Kitchen Assault
The next day, Matthew was the first to wake up. He peered over at the sweet blonde kid sleeping next to him and felt a twinge of guilt.
It was his fault that Alex had gotten hurt. If he had not gone to London, then Matthew would have been around to protect his best friend. He was so absorbed with his own remorse that he didn't notice Alex waking up.
"Matt … why do you look sad? Did I do something wrong?"
"Of course not, silly. How did you sleep?”
"Good," replied Alex, as he wiped his tired eyes. "Except for your sorry ass snoring all night."
"I did not snore!"
Matthew noticed a sly smile coming from his best friend.
"Okay, you didn't snore, but you kept farting in your sleep."
"Shut up! I did not do that!"
Matthew grabbed a pillow and swung it at his best friend. Alex ran for the door, but Matthew managed to grab his feet and trip him. They wrestle until Alex's mom reprimands them from downstairs.
"Go brush your teeth, fool. I'm gonna help your mom make breakfast."
* * * * *
Alex's mom was delighted that Matthew offered to help. In fact, she ran to the grocery store and left him and Sara in the kitchen. The two worked in silence, awkwardly avoiding each other until Matthew broke the ice.
"I'm sorry about what happened."
Sara didn't answer.
"It was my fault. I'm older. I should have known better.”
"You don't have to cover for me. I'm old enough to know what I did. How do you think it makes me feel? By denying my role … you’re also denying my feelings.”
"Sara, I didn't mean it that way ...."
"Don't you think I know that too?”
Plenty of girls had confessed their feelings to Matthew before. He had enough experience to know that the best strategy was to shut up and not interrupt them.
"Matt, I'm attracted to you and I don't care if you deny it."
Matthew could hear Alex in the shower and was glad that his best friend wasn't downstairs to witness the mess that he was in. He liked Sara, but saw her more as a younger sister. She was his best friend's sister and pursuing her was out of the question.
“Sorry. I feel like I'm making a fool of myself,” said Sara.
"You're not. I respect what you have to say."
"Matt, you must think I'm weak."
Sara laughed as she wiped away her tears.
"I think you’re brave."
"So are the rumors true … are you seeing an older woman?"
"Jesus Christ, is that what people are saying?"
"Yes!" laughed Sara.
"Can we please not talk about this?" pleaded Matthew.
"Thanks for talking to me again. I thought you were mad. And when I found out you weren’t, I blew up on you instead. Are women always this fickle around you?"
Matthew could only laugh at himself. He was glad to be on good terms with Sara again.
Sara quietly gazed at the handsome young man, wondering what he really thought of her.
"Matt, I know this sounds strange, but do you think I can have another kiss?"
"Sara, I don't think that’s a good idea. I'm a player and I don’t wanna be a bad influence."
"What makes you think I'm after your heart? I can be as much a player as you. Can I at least feel your chest?"
"That's like me asking you if I could feel your breasts."
"Do you want to?"
Sara gave a mocked expression of disbelief.
"I can't believe we're discussing this. I thought we were on good terms ...."
Sara approached Matthew and shut him up with her lips. As she kissed him and got him to kiss her back, she felt his body. She ran her hands down his back and grabbed his bubble butt. That was when she felt him weaken.
Matthew tried to resist but he ended up moaning instead.
Sara had placed both her hands on his chest and gotten him to back up against the kitchen counter. As she continued to make out with him, Sara pulled Matthew closer and pressed her groin to his. Even though they were both fully clothed, it felt like he was already inside of her, which caused him to moan. Only after a full ten minutes, did she finally back away.
But it was too late. Matthew was already harder than a rock.
"I can't believe you did that!"
Matthew was somewhat disappointed in his failure to control himself.
Sara looked pleased. She knew Matthew still wanted her. She had felt his crotch and it was unmistakable. In addition, she had made out with him and grabbed his butt. It was like she had won the lottery! Nevertheless, Sara decided that she was going to let him go. She liked him too much and didn't want to push her luck.
"Sara … you violated me. You can't do this."
"You're right. I'm sorry. My brother's done with his shower. Why don't you go clean up before mom gets back?"
"Sara, I'm serious."
“I know. I'm sorry. I just wanted to see your reaction."
"Sara, this isn't fair. You're one of the hottest girls I know. You could have any guy you want. It's not fair to play with me like this."
"You're absolutely right. Let's forget it, okay?"
Then they heard Alex approach the kitchen.
"Alex, I'm gonna take a shower. Why don't you start first?"
"I'll wait for you. Hurry up, loser."
Matthew contemplated his safety in the shower. What Sara did was wrong, yet his physical reaction confirmed the opposite. Replaying the scene in his mind, he looked for a solution. But when he realized that he was unconsciously stroking himself, he turned off the hot water and ran the cold water for a full sixty seconds.
* * * * *
After breakfast, the two boys went out to explore. They stopped near a small pond to rest on a fallen tree trunk.
"Matt, why did you dye your hair blonde?"
"Because I wanted to look like you."
"I think you look better in black."
"But girls dig blondes like yourself. I gave in to meet the competition."
"You never had competition."
"I had you. You may not have been aware of it, but all the girls in school were secretly into you. They only went out with me because they felt sorry for me."
"Whatever, Matt."
"So if you have any guy, who would you do?" asked Matthew.
"Enrique Iglesias."
"The Latin artist?"
"His 6’2” body is the perfect height."
"Who else?"
"Chris Hemsworth and Henry Cavill."
"How old are they?"
"Why does it matter?"
"I'm just curious about your appetite for older men."
The truth was, Matthew wanted to get a sense for whether it was normal to be attracted to older men.
"I think they’re all in their 40s."
"You would do someone twice your age?"
“I'd do Brad Pitt and he's 60.”
"Sounds like you’re into daddies."
“Personality-wise, I like the mature, dependable type. Looks-wise, I prefer someone who is bigger than me. Although this is my type, it is only one of my types. I can appreciate other types as well. It really depends on the person.”
"I see. Next question. Tell me what you want."
"I want … my family to be happy. I want my mom to be happy. I want my dad to come back. I want my sister to have a boyfriend. She's so beautiful, but because of me ...."
"And what about you? What do you want for yourself?"
"I want … to get away from this town. I want to forget all the bad stuff in the past. I wish I wasn't gay. Sorry, Matt … I don't mean to be so negative."
"No worries. I wish there was something I could do to make you happy, to make your family happy. I wish I had never left Georgia. I could have protected you and your family from all of the bad things that happened while I was gone."
"And what about you, Matt, what do you want for yourself?"
"I want you … in my life. I wanna be glued to your hips. I want us to be best buds forever. I think we should rent a place of our own. We can get jobs."
"That would be nice, except no one would wanna hire me."
"Of course they would! And if they don't, then no worries. I'll work for the both of us. You can help around the house, and when I get back from work I’ll help out too."
"I wish we could move somewhere else though."
"I have grandparents in San Diego. I think you’ll like the sunny weather and beaches in California.”
“I’ve always wanted to see the Pacific Ocean.”
They continued to talk about the future and its endless possibilities, until it started to rain and the approaching storm reared its head.
* * * * *
Author’s Note: This chapter is inspired by a scene from one of my favorite movies, What’s Eating Gilbert Great (1993).
* * * * *
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