"All Eyes Watching"

[Agincourt]

This discussion is about the story All Eyes Watching, currently comprising two chapters so far. The story is unfinished.

 

High school student Gabe has come out to his female friend Summer, his cousin Bobby, and his mom (who kind of overreacts in the supportive direction), all with no major problems. With some trepidation he decides to come out to his longtime bud Jason, who also seems fine with it (though, to Gabe's disappointment, confirms that he is straight). Gabe feels better having revealed himself to these friends.

 

A month later, Summer and Jason invite Gabe to go with them to a cafe on the other side of town for a specialty warm cider available there. Shortly after they are seated, another boy named Niles shows up. He is incredibly dishy and Gabe's eyes are out on stalks when he sits down. Gabe bashfully tries to avoid revealing his attraction for Niles. Then Jason and Summer both find reasons to leave the table, leaving Niles and Gabe together. As they talk, Gabe's infatuation grows, and then the stunner: Niles reveals that while he supplies his friend Jason with girlie magazines from the newsstand he works at, he himself is not interested in them.

 

"So...you don't like...girls. Right?" I asked. DUMB question, Gabe! Jesus! Niles blushed a bit, and shyly looked down at his hands. "I like 'em just fine. I'm just not attracted to them sexually, you know?" He said. His eyes looked up at me briefly, and it felt like my very soul had just fallen out of my body completely and left a shell sitting there at that table with him. "I'm just not one for hiding it, you know? I'll never get a boyfriend that way." Niles let his smile warm my heart from across that table, and his lips never looked so soft. So kissably soft.

 

"Oh..." I said.

 

"Hehehe, again with the 'ohs'!" Niles giggled. "C'mon, it CAN'T be all that shocking, can it?"

 

"No. Not at all, I just...it's cool." I said, and then...smiled. "It's...it's REALLY cool, actually." I didn't know what to feel. I mean, at first, I was bewildered. Then I was kinda turned on. Then I was self conscious. Then turned on again. Then...confused. And after that, something strange happened. All of that emotion seemed to swirl itself up into a big ball, and it turned into this polluted mixture of being hurt and being angry. All of the sudden, it turned cold, and this new emotion hit me out of nowhere. But it clicked. I got it. Jason's friend, this cafe way on the other side of town, Summer's grin, and this heartbreaking teen boy model just so HAPPENS to be gay, and meeting us on a Saturday afternoon? I was being SET UP! Goddammit! My own friends set me up! They left the table and purposely tried to push me off on this guy like some kind of desperate farm animal that had to be mated for better production of goods! I was SO humiliated at that moment that I didn't know what to do!

 

They made a sucker out of me...and in front of one the cutest, most deliciously handsome boys on the entire planet! Sighhhhh...I am REALLY gonna hurt them when they get back!

This leaves Gabe with two largely self-created problems:

 

1. For some reason, he is furious with his two friends for conspiring to put him together with this dishy gay guy who seems like prime boyfriend material. In his perverse logic, it seems like he's ready to reject Niles simply on this basis. (Luckily he gets over this in due course.)

 

2. More seriously, he feels totally inadequate to pursue a relationship with Niles, despite Niles's obvious interest in him. He's convinced Niles must already have a boyfriend (not true, according to Jason), and would never be interested in someone as uninteresting as him (also not true, from what we can see).

 

In the meantime, there is a humorous interlude where Gabe's over-eager mother jumps to the conclusion that Gabe and Jason are fooling around sexually, and purports to set up ground rules for Jason's visits to the house.

 

Luckily for the story (and a potential relationship), Niles persists, and gives Jason his phone number to pass along to Gabe. Gabe finally works up the courage to call Niles, and some nervous conversation ensues, where it's obvious that Niles is still very interested. Gabe's nerves get the better of him, and he makes an excuse to have to get off the phone -- but not before agreeing that he will see Niles that weekend.

 

"Shit....shit....omigod....wow...." I whispered to myself, panting outloud. I was literally making myself dizzy from breathing so hard. I let the phone drop off of my stomach and it fell over the side of the bed, hitting the floor. I reached both of my hands up to my face to hold my cheeks together as my smile threatened to split my head open! Ok...ok...so I sounded like a big dork, and I TOTALLY freaked out in the end...but I TALKED to him! I really TALKED to him! And he wants to talk to me some more! And he wants us to...'catch up' on stuff. My God...what is this FEELING inside of me right now??? It's like...shaking me to pieces! I heard myself giggle a bit, and had to cover my mouth to stop. I rolled over on my side, feeling my whole body tingle from head to toe, and buried my face in my pillow. Then...as if I couldn't help myself...I screamed into it! I laughed at the sheer 'goofiness; of it, but to hell with all that! I just got off of the phone with the more gorgeous gay boy in the WORLD!!! And he wants to see me!!! AHHHHH!!!!! I've gotta find myself something to wear!

 

"Gabe? Are you ok?" My mom knocked, but didn't open the door. "I heard a scream..."

 

"I'm great, Mom. I'm...I'm great. Hehehe!" I sighed to myself. I couldn't have dimmed my smile even if I wanted to. I wondered if any of this would be possible if I hadn't told Jason I was gay. Or if I hadn't told Summer. Or my mom. I wondered what might have happened if I hadn't gone to the cafe that afternoon, or if I had chickened out at the last minute. I don't know, my mind was so out of focus on so many things at once that it hardly made a difference. All I knew was that I've got a weekend date with a HOTTIE!!! Hehehe, and...I don't know what I'm gonna do with myself when I get there, but I'm gonna take that first step towards being...'with' somebody. Somebody who's...interested.

 

As I laid there on my back, grinning like an insane asylum's 'least likely to be released' patient, I felt a lot of that weird confusion melt away. nd I almost became ANXIOUS to see Niles again. Anxious to talk to him, anxious to hold him, anxious to maybe even....sighhhh...but I guess that's the part of the process I can save for another day. Right now? I just wanna 'float' for a little while.

And there the story (currently) ends.

 

Will Niles and Gabe get together at last? Will Gabe overcome his nerves and allow himself to relax and enjoy being around Niles? Will they do the nasty together?

 

Also -- will Gabe become more open about his sexuality at school? What new silliness will his mother come up with when she learns about Niles?

 

Inquiring minds want to know!

 

 

A