Am I...?

Hey everyone. RichardAdams again. Thanks to my vacation, I've become inspired for this chapter. I really hope you all like the beach setting. It'll be a nice change of pace from just the guys' school and/or Josh's home. Also, this is my longest chapter to date, so that's something. Anyway, here's Chapter 19 of 'Am I...?'

Just the feeling of being accepted by such a cool group of guys is awesome. The Stanford football team takes me and Leo to a party at one of the frat houses while Dad goes back to the hotel. I tell Leo before we get there to not get too drunk, which he agrees to after the night at the Halloween party.

The party is great. Leo and I are approached by a lot of co-eds and sorority girls, many of which were a bit buzzed. We both appreciate the compliments, but we tell them all that Leo and I are dating. They're all disappointed, but understand. Leo decides to stay away from the available beer and sticks to water, which I'm proud of him for.

Leo and I hang out with most of the guys from the football team, who introduce us to a lot of nice people who are just as accepting as them. The guys want to see a little more of Leo's martial arts training, so Leo decides a table would work best. With a swift downward kick, the fraternity has one less table. It broke into six pieces...

Leo, Dad, and I return home the next day. Sure I may have only known the football team for a day, but I'm going to miss them. When Leo and I get back to school, we tell the guys about our experience at Stanford, which they all laugh at when they hear about how Leo kicked Lance's ass. When we tell Coach and Creswell, they comment how similar Leo and I are to them, which we both appreciate.

The weeks go by and May rolls up. And it rolls up with a scorching heat wave. It's over ninety-five degrees every day, and we're all feeling the heat. Friday at school and I'm heading out to lunch with Leo and the guys. I find a parking spot and Leo rolls up behind me. When he takes off his helmet, I can see he's sweating buckets. "You okay?" I ask.

"Yeah...I'm fine..." he says. "I'm just not used to the heat. Maryland wasn't nearly as hot as it is here..."

"I'm really hot too. It really isn't as hot here as you think. This heat wave is just kicking everybody's ass. Let's get somewhere where it's cooler."

Leo and I walk down the block and walk into the Chipotle. We're instantly met with relief from the cool air. Thankfully there aren't too many people in here, so Leo and I quickly get our food made and sit at a table and wait for the guys. They all enter the restaurant within the next few minutes, all of them thanking God for the creation of AC.

As we're all sitting and eating, Mark lets out a groan. "I can't take this heat anymore," he says.

"Same here," says Danny. "The news said it's supposed to be in the upper nineties through the weekend."

Everyone groans at putting up with another few days of this excruciating heat. "We need to find a way to beat this heat," says Justin. "My power went out this morning and my dad and I are left with no AC until tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh, I'm sorry Justin," says Brian. "You can stay at my house until you get your power back."

"Thanks for the offer babe," says Justin, kissing the side of Brian's face. "But my dad and I can't stay in your house until we get our power back. He needs to stay at the house to be with the electrician and I want to be there with him."

"Well, can you at least spend the night?" Brian asks. "You're going to be miserable in a ninety degree house."

"I'll need to ask my dad about it. But I think I need to stay out of the house tomorrow so my dad and the electrician can get everything done."

"Same here," says Shawn. "My house is being bug-bombed tomorrow and my dad and I need to stay out of the house until tomorrow night."

"My mansion is being painted tomorrow," says Mark, him and his rich family's problems. "I need to stay out for most of the day so the painters can get their work done."

I think of a sudden idea. "How does the beach sound for everyone?" I ask.

They all turn to me. "The beach?" asks Leo.

"Yeah. We all can't take the heat and need to get out of the house tomorrow. The beach sounds like the perfect idea. I was thinking we could all drive to Malibu and spend the day there. What do you guys think?"

The guys looks to each other and their faces brighten. "The beach sounds fantastic," says Mark. "Plus I'll be able to show off to some girls..."

We all laugh a bit. "I haven't gone to the beach in years," says Brian. "It sounds like a lot of fun."

"I'm in," says Danny. "Steven has a van I can borrow. It's plenty big for all of us."

"Great," I say. "So is everyone for going to Malibu?" Everyone nods. "Awesome. How about we all meet at Danny's tomorrow morning at eight so we can get to the beach early?"

"That works for me," says Justin.

"Same here," says Shawn.

"Me too," says Leo.

"Okay," I say. "So by this time tomorrow, we'll be enjoying the sun, surf, and sand of Malibu."

***

I get up around six-thirty the next morning, pulling myself out of bed and taking a quick shower. I slip on my bathing suit, a white t-shirt, a short-sleeved collared shirt, and some sandals and head downstairs. I pack up some stuff for the beach and grab my guitar case, and after a quick breakfast with Mom and Dad, I head over to Danny's.

When I drive up to Danny's house, I'm impressed with how picturesque it is. The house looks like it belongs on a magazine cover. Danny's already in the driveway with Steven's van and I walk up to him. "Hey Danny."

Danny's underneath the hood of the van and looks behind him and sees me. "Hey Josh."

"What're you doing?" I ask.

"Just changing the oil. Don't worry, the van runs great. Plus, I'm almost finished with this. Once everyone gets here, we'll be on the road."

I hear a door open and then a woman's voice. "Danny! Have you seen my pajama pants?"

I look behind me and see a woman in her early forties with light brown hair and a sleepy look on her face. The first thing I notice is that all she has on is a white t-shirt and light blue panties. She looks toward the driveway and her eyes stop on me. She screams a little and sprints back inside, slamming the door behind her.

From behind me, I hear Danny laughing. "That was my mom," he says. "She usually forgets to put pants on Saturday mornings. But she's harmless."

Danny lowers the hood on the van and carries a rag and a bottle of oil back into the open garage. A three cars suddenly roll up and stop in front of Danny's house. Leo steps out of one and Mark, Shawn, Brian, and Justin step out of the other two, all of them wearing a similar attire of swimsuits and t-shirts and holding beach towels.

Danny walks back out of the garage and sees everyone. "Great, we're all here," he says.

"Hey, how much room do you have in that van?" asks Leo.

"Plenty," says Danny. "Why?"

Leo walks back to the car (which is his dad's by the way) and opens up the trunk. He pulls out a surfboard and closes the trunk. "Can you fit this?" he asks Danny.

"Oh yeah," Danny replies. "It can easily fit ten surfboards plus all of us. Oh! That reminds me." Danny runs back into the garage and comes back out a minute later, holding a surfboard of his own. "I haven't surfed in a while, so I might be rusty."

"Got any more of those?" Mark asks.

"Same here," says Justin.

"I should," says Danny.

He walks back to the garage and comes back with two more surfboards. "How do you have so many surfboards?" asks Shawn.

"Steven loves to surf and his brother owns a surf shack in Hawaii. He sends boards every so often for the hell of it." I hear the front door open again and see Ms. Walters walking down the front walkway, with pants this time. "Hey Mom."

"Sorry about that sweetie," she says. "I always forget my pants." She stops in the driveway and takes notice of all of us. "Danny, you never told me your friends were so...handsome..."

"Mom!" Danny shouts.

"Oh relax, sweetie." She rolls her eyes and looks back to us. "I'm Danny's mother, but you all can call me Diane. You must be Josh, Brian, Mark, Leo, Shawn, and Justin."

"Yes ma'am," we all reply.

The front door opens again and I hear a male voice this time. "Diane! You out here?"

"In the driveway, Steven!" Ms. Walters replies.

I see Steven for the first time and am surprised by his size. He looks to be the same height as Justin with dirty blonde hair in a crew cut and a very built body, despite him being at least forty. He's wearing only a loose t-shirt and sweatpants, but you can tell he's ripped. "I was wondering where everyone was," he says.

"Guys, this is Steven," says Danny. "Steven, these are my friends I told you about."

"Nice to meet you all," Steven says with a smile.

"Hey Steven," says Danny. "Is it alright if some of my friends borrow some of your boards?"

"Go ahead. I have another three dozen sitting in the attic."

"Thanks." Danny takes the two boards and stuffs them in the back of the van and takes his and Leo's boards and places them in the trunk as well. "We should go. There might be other people who had the same idea as us."

"Okay sweetie," says Ms. Walters. "Be sure to wear sunscreen. I'm not going to give you sympathy if you come home moaning that you're in pain."

Danny rolls his eyes and gives his mom a hug and Steven a fist bump. He opens the side door for us and we all climb into the van. There's a lot more room in here than I thought, even with Justin's six foot five body. Danny climbs in the front seat and turns on the van. "Can someone pull up some directions on their phone?" he asks. "I really don't want to get lost."

"I got it," says Brian. He pulls his phone out of the backpack he brought with him and taps the screen a few times. "First, turn right on River Street."

Danny shifts the van into gear and we're off to the beach.

***

About an hour and a half later of putting up with the smell of fresh McDonald's breakfast in the van, we arrive at the beach. Danny parks the van in a nearby parking lot and we all climb out and stretch our arms and legs, having not moved since we left. The smell of salt water and ocean air fills my nose, making me feel nostalgic.

The last time I came to the beach was with my family when I was fifteen. Ryan was trying to be funny and made a fake shark fin and proceeded to grab my leg when I was swimming. Ryan ended up with a broken nose from me kicking him thinking he was an actual shark. Ah memories...

Once we've unloaded our stuff, we walk onto the sand and our feet instantly feel like we're walking on hot coals. Thanks to this heat wave, it's already eight-five degrees outside and it isn't even ten in the morning yet. We quickly walk across the scorching sand and find a good spot on the beach.

Shawn leaves for a few minutes and comes back with three umbrellas he rented. With the high for today around ninety-seven, the umbrellas are a blessing. With the umbrellas up and the beach chairs we brought with us set up, we begin undressing.

As I'm taking off my clothes, I get a look at the guys. Mark stays in good shape, but his arms are what make him attractive. He spends two hours after school every day just lifting weights. You do that for three years straight, you have arms any other guy would kill for. Shawn may be the second shortest of our group, but his legs are the fittest. From the waist up, he's pretty lean. Waist down, he looks like he runs a marathon every week.

Brian is pretty thin and he doesn't have a lot of muscle on him, but it looks like he has zero fat on him. The only muscle he has is in his arms, probably built up from drumming along with two black tattoos that circle his left upper arm. Justin has a pretty well built body from basketball, judging by the hard abs, toned arms, and fit legs. On his stomach is the scar from his bullet wound and although it's faint, it is noticeable.

Leo is just as perfect as usual. He's wearing a black bathing suit that stops at his knees and it fits him perfectly. I just take in his beauty for a few seconds, looking at his chest, stomach, arms, legs, and spend the most time on his face. I snap out of it and finish taking off my shirt and toss it onto my chair, feeling the hot sun on my taught skin

I look at Danny and see he looks really hesitant. "You okay there, Danny?" I ask.

"U-Um...yeah..." he shakily replies.

"C'mon Danny," says Brian. "You're the only one that's still fully dressed."

Danny sighs to himself and grabs the base of his shirt and slowly pulls it over his head. I don't know why he was so nervous. Danny's body looks great. His pecs are nice, his stomach is cut, his arms are built, so why? He tosses his shirt to his chair, but still looks really stiff. "I hate taking my shirt off in public," he says.

"Why?" Brian asks. "You look good."

I notice Danny's fists clench and he slowly turns around and what I see actually scares me. Danny's back is covered in scars, all of them jagged and nasty. "W-What are those?" asks Mark.

"They're knife scars I got when I was in prison," says Danny. "Because I was eighteen when I was arrested, they put me into an adult prison with a lot of hardened criminals. In the month I was there, I got twenty knife wounds, ten of them are on my back and are all caused from guys with shanks that wanted my food."

"Where are...the rest?" asks Justin.

Danny turns back around and now that I'm closer, I see more scars on his front. "Three are on my right arm, two are on my left, and five are on my chest and stomach. None of them were too bad, but they scared the living shit out of me whenever I was cut."

Danny looks to be remembering his time behind bars and shudders from it. "Danny, if you want to put your shirt back on, we'll understand," I say.

He shakes his head. "No, I'm okay. These scars are who I am and remind me of who I used to be. Seeing them keeps the homophobic thoughts out of my head and shows me that I'm not the jerk I was. So, I'm going to show everyone that these scars are part of me."

Danny looks a lot more confident than he did a minute ago. "That being said," he continues, "does anyone have any sunscreen? I don't want to get a lecture from my mom when I get home and I'm burnt."

Shawn digs in his bag and tosses Danny a can of spray sunscreen, which he applies vigorously. We pass the can around and spray ourselves. The sunscreen feels greasy on my skin, but I don't want to get the same burn Dad got the last time we came to the beach. He fell asleep and was only half-covered by our umbrella. His legs were scorched beyond belief.

Once we're all sunscreened, Leo reaches into his bag and pulls out what looks like a bar of soap in a small can. "What's that?" I ask him.

"It's surf wax," he says. "If you don't cover your board with it, you'll never be able to stand."

"Can I borrow some of that?" asks Mark. "I left mine at home."

"I have two spares in the van," says Danny. "I'll get them for you and Justin."

Danny walks back to the van and we're left standing in the mid-morning sun. I stretch my arms a bit and look back to everyone. "I'm going to go test the water. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Everyone nods and I walk toward the water, the sand cooling down the closer I get to it. I finally step onto the wet sand and my feet stop burning. The tide comes in and washes over my feet. Surprisingly, the water isn't as cold as I thought it would be. It's actually perfectly cool.

I wade a bit further into the water and see a wave coming. I dive into the wave and pop back up on the other side, wiping the salt water out of my face. The water feels fantastic and quickly cools me down. I see the waves look pretty good, enough to give the guys some fun. I feel I've tested it enough and walk back onto dry land.

As I walk back onto the scorching sand, I see the guys unpacking their bags. Bottles of water, extra sunscreen, sunglasses, a football, everything you need for a day at the beach. "Hey, how's the water?" asks Brian.

"Feels great," I say. "The waves look to be about ten feet high. Is that good for surfing?"

"That's perfect," says Leo, waxing his board. "It's enough to give us a nice ride." Leo puts the wax back in his back and attaches the leash to his leg and grabs his board and stands up next to me. "Ready?"

"Yup." I look to the guys. "We'll see you out there in a few."

Leo and I walk toward the ocean and as we get close, Leo charges at the water. He jumps as his feet touch the approaching swell and he lands back on his board. I quickly run into the water and swim up next to Leo's board. "How'd you learn how to surf?" I ask him.

"My parents, sister, and I have a family vacation every year to Hawaii," he says. "I started learning when I was nine years old and have gotten better over the years."

I start swimming next to him as he paddles out. "I remember your mom telling me you having a sister when I showed up at your house for the Halloween party. I've never met her though."

"She visits every so often but she lives in Seattle with her husband. They've been married for a few months now and are really happy together. I think you'd like her. She's a huge football fan."

"She sounds nice." Leo stops paddling and sits on his board. I wade water next to him and look up at him. His black hair is matted to his head and his skin is glistening from the water. His muscles are flexed and he doesn't even look like he's doing anything. "You look absolutely beautiful," I say.

He looks down at me and smiles. "I was watching you swim next to me. It's incredible to see how strong you are."

I smile back at him. "Damn you guys are fast!"

Leo and I look back and see Mark, Justin, and Danny paddling toward us on their surfboards, Shawn and Brian not far behind them. "Sorry," I say. "We kind of lost track of time."

"Hey," Leo says to me. "Is it okay if I go out a bit further? If I'm surfing, I don't want to accidently crash into one of you guys."

"Go ahead," I say. "I was going to stick a little closer to shore anyway."

Leo smiles and paddles a little further out with Justin, Danny, and Mark following behind him. Shawn, Brian, and I swim a little closer to shore and have fun body surfing in the smaller swell. As we're swimming, I look further out to sea. The first thing I see is Leo paddling back toward the beach.

The water behind him is steadily rising and starts to break. Leo jumps up and stands on his board and turns it to the right. He looks perfectly balanced as the wave starts crashing behind him. He turns suddenly and goes straight for the top of the wave. I think he's going to bail out, but he doesn't.

Leo and his board fly completely off the wave and Leo's now airborne. He grabs the side of his board and goes full 360. He lands back on the wave and stays balanced on the board. Is there anything he can't do?

I decide to walk back to our stuff and take a little break. I walk out of the water and get back to our stuff and take a seat in a chair, shielded from the sun thanks to the umbrellas. I look back out at the water and see Shawn and Brian getting out of the water too and they walk over to me. "This was a great idea Josh," says Brian.

"Yeah really," says Shawn. "I'd be suffering right now had you not suggested we come here."

We sit back and watch the guys surf. Leo keeps killing it and Justin, Mark, and Danny are pretty good too, but they fall every so often. We all laugh when we see Mark fly off his board and stays airborne for a good five seconds before belly flopping into the water.

Danny, Mark, and Justin come back to the beach after about forty minutes, Mark's chest and stomach bright red from his crash landing. They set their boards down and sit on the sand. "That was fun," says Justin.

He leans and gives Brian a soft kiss. "Where's Leo?" I ask.

"He said he wanted to get a few more waves in before coming in," says Mark.

I look out and see Leo sitting on his board, waiting for another wave. He seems incredibly focused as he looks out at the open ocean. As I'm staring at him, I notice something else. About twenty yards from Leo, I see something on the water and as I focus on it, I make out what it is: a fin.

My blood freezes at the sight of the fin. I jump out of my seat and see that there are actually two fins, and they're going straight for Leo. "Josh, what's up?" asks Shawn.

I point out at the water, right at the two fins. "Sharks..." I breathe out.

I feel the guys jump up and see where I'm pointing. I sprint at the water, calling out to Leo. "LEO!! LEO!!"

He's too far out. He can't hear me. The fins are only about ten feet away from him now and he still hasn't noticed them. I dive into the water and swim toward Leo as fast as I can. I look up after a few seconds and feel my heart stop. I don't see Leo anywhere...

Even with my face wet, I feel tear falls down my face. There's a sudden whistle blow behind me. "EVERYONE OUT OF THE WATER!!"

I look back and see two lifeguards quickly running at the water. "You! Get out of the water!" one of them yells at me.

I don't have time to react as two pairs of arms grab me and pull me back to the sand. I'm fighting as hard as I can, screaming at whoever has me to let go. I look back and see Mark and Danny pulls me onto the sand. "Let me go!" I yell in desperation.

But their grips on me only get harder. I open my tear filled eyes and look back out at the water. The first thing I see is a red spot in the water. I can tell that it's blood. My legs feel weak and I fall to my knees. Leo isn't anywhere to be seen. The only thing I see is his board, floating on the water near the pool of blood.

Sobs of anguish explode out of me. I feel hands on my back and I look back and see the guys. Their faces are filled with pain and it only makes me cry harder. I've lost him. Leo's gone...he's gone...

As I'm crying, I suddenly hear something from the ocean. It sounds like...laughing. I look up and can't believe my eyes. About fifty feet from shore, almost gliding over the water, is Leo. I jump up and run to the water. Leo stops gliding and stands up in the water. I crash into him and pull him into a crushing hug.

I cry into his shoulder as he hugs me back. "L-Leo..." I cry out. "You're alive..."

"I'm just fine Josh," he says. "I'm okay."

More arms wrap around us and I see the guys hugging Leo too. I lift my head off Leo's shoulder and look at his face. I see blood running from his nostrils. "What happened to you?" Brian asks.

"I fell off my board after I wasn't paying attention and a swell caught me off guard," says Leo. "I got whacked in the face by my board's nose. I lost my board when I got detached from my leash."

"Where were you?" Mark asks. "You disappeared for a good minute or two."

"I was underwater. When I fell off my board, I got disoriented and didn't know which way was up. But I calmed myself down and held my breath until I looked up and saw the sun. So I swam up and broke the surface."

"But if your nose was bleeding, how did the sharks not attack you?" I ask.

Leo looks confused. "What sharks? There weren't any sharks out there."

"But we saw fins from the shore," says Justin.

Leo suddenly starts laughing. "Those? Those weren't sharks. How do you think I got back to shore? Those fins belonged to dolphins." And now I suddenly feel like the world's biggest dumbass. "See? They're still here."

We all let go of Leo and see two bottlenose dolphins swimming about ten feet away from us. Leo walks over to them and stands chest deep in the water. The dolphins suddenly swim up to Leo and stick their heads out of the water, making dolphin noises at him.

Leo laughs and runs his hands over both dolphins' heads. "I didn't even see these guys until I was underwater," he says. "They seemed to know I was in trouble and stayed with me and helped me get back to shore. You can pet them if you want. They're really friendly."

We walk over to Leo and the dolphins. One quickly swims up to me and stops in front of me, its face looking right up at me. I slowly take my hand and rest it on its head. "You saved my boyfriend's life," I say. "I really hope you can understand me when I say 'thank you so much.'"

It makes a single croaking noise, and I smile and pet it a few more times. I do the same for the second dolphin. People from the beach all start crowding around the dolphins, snapping pictures of them, coming up to pet them. "C'mon Leo," I say. "Let's get your nose to stop bleeding."

I take Leo by the hand and we walk back to our stuff. I sit him down and grab him a spare towel. "Just press it against your nose until it stops bleeding," I say. Leo does as he's told and holds the towel to his bleeding nose. The guys all sit back down and as we wait for Leo's nose to stop bleeding, the two lifeguards approach us. "Hey, is this your board?" one of them asks.

The second lifeguard is holding Leo's board in his hands. "It's mine," Leo says. "Sorry, I fell off it and lost it."

"It's good," says the second lifeguard. He hands the board to us and I take it from him. "Just try to be careful in the future."

The two lifeguards walk back to their stations and Leo goes back to pressing the towel against his face. "Hey, is anyone hungry?" asks Justin.

"Yeah," we all say.

"There's a food truck in the parking lot," Justin says. "If I can get some help, I'll bring back some lunch."

Mark, Shawn. Brian, and Danny all stand up with Justin. I look at the guys and see they give me a nod. I thank them silently for giving Leo and me some time alone. They slip on their sandals and walk toward the parking lot. Leo pulls the towel away and touches his nostrils. "I think it's stopped bleeding," he says.

Leo sets the towel down and falls back into his chair. As I'm watching him, I see him start to get blurry. I realize I'm crying. "Josh, what's wrong?" Leo asks me.

I grab Leo and pull him into a tight hug and cry into his shoulder. "Leo...you scared the living shit out of me..."

"Josh..."

"I thought you were dead. I thought I lost you. Just the feeling of thinking you were gone made me want to die. I never want that to happen again. Leo...never make me feel that terrible again..."

Leo raises his arms and hugs me back. "I'm sorry, Josh. I didn't mean to scare you, but I felt the same way when I was underwater. I felt I was going to drown and thought I wasn't going to see you again. I was terrified. But when I saw you on the beach, I felt so much better. When you hugged me again, I never wanted you to let go because I was afraid of losing you.

"Josh, I never want us to be apart like that again. I'm so sorry..."

I hear Leo sniff his nose and I rub his back. "It's okay, Leo. It wasn't your fault. I'm just so happy you're okay..."

Leo lifts his head and smiles at me, unshed tears in his eyes. I smile back and give him another hug. He and I sit back in our chairs and watch the shimmering ocean. "Hi!"

Leo and I look to our left and see three girls, all of them in bikinis, all of them stunningly gorgeous. "Hey," Leo and I both reply.

"I'm Julie!" says the girl with the light-brown hair. She gestures to her two friends. "This is Selena and Heather."

"I'm Josh," I say. "This here's Leo. Nice to meet you."

"Um...is it okay if we...just hang out here?" asks Julie.

"Go ahead," says Leo. "We need some people to talk to right now."

All three girls giggle and take seats in front of me and Leo. They stare at us for a few seconds before Selena (the Hispanic one of the girls) breaks the silence. "So! Tell us about yourselves!"

Well, isn't she eager? "Um...okay," I say. "Leo and I are both seniors in high school..."

"High school?!" says Heather (the blonde one). "You two look like you're in college!"

"We get that a lot," I say, laughing a bit. "We're starting college this fall at Stanford."

"Wow!" says Julie. "You two must be crazy smart to get in there!"

"We like to think so," says Leo. "But Josh here has a full scholarship to Stanford for football as well as being a straight A student through high school."

"Football?" says Selena. "That explains why you're so freaking buff! I mean look at you! You look like you belong in a Men's Health Magazine!"

I smile at the girls and they all giggle again. It could not be more obvious that they're trying to flirt with us. "You're muscular too!" Julie says to Leo. "You look like you work out every day!"

"Only a few times a week," Leo says. "I'm lucky to be this fit. If I stop my martial arts and kickboxing training, I'd be a fat slob in no time."

All three girls smile widely at the mention of Leo's training. I can see in their eyes that they really want us (and no, I'm not being conceited. It's obvious...). "And I have one more important detail I left out," I say.

The girls turn to me, wonder on their faces. "Oooh! What is it?!" says Selena.

I take Leo's hand and hold it in mine. "This guy right here and I have been dating for the last six months."

The smiles on their faces fade within a second and they stare at us with blank looks. "You two are...gay?" asks Heather.

"Yup," says Leo. "That's not a problem, is it?"

The girls look to each other and back to us. "It doesn't bother me," says Julie. "I'm just surprised that you two are gay."

"Same here," says Selena. "You two just seem so...straight. But if you're gay, that's cool too."

"I'm fine with you two being gay," says Heather. "I was just hoping to..."

"Go out with one of us?" I ask. Heather nods, a little pink in her cheeks. "Just because we're gay doesn't mean you can't hang out with us and our friends."

"We have food!"

Leo and I look behind us and see the guys coming back, a lot of food in their hands. I glance back at the girls and see the same faces I saw when they were flirting with us. "Yeah, those are our friends," I tell them.

"Who's the blonde one with the fantastic arms?" asks Julie.

"I'm wondering about the brown haired one with the toned legs and nice smile," says Heather.

"What about the big one with the scars on his arms and chest?" asks Selena. "I love scars."

"That's Mark, Shawn, and Danny," says Leo. "And if you're wondering, yes. They're all straight and single."

The guys finally arrive and notice the girls. "Hey," says Brian. "When did we get company?"

"Guys," I say. "This is Julie, Selena, and Heather. Looks like they're going to be spending some time with us."

"Sweet," says Justin. He hands some food to Leo and me and sits down and smiles at the girls. "Name's Justin." Brian takes a seat next to him and Justin wraps his arm around Brian's shoulders. "And this little guy is my boyfriend, Brian."

The girls seem a little surprised, but not as surprised as when I told them about Leo and me. "You guys are gay too?" asks Julie.

Brian looks to me. "You told them?" he asks.

"Yeah," says Leo. "It's good though. They're okay with it."

"Cool."

The guys all take some seats and hand the food out. As Mark sits down with a burger, there's a low rumble. We look at the girls and see that Julie is bright red. "Are you hungry?" Mark asks.

"I've been on a diet for the past two months," she says. "I haven't eaten junk food or anything like that since then. I've managed to lose fifteen pounds, but I..."

Mark hands her the burger and she looks at it for a second. "You can let loose every once in a while," he says. "You don't need to starve yourself. Just a balanced diet and exercise is all you need. Besides, you already look great."

Julie smiles and takes a large bit out of the burger, ketchup and mustard on the sides of her mouth. "God, that tastes so fucking good..." she says with a mouth full of food.

Mark laughs and takes a new seat next to Julie. Two more rumbles come from Heather and Selena, who turn as red as Julie was. Mark and Danny walk over to them and offer them their food, which they graciously accept. "Fuck it!" screams Heather. "I'm going to be a pig today!"

She dives into the nachos Shawn gave her. I see Shawn smiling at her, which makes Heather blush even more. I look at Danny and Selena and see that they're happily sharing some French fries. Selena is asking Danny about his scars, and he's honest with her, telling he got them while he was locked up for a month. She accepts what he did was a mistake.

All the food is gone within twenty minutes and Julie lets out a large burp, making everyone laugh. We spend the next thirty minutes talking, laughing, and just enjoying each other's company. The girls tell us they want to spend some more time with us, which we agree to.

The girls leave to go get their stuff and Mark lets out a low whistle. "Julie's hot," he says. "She's also a huge football fan."

"I'm leaning more toward Heather," says Shawn. "I have a thing for blondes, plus she's really funny and smart."

"Selena's for me," says Danny. "She knows a lot about food and she told me the scars are a turn-on for her."

"They're all single," I tell them. "At least I think they are, because they were flirting with me and Leo earlier."

The guys grin and the girls come back a few minutes later with their bags and take their seats again. "You're all seniors, right?" asks Julie.

"Yes we are," says Justin.

"We are too," says Selena. "We know Josh and Leo are going to Stanford next year, but what about the rest of you? Are you guys going to college?"

"Yeah," says Mark "I'm headed off to USC on a full athletic scholarship."

I look at Julie and see her face getting brighter by the millisecond. "I'm going to USC too!" she says. "Maybe we could see each other there..."

Mark's face flushes and he smiles at her. "Most definitely."

Selena wraps her arm around Heather's back. "Our little blonde genius here got into four Ivy League schools," she says. "But still hasn't decided on one."

"Selena!" Heather screams.

Shawn's chuckling to himself. "Which ones?" he asks Heather.

"Um...Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Princeton."

Shawn smiles at her. "Those are my top four choices."

Heather looks up at him. "You got into the Ivy League too?!" she says.

"He got into all eight of the schools," says Brian. "Shawn's our own genius. Actually, he's a certified genius with his 163 IQ."

Shawn elbows Brian and Heather smiles. "Brian and I are headed off to Massachusetts in the fall," says Justin. "I got into MIT and he's off to Berklee College of Music."

"You're a musician?" Julie asks Brian.

"Yeah," Brian replies. "I play drums in a band called 'Our Name Is...' We've been together for about two years and have played a lot of gigs. People really seem to like us. But we've decided to take a break so we all could go to college. I also play about a dozen other instruments along with the drums."

"Like what?" asks Heather.

Brian thinks about it for a second then starts counting off his fingers. "Um...violin, trumpet, flute, piano, guitar, bass, saxophone, French horn, banjo, ukulele, bagpipes, and my voice."

And there goes my inferiority complex. We all stare at Brian, mouths open, jaws slack, all except Justin, who just smiles at his boyfriend. "Does your school know about that?" asks Shawn.

"Nope," Brian replies. "All they know about is that I play drums, piano, and trumpet. All the others I plan on showing them when I head over there."

"What about you, Danny?" asks Selena.

"I'm not going to college," he says. "Starting in September, I'm going out to France to be Rene Achille's apprentice for a year. I want to become a chef one day, maybe open my own restaurant."

Selena's mouth falls to the sand. "Rene Achille?!" she screams. "He's been my idol since I was eight years old! I can't believe you're going to be working under him!"

"What about you?" he asks

"It looks like we're really similar. I'm not going to college either. I'm going to London for a year to study management and business law."

"Nice work," says Danny. "You and I will be pretty close to each other when we're studying."

Selena smiles and Danny smiles back. Mark and Julie, Shawn and Heather, and Danny and Selena enter their own little conversations. I look to Leo and he smiles. "Did we just play Cupid?" he asks.

"It looks like it."

***

Leo decides to stay off his board for the rest of the day, which I'm thankful for. One near-death experience is enough for us. The hours fly by and we spend most of them swimming in the ocean. We even have our own five way chicken fight, Leo on my shoulders, Brian on Justin's and the girls on Mark, Shawn, and Danny. But thanks to a large wave, the first game ended a little early...

By eight in the evening, after hours of swimming, burying Brian in the sand, tossing the football around, and spending a little time watching a very large man in a very tight speedo (gross...), we're all sitting with our stuff, me strumming my guitar, and we listen to the crashing waves and soft wind.

As I'm plucking my strings, I look at Leo, who smiles at me. He grabs his bag and pulls it toward him. He reaches his hand in and pulls out something. He glances at everyone else, who're in their own conversations, and I see what he pulled out: a condom. I grin at him and he reaches into his bag again and pulls out five more condoms.

Now I'm confused. Leo and I can't...oh, now I get it. I nod once to Leo, set my guitar down and look at the girls. "Look!" I say pointing behind them. "A horseshoe crab!"

The girls spin around and the guys look over as well (horseshoe crabs don't even exist in California). Leo tosses the five extra condoms to Mark, Shawn, Danny, and Justin and Brian. They all look at Leo and me for a second before grinning and stuffing the condoms in their pants pockets.

The girls look back at me. "I didn't see a horseshoe crab," says Julie.

"Sorry," I say. "Must've been some kelp or something." The girls shrug it off and go back to their conversations. Leo winks at me and I nod once. "I'm going to go put my guitar back in the van. Leo, can I have your help?"

"Sure," he says.

He and I stand up and as we're walking to the van, I hear cheers coming from the guys and girls. Leo and I laugh and we get back to the van. I open the door and as we're about to get in, there's a sudden siren chirp and flashing blue and red. Oh crap...

Leo and I look behind us and see a police cruiser, lights flashing, and a police officer is stepping out of the cruiser. He walks up to us, holding a flashlight. "Evening gentlemen," he says.

"Good evening officer," I say.

Now that I see the officer up close, he looks to be in his mid-thirties with dark blonde hair, a goatee, a fit body, is about Leo's height, and his eyes are covered by large sunglasses, despite it being almost 8:30. "May I ask what you two are doing?" he asks.

I look to Leo, who reaches inside his pocket and pulls out the condom. "I was about to have some time alone with my boyfriend," he tells the officer.

Dear God, my face turns bright red, but the officer doesn't seem to react. "Are you two of legal age?"

"We're both eighteen," says Leo.

"Okay then," says the officer. "Carry on. Just make sure there isn't too much noise. I don't want to get a call saying there are two boys getting it on in a van."

He waves and walks back to his cruiser. He climbs back inside and drives off and I turn to Leo. "Do you have to be honest all the time?" I ask, laughing a bit.

Leo shrugs innocently. "Better than him patting us down and finding the condom."

I laugh and Leo and I climb in the van and shut the door behind us, making sure to lock it. I put my guitar in the back of the van and Leo lowers all the seats. The second I turn back to him, Leo pounces on me and forces his tongue into my mouth. I fall back and wrap my arms around him as our tongues intertwine.

Leo pulls away and smiles down at me. "I've waited fro this all day," he says.

"Oh were you?" I ask.

"When we were in the water this afternoon, I was seeing how the water made your skin shine. I willed myself not to get a hard-on and I still got a semi."

"It was the same for me. When you were surfing, I stared at you the entire time. You looked so hot."

Leo smiles even brighter and presses his lips to mine again. As my tongue dances with Leo's, I reach my hand down and slip them into Leo's bathing suit, wrapping my fingers around Leo's rapidly engorging cock. Leo follows my lead and reaches into my suit. He pulls his hand out a second later, sticky pre-cum between his fingers. "You're really wet," Leo says.

"It's only because of you," I say.

I grab the base of Leo's shirt and slowly lift it over his head, taking in every inch of his body. I rub my hands over his chest and stomach, punching his nipples and running my fingers in the crevices between each ab. Leo grabs my shirt and lifts it over my head and lowers his head into my neck, licking my skin.

As Leo's sucking on my neck, I grab him and flip him over, me on top of him now. "My turn to taste you," I say.

Leo grins and I dip my head down and start sucking Leo's nipples. He squirms underneath me as my tongue and teeth play with the delicate flesh. I feel Leo's skin start to sweat as I go further down his body until I finally reach his bulging bathing suit. I undo the laces on the front and quickly pull them down, Leo's fat cock slapping against his stomach.

I wrap my hand around the base of Leo's cock and give it a few tugs. "Ready?" I ask him.

"Please...suck it," he begs.

My tongue barely touches Leo's cock and his body jerks. "You like that don't you?" I ask.

"Shut up and suck my cock," he says.

I laugh a bit and lick the bulbous head of Leo's cock, tasting his pre-cum, and swallow Leo's huge cock with one swift gulp, taking all eleven inches no problem. His head tickles the back of my throat. It's a feeling I've come to love. I ease off his cock a bit and swallow again with force.

Leo moans deeply as I suck him off at a steady pace. My tongue feels every vein running up the long shaft. I dig my hands into Leo's hips and pull him closer to me, forcing his tongue even further down my throat. "F-Fuck...holy fuck Josh," Leo quietly says. "Y-you feel so...good."

It feels even better to know I'm giving Leo such pleasure. I open my eyes for a second and look for some lube, but I forgot we're in a van in a parking lot. I'm about to close my eyes when I spot something even better: suntan oil.

I grab the bottle and pop it open. Squeezing some out, I run it into Leo's ass, making him squirm even more. I slide off Leo's cock and look up at him. "Lift your legs for me," I tell him.

Leo grabs his legs behind his knees and lifts them up, exposing his perfect ass to me. I pour a little more oil into his ass and some onto my hand. I warm the oil up a little and lube my fingers up before spreading Leo's cheeks apart, exposing his hole.

I tease his hole for a minute and am about to slide in when Leo slides closer to me. "I-I couldn't wait anymore..." he says. "I wanted to feel you...inside me..."

Wow, he really wants it. Better help satisfy him...

I quickly insert two more fingers, stretching Leo's hole. The heat inside Leo is incredible and just feeling his prostate is making my own cock swell. Using my free hand, I start to slide my own bathing suit off, making slow progress. Leo doesn't seem to notice as I finger him, his own fluids mixing with the oil.

My bathing suit eventually comes off and I feel pre-cum slide down my shaft. I remove my fingers from Leo's ass, his hole thoroughly stretched, and I start to reach for the condom, but a hand grabs my wrist. "Not this time," says Leo, who's out of breath.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"No condom, no barrier. I want to feel you, not some latex covering. I only want you, Josh."

No condom? No protection? "Um..." is all I can manage to get out.

"Don't worry, Josh. I'm completely clean. I just got a physical and a blood test done. No diseases. So...please fuck me bareback. I want it so bad..."

Leo releases my hand and I smile at him. "You trust me that much?" I ask.

He smiles back at me. "Absolutely. So...please?"

I reach my hand back to Leo's ass and take some leftover oil and jerk my naked cock with it. I position my cock at Leo's hole and look at him. "Ready?"

"Go."

My cock slowly slides into Leo, his flesh wrapping around my cock tightly. I slide a little further and Leo holds me around my neck, pulling me closer to him and forcing the rest of my cock in him. His pleasured moans fill my ears and make my cock harder. "Fuck me," Leo tells me. "Fuck me hard. I want it so bad..."

"Just remember to be quiet baby," I say. "Don't want Mr. Police Officer knocking on the van's door."

Leo nods and I slowly slide my cock out of him and thrust back into him with great force. It feels so fucking good. It feels so much different fucking Leo without a condom between us. Now, we're completely united as one.

I feel Leo's fingernails dig into my back as I begin to fuck him harder, but it surprisingly doesn't hurt at all. Leo's cock is leaking pre-cum by the buckets and with every thrust, it slaps against his muscled skin. Quiet moans escape both mine and Leo's mouths and hot breaths fill the cabin of the van.

Leo kisses me hard and I feel his tongue aggressively slide across my teeth. My thrusts get harder and Leo's moans get a little louder. "J-Josh, I'm...going to...cum..."

When I hear that, I feel my own orgasm coming on. "Me too...me too, L-Leo."

"C-Cum inside me. I want your cum in me..."

"Are you sure?

"Yes! Please fill me with your cum! I-I want it!"

My speed picks up a little more and I feel my cock surge and pleasure starts to spread throughout my body. "I-I'm cumming...I'm cumming!"

"Cum with me!" Leo tells me. "Ugh! Me too! I'm...cumming!"

I give it one more thrust and feel my cock squirt rope after rope of cum into Leo. His cock shoots out stream after stream of cum, hitting us both in the face and streaking our chests. I collapse into Leo, exhausted and out of breath. I hear his breaths in my ear and lift my face up and look down at Leo.

His face is flushed and his hair is matted to his forehead. He looks as beautiful as ever. "I loved that..." I say.

Leo smiles at me. "I felt every bit of your cum fill my ass. It felt amazing."

I slowly slide my cock out of Leo, little shocks break through me the more I slide out, and soon pull out of Leo. I see a thin white line of cum pouring out of Leo's ass. "What're we going to do about this?"

I wipe out the line and hold it up for Leo to see. "I want to keep it in me," he says. "Just knowing you were the first guy to cum in me is fantastic. I want to keep you in me for as long as possible."

Leo smiles and I smile back. We quickly wipe Leo's cum off our chests with an extra towel and put our clothes back on. Once we adjust our hair and sweep the sweat off our faces, we climb out of the van and make our way back to the guys and girls. We get there and are met by evil smiles. "That took a little time," says Shawn. "What took you guys so long?"

Without missing a beat, Leo says, "We had to pump some hot air into a tire."

Everyone breaks out laughing and Leo and I take our seats again. As soon as we sit down, Justin stands up. "I think I need to go check on the van," he says. "C'mon Brian. Help me get a nozzle in the gas hole."

We all laugh again as Justin scoops Brian up and hoists him over his shoulder, Brian laughing the entire time. As everyone's laughing, I look at Leo, who gives me a small wink. I return it with one of my own.

***

About an hour, and a lot of car innuendos, later, we feel that it's time to head home. The girls agree too and as they're getting up to leave, Julie, Heather, and Selena kiss Mark, Shawn, and Danny respectively. They give them their numbers, grab their stuff, give us all a wave and a few hugs, and head out.

We all pack up our stuff and carry it back to the van. Once everything's packed, we all climb and let out a collective exhausted sigh. "Okay," says Mark. "Raise your hand if you got some tonight."

Within a second, every hand in the car is up. After a minute of cheering and fist bumps, Danny starts the van and we start the long ride back to Santa Ana, every single one of us with a satisfied grin on our faces.