Making the Rounds

Aiden had turned right out of Taylor’s field in lieu of left. Turning left he could have backtracked to his home, but he turned right taking a more circuitous route. He passed the Johnson’s house continuing until he came to Camp Trail Road, where he turned left. It was a narrow-unmarked slag road, one that had been a dirt road only eleven years prior. He drove slowly as he replayed his conversation with Taylor. He imagined the responses he should have made to bring about a different outcome. He imagined making the confession that would leave no doubt of his desires. He was nineteen and never had a serious relationship with someone, but he imagined it. Imagined going on dates, taking trips together, and waking up together every morning. He could see it, this relationship with someone, and in every imagined scenario it was Taylor Johnson.

The road sloped down steeply, and Aiden braked to keep his speed down. Despite the sharp curve blocking his view ahead, he knew there was a bridge coming up that did not have the smoothest transitions. As he came out of the curve the bridge over Moccasin Creek came into view. There was a truck and a SUV parked on the shoulder and he assumed they were fishing. It was disturbing to him to think someone may be eating fish from the creek, knowing there were at least three cow pastures upstream, not to mention all the fields that would be leeching pesticides and fertilizers into it. A bounce on the approach to the bridge, a couple of expansion joints, then a bounce from the departure off the bridge and he was climbing up the grade until on the next plateau.

The road curved to the northwest, cutting through pine for a couple of miles. Aiden saw the small green sign indicating a road was intersecting Camp Trail Road and he slowed, wanting to make his trip home take longer. He knew the road; one they had even discussed in American History. Battlefield Lane was a minor road but came to a field sitting within pine trees all the way around it. Aiden looked at the wheat drying back, knowing it was Brent Howard who owned the land, thinking about how it was the site of a small battle during the Civil War. It was nothing in most history books, only the large tomes that covered every battle had any mention of it. As such, it hadn’t earned park status, only a historical marker that was on the side of the road. He passed the sign seeing how it had been shot and was leaning toward the ditch.

Aiden followed the narrow road as it came into a wooded section, sloping down to a narrow bridge. Once again, he was crossing Moccasin Creek, knowing he would have to cross it again at some point to get back home. A quarter mile further alone, the road curved sharply to the left, taking him north. A couple of miles later, he came to a stop sign where Battlefield Lane crossed Hampton Bridge Road, one of the major highways in the community. He turned left and was crossing the creek again within a tenth of a mile.

It was mindless, this meandering around the communities. He was in Cottonwood and once past the intersection with Camp Trail Road, he would be back in Hatchbend, where he lived. But the drive gave him time to think, to calm himself, and make plans for the next time he was with Taylor. He had done it before, so many times before, and each time chickened out, but sooner, or later he had to suck it up and put it out there. Tell Taylor how he felt and what he wanted, then see how Taylor responded. What’s the worst that can happen? He asked himself over and over, and each time the answer was he could lose Taylor. Lose him completely.

The Howard place came up on the right. A ranch style house, a prefabricated metal barn, and an old wood framed barn allowed to fall into disrepair. Surrounding the place was fields. One on each side and one snaking into the woods at the back of the property. Even on his left there was a field, ninety acres or more. Aiden saw Brent Howard walking across the rear yard coming from the barn. Brent Howard was divorced, had been for as long as Aiden could remember, and farmed his place alone. Brent was someone he knew but not very well, for Brent was a loner, someone who didn’t attend any of the churches (earning him a reputation with the more sanctimonious of the church goers), wasn’t involved in any of the schools (he had no children from his marriage), and made no attempt to a close friendship with anyone, not even the men he had gone through school. Aiden’s father had said Brent changed during the divorce from Betty, his wife of only a couple of years. The only contact Brent maintained with the community was his volunteering with the fire department, something his daddy and granddaddy had done.

Aiden was driving past the house when his truck began to weave. The front end felt disconnected from the road, pulling to the right.

“What the…” Aiden uttered as he slowed, then eased off the road. He had never had a flat before but was sure he had one now. With warning flashers on, he climbed out of his truck. As his frustration welled up, he circled around the front to the passenger side. He could hear air hissing free of the tire and quickly saw it was almost all the way down and would be within seconds. He could see the tire collapsing under the weight of the truck as the air pressure dropped.

“Fuck.”

He dropped down on the opposite side of the ditch and watched the tire deflate, the hissing sound decrease until it ceased. He just sat there, fuming at his misfortune. He felt like he could cry and quickly sucked it up. A nineteen-year-old man did not cry, not over a damn flat tire. And not over some guy who wouldn’t return his affections. He needed to get up, pull out the jack and drop the spare from beneath the rear and get the tire changed. He needed to get it together. He needed to do a lot of things, but he sat there staring at the flat tire.

“You know it’s not going to change itself,” came a voice from behind him.

“Huh…what…Oh…” Aiden stammered as he looked around and saw Brent Howard standing at the edge of his yard. “I know, but it has been a shitty day and this…it just…”

“Adds insult to injury?”

“Yes.”

“You’re Ryan and Ashley’s boy.”

Stated as fact, but Aiden knew it was a question.

“Yes, I’m Aiden, and you’re Brent Howard.”

“You need help changing that tire?”

“No, I can do it,” Aiden replied, climbing to his feet.

The spare lay in the ditch and Aiden had the jack under the truck. He put the lug wrench on the first lug nut and tried to break it loose. He pushed down the wrench, and pushed again, but the nut held tight.

“Shit,” Aiden muttered under his breath, hoping Brent didn’t hear him. Brent was still standing at the edge of his yard but hadn’t said anything since offering to help. He shifted position, one hand holding the wrench at its bend and the other on the end of it. He pushed down, harder than before. His hand slipped and he nearly pitched over to the ground.

His frustrated hit another high, and he rolled to a seating position, knees up and rested his head on them. He felt like crying and struggled to get himself under control.

“Hey, are you okay?” asked Brent.

Aiden sat still, Brent’s question just noise in the background. He thought of Taylor and how he stood in the door of the garage and didn’t stop him from leaving.

“Aiden? You alright?” asked Brent.

Aiden didn’t think, just raised his head and swung around to face Brent.

“No, I’m not. Why can’t he like me back? Why doesn’t he…”

Aiden paled, realizing what he had said. He turned back to his truck staring at the flat.

“Please don’t tell anyone what I said,” Aiden uttered in a low voice.

“I won’t say anything.”

“No, you don’t understand. You can’t tell anyone. No one can know. It’ll get back to mom and dad, and then…”

“I won’t tell anyone. I’m very well aware how there are no secrets in this place.”

Aiden got to his knees and turned to face Brent again.

“Do you? You think you know what it is like for someone like me?”

Brent didn’t respond at first. He stared over the truck into the far distance, then he looked down at Aiden, nodding his head.

“Get your flat fixed, then pull down to the house if you would like to wash up.”

Aiden watched Brent stroll back across his front yard wondering about the invitation to wash up, then the casual manner Brent had replied to his confession. He sensed it, something Brent wasn’t saying. He turned to his truck, more focused on the task at hand, knowing he was going to take Brent up on his offer.

Aiden parked outside the garage and eased up to the door within. He knocked, three raps with his knuckles and heard Brent yell out for him to come in. He entered a utility room, washer, dryer, and large sink to one side, and on the other, shallow shelving with empty canning jars. The jars were dusty, indicating they had been there for a long time. Ahead of him was a door to the kitchen, the cabinetry visible, and to the left of the door, another, narrower and through it a wall mounted sink and toilet.

“Is this bathroom where I’m to wash up?” Aiden asked aloud.

“Yes, go ahead and I’ll get you a larger towel than that small hand towel that is in there.”

Aiden came into the utility room drying his arms. He had washed his face and arms up to the short sleeves. He tossed the towel into a hamper sitting by the washer and moved into the kitchen where a glass of ice water sat on the counter that split the kitchen from a small dining area. Brent sat on a barstool at the counter and next to him were three more stools. Aiden sat on the stool at the end, keeping two between him and Brent. He worried about how Brent was going to respond to his confession. He had been turning over one unpleasant scenario after the next, and now he was going to face one of them.

“So, you’re gay,” said Brent.

Aiden nodded, then took a tentative sip of the water.

“Makes it kind of tough; living in a rural place like this.”

“Yeah,” Aiden whispered. He turned to Brent making eye contact to show he was serious. “You can’t tell anyone.”

Brent looked down, then back at Aiden.

“I promise not to tell anyone. That is for you to do, when you are ready.”

Aiden didn’t know why Brent was so understanding but he was relieved to hear the promise. He’d let things with Taylor get to him and knew in many ways it was as much his fault as anything. He needed to be honest with him.

“I should go. Thanks for letting me get cleaned up.”

“No problem. Tell your dad I said hello.”

Aiden lay in bed thinking about Taylor. He pictured him so vividly it made his heart race. He tried to think of something else, even Casey and Spencer. But it was Taylor that consumed his thoughts. It was Taylor that made him feel more than just the sex between them. He rolled over and faced the darkness, the totality of it, how there was no sense of space, no sense of what was in front of him. The wall a few feet away, or in the pitch black of night, could it be infinite space. He stared into the black forming a plan. He knew what he had to do. Spencer had solved part of his problem, and that left Casey. He had to stop seeing him, the casual hookups that made him appear as if he was not serious about anything more. Once that was done, then he would approach Taylor. He would confess his feelings, and in the darkness, he pictured Taylor smiling at him and telling him he felt the same.

The next day, he helped his dad all morning getting the equipment cleaned up, the oil changed in one tractor, prepping everything for the wheat harvest and planting of soybeans. It would be a busy four or five weeks, depending on the weather.

After lunch, Aiden stood on the screen porch watching his dad walk across the rear yard heading to the barn. His dad had been vague on what he was going to do, but whatever it was he wasn’t needed. He headed to his truck thinking it was now or never.

He drove south until he came to Hampton Bridge Road, and he turned right. Casey had to have the fields to the south finished and moved on to one of their fields either around their house place or maybe one of the fields up in Caryville. Aiden would take a chance Casey was disking one of the fields around their place. He drove along the narrow road until he saw the brick ranch on the right and across from it one of the Simmons’ largest fields. It went back to the south, nearly to the field on Sheffield Lane and was over two hundred and fifty acres. Wheat was drying back in it so it would have to be one of the other fields on the right past the house if Casey were around. He passed the house seeing Casey’s Cherokee parked in front of the barn. Instead of turning in, he drove on hoping Casey was in a field and not around his home where his mother could hover around them. There was a small field, not thirty acres in size, and he saw it was freshly disked. Past it sat Casey’s grandparent’s place, another ranch house sitting among oak and pecan trees. Then he came to the last field, one that sat parallel to the road. He immediately saw the tractor pulling the disc across it. It was heading in the same direction and but at only a few miles per hour, he easily passed it, making his way to the far end. By the time Casey got there he would be waiting.

Aiden stood behind his truck, elbows on the hood. He stared down at the hood, forehead resting on his hands. He heard the tractor come to a stop and shut down. He heard the cab door open.

“Aiden?”

Aiden stood still, trying to form what he wanted to say.

“Aiden?”

“Hey, can we talk a minute,” Aiden replied slowly looking up at Casey.

“Yeah, what’s wrong?” Casey replied hopping down to the ground. He moved to the other side of the truck, the wide hood between them.

“I’ve been trying to work out something and…”

“Work out what?”

“You know you are not the only guy I know, right?”

“Yeah, you’ve mentioned it.”

“One of them is someone I want more than just hookups.”

“You’re thinking of a relationship with him? Really, in this place?”

“Yes. You think I’m crazy?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?”

Aiden laughed, but it was not from humor. He stood up straight, looked across the field then back to Casey.

“I know it will be tough and I have no idea how it’ll work but…”

“You want a normal relationship.”

“Whatever normal means. I just want to be able to go out, you know. Dinner and maybe a movie or go to the beach together.”

“I get it.”

“Do you?”

“Yes, Aiden, I do. I think about it sometimes. I can’t see who that person would be, but the idea of it.”

“So, you’re not mad at me?”

“No.”

“You know this means I don’t want to mess around anymore if they will agree to a relationship.”

“I do. Can I ask?”

“Who is it?”

“Yeah. Will you tell me?”

“Taylor.”

“Taylor Johnson?!”

“Yes.”

“Oh my god, why didn’t I think about him. It’s so obvious.”

“Obvious?”

“He’s so alternative to everyone around here; so different.”

“That wouldn’t make a person gay.”

“But it doesn’t mean they might not be, and in this case, it does make sense.”

Aiden walked around the front of his truck and over to the tractor. He ran a hand over the front tire following the groove in its profile.

“You really like Taylor?” asked Casey standing behind him.

“Yes.”

“Does he know how you feel?”

“No, not really, but I’m going over to talk to him now.”

“Aiden.”

Aiden turned to find Casey was closer. Suddenly he was in a tight embrace.

“I hope he agrees. Really, I do,” said Casey in a low soft voice. He pulled back, holding Aiden by the shoulders. “Now get out of here so I can get to back to work before daddy comes along raising hell.”

Aiden smiled, comforted by the knowledge Casey would be okay. He nodded his head, then walked to his truck. As he opened the driver’s door, he heard the door to the tractor cab shut. He climbed behind the wheel as the tractor started, revving up then settling to an idle. With the truck running, ready to back out of the field, he saw Casey wave, then maneuver the tractor around to head back across the field.

Aiden cruised along the highways, down Sheffield Lane to Highway 32, turning left. He passed Hayes’ place wondering what Spencer was doing at that moment. The place appeared quiet with no activity visible from the road. 

Across Moccasin Creek he climbed to the next plateau, continuing down the highway until he saw the Johnson place on the right. He slowed, then turned left at the parcel Taylor was set up with a barn and garden plots. He saw the blue Ford truck at the barn, a trailer hitched to it. When he pulled along the side of it, he saw a hoe, shovel, and a garden rake laying on the trailer and recognized the remnants of composted soil scattered over it.

As he walked into the barn Taylor was at the refrigerator in back, drinking water. Shirt off, skin glistening with sweat, and arms dirty up to the elbows, Taylor was a mess. Even his jeans, riding low in the narrow waist were filthy from working in the garden. Aiden let his eyes roam from head to foot, seeing Taylor was barefoot, boots and socks laying nearby. Despite the filth and sweat, or maybe because of it, Aiden wanted him. He wanted to cross the barn and drop to his knees. He wanted the jeans off, Taylor stripped naked. He wanted to suck his cock, toy with it until hard as rock, then he wanted to fuck.

He thought of it, wondering if they could talk afterward, but he pictured himself on the shoulder of the road in front of Brent Howard’s place, and the confession he had uttered out of frustration. He saw Casey, holding his shoulders. I hope he agrees. He had paced his room and laid awake until the early morning hours thinking how he had let things get messed up between him and Taylor. It was his fault, holding back how he felt, always living in the moment. As much as he wanted to do it again, he took a deep breath and moved toward Taylor.

Taylor turned and smiled. He waited, not saying anything as Aiden came close.

“Can we talk?” Aiden asked.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“I want to talk about us. I’ve let things get…I’ve let…I…” Aiden stammered, still unsure what to say.

“You want to call it off with me?” Taylor asked, suddenly looking sad.

“What? No!”

“Then what are stammering on about?”

“I don’t want just sex with you.”

“No? What do you want?” Taylor replied, smiling faintly, waiting on Aiden to say more.

“Look, I talked to Casey, told him we can’t be messing around anymore. I wanted something more. I wanted a relationship,” said Aiden not looking at Taylor. Then he looked up at him. He looked into the vivid blue eyes. “I told him I wanted you.”

Taylor stood silent for far too long. Aiden began to worry that Taylor didn’t want a relationship, that he had been content with just fucking around. He looked away for he wasn’t sure he could face him if he got rejected. He saw movement, Taylor stepping closer.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“We would go out on dates, maybe go to Atlanta or the beach for long weekends and stay together sometimes at night.”

“And therefore, we would have to let our parents know?”

“Yes. You can’t expect to sneak around for the rest of your life. Or do you?”

“No.”

“Can you come out to your parents?”

Aiden had considered it, what it would mean. He knew sooner, or later, he would have to do it. He now saw that it would have to be sooner if he were to have what he wanted with Taylor.

“If you’ll stand by me, then yes, of course.”

Taylor smiled.

“I assume you’ll tell your parents too,” said Aiden.

“Of course, but don’t be surprised if they don’t already know.”

“It’ll be a shock to my folks.”

“But will they accept it?”

“I…don’t know.”

Aiden looked at Taylor, seeking some reply that would comfort him, knowing anything Taylor did say would not alleviate the anxiety he was feeling. He didn’t know what Taylor could do to stop it. His body was reacting to his anxiety. Heart racing and he was breathing shallowly, short quick breaths. Was this how someone started to hyperventilate? He looked down and tried to calm himself, to slow his breathing, taking long deep breaths. Then he saw movement, Taylor coming closer. A hand came to the back of his neck, and he looked up in time to see Taylor moving to him. Their lips touched, gently at first, then passionately. He moved to him, pressing his body against him.

“Yes, I’d like there to be more between us,” Taylor whispered in Aiden’s ear.

Aiden lay on his back, stripped of his clothes. Taylor stood at the edge of the futon, naked, cock rock hard. They had fumbled with removing their clothes while manipulating each other to full erection. Now Taylor was moving onto the futon between his legs. He wrapped them around the narrow waist as the long lean body rested on his own. He felt the push against his ass, the undulating stomach against his own, and he felt hands moving up his sides, over his shoulders, along his arms, then one hand hold his chin while lips pressed against his own lips. He lay there, eyes closed, focused on every touch. He moaned and pushed against the cock seeking to penetrate him. He reached down and held the firm round ass, guiding it to push harder.

Aiden cried out as he pushed to take Taylor. Taylor had penetrated him, stretched him open and was slowly sinking into his depths. He took it, every inch and pushed again to take more. He shuddered and shivered. He clung to Taylor, fingers digging into firm flesh. He moaned and uttered soft pleadings, begging Taylor to fuck him.

The cock inside him moved slowly, pushing inward giving him the sense of fullness that made him feel whole. It tugged outward and he felt every inch slide through his opening, then it pushed inward again. Slowly, Taylor moved inside him, pushing deeper and deeper until every inch sank into his depths. His body grew feverish, hot and slick where flesh pressed against flesh.  Hot exhales caressed his neck, then lips touched his skin, tugged at his earlobe, then moved along his jaw. Soft gentle touches that were soon on his lips. He moaned into the open mouth as Taylor increased his pace. Hips going up and down, faster, and faster. Aiden felt it, they way cock piston in his depths. The deep penetrating push inward, then the rapid tug outward, over and over, until he didn’t sense any one move, simply lost to the overall movement of Taylor’s fuck.

“Roll over,” Taylor uttered, and Aiden realized Taylor was on his knees between his legs. He moved to his hands and knees with head held down. Hands rubbed up his back. Cock slipped between ass cheeks and sank into his depths. An arm came around his neck as Taylor rested on his back. He moaned as cock moved inside him, thrusting into his depths. Sweat trickled down his face and smeared between their bodies. Taylor moved slickly over him, hips in constant motion. His own cock flopped between his thighs; hard and leaking.

Taylor rose to his knees and held him by the waist. He vaguely sensed the fingers digging into his side, lost as he were to the cock hammering his insides. Taylor had increased his pace again, flesh smacking against flesh. Aiden threw his head up and cried out.

“Fuck…Taylor…fuck me, fuck me.”

He rocked with every push inward, at times so hard his own cock smacked his stomach. He dropped down, resting his upper body on the futon, and reached back. One hand on his ass, pulling the cheek to spread himself open a little more. To bare himself to Taylor. He wanted Taylor to get deeper. He wanted to feel that cock bore into his soul. Hips smacked against his hand and ass as he took every thrust.

With the other hand he reached for his own cock. He took it in hand and smeared the slick over the head and shaft, shuddering with his own manipulation. He stroked in rhythm with Taylor, feeling his own arousal increase until he was rocking back and forth, slamming his ass against Taylor’s hips as he thrust inward. Aiden wanted their fuck. The physicality of it. Man on man, cock boring into the other.

“No, don’t come yet,” said Taylor trying to get Aiden to stop masturbating.

“Please…let me,” Aiden uttered.

“No; not yet,” Taylor replied reaching around and taking the hand, then he took the other one, holding them up and back like reigns of a horse. He held Aiden in place as he drove his cock into his depths. He thrust with such exertion the muscles in his stomach burned.

Aiden felt the control Taylor had over their fuck. The hold on each wrist, the position that denied him the ability to touch himself, to stroke his own cock. It aroused him. To let Taylor have this control over him, to let him just take it, every thrust. His own cock smacked his stomach and thigh, so hard he thought he might come despite Taylor’s efforts to prevent it. Then Taylor jammed into his depths, and kept hammering hips against his ass, and he knew. Taylor was on the verge of release.

“Fuck, fuck, take me. Take me,” Taylor exclaimed, his voice dropping lower and lower until barely a whisper.

Cock was buried inside him, and Taylor was hammering hips against his ass with every ejaculation until finally spent.

Then his arms were released, and Taylor lay heavily on his back, kissing his neck.

“My turn,” Taylor whispered, lips grazing the ear.

Aiden lay on his back and watched his cock disappear. Slowly, inch after inch sank into Taylor. Taylor was hovering over him easing down on it. He watched as it finally disappeared, but he could feel it. Every damn inch and the heat that surrounded it. He felt how the tight opening gripped it around the base and the soft heat of Taylor’s hole enveloped it. He wanted to push upward. He wanted to roll Taylor to his back and fuck. But Taylor leaned forward and held his hands down and began to move on his cock. Upward, then down, over and over, Taylor worked his ass on it. His pace increased, then he would slow and grind his ass down on Aiden’s hips, cock buried inside him.

“Taylor,” Aiden uttered, undulating beneath him.

Taylor sat up and moved faster, his rhythm increased until he was rocking the futon beneath them. It squeaked and rocked with the rhythm of their fuck. He took his own cock in hand for he was hard again, aroused to the point it drooled its slick. He stroked it roughly as he rode Aiden’s cock.

Aiden couldn’t take it, not another sensation. He threw his head back while shoving upward. He opened his mouth and cried out as cum erupted from his cock. He came and came, shuddering with every ejaculation. Then he was spent and so sensitive he wanted Taylor to stop.

But Taylor didn’t stop.

Taylor kept working his ass on Aiden’s cock. Up, then down, he moved on the still hard cock. It made Aiden’s toes curl and he shivered with the manipulation. He held Taylor’s flexing thighs, fingers digging into them as he struggled to take it.

Nothing was in focus. Taylor a shadowed silhouette in front of the bright outside visible through the garage door. The room seemed to squeeze in around them while Aiden felt a self not experienced before. He wanted Taylor to keep going. He wanted to feel his overly sensitive cock work through his first slick load. He wanted to sweat and heave for breath and…

Cum rained down Aiden. Thick wads hit him in the face, the neck, and chest. Then cum dribbled down on his stomach as he opened his eyes to Taylor shaking and shivering over him. Skin glistened wetly and rivulets of sweat cascaded down the long torso. He tightened his grip on each thigh, shoved upward hard and came again.

Ten Days Later

Casey Alexander Simmons

Casey grabbed up his keys, wallet, and cellphone. He ambled down the hall to the kitchen where his mother was preparing dinner for his dad and her. She turned, tongs in one hand, and smiled.

“Where are you and your friends going to eat dinner? Jethro’s?” she asked, referring to the small restaurant in nearby Milton.

“No, we’re going to drive over to Greenville and try that new Italian place in downtown.”

“OH, let me know what you think. Your father and I have been wanting to go.”

“Okay. Well, I’m outta here,” said Casey as he went out the side door that would take him to his 4Runner. He had not told his parents much about his plans, letting them assume he was just meeting up with friends as he had done in the past. There would come a time he would have to talk with them, making them face the truth about their only son.

He found himself whistling as he moved around the back of the house to the side of the garage where his 4Runner was parked. It shined in late afternoon light, the sun still above the western horizon. He had spent almost two hours getting it cleaned up, for tonight was important. He was going on his first real date. He was eighteen years old and had never gone on a date before this night. Others had been dating ever since they got a driver’s license, a few before that, but for him, this was it. Dating in high school was perilous enough. Did you go out with someone others like to make fun, or deem unworthy? But for someone gay living in the rural countryside who attended a small county school, dating had perils others did not face.

He wasn’t sad about this delay, for he had had Aiden. Aiden for a quick hook up, or maybe something more involved on a weekend night, hooking up in Milton after cruising for an hour or so. But he knew it was nothing more than a hook up. Just two guys enjoying sex together. It was all Aiden could give him. He knew, had for some time. There was someone else that had Aiden’s heart. It didn’t surprise him to find out it was Taylor Johnson. He wondered what sex with Taylor was like, picturing the tall, lanky build.

Behind the wheel, engine settling into a smooth idle, he checked the address again. It was in Greenville, an apartment complex near the community college. The place where Lamont Franklin lived. Nineteen years old, a sophomore at the college, and working part-time at an auto repair shop near the airport. They had been talking online for a few days, telling the other about their lives. Casey an only child of a farm family in Hatchbend and Lamont the middle child of three from Letohatchee. His father was a middle school teacher in Hayneville and his mother was an office admin at a garden supply store in Fort Deposit, and Lamont was taking classes to be a physical therapist.

Casey tried to picture the whole of Lamont Franklin. The five foot ten, 162-pound person detailed in his description. He could picture the face, heart shaped, dimpled cheeks, and grey eyes, a color that made Casey think of a wolf. There had been pictures of Lamont hiking in the North Carolina mountains with his family, or in a nearby state park with friends. Pictures of him at the beach, Destin or Fort Walton Beach. A lean muscular body, one developed from working out for baseball in high school, and an active lifestyle. Casey tried to imagine how Lamont would appear in person, walking up to him. Slightly shorter, about the same build, but more educated. Smart. Something that worried him.

Lamont said he had brown hair, but in the beach photos it looked dirty blonde. He had asked to see a picture of him as a young child and had his suspicion confirmed with an image of a four-year old towheaded boy on a swing set.

As he drove out of Hatchbend, heading to Greenville, he couldn’t stop smiling. Four days ago, he had wondered if Lamont were just stringing him along, or would he eventually agree to meet. Three days ago, they were making plans for a date, a real date, with dinner then a movie afterward. For the last two days, he had fretted and worried about what to wear, how to talk, knowing his southern drawl was very pronounced, much like his father’s.

The apartment complex was two buildings either side of a small parking lot. They were low, two stories in height with a balcony along one side accessing the upper floor units. The buildings were plain, unadorned, but to Casey’s eyes they were an image of independence. A place someone like himself, or like Lamont, could live without parents overlooking their every move.

Casey swung into a space next to a white Accord, wondering if it was the car Lamont drove. He had seen it in a couple of photos posted online. Up the wood stair and down the balcony, he finally found himself at apartment 12. A deep breath, then three quick raps at the door, and he waited, breathless with anticipation.

The door swung open, and Lamont stood before him. Slightly shorter, neatly trimmed hair, a plaid shirt and camel tan pants. Clothes that looked ready to hike a mountain or go out to eat. Casey didn’t really notice any of it, for all he saw were the grey eyes looking at him.

“Casey?”

“Ah, y-y-yes, I’m Casey.”

“I’m glad to finally meet you. You want to come in for a minute?”

“Oh, sure…yes,” Casey stammered, stepping into the small apartment. A living area and kitchen with a couple of stools at the counter that separated the two spaces. To his left a doorway that no doubt led to a bathroom and a bedroom. The room was clean but a bit untidy, with books scattered over the coffee table, one open and face down on the sofa.

“Forgive the mess, but I’ve got a couple of exams on Monday, so I’ve got to hit the books all weekend.”

“No, its fine. Really,” Casey replied, finding his voice. Lamont wasn’t perfect, and it relaxed him.

“It’s tiny as fuck but it lets me live near the college, and on my own,” said Lamont, his tone changing when he mentioned his living arrangement.

“Must be nice.”

“You’re still living with your folks.”

“Yeah. There’s not many places nearby to rent, not cheap anyway, and on the farm, I need to be up and out so early.”

“I know. Some other guys I’ve talked to online talk about it all the time.”

“Are you ready to go?” asked Casey.

“Yes; let me grab my wallet and keys. You want me to drive?”

“Sure, if you want.”

“I know a short cut across town. Come on, let’s go eat,” said Lamont, motioning for Casey to head out.

Casey sat back, suppressing the desire to giggle and laugh, as he watched unfamiliar areas of Greenville pass them by. He listened to Lamont talking about a novel he had read with gay characters. He wondered about trying to read the book. He imagined sitting in a room with Lamont, the two of them reading gay novels.

Lamont slowed, then turned and Casey realized they were back at his apartment. A slow cruise into the small parking lot, then parking in a space near the back, Lamont shut off the engine. They sat for a minute, neither saying anything.

Casey was about to say something when Lamont took his left hand. A slight squeeze and Casey found himself holding his breath.

“Would you like to come up?” asked Lamont.

Would I like to come up? Hell, yes, I want to come up. I want to come to your apartment, to get naked and fuck. I want you to fuck me so bad I’m getting an erection sitting here just thinking about it.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Can you stay tonight?”

“Stay tonight?”

You want me to stay the night? To share your bed?  To wake up by your side in the morning? Yes, oh yes.

“I just need to call home and let my folks know.”

Crossing the parking lot, watching Lamont go ahead, Casey called his parents. Two rings and his mother answered.

“Casey? Is something wrong?”

“Mom! No, there’s nothing wrong,” Casey replied, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Look, I’m going to crash at a friend’s place tonight. We’re going to play video games and it’ll get late, so I’m just going to crash on their sofa. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Casey…well, okay. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

The door to Lamont’s apartment was gapped open, and Casey pushed it open and went into the dimly lit interior. Lamont was at the refrigerator, stepping back with two beers. Using his foot, Lamont pushed the door closed and came to Casey.

“I assume you’ll want one,” said Lamont.

“Thanks,” Casey replied.

There was the awkward silence as they sipped the beers, occasionally giving each other a silly grin. Casey leaned against the counter watching Lamont. The move of the Adam’s apple, they way he held the bottle to his lips, then he went back to the body and how the clothes fit it.

“You’re very attractive. Did you know that?” Casey blurted out.

Lamont choked on a swallow of beer, laughed as he wiped his mouth, while looking to see if Casey was serious. He saw the expression and knew he had been.

“I’ve had some say so, but…I don’t think I’m all that.”

Casey set his bottle down and moved to Lamont. He took Lamont’s bottle and set it down, then leaned toward him until their lips touched.

“I do,” Casey whispered.

“You’re flattering me.”

“Is it working?”

“Oh yeah,” Lamont replied, then he kissed Casey.

Casey lay on the bed, naked, cock hard as rock. It glistened in the dim light, still wet from Lamont’s oral ministrations. Lamont moved on the bed on his knees, took each leg Casey was holding up by the ankle and spread them. He spread Casey open before him. Cock laid out over the stomach and ass spread for his manipulation. He rubbed his cock over it, up and down, smearing the slick drooling from the slit. He rubbed until Casey was wet and pushing back.

“Fuck. Lamont, stop teasing me,” Casey uttered as he clutched the bed.

Casey lay back, eyes closed, focusing on the cock rubbing over his ass. The stroke up and down and the push against his tightness. He tightened his grip on the blanket with each fist and pushed against the cock. When it breached his tightness, he arched his back and cried out. He pushed as cock bore into his hole. Slowly, Lamont pushed into him. He felt the stretch of his opening and how cock moved through it. Inward, inch after inch until it filled him. Then there was a tug outward. Slowly, inch after inch slid out leaving him feeling empty.

“Lamont…fuck me, fuck me…harder,” Casey stammered as cock sank back into his depths.

Lamont fell into a slow rhythm, working cock inside Casey. He pumped his hips, driving deeper and deeper. Casey sucked in each breath and shivered with the feel of it. The feel of Lamont boring deeper and deeper until bumping against his spread ass.

Lamont pulled out and guided Casey by his legs to roll over. Casey moved to his stomach and felt legs moving between his own. He reached back and spread his ass. Cock touched him then just as quickly sank into his depths. He moaned as Lamont bore cock into him. Then Lamont lay on his back, the full of weight of him and he felt the hips move against his ass as cock pumped inside his hole. His own cock trapped beneath him ached with his arousal. Every push inward pressed him into the mattress. Over and over until he found himself working his hips, increasing his own pleasure.

An arm came around his neck and Lamont hugged him. The arm tightened, then pulled his head up.

“Take me,” Lamont whispered breathlessly in his ear.

“FUCK,” Casey cried out.

Lamont increased his pace, worked his hips faster and faster until the bed squeaked beneath them. Casey was gasping for breath and his cock felt ready to explode. He couldn’t take much more, yet Lamont kept fucking, driving cock into his depths. He shuddered then jerked with each ejaculation as he came. His cock spew cum until the bed was wet beneath him.

“Yeah…come for me…come for me,” Lamont uttered.

Casey pushed with his hips increasing the pressure on his spurting cock. He shook with each ejaculation as Lamont piston cock inside his hole. Then Lamont cried out, hammering down on his ass. He felt the way Lamont shuddered and knew Lamont was filling his hole.

Casey stepped into the steaming hot shower and hugged Lamont from the back. He felt the hot water cascading over them and the hot skin against his chest. His cock stirred and Lamont made it grow hard by pushing back with his ass.

“You want to do me?” Lamont asked as he pushed again.

“Yeah,” Casey whispered.

Lamont moved to the back wall, hands pressed against the tile and hips pushed outward.

“Do it. Stick me. Let me feel it,” Lamont uttered with head down, waiting on Casey to penetrate him.

Casey moved behind Lamont, rubbed his hardening cock up and down the spread ass until he was rock hard. Then he put the head at the tight opening and breached it. Lamont cried out as he pushed, slowly sinking into him. He held the narrow waist and began to fuck, sinking deeper and deeper until his hips smacked against ass. He fucked until feeling feverish. The shower felt like a sauna. Every breath was hot, and his skin felt feverish. He closed his eyes and focused on the sounds of their fuck. Lamont’s groans and moans, and occasionally pleading for him to fuck harder. The sound of flesh smacking against flesh. The sound of water and his own gasping for breath.

Casey reached around and took Lamont in hand. He stroked the rock-hard cock in rhythm with their fuck. Lamont began to undulate, to push back on his cock, then to thrust hips forward pushing cock through his fist. Casey came first. A cry of fuck, then the hammering of cock inside Lamont as he pumped wad after wad into him until finally spent. But he didn’t stop, he kept pumping his sensitive cock inside Lamont until he felt the cock in his hand flex with its own release. Lamont shook and shuddered while he stroked the spurting cock.

“Stop; please, please, Casey. Stop,” Lamont begged as Casey kept stroking his spent cock until he couldn’t take it.

At the Farm

Taylor lay on his back watching Aiden move on his cock. He watched how his cock disappeared inside him, over and over, as Aiden moved his ass up and down. He held each ankle and pushed upward with is hips, increasing his own pleasure. Aiden moved in a steady rhythm, working his ass on Taylor’s cock. At times he moved slow, so teasingly slow it was painful, then he would move with an urgency. A physical roughness that rocked the bed and filled the barn with the echo of flesh smacking against flesh.

Aiden took his cock and stroked it. He stroked in rhythm with their fuck. Slow, then fast, then slow again. He built up his arousal until near the point of release, then pulled back. He kept himself on the ragged edge, ready to come. His skin glistened in the light, and he gasped for breath. Looking down his chest and stomach, he was vaguely aware of his own masculinity. The way his muscles tightened and revealed themselves through his hot feverish skin. Sweat trickled down his face and chest. It tickled the skin as it trickled down his sides.

“I’m going to come,” Aiden uttered as he hammered his ass down on Taylor. He became rougher, more physical. Then he came, spurting cum into the air letting it rain down on his face, chest, then stomach.

Suddenly Aiden found himself on his back, legs over Taylor’s shoulders, and cock pumping into his depths. Lamont held his legs down and hammered cock into him. Hips bounced off his upturned ass. He felt their sexuality, their masculine nature. The scent of cum filled the air and he could even taste it as it trickled over his lips. Taylor was grunting with his exertions. He saw how Taylor’s body was pumped up: every muscle visible beneath the hot sweaty skin.

“Come on Taylor, pump it in me. Give it to me,” Aiden uttered, and Taylor opened his eyes and looked down at him.

“Take it…take it,” Taylor exclaimed as he slammed his hips down against Aiden’s ass.

Aiden and Taylor lay naked on the futon, Aiden with his head on Taylor’s stomach as he lay perpendicular to him. He felt the slow cooling of his skin as his breathing returned to normal. They touched each other, occasionally making some comment about their sex. At times they giggled or grinned at the other.

“It’s a nice night out,” said Taylor as he twirled a finger in Aiden’s hair.

Aiden turned and looked out the open garage door. The night sky had a deep violet hue instead of black. Low on the horizon the full moon hovered over the landscape. The ground and the plants in the field had a silvery glow.

“I should go soon,” said Aiden.

“Can’t you stay the night?”

“No, not yet.”

“Not until you tell your parents you’re fucking the Johnson boy?”

Aiden turned to Taylor to make a sarcastic reply but laughed instead as Taylor began to laugh.

“Let’s get dressed,” said Aiden, rolling off the futon to his feet. He moved around it picking up his clothes, putting them on as he went. Taylor lay naked, watching him. “Come on, get up and dressed. What if your father comes over to see what you’re doing?”

“I’ll just say ‘Hey dad, you caught me fucking the Matthew’s boy’.”

“Very funny.”

Taylor climbed off the futon and moved around it as Aiden had done, picking up articles of clothing, putting them on. Aiden was tying his shoes as Taylor was slipping his boots on when the lights of a vehicle cut across the field, then came toward the barn.

“See? I told you your dad could show up,” said Aiden.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I wonder what he wants,” Taylor replied.

The lights became brighter as the vehicle neared, then the lights turned to the barn, cutting across the far side wall then on the back wall. Aiden watched the vehicle pull up to the open garage door and stop and he knew immediately it was not Taylor’s father in his truck. It was a 4Runner meaning it had to be Casey. The engine shut off and the driver’s door swung open turning on the overhead light. Casey looked like he had been crying. Aiden waited for him to come into the barn as Taylor came to his side.

“He looks upset about something,” said Taylor.

“Yes.”

Casey came into the barn and stood before them, tears streaming down his face.

“What’s wrong?” asked Aiden.

“They…found out.”

“They who? Found out what?”

“My folks. They found out I’m gay.”

Casey lay on the futon finally asleep. It was late, early A.M. late. Aiden and Taylor leaned against the counter of the kitchenette watching him sleep. He had been hysterical, crying and talking in circles about his parents finding out and kicking him out. There was a reference to a date, dinner then going back to Lamar’s apartment. Or was it Lamont, they were not sure, unable to understand Casey but not stopping him to clarify. Casey said he called his mother; told her he was going to be staying overnight at a friend’s. A little white lie that would allow him the pleasure of a night with someone. It was obvious what happened for the way Casey choked up, cried harder, as he asked them why they can’t have something good. Why are they to be denied their own lives.

Aiden and Taylor had to wait until Casey calmed down before getting the rest of the story, the events that occurred yesterday that led to him showing up at the barn. Casey had gotten home mid-afternoon, staying with his date for lunch before heading home. He arrived to find his mom and dad waiting, both visibly upset and his laptop sitting on the dining table. They had gotten into it and found his searches, and the emails back and forth with the guy he was out on a date. His mother had been suspicious for some time, but after the phone call to say he was staying at a friend’s place, she knew something was up.

There had been accusations about his lie, the deceit of it, then the jest of the issue. Casey going out with another guy then sleeping with him. Casey had rushed to his room, locking himself in it and things had seemed to reach a stalemate, but that night, when he finally came out to eat something, there had been a major argument that ended with his mother telling him it was unacceptable and his father telling him he needed to leave.

“What is he going to do?” asked Aiden.

“First thing he has to do is find a place to live. He can never feel any security if he has no place to call home,” Taylor replied.

“I have to tell ya, I’m scared. If the Simmons know, it won’t take long to for this to get around and it could make mom and dad start to put things together.”

“That is why we have to tell them, now, this morning. We have to get ahead of it.”

“But…”

“No buts.”

Aiden looked at Taylor seeing him nod, then he looked back at Casey who was mumbling in his sleep. It was obvious Casey was not having a pleasant dream, but a nightmare.

“Aiden, we knew sooner, or later it has to be done. And now is the time.”

“I know.”

“It’s a quarter to five, so let’s go to the Waffle House and get breakfast, then go to talk to my folks first.”

“Your folks?”

“Yes. I think, they already know so it should be easier. Consider it practice for when we talk to your folks.”

“Will they be up this early?”

“Are you kidding? They will be up and had breakfast by the time we get there.”

“I’ll wake Casey and see if he wants to go to breakfast.”

“No, let him sleep. We’ll leave a note and bring something back for him.”

Taylor pulled around his home and Aiden looked at the windows for signs of life, still thinking it was too early. But it was a quarter to seven, late for any farmer to be getting up. There were lights on in the kitchen and on the back porch, Mr. Johnson was drinking coffee with his boots sitting at his socked feet ready to be slipped on.

“There’s your dad,” said Aiden.

“Yeah,” Taylor whispered as he pulled up to the porch.

They got out and Aiden saw the look from Mr. Johnson, one questioning why he was with Taylor so early in the morning.

“Dad, mom in the kitchen?”

“Yes, why?”

“We need to talk,” said Taylor as he climbed the steps to the porch, Aiden right behind him.

Aiden saw Mr. Johnson frown, shaking his head, then a look of resignation. Taylor is right; they know Aiden thought as he followed them inside.

Taylor sat opposite of his parents and Aiden leaned against the island that separated the dining area from the kitchen. Taylor sat silent for what seemed an eternity but then he leaned forward, arms resting on the table with hands together.

“I think you know already, but I think it past time we talk about it,” Taylor began, and his parents nodded in unison.

“I’m gay.”

Taylor waited for one of his parents to reply as Aiden held his breath, shocked at the abruptness which Taylor told them.

“I’m gay,” Taylor repeated, then continued, “and up until about two weeks ago I have not had a real date with someone. But Aiden and I are dating now, and I don’t want to feel like I have to sneak around behind your back. I want to be honest with you, and myself.”

Aiden felt like he couldn’t breathe. He looked away, staring out the kitchen window at the bright sunny sky. Once again there was an unbearable silence, until Mr. Johnson finally began to speak.

“Son, you’re right. We knew something was different…that you were different. At first, we just considered it was as it had been since you were a young child. You were so smart for your age, reading so quickly, then showing interests in things none of the other boys around here had any interest. Then you were a teenager, suddenly no longer a child, and we saw how you were so independent, pursuing what you wanted, even if none of the other boys would join you. But…”

“But?” Taylor asked, pushing his dad to continue, but it was his mother who spoke up.

“You never talked of girls. Never gave any hint you had interest in one of them. When the Bradberry girl pursued you, once trying to get your attention at a fish fry for the fire department, you…”

“Ignored her,” Taylor interjected.

“Yes. You didn’t go to your prom, you went to school functions alone, or with…” Mrs. Johnson hesitated, looking at Aiden.  “Or with Aiden.”

“What I need to know, from both of you, is whether, or not you’re okay with it,” asked Taylor.

“You’re our son, and…we may not understand it, but yes, we are not going to reject you or the decisions you make regarding your own life.”

Taylor slid his hands across the table, taking his mother’s hand and patting his father’s arm. Aiden watched amazed at how simple it had been. The way his parent smiled at Taylor, then over at him.

“We’re going to tell Aiden’s parents,” said Taylor.

“You think that wise?” Mr. Johnson blurted out.

“Why?” Aiden asked, his tone fearful.

“Dad?” Taylor replied.

“I’m sorry, but Aiden, do you think your parents have any idea about you being gay? Do you think they are ready to find out?” asked Mr. Johnson.

“I don’t know, but I have to do it. I’m nineteen and ready to…I’m want to be able to…”

“Date my son,” said Mrs. Johnson, finishing his sentence.

“Yes. And besides, something has happened that could bring everything out anyway.”

“What happened?” asked Mr. Johnson.

Taylor looked around at Aiden nodding his head.

“Casey’s parents found out he is gay and tossed him out,” said Aiden.

“The Simmons’ boy? He’s gay too?” Mr. Johnson blurted out, shaking his head.

“Yes.”

“His mother went into his computer,” said Taylor.

“That was wrong,” said Mrs. Johnson.

“Yes, it was, and now he is at my barn finally getting some sleep.”

“At your barn? He can’t live in that barn.”

“I know, but right now it’s all he’s got.”

Mrs. Johnson looked at Taylor then over at Aiden with an expression he couldn’t read. Concern mixed with an anger or frustration. He dared not ask, but Taylor got her attention.

“Mom, we’ll think of something but right now we need to go talk with Aiden’s folks.”

Aiden took a deep breath as he looked in the screen porch, then the kitchen window for any signs of life. Taylor had parked in the drive, sitting quietly allowing him to gather his thoughts. But for Aiden, he was all nerves and anxiety, nothing cohesive coming to mind. He had no idea how to tell his parents.

“Aiden.”

“Yes.”

“It’s time.”

“I know,” Aiden replied, still sitting nervously.

“Come on; I’ll be with you.”

“Taylor?”

“What is it Aiden?”

“Thanks for coming with me.”

Taylor smiled, shaking his head.

“Come on, let’s go tell your parents you’re gay.”

Mrs. Matthews was in the kitchen, washing breakfast dishes by hand, as Mr. Matthews was sitting at the small dining table that sat to one side of it. He was drinking another cup of coffee and watching the news on a flat screen mounted on the wall over the table. A bombing in the Middle East, a plane flight diverted, and the drought in the west were making the headlines. Aiden came into the kitchen with Taylor following and stood by the refrigerator where he could address both of them.

“Aiden; are you finally getting home? Oh, hey Taylor, what brings you over?” asked Mr. Matthews.

“Hey, Mr. Matthews, Mrs. Matthews,” replied Taylor.

“So, what’s up?” Mrs. Matthews asked, looking around at them.

“I need to tell you something,” said Aiden.

Mrs. Matthews heard the tone and rinsed her hands of suds, then dried them on a dishtowel. She turned around, leaning against the counter. Mr. Matthews turned the television off and turned from the table facing Aiden and Taylor.

“Okay, Aiden, what is it?” asked Mrs. Matthews.

“Oh boy,” Aiden mumbled, looking down to gather his courage. He looked up and saw his parents looking at him waiting to hear what he had to say.

“You see, I’ve been wanting to tell you for some time but…I didn’t know how. Still don’t know but you see, it’s like this…”

“Spit out, son,” Mr. Matthews interjected.

“I’m gay.”

Mr. Matthews sat back and frowned, and Mrs. Matthews stood frozen in place.

“Did you hear me? I’m gay,” Aiden repeated.

“We heard you,” said Mr. Matthews.

Aiden came out to the screen porch where Taylor was in the swing, using one foot to rock back and forth. He buried his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans and rocked on his feet. Despite his heart still racing in his chest, he smiled as he looked out across the back yard toward the barn.

“You just need to give them time to adjust,” said Taylor.

“I know, but they said we’re good.”

“I’m not surprised.”

“What made you so sure they would be accepting?”

“One day at the store, that bullshit news channel on the television, a report came on of a boy hanging himself for being bullied at school for being gay, and the asshole reporting it insinuated the boy deserved it. You should have seen your father’s face. A couple of the other men said the boy shouldn’t have been gay, but your father said it didn’t matter, there was no justification for the bullying and cruelty, then he stormed out of the store.”

“He’s never said anything in front of me.”

“Based on what he said earlier, I think he knew you were gay but just couldn’t admit it. And it made him cautious what he said around you.”

“Mom is still kind of mad.”

“She had an image of her only son having a family. You know, grandkids?”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“She might can still have the grandkids, just not a daughter-in-law.”

“What?”

Taylor smiled at Aiden, then laughed.

“Let’s go check on Casey,” said Aiden.

Five Days Later

Taylor woke early to the smell of bacon cooking. For the last few days his mother had been cooking more food, a full breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs, grits, and biscuits. He rolled out of bed, rubbed his eyes, then reached for his watch. A quick glance at the time, then slipped it on his left wrist. At his closet, he pulled out a pair of jeans and shirt, quickly getting dressed.

Out in the hall, he saw the bathroom door was closed, light spilling from underneath it. He leaned against the wall, waiting as water ran within then shut off. The door swung open, and Casey stepped out in a t-shirt and jeans.

“Good morning; how did you sleep?” asked Taylor

The Johnson’s took Casey in, putting him in the guest bedroom across the hall from Taylor’s room. Mr. Johnson went over to the Simmons’ place and retrieved clothes and other belongings, letting them know Casey would be staying at their place for a while. He had been vague about the arrangement, deliberately so, wanting to see if it garnered a reaction. It only got a turn of heads, neither Mr. nor Mrs. Simmons able to look him the eye. He considered it a good thing, that some part of them were feeling guilty, and hopefully they would come to their senses. Taylor found it strange to have Casey across the hall, but he also was grateful his parents had insisted.

“Okay…I guess,” Casey replied.

Taylor knew Casey still struggled to sleep. He had no idea what it would feel like to be rejected by his parents. Aiden’s parents were still a bit distant, at times struggling to find their words, stammering incoherently. The questioning of preconceptions and accepting how sexuality was not something black and white.

“I think mom has breakfast ready. I’ll see you at the table,” said Taylor slipping into the bathroom.

“Okay,” Casey replied.

Taylor used the bathroom, brushed his teeth, then headed to the dining room. He heard his father talking to Casey, something about getting a field ready to plant soybeans and if he wanted to help.

“Sure, I should be doing something,” Casey replied as Taylor came into the room.

“He can disc the Gibson field and I’ll go get the bean seed,” said Taylor, sitting opposite from Casey and next to his father. His mother sat next to Casey, holding out her coffee cup for Casey to refill it.

“I can do that,” said Casey.

“Well, let’s eat and get to it,” Mr. Johnson replied.

They passed plates of eggs, of meat, then the biscuits, then ate with small talk, everyone avoiding the issue of Casey and his family.

Taylor was in their farm truck, a F-350 dually, one that would have no problem loaded with bags of seed stacked in the bed. He didn’t drive straight to the elevator, but turned down Sheffield Lane, wanting to see Aiden first. Ever since Casey moved in with his family, it made him want to see Aiden more often, something easier to do with their parents aware of their dating.

At the Matthews place, he drove down the gravel drive to the barn where a tractor sat out front, being serviced by Aiden. He pulled up close and parked. As he climbed out Aiden’s father came out of the barn carrying an oil filter.

“Hey,” said Aiden as Taylor approached, arriving the same time as Mr. Matthews.

“Hey,” said Taylor, then he turned to Mr. Matthews. “Good morning.”

“Taylor, what brings you by?”

“Just stopped to see Aiden. I’m on my way to the elevator.”

“Getting seed?”

“Yes, sir. We’re going to start planting today.”

“We are too as soon as Aiden gets this tractor ready.”

“Where’s the other one?”

“It’s at the Mill Creek field ready to go,” said Aiden.

“Hey,” said Taylor, moving in close to Aiden, “you want to go to that restaurant in Greenville Saturday evening. I thought we could double date…you know, with Casey and Lamont.”

“Who’s this boy Casey is seeing?” asked Mr. Matthews.

“A guy going to the community college in Greenville,” Aiden replied.

“He’s studying to be a nurse, or something like that,” Taylor added.

“That would be a good profession,” Mr. Matthews replied. He held out the oil filter to Aiden, “son, here’s the filter.”

“Yeah, sure. We need to get Casey out,” Aiden replied as he took the oil filter.

“I need to go, but I’ll call you later,” Taylor replied, then headed back to the truck as Aiden started screwing the filter into place.

“That Simmons’ boy is staying at the Johnson’s?” asked Mr. Matthews as he watched Taylor drive away.

“Yes, sir.”

“Hell of a thing.”

Aiden tightened the filter into place then looked at his father.

“Did you for even a moment think about making me leave?”

“What? No, no, I’d never do that.”

Aiden smiled and it made his father blush then turn away.

“Get the oil back in the motor and get over to the planter. I’ll go and get it ready.”

Aiden backed to the planter and watched his father clip the hitch in place, hook up the hydraulic hoses, then give a thumb’s up as he stepped back. Aiden raised the planter, then headed for the field at Mill Creek. When he got there, he would switch tractors and begin disking the field while his father went for seed to plant.

Aiden drove through the communities, careful to pull on the shoulder when meeting a car or one needed to pass. While driving, he considered everything that had happened over the last few days. Taylor and he out to their parents and openly dating. They had gone out night before last to the burger joint in Milton. There had been disapproving looks, something that had made Taylor stare back with an amused look. He had found it unsettling but with Taylor there, it had been something he could endure, feeling a little of the defiance Taylor seemed to easily portray.

The general store came up on the right and he saw three of the local farmers standing out front in a group discussing farm prices or the weather. As he slowed for the stop sign, he waved at them but none of them waved back. Then he imagined what Taylor would do and he extended his middle finger before pushing the throttle forward to pull away.

“I’ll hear about that from dad,” Aiden mumbled to himself as he drove down the road.

Taylor pulled up to the office at the grain elevator. It was situated at the end of a building that sat parallel to the road, between it and the elevator and silos. In the opposite end was warehouse space where seed, bagged fertilizer, and other products were stored for sale to the farmers. He climbed the metal steps to the wood landing shared with the dock of the warehouse and entered the office. As soon as he came into the room he sensed it, the change upon his arrival. Conversations stopped and some were staring at him as if he were a criminal. He ignored them as he made his way to the counter.

Candice Brown, someone he had gone through school was behind the counter.

“Hey, I’ve come for the seed dad ordered.”

“Taylor, let me check,” Candice replied checking her computer. “Taylor, did you know you have everyone stirred up,” she whispered as she opened the order.

“It would seem so, but Candice what I don’t get is why do they care?”

“Come on, Taylor you know how it is around here.”

“Hey, you should leave her alone, faggot,” came a voice from behind Taylor.

Taylor spun around.

“What was that?” Taylor asked looking around the room, not sure who had made the comment, but he saw Charlie Jones was unable to look him in the eye. Charlie had been a year ahead of him and known to be a bully in school and always shooting off his mouth. “Was it you?” he asked, staring at Charlie.

“We don’t need your kind around here,” Charlie blurted out, suddenly brave enough to face Taylor.

“Yeah, I think you should leave,” said Mr. Jones, Charlie’s father.

“Well, I’m here to do business and I’ll leave when I finish,” Taylor replied standing tall, staring at the father and son.

“Faggot,” Charlie uttered again.

“That’s enough!” came a voice from the door.

Everyone looked over to see Ryan Matthews coming in and everyone looked away as Mr. Jones and Charlie moved by him and leaving the office, mumbling something derogatory as they went.

“You, okay?”

Taylor nodded toward Aiden’s father. “Yes, sir.”

“Candice, you got Taylor’s order slip?”

“Yes, Mr. Matthews, and I’m pulling up your order now.”

“Go on, Taylor. I’ll be right behind you.”

At the loading dock, Mr. Matthews parked next to Taylor, and they stood between the trucks as their seed were being loaded.

“It is a strange thing, you boys coming out. You know in the past you would have just lived as confirmed bachelors.”

“And it was wrong.”

“I know. There was, hell, is so much wrong being done by some, I don’t know how we hold the place together,” Mr. Matthews replied.

“Thanks, Mr. Matthews.”

“For what?”

“In there. I was getting so angry. I just wanted to punch that asshole’s teeth down his throat.”

“Yeah, well, I’m glad you didn’t.”

“Me too.”

“But that Jones’ boy didn’t fall far from the tree.”

“His father does seem to be the same way.”

“And the grandfather, the great-grandfather and probably the men before them. They have always been that way. Dad swore the grandfather was in the KKK and if the truth is known, the son and grandson are too.”

“But now they have a new group to be bigoted toward.”

“I doubt it’ll last. They are cowards when you get down to it, and you don’t seem to be one to take a lot of shit off someone like that.”

Taylor laughed.

“Did Aiden tell you that?”

“No. I see how you hold yourself, and I know what your parents have said.”

“That would be interesting to hear.”

“Taylor, you’re loaded,” said William, the one loading his seed.

“Thanks,” Taylor replied, then turning to Mr. Matthews, “I’ll see you later. Dad is no doubt waiting.”

“Hey, Aiden says Casey Simmons is helping you guys get your beans planted.”

“Yes, and when we’re done, he’s going to help me with the vegetable crops.”

“Good, good, that boy needs something to occupy his mind.”

It was dusk, the sky dimming rapidly with the sun below the horizon. Taylor was in his barn watching television as he waited. Casey had gone to bed early, telling him he felt like he could sleep, something he had not been able to do very well since that night. Taylor changed the channel, not interested in any of the programs that were on. He sipped water and glanced out the open garage door with greater frequency. As tired as he was from planting all day, he was still keyed up. Partly due to the events at the elevator that morning and mostly with his impatience in waiting for Aiden to show up. He knew Aiden had sat down to dinner later than his family had done, therefore would not get to the barn as soon as he had arrived. A quick look at his watch and he saw it was nearly eight-thirty and he wondered how much longer it would be.

Taylor changed the channel again, getting back to the first program he had watched for a few minutes. A sitcom he found boring, the jokes a bit lame, but he knew nothing could distract him from his impatience. His mind drifted to Aiden and his expectations for the night, then what their life could be like in the future. He imagined them farming together, working side by side.

A vehicle on the gravel lane brought Taylor back and he turned in time to see headlights swing around facing the door. The light was blinding but quickly shut off, leaving Taylor with spots in his vision. A door opened then closed and Aiden came into the barn.

“Hey, what are you doing?” asked Aiden.

“Waiting on you,” Taylor replies.

Aiden came around and sat next to Taylor.

“How’s Casey?”

“Good. I think working all day helped. He went to bed early and looked like he was actually going to get some sleep.”

“I hope so.”

“Come here,” said Taylor grabbing Aiden by the t-shirt just below the neck and pulling him close. He closed the distance until their lips touched.

Taylor lay on his stomach with Aiden on his back, their nakedness letting them feel the other. The heat of the skin and how they could undulate and move smoothly against each other. Aiden moved his hips slowly, pushing into Taylor’s depths, then tugging outward. He ground his hips against Taylor’s ass as he kissed the back of the neck, the side of it, then the ear. He tongued it feeling Taylor shiver beneath him, and he heard the moan. The sound of Taylor’s arousal inflamed his own.

Taylor moved beneath Aiden, pushed up with his ass and held his head down, forehead against the futon. He moaned and grunted and pleaded softly for Aiden to fuck him.

Aiden wrapped an arm around Taylor’s neck and hugged tightly as he pushed inward. He ran his other hand down Taylor’s side, fingers barely grazing the skin. Taylor shuddered beneath him. He kept it up, this slow grind until so aroused his cock ached for release.

“Fuck,” Taylor uttered.

Aiden lifted himself up on his hands and he began to fuck with a rapid pace. He tugged outward until nearly slipping free, then shoved inward, hard, hips smacking against ass. Over and over, he thrust into Taylor’s depths. He fucked until sweat trickled down his face and rained down on Taylor. He fucked until his muscles burned with his exertions. He fucked until he could not hold back, and his body tightened, every muscle a knot beneath his sweat slick skin.

“Taylor,” Aiden uttered as he pushed into his depths and came.

Aiden rolled to Taylor’s side on his back. His heart raced in his chest and his breathing was still rapid, almost to the point he was gasping for breath. And his cock was still hard.

Taylor rolled over, hard cock smacking wetly against his stomach. He moved knowingly over Aiden. He held Aiden’s wet cock up and eased down on it. He moved up and down, slowly, feeling his loosened opening slide up and down the thick shaft. He moved in steady rhythm and took his own cock in hand, stroking it.

Aiden held Taylor by the ankles and pushed upward. He watched his cock come into view then disappear. It moved easily through Taylor’s opening with it stretched and slick with his previous load. Taylor moved down as he pushed upward. Soon the futon squeaked and rocked beneath them as their pace increased.

“Fuck…Taylor…please…” Aiden cried out.

Taylor was so aroused, his cock drooled making it slick in his hand. It made him shudder with his own ministration. He threw his head back and moaned. The moan mixed with the sound of his slick hand stroking his cock, the moans and grunts and pleadings from Aiden, and the protests from the futon. He felt the physical nature of their copulation, this need for Aiden to be inside him. It pushed his arousal, made him feel his masculine nature. It made him desperate for release.

Aiden held the ankles and savored the feel of Taylor on his cock. Taylor was moving so fast and rough he could only lay flat and take it. He closed his eyes focusing on the feel of Taylor’s ass moving on his cock. The way it smacked down on his hips and moved upward until it felt like a torture. The pushing him to the brink and keeping him there. Taylor cried out and slammed down on his cock, and he felt cum rain down on him. Wads hit him in the face, then chest. It felt hot against his skin, and he opened his eyes and watched Taylor pump out the last of his load, cum dribbling from the head of his cock then quickly smeared down the shaft.

Then Taylor lay on him as they gasped for breath.

The shower ran hot, steaming up the small bathroom. Taylor closed the door to keep the heat in wanting it be sauna like. Aiden moved under the spray and Taylor stepped in behind him. Soon soapy hands moved over bodies, wiping away sweat and cum. Then the hands were rubbing sensitive flesh, stroking and massaging it until both were becoming aroused again. Hands moved to hardening cocks, stroking them until hard as rock.

Aiden turned to the wall with hands and forehead against the cool tile. He pushed his ass back and quickly felt Taylor’s cock rubbing up and down it. He felt the cock move along his ass then press against his tight opening. It pressed against it, then rubbed up and down until he was pushing back.

“Taylor, stop teasing me. Stick me…”

Taylor pushed through his tightness, making him shudder. He pressed hands and forehead against the wall as cock bore into his depths. Then he felt Taylor against his ass, then against his back. Lips touched his neck then a tongue swirled in his right ear making him shiver. Arms wrapped around his torso. Hands moved over his stomach and chest. Fingers toyed with nipples, then pinched down as cock tugged outward then pushed back in.

Aiden moaned. Then he pleaded with weakness of desire.

“Fuck, Taylor…do it…fuck me.”

Taylor stood and held Aiden by the waist and began to fuck. To tug outward then shove back in, over and over, until in a brutal pace. Flesh smacked against flesh. Cock piston inside Aiden so fast he couldn’t perceive in from outward movement, only the way it stroked his arousal. His own cock flopped heavily between his thighs, growing thicker and longer. A hand moved from his waist to it. Fingers moved around it and stroked. It made him move his hips back and forth, increasing the pleasure of their fuck.

“I’m coming,” Taylor cried out as he shoved inward and hammered his hips against Aiden’s ass.

Aiden rose, leaning back against Taylor. Taylor kept stroking his cock until he shuddered and came.

They lay naked on the futon, skin glistening pink from the hot shower, and smooth and clean to the touch. The door was lowered, and the barn was quiet except for the sound of a fan and the creaking of metal contracting as it cooled during the night. Aiden fell asleep first and Taylor watched him sleep for a long time. He wondered what fate or chance led to him having Aiden in his life. He wondered about the future and could he make Aiden happy. He slowly drifted off to sleep with dreams of Aiden by his side sitting on the bank of the fishpond, just enjoying a lazy afternoon.

The Volunteer Fire Department had a fish fry every year to raise money. It was popular in the community, everyone coming out and getting in line for the fish, fries, hush puppies, and baked beans. There was sodas and water and, of course, sweet tea. The weather was perfect, only a few scattered clouds and temperatures not as soaring as they had been. The main fire truck sat on the concrete apron for the little kids to look at up close, and sit behind the steering wheel pretending to be driving it. To the side in front of the small office, the gas cookers were lined up. Two for fish, one for fries, and one for hush puppies. Under the pecan tree, tables are lined up with paper bags stained with grease and full of hot fish, fries, and hush puppies. Deep aluminum pans sat with baked beans, dark red with the brown sugar added to them. There was a constant line of people moving along the tables.

Picnic tables were under the pine to the side of the property where the older adults and those with young children sat. Scattered around the remainder of the property sat pickups with tailgates down or blankets spread on the ground where everyone else settled down to eat.

Mr. Johnson pulled into the drive behind the wheel of Mrs. Johnson’s SUV. She rode beside him, and in the back seat, Casey and Lamont. The Matthews pulled in and parked next to them. Mr. and Mrs. Matthews sat in back with Aiden behind the wheel and Taylor it the passenger seat.

They had discussed it, wondering if the boys should go the fish fry. They debated whether, or not it was worth the hassle. They thought about sending someone to get everything to go and eating together at one or the other’s home. But it was Taylor who was the most defiant. He talked about the need of not hiding. The need for the community to see them, guys who they knew despite what they currently believed. It was Casey who first agreed with him.

They saw the looks with a range of emotions. The expected frowns and looks of disgust, but there was also curiosity, and a few smiles, those that liked the defiance. Candice came to them first, hugging Taylor, Aiden, and Casey, then introducing herself to Lamont. A few others came over and they knew it was more out of curiosity. Taylor moved to the front of their party, paying for everyone’s food, then letting them go first as he and Aiden ran over to a clear spot among the pines to spread blankets on the ground.

“Faggot,” someone uttered just loud enough for them to hear. They looked around until they spotted Charlie Jones and they stared him down, making him look away.

“Asshole,” Aiden uttered as they made their way back to the others.

“Don’t let him think he has gotten to you,” Taylor whispered as they walked side by side back to the line.

They relaxed while talking quietly among themselves, all but Casey. He had been looking to his right. Quick glances, then longer and longer stares. Taylor and Aiden looked in the direction he was looking and saw Casey’s parents sitting on the tailgate of Mr. Simmons’ truck.

“You should go say something to them,” said Mrs. Matthews when she saw what the boys were looking at.

“I can’t,” Casey replied.

“Then don’t,” Taylor replied. “Sooner, or later they will come to you. I know it.”

“You think so?”

“You’re their only son and around here, family comes first. Give them some time to think about it.”

Eight Months Later

Taylor and Aiden stood at the edge of the concrete floor slab. Wood stud framing was going up, the two contractors tilting up another wall section to set in place. It was going to be a house, only nine hundred square feet but laid out for a future expansion. There would be an open plan for living, dining and kitchen. The kitchen was a small galley style kitchen that faced the room. Along the other side was two small bedrooms with one bath. They planned a master suite for a future addition on the other side of the house.

It amazed them, this erection of something that had been on paper only months ago. The reality that it was their house, a place they would call home, was something still unbelievable to them. They had debated on placing it at the front of the property, between the barn and the road, but time, and time again they came back to the area to the west of the pond at the back of the property. They didn’t care that someone had to drive past the barn and field to get to it, and as the framing went up, giving them an impression of what it would be like situated near the two large oak trees and facing the pond, they knew it was the perfect location.

“Casey wants to go to Montgomery to that restaurant your parents keep recommending to everyone,” said Aiden.

“I talked with him. I told him we’d leave about four-thirty and pick up Lamont on the way,” Taylor replied.

“The contractor said they should be complete on time, maybe even a week or so early, if the weather holds.”

“The windows and doors are due next Wednesday, so one of us needs to be here to let them in the barn.”

“I can do it. We need to go pick out lights and I’d like to get the appliances on order too.”

“We can go one day next week. Come on, let’s go get cleaned up,” said Taylor, taking Aiden by the hand and leading him to his truck.

The restaurant was busy, but not crowded. The interior was dark woods and dim lighting with every table covered in a linen tablecloth and a single candle. There were no televisions blaring or customers being loud and rambunctious. And more importantly to the four guys, no ugly stares as they were led to their table. They went through the main dining room to the smaller one that faced the outdoor seating area and its gardens. They sat around the round four-top and settled into place as a waiter came to take their drink order.

As the waiter left the table and Lamont asked Taylor about their house construction, Aiden looked around the room. In the past, he felt out of place when he was in such a nice restaurant, but with Taylor, he had come to feel comfortable in any place that didn’t feel like he was being judged. He scanned the crowd, noticing the couples out on dates, the businessmen huddled around a table, one pouring more wine for everyone, and in the far corner, he saw four men together and he almost gasped aloud.

“Excuse me for a minute,” Aiden uttered in a whisper as he climbed to his feet.

Aiden crossed the room until he was standing at the table in the corner. He waited until noticed, when he saw the eyes turn to him, then widen in surprise.

“Aiden?”

“Mr. Howard, what brings you out?”

Brent Howard smiled, shaking his head.

“Are you here with Taylor?”

“And Casey and Lamont.”

“The Simmons’ boy and…”

“Lamont Franklin. The guy Casey is dating,” Aiden replied, daringly stating aloud the fact they were guys out on a date. He saw the smiles from the other three men, then Brent grinned.

“Aiden, let me introduce you to the guys. This is Hank and Jerry. They live here in Montgomery. And this is Thomas. He and I go back a long way and have been seeing each other off and on over the years.”

Aiden greeted each person, and when he came to Thomas, he couldn’t stop himself from asking.

“Why are you guys not married?”

“Yeah, Brent, why are you and Thomas not married,” asked Hank.

“It’s complicated,” Brent replied.

“I live in Mobile with my own business and Brent refuses to leave that farm,” Thomas replied.

“Hey now, that is my lively hood, just as is your business.”

“He’s just afraid of the living in the big bad city,” Thomas joked, looking up at Aiden.

“I should get back to my table, but it was nice to meet everyone,” said Aiden, taking a step back.

“Hey Aiden,” said Brent.

“Yes?”

“Let’s plan on dinner one night at my place. I’d like to have all of you boys over,” said Brent.

“Are we invited to this cookout?” asked Hank, grinning at Brent.

“Maybe,” Brent joked back.

“That would be nice,” Aiden replied, “now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go.”

As Aiden walked away from Brent and the other guys, he heard them joking with Brent. He smiled at the normalcy of it, gay guys dining out together. He looked across the room at his table and saw Casey laugh at something Taylor was saying with Lamont shaking his head, saying no plain enough he could read his lips.

Ryan Matthews drove into town with windows down, his arm resting on the sill. Country music played over the radio, and he found himself taping his fingers on the steering wheel as he hummed along. He was going to the tractor dealership for sweeps for the cultivators. The soybeans were growing rapidly, and Aiden and he needed to cultivate them. But he was in no hurry for the day had started with rain which had just cleared out. He had seen a rainbow before coming into town and wondered if the rain was really over. The air felt clean and cool after the heat of the last few days, thus the reason he had the windows down.

He pulled into the parking lot and strolled to the door not paying attention to the other trucks parked in front. He was thinking of Aiden and Taylor’s house and how it was coming together. The shingles were on the roof and windows installed, drying the house in. The boys were moving quickly into a settled life together, faster even than Ashley and he had done. He had been twenty when they got married and it was five years before they bought the house. Aiden had been two. How time had seemed to fly by amazed him. Aiden in his crib, then playing on the swing set, then Little League, and high school, then coming out and having the Johnson boy as a boyfriend. At times, it was so strange to him, but when he saw how happy it made Aiden, he felt a relief only a father can know.

Inside the small showroom and sales area, he passed the line of lawnmowers and shelves of branded clothing and toys and stood behind Sam Wilson, listening to him ask for a hydraulic hose, telling how the one on the tractor split and sprayed the bushhog until it was wet with oil. He looked at his scribbled note with the part number for the size sweep he wanted then back at the counter as Ricky headed back to get a hose. A shadow or movement caught his attention and he turned to see Mr. Simmons standing a few feet away.

“Hey, Ryan, how’s your crop look?”

“It looks good. And your crop?” Ryan replied, knowing their crops was not what he wanted to ask about.

“It’s good. I’ve got to get busy cultivating them. It’s a bit tough…well…just me an all.”

Ryan wanted to remind them that it was his fault he had no help from his son, but he refrained from any comment, instead waiting on him to ask.

“How’s Casey doing? I assume you see him…your boy and he being friends.”

“Jack Simmons, you should ask him yourself. Don’t you think this has gone on long enough?”

“But its…”

“Wrong? By whose standard?”

“But Louise says the Bible…”

“Stop, just stop Jack. I know what it says. What about the slavery and telling us to plant only one seed in our fields? Does that make sense to you? Casey is your son and so what he is not what you expected.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Do you love your son?”

“What? Yes, but…”

“No Jack. No buts. We either let our children have the lives they want and need, or we watch them leave us. Is that what you want? Doesn’t it hurt to have to come to me and ask about your son?”

“Yes,” Jack replied, and he walked away without another word.

Ryan knew he was thinking about what he said. He moved to the counter and laid his note down.

“Hey Rick, if you can read this, these are the sweeps I’d like to get, if you have them.”

Ryan came out with a box of sweeps. He moved down the sidewalk to his truck and realized Jack Simmons was sitting in his truck. The engine was running, and Jack was just staring out, and if Ryan wasn’t mistaken, it looked as if he was crying. He kept walking on to his own truck, set the box in the bed, and climbed in. As he backed out, he smiled for he sensed there was hope for Casey and his family. Maybe not this week, or the next, but soon. He felt it would be soon.