A Charmed Life

Eli slung his backpack over his right shoulder and headed out of his last class, another school day come to an end. Casey came along side him placing a hand on his other shoulder with Jordan following.

“Hey, you want to ride to the coffee shop and hang out? Caroline, Paula, and Vicky are going to be there,” asked Casey.

“I need to get home,” Eli lied, not interested in hanging out with the girls. He knew Casey liked Caroline and thought Jordan liked Paula, but he wasn’t sure. He had no doubt Vicky liked him for she had left notes in his locker and had sent word to him through their friends. He had no idea how to tell her he just wasn’t interested in her. To others of their class, it would make no sense for just as he was from old money, his family living in one of the oldest Victorian houses in town, so was she. Her family was only two blocks away from his family living in an Italianate style house. By every aspect they could be the perfect couple. The only problem was he was gay. He was closeted, for the private school was far too conservative to accept any such diversity among its students, but he had no doubts about his sexuality. There just had not been an opportunity to act upon it, or so he told himself.

Walking along the corridor with Casey and Jordan, Eli considered it, whether, or not he was the only one in their class. Each time he seriously considered the possibility, Aaron Richardson came to mind. He remembered back in eleventh grade at Jordan’s birthday party how Aaron had tried to get him alone. There was the pulling him to one side, then the suggestion they go upstairs for Aaron wanted to tell him something in private. Eli had panicked at first, knowing what Aaron had in mind and fearful to act upon it. Later he would question himself over the incident. Did he overreact? Was Aaron really wanting to tell him something in private? Later, it would come out Aaron was heading up their class involvement in the prom organizing and realized it could have been about getting him involved.

As they neared the doors that lead to student parking, they passed a group of girls huddled around Tyler laughing loudly at something he had said. Eli looked at Tyler as long as he dared, then focused on the doors, for Tyler was the other guy in his class that he considered gay. He could be wrong, but Tyler had more girls as friends than guys and he knew Tyler dated none of them, never had. Tyler had never made any kind of advances toward him, but he knew their backgrounds put them at odds. Tyler came from new money, banking and equity investments, which Eli had no issue. The issue was Tyler was a bit of a showoff, someone who flaunted his family’s wealth. The outrageous clothes, jewelry, and a different watch every day. Out in the parking lot, a Porsche 911 that was bright in color. Eli knew his BMW was no better when it came to a display of wealth, but it was four years old, and a car handed down to him from his mother. When Eli turned sixteen, she gave him the car so she could get one of the new Range Rovers, something his father warned her could be problematic, expecting it to be in the shop all the time.

The Range Rover had indeed been in the shop a few times, but his mother loved driving it thus endured its temperamental nature.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” said Eli as he headed toward his car at the back of the parking lot.

“Okay,” Casey and Jordan replied in unison as they moved toward the front of the parking lot where their vehicles were parked.

Eli drove across town, taking a route that made no sense if he were trying to head straight home, but he wasn’t ready to head home. Instead, he wanted to cruise by the public high school. He knew they released from class a little later than his school thus giving him time to get to it as everyone left. It was foolish but he liked looking at the guys leaving campus. He knew the stereotype put on them. Less educated, less worldly, and too caught up in trivial matters of no importance. But he had been around them, something none of his friends knew about. Hanging out at one of the fast-food joints or other places they congregated on a Friday night where he could listen to their banter. He heard the playful flirting, the joking around about who had messed around with whom, and it was no different than what occurred at his school. It was more bluntly stated, some at his school would say crass, but he saw the honesty of it. And two weeks ago, he saw something else. Two boys together. Their friends made fun of them, dared them to kiss or hold hands, but in the end, Eli realized what he was seeing were a few friends supporting two who were a bit different. He had wondered if his school would ever have anyone who could be open about their sexuality, and if classmates would support them. It was something he had pondered every night since then, trying to imagine himself in the shoes of one of the guys who was gay, out on a date stealing a quick kiss while friends egged him on. It made his longing for someone so intense it left him breathless.

He came to the high school where he was stopped by a police officer directing traffic. It was perfect, he at the front of the line of cars stopped to let out the students. He watched the vehicles pull out unable not to note how most were older, simpler cars and trucks. But inside each, the students didn’t look that different from his own classmates. Some had short, neat hair, some long hair, allowed to grow out, but there were those that were different with dyed hair in some unnatural color.

He heard it before seeing it, and it captured his eye as soon as it pulled out. An old Jeep, red paint faded with rust visible at the rear wheel arch. He knew it was a CJ-7 and without the top or doors, it left the three guys in it visible. The one on the passenger side had one foot out on the tube rail running just under the body, a ball cap pulled down low, wearing a white t-shirt that fluttered around a lean body. In back, leaned forward holding the roll bar, was a red head, his long hair curling out around his cap and wearing a shirt unbuttoned half-way down revealing a flat smooth chest. Behind the wheel was the one that captured his attention the most. The guy didn’t wear a cap revealing this black hair and with the sun hitting his face, Eli could see the wide smile as he laughed at something said by one of the others. He wore a tank top revealing lean but muscular arms. Seconds, it was only seconds for the old Jeep to pull out and motor away, but Eli had seen enough to feel his desire for the driver.

Eli wished he attended the public school, wished for a life that didn’t seem so predetermined by his parents and their wealth. His older brother, Charlie, was at Notre Dame, just as their father and his father before him. It was expected, just as it was expected of Charlie to take up the family business. This gave Eli some freedom, some leeway on where he went to college, and much to his father’s consternation, he had chosen the state college, Auburn. He wanted to be an architect and during his education, he wanted to go to the Rural Studio program. After months of arguments, his parents finally relented. His mother shocked him by what she did next, setting up a rather large endowment for the program, thus ensuring his getting in, and worse, no doubt being treated differently. But he would get to attend the program and his brother and younger sister, Savannah, could attend the higher prestige institutions, she planning to attend Princeton.

The police officer motioned Eli to proceed as he moved to the sidewalk, and Eli accelerated as fast as he dared, wanting to catch up with the Jeep.

Peyton laughed at the running commentary by Joey, who leaned forward between the seats so they could hear him over the rumble of the V-8 and its exhaust. Matt laughed and shook his head, constantly doing his thing of saying ‘no’ and ‘you’re lying’, which made Joey embellish even more. At each stoplight, Peyton glanced around, checking out guys in other cars and trucks. The jacked-up Jeep afforded the perfect angle for most other vehicles. He pretended to be just looking around, checking mirrors, or watching the pedestrian light count down, anything to not bring notice to what he was really doing. There were guys at his school who were out, some openly dating, but he had refrained from doing so, always hesitate to make the big announcement, worried how his closest friends would react. He had almost told Joey one summer during a camping trip when he mistakenly believed Joey was giving signals of a willingness to mess around. He had read the situation wrong and ever since felt his heart race with the memory of that night when he could have ruined so much.

A glance over at Matt as he pulled off his cap to push his blonde hair back, and Eli thought of all the times in the last five years he had wanted more from him. The nights he had slept over at Matt’s house, or they were together on a camping trip. He had watched Matt mature his body fill out with definition and the appearance of a trail of hair down his stomach that disappeared inside the ugly boxers he liked to wear. Eli had imagined so many scenarios where Matt was willing, but he knew, of his two friends, Matt was the one that would never be willing to mess around with another guy. He was one to talk of girls nonstop, but he was confident in talking to them and when David, then Ricky came out at school, it was Matt who spoke to them first with encouraging words and support, unconcerned how others may view it. Eli knew of his two friends, it would be Matt he could count on the most for support, but a quick glance in the mirror at Joey, he didn’t feel as confident about him. Joey was a bit too loud, too much bravado, and it made Eli wonder if he was covering up to some degree. His lack in confidence in Joey translated to a lack of confidence in himself.

Motoring away from another light, shifting through the three gears quickly, Peyton sawed at the wheel to keep the old Jeep in his lane as they drove to the outskirts of town. He kept an eye on the mirrors, a quick look at traffic, and a quick look at Joey, always leaving room for hope. He drove down to Airport Boulevard, then headed west, going past the mall, under the interstate, until they came to a pizza restaurant favored by everyone for its varied choices and decent prices. As he turned in, he glanced back watching a white BMW motoring by, one he had noticed behind them since shortly after leaving the high school. The windows were too darkly tinted to see the driver, so he quickly turned his attention back to the parking lot, looking for a place to park.

The house was quiet, something Peyton had not yet adjusted. All his life there had been the noise of three siblings. A brother too old to be a playmate, then two sisters who were close in age therefore played together leaving their little brother to his own devices. It didn’t make him lonely, for Joey lived across the street and Matt lived on the next block until their seventh-grade year when his parents divorced, and his mother moved him and his sister to another neighborhood. But within the immediate family, he was always the baby.

Lying in bed, he stared across his room at the glow of the red light on his television that indicated it was off while considering why he lived this lie. Why he couldn’t just admit to his family and friends he was gay. It wasn’t that he feared being tossed out or his friends would reject him. He was sure that would not happen. But he knew it would change things, make him someone different from what everyone understood him to be. Would that be so bad? He imagined scenarios where he was out, and in each one he saw himself drifting away from his friends, this one thing too much of a difference.

Rolling to his back, he thought of his family, how Austin talked of how different their lives were before he was born. Their parents just starting their careers and not making much money, and neither coming from a family of means. They had struggled, at times having to scrimp to get by, buying second-hand clothes, cutting back on expensive items at the grocery store, and driving used cars. But their parents had done well, improving their lives. A move from a rented house on the wrong side of town to buying a modest brick home in a middle-class neighborhood, a new car for their mom, their dad preferring older trucks, something easy to work on he would tell them. Peyton knew the old trucks reminded his dad of the ones he learned to drive, often driving his own dad around town to the parts shop or the barber shop or the bait and tackle shop before heading up to Rutherfordton Lake to fish. It had been a ritual his father had done with him after turning fifteen and getting his learner’s permit.

Peyton knew he wanted for nothing, even having his own wheels, the old Jeep sitting in the small carport at the back of property. He couldn’t’ remember the last time he had to wear handed down clothes or didn’t have a few dollars in his pocket enabling him to meet friends for a burger or pizza or go to a movie. But he knew he was letting time slip by him. He wasn’t living his life, the one he desired. Maybe he just needed to meet someone first. Find a guy who wanted to go out with him. There were the hookup sites online, a couple he had browsed so often he began to see the same guys on it all the time. He knew which ones were looking just for a bit of fun and which seemed serious in meeting someone. The latter would eventually disappear, at least for a few months. There had been so many times he was tempted to respond to one of them, the last time a college student at South Alabama, but each time he would refrain. It seemed too impersonal, or that is what he kept telling himself.

Matt had always said the way to meet someone was to just go up to them and introduce yourself then say you’d like to get to know them. He said pickup lines may work, but his own sister said most were stupid and girls saw right through them. Maybe the same was true with a guy? He wondered how David and Ricky met. Did they meet online or did one of them take a chance and approach the other? He wanted to ask one of them.

Eli strolled down the sidewalk, passing storefronts with coffee shops crowded with people looking for a place that gave comfort, restaurants busy with those having lunch with family or friends, and shops browsed by the serious and those just looking, enjoying a Saturday afternoon in downtown. He wondered how the mall could have ever competed with this.

Casey had called that morning about going to the mall with Jordan and him, and Eli had declined, lying about having to do an errand for his mother. What he wanted was time alone. Crossing another street his stomach growled again, the smell of food making it worse. He came to one of his favorite restaurants and followed two women inside. He saw the look they gave him, then the smiles.

“Would you like to sit with us,” one of the women asked.

“No thanks,” Eli replied, and he saw the disappointment on their faces. He wanted to tell them he was gay and not interested, but he stepped to the side and waited as the hostess arrived, then led the two women to a booth along the far wall. When the hostess returned, he found himself following her to a table at the front along the window.

“Is this, okay?” she asked.

“It’s perfect,” Eli replied, and it was for he wanted to watch people stroll past.

The waiter approached and Eli struggled not to stare. Dark red hair and a dark skin tone and green eyes that looked like emeralds, he found the guy attractive.

“I’m Michael and I’ll be your waiter; can I get you something to drink while you look at the menu?”

“Sweet tea and I know what I want,” Eli replied wishing he were daring enough to say what he really wanted.

“Okay, what will you have?”

Eli laid his fork down, finished with his lunch. He had not looked at his phone once, did no searches online or social media sites, instead he had watched the people strolling past, and noted the vehicles that drove by. The older models, a few antiques being driven by proud owners, then the newer models. He saw the contrast, how the new cars were white, black, sliver or some other dull color, while the old cars were bright colors or colors no longer in use. A turquoise Chevy, a yellow and white Ford, and a bright green car he didn’t recognize, but he thought it a Chrysler product. Then he saw a blue Jeep, a newer model with the doors off and top down. It had two couples, the women in back and the men up front. It made him think of the Jeep he had seen leaving the public high school. The one he had foolishly followed across town.

“Can I get you something else,” the waiter asked, bringing Peyton back to the present.

“Oh, no, just the check,” Eli replied.

“Here ya go,” sitting the check face down on the table.

Eli set his credit card on top and handed both back to the waiter.

“I’ll be right back,” said the waiter as he moved away.

Eli watched him cross the room wondering what he would look like dressed in something less formal, jeans and a t-shirt or cargo shorts and polo. Or better yet, nothing at all. When the waiter turned to return to his table, Eli turned to the window.

“Thanks for coming in,” said the waiter as he set the check down.

“Thanks,” Eli replied, turning his attention back to the green eyes.

The waiter went to another table, unaware of Eli’s interest, or not caring. Eli wrote in a tip, the total, then signed his name. He set back to finish the last of his drink while watching a Mustang convertible pass with three guys in it. He recognized the one in back. It was Tyler Anderson, one of his classmates. One of the guys he thought might be gay and he looked at the other two guys wondering about them.

“Get over it,” Eli mumbled to himself, knowing he was acting desperate to find others who were gay.

There was a rumble of a loud exhaust and he looked up in time to see a faded red Jeep approaching. It was an old one, one of the CJ series and there was no top or doors. He knew immediately he had seen it before, the same one he had followed across town. As it passed, he saw it was just the driver. A ballcap pulled low, disappointing Eli for he could not see the guy’s face. And the guy wore a plaid shirt instead of a tank top, another disappointment. But he realized the guy may be downtown to browse shops or have lunch, which meant he would park somewhere close. Eli pushed back and rushed to the door as fast as he dared. On the sidewalk, he headed in the direction the Jeep had driven, hoping to find it, then wondering what he would do if successful.

Peyton drove down Dauphin Street with the sun hot on his arms and legs. He eased along with traffic while scanning the sidewalks watching the people out for the day. Time and time again, his eyes fell on some guy or group of guys. He sized them up, making a judgment on whether he was attracted toward them or not. After a couple of blocks, he cruised past the restaurant that had what he was craving, then turned at the next intersection to look for a place to part. Halfway down the side street a parking lot sat behind the buildings. Peyton pulled in and eased along looking for a space. He was near the end about ready to give up and go look elsewhere when he saw brake lights come on, then the backup light.

Parked, Peyton picked up his book from the passenger footwell, then strolled to the sidewalk heading back to Dauphin Street and to his destination for lunch. He held the book with the front turned toward his side afraid to let others see it. It was about a gay young man who was an immigrant living in the United States. It was praised by the critics as one of the best books in 2019. He had found it in the bookstore just down the street and since he was alone, daringly purchased it. He kept it hidden in his room, reading it late at night. He was near the end and so desperate to find out how the story was brought to closure he slipped it out bringing it with him, hoping he didn’t run into anyone he knew.

Peyton passed couples with baby strollers, two groups of women and a couple of guys about his age. He checked out the guys for as long as he dared, diverting his eyes when one looked his way. He moved closer to the wall giving them room to pass. They were dressed expensively and large watches on their wrists caught the sunlight drawing his eye toward them. He assumed they were guys from one of the private schools, a place chosen for the safety it provided from the riff raff like him. Nearing the Dauphin sidewalk, he saw a guy rush by that caught his eye. Tall lean build, short light brown hair and strong jaw, and by the way he looked, possibly another private schooler. But the guy’s dress was less flashy. A simple white shirt and cargo pants with sandals like most others were wearing. He turned at the corner heading to the restaurant, finding himself following the guy. There were blonde hairs covering the lower legs and a round ass filling out the seat of the shorts, and when he drew near enough, saw the guy was taller than his five ten, a few inches taller.

As Peyton neared the restaurant, he debated whether, or not to keep following the guy. It was a foolish thought, and he slowed down and watched the guy move through the other people wondering where he was going in such a hurry. Then he entered the cool interior of the restaurant with his book held to his side.

“Good afternoon, how many for lunch?” one of the waiters asked as he passed.

“Just one, and can I have one of the tables in back?”

“Sure, here’s a menu,” the waiter replied holding out the large, laminated menu. “You can take that table in the corner.”

“Thanks,” Peyton replied. He moved around the dining room until at the table, sitting with his back to the wall. He placed the novel face down, then laid the menu over it knowing what he wanted.

A waiter took his order, brought his soda, then headed to another table. Finally, alone, the conversations around him becoming a white noise, he flipped open the novel and began to read.

Peyton didn’t notice how the lunch crowd thinned out. It had been after one when he got to the restaurant and now it was after two, far too late for lunch for most. The waiter filled his drink once again and took his plate away leaving him alone to finish his novel. He was so engrossed in the story he didn’t stop until finished and was closing the book.

“That must be a good book. What is the title?” the waiter asked.

Peyton had not seen him approach and now he felt trapped, pushed to reveal his secret, in what he was reading, and more by his way of thinking.

“It’s…well…” flustered, he couldn’t bring himself to say the title, but he was resolved to the fact he was caught. He turned the book over so the waiter could read it. He saw the eyes scan the cover and widen, then the guy smiled.

“My partner keeps trying to get me to read it. Is it worth it?” the waiter asked, smiling at him.

“I think so,” Peyton replied, feeling his face flush red. He knew even his ears would be red.

Peyton strolled back to his Jeep grinning like a fool. He had crossed paths with someone who was gay, just a guy who worked at one of his favorite restaurants. There was the admission to a partner, a lover. In Mobile that seemed almost impossible to comprehend, but faced with someone in a relationship, it made it real, a possibility that gave him hope and took away, even if only for a minute, the sense he was alone.

He didn’t try to hide the book as he walked along the sidewalk then across the parking lot to his Jeep. He tossed the book into the passenger footwell, then circled around to the driver’s side, climbing up behind the wheel. He started the engine, hearing the familiar rumble as it settled into an idle. He was about to put it in reverse when he noticed the note tucked under a windshield wiper.

He stepped down so he could reach around and slip the note from underneath the wiper. Back behind the wheel, he assumed it was from Joey or Matt or one of his other friends from school, but he quickly realized the handwriting was unfamiliar. Neat, block style letters ran straight across the small square of paper that had been a flyer for health insurance. Along one side tears from where it had been pulled free from stables holding it to a pole. A piece of paper one would find nearby. He wondered where they got the pen, then noticed two pens in the bin at the back of the console. He could see someone reach in and use one of them to write the note, then slip it back into the bin. But the biggest surprise was what was written.

I saw you a couple of times riding around and wondered if you would like

to get together. Would you be willing to hang out with me?

Peyton saw what was crossed out before ‘hang out’. Holding the note up, he could read how the mystery writer had written ‘go out’ before crossing it out. It would have been a bold thing to write, and it amused him how it was still legible, as if the mystery writer rushed too fast. He imaged how it must have felt to be so bold as to leave the note, even bolder to put one’s number on it.

He picked up his phone and started to put the number into his phone, then voices behind him, a couple walking past, and he cleared the numbers. It was safer to get home and into his room before calling if he dared to do it.

He slipped the transmission into reverse and eased out of the parking space. He pulled up to the street, checked traffic, then eased out heading toward Dauphin Street and home.

Eli lay on his bed trying to relax. He was so agitated, so anxious that he knew sleep would be long in coming. Over and over, he asked himself how he could do it. What was he thinking, leaving a note on a stranger’s vehicle? A note asking to meet. Slapping his hands down on the bed, then laying still breathing hard feeling his heart race in his chest.

His cellphone rang and he jumped up in a panic. Grabbing up the phone he saw it was Jordan.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Jordan asked as soon as Eli answered the call.

“Nothing.”

“Let’s go bowling. Casey is going out with Caroline.”

“Really? He finally asked her out?”

“Yep.”

“Wow,” Eli replied, suddenly forgetting for a moment what he had done earlier in the day.

“So, what do you say?”

“Bowling? Bowling. Seriously? Have you ever bowled before?”

“No, but we saw this movie with my brother about some guys who hung out in a bowling alley, and it was hilarious.”

“And this is why you want to go?”

“It looked fun. Come on, let’s try it.”

“Okay, what time?”

“Meet me at the bowling alley at 7:30.”

“Okay,” Eli replied, then ended the call. He lay back feeling some relief. He would go bowling with Jordan, then come home and crash. It would be a diversion and by the time he got home, and if there was no phone call from the guy, he could write it off as something that would not happen.

At seven thirty, Eli entered the bowling alley where the sound of balls striking pins and music filled the air. He went to the desk for shoes, Jordan texting him on needing to get them first. While waiting, he scanned the lanes until he saw Jordan preparing to bowl. Down at the circle of seating sat Paula, Vicky, and Aaron. Eli’s stomached knotted at the sight of Vicky, knowing she was interested in him.

Shoes in hand, Eli made his way to the others. They greeted each other, Vicky moving to sit next to him. He ignored the move, focusing on his conversation with Jordan.

“You guys already in a game?” asked Eli.

“No, we’re just taking our practice round. Get a ball and do your practice throws,” said Vicky.

“From those racks?” asked Eli, pointing to balls set out on low racks along a wall.

“Yes; and get one with a bit of weight to it,” said Jordan.

They played a game, each one struggling to not gutter the ball. Looking at the scores of others, they laughed at how bad their own were in comparison. Sodas were consumed pumping them up with sugar and caffeine, and greasy French fries to curb any hunger.

“Ready to play again?” asked Jordan.

“Yeah, sure,” replied Aaron, the others nodding in agreement.

Jordan cleared the first game from the system and set up for game two. Vicky and Paula went for another soda, leaving Eli sitting next to Aaron. He felt awkward about being so close when he held the belief Aaron could be gay too. A quick glance over and he saw Aaron was watching Jordan. Maybe Aaron liked Jordan and hoped for an opportunity to materialize.

“I’m going to run to the bathroom,” said Eli climbing to his feet.

No one said anything as he strolled away. He made his way along the common area that run behind the lanes, passing the girls at the concession window, then slipping into the men’s room.

Coming out, Eli stopped just outside the door and watched other people play. He watched how they approached the line, how they timed their swing and noticed how one foot was swept back as they leaned down and released the bowl near the line. There was a rhythm to the throw, a process he felt he was just beginning to see. He watched a few more people make throws until he believed he could mimic it. He headed down the common area and as he neared the entry point, where the counter for shoes was located, he saw a group of teenagers come in. They looked like any other group, dressed in jeans and different types of shirts, a mix of boys and girls. It was a reflection of his own group. Even the same type of banter among them, the same basic mannerisms. He focused on the guys, checking them out, when he froze, surprised to recognize one of them. Black wavy hair, lean build, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, it was the guy who drove the Jeep, the one he had placed a note on earlier in the day. Feeling short of breath, he took off, walking quickly back to his classmates not daring to look back no matter how much he desired to do so.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the other group come their way, each carrying bowling shoes while talking amongst themselves. They strolled past as Eli heard his name called out.

“Eli, you’re up,” said Aaron.

“Yeah…okay,” Eli stammered, then moved to take his turn.

After his first throw, he turned so he could look down the lanes and saw the other group were four lanes over. Far enough not to be noticeable but close enough to seem in his space. His ball came up, rolling into the line with the other balls, and he lifted it out and moved to make his second throw. He looked down the lane at the split, two pins on the right and two on the left. He could see how the ball needed to hit the pins, going to the edge of the lane, close to falling into the gutter allowing it to graze the front pin of one side, kicking it across the lane so all four were taken down. He could see the throw needed, how he should set the ball down with a spin. But as he released the ball, he knew it was far from the right throw. His ball angled across the lane and dropped into the gutter just before reaching the pins eliciting a laugh from his friends.

“Alright, I missed, but at least I tried,” Eli replied to the jesting as he returned to his seat, letting Paula have her turn. A quick glance over and he noticed the black-haired guy was not with his friends. He looked back toward the concession window seeing there were three waiting for food or drinks, but none were the guy.

“Hey Eli, Jordan says you’re going to Auburn in the fall,” asked Vicky.

“Yes.”

“You’re not going to one of the better colleges? Don’t you have the grades for one of them?”

“Yes, but I want to do the Rural Studio program.”

“The what?”

“Vicky, don’t ask, or you’ll get a reply that sounds like a promotional brief,” joked Jordan.

Eli’s phone rang and vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw it was a number he didn’t know. He started to hit decline, then he hesitated, glancing over to the other group again. The guy still wasn’t back.

“Excuse me, I need to take this,” Eli stated as he headed up to the common area away from his friends. “Hello?”

“You left a note on my Jeep?”

Peyton pulled into the parking lot of the bowling alley looking around for any of his friends he was meeting. He saw Joey, Cheryl, and Beth waiting at the entrance and when he pulled to the side parking area, he saw Matt coming from his 4Runner, who held up to wait on him. He pulled in next to Matt and killed the engine. They strolled around to the front talking quietly amongst themselves.

“I saw Beth was with Cheryl,” said Peyton.

Matt laughed, then put a hand on Peyton’s shoulder, “she wants to hang out with you.”

“No, no, you have to save me,” Peyton replied.

“Why do you turn down every girl that shows interest?”

Indeed, why? Peyton thought, wondering when he was going to confess to his friends, he was gay and not interested in any of the girls.

“I don’t know. I guess I’m more focused on getting to college.”

“When are you going up to finish up on getting in a dorm?”

“This summer.”

“Hey guys,” Matt calls out to the others as they come up to them, “ready to lose?”

“Hell, Matt, you suck at bowling,” Joey replied, laughing as everyone entered.

Peyton followed his friends across the room heading to their assigned lane, number six. As they passed other lanes, he watched the throws by others. A strike, a couple of good throws leaving only one or two pins, then a gutter ball on lane ten. He looked at the group playing wondering if they had ever bowled before, then he stumbled as he recognized one of the guys. The one he had seen downtown that afternoon. The one he followed for a block. Was it a coincidence? How could it not be, crossing paths with someone he had never noticed before. He imagined feeling the note in his pocket. He had felt foolish picking it up but felt more afraid to leave it behind where one of his parents might find it. He didn’t need it to recall what it said or to recite the phone number on it.

As the others took their practice round, he looked over and saw the guy step up to bowl. He watched the rhythm of his throw, slightly off on the release and his right foot not sweeping back enough, and when the ball hit the pins, he saw the results. But it wasn’t the guy’s bowling he was interested in. What he wanted to know was the guy responsible for the note. It seemed so farfetched, the odds too insane to calculate, but he looked at him and felt attracted to the physical nature of him, wondering if the personality would be as good.

“Hey guys, I’ll be back in a sec,” said Peyton as he headed back toward the entrance. He didn’t respond to Joey’s question, pretended not to hear Beth ask for a drink, instead he moved quickly down the common area and into the entry area far enough to be out of sight if someone just glanced over but he could still see over the counter and around the corner to lane six. Taking out his cellphone, he punched in the number, hesitated for a second, then hit send. He held the phone to his ear and looked across the bowling alley at the guy.

Peyton saw him sitting with the others. He saw him reach into his pocket and take out his cellphone, say something to his friends, then move away. In complete alignment, he saw the guy answer as he heard the voice on his phone.

“Hello?” the husky voice answered in a questioning manner.

Peyton knew it was him.

“You left a note on my Jeep?” he asked, knowing he was the one.

The guy looked around, looking for him. It was obvious Peyton had been made, the guy knew what he looked like, or he wouldn’t have left a note.

“Just a minute,” the guy replied, and Peyton watched him head down the common area coming his way.

Peyton moved to the doors and went outside, standing on the sidewalk facing the doors.

“I saw you here at the bowling alley,” said the guy through his phone.

“I know.”

“You knew it was me?” The guy sounded shocked.

“I did when you answered your phone.”

A nervous laugh. “So, I gave myself away.”

“You did.”

“Will you talk to me? Can we just…like talk for a minute?”

“Sure, but I find it odd that I don’t ever remember seeing you around town, but I’ve crossed paths with you twice in one day and- “

“And I left a note on your Jeep?”

“Yes.”

“You go to Murphy and I to Prep, we typically run in different circles, but- “

The silence lasted far too long, and Peyton tried to think what to say.

“You know I go to Murphy?”

“I saw you leave yesterday. I was stopped on the road while the officer let traffic out.”

“Then you saw me today in downtown?”

“Briefly. I was eating lunch when you drove by. By the time I got outside you were gone. When I headed to my car I came across your Jeep.”

Peyton laughed this time, turning in place. “Fuck, this is crazy.” Then he faced the parking lot and took a deep breath before asking what he really wanted to ask. “What makes you think I’m gay?”

“I don’t know if you are or not. I took a chance.”

“A chance,” Peyton whispered, then fell silent.

“Are you?”

Peyton turned back to entry and saw the guy standing just inside the doors watching him.

“I don’t even know your name,” said Peyton.

“Elliott, but everyone calls me Eli.”

“Eli. And Eli, you’re gay?”

“Yes,” a soft whispered reply.

Peyton couldn’t help it, he smiled at Eli. “I’m Peyton and yes.”

“Jordan, I’m going to be a minute so just play this game without me.”

“Where are you?”

“I’m outside on the phone, so I need to go and get back on the call.”

“Everything alright?”

“Yes, yes, nothing to worry about but I…it’s important to me.”

Jordan sensed it, something different in the way Peyton spoke.

“Okay.”

Peyton looked over in time to see Eli doing the same with his friends.

They sat on the curb of the sidewalk, with legs stretched out into the drive aisle. Peyton noticed Eli’s longer legs, then he looked up them, up the lean torso into Eli’s face seeing the smile.

“Do any of your friends know?” asked Eli.

Peyton shook his head. “What about your friends?”

“Same, but I thought about it. I think they would be okay with it, but…it’s just…”

“You’re not ready to find out?”

“Yeah. I kept saying I would do it if…” Eli fell silent.

“If what? If you had a boyfriend, someone to be supportive?”

Eli nodded.

“Yeah, me too.”

Eli laughed.

“I would think your school would be okay with it. I’ve heard you got some guys out and dating,” said Eli.

“We do. There are some who are mean about it, but most are good with it.”

“I don’t know about my school.”

“No one out there?”

“No.”

“What do your parents do?” asked Peyton. It was the only question he could think to ask to keep their conversation going.

“They…well, mom does her charities and lunches with her friends and dad…I’m not entirely sure. Moves money around and invests and makes more money.”

Peyton looked at Eli as if he were joking.

“I know how it sounds. Old money that just seems to make more money.”

“I’ve heard some old money families don’t always do well.”

“Too many inheriting a smaller and smaller part I would assume.”

“But not your family?”

“There hasn’t been that many children over the years. Dad is an only child, and his dad was one of two, his older brother dying in a car crash, and the generation before that, there was three children, but one took off and never came back, and one started his own business and ended up with his own fortune, thus leaving the other with most of the inheritance. There had been tax issues or something that made them maneuver around to protect each other.”

“But to be wealthy, not to worry about paying bills and…”

“You have it tough?”

No, not really, but my parents did at first. But they have done well, raising four children, and helping two get through college, one of my sisters got married and started a family instead of going to college.”

“What about you? Are you going to college?”

“Yes, all set for Auburn in the fall. Horticulture.”

Eli laughed, shaking his head.

“Is that funny?” asked Peyton.

“It’s just, well, I’m set to go to Auburn too. Architecture.”

“Really? I thought you would go to one of those Ivy League schools.”

“My parents wanted me to, but I want to do the Rural Studio. Have you heard of it?”

“Of course. Great program. Not what I would expect a trust fund boy to do.”

“Well, I don’t want to be just a trust fund boy,” Eli replied giving Peyton a smirk.

“Fair enough.”

“Something else we have in common,” Eli whispered after a short silence.

“Yeah,” Peyton uttered in agreement.

“You never said what your parents do.”

“Dad is an auto mechanic. Has his own shop in Autumndale. Mom, she’s a receptionist at an insurance company. Doesn’t pay much but I know when dad was just starting out Austin said it took both incomes to get by.”

“Austin? He a brother?”

“Only one, then there is my two sisters between us; Becky and Cynthia.”

“You’re the youngest.”

Peyton nodded.

“And you?” asked Peyton.

“An older brother, Charlie, although he prefers Charles now that he is in college, and a younger sister, Savannah, who is probably the one that should take over dad’s office, not Charlie.”

They fell silent. A group came out and moved past them.

“We should get back inside,” said Peyton, feeling nervous again, unsure what to say.

“Okay, but what is your answer?”

“Answer?”

“Will you go out with me?”

Peyton leaned forward, looking down then over at Eli. “Yes.”

Peyton stood in front of the mirror. Wearing just boxers, he looked at his body. Despite knowing how similar to others in his class, he still felt less mature than he wished. His lean body with little definition, and rubbing his chin, felt the far too smooth skin of someone who should be a man. He was five foot ten, weighed one hundred forty-one pounds, had black hair he could never keep combed and dark-brown eyes that looked black. He wasn’t the most athletic, but he was smart, or smart enough to have good grades. He stared at his reflection, wondering how Eli would view him. There were already the differences of class, which he knew was a bigger barrier than anything else he could think of, including religion, which he hoped was one topic he could avoid. How do you tell someone in a very religious place that you had doubts of even the existence of a god? It seemed more taboo a subject than his sexuality.

In his room, with shirts still laid out on his bed, he still had not decided on what to wear. It was his first date and he wanted to impress Eli, but he didn’t want to overdo it. He didn’t want to look desperate or have anyone question his appearance. There was a white shirt, simple and always a good compromise, then there was his newest plaid shirt, and next to it a blue polo. The last shirt was a light-yellow linen shirt in a simple weave pattern. He had gotten it at an outdoor store specializing in camping and hiking gear with money received on his birthday last month. Despite its origins, it looked nice and laying with a new pair of jeans, it looked casual enough not to draw attention. He put the other shirts back in the closet and dressed. He pulled out his sneakers, then put them back. At the back of his closet was a pair of brown shoes he seldom wore. They were cap toe oxfords with very plain styling, not even decorative seams. His mother thought them too plain and pushed him to wear the black wingtip shoes she had bought him for Christmas, so the brown shoes had been worn one time, spending the last five month in the back of the closet.

“Time to come out,” Peyton whispered, the irony of what he said not lost to him.

Peyton stuck his head into the family room, seeing his dad watching the news and his mother in the kitchen preparing dinner.

“I’m leaving.”

“What are you doing tonight?” his mother asked.

“Just going to grab dinner somewhere then maybe see a movie. I’m not sure.”

“Be home by 11:30,” said his father without looking away from the television.

“I know,” Peyton replied, feeling like a kid with his curfew.

He went out the back door, crossed the yard to the carport where his Jeep sat parked. He was to meet Eli at the coffee shop on Government Boulevard near Interstate 65. The shop stayed open late and parked near the shop next door, his Jeep could be left for the evening without fear someone would mess with it. He looked at his watch and saw he had plenty of time to get there so he drove secondary roads to kill time and to calm his nerves.

Eli checked himself in the mirror one last time. A simple plaid shirt from the mall and a pair of jeans. He wanted to avoid expensive clothes that would make him stand out, and possibly turn off Peyton. He wanted to look normal, just another eighteen-year-old guy out on a date. A date. The word made him smile, really smile like he had not done in a long time. And he felt nervous, a good kind, like there was nothing put possibly in front of him. He grabbed up his keys, cellphone, and wallet, then headed out. He avoided his parents and Mrs. Benson, the housekeeper, going down the formal stair in the foyer, then slipping through the front parlor and out a side door to the wrap around porch. He had parked in front on the street, and he wasted no time getting into his car and taking off. He would be early, but he couldn’t wait a minute longer inside his home.

As Eli drove out to the coffee shop, he smiled at how he looked. None of his friends would go out on a date without a haircut and getting an overnight delivery of new clothes. He hadn’t had a haircut in two weeks, or was it three, and his clothes came from the mall, granted purchased that morning, but they were what his friends would call ‘common’. A slur, he knew, but for him on this night, it was comforting. He didn’t have to go to extreme lengths to go out with Peyton and he hoped before the night was over, he could relax and just be himself.

Pulling into the parking lot and circling the coffee shop to the parking lot between it and the adjacent shop, he saw the Jeep parked in front of him. Easing into the parking space on the driver’s side, he saw Peyton lean over and watch him pull into the space.

Passenger side window lowering, Eli didn’t wait for it to finish.

“Come on, get in. I got us reservations for dinner in about 45 minutes.”

“Reservations?” Peyton uttered as he got in and buckled up.

“I know how that may sound, but the restaurant is not that pretentious and…I just didn’t want to get stuck waiting for an hour to get seated,” said Eli.

“No, reservations are good. It’s not like we never…well, mom and dad have to get them for their favorite restaurant. Their date night,” Peyton added as way of explanation.

“Well, tonight is a date night,” Eli replied as he eased out of the parking space.

“Like I told you, I have to be back at eleven to get home on time. Mom and dad are pretty strict about getting home by eleven thirty.”

“Won’t be a problem.”

“Do your parents give you a curfew?”

Eli made his way to the main road, checked the traffic, then eased out accelerating away. Peyton looked over a couple of times, beginning to think he had not heard him.

They were a block up the street before Eli replied.

“I have to be home by midnight, but my friends stay out all night, telling their parents they are crashing at someone’s house.”

“You don’t do it?”

“Never had a reason.”

The restaurant was in downtown, but one Peyton had never been for it was not in the main business district, instead out on the outskirts. Eli pulled into a parking lot on the next block, then paid the fee at the kiosk near the entrance.

“Come on, I’m hungry,” said Eli.

They walked side by side, both tempted to reach for the other’s hand. But it wasn’t something seen in Mobile and neither wanted to draw attention to themselves, not on this their first date.

Seated at a two top in an alcove of a side dining room, they ate and talked about their childhoods then plans for college. They talked in hushed tones for the small room didn’t have the noise of many conversations, the other diners just as quiet. After Eli paid, they strolled back to the car.

“What do you want to do now?” asked Peyton.

“I thought we’d take a drive somewhere,” Eli replied.

“Where?”

“You’ll see.”

Eli got on I-10 heading south. They passed the Downtown Airport where Eli pulled off on Dauphin Island Parkway. He continued south until they could see Mobile Bay to their left. A short distance further, Eli slowed, then turned into a small park that sat along the shoreline of the bay.

“I’ve never been here before,” said Peyton.

“Some of my friends like to boat around the bay and Dog River, then cookout on the beach at this park. I’ve not been in some time.”

Once parked, Eli led Peyton down the narrow beach and looked out over the bay. The sun was below the horizon and the sky was quickly darkening. Lights were coming on across the bay. Peyton knew it would be Fairhope and Point Clear directly across the bay and to the south, there was the shadowy outline of Gaillard Island.

“This is nice,” whispered Peyton.

“Come on, let’s go the shelter,” said Eli, taking his hand for the first time and leading him northward, past the parking lot to the small open structure that sat near the water’s edge.

After sitting silently until both felt a tension they couldn’t explain, they began to look at the other’s silhouette wondering how far they could push things. One of them had to do something. Eli moved first, a slow lean toward Peyton.

“Will you kiss me?”

Peyton leaned toward Eli, closing the distance until lips touched. The first was a simple touch of the lips, and they pulled back and looked at the dark silhouette of the other.

“That was nice,” Eli whispered. He moved to Peyton and kissed him again, this time with more passion. He put a hand on Peyton’s side and slipped it around the narrow waist, pulling them closer together. Peyton put a hand on his thigh, so close to his cock it flexed within the confines of his jeans. He wanted the hand to move up his thigh. Using his other hand, he reached out and touched Peyton on the chest. A rub upward, then down until near the waistband. His mind a cascade of thoughts, of what he wanted, of what Peyton would be willing to do, and where it could lead. Without hesitation, he reached for the button, knowing Peyton had not put on a belt. A rough tug and the button slipped free, and Peyton moaned into his mouth.

Eli felt Peyton’s hand move up his thigh as he struggled with the zipper. A shift in position by Peyton and he tugged it down letting the jeans spread open. Peyton’s hand was on his upper thigh and fingers rubbed over his crotch. He could feel the fingers find his cock, rub over it, then feel along its length. He slipped his hand down inside Peyton’s jeans, behind the boxers, feeling the smooth skin, then pubic hair and finally the hard base of a cock. Another guy’s cock. Peyton moaned and shifted again, then leaned back giving him more room to manipulate the trapped cock. Eli worked his fingers along its length feeling the tightly stretched skin over the rock-hard shaft, then the spongy head. Another moan and the feel of a cock flexing with his touch.

“Let me,” Eli uttered as he worked the jeans and boxers down enough to free Peyton’s cock. The hard cock filled his hand as he savored the feel of it within his grasp. He scooted back breaking the contact of Peyton’s hand on his own cock so he could lean over further. Everything was in dark shadow, but he knew where to lean down and soon his lips touched the head of Peyton’s cock. He kissed it then licked it. Then he slipped his lips over the head and pushed down as far as he could go.

Peyton leaned back and watched the head move up and down on his cock. He felt the hot slick mouth, the tongue that would swipe at head of his cock, and the hot exhales. He couldn’t hold back, and began to pump his hips, thrusting upward until choking Eli.

A beam of light moved over the ground nearby and Peyton looked around to see someone heading in their direction.

“Eli,” Peyton whispered in a rushed excited tone, “Eli, stop! Someone’s coming.”

Eli sat up and Peyton quickly got his jeans back in place. They sat still on the bench pretending not to notice the person approaching. The beam of light grew brighter, then shined over them.

“What are you boys doing?” A man’s voice with a tone of authority.

“Huh?” Eli replied as they turned to the light.

It was a Park Ranger, his hat giving him away even in the dark.

“We were just looking over the bay and talking,” said Peyton, wondering how the ranger would interpret the nervous tone.

“Well, the park’s closed, so you boys need to leave.”

“Yes, sir,” Peyton and Eli replied in unison, climbing to their feet.

Eli pulled out on the road and accelerated away. Peyton looked over and in the dashboard lights, saw the wide-eyed look he was feeling. The fear of nearly getting caught and the excitement of having gotten as far as they had. Another guy had touched him. Had taken his cock out and gotten it hard as rock. Then there had been the feel of a mouth on it. And he had touched the guy, feeling his cock.

They would go back into downtown and spend the rest of the night at a coffee shop barely talking, instead, just looking at each other and grinning like fools.

The next night, Peyton was once again waiting for Eli to pick him up. Eli had told him to dress casual for they would just hangout, so Peyton had on a loose-fitting white tank top and comfortable worn and frayed jeans. The BMW’s headlights swung across the parking lot then aimed at him standing at the back of his Jeep. The car pulled up next to him, passenger window going down.

“Come on, hop in,” Eli called out.

“What are we going to do?” asked Peyton as he buckled his seatbelt. He had noticed Eli was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans as worn and frayed as his own.

“I thought we would grab something to eat then…” Eli replied, not finishing his sentence, letting Peyton wonder what he was planning.

“Then?”

“You’ll see. How do you feel about a burger at that place on Dauphin?”

“Oh, I love that place.”

Eli drove into downtown but instead of getting on Dauphin Street, he turned on St Michael Street, crossing downtown until he came to St Joseph Street. He drove to the next street, one way back the way they had came and turned. Two blocks down, he turned into a parking lot between a hotel and a commercial building.

“Can you park here?” asked Peyton.

“Yep, it’s not a problem.”

Cutting across the parking lot until on the sidewalk, they headed south to Dauphin Street, then down to the end of the block where their destination was located. It was Saturday night and just past six o’clock and the restaurant was packed.

“How long is the wait?” Peyton asked as they approached the hostess.

“About forty-five minutes, but there is a couple of tables in the bar available if you want to sit there,” the hostess replied.

“Yes, that works,” Eli replied leaning over Peyton’s shoulder.

It was a two-top along the back wall, a bar height table and chairs that kept them from feeling like they were sitting too low with all the customers standing along the central bar. They watched the crowd, Eli seeing a couple of classmates across the room, thankful they were just leaving and had not seen him.

“You come here a lot?” asked Peyton.

“About once a month or so. You?”

“About the same, although I’ve not been here since the holidays.”

The waiter took their order, brought their drinks, leaving them to talk about their lives circling around the obvious. How Peyton’s family had been very poor, but his parents had worked hard, climbing out of their situation, and making a nice living for their family. Austin and Becky had told him of Christmas mornings with only a few gifts for the two of them, but each year after Austin turned eight and Becky five, they were getting more and better presents. By the time he arrived and was old enough to remember, he recalled how he always got what he wanted, as long as it was within reason. He laughed at a memory from those earlier times.

“What’s so funny?” Eli asked.

“When I was twelve, I wanted a horse.”

“A horse?”

“Yep. Can you imagine someone having a horse in their backyard? At the time, I saw no problem with it.”

“That was definitely unreasonable. What did you get?”

“A bicycle, and my own television. My sisters never let me watch what I wanted on the one they shared,” said Peyton smiling at the memory.

“What about you? What did you get when you turned twelve?” asked Peyton.

“Twelve? I’m not sure I remember the years right, but I think it was the one I got to go to Disney World with two friends for three days after Christmas, and a bike. I got a bicycle too. I had outgrown the one I had gotten the year before.”

“Your burgers,” the waiter interrupted as he set their plates down.

“Thanks,” Eli replied.

They continued comparing their lives, Peyton at times shocked at the extravagance of Eli’s life. The noise of the bar became white noise as they grew more focused on the other, their conversation more intimate and personal. Once they finished and Peyton paid the check at Eli’s objection, they strolled out to the sidewalk.

“Okay Eli, what are we doing now?”

“It’s twelve after seven, and since you have to be home by eleven thirty, that gives us less than four hours.”

“And?”

“So, follow me,” Eli replied heading to the corner and turning back to the north.

They walked along the sidewalk, past the building with the restaurant, then along the side of a hotel. At a side door, Eli approached it while taking out a keycard.

“What are you doing?” asked Peyton.

“Taking you up to my room.”

“You got a hotel room? A room here?”

“Yep. Come on, let’s not waste all night out here talking about it.”

Peyton entered the guest room excited by how he felt rebellious. To have a place without prying eyes to do what he wished. He turned to Eli and watched him secure the door then approach. A grin, one he recognized, then hands holding him by the arms and lips pressed against his own. He walked backward pulling Eli to follow. The bed hit the back of his legs and he fell back holding firmly to Eli’s arms.

Peyton let one hand move over Eli as he felt a hand move over him. Along the side of torsos, to the back pulling them closer to together, then down between them, each explored the other. They dug fingers into the crotch searching for the other’s cock. They manipulated each other until hard. Eli pushed Peyton to his back and kissed along the smooth jaw, down the long neck, and over the shoulder. Eli ran a hand along Peyton’s waist, slipped it under the tail of the tank top and ran it over the heaving stomach pushing the shirt up.

Peyton gasped and moaned as he felt Eli rake fingers over his stomach and chest. He felt the constriction of his clothes, the way they prevented him from really feeling Eli against him. He pushed up with his hips making his cock flex with his arousal. Fingers toyed with a nipple, then pinched down on it. He cried out, arced his back, and shivered.

“Let me…let me get out of my clothes,” Peyton uttered. He needed to get naked, needed to feel Eli against his bare flesh.

Eli sat up and watched him pull the tank top off, then lean back and work his jeans and boxers off. Hard cock flopped against his stomach. Then a hand took it, then a mouth enveloped it. Peyton lay back and moaned.

How long Eli sucked on his cock, Peyton had no idea but suddenly he was aware of Eli being naked too. He leaned up and saw the thick hard cock curved up between Eli’s thighs. He reached for it, felt the thickness within his grasp. He rubbed his fingers over the head then down the shaft. He looked up and saw Eli had his eyes closed. They opened and looked at him with desire.

“Can I…will you let me?” asked Eli.

“Yes,” Peyton replied, tugging Eli’s cock toward him. He raised his legs to Eli’s shoulders as he had seen online and watched Eli move over him. Hands took each leg and pushed them apart as they pushed them over. Peyton folded in half, ass up, and he tugged on Eli’s cock, pulled it toward his ass. He wanted it. Wanted it so bad his own cock flexed against his stomach then leaked his slick on it.

“Put it in me,” Peyton whispered as he rubbed Eli’s cock over his opening.

Eli pushed, gently, slowly, stretching Peyton open then boring into his depths. An inch, then another, and another, until sunk all the way inside of him. He held still while feeling the tight grip of hands on his thighs. Fingers digging into his tensed muscle. He saw how Peyton lay pinned beneath him, head back, eyes closed, and mouth open. The fingers loosened their grip and he tugged outward, slowly, feeling the tight opening along his cock as it slid through it. He tugged outward until only the head remained inside Peyton, then he pushed inward, slowly, all the way and this time he didn’t hold still. Instead, he tugged outward, then pushed inward, over and over until in a slow fuck. He worked his hips, drove his cock into Peyton’s depths eventually forcing him to stir from his paralysis from the initial penetration.

“Eli…” Peyton uttered as he threw arms over his head and arched his back.

Eli pinned each leg to the mattress holding himself over Peyton, and he increased his pace. He fucked harder, faster, flesh smacking against flesh. The bed rocked beneath them, and Peyton cried out.

“Fuck me. Fuck me…harder.”

Eli was so aroused by this first time he couldn’t hold back. He felt it, the surge of release, and he shoved into Peyton’s depths and came, shuddering and shaking with every ejaculation.

Eli rose, still gasping for breath and looked down between them. Cum was smeared on their stomachs and Peyton was spent, his cock slimy with cum. He eased his own cock from Peyton and eased to his side next to him.

“You came too?” Eli asked, but knowing it was more a fact.

“Yeah,” Peyton whispered. “When you were coming, it just, I don’t know, made me come too.”

“Did you like it? I mean, you don’t regret anything, do you?”

“What?! No.”

Eli lay still, just staring at Peyton. He looked at the shape of his nose, the way the eyebrows arched over the eyes, how the cheeks were flushed, and along the jaw and over the chin and upper lip the faintest outline of a beard. A teenager becoming a man. He felt it himself. This change in how he viewed himself. Someone on the cusp of truly being a man, no longer questioning who he was.

“Let’s take a shower,” Eli whispered as he sat up and took Peyton by the hand. “Come on, shower with me.”

Peyton smiled as he made Eli pull him upright, then he crawled off the bed and let Eli lead him into the bathroom. He was naked and didn’t feel self-conscious about it. He looked at Eli, the long back and round ass cheeks that moved with every step. He thought of Eli’s cock, how it had been so thick in his hand, then how it felt inside him. The push and pull through his opening until it caused him to come.

Eli had the shower running warm when he tugged Peyton in and slid the glass door closed.

“Let me,” said Eli as he took the small bar of soap and soaped up his hands.

Peyton leaned back against the back wall, the shower angled down and over, hitting the glass door. Eli ran soapy hands over his shoulders, down his chest, stomach, and rising cock. One hand soaped the loose sac until it began to tighten, and Eli circled it with thumb and index finger and tugged. The cock rose and flexed up and down and Peyton moaned.

Eli moved to Peyton, kissing the soapy neck, up along the jaw until lips were pressed against lips while hands moved over Peyton’s body. One slide to the ass cheeks, soapy fingers sliding along the crevice moving deeper and deeper until raking over the loosened opening while the other stroked cock until it was hard as rock.

Peyton moaned and pushed his cock through the fist. He shuddered when fingers breached his opening and sank into his depths. Eli turned to him, let go of his cock and pressed body against body, the soap allowed them to move slickly over each other. Eli pressed Peyton against the wall, pushed hardening cock against Peyton’s full erection.

“Eli. Eli. Do me. Put it in me again…please.”

Eli guided Peyton to turn. With hands and face pressed against the cool tile, Peyton stepped back, angling his ass outward. Eli guided his feet further apart and moved into position. Raking soapy cock up and down the spread ass, Eli stroked Peyton until he heard the pleading and begging for him to do it. He put his cock to the opening and eased through, slowly sinking inch after inch into Peyton. He pushed until hips pressed against ass then he kissed the back of his neck.

Peyton felt the penetration, how it seemed centered in his body. He felt complete, total, and despite what so many believed, a man. He opened his eyes and saw his own cock flex up and down. So aroused he could hardly breathe. He pushed back against Eli.

“Fuck me.”

Eli tugged his cock outward until it hovered between them, then he pushed it back into Peyton. Slowly, gently, sinking every inch into him. He held the narrow waist and kept it up, this slow tug outward, then the plunge back into Peyton’s depths. Over and over, he worked himself through the tight opening until he could no longer hold back.

“Fuck, you feel so good,” Eli uttered as he increased his pace.

Soon the sound of flesh smacking against flesh echoed in the small bathroom. It rocked Peyton against the wall and his cock flopped between his thighs. A hand slipped around his waist and took it, stroking roughly with the same urgent pace. He moaned and grunted and worked his body back and forth. A push back on the cock thrusting inward, then a push forward, shoving his cock through the fist.

Peyton came first, shuddering and jerking with every ejaculation as he painted the tile wall with his cum. Then he felt the hard push inward, then a shuddering body against his back, and knew Eli was doing the same.

“We need to get dressed and go,” Eli whispered as he ran his fingers over the smooth chest and stomach.

Peyton lay against him, both still naked. There were soft caresses, then fingers following contours or circling nipples, navels, and flaccid cocks while they giggled and bantered quietly back and forth.

“What time is it?” Peyton finally asked after a few minutes had passed.

“Time to go. Come on, get up,” Eli replied, pushing Peyton to sit up.

On the way back to Peyton’s Jeep, Eli drove, slowly as they looked at the scenes of Saturday night in downtown. The windows were down, and the warm humid air swirled around the interior. They were silent for half the distance back. Both thinking the same thing. Both pondering how to go forward. How they didn’t want to wait until fall to be able to openly see each other.

“Have you considered telling you parents?” asked Peyton.

“Yes. And you?”

“Before I met you, I always saw myself waiting until college.”

“Making sure you had a place to escape if the conversation went south?”

Peyton laughed but more with frustration than any sense of humor. “Something like that.”

“And now?”

“Now? Now, I want to tell the whole world.”

“You serious? About telling your parents.”

“I think so.”

“I have to admit to considering the same thing.”

“How do you think they will respond?”

“I’d like to think with acceptance, but I’m sure there will be a bit of shock.”

Eli turned into the parking lot where Peyton’s Jeep was parked. He eased through it until sitting behind the Jeep in the drive aisle. Peyton reached for the door release, then stopped and looked around.

“Would you come over and be with me if I tell my parents?”

“As support?”

“Yes.”

Eli saw the opportunity. Another guy wanting to take the step he so longed to do himself.

“If you’d do the same for me.”

“Of course.”

“You’re seriously considering it.”

“Call me tomorrow night,” Peyton replied before leaning over and giving Eli a quick kiss.

Peyton came home the next Friday from school to find Becky and Jean in the kitchen with his mother.

“What’s the occasion?”

“Peyton, Austin wanted all of us to have dinner together. He has something to tell us,” Becky replied.

“He finally asked Marie to marry him?”

“We think so,” their mother replied and even though she had not turned to face them, they knew she was smiling at the prospect of her oldest finally settling down.

For Peyton it was a disaster. A cluster fuck of unimaginable proportions. Eli was due to arrive in an hour, enough time for his father to get home. He had thought it would be just the three of them, or at best, Becky or Renee would be there, one of them home from college. But everyone was going to be there and worse, it was for some announcement by his brother. He felt short of breath and his heart was pounding so hard he wondered if anyone else could hear it.

“I’ll be in my room,” Peyton finally stated as he rushed out of the kitchen and down the short hall to his room. He heard Renee as he entered the hall.

“What’s up with him?”

Peyton paced around his room, pulled out his cellphone bringing up Eli’s number, then switching to messages and typing a message, then deleting it, not sure what he should do. He wanted to tell Eli not to come over, that they could do it some other time. But he kept holding back, unable to stop what he had set in motion.

He heard Austin and Marie come into house through the front door, then a few minutes later, his father come into the kitchen through the back door. There was laughter, then conservation too muted for him to understand. He lay on his bed staring up feeling like he could hyperventilate. Every breath a struggle.

The doorbell chimed and he sat up in a full panic.

Everyone was in the living room. Austin, Marie, and their mom on the sofa. Their dad in the armchair that sat in the position of most prominence, the one that faced the doorway from the foyer, the place Peyton stood next to Eli. Everyone had assumed Eli was just another classmate come over to play video games. Peyton had done nothing to make them think otherwise. In the two armchairs opposite the sofa sat Becky and Renee.

Peyton heard his brother stammer and stumble over his words, then confess he had asked Marie to marry him. Marie held out her hand showing the engagement ring which caused his sisters to lean over the coffee table for a closer look and his mother to swoon in delight. He saw his family in a moment of happiness, everyone smiling. Everyone except him. He was scared, truly afraid. He felt tears trickle down his cheeks thinking how so unfair it was for him, not to be able to say he was dating Eli. Without thinking he reach over and slipped his hand into Eli’s. He didn’t see Eli look over shocked, but he saw his father’s eyes widen. His mother noticed the change in his father then looked over too. She fell silent causing the others to look over.

“Peyton?” his mother asked.

Peyton stood silent, afraid to say anything. He saw Becky and Renee look at him with a confused expression, then he saw Austin smile at him. It was gentle, just a simple smile.

“Peyton, tell them,” Austin uttered in a low voice.

“Tell us what?” asked their father.

“So, its true,” said Renee looking around at Austin. “You called it, big brother.”

“What’s true?” asked their mother.

“I’m gay,” Peyton finally responded.

Peyton lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling. Eli sat backward in his desk chair, arms resting on its back. The house still hummed with the muted voices of everyone else in the living room. An occasional laugh, then a cry out by someone, usually Renee, the loudest of the family.

“Are you okay?” asked Eli.

“Yes,” Peyton replied. Three hours ago, he was prepared for the worst, or he thought he had been. He had seen his father’s expression when he had said it, the eyes widen, the mouth change into a frown. His mother looked shocked, mouth open, eventually covering it with her hand. Then there was Austin’s voice. Calm, speaking normally. At first, Peyton didn’t comprehend a word he was saying, then a phrase jumped out. He heard it repeated by Becky.

…I told you Peyton was probably gay… 

‘You knew’ Peyton had responded causing Austin to nod.

“I think your parents handled it fairly well,” said Eli.

“Yes.”

“Austin is great. Really supportive, as are your sisters.”

“Yeah, they’re great.”

“I was surprised you mother gave me hug.”

Peyton sat up. He looked at Eli and smiled.

“They’re good, really good, aren’t they?”

“Yeah.”

Peyton fell back and laughed.

The next night across town, Peyton stood by Eli. It was a repeat of the night before. Eli’s father in the most prominent chair, his mother on the sofa, only this time it was the youngest, Savannah, sitting next to her. Opposite sat Charles Edward, Eli’s oldest brother and his girlfriend. It was eerily the same. But it wasn’t in the way it felt. So much more formal, the front parlor so grand with its antique furniture that had been handed down for generations. And tonight, no one else had a big announcement to act as a diversion.

“Go on, Eli, what is it?” asked his mother.

“Mom. Dad. I…”

“Wait,” Charles Edward interrupted.

Everyone looked at Charles Edward and smiles spread around the room, confusing Eli and Peyton.

“Are we really going to make him do some confession?” asked Charles Edward.

“No,” their father replied, coming to his feet. He moved to the wall where old family photos collaged it. He pointed to one near the periphery.

“Eli, do you remember my Uncle William?”

“He died in a car wreck.”

“Yes.”

“He had taken off after a fight with dad. He had come out, told our parents he was gay, and after a big argument, he…left.”

“Huh?” Eli uttered.

“He died two days later in an accident outside Atlanta. He was heading north.”

“You never mentioned this before.”

“We didn’t bring it up for we were worried about you. We thought we knew why, but we were not sure, so we kept it to ourselves. We didn’t want to make it an issue with you if it were something else that was bothering you,” their mother added.

“The thing is you’re not the first in the family. Grandfather’s oldest brother was rumored to be gay too. He left home for the military and never came back,” their father said as he came back to his chair. “Son, we weren’t sure about you until tonight. Peyton is obviously more than a friend. How long?”

“How long?” asked Eli.

“We just started dating,” Peyton answered, knowing what was being asked.

“Excuse me, but dinner is ready,” said a woman who had quietly entered the parlor from a side door.

“Thanks Mrs. Benson,” their mother replied. “Shall we move to the dining room. We have much to find out about Peyton,” she added with a smile.

“Come on, the interrogation is to begin with torture during dessert,” said Charles Edward, giving Peyton a mischievous grin.

The old house was never quiet, even when everyone was gone. There was the ticking of the clock as it chimed on the hour and half hour. There was the rushing sound of forced air through diffusers as the air conditioning fought to keep the interior cooler than the exterior. Mrs. Benson was in the kitchen putting away a few pans, then she was going to retire for the night. On the kitchen island were two place settings and on the stove a beef stew she had prepared for Eli and Peyton. They were upstairs in Eli’s room, and she knew not to disturb them. With everyone else gone for the weekend, the house belonged to Eli. As she left the kitchen, she smiled at the thought of what was going on upstairs. Two young men who were dating, alone for the weekend. Her own mother would have been horrified, but she knew there was much about people her mother had never accepted.

Upstairs, down the long hall behind a closed door, the moans and exclamations of Eli and Peyton filtered out. Within, their bodies moved against the other.

They were on the bed, the covers kicked to the foot of it, while they undulated together. Peyton on bottom on his stomach. Eli on top, moving against him.

Eli held Peyton’s hands down and pushed into his depths, over and over, rocking the bed with their rhythm. He fucked slowly, savoring the feel of it. Every inch he pushed into Peyton. The caress of hot skin against hot skin. The slick rubs as hands explored the other. The rhythm of their breathing, locked in sync. Eli kissed the back of the neck and along one shoulder while listening to Peyton’s soft pleadings. He was so aroused it was a struggle to hold his slow pace.

“Roll over,” Eli uttered as he climbed to his knees.

Peyton lay on his back, lifting his legs for Eli to take. Hands held each one behind the knee, pushing forward until knees pressed against the bed. Folded in half, ass raised up, Peyton felt his exposure, this submission to Eli. Wet cock rubbed his ass, then centered on his loosened opening. He reached out and dug his fingers into straining thighs.

“Eli!” Peyton uttered breathlessly.

The cock breached his opening and sank into his depths. Pushed until their bodies pressed together. Eli hovered over Peyton, hands holding each leg and began to fuck. To fuck hard. He worked his hips until muscles burned with his exertion. The smack of flesh against flesh echoed in the room.

Peyton slipped a hand between them and took his own cock in hand. He struggled with his position and aroused state to stroke with a rhythm. Working fingers over the head, he felt its slickness. Rocking in rhythm to Eli’s fuck, he manipulated his own cock.

Eli was so aroused he couldn’t hold back, rising up and fucking as hard as he could. The bed protested, squeaking and rocking, and Peyton grunted with each full thrust into his depths.

“Fuck, fuck,” Peyton uttered.

Eli hammered his cock inside of Peyton, hips smacking ass, then he shoved all the way into him and came. As he shuddered with release, he felt cum hit his chest. Peyton had come too.

Bodies cooling as sweat evaporated from their skin, Eli lay on his bed with his head on a pillow and Peyton perpendicular to him, head resting on his stomach and legs dangling over the side of his bed. Eli twirled strands of Peyton’s hair. Peyton lay with eyes closed.

“You got everything ready to go?” Peyton whispered.

Eli knew Peyton was referring to them leaving week after next for college.

“Yes, although mom wants to go clothes shopping again next week.”

Peyton giggled, knowing there was no way Eli could take a fraction of his clothes.

“I’m still surprised our parents agreed to us living together,” whispered Peyton.

“Dad said he was no fool.”

“And my dad just smiles and shakes his head when it is brought up.”

“I can’t believe you gave up the Jeep.”

“I’m still driving a Jeep.”

“An old Cherokee. It’s not the same.”

“The CJ needs to be under roof.”

“True.”

“Your mom said something about your car. Are you trading?”

“She thought she was going to pawn off that Range Rover on me, but I told her I’d keep the old BMW.”

“She’s ready to trade?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t forget next Saturday we’re hanging out with the guys.”

“Jordan can make it.”

“I thought he was going to be at the beach?”

“His father had to fly overseas, so their vacation is pushed back a week.”

“What time is it?”

“Quarter to four.”

“Mom wants us to arrive by five, so we need to shower and get dressed.”

“Well, let’s get up. She’ll give us shit if we’re late.”