The Boy from the Basement

I burst into tears. Allen was gone, and my life felt over. I laid down on the bed. I continued sobbing as the room became dark. I readjusted the pillow and found the t-shirt he wore just before bed.  It smelled like that shampoo he liked to use.  I held it close to me.  What possible reason would he have to leave?  I thought he was happy.

The alarm woke me, and I showered. My eyes were still red and puffy, and I felt like shit. I worried that my asshole boss might say the wrong thing, and I wouldn’t be able to hold back.

Work that day wasn’t too bad. The boss was in court all day, and as I got along with everyone, I was actually able to get a few things off my to-do list, but each time I paused, I thought of him.  I left the office at four and as I reached the corner where I first saw Allen, I didn’t want to go to an empty apartment.  I looked down the street at the Tarr Building. Was that the place Allen had been staying when I first met him?  He said he was staying in a basement using cardboard boxes to stay warm.

I decided to check it out. I walked toward the building and  tried to remember exactly what he had told me. He said that there were stairs that led down to the basement, but they were not visible from the street. The boarded-up ground floor windows lined the sidewalk. I looked up. The building was six stories tall; that was taller than most of the buildings built at the same time. Buildings from that period were not permitted to be any higher since firetrucks couldn't reach those floors from the street.

The back of the building had an overgrown parking lot and too much trash. People had been dumping here. I saw what looked like a stairwell, and as I got closer, I realized that’s exactly what it was. There should have been a sign that read ‘Fucking scary stairwell’ with an arrow pointing to this very spot. Shit, what if there were drug addicts down there.  I saw some used condoms and some syringes on the steps.

My eyes misted up as I thought about Allen having to endure places like this. I prayed he’d be alright no matter where he was, but I hoped he would be down there as I made haste to descend the stairs. The heavy door opened noisily; there’d be no stealth entrance from me.

The door’s closing echoed through the void.  There was no one in the basement. It was cold, dank, and dimly lit from a few windows. I walked across the mostly empty space. Support columns were scattered throughout. Tears now filled my eyes as I realized that I had no other idea of where to look for Allen. I glimpsed a few cardboard boxes piled against a support column, and I walked over to them. Is this where he spent so many cold nights?  Alone.

And now I was alone.

Sitting on the cardboard, I hung my head between my knees. Tears hit the concrete.  “Oh, Allen, where are you?  Please come back to me.”  I sat back up, and my hand touched a t-shirt. I held it up; it had some Darth Vader saying on it.  I was about to toss it to the side when I realized that I’d bought the shirt for Allen. He’d been here. Was he here now hiding from me? Did he not realize that it was I who was here. Maybe he thought it was just someone

“Allen? Are you here? It’s Ethan.” I stood up and looked around.  “Allen!”  I began to sob.

Allen stepped from behind a concrete support. “Ethan?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you here? Do you know how hard it was to leave?”

“Allen, baby. I didn’t want you to leave,” I said. I fought the tears.

“I need to make it on my own,” he told me.

I stepped closer to him. “I don’t understand.”

“I have to prove to myself that I can make it on my own.”

“But you already have,” I said. “You survived on your own. Do you know how many people could have survived down here? Not many. You did. And think about how long you were on your own. Sure. You could do it again. I know you could. But you don’t have to. We have each other now; we can help each other survive.”

“But I don’t offer you anything, and you give me everything.”

“What do you mean? You give me everything. You give me a reason to get up in the morning. You give me hope that the day is going to be a better day than the day before. From the first day that we were together, you gave me hope and joy.  Come home with me, Allen.”

“I don’t want to go to school, Ethan. Not yet, anyway. I know you want me to.”

“Yes, I do, but I never said that was a requirement, only an option,” I was breathing heavily.

“I want to try to get a job first. I applied at the Food Town.”

“That’d be perfect. Depending on your schedule, you can ride the bus, or I can pick you up.” I looked into his eyes. I could see he wanted to come with me. “Fuck, Allen, come hug me.  I’ve been dying without you.”

He ran to me and grabbed me. “I can’t believe you came looking for me.”

“I love you.  Don’t you know that I love you?  Let’s go home.”

“Home.”

“That’s right. Our home,” I told him.

“My bag’s right here. Sorry about taking your laundry bag.”

“It’s our laundry bag. But since it’s in your possession, you get to do the washing this week.”

“Fuck that!” Allen exclaimed. “All my clothes are clean inside this bag.” He laughed and kissed me. “But I’ll gladly clean yours.”

When we got back, I made him take a shower first, and then I took mine and prepared myself. After the shower, I came into the living room and pulled his towel off. I sucked him a little and then rimmed him. I made him think that he was going to bottom for me. Then I got him hard.

“Allen, baby, my ass wants you inside.”

“But…”

“OK, my butt wants you inside. Stick your dick inside me, baby.” I got on my back and spread my legs. Allen slipped his cock into me. It was a perfect fit. Each stroke made me realize how fortunate I was.  I was so excited to have him back that I came quickly.

Allen continued to fuck me with a nice slow, even rhythm. “It may take me all night to do this right.”

“Statistically,” I said, “you’ve got about 30 years to practice before ED becomes a possible problem. Let’s not waste a minute.”