New Kid at City High, Chapter 3
Ben kept going toward the bedroom which had become his office. He didn't want to spoil the boys' moment and embarrass them. He could empathize. He remembered how his hormones raged at Benji's age. Why should his son be any different? The boy he was kissing was certainly cute.
"I'm sorry," Gio sighed. "I just proved your point. The minute I knew you were gay; I had to go and do something intimate. I must look like I'm just interested in sex."
"Hey, you gave me a friendly kiss; I'm the one who turned it sexier."
"But I'm the one who started it?"
"Shut up and kiss me again!" Benji giggled.
"Yeah, and who are you to tell me to shut up?"
"Your boyfriend, Dufus."
"Hi, Dufus, I'm Gio. Nice to meet you," Gio grinned.
"Do you have a serious bone in your body, Gio?"
"Yeah, do you want to feel it?"
"God, what am I going to do with you?"
"Whatever you like, but you might want to close the door first."
"Um, we should probably leave it open and back off for a while. I'm not sure either of us is ready for this. I mean, I know we're mature enough to be horny and make sperm, but we still don't know each other very well."
"Yeah, I hate to admit you're probably right. I really, really like you, but you could be a serial killer hiding out from the cops in Chicago."
"Gio!"
"Sorry. What I know of you so far has been nothin' but good. You're not a freeloader. You wanted to do a payback for when my family fed you lunch. You're not greedy, because you didn't tell me it was your birthday, so I'd feel obligated to buy you a gift. You even put up with my bossy sister. You hold religious beliefs similar to mine. What more do I need to know?"
"I wet the bed until I was three," Benji giggled.
"Hmm... Are you telling me you're into water-sports?"
"They sound kinda kinky, but let's be serious and I'll review what I know about you. You're a smart-ass who likes to make jokes about everything. I think you do it because you're shy and uncertain sometimes. You're out and proud, and your family's okay with it like my dad is. You're generous and you seem to have a thing for blond boys, which is a good deal for me. And, contrary to how I made it sound earlier, you're not shallow. So, how do we find out enough about each other to become comfortable with being boyfriends?" Benji asked.
"I guess we could have like a long interview where we share lots of trivia."
"Okay, Gio, what would you like to know about a prospective boyfriend."
"Have you ever kissed a girl?"
"Yeah, but it wasn't anything like when we kissed."
"Okay, that answers the next question I had about which was better. So, I'll respond to the same questions. I've kissed a girl and I didn't get hard like I did just now. It's your turn to ask."
"Have you ever made out with a girl and gone all the way?"
"Nope; you?"
"Nope.
"So, it's your turn again."
"Do you think boys or girls give better head," Gio asked, wondering if he was going too far.
"I'm betting on boys because they know how it feels to them, and no, I don't know from experience."
"I'm the same as you. I'm pretty damned innocent, but I did jack off with another kid once."
"Me too. Wow, we ARE a lot alike." Benji grinned.
The boys continued along similar lines, trying to think of every experience and emotion that they should share if they were being totally honest. The more they talked, the closer they became, yet each still held back because he didn't want the other to think of him as a dork for his academic achievement or his talents. It wouldn't be polite to brag about stuff either.
Their conversation was interrupted when Ben poked his head in to ask if they'd like a bowl of popcorn for a snack.
"Thanks for the offer, Dad, but first I need to find out if my, um, buddy likes it."
"I do," Gio exclaimed. "We have another thing in common!"
"We'll come and help. I'll get our ice water. Gio isn't into a lot of sugary stuff, just like me."
The three of them went to the kitchen to get things ready. While Ben was popping the corn, Benji got out a medium-sized bowl for his father and a large one for Gio and him to share. The significance of a common bowl for the teens wasn't lost on Ben. He assumed that since they'd shared a kiss, they weren't afraid of each other's germs. He suspected they might be sharing a lot more soon.
He'd had Benji inoculated for everything that had a vaccine to keep him from catching preventable STDs. Ben would have to trust that their talks about safe sex had been taken to heart. He couldn't be a helicopter parent.
Ben had assumed the teens would want to retreat to Benji's room to have their snack, but they sat at the kitchen table and chatted with him instead. To him, it was a positive sign. In addition to being handsome, Gio seemed to be a polite young man who felt comfortable in adult company.
Back in the bedroom, Gio picked up his sleeping bag from the corner where he'd stashed it and began to undo the ties.
"Would you be comfortable being in my bed with me instead?" Benji asked.
"I'd like that very much, if you're okay with it."
"I must be, since I asked. When I sleep alone, I like to be nude, but we should probably leave on our underwear tonight."
"Okay."
They took off their shirts and shorts and laid them on the chair by Benji's desk. Of course, they checked out one another's body in the process. Both blushed, realizing they'd been caught. Both were please with what they saw.
With the light out, they lay apart in the big bed. Benji decided the ball was in his court if they were going to have any physical contact since it was his house. He reached over and tentatively took Gio's right hand in his left. Gio squeezed it immediately.
"Do prospective boyfriends hold hands on the first date?" Gio asked.
"Nope, on the first and second dates they go bicycle riding, but I think they hold hands on the third date."
With that, Gio slid a little closer. Benji did too. He was happy he'd made the first move.
As often happens in Iowa in the summer, a thunderstorm popped up in the middle of the night. It began with lightning which roused Benji enough to get up to shut his windows. Almost immediately, the sky opened up in a downpour. It was accompanied by more dramatic lightning, followed closely by loud claps of thunder, indicating that the strikes were nearby.
Gio woke up, seemingly in a panic, and Benji quickly tried to calm him. He could feel tears falling on his chest as he cradled the boy.
"It's okay. You're safe with me."
"Thanks," Gio sniffed. "I know I'm a wuss about storms but it's because of what happened when I was little."
"You wanna talk about it?"
"I guess. You already know I'm a scardy-cat. Um, it was a storm like this, and Sophia and I went out on the porch to watch it. I was okay until she went in the house and locked me out. It got really intense after that and lightning split a tree in our front yard. I thought I was gonna die. Our parents didn't hear me screaming because of the noise of thunder. She finally let me in and then called me `chicken' because I was crying. She threatened me if I told on her, and I never did."
"Let me make it better. I think we're allowed to cuddle on our third date."
Benji's feathered alarm system woke him up at the usual hour despite the closed windows. Their sounds were muffled, but combined with the rising of the sun, they roused him. He opened the nearest window and breathed in the fresh late-summer air.
At one point before the move from Chicago, he'd been a little apprehensive about leaving its familiar surroundings. Now, he was completely content with the changes. He had only one parent, but it was the one who loved him unconditionally. He had an awesome car and he had someone sleeping beside him whom he was beginning to care about. Life was good!
When he climbed back in bed and closed his eyes, his companion began to rouse slightly. Benji wasn't sure if Gio was awake until he felt a wet tongue on his left nipple. The result nearly made him levitate off the bed.
"Do you always do that when you sleep with another guy?"
"Yeah! It's a tradition I just started!"
"I like it!" Benji enthused as he returned the gesture. "I'd like to start another one, but I think I need to brush my teeth first."
"I'm cool with that!"
The boys scurried across the hall to take care of that and other needs. When they pulled down their underwear to pee, their cocks sprang out like a jack-in-the-box. Naturally, there was no point in pretending they weren't checking each other out.
The exhilaration of being naked in each other's presence for the first time prevented their dicks from going soft enough to get the flow going. As a result, the pressure was making them rather uncomfortable.
"Come on, let's get in the shower," Benji suggested as he turned on the water and adjusted the temperature.
The sound and the sensation of the water flowing over their bodies relaxed them, and their bladders cut loose. Being the smart-ass that he was, Gio pointed his dick at Benji to hose him from the waist down. Benji didn't miss a beat as he did the same to Gio. They laughed so hard they nearly lost their balance.
"You're a dirty little punk!" Benji teased. "Do guys piss on each other on the third date?"
"Is this still the third, or is today the fourth?" Besides, if you hadn't told about wetting the bed, the idea of water sports would never have come up!"
Benji grinned and playfully swatted Gio's butt before they washed their hair and bodies.
Believe it or not, they stuck to getting clean and didn't do anything else intimate. After drying off and wrapping their towels around their loins, they finally brushed their teeth and shared a kiss. It was a gentle one but left them with a desire for more. However, Saturday was chore-day and the yard needed to be mowed if it wasn't too wet.
After Ben cooked them a hearty breakfast, the guys went out to work on the lawn. Last night's storm had amounted to more "Strum und Drang" than precipitation, so it was dry enough to mow.
Benji said he never expected his guests to work, but Gio insisted the job would go faster if he helped. He used the trimmer to get close to the flower bed, neaten up around the mailbox post and the fire hydrant, as well as edging the driveway and sidewalk. His help did cut the time down considerably.
Benji tried to give Gio half of what his dad was paying him for the job, but Gio said he'd take it out in transportation instead of kicking in on gas. According to him, it would all even out in the long run.
Ben got caught up in an excess of work problems and didn't feel he'd have time to prepare an adequate lunch, so he gave money to Benji to take Gio out for their noon meal.
"Where would you like to go, Gio?"
"If you don't think it's too soon to be around my family again, we could go to Pagliai's. They're making my great-grandma's famous lasagna for today's special and it's to die for, or maybe die of, with all the cheese and stuff."
"Sounds great; I'll chance it."
"Be careful what you say when my sister's around or we may get teased."
"You mean like being called `boyfriends' or something?"
"Yeah, it doesn't bother me if they suspect we like each other, but you might not want to be out before school starts. Sophia will probably blab it all over if she knows."
"Okay, I'll keep a low profile, but not because I'm ashamed to be linked with you. I think we could be good together, but after what she did to torment you when you were little, I'll do my best to shield you from any unwanted teasing."
The boys arrived at the restaurant at the right time to coincide with the end of Sophia's break, or perhaps it might be considered the wrong time since she latched onto them immediately. The minute she saw them she practically dragged them to the booth where she'd been sitting.
"You're lucky because you can sit with me. The place will be filling up soon. I'll tell the kitchen to save you some lasagna. I'll super-size them."
With that, she rushed off to place their orders, returning with two large glasses of water with lemon.
"So, tell my why you're both glowing today!"
"We've been in the sun doing the lawn most of the morning," Benji answered. "I suppose we have a sheen of sweat on us as well as a deeper tan. I guess we should have taken a shower, but we're going to the pool when we leave here, and we figured we'd rinse off there."
"I thought maybe you had some news to tell me after your sleepover," Sophia cocked an eyebrow.
"What's to tell?" Gio frowned. "We ate, we slept, and we worked in the yard. Benji's dad has a pile of work to do for his job, so he sent us out for lunch."
"Oh, you mean like we slept snuggled in my bed in our underwear instead of sleeping on top in our bags. Is that the kind of news you're expecting?" Benji said with a smirk.
"Okay, I'm sure you didn't do that, so I guess I'll have to mind my own business," Sophia mumbled as she headed back to do her job.
"That's a novel idea," her brother said, just loudly enough that he hoped she'd hear it.
"You're good," Gio grinned after Sophia had left to wait tables again. "You told the truth in such a smart-ass way that she didn't believe it. I must be rubbing off on you."
"Hmm... That sounds like a stimulating thing to do; first water sports and then rubbing together."
"Jeez! You're getting to be worse than I am!"
"Or better!"
On the way to the city pool, they stopped at Gio's house for his swim trunks, since he hadn't packed any for staying with Benji. Gio had several sexy brief models and chose one of his extras for Benji to wear. In the interest of saving time, they donned them in his room and put their shorts over them. Gio also grabbed a beach towel. Benji had the only one he could locate at his house.
At the pool, Sophia's friend, Kaitlyn was on duty at the entrance. Finding that Gio's companion was new to town, she let him in without paying. She said she could count him as a guest on Gio's family pass since he and Sophia were the only ones who used it anyway.
"It's cool getting in for free!" Benji said as they went to put their shorts in a locker, which they shared.
"It might not be free in the long run. I'm sure she'll tell my sister every detail about what we do here."
"So, who cares?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right. If it doesn't bother you, then I don't care either."
Out by the pool they saw two girls gathering their things to leave.
"If you're done, may we have these loungers?" Gio asked.
"Sure. But we might not be done now that you're here!"
"Oh, stop flirting, Emma. You know I'm not into girls."
"What about you, New Kid?"
"I'm with him," Benji answered, putting his arm around Gio's waist.
"Too bad! You're a hunk."
"Jeez, don't act like a ho!" Gio exclaimed.
"Are all the girls here as up-front as that?" Benji blushed after the two had left.
"Nah, she's not like that with anyone but me because she knows I'm safe. If you'd have put your arm around her waist, she'd have panicked and run off in a hurry.
"You might want to check out that kid in the skimpy red Speedo."
"He's a cutie, but why do you want me to notice him. Isn't he competition? He looks to me like he might be into boys."
"Yeah, he is, and you have some things in common. His parents split up and he lives with his dad because his mom wanted to change his orientation. He's cute but I'm not interested, and I hope you won't be.
"His name is Travis. Don't worry, the guy with him, Sawyer, is his boyfriend, so he's not likely to hit on you. They're nice, but Travis is kinda impulsive. He acted really homophobic when he came here as a sophomore last year, and then he came out like his closet was on fire. I heard he tried to get into a circle jerk in the locker room. So, I'm just warning you in case he does something strange."
"Thanks! I'll be careful not to drop the soap if I'm ever in the shower with him."
"I don't think you need to worry about that. If anything, I think he'd take his time when he bent over to pick it up."
The boys spread their towels to hold their seats, and then went to the deep end and dived in.
The water felt cool and refreshing on a day when the mercury was destined to rise into the 90's and the humidity was high as well. Benji was certain Ben would turn on the A/C and he'd be less likely to hear the birds tomorrow.
After they'd played awhile, they were joined by Travis and Sawyer. Benji was pleased to make a couple more friends from the school he'd be going to, and he was relieved that Travis didn't hit on him. He didn't mind being thought of as desirable, but he wasn't sure how he'd handle it if another guy openly flirted with him.
He assumed that hanging around with Gio might have labeled him as gay, or at least gay-friendly because his new acquaintances recommended the gay/straight alliance as well as karate club as fun school activities. Well, he might as well go with it. He hadn't planned to come out at school right away, but it could be cool if he was just always thought of in that way, without any dramatic announcement on his part.
"How come you guys are at the public pool?" Gio asked Travis. "I thought Sawyer had one in his backyard."
"He does, but his mother's having a pool party for a bunch of ladies from work, so she didn't want a couple of half-naked boys around. I think she figured our studly bods would give them hot-flashes or something," Travis laughed.
"You never know what some older women might like," Benji said. "Have you read about all the female teachers who're preying on young boys these days? I mean kids in middle school who've barely got pubes."
"I doubt too many of them feel like victims," Sawyer spoke up. "If I were into females, I might like a lesson in how to screw."
When the afternoon was winding down, the four boys hit the locker room at the same time. Benji got to confirm that the bulges in Sawyer's and Travis's suits were real, and they got to assess him too. All grinned knowing that they'd mentally compared their attributes.
Travis and Sawyer ogled Benji's car as well as his body. He might have given them a ride home had they not ridden their bikes. However, it wouldn't be legal on his provisional license. He would have to be careful.
Ben had chicken breast marinating in Italian dressing for grilling that night. He had picked up sides at the supermarket deli to complete the meal. It had been a long day for him, but he was caught up so he could take Sunday off and possibly Monday as well.
Again, the teens spent time with Ben in the evening. From the looks they exchanged, he assumed they'd rather be doing something else in private. He was pleased that they were considerate enough of his feelings to chat with him for a while at least.
Author's notes: Thanks to the following for contacting me this week: Tony C, Walter S, Cary and Ken, Bill T, Ott H, Jeremy R, Paul F, Marty H, Jim W, Bill K, Nunya, Hotrod, Steve C, Mendy D, Johnny R, Gordon, Tim T, John L, Allen, Greg D, Joe W, Randy McC. I appreciate hearing from you.
Thanks to David for editing.
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If you enjoyed this tale, I'd love to hear from you. Please write to me at: dlee169@hotmail.com