What?"
"Take care of him while he is like this. Be there for him and love him. I know you can."
"I will Mom." Jason said. "Love you."
"I love you too. Call me tomorrow." She said as they hung up. Jason smiled at the thoughtfulness of her as he dialed the number to his work.
He talked to the manager for a while explaining what happened and the state that Shawn was in at the moment. She wished them well and told them to take care. Jason smiled and hung up the phone.
He flipped through the channels and couldn't find anything good on TV. Deciding that he wouldn't find anything good on the TV picked up the phone and called his best friend Michael.
He lay down on the couch while the phone rang on there other end. After three rings it was answered and it was Michael.
"Hey Mikey." Jason said into the handset. Michael laughed on the other end as he asked what was up.
"A lot." Jason answered. "Shawn and I just got back from vacation, a little late I might add."
"Yeah, I noticed that. Did something happen?" Michael asked.
"Yes. When we were leaving Sunday we stopped to get a bite to eat and we were attacked and we had a big fight going on. It was so bad. Shawn got a concussion so we had to stay the night." Jason said.
"Wow. How is Shawn now?" Michael asked. Shawn and Michael had met and they instantly clicked like Jason did with Michael.
"Physically, he is too weak to do anything on his own and mentally I don't know yet. As soon as we got here he went to sleep." Jason answered.
"Is he going to be okay?"
"The doctors said that this would last a day or two so I'm not too worried right now." Jason said.
"Where did you sleep the other night?" Michael asked.
"In his car." Jason answered. They talked for a few more minutes before Jason got drowsy and told Michael that he would call him later. Jason hung up the phone and slowly got up from the couch.
Placing the phone back on the charger he headed towards Shawn's bedroom. He opened the door and watched Shawn sleep for a few moments before removing all but his underclothes and slowly climbed into bed. He snuggled up beside Shawn and after a few minutes, he was asleep.
SHAWN WAS THE first to wake up. Jason was still sound asleep. Shawn was feeling much better than yesterday and he felt like he could move around on his own now. Testing each limb to make sure he had full control, he slipped out of bed. He stood up with no problem and walked to the bathroom.
Turning the light on he jumped at his reflection. He hadn't shaved in two days and his hair was disheveled. Looking away he took care of business and walked to the kitchen. He looked in the refrigerator for something to drink.
He was surprised when someone's arms wrapped around him.
"Good morning." Jason said. Shawn smiled and said that same. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much better. I have energy and I am ready to get back into motion." Shawn said.
"I'm glad you feel better." Jason said as he took a sip of Shawn's drink.
"Me too." Shawn answered. He glanced at the microwave's clock and noticed that it was 10:30. "I have to be at work in four hours."
"No you don't. My mom called them and told them what happened. After you went to bed last night she called me and then I called them and they said to take how ever long we needed." Jason said.
"Oh, cool." Shawn said as he took his drink from Jason and finished it off. Shawn started to pour another glass when the phone rang. He took it from the charger. "Hello?" He said into the phone. "I'm doing OK. Thank you for calling work and telling them what happened. He was perfect. OK, well, I'll talk to you later, here he is." He handed the phone over to Jason and walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.
"Hey Mom." Jason said into the phone.
"He sounded in a good mood." She said.
"Yeah, he is. I'm so relieved though now that he is up and stuff." Jason answered into the phone. He talked to his mom for a few more minutes before hanging up the phone.
"So, now that we don't have to work today, what are we going to do?" Shawn asked.
"Well, I have a couple of errands I have to run in town but I was thinking that we could rent a movie and order pizza." Jason said.
"That sound like a cool idea. What do you have to do in town?" Shawn asked.
"Well, I have to go to the school and get our make-up work, run home and get some clothes to change into and my mom wanted to come over, she said there is something I need to sign or something like that." Jason replied. Shawn nodded as Jason walked into the bedroom with Shawn behind him. "Right now I am going to take a shower.
OK, I'm going to the living room to watch TV." Shawn said. Jason said okay as he turned on the shower. Shawn walked back towards the living room and decided the check the mail. He grabbed his keys from the counter in the kitchen and walked to the mailbox. He knew there would be a lot of mail since it hadn't been checked in several days.
After checking the mail and bringing it back in he started reading through it. Most of it was junkmail and he paid no attention to it. But one envelope grabbed his attention.
It had the United States Government stamp on the envelope. Shawn had no idea what this could mean so he tore open the envelope. What he read inside would change his and Jason's life.
JASON WALKED DOWN the hall fifteen minutes later and saw the mail scattered in the floor. He saw Shawn sitting on the couch staring at a letter. Jason had no clue what was in the letter when he sat down beside Shawn. At first Shawn didn't acknowledge him but when Jason tried to take the letter away, he wouldn't let go of it. Finally Shawn handed over the letter and Jason read it.
"Oh my God." Jason said after reading the letter. "What does this mean?"
"You and I are no longer, my life is no longer. Why me? What did I do" Shawn asked as he broke down in sobs. The letter was draft letter telling Shawn that he was to report to the offices in Raleigh, North Carolina when he graduated high school.
"Shhh. It's okay. We'll-."
"It's not okay! I have to go into the Army now and things will never be the same. It's the end of my life." Shawn said.
"No it's not. The army won't be all that bad, you've got the build for it and I know-." Jason was cut off and stunned by the stinging sensation on his cheek. Shawn had slapped him and ran to his bedroom.
"You don't understand." Shawn said before the door slammed.
"What don't I understand?" Jason asked from the living room.
"Nothing." Shawn said, his voice sounding muffled.
"Help me understand." Jason said as he walked towards the bedroom door. He knocked on the door.
"Go away." Shawn said.
"I'm not. I want to know why the army scares you so much.
"Go away." Shawn said again. Jason refused to take no for an answer and opened the door. Shawn was lying on the bed face down on his stomach. Jason couldn't tell if he was crying or not but thought he probably was.
"Listen to me, I am here to help you. I understand that you don't want to go into the army but I don't know why. I wish you would explain to me why you are so scared." Jason said as he walked towards the bed.
"I don't want to tell you. Leave me alone." Shawn replied. Jason ignored his request and lay down on the bed beside Shawn and faced him. Shawn wouldn't look at him.
"Baby..." Jason said. They lay there for a few minutes before Shawn spoke.
"Back during the Vietnam War my Dad was drafted. He went to war and he was exposed to a chemical or radiation and before he died he had just been diagnosed with skin cancer that was incurable. The army never told us exactly what happened. Now do you see why? I don't want that to happen to me." Shawn said. He still refused to look over at Jason.
"But that can't happen to you in today's world." Jason said. He started stoking the back of Shawn's head.
"There's more." Shawn said. "Besides the cancer thing he started to have nightmares, terrible nightmares. He would wake up in the middle of the night screaming so loud that it could wake up the entire neighborhood. One time he got up in the middle of the night and acted like he was on watch duty or something. He paced around in the living room and the front door. When my mom went to bring him back to bed he tried to attack her.
"My Dad went to a psychiatrist after that incident to get help but it didn't help. His doctor told us that his trauma was from seeing the death that was in the war. Besides the cancer I don't want to have the nightmares and all that trauma for the rest of my life." Shawn said. Now he turned to Jason with a tear-stricken face. "Now do you understand?" He asked.
"Yes, yes I do." Jason said as he hugged Shawn. They both let go of their tears and they streamed down their faces. Shawn took Jason's face into his hands and looked into his eyes.
"I'm sorry I slapped you." He said. "I don't know what got into-." Jason put his finger across Shawn's lips.
"It's okay, I forgive you. So, now that we know what we know what are we supposed to do?" Jason asked.
"Let's not worry about it now until the moment comes. Let's just enjoy our night together." Jason suggested. Shawn agreed and he kissed Jason on the cheek. After a few minutes Jason was gone to run his errands.
'What do I do now?' Shawn asked himself. He got up off the bed and decided he would take a long hot bath to relax him and give him some time to think.
DRIVING DOWN THE road Jason was thinking of what he was to do. He was on his way to the school to pick up their homework requests so that they wouldn't fall behind in their studies.
Thinking about what had happened in the past week he knew they had been through a lot. And Jason knew there was more to come. Jason still had to donate his kidney this weekend and he wasn't prepared for that. It was only two days away. Shawn wanted to take Jason to his parent's grave for a visit and that would have to be this week also.
"Too much to do and too little time." Jason said aloud. He turned up the radio and pressed a little harder on the accelerator.
IT WAS NEARING three o'clock when Shawn walked into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and decided that he was not in the mood for pizza, but was in the mood for some spaghetti with garlic bread. He wondered if Jason would mind the change in plans. Oh, well, he was going to start making the spaghetti later.
After deciding on dinner he went to the living room to watch some TV. He knew Jason would be home soon and he wouldn't be so bored.
IT WAS AROUND 4:40 when Jason walked into his home. His mom was in the kitchen making a cup of coffee when he walked in,
"Hey sweetie." She said as he hugged him. "How are things?"
"There're okay." Jason answered as he went to the fridge and got him something to drink.
"How is Shawn?" She asked as she and Jason went to sit on the couch.
"He was doing very well until this morning. We get some bad news." Jason said, taking a sip of his drink.
"What bad news?" His mom asked,
"Shawn got a drafting letter today. He has to report to Raleigh after he graduates." Jason said. She sat for a moment and processed the information.
"Oh no." She said. "How is he taking the news?"
"Not very well. His dad was drafted into the army and was exposed to a chemical and developed cancer. His dad had terrible dreams as a result and he doesn't want that to happen to him." Jason explained.
"I see that. What is he going to do?"
"We both decided that we would think about that when the time comes." Jason said. "Now, what is this that you needed me to sign?"
"I need you to sign this form saying that you are aware of the consequences of the surgery. You won't be able to work or drive for three weeks, which means I want you home where I can take care of you. And Shawn can come and sleep here for the three weeks if he wants to." Mrs. Andrews said, answering Jason's question about Shawn before he asked it. Jason took the form and read it over. Agreeing and understanding what was being said, he took a pen from the coffee table and signed it.
"Anything else?" He said. She shook her head. After a few more minutes Jason said that he had to leave. He picked up the phone and called Shawn to ask what kind of movie he wanted to see. Shawn just said that as long as it was something scary or a mystery he didn't care. Jason told him OK and that he had a couple more things to do and he would be home.
Before he hung up Shawn told Jason not to worry about dinner that it was already taken care of. Jason said okay and they hung up. Jason left his house and went on his way to the florist.
AN HOUR AND a half Jason walked in the door of Shawn's apartment carrying a bouquet of flowers with a Get Well card attached and two movies.
Shawn and made the table and had two lit candles on there with two plates and two cups. There was soft music in the background.
"Wow." Jason said when he saw the table.
"Wow." Shawn said when he saw the flowers. "'Get well soon, I love you, Jason.'" Shawn said, reading the card.
"I hope you like them. I didn't know what kind you liked." Jason said as he put the movies down on the couch in the living room.
"I love them." Shawn said as he put them between the candles. "Are you ready to eat?" He asked. Jason said yes.
Shawn walked into the kitchen with Jason behind him. "Sit down." Shawn ordered. Jason smiled and obeyed.
Shawn brought the food and placed it on the table. Spaghetti with garlic bread and a hand-tossed salad. 'Shawn knows what a man wants.' Jason thought to himself. After serving the food to their plates Shawn turned off the light and sat down at the table. The candle-lit dinner was very romantic and it was very peaceful for the two.
They ate the food silently, not really having to talk to keep each other's company. They finished eating and quietly moved to the living room to watch the movies. Jason popped in the first one and both he and Shawn got comfortable on the couch, Shawn against the back of the couch with Jason leaning in on him.
After a few minutes of previews the title of the movie came up. 'The Blair Witch Project.'
"I heard this movie was real scary." Shawn said as the movie started. Jason agreed and they started watching. During the middle of the movie both of them would tense up at the scary parts and hug each other real tight.
After the movie was over Jason got up and put the second one in. After the annoying previews ended the movie started.
"I've seen 'Scream 2' before." Shawn said.
"I haven't." Jason said. He could tell that Shawn had tensed in surprise.
"You haven't seen this one yet?" He asked.
"No, I rented the first one too. I don't like to watch horror movies at the theater." Jason answered. Shawn laughed and looked back at the TV. He couldn't blame Jason, he's done the same thing before.
They didn't make it all the way though. Forty-five minutes into the movie and both of them were sound asleep on the couch. They stayed there until the woke up the next day.
There it is y'all, I hope everyone enjoyed it. Send any comments to me at NCBOY1982@juno.com