Clueless Camping - 11. Confidential conversations II

I woke up feeling hot, thirsty, grotty and with an aching need to piss. Stumbling out of bed and into the bathroom I noticed Jacob was sitting at the table in the living room, apparently studying hard. After dealing with my most urgent need I drank a lot of cold water. I'd found Danish water to be great tasting straight from the tap, no need for the bottled variety around here. I’d seen Jacob fill bottles to put in the fridge, and he explained how protective Denmark is about their groundwater as the almost sole supply of drinking water.

Feeling the urge to relieve myself further, I sat down on the toilet and took care of matters while slowly waking up and getting used to the light. I was pleased to note I didn’t have a hangover, but having my eyes open still required some effort. Luckily I could lean my head against the drying rack with the towels. I noticed Jacob’s towel was only slightly damp from his morning shower; he must have gotten up early. I sat there contemplating the fun time Evan and I had in the club last night with each other and our awesome boyfriends.

Obviously, the next step was to get rid of the stale smell of sweat and sex. We should have showered last night, but I’d been too tired. I sighed with pleasure at the hot water cascading down my body and washed myself everywhere with Jacob’s scentless soap. Letting my hands roam and finishing with a careful cleaning of my private parts reminded me of our hot sixty-nine last night. Naturally, I ended up with a most enthusiastic erection. It persisted as I toweled myself dry, and this time I was determined not to disappoint my lover.

Ambling into the living room stark naked while drying my hair certainly got me Jacob’s undivided attention. Nice to know I could compete with his books and studies at any time.

“You’re up. How are you feeling?”

“Horny.” I clapped a hand over my mouth, not believing what I’d blurted out.

Jacob grinned. “Yes, I can see that. Wanna go back to bed?”

“No, it’s sort of smelly in there; I think we need to wash the sheets.” I tried once more to work out what the source of the distinct, but unfamiliar, cloying smell I had woken up to was. It wasn’t our normal male musk or sweat, but something extra. I knew I had encountered it once before on our trip, but hadn’t been able to place it in my sleepy state. But as Jacob reached out his hand and gave me a tender smile, it suddenly dawned on me.

One evening while we were at Skagen, Jacob got fairly drunk. It was the day after we had visited Grenen at the tip of Jutland, the same day as the ice cream incident. I now knew Jacob had realized he was in love with me, while I was completely oblivious; embarrassingly so…

***

We lit a small campfire, I nursed a Coke and Jacob drank beers while we talked. He was asking me all sorts of questions, some of them quite personal, and I tried to avoid answering or did my usual talking about Evan-my-clever-and-interesting-twin.

At first Jacob’s face had an intent and caring expression which confused me. I was unsure what it meant, and not even certain I was seeing it right in the flickering light from the fire. After a while it shifted to an annoyed frown, which upset me, because I hadn’t seen that on my cousin’s face before.

“Evan, Evan, Evan. Is that all you can talk about, Russell?” Jacob suddenly exclaimed, and I shrank back from him. He looked sad and immediately made amends.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to criticize – Hell, I guess if I was talking to Evan, he’d go on and on about his wonderful brother. He sure did when you were here five years ago.”

I stared at him in confusion. “Wha… what?”

“Didn’t you know? Whenever Evan and I were on our own, he would spend a good deal of time talking about you. And of course, during the first week you were in hospital he was absolutely frantic. Kristin spent most of her time with your mum, and your parents didn’t want Evan in your room, because your twin freaked out when he saw how sick you looked. So I took care of him, and he talked about you non-stop. Almost drove me crazy.”

Jacob gave a small laugh to show he was joking about the last bit and emptied his second can of beer. I was surprised when he immediately opened another and took a long drink. But his voice was as steady as ever, and the strange, soft look was back on his face.

“Anyway, I suppose it’s not unusual for twins to be close and miss each other when they’re apart. So if you want to talk about Evan, I’ll listen, Russell.”

His words made me realize how much I indeed missed Evan, and I felt tears form in the corner of my eyes. I needed a change of subject fast, and preferably nothing to do with my illness five years ago since that depressed me too.

“No, it’s fine, I guess I do go on a bit about Evan, sorry about that. What was it you asked me before?”

“Did you hang out with anyone in high school apart from Charlotte? And what did you do? I mean what do high school kids do in the US? I’m sure it’s different from Denmark.”

“Well, I didn’t really spend time with anyone, except Charlotte. Oh, sometimes we’d go with a bunch of other kids to the mall, have a meal or watch a movie, or I’d be part of a group watching Ev… I mean watching the varsity games. It’s sort of expected for us to support our teams when they compete against other schools.”

I paused, but Jacob nodded for me to go on and took another swig of beer.

“I didn’t have much in common with any of the guys in my high school class, or at least I don’t think so. Mostly I focused on keeping up with my lessons and my homework.”

“Didn’t you have group work? You know… joint projects to write together with two or three other people?”

“Yes, we did. Usually the teacher would assign us to groups, so I didn’t have to worry about not getting asked.”

“Why wouldn’t people ask you? Didn’t you do any work?”

“Yes of course. In fact I usually did those parts no one else wanted to do. It was a good strategy.”

“But not one that got you much appreciation, huh? More likely, they took it for granted after a while.”

Hmm, my cousin was perceptive, but he also sounded slightly disapproving. I wasn’t sure whether it was directed towards me or my fellow students.

“So, was there anyone you liked working with? Or anyone who seemed to like you?”

“Most of the girls treated me pretty well. But I guess that was because they liked Ev…” I stopped and bit my lip and Jacob sighed.

“You can say his name, Russell. But are you sure they didn’t like you?” Somehow my cousin seemed unhappy with the idea and downed most of his beer.

“I don’t know. I guess I haven’t really thought about it.” Why did Jacob brighten at this reply?

“What did you do during breaks between lessons, and after school?”

“I usually went to the library or hung out with Charlotte.”

“Not with Evan?”

“He was with his own friends, from his own year, you know.”

“But why couldn’t you be with them too? They were your age, and surely Evan wanted you there with him? Oh, and weren’t some of them your friends too, from your old school?” Jacob seemed perplexed, and I averted my eyes.

I sat there staring at the fire, not knowing what to say. How to explain the rigid high school structure and traditions preventing fraternization between the years, including the fact juniors and seniors had a different lunch break period than freshmen and sophomores. I was also reluctant to admit to the shyness and the feelings of inferiority which had prevented me from spending time with Evan during school hours, despite his many urgings. When he failed to persuade me to join him and his friends, he began suggesting we could go off on our own, but I had refused. I didn’t want him to lose friendships or become unpopular by ignoring his year mates to be with his twin.

As for them also being my friends… well, perhaps one or two had been, but I’d always assumed the group of people we hung around with in school, before I got sick, were friends of Evan more than me. Certainly after a year of rarely seeing any of them, they were as good as strangers. Nine months is a long time for teens, and even when I was well enough for visitors the summer before I started high school, it was too awkward to attempt reconnecting. I hated the pity, I didn’t want them to compare me with Evan, and I felt I had nothing to offer. I told myself the hurt of losing those connections was another inevitable consequence of my illness. Jacob’s questions reminded me of pain long buried and I resented it.

The sounds of a can being squashed, followed by another one being opened, made me glance over at Jacob. I realized I’d heard him mumble something about it probably being rough to be held back while your friends moved on. He was looking away from the fire and me, and gulping down a large part of his fourth beer. He didn’t try to continue the conversation, and after a while I said something about going to bed.

“OK, sleep well, Russell. I’m staying up for a bit.” He sounded tired or depressed, and I felt vaguely upset by the idea my sullenness had caused this. Jacob and I had become close during our weeks together and seeing him look sad affected me, much as I might have reacted to Evan being unhappy. Yet, something was different in the way I felt about my cousin, but the reason eluded me. Reverting to my proven tactic of ignoring and suppressing uncertainties or worries I could do nothing about, I’d fallen asleep fairly quickly after another long day of fresh air and exercise. I didn’t even notice when Jacob joined me in the tent.

Next morning I woke to the sound of Jacob snoring and to an unfamiliar smell. I soon found out it came from Jacob, both his body and his breath gave off an odor which puzzled me. Another puzzle was the tender and protective feelings I got from studying my blissfully sleeping, slightly drooling but still handsome tent mate. Needing a morning piss, I left the odorous tent and when I returned, I decided to cook breakfast, or at least make the preparations. When Jacob finally woke up, he was back to his usual kind, cheerful self, and I was grateful not to be reminded about the awkwardness of the night before.

***

“So, that’s what the smell is!” I exclaimed, and Jacob gave me a puzzled look. I went over to him and hugged him. “I’m sorry I was so stupid, Jacob.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“The smell in our bedroom, I suddenly recalled where I knew it from. The tent smelled the same way in Skagen the morning after you drank those beers. And I also realized why you were upset that night. I avoided answering your questions, refused to open up to you, and you couldn’t work out whether I liked boys or girls.”

“Oh,” Jacob buried his face in my neck and his warm hands caressed my naked backside, almost distracting me from the topic at hand. My waning erection sprang back to life.

“Yeah, I remember, that was rather immature of me. You were telling me about school, and then shut down again. I didn’t know what to say or do. I ended up drunk and feeling sorry for myself because the handsome guy I’m in love with wasn’t interested in me at all.” He leaned back to meet my eyes. “I guess the smell is the residue of processed alcohol, or the-morning-after stink.” Jacob laughed and I joined him.

“I can’t believe how dim I was. Well I can, but—” I didn’t get any further, because my fiancé kissed me, thoroughly, insistently and for a long time. After silencing me most effectively, his mouth continued down my neck, my chest including my nipples, and onto my stomach. His hands were kneading my buttocks, and when his fingers worked their way into my crevice and started playing with my hole, I was reduced to moaning and panting.

“You will stop putting yourself down, Russ. You are a bright, talented, beautiful, caring guy and I’m the luckiest man in the world to have claimed you as mine. I love you, and we’re going to make love for the rest of our lives. And I’m not going to listen to anyone telling lies or saying unfair things about you, and that includes you. Have I made myself clear?”

His admonitions and promises were spoken in between kissing, nibbling, and licking of my torso and my manhood. I held on to his shoulders and tried to thrust my aching dick between his lips, but he kept eluding me. Not until I had gasped “Yes, yes, I promise, fuck, please Jacob” did he relent and suck the head into his skilled mouth. It felt so good, I cried out in pleasure, and then in distress as he sat up.

Suddenly, I felt him lift me, and before I knew what was happening, I was lying on the table on my back with my ass at the edge. It was somewhat uncomfortable, but I forgot all about that as Jacob pushed my legs apart and up. I helped him by holding them, and he exposed my thankfully squeaky clean pucker and dove in. His wet tongue played and prodded; in between he blew cool air on the sensitive spot, chuckling as I squirmed and begged. He played with my balls, stroked my cock with soft fingertips, and rimmed me until I was frantic.

“Please fuck me, I need you inside me. I want to come with your cock—” Once more I got no further, because Jacob stood up to lean over me and swallow my dick to the root. At the same time, one of his fingers penetrated me deeply and when it hit a secret spot inside me, I erupted almost instantly. Yelling and arching my back, I felt my balls empty themselves violently as my ass experienced the most incredible sensation of pleasure and pressure. Every time I thought my orgasm would end, the push of the finger inside me produced another spurt and an accompanying noise telling everyone within hearing distance I was experiencing the ecstasy of my life.

Finally, the spasms of my ass and my dick decreased to small irregular twitches and I collapsed back on the table with a drawn-out whimper as Jacob eased his finger from my tight hole. Fucking hell, I was never going to doubt anything Evan told me about sex, ever again! ‘Magic button’ was a feeble term for what had set me off like a rocket and made me see stars. I felt Jacob scoop me up and carry me over to the couch; he sat down with me on his lap, and I snuggled into his embrace with a contented sigh.

Within moments I shifted and opened my eyes as I felt a hard steel bar dig into the side of my butt, oops I guess I owed my lover some TLC.

“Ehmm, do you need some help with that?” I wriggled my butt slightly to indicate what I meant.

“All in good time, Russ. Right now I’m enjoying cuddling your sexy body, so relax,” he whispered in my ear and pulled me close. Since I felt like a limp noodle this suited me fine, even if getting my hands on Jacob’s dick was a pleasure I didn’t want to forego. On the other hand, sitting on his lap while he touched me and kissed me and played with my nipples was certainly heaven too.

“Mmm, Jacob, did you know what would happen, when you touched my magic button?”

He laughed. “Is that what Evan calls it?”

“Yeah, he tried to describe how fantastic it felt, but I have to admit, I didn’t quite believe him. And this was only one finger.” I shuddered at the thought of what Jacob’s much thicker and longer cock would do.

“Well, sometimes it’s easier to hit the right spot with a finger. But your prostate must be very sensitive, so perhaps you’ll be able to come from getting fucked.”

“Hands free? That’s what Evan called it, but he said the combined stimulation was usually more effective. And you did suck me.”

“If you want to call it that, I barely managed to slide down and back up once, before you unloaded. That’s the third time you’ve taken me by surprise, hot shot.”

“Sorry, but it sort of surprised me too.”

“Don’t apologize, I’m flattered my efforts are appreciated and get quick results. And you’re pretty good at making me explode too.”

He pushed me down on the couch next to him and began unbuttoning his jeans. “Speaking of which…”

I swatted his hands away and unwrapped the present in his pants. I got Jacob to take off his T-shirt too and after that I had fun playing with my toys until I got the treat he’d saved for me. The flavor still didn’t do anything for me, but hearing Jacob moaning “Fuck, Russ, ja, ja, ahhhh” as I made him come, was sweet music in my ears. Knowing I drove him as crazy as he did me, and he got such pleasure from my mouth and fingers, was the best reward. Feeling powerful, desired and appreciated was a delight I would never tire of.

Afterwards I got dressed and helped Jacob by putting our bed linen in the wash, airing out the duvets and the bedroom. I also took care of the dishes after my breakfast and did some general cleaning. Jacob was busy studying and when I brought him a glass of OJ, he kissed me, saying “Thanks, love, I appreciate your help.”

“You’re welcome. Is it OK if I use the computer to check my email?”

“Of course, go ahead.” He opened his laptop, logged on and gave it to me.

I took it over to the couch and sat down. Entering my email account, I saw messages from Charlotte, my mom, Kristin, Kathrine, and Oliver. I checked those from Mom and Kristin first, but they simply confirmed their arrival time and other arrangements, and stated how they looked forward to seeing me.

Opening the email from Oliver, I smiled when I saw a picture of him and Mikkel posing in what appeared to be a dance studio. They looked handsome and fit, and to be honest, unbelievably sexy.

Oliver to Russell: Great to see you again, Russell, and to meet Evan and Chris. If you and Evan want to come by Mikkel’s workplace and get a dancing lesson, let me know.

He added an address and cell phone numbers for both of them. Damn, it would be great to have a phone again; I was glad Mom’s email had confirmed she was bringing me one.

Kathrine’s email had several attachments and when I opened one of the files, I found the picture of her lying across the laps of Mathias, Oliver, Jacob and me.

“Jacob, look at this. Kathrine has sent me some photos.”

He came over and sat down next to me and helped me download the photos to his folder ‘Ferie med Russell.’[1] Together we looked through all of them and ended back at the one which had caused Jacob to tell them about me hiding. He clicked on it to make it fill the whole screen. Oliver and I were in the middle with Jacob and Mathias flanking us. I had to admit the four of us looked good – or five if I included Kathrine. Even though I wasn't attracted to her, I could see she was a pretty girl. Nevertheless, it was the fact that she was clever and kind which made her beautiful to me.

“You’re looking a bit shell-shocked, Russell.”

“Well, I had never had a nearly naked girl in my lap before that. And…” I hesitated.

“And…?” Jacob looked at me, and when I averted my eyes, he grunted. A finger tilted my chin up to make me meet his compelling blue eyes. “And what, Russell?”

“Well, I sort of reacted… you know, down there. My dick liked the feeling of something warm and squishy, even if I wasn’t attracted to her.”

Jacob chuckled and kissed me. “That’s only natural, Russ. When I was your age I could come by humping a pillow. And many gay teens have their first experience with girls, because it’s easier. But also less satisfying, and even fondling and kissing a guy is better than full on sex with a girl.”

“Did you have your first sex with a girl?” I was shy about asking, but I had to know.

“I tried, but it wasn’t very successful. Anyway, she just gave me a hand job or rather she played with my dick and then watched as I jerked myself off. I was almost fifteen and the big clue was I kept my eyes closed and imagined her older brother in order to stay hard and to come. After that I knew I was probably gay and even though I did manage to have intercourse with one girl in high school, just to be sure, it simply confirmed my orientation.”

“Oh.” I didn’t quite know what to say.

“What did you fantasize about when you jerked off?”

I blushed. “Nothing specific, just being touched… But I was almost sixteen before I…” My voice petered out.

Jacob gave me a one-armed hug. “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Yeah? I thought it was because I’d been ill. Evan said he was fourteen when… Ooops.” I gave my fiancé a rueful look, half due to once again talking about Evan, and half for revealing something private about my twin. To my relief Jacob ignored the issue and kept talking about his own first fumblings.

“I was pretty much a kid until I was fourteen. But then puberty hit me hard.” He paused and looked at me, biting his lip. “Promise me you’ll never tell anyone, including Evan.” I nodded and he went on. I felt honored by his trust.

“The girl I mentioned was a friend from school, someone I’d played with for years. We both enjoyed climbing trees, building sandcastles, and stuff like that. She was a bit older, so of course more mature and developed, although as inexperienced as me. When I hit puberty, we began to talk about body stuff. Nothing major, but a couple of weeks before my fifteenth birthday she asked if she could see my hard-on. She offered to show her breasts in return, and she did, but to be honest they didn’t do much for me. I found myself wishing she had a dick to show me instead.”

He shrugged. “Afterwards we agreed it had been rather weird and we wouldn’t try anything like that again. A few months later we finished 9^th grade and went to different high schools. I’ve lost touch with her now.”

“Was her brother gay?”

“What? No, not as far as I know. He was three years older and hot, and I’d seen him naked a couple of years before, when he was fifteen. So I was able to visualize him instead of her, that’s all.”

“So, who was the first guy you were with?”

“I traded hand jobs and blow jobs with a couple of guys during high school, but otherwise my first was the boyfriend I told you about, the one I was with when you visited five years ago.”

I stared at him for a few seconds, trying to connect the dots. I recalled Jacob saying he’d been with three guys in total, but….

“You mean you’ve only had full on sex with one guy?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.” Once again I was speechless.

“Why does this surprise you so much?” I felt Jacob tense and withdraw slightly and I rushed to reassure him.

“No, sorry, I know you said you’d only been with three guys, but I assumed… Well, I don’t know what I thought, but… It’s just, you’re so handsome and sexy; I can’t believe you haven’t had lots of guys – and girls – chasing after you.”

“Being chased isn’t the same as getting caught. And I’ve done plenty of clubbing and flirting and – what’s the term? – making out, but to go all the way I need intimacy, to be in love, Russ. I know it’s hopelessly old-fashioned, particularly for a guy, and I’ve never told anyone else, but….” Jacob shrugged.

“I think it’s wonderful, Jacob,” I whispered in his ear. Suddenly I felt much less insecure about being a virgin and completely inexperienced. I’d pictured my cousin as a stud, and I had assumed he’d had plenty of casual liaisons apart from the three guys mentioned who I’d thought represented his anal sex experiences.

“Anyway, my needs while single have been covered by reading erotica and watching porn. If you like, I can show you the sites I used, at least those I’d call erotic romances. I’ve also bought various stories online. You might be inspired.”

He reached out and opened a new browser with privacy settings and showed me a couple of sites. Then he clicked deep into his folder system and found a folder marked ‘Privat litteratur’[2] and opened it via a password. There were at least 20 pdf files with various names.

“Here you go; these are some of my favorite stories I’ve bought or downloaded for free. Now, I really ought to get back to studying.”

“Oh yeah, sorry. I didn’t mean to take so much of your time.”

“No apologizing, Russ. You’re my first priority, always.” He kissed me and returned to his books. I went back to the email from Kathrine.

Russell to Kathrine: “Thanks for the pictures, Jacob and I enjoyed looking at them and recalling our time at Læsø. I’m glad we met you and I hope we can stay in touch. My twin brother Evan and his partner Chris are here. We met Oliver and his boyfriend Mikkel last night when we went out clubbing. My mom and sister arrive today. I’m looking forward to seeing them again. All the best, Russell”

I contemplated writing something about my father’s visit, but I didn’t want to think about it. My final email was from Charlotte, but it was just a short message saying she was happy to hear from me and hoped I had a great time with Evan and our hunky boyfriends.

I looked at the time, but it was only ten-thirty. I sorted my clothes and packed those I wouldn’t need in my suitcase together with my books. I went down to the communal room with the large washing machine and tumble dryer and transferred the bed linen to the dryer. The underwear and socks I brought back up to the apartment and hung on the small rack placed in the sun next to the open doors to the French balcony, as per Jacob’s instructions. At home everything would have been tossed in the dryer, but Jacob said sun and air was cheaper and wore less on the clothing.

Jacob asked me to make him a sandwich and I was happy to oblige, since I was getting hungry again. While we were eating, Jacob’s phone pinged. He checked the message and chuckled.

“Evan’s awake and restless. Chris begs you to come as soon as you can.”

“OK, tell him I’ll leave when I’ve finished eating. Twenty minutes max.”

Jacob texted Chris and got a fast ‘Thank God’   back.

Once I’d finished eating, I put on one of my nice new shirts, checked my wallet for the ‘klippekort’ ticket and kissed Jacob goodbye.

“I’m off now, see you tonight. I’ll text you as soon as I get my phone.”

“OK, love, have a nice time and say hello to Kristin and Isa for me.”

The trip to the hotel was uneventful and Chris once again met me in the lobby. He had his phone ready and pressed the send button as soon as he saw me. He had probably either told Evan I was here, or reassured Jacob of my arrival; perhaps both. His first words to me confirmed my guess.

“Hi Russell, Evan is waiting for you in our room, and Jacob knows you’ve arrived safely. We have almost an hour before we have to be at the airport. Enjoy yourselves; I’m going for a run. Will you take my phone upstairs?”

“OK, thanks Chris.” He looked good in his running outfit, and I noticed the woman at the front desk admire him as he jogged towards the exit. As I rode the elevator up I thought about how clever and kind Chris was. He gave me and Evan every chance to spend time together, but without making me feel guilty for intruding. Rather, he gave the impression he was pleased Evan could have my company while he did his own thing, like the run today. I was gradually coming to understand the difference between being possessive and controlling and being protective and caring.

When I knocked on the door Evan flung it open with a “Finally!”

“I thought you were going to sleep in, and have a lengthy cuddle.”

“We did…” Evan leered at me and I rolled my eyes.

“In fact, I’m still a bit tender, even after a nice shower. But never mind about that, I want to talk to you about getting a ring for Chris.”

We went over to the comfy chairs by the window and sat down. I noticed the bed was made and the room was tidy and had been aired out. I hoped the maid hadn’t interrupted anything. When I hinted at this Evan laughed.

“Duh. That’s what the ‘Do not disturb’ sign is for.”

“Whatever. Tell me about the ring for Chris.”

“I sent Mom a message yesterday after our talk and she texted back to say I could get whatever I wanted within the price range of the ring you got for Jacob.”

“Cool. Did you talk to Chris about it?”

“Yeah, after we ‘cuddled.’ He was pleased.”

“About the ring or before?”

“Very funny, Russ. Both actually.”

“So does he want to go to the jewelers with us tomorrow?”

“Mm-hmm, but I get the feeling he wouldn’t have let us go on our own anyway.” Evan gave me an inquiring look.

“He texted Jacob when I got here, to let him know I’ve arrived safely.”

We stared at each other for a few seconds. Evan’s lips quivered and I wondered if he was going to laugh or cry. It looked like it might be both, but instead he took a deep breath.

“Are they being overly protective, or do you think Father might actually try something?” He sounded worried and I suddenly remembered the last time Evan had seen Father it had been in a towering rage.

“He’s not gonna do anything stupid like try to abduct us, or hurt us physically. Surely you know that, Evan?” My twin gave me a nod, but he still seemed uncertain and mulled over my words in silence.

“He’ll never make a scene in public, he’s much too careful about his image,” I went on, trying to reassure him, which was something of a novel situation for us. Normally Evan would be the one to comfort me.

“Yeah, but he might not care about appearances over here.”

“Father isn’t going to alienate Mom’s family even more. He’ll want them to persuade her not to get a divorce. And from what Jacob tells me, the media here would have a field day with the story of a gay teen from the US seeking sanctuary in Denmark to get away from his homophobic dad.” It had been one of the scenarios we’d discussed in order for me to get an extension of my visa or a residence permit.

“So, you’re saying we could threaten Father with exposing him publicly, if he doesn’t leave us alone?”

I winced at his vindictive look. “No, more that he knows this too, and it will prevent him from harassing us in public. Like appearing at the airport today or accosting us on the street. My guess is he’ll turn up at Jens and Benedicte’s house this afternoon.”

“How would he know when we’ll be there? Oh right, he could be watching their house.”

“Yeah, or the man helping him is.” Somehow I couldn’t quite see our father ‘staking out a joint.’

“You don’t seem too worried about the possibility of him turning up at your in-laws’ place?” Evan observed.

“Nah, not even Father can do much when facing two Mama Bears. I never want to piss Benedicte off; she would scare the shit out of me.” I shuddered at the thought of those piercing blue eyes going all icy and disapproving.

Evan laughed so hard he fell out of his chair.

“It wasn’t that funny.”

“Your face, Russ. You looked petrified,” and off he went again, laughing like mad. But at least he was in a better mood afterwards, and the subject of Father was forgotten, or ignored.

“OK, the plan for today is to meet Mom and Kristin at the airport and go with them to uncle Jens and aunt Benedicte’s house, right? And Jacob will join us there tonight?” Evan asked.

“Yeah, except I wonder how we’ll all get there; maybe some of us have to take a cab.”

“And then tomorrow morning we’ll go and look at rings while Jacob studies?”

“Mom and Kristin will probably sleep late, but maybe we can meet them in town for lunch. I know Benedicte has taken some days off this week, but Jens is working except for Friday.”

“What time does Jacob have his exam on Tuesday?”

“It’s in the morning from nine to twelve. I don’t know his plans for the afternoon, but he’s arranged for us and Kristin to go out for a meal in the evening, together with his best friend Christian. Oh, and guess what, his friend had a crush on Kristin last time we were here.”

“I know, I can remember him drooling every time he saw her.” Evan contorted his face into the look of an eager, panting puppy, and we both collapsed laughing. I suddenly remembered my twin teasing Kristin about her admirer five years ago, and my sister pointedly ignoring both Evan and Christian.

When I got my breath back, I continued, “Anyway, that’s all the plans so far except we have to pick up our rings no later than Thursday, and the engagement party is on Saturday. Wait, I forgot, Oliver sent me an email saying we could come by Mikkel’s dance studio for a lesson, if we wanted to.”

Evan sat up. “Why didn’t you say that in the first place? Or course we want to!” He rushed over to where Chris’ laptop was sitting on the desk and touched the pad to take it off power-save. I could see he had his own profile to log on.

“Did you forward the email to me, Russ?”

“Ehm, no I forgot to do that. Sorry.”

“Never mind,” he opened a browser and found Gmail. “Go into your email account from here and we can send him a joint message.”

I went over and logged in. To my surprise there was a message from Jacob. I automatically clicked on it, and Evan burst into giggles when it opened to show the single line of text.

Jacob to Russell: “I miss you already. Studying is more fun when interrupted by my hot, naked boyfriend.”

“Fuck!” I hurriedly went back to the inbox and found Oliver’s message instead.

“Ohhh, they look hot,” Evan said with appreciation when he saw the picture of Oliver and Mikkel.

“Yeah, I agree.” I was relieved by the change of subject, but it was premature.

“Let’s send them a message saying we would like a lesson on Monday afternoon, Tuesday morning or any other time they have free. I’m sure we can work our plans around to fit Mikkel’s schedule.”

“OK.” I quickly wrote out the text and signed it off with Russell and Evan. I logged out and closed the browser. Evan grabbed my hand and towed me over to the bed.

“Twin Time.”

I bit my lip, but there was no way I was refusing his request. We only evoked the Twin Time clause when we wanted the undivided attention of each other, or supportive company to soothe us after setbacks. Evan had called TT on me several times in high school, like when I tried to decline his invitation to hang out with him during the weekly free period we happened to have at the same time. I suspected he’d done it for my sake in a few cases, but the deal was ‘Questions may be asked, but no Answers have to be given, only loving presence.’

We lay down next to each other on the bed still holding hands. Countless times we’d done this on the king size bed in my old room, not only for Twin Times, but almost every day until we were fourteen. Evan only had a single bed, but my mother had insisted on me having a larger bed, because my twin would often join me on weekend mornings. At least that’s what she and Father thought. We never told them how many nights Evan and I slept together even after we got separate rooms at age seven. On school mornings I’d wake up before the alarm went off or Mom called us. I’d nudge Evan awake, so he could trudge back into his own room via the connecting door. It was another habit which had changed with my illness.

Nevertheless, even after our lives diverged, we still relaxed on my bed fairly often. We watched movies on the large TV/DVD set I got after being discharged from hospital to convalescence at home. We talked or simply lay next to each other, each of us lost in our own thoughts, but comfortable knowing we were together. If either of us were feeling down, the other would sense it and reach out to hold hands or even hug his twin. Those times remained amongst the most treasured of my teen memories, and Evan leaving for college last year had left me bereft and aching for love and the feeling of being safe. Until the night Jacob took me in his arms—

My train of thought was interrupted by Evan tugging on my hand. “Hey, Evan calling Russ, come in, Russ.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here.” My somber mood dissolved into a small smile at the old joke. It was nearly as effective as Jacob’s ‘Læsø’ but not as good as his kiss. Nothing was better than his soft lips on mine… and elsewhere.

Evan poked my thigh and chuckled, “Thinking about study breaks, Russ?”

“Huh?” He let go of my hand to poke my hip and I looked down to see a distinct bulge in my jeans. I wasn’t fully hard, but definitely chubbed up. “Shit!”

“I hope you’re thinking about Jacob, Russ. Perhaps what you did this morning to interrupt him?”

I rolled over on my stomach to hide the erection which threatened to develop further at the thought of Jacob’s finger deep in my ass. But I couldn’t keep the blissful smile off my face and Evan pounced on it.

“Oh ho, I know that face. Did he fuck you?”

“NO!” I hid my face, but peeked up at my twin to add, “Not that I didn’t beg for it.”

Evan’s eyes twinkled. “Aaand???”

“And, I found out about having my button pushed. Seems I have the sensitive type. Took Jacob by surprise.”

I had the immense satisfaction of seeing Evan’s eyes widen in surprise, before he hugged me and started whooping and laughing and I joined in.

“I knew it! We’re identical twins after all. My button is sensitive like that. You should have seen Chris’ face the first time I shot all over—” Of course, that was the exact moment Chris opened the door, and Evan shut up with a squawk, making me collapse with mirth.

Chris couldn’t see us from the entrance, and he dived into the bathroom, saying “I’m back, give me ten minutes and I’m ready to go.”

“Oops, what’s the time?” Evan fished his cell phone out of his jeans to check. “Shit, it’s twelve-thirty already. They land ten minutes from now.”

I said, “But getting out through passport control might take thirty minutes, and then add some time for luggage. Jacob said his dad won’t get there until one hour after arrival time, because airport parking is very expensive. He showed me where the free pick-up parking area outside Terminal 3 is, and hopefully we can be there and ready by one-thirty.”

Evan wasn’t fooled by my nervous chatter. “Are you looking forward to seeing Mom?”

“Are you? You haven’t seen her since that night either, have you?” He didn’t fool me either.

“No.”

“And she hasn’t met Chris?”

“No.” His voice was a whisper now.

“You know she’s gonna adore him, Evan.” I gathered him into a hug, and felt my normally confident twin trembling.

“Are you sure, Russ?” A small but hopeful increase in volume occurred.

“Chris loves you, right? And he makes you happy? Wants you, puts your needs first, protects you, and provides for you?” With every question I felt him nod against my shoulder.

“Jacob does the same for me, and Mom will like Chris the same way she likes her cousin. In fact, she’ll love both of them for taking care of her boys. Trust me, En. Twin bond.”

Evan stiffened in my arms, then he sat bolt upright on the bed. A huge smile appeared on his face and I smiled back up at him.

“You called me En.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“You haven’t called me En for years.”

“I know.”

“Love you, Russ.” A tear trickled down his cheek.

“Love you too, En.”

He landed on top of me and hugged me so hard I couldn’t breathe for a moment. Our twin bond had never been stronger or more equal.

“OK guys, I’m…” Chris’ voice dwindled to nothing. Two sets of teary green eyes turned towards him, and I think both of us could read his mind.

‘How the fuck did they go from laughing like crazy to crying in the span of five minutes?’

I don’t think us breaking into giggles simultaneously helped. Poor Chris, dealing with twin-bond was probably tougher than expected.

I know we didn’t progress far in terms of time, but the boys insisted on having these conversations. Hope you enjoyed them. Thank you AC and Kitt for lightning fast beta/edit work.