Disclaimer: The following is a story about coming of age and self- discovery. You must be 18 to read it. It contains explicit depictions of sex between teenage boys. However if any of this offends you, then please don't read it.
Sorry this is later than promised. I've been a little under the weather and I had to make some last minute revisions. I think the finished product is better as a result. I hope you agree. Thanks to everyone out there who's sent comments, ideas or suggestions, not mention all the supportive comments. It's been enormously helpful.
"The Way The World Works"
Chapter 4:Rhyme and Reason
The first week of school flew by so quickly after that first day with Zach. We rode to and from school together every day on the subway. The fifteen minutes or so that we had together in the mornings were so energizing. I looked forward to them almost from the moment I went to sleep every night before. I found myself dreaming about him, nothing overly erotic, just simple things. I dreamt about his smile, his eyes, his strong voice. I could not remember sleeping so peacefully. By the time we got to school, I hated to be separated from him. That feeling of safety that I felt with him was so seductive.
Still I remembered what we'd discussed. I did not want to rush things. Zach was still the only other person I knew who had the same feelings that I did. I did not want to lose his friendship, even if it meant we could not have anything more significant than that. I knew that we had to have time apart. After all, we had separate classes and we played different sports. He was going to be studying for the SAT and looking at colleges; and I was going to have to participate in those freshman bonding activities. That did not leave a lot of time for the two of us to spend together. So mornings and, more importantly, afternoons on the subway were premium quality time for the two of us. Those rides home allowed us to unwind after long days packed with activities and before evenings full of studying. We didn't talk much. We just sat together and held hands underneath our backpacks. It was quiet and peaceful, very relaxing.
Things were starting to fall into a happy rhythm at Ellsworth. Senior guides had been assigned. The sports teams had all started practicing. All of my classes were going pretty well. And of course, Zach and I were getting along perfectly.
My tryout for the tennis team went better than I expected. The coach said I had pretty good groundstrokes and footwork. He told me I had a lot of potential and even hinted that with some work, I might get some playing time by the end of the season. The time that I put in working out over the summer really helped when coach put us through drills everyday. We were really put through our paces. All in all, I enjoyed myself. I also got along pretty well with the other guys on the team. There was only one other freshman, three sophomores, two juniors, and four seniors. They were all pretty nice and very hard working.
Meanwhile, I was beginning to see why Zach was the star football player. He was really dedicated to his team. The tennis courts were up on a hill beyond the football field. They gave you a perfect view of the team's practices. During breaks in our own practices, we would all watch the football players beat each other up. I saw how hard he worked to make every play right. He was very meticulous. When he wasn't on the field practicing, he was on the sidelines looking through playbooks, helping a teammate or talking to the coach.
Still by the end of the day, when we were both finished, he always managed to leave football on the field and turn his focus back to me. He really was good at juggling all of these different responsibilities.
By the time Friday came around, I was starting to get very comfortable at Ellsworth. The other guys in my class seemed nice enough and I was even starting to become friendly with some of them. My classes were going well, and best of all, Zach and I would have the weekend to spend together.
Late that afternoon, following practice, I was standing in the shower washing my hair, when I heard someone walk up next to me. This was not unusual with people usually going in and out of the locker room, so I did not pay any attention. Then I heard a familiar voice whisper, "Hey."
I quickly rinsed the soap from my eyes and turned in the direction that the voice came from. It was Zach. I wasn't expecting to see him, his practices usually ran about 20 minutes longer than mine did.
"Hi." I said quietly. "What are you doing here?"
"Coach let us out of practice early. He said he hadn't seen us practice that well in a while. So he released us as a little reward. I think he also wanted to get away for the three-day weekend." He was grinning widely as he said this.
"That's great. So we can go earlier, right?"
"Yeah, as soon as we're done showering."
At that moment I realized two things. First, I was naked and so was Zach, a state neither of us had seen the other in before. Second, we were having a discussion in the boys locker room shower as if it were the most normal thing in the world. I looked around and, to my relief, realized that there was no one else in the shower with us.
Zach noticed me looking and said, "Don't worry. The place is pretty empty. I made sure you were by yourself before I came in here. Most of the guys leave on Fridays right after practice. So they skip showers until they get home. So the locker room is usually a lot less crowded. I always take one though because I ride the subway."
"Oh. Well that makes me feel better. I was afraid someone might hear us talking." I still had a fear of being outed and then being publicly ridiculed.
"I understand." He said. "But I don't think you have to worry that much. Most people know I'm your senior guide by now. So they would probably think that we're just discussing school stuff."
"Yeah, your right. I just get nervous sometimes about...you know..."
"About people finding out about us. Is that what you mean?"
"Yeah." I said.
"You know, Danny, I've been thinking a lot about what you said to me on Monday. I mean about not feeling bad about being gay. It really helped me feel better. My dad's always telling me that if you give people enough of a chance, they usually end up surprising you. I'm not saying I want to go to tell the whole school that I'm gay. I'm not ready for that yet. But I think that eventually it will happen either here or somewhere else; and after meeting you, I don't think it will be as bad as I feared. It might even be good."
"Wow. Thanks Zach. I'm glad I was able to help. I think you're right. I just have all these old fears buried inside me."
"That's natural. But they will go away with time. Look at all the strength you've shown with getting through all the painful events in your life so far. If you can get through them you can handle anything."
This guy was getting really good at making me blush and tear up. I smiled at him and said "If you think so, then I believe you."
"Good. Now let's hurry up. It's six. We don't want to be late for dinner."
We finished showering and went to our lockers to change. Zach gathered his things and came to my row and sat next to me on the bench. He didn't say anything. He just smiled and started dressing alongside me. I tried not to look too closely at him as he stepped into his clothes, but I did manage a few glances. He was so different than me. He had the body of a fully grown man at the age of eighteen, while I was still stuck with that of a teenager. He had beautiful brown hair, the same as on his head, on his chest, stomach, arms and legs. I just had peach fuzz on my arms and very light hair on my legs. The rest of my body was hairless. He was so muscular and well proportioned, but not overly bulky in any particular area. Still you could see that there was muscle packed all over his body. I felt scrawny next to him, even though I knew I wasn't. I just had a different build than his, kind of like a gymnast.
We finished dressing, grabbed our gear and headed out of the gym. Zach's father was due back that evening from North Carolina. He had been away pushing for support of a bill he was sponsoring. Zach had talked to his father on the phone the night before. Apparently, the parents of Zach's senior guide had invited him to dinner at the end of the first week of his freshman year three years ago. Mr. Martin had asked if I was available for dinner wanting to do the same thing for me. Zach called me and asked if I could make it. After checking with my mom, I told him yes.
Zach had met my family on Wednesday. He decided to ride with me to my house to see where I lived. Since we were coming from practice, my mom had already gotten home with Luke. So Zach was introduced to everyone. My mom liked him immediately and my grandmother mentioned that he reminded her of a boy she had dated in college. He blushed at that comment. Luke could not believe how big and tall Zach was.
He said, eyes wide with excitement, "Wow, Zach, you're a giant!" We all laughed at this. It was a very natural moment. Zach seemed to fit in with my family right away. Since his dad was out of town and his mom had another late class that night, we had him to stay for dinner. My grandmother was a short, but energetic woman who loved to cook. That was the benefit of her coming to live with us. It took the strain of preparing meals off of my mom since dad was gone. She always made more food than we could eat and was constantly trying to get us to eat more. It was her way of showing us how much she loved us. So when Zach joined us, there was plenty of food for all of us. Grandma had made pot roast and mashed potatoes along with steamed carrots and a big salad. We were all stuffed by the time we finished.
Zach had to go after that so he could do his homework; but before he left, he thanked my mom and grandma for a delicious meal and then he took Luke outside and gave him the piggy back ride he'd been begging for all evening. My brother kept yelling, "I'm riding on a giant! I'm riding on a giant!" After about ten minutes of this, Zach stopped so that neither he nor Luke would upchuck his dinner. I said goodbye to him and he headed off to the subway.
So now we were on our way to his house. The subways were pretty empty that evening because we were heading into Labor Day weekend. Most people in Washington who can afford it head for Ocean City, MD or Virginia Beach at that time of year. Everyone else just goes home early and barbecues all weekend or hits the theme parks. So we took a seat in the back end of the car we were on away from the five or six people in the middle. This way, they could not see us holding hands, fingers interlaced. Again we did not talk during the trip. We just sat together and enjoyed being with each other. Then Zach took my hand in his and began tracing the lines in my palm with his other hand. He was lightly humming a tune that sounded vaguely familiar but I could not place it. I was just about to ask him what it was when we reached our stop.
We left the train and exited the station. As we walked to his house, Zach was telling me about his mother, Miranda. Mrs. Martin was apparently more opinionated about Zach's friends than his father. She wasn't selective or controlling. She just didn't like the fact that most of his friends were on the football team. She thought they were a bit loud and brash. So I was warned that she might ask me a lot of questions during dinner.
It turned out that Zach's mother never really grilled me like he had anticipated. She was so happy that I was not a football player and that I played tennis, a sport she also played, that she forgot to interrogate me. We talked about tennis and current events for most of the evening. That was when the big shock happened.
When she asked me about my family, I mentioned that my dad had died four years earlier. I told her that he was a lawyer. Then she gasped.
"Danny did you tell me that your last name was Billings?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Was you father's first name Michael?" she asked.
"Yes, Mrs. Martin, it was."
"And how old was he when he died?"
"He was forty-three."
"And he was from Washington, near Eastern Market, right?"
"Yes. How do you know that?" I asked
"Oh, my God. Danny, I think I knew your father! I did not know he was dead." She got a little choked up as she said this.
It turns out that Mrs. Martin went to college with my father over twenty-five years ago. They even dated for a brief time. She described to me how they had stayed friends after they stopped seeing each other. In fact, she remembered when he met my mother. When I asked how they had lost touch, she told me that she had moved down to North Carolina, to go to law school at NC State. That was how she met Mr. Martin and they eventually married. That was when I remembered being told that my dad had deferred law school and volunteered to go to Vietnam after college. His parents had died within a few months of each other after he graduated and he and mom had broken things off for a while. He threw himself into a dumb war to escape his pain and lost contact with a lot of people. We figured Mrs. Martin was one of them. With all of her professional duties, two sons and Mr. Martin's political career, she had never really taken the time to search him out again. Then I remembered something.
"Mrs. Martin, is your maiden name Taylor"
"Yes."
"I think I've seen a picture of you in an old photo album. I think it's of my dad and mom standing with a few people underneath..."
"...underneath a big oak tree. It was a student activism group at our college. I have the same picture in my office."
"I remember looking through old pictures with mom after dad died and she pointed out lots of people the he had known over the years. She made a point to single you out. She said you were the person who convinced him to ask her out. Is that true?"
"Yes, it is. Your father and I were both too headstrong for each other, but he was perfect for your mother. So I made him take her to dinner."
Wow this was incredible. I was not one to believe in coincidences, but something like this was making me reconsider that position. This was amazing. To think that my father and Mrs. Martin had lived here in the same city for about seven years within relative proximity to each other and never known about it was astounding. On top of that they had dated and now I was dating her son, sort of. (Of course she was not aware of this fact yet.)
We moved to the den and continued to reminisce about my dad. We even call my mom and I explained our discovery. She and Mrs. Martin had a tearful private conversation for about an hour. While they were talking I went downstairs with Zach and his dad to play some pool while we let this all sink in. We did not talk much; we just took our shots and tried to recover a sense of normalcy. It was quite a surprising turn of events. After we had finished three very sloppy games of cutthroat, Mrs. Martin came downstairs. She said that my mother wanted to speak to me. I was told to use the phone in Zach's room.
"Hi mom."
"Hi Danny. Well this is not what I was expecting on a Friday night."
"Same here. Are you ok?"
"Yes, just a little shocked that's all. I haven't seen Miranda in twenty-five years. It just brought up a lot of old, but good memories of your father. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine."
"Good. You always did adjust well to new things. Listen, I was talking with Miranda and she says that since it's late, you're welcome to stay there if you want. I know that you were planning to go to King's Dominion tomorrow with Zach. Since you have to leave early this will make it a little easier. Do you want me to pull out something for you to wear?"
As we were talking, I saw Zach poke his head in the door and give an 'are you ok?' look to me. I nodded and he came into the room and closed the door. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. Distracted for a moment, I then returned to my conversation
"Awesome mom. Um, no thanks, about the clothes. I have an extra pair of shorts and a t-shirt in my gym bag. I always keep them in case I get really sweaty at practice. I can wear that tomorrow. Oh wait, what about spending money?"
"I can get some of your savings out of your money box in your room and put if in an envelope on the kitchen table if you'd like."
"That would be great mom. Thanks."
"No problem son. You have a good time. I'm going to sleep in tomorrow morning. I'm exhausted after this first week of school. My munchkins are more energetic than usual. They really taxed me. Well, I'll let you go now son. I love you. Goodnight"
"Ok mom. I love you too. Get some rest. I'll see you Saturday night. Bye."
I hung up the phone and settled back into Zach's arms. I could not believe the week I'd had. Now I was going to get to spend the night here too! I was so excited, yet it all felt so comfortable. I turned and looked into Zach's warm eyes. They were tranquil right now. I could drown in them. He leaned down and kissed me lightly. That kiss must have lasted for a minute before we came up for air. Then he tilted my chin up and said, "You've had quite an evening, haven't you?"
"Yeah, it's unbelievable."
"You know I was thinking during all the talking upstairs that our meeting had to be more than just chance. It almost seems like it was meant to be."
"I was thinking about that too. I don't usually believe in that stuff, but maybe you're right."
"Well let's tell my parents that you are staying. Ok."
"Alright."
We went upstairs and told his parents that I would be spending the night there. They seemed happy. Mrs. Martin came over to me and hugged me. She said this it made her incredibly happy to know that my father had created such a fine son. She said goodnight to us and then went upstairs. Mr. Martin said goodnight also and shook my hand before heading to bed. He told me that Liam's room was made up and used as a guest room for Zach's friends when they stayed over. He told me to make myself at home.
Zach and I headed back downstairs and went into his room. We did not say anything to each other. He stood in front of me and began to unbutton my shirt and slowly removed it from me. Next he unbuckled my belt and unfastened the clasp at the top of my pants. He pulled down my zipper and watched my pants drop to the floor. I could feel myself rapidly growing aroused. I stepped out of my pants and socks and put them in a pile along with my shirt. There I stood in front of him wearing only my briefs. He then began to undress as well. He was so smooth and efficient with removing his clothes, just like he was when he ran plays on the football field. In less than a minute, he too was wearing only his briefs. He then took my hand and led me to the side of his bed.
Once there he looked at he and asked, "Would it be ok if you stayed in here with me tonight? I just want to hold you close to me."
"Oh Zach, I'd love that. But won't you parent's know that we slept together?"
"They never come down here to bother me. This is my private space. When I have friends over, it's my responsibility to make sure that the bed in Liam's room is ready for a guest to sleep in."
"Oh, ok. Well then there's no problem."
"None at all, except that we're not in bed holding each other right now." He said smiling.
So we climbed into the bed and under the covers. The bed was easily big enough for both of us. He wrapped his big arms around me and kissed me warmly. Then he said, "I guess we have a better idea of where this is heading now don't we?"
"I guess so. Does this make us.boyfriends?"
"I think it does."
"Wow, that sounds really nice."
"Yes it does. Goodnight baby. Sleep well"
"Goodnight, Zach. Thank you."
"For what?"
"Just for being you."
He smiled and then pulled my head down to rest on his chest. I relaxed against his firm frame. I listened to the steady beating of his heart. At the same time I heard him humming the same tune from this afternoon. It was so beautiful. It quickly led me into a calm and peaceful sleep.
To Be Continued
I hope all of you like this story. It is my first. I'd like to continue it if I get enough response. Please send your comments, suggestions or criticisms to scribeman76@aol.com. I'd really appreciate any feedback you have to offer.