Love that Dare Not Speak its Name, Chapter 4
Fall term was nearing the end. Final exams would be completed before Christmas break. Many students were working hard to finish all their requirements before time ran out.
Paul received an interesting request from another freshman he'd been working with on a project for his history class. Kyle McNutt was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate because his roommate was totally inconsiderate of someone else's need for quiet in order to study. At the time, the rules in the high-rise dorms were fairly lax and there wasn't much chance for any intervention from the dean's office if he complained about his situation.
"Paul, would you consider letting me use the other bed in your room for the rest of the semester? It's only a few weeks, and I'd be happy to pay you something. Dax is failing most of his classes, so all he wants to do for the rest of his time here is get high and screw. I think he's had a different girl about every night. I have to put up with the noise and distraction or find somewhere else to crash. All I need is a place to get a decent night's sleep."
"Hey, you're welcome to bunk with me without paying anything. It would be good for me as well as you. We can review for history together, and I think we have a number of the same professors in common even though we're not in the same sections. With all of Kevin's stuff gone, there's plenty of room. You can just move in. I'd be fine with making it permanent for the rest of the year. I know Rob will get the dean to okay it. After what I've had to put up with, they owe me."
"That's so cool! The fridge in my room belongs to Dax, but the microwave is mine."
"Great! As you may have heard, Kevin took the one we owned together. Is it powerful enough to make good popcorn? If so, that would be payment enough.
"Let me pick up some of the junk I've spread out on the other bed, and then you can start moving in. I'm due for a study-break, so I can help you get your things. I'll go ask Rob for a cart. It'll make for fewer trips from 6th floor."
When Paul told Beau about the arrangement, Beau and Cy volunteered to lend a hand. Chet and Derek's door was open, so they overheard the discussion and said they could help as well.
Within half an hour, everything Kyle owned been moved into Paul's room. Derek and Chet were even making up his bed for him. Kyle was overjoyed! He'd wanted to get closer to Paul from the moment they'd met. This was a fulfillment of his wishes in more than one way.
Dax was surprised when he read the note Kyle left for him -- surprised but not dismayed. Kyle was such a serious student that he'd cast a pall over Dax's activities. He'd even acted offended when Dax's latest fling had offered to include him in their playtime. Kyle was clean and good-looking. Dax wouldn't have minded being in a threesome that he was a part of.
Kyle proved to be a dedicated student who fit right in with the five guys who'd already begun to connect. Now, evening meals included all six of them regularly.
Back on their floor, they often studied together in some combination. This was especially true in reviewing for finals. By pooling their notes in the classes they had in common, everyone benefitted.
For the most part, they chose to do group work in Beau and Cy's room because it was deemed the coolest. With the lofted beds and the futon, there were plenty of places for everyone to sprawl or sit when Chet and Derek brought their chairs from across the hall. The other guys thought they would try to cobble something together to do a similar thing in their rooms. Beau invited them to build lofts at his place. He was sure his dad would have no objections to having them use the shop. If for, some reason, that didn't work out, there were always places at Cy's family farm that would protect them from the elements while they built them.
Len Stepanek was good friends with Deputy Ken Klinetobe and his wife, Lois, as well as Don DeWitt and Judy. They were all fans of Greek cuisine. So, Len hatched up a plan to drive to the suburbs together on the following Saturday. He would treat them all to lunch in Lombard if Ken would serve Janice with the divorce papers.
Everyone was amenable to the idea, but Ken worried that Janice might not be there when they went. Len said it didn't matter. He would enjoy the trip either way. If they couldn't locate her, they might be able to convince the police in Naperville to carry out the delivery, as long as they had a deputy to vouch for the legality of the operation.
So, they all met at the farm and got into the new Highlander Len had purchased the week before. Janice had taken their best vehicle, and he wasn't going to drive their ancient van for anything more than going to buy seed or hauling other supplies.
They left by 8:00 so they could serve the papers in time for lunch. After that, they would go up to Woodfield Mall to do some Christmas shopping before heading home. It would be a long day, but no one minded. Having several seasoned drivers, the chauffeuring wouldn't all fall on Len's shoulders.
When they pulled up to the residence where Janice had last been seen, the garage door was up and there was a man affixing new stickers on his license plates. The three men got out and walked up to speak with him.
"I'm Deputy Klinetobe and I have papers to serve. I need to speak to Janice Stepanek."
"I don't know anyone by that name," the man answered.
"If not, what are you doing with her car?"
"Who says it belongs to anyone by that name?"
"I do," Len spoke up. "My name is on the title too. She's my wife, at least until I can remedy that. What have you done with her? If you don't produce her, I'll call the local police and file a missing person report."
"How do I know you're who you say you are?" the man sneered.
Len reached in his pocket for his set of keys to the sedan and pressed the alarm button.
"I plan to let this keep beeping until you cooperate, Mr. Cooke. I suggest you call her out here quickly before it disturbs the whole neighborhood. It looks like an upscale one."
"Okay, okay! I'll go find her. Just shut the damn thing off!"
"I will accompany you," Ken insisted.
"Uh, she might not be dressed yet."
"I'll chance it," the deputy replied.
A few minutes later, Ken returned smiling.
"Mission accomplished!" he said above the yelling that was taking place in the kitchen behind him. "We might want to leave before Janice takes it out on you, Len."
"I suppose, but I wouldn't mind seeing her in a rage after what she's put me through. I have no idea how she thought she could get away with this."
"Evidently, her Mr. Cooke, who met her on a dating site, thought she was a widow. I wonder how this will end. Maybe you should change the locks."
"I've already done that," Len smiled.
With the end of the term arriving about a week before Christmas, students were beginning to pack the things they would take home for break. Derek and Chet had thought their parents might have sprung for plane tickets instead of making the long trip to get them. However, with the fieldwork done, their fathers thought someone could make the journey by car and save a few bucks. That duty fell on the mothers were on the way to pick them up. They'd had enough of hauling the kids and insisted that the boys could drive something back to Iowa after vacation so that no one would have to make the trip in the future. Chet's father was talking about getting him a newer vehicle.
"Well, it appears that there will be just two of us heading east this time," Cy mentioned to Paul. "Hope Chet gets a cool new pickup."
"Um, you might not be alone if you'd be willing to give Kyle and me a ride. I found out he lives in Cedar Rapids too. I went to Jefferson and he was at Kennedy. It's a wonder we never met before this year."
"We can easily go through Cedar Rapids on our way," Cy said. "There's plenty of room in the back for everyone's crap since I have a tight bed-cap ."
"Cool! We'll pay for the gas."
On the drive home, the four guys chatted about building lofts in Beau's father's shop. Beau suggested getting together to do it a little after Christmas. He thought they should do it far enough ahead of the new term, which would begin in January, to make sure the finish dried properly, and the odor of varnish had a chance to dissipate before putting them into use.
That led to a discussion of a New Year's party. Beau said they could all come to his house as long as no one was going to get drunk or high. He was pretty sure he could at least have Champagne for a toast if the guys stayed over so no one was driving anywhere. There was room for everyone to sleep.
Both Paul and Kyle thought it sounded great since they didn't have any old school buddies they wanted to spend the time with. Paul certainly didn't want to look Kevin up!
"Maybe, we could get Chet and Derek to come too, unless they decide to build lofts without us," Paul suggested.
Everyone thought that would be fun.
Having come into Cedar Rapids from the west, Paul's house was their first stop. Paul wanted the other three to come in to meet his parents. He'd told them about how much more fun it was with these guys than with Kevin whom he'd originally thought of as a possible friend.
Mike and Marcia Dennis were as pleasant and outgoing as their son. They were happy that he'd made new friends at school who were serious about succeeding and seemed to be on the same wavelength.
Marcia looked thoughtful when she was introduced to Kyle. He reminded her of someone she'd met before.
"Don't I know you from somewhere, Kyle? The name McNutt seemed familiar. Wait a minute. I'm going to look for something in the basement."
She rushed off before Paul had the chance to say that his friends needed to keep moving.
"Um, sorry about that. Mom gets something in mind and she forgets other people might have a schedule."
"No problem," Cy said. "Since the roads were good, we made better time than I'd planned on. Anyway, no one expects us until dinner time."
Marcia returned with an old photo from Paul's preschool days. He was beginning to blush with embarrassment.
"Look at this! That's you, Kyle, isn't it?"
"Wow! We were at Noah's Ark Preschool together."
"You're the kid who used to splash me at the water-table," Paul grinned. "You were the class-clown but you never got into trouble because everyone thought you were adorable."
"We were all kinda cute back then," Kyle agreed.
"You've grown into handsome young men," Marcia insisted.
When Kyle was dropped off at his home, Cy and Beau had to meet his parents too. The McNutt's were as cordial as the Dennis family had been. Carol, Kyle's mom, was interested in Paul's revelation about his new roommate. She thought it was great fun that the two boys had known each other in the past.
Len had planned and prepared a big welcome-home dinner to share with Beau's family. Since his farm was currently devoted entirely to crops, there wasn't any livestock that needed tending. So, he had time on his hands, but he knew Jen didn't because public schools were still in session.
Some people assume that men, especially ones who appear to be straight, don't know how to boil water without scorching it. However, Len was an accomplished cook. He'd worked parttime in a café in his college days and had expanded his repertoire in recent years. With recipes now online, he could whip up as good a dinner as any housewife. He'd even toyed with the idea of hiring on in a restaurant in the winter months to give himself something to do.
However, spending a couple of the coldest months in Texas or Arizona sounded like a more attractive possibility. He could play golf, laze in the sun, and he certainly didn't need the money.
Molly, and the boys arrived in time to help make a salad and set the table before Larry and Jen got there. At 6:15, they all sat down to prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, and a green bean casserole. Needless to say, no one went hungry!
They barely had room for a sliver of apple pie ala mode.
A few days before Christmas, the Dennis family and the McNutt's met at Red Lobster to have dinner together. Both mothers wanted to relive the days when their firstborn sons were classmates. The guys' younger siblings rolled their eyes over their mothers' excitement. Truth be told, they were quite pleased that it was their older brothers, and not they, who were the topics of discussion.
The dads thought the discovery of their sons' former connection was cool but weren't as thrilled as their wives. It must be a girl-thing. They did enjoy the seafood, however.
When dinner was over, Kyle was going home with Paul for an overnight.
"I think it's cool that we have a `history,'" Paul chuckled as they sat on one of the twin beds in his old room.
"And if it hadn't been for your mother, we might not have figured it out," Kyle mused.
"I was embarrassed over the picture at first, but now I think it's cool. I wonder why we didn't make the connection," Paul said.
"We were rug-rats! I don't remember any little kids' last names except the ones who went most of the way through school with me. I'll bet you don't either. Since I was only there because my babysitter lived in your district, I don't think I ever saw any of my preschool classmates again."
"I should have remembered you for teasing me all the time," Paul grinned. "Why were you such a pain in the butt?"
"I did it because I liked you. I always wished we could have a pajama party together."
"Well, now your wish has come true, only we don't wear pajamas anymore."
"Yeah, it's sleep-shorts or less," Kyle snickered.
"Why, Mr. McNutt, do you sleep nude when you're alone?"
"Yes, and I'll bet you do too."
"Maybe," Paul grinned.
"I guess we're not the innocent little boys we were back then. I know I've changed a lot."
"Puberty does that to all of us, but I still see a lot of the same boy I knew back then. You haven't lost your impish attitude; I see it in your eyes."
"What else do you see in my eyes?" Kyle asked, gazing intently at Paul.
"Um," Paul gulped. "I'm not sure I should say.... I don't want to mess things up if I'm wrong."
"I think that gives me the answer I want," Kyle grinned, as he put his hands on Paul's cheeks and guided their lips together.
At their contact, Paul threw his arms around his buddy and held on for dear life.
It was at that moment Paul's mother came down the hall to his room accompanied by Paul's dad. The door was ajar, so she witnessed their kiss. Backing up quickly, she nearly stepped on her husband's feet. She motioned with her head, and they both quietly retreated to the kitchen.
"So, what's going on?" he asked.
"I wasn't spying on them, but I caught them in a private moment."
"How private?"
"Just kissing."
"Well, we've known Paul's interests for about a third of his young life."
"Yes, but it was a kind of abstract idea in my mind until right now."
"Does that upset you?"
"Not really. I'm going to continue to love him as I have. It's nice to know he's getting involved with a decent kid."
"Um, wow!" Paul exclaimed when they broke their lip-lock. "I'd better shut the door before someone catches us."
"Yeah, I suppose. I wish we could tell the world. Are your folks gonna have a cow if they find out?"
"No, I came out when I was 13. They've never treated me differently."
"But you're not out at school," Kyle observed.
"I'm a big chicken, I guess. Seeing how Kevin acted toward anyone he thought might be gay, I was scared for my health, if not my life. I was so pleased when he flunked out and left, even though he took the microwave which was half mine."
"I was ecstatic when he left because I thought I might get a chance to get close to you, even though you seemed as straight as an arrow."
"I figured you were straight too. I'm still in shock from our kiss. Does it mean we're boyfriends?"
"It does if you want it to. I've never been close to another guy before. I'm not sure how we go about this without messing it up. I know what I'd like to do!"
"I've daydreamed about being in a relationship which would be more than just getting off, if you know what I mean. I want to thrill you, but I also want something deeper. I'm not saying this well."
"Like being soulmates, or whatever they call it?"
"Yeah."
"Me too."
The two young men wanted to sleep together in order to cuddle, so they picked up one of the twin beds and placed it tightly against the other. That way, they could kiss and touch without sending someone on the floor. Their intention was to explore each other's body without necessarily having it end with sex.
As someone said centuries ago, "Good intentions pave the road to Hell." Not that what they engaged in was likely to damn their souls, but they did end up helping one another feel like they'd gone to Heaven.
They cleaned up with their sleep-shorts as well as they could and ended up sleeping nude.
Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone who commented on chapter 3. Hopefully, I haven't left anyone off the list which includes Andy R, Tony C, Ott H, Paul R, Geoff S, Peter S, Chandra B, Allen S, Mendy D, Marty H, Stuart H, Dale W, Hotrod, Tim T, Jim W, Frank K, Geoff (2), Lance, C, Ed H, and Paul F.
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Thanks to David S for editing. He finds the typos and missing words! He also makes valuable suggestions.
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