This is part ten of my continuing story. I actually split a longer installment into this and part eleven, so stay tuned :)
Now is the part where I take the time to give a shout out to the people who've been kind enough to take time out of their lives, if even for a moment, to let me know, for good or for bad, what they think of my story. I realize this part may not mean much to a lot of people, but it means a lot to me. That being said, I must show my gratitude to some peers and old friends, who've either contributed to my own imagination with their own wonderful stories or have helped to nurture a fledgling author with their unwavering support. If you haven't read some of their stories, I think you might like them. So thank you Alec, Firesong, Kev, Lauren, Matthew VP, Tonny, and Yuli. Also, there's nothing more heartwarming than hearing from new readers like Denny, Jared, Jeff, and Scotty. To anyone I didn't mention, you're always in my thoughts, so I hope you'll enjoy this and future chapters.
Many people have written me with comparisons and praise for "Brian and Me" by DLS. You flatter me by putting me in the same category with D. "Brian and Me" is one of the few that I never miss, and it inspired me to write. He was the first person I ever wrote to on Nifty, and I'm glad I did, because he has become one of my dearest friends since. If you haven't read his story, please do so, not only because it is fantastic, but you just might get a little more out of my own story.
Now for the obligatory stuff:
WARNING: This story is sexually-explicit (or at least getting there), involving homosexuality. Do not continue if this will offend you. If accessing this story causes you to break local laws, please leave now. By continuing , you implicitly declare and affirm under penalties of perjury that you are not a minor or in the company of a minor and are entitled to have access to sexually-explicit material. The content and opinions expressed in this story do not imply anything with regards to the sexual preferences of anyone mentioned herein. It is a work of fiction entirely (not that I would object to hearing from the guys of 'N SYNC). Having said that, enjoy the story.
"Oh, yeah. I remember now," I announced. I locked my hips against him and gently kissed the side of his neck.
"Close your eyes," he whispered seductively. I did as I was told, and my reward was a face full of bubbles. I coughed while he looked on intently, very pleased with himself.
"You think that's funny, do you?" I asked, daring him to answer.
"Absolutely," he smirked.
"I guess it is," I admitted, seizing a bowl full of water and pouring it down his pants. "But not as funny as that."
He came up on his tiptoes as his legs braced for the cold wetness. "You realize I'm going to have to get you for this, right?"
I met the gaze with mocking determination. "How did that go again? Wait, now I remember--promises, promises."
He lunged at me, but I deftly dodged to one side to watch him smack face first into the cabinet. Despite how alarmed I was, I couldn't help but be amused as well.
"I'm glad you find this so hilarious," he mused.
"I guess Chris is going to kill me now."
"Why's that?"
"A broken promise," I confessed.
"Huh?"
"Nothing, hon. It's not important. Now come on to the bathroom," I answered.
"How come?" he wondered.
"Because you're bleeding. That place at your hairline opened up again. I'm going to steri-strip it so it will heal right," I explained.
"Is it gonna hurt?" he cringed.
I fought hard to resist laughing, but in the end, I gave in, "Relax, oh fearless one, there are no needles involved. It's like putting a piece of tape on it."
The color returned to his face with his smile, "Okay."
Leading him by the hand, we walked down the hallway until we reached our destination. I backed him against the vanity and seized him by the waist. Lifting him onto the marble surface, he leaned back onto his hands and locked my own waist with his legs. When I tried to move to the medicine cabinet, he held me fast.
Staring at him indignantly with my mouth twisted, I reminded him, "This would go a lot faster if you wouldn't distract me."
"But you have to admit I'm a cute distraction," he grinned.
"No I don't," I replied coldly.
He stuck out his bottom lip and began sniffling. He craned his neck to the right and started blinking his eyes in rapid succession. When my exterior softened, he was almost unable to continue his pouting routine.
I leaned forward, placing my arms just outside his own, locking him in place. Forcing myself further, I reached out and captured his bottom lip with my teeth. To counter, he stuck out his tongue to flick it across my nose. Instead, I let loose my quarry to go after my real pray, and my own tongue darted out. Lunging into the kiss, I reveled in his transition from complete and utter shock to one of blissful release. Pulling away from him, he sat there motionless with a silly expression before he finally opened his eyes.
"Okay, maybe a little cute," I admitted.
He sat there in quiet wonder while I brushed his hair back with one hand. His eyes brightened when I kissed his forehead. While he was distracted, I reached behind him with my other hand. I pulled a washcloth from the rack and dropped it into the sink. I withdrew the bottle of alcohol from the cabinet finally, and worked the top off. I poured some onto the rag and brought it up, pressing it into JC's cut as I jerked out of his embrace. He had a priceless look on his face as he strained to get away from the stinging sensation, but I forced him into submission. He gave me a fiendish glare, and I unsuccessfully tried to fight the humor I found in the whole situation.
"I thought it wasn't going to hurt," he hissed.
"I didn't say that. I said there weren't any needles," I smirked.
"You tricked me," he sulked.
"Absolutely. Besides, would you have agreed so easily if you'd known what was coming?"
"Probably not," he sighed.
"See. To do what was best for you, I had to pull a fast one over on you."
"Devious bastard."
"Flattery will get you everywhere, my dear boy," I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. As I stretched the steri-strip across the gash, he just watched me and smiled. "What?"
"Just admiring your handiwork," he answered.
"Well, without the mirror behind you, that might be difficult, so what on earth are you talking about?"
"I was just thinking how comfortable you are doing this."
"Doing what?"
"Taking care of other people . . . and me," he blushed.
"I like taking care of other people . . . and you, so stop staring at me, you're creeping me out," I jabbed.
"Why?"
"I don't know, Josh. It's like someone's looking over my shoulder or something."
"Hey, you get to watch me do what I do best, so how come the same doesn't apply to you?"
My face tightened, and I slammed the alcohol into the cabinet. I grabbed the rag and threw it into the hamper, and I turned and walked out of the bathroom. I walked into the bedroom and plopped down onto the bed, pulling my legs to my chest.
JC ran out of the bathroom after me with a confused and hurt expression. "Matt, I'm sorry. I didn't mean . . . What did I . . . What can I . . . ."
I wiped the tears from my own face before reaching over with my hand and drying his with my thumb. I smiled, "Hush, you didn't say or do anything wrong."
"Then what?"
"Just thinking that I may not be able to do what I do best anymore," I answered honestly.
He pulled me into an embrace and wrapped his arms tightly around me while I just sobbed. "Matt, I'm so sorry. All of this happened because of me."
I yanked myself away from him. "No," I told him, "I told you before that this was not because of a one-time occurrence."
"Maybe so, but I still can't help but feel responsible."
"Now you listen to me. What I did for you, I would have done for anybody, and I would do it again. I have no regrets about any of the decisions I've made as nurse, and I certainly have no regrets about you or us," I said, assuaging his guilt while I cupped his chin with my right hand. I led his chin towards me, and we kissed. After we released, we rested our heads on each other's shoulders.
"Is there anything I can do?" he whispered.
"As a matter of fact," I began. Kissing him lightly again, I began unbuttoning his shirt. I slid it from his shoulders without opposition. The moment his hands were free, he wasted no time in returning the favor. He ran his tongue across my ear while I lovingly bit the nape of his neck and shoulder. He ran his hands up and down the length of my arms while I traced his back down into the waistband of his shorts, cupping his cheeks in my grasp. He, in turn, slid one arm down the fly of my jeans, grabbing me hard enough that the calves of my legs tightened to rock-hard and I lost my breath.
I yanked his hand from my crotch, holding onto it as I turned to leave the bathroom. We walked down the hall to my bedroom. I pushed him onto the bed and straddled his chest. I leaned down to kiss him while his arm wrapped around my neck, pulling me even closer. When I sat up, his hands locked tightly onto my chest. I brought my leg across his, sliding my body lengthwise in front of him. He brought his arm under mine, exploring my torso. He began to kiss my shoulder blade, working his way up my neck and drawing my head back to kiss him. I extended my arm and ran my fingers through his hair. He slid his hand down my stomach and squeezed the denim between my legs.
He suddenly rolled me away from him, and laid atop me. He gripped my waist while forcefully kissing me. I traced my fingertips down his spine, finally easing my hands into his shorts and caressing his hips. He tore his mouth from my own, playfully biting my chin, then my Adam's apple. He licked his way down my chest, matting the hair to my skin. Capturing each row of abs between his lips, he lapped his tongue into my navel. He finally seized the top of my pants with his teeth and tore the fly open.
He eased himself off of the bed, gripping my legs as he went. When he reached my feet, he yanked the jeans from me. He leaped back onto the mattress, assuming my position, straddling my chest. He leaned down to kiss me, and I hooked my fingers into his waistband. I pushed forward, throwing him onto his back with me leaning over him. I pulled his shorts across his skin and into the floor, almost taking his boxers with them.
We then straightened in the bed, kissing and holding each other, our hands exploring each other to the most infinitesimal detail. He finally maneuvered into a dominant position, where he kissed me and began trailing his way down my body once more when the phone rang. He hung his head in defeat.
"You've got to be kidding me. Not again," he cried in anguish, interrupted once more.
Dragging his face back to my own, "Let the machine get it," I whispered.
The light in his eyes reignited, and he resumed his path. About the time he reached the hair that disappeared into my own boxers, the voice was prompted to leave a message.
"Dad, come on. I know you're there. Pick up," the voice resounded all the way from the den.
I was on the verge of tears, unsure of how to tell JC that if it had been anyone else, I would let the machine get it, but not the girls. He must have sensed my dilemma, because he spun away from me and handed me the portable phone while he sprung from the bed.
"You need to take this, and I need to take a cold shower," he sighed.
Laughing, I hit the button on the phone to stop the machine. "Hi, Caitlin, what's up?"
"How did you know it was me and not Colleen?"
"Give the old man some credit. I have had a few years to learn the difference."
"True, but as for 'the old man' stuff, I'm not sure that appropriately describes someone who everyone at school thinks is our older brother when he comes for parent-teacher conferences. A couple of the upperclassmen think you're a hottie, which is just gross," she gagged.
"What's so gross about that?" I grinned.
"It's like catching your parents having sex," she grimaced.
I got up and walked into the den, realizing that the machine hadn't shut off as I thought it had. Sitting down into the rocking chair, "Point taken. Tell them I'm involved with someone."
"Very involved, I take it, judging by how long it took you to answer the phone. You normally catch it on the first ring."
Shocked by the implication, I realized how disturbing it could truly be having two eleven-year-olds with the IQs of graduate students. "Keep it up, young lady, and your perspective of long is gonna be measured by how long you're grounded."
"Okay, okay, I surrender," she laughed.
"Good, now would you mind telling me what's so important so I can go back to my boyfriend?" I teased.
"First, calling you to let you know we made it okay."
"Okay, so you can follow instructions, but I'm guessing only when you want to, or more to the point, want something, so . . . ?"
"Can't we just call to say we love you?"
"I wouldn't object to that at all, but I must confess, Stevie Wonder, that if you did, I would wonder who you were and what you'd done with my real children."
"You're too smart for me, Dad."
"I doubt that very much, so if you'll please continue telling me how much trouble you're in and how much it's gonna cost me," I told her, only half in jest.
"Dad, it's Colleen," the other voice came on the line. "What my sister is trying so hard to torment you with is the fact that the date of the dance has been moved."
Acknowledging that she had taken the phone from Caitlin, I chuckled, "And?"
"And we're not gonna have a break to come home between now and then," Caitlin chirped from the background.
"I'm still not following," I confessed.
"Kathy was going to take us out shopping for our dresses, but now, she won't get the chance."
"So now you're going to have to pick them out on your own?"
"Ding-ding-ding, tell him what he's won," Caitlin shouted into the receiver.
"I'm guessing I've won a no-expenses-paid trip to the bank so I can wire you some money," I interjected, finally putting the pieces together.
"See, I told you he was smart," I could hear Caitlin smirk to her sister.
"Colleen, how much do you both need, honey?"
"Hey, how come you didn't ask me?" Caitlin feigned hurt.
"For the same reason he's not going to answer that question," Colleen shot back, forcing me to bring my hand to my mouth to keep from laughing in their ears. "We don't know, Dad. We haven't even started looking."
"Give me a ballpark," I instructed, bracing for the worst.
"Yankee stadium?" Caitlin offered.
"Honestly," Colleen cringed, "we'd probably need about five hundred dollars to be on the safe side."
"Two-hundred and fifty dollars for a dress?" I shouted, quickly lowering my voice. The cost wasn't so much the issue as spending that much on something I knew they would wear only once.
"Probably," Colleen confessed. "Some of the girls have already bought their dresses, and the prices have ranged from a hundred and fifty to six- and seven-hundred dollars."
I smiled to myself, noting that Colleen had picked a price towards the lower end of the spectrum. "Okay," I capitulated, "but I want you to get one of the older kids to drive you into town. I don't want you going by yourselves."
"But, Dad," Caitlin began.
"Not another word, Caitlin. This is nonnegotiable. You girls are very mature for your age, but you're not grown up, not yet. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir," Colleen agreed.
"Okay," Caitlin forced.
"Good."
"Dad?" Colleen almost whispered.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Do you think you can get up here to see us in our dresses?" she asked hopefully.
I smiled to myself again. "I'll certainly try," I answered, "but I need to make sure I'm not going to have a house full of people at the time." I hated to be so noncommittal, because under normal circumstances, the affirmative would have been automatic.
"Who's that?" Colleen wondered.
"Kathy's boyfriend and some of his friends," I replied, choosing my words carefully.
Caitlin screamed into the receiver, "Oh, my God, you mean the Backstreet Boys?"
"Yes," I told her, surprised, "but how did you know?"
"We've known Kathy was dating Kevin for a long time," Colleen explained.
"Oh, really," I responded, making a mental note to ask Kathy why my children are more informed about her life than myself.
"It's okay if you're tied up," Colleen reassured me, understandingly.
"Ew," Caitlin moaned. "We can handle you getting romantic with JC, but being tied up . . . ."
I was stunned again and feeling a hell of a migraine coming on. Massaging my temples as the pressure built up behind my eyes, "Caitlin Olivia Hunter," I began in my sternest parental voice.
"Ignore her, Dad, it's a vicious circle," Colleen offered. "So when are the guys coming?"
"I don't know if they are or not, but Kevin gave me the impression it would be fairly soon if they do come. If not, you know I'll be there."
"If they do, can you all come?" Caitlin asked excitedly.
"I can't guarantee that, honey. That would be entirely up to them," I answered, trying not to disappoint her.
"Will you at least ask? Please."
"We'll see, Caitlin."
"I know I shouldn't get my hopes up, but it would be nice if they could play the dance."
"Caitlin, sweetheart, I couldn't ask them to do that. Besides, Josh told you that he and the others would do a concert for your school."
"I know, but this dance is the biggest thing of the year. It would be kind of cool if we could say we got one of the hottest bands of all time to even show up."
For a split second, I could hear that same longing for acceptance I remembered from my own adolescence. Maybe the girls weren't having as easy a time as I thought. "Why not ask your cousins' band to play? You know they would do anything for you."
"We already thought of that, but they've already got a gig that night," Colleen informed me.
"I'm sorry, girls. I'll see about getting up there to see you both. Beyond that, I don't want to promise something and not deliver."
"We know, Dad," Colleen assured me. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, you two."
"Goodnight," Caitlin echoed.
Hanging up the phone, I was heartbroken that I couldn't be there for them more than I was. I made a mental note to ask JC to go up with me if the guys weren't here. Walking back to the bedroom, I found curled up in fetal position on the sheets with the covers pushed to the foot of the bed His hair was still damp. I thought he was joking about the cold shower. I climbed next to him and pulled the comforter over both of us. I rested my arm on his side, caressing his chest with my hand. He shifted for a split second and wound his hands around my own. I thought he might wake up, but when he didn't, I realized that his movements were subconscious. The only romance I would be getting would be in my dreams, so I laid my head against his back and joined him in sleep.
"Wake up," the voice shouted.
Slowly, I focused on JC's concerned face, grimaced with worry. "What's wrong?"
"You're burning up again, but even worse than last time. I'm calling an ambulance," he announced grabbing the phone from the bedside table.
I reached out and took the phone from him. "Don't be ridiculous."
Apparently hurt, "Ridiculous? I'm worried senseless about you. This is two nights in a row, and you're convinced that nothing's wrong."
"I didn't say that. I said it was nothing to worry about, Josh."
"Damn it, Matt, stop playing word games. You know what I'm talking about."
"And will you trust me to know what I'm talking about. The fever will break, and I'll be none the worse for wear."
"What is this bullshit about fevers that mean nothing and are gone by morning? I've never heard of such a thing in my life. I'm scared for you, and for me. I just found you," exclaimed, the tears streaming down his cheeks.
"I know, and I love you for your concern, but you're going to have to believe me when I say that I've run these temperatures before. They are always gone by morning, and there's nothing the hospital can do about it."
"Stop being cryptic, Matt! You're deliberately not telling me something."
"You're right, Josh. I'm not!" I shouted back, now crying myself.
"Why not?" he demanded.
"Because I don't want to lose you!" I answered, pushing him away from me. "I can't lose you," I whispered through my sobs as I dropped a sleeveless T-shirt over my head. Following suit with a pair of running shorts and sneakers, I moved to the door. Turning in place, I looked at his tear-soaked face. "I need to be by myself now. I love you more than life itself, and if that's not enough to satisfy your curiosity, don't be here when I get back."
TO BE CONTINUED . . . . . . .
Please send any feedback to: mnhunter@midsouth.rr.com