Lovers Blind - 6. Parents

Disclaimer: This story includes sexual and romantic situations between consenting individuals. Any allusion to illicit or illegal activity, sexual or otherwise, is used only for enhancement of the story line and not promotion thereof. Remember AIDS, HIV and other STDs are a very real threat, please always practice safe sex.

I can prove copyright on this story so please don't copy or remove this story for personal use without my permission.
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Lovers Blind 06: Parents.

"You guys got a call too?" I asked Lawrence in amazement.

He and Lou had decided to stop by my place Sunday morning before my parents got home.

"Yeah; back to back. They called Lou first then me. Whoever it was told us we need to watch our step, because they were watching." Lawrence replied sounding just as confused and angry as Jake had on Friday.

"Lou says that the voice sounded really familiar but he couldn't put a face with it." Jake added. He and Lou had been signing while Lawrence and I talked.

"I bet it was Rick or one of his friends” I said feeling around for my cane.

"Lou says you’re probably right." Jake said as he handed me my cane.

"Thanks Jake. I'll be right back guys I have to use the bathroom." I said as I used my cane to make sure my path around the couch was clear.

"You want me to guide you?" Jake asked as I passed him.

"No it’s cool; I'm going to the one downstairs." I said navigating my way around the living room and down the hall.

* * *

"What do you guys think we should do?" I asked Lou and Lawrence when I heard the bathroom door close.

"I don't know. We've never been in a situation like this either. I suppose the best we can do is exactly what the caller said, watch our backs." Lou signed with a worried look on his face.

"Yea and Monday when we get back to school I ‘m going to see what I can find out." Lawrence added cracking his knuckles.

"Don't do anything crazy Lawrence." I said but I could not condemn him if he did. I was prepared to do anything to keep Zeek safe.

"Don't worry he won't. He is just going to go to his informants and see what they know." Lou signed adding an amused gesture.

"What are you Lawrence; a mob boss?" I asked laughing.

"No but I know people who will talk to me for a price." He said leaning back in his chair.

"In reality all he is gonna do is talk to gossip hogs, he think 'informants' sound cooler though.” Lou signed with a wide, amused smile.

"Cool. I’m really worried about us guys, all of us, but Zeek especially. We can all see an attacker coming, he can't and if they take me out first. He’ll be defenseless." I said running my hands through my hair. I always did when I was worried.

"But Zeek's other senses are really acute. I know I have only known him for a few days but he can always tell when someone is looking at him or if there is someone in his path." Lou signed, but I could tell by the look on his face that he agreed with me.

"So what did you guys talk about while I was gone?" Zeek shouted from the end of the hallway.

"Just more speculation about who is out to get us." Lawrence said jokingly but it still earned him a kick from Lou.

"I still think it has to do with Rick and his goons." Zeek replied as he made his way back to the living room.

"Lou says you’re probably right, but that we have no way of finding out for sure till something happens." I told him translating Lou's sign.

“Happens? As in one of us getting attacked right?" Zeek asked but I'm quite sure he already knew the answer.

None of us wanted to admit that there was a possibility of us getting injured over this. But the fact of the matter was that if it was Rick and his crew the chance of it happening was very real.

"Come on guys don't do that." Zeek said sounding annoyed.

"What. We weren't doing anything." Lawrence said confused.

"Exactly. You guys didn't answer my question because you’re afraid of how I'll react. But in actuality I'm the one you guys should be asking for advice. I've been Rick Jenkins target for years, no one knows his style better then I do." Zeek said in a self-assured manner.

"OK Guru, then what should we do?" Lawrence asked Zeek as he sat down.

"If it is Rick and his little group of thugs then there is something up. Rick isn't the type of bully to give you any warning. He comes up to you, punches you in the nose, and walks away. If this is them then I say their trying to scare us, throw us off our game by making us panic; and since Rick isn't the thinking type I'd say that’s why he recruited Leo again. He was always the smarter of the two." Zeek said as he collapsed his cane.

“Then why warn us at all? When the four of us are together we can take them but only be and you are together all the time. Lou and Lawrence have separate classes and if the three of them were to take out one or both of them then neither of us would stand much chance.” I asked feeling confused.

"Lou says he understands. Rick knows all that just as well as we do, he thinks that by putting us on notice that it’s gonna make us panic and slip up or separate us." Lawrence said translating for Lou.

"Exactly. He knows that you and Lou can take him and his crew if you're together and that Jake is always with me and that we go out of our way to avoid him and his friends if at all possible. He knows that if he wants to get back at us for the last few weeks he either has to get us on our own, or recruit more bullies." Zeek said with a twisted smile.

"He'll go for the weakest first, which is you and Lou." I said looking worriedly over at Zeek.

"Yea, he'll come for me because I'm blind and he'll go after Lou because he thinks he's deaf." Zeek said letting a little fear slip into his voice for the first time.

"But he can't get to you Zeek; I'm with you all the time." I said reaching over and taking his hand.

"They can take you out if they gang up on you Jake, you said it yourself...” Zeek said looking in my direction.

"Look guys, we're getting ahead of ourselves, jumping to conclusions. This is just what he wants, us to panic. That’s what the phone calls were about, it's got to be. I say until anything else happens that we just put this to rest. "Lawrence said intervening. I knew he was trying to put Zeek at ease but I could tell he didn't believe what he was saying.

"Lou agrees with me and proposes the subject change to when you two are planning to come out to your folks." Lawrence said as Lou signed over to him.

Even though I could tell Zeek was still worried about the threats I also knew he would welcome the chance to forget about them.

"We plan on telling Zeek’s folks today when they get back from their trip. They're coming from Detroit and Zeek says they’re always in a great mood after a conference or meeting there." I said as Zeek tossed a pillow in my lap and lay down.

"Lou wants to know why you’re just telling Zeek's folks, why not yours too." Lawrence asked for Lou.

“My dad is some sort of super tech and his company is always sending him to their sister corporations for one reason or another. He's currently in Omaha doing a security system upgrade. He won't be back for a few weeks and we don't want my mom to find out without him." I replied resting my hand on Zeek's stomach.

"Jake also thinks that it will be better to get one set of parents on our side before telling the other, and for some reason he thinks my parents are the better choice." Zeek said with a smile as he declared my thoughts for Lou and Lawrence.

"You don't think your parents will be accepting Jake?" Lawrence asked as he took a page out of Zeek's book and laid his head down on Lou's lap.

"It's not that I think they won’t accept it. I just think they are more likely to have a bad first reaction then Zeek's folks. They're a bit more down to earth and open to change than mine are. Mom may not be an old fashioned home maker or a religious nut; she's always had really strict ideas of what a family should be. Husband, wife, and baby, and my dad is the same way.

I think that they'd eventually be able to accept that I love Zeek and want to make a life with him, I just think it will take them longer then it will Zeek's folks. I said bearing the fearful realization that I had come to for the first time.

"We can understand. That is one reason we haven't told Lou's parents. They've got that same mind set.

They’re so bad Lou says that they are trying to set him up with the daughter of a couple they know from church.” Lawrence said and Lou shook his head sadly.

"What are you guys going to do about it?" Zeek asked as he laid his hand over mine.

"Lou is keeping them at bay by telling them that he has a crush on a girl from school and that he is trying to get up the courage to ask her out. While at the same time we're trying to get up the courage to tell them that we're together." Lawrence said and Lou looked sadder still.

"Well Lou, look on the bright side, if your parents are too uptight and can't handle it, you can always move in with Lawrence for a little while. If Jake is wrong and my folk turn out to be too uptight I'll most likely get sent to a shrink or a conversion clinic." Zeek said light heartedly and I knew he was trying to make Lou feel better.

"Do you really think your folks would do that?" Lawrence asked sounding dumbfounded by the idea.

"I don't know. My mom minored in psychology in college. She went into advertising because it let her be more creative and didn't have to listen to people talk about their problems and my dad always says that there is nothing you can't change about yourself with sheer force of will. Overall I don't really know their stance on homosexuality; it’s never come up before." Zeek said letting a sliver of worry creep into his voice.

"Despite your worries I doubt that anything bad will come from telling your parents. The fact that homosexuality has never come up doesn't surprise me. They are too busy worrying about you and your sight and your well being at school to have considered talking to you about it." I said slipping my hand under Zeek's shirt. I know he feels safe if he can feel my skin against him.

"Lou says he has sympathy for your plight but if that hand does much more traveling he'll be forced to separate you." Lawrence said as Lou signed with a devious little grin.

"I'd like to see you try." Zeek said placing a delicate stress on the word "see.”

None of us were sure how to take it till Zeek started laughing and telling us that we were too uptight.

"How are we supposed to know that it’s OK to laugh at a blind joke?" Lawrence asked trying to sound annoyed but I could tell he thought Zeek was funny.

"When it’s made by a blind guy genius." Zeek said barely able to contain his laughter.

"Lou says if you keep it up you'll be sorry." Lawrence said and Lou's smile got even wider.

"What's big bad Lou going to do to me?" Zeek said any fear he had felt from our previous conversation must have melted away.

Lou looked over to me and pointed to Zeek then acted as if he was tickling Lawrence. I just nodded in response.

"Well? I'm waiting." Zeek said faking impatience as Lou got up and walked quietly over to the couch.

I quickly pulled my hand from under Zeek's shirt as Lou attacked his side and stomach with his finger tips.

It had to be the funniest thing I'd ever seen. It made me think of a little boy being tickle-tortured by his older brother. Zeek writhed, kicked, laughed, and yelled under Lou's fingers but he wouldn't stop till Zeek started yelling uncle, uncle, but before Lou stopped he dealt out his final punishment, he pulled Zeek's shirt up revealing his pale, tight stomach and there, just above his belly button blew a loud, wet raspberry.

As Lou got up and went back to sit with Lawrence and Zeek sat up and felt around for my shoulder, when he found it he slugged me, hard.

"What was that for?" I asked as I rubbed my shoulder. For a small guy he packed a punch.

"You’re my boyfriend. You should have warned me." He said as he rubbed his stomach where Lou had rasberried him.

"Warn you? Hell I went along with it just so I could see you laugh like you did." I said running my fingers through his short brown hair as he lay back down on my lap.

"Yeah dude you have to admit that was funny." Lawrence said tossing his arm around Lou.

"I admit nothing." Zeek said loudly although it was obvious he wasn't mad.

"Anyway, Lou wants to know if you guys want us to stay here till after you talk to your folks. You know, for moral support."

"No, that’s alright. We talked about that when you guys called and told us you were coming over.

We decided it would probably be best if it was just the two of us, anyone else might make them even more uncomfortable." Zeek said although he was only telling a half truth. I thought it would be a good idea to have the guys there, but Zeek didn't want his parents to feel uncomfortable while we talked. In the end I figured he knew them better then I did so I conceded.

"Alright, it's your choice. What time are they supposed to be home anyway?" Lawrence asked looking down at his watch.

"Well their plane should have landed at around noon, and it's about an hour and a half drive from the airport. Their friend Tina is meeting them so they don't have to get a cab or rent a car, given they go the speed limit and don't hit too much traffic, which they probably will considering that part of the highway is still closed for construction. I would say they should be home around three or three-thirty."

Zeek said confidently. Zeek was a mathematical whiz. He could calculate complicated equations in his head so fast he was normally done with his work in math class before most students had even gone half way.

"Its about two now so I guess we should get going and let you guys work out how you're going to do this." Lawrence said as he and Lou stood up.

"You guys can stay a little while longer if you want." I said not being in any rush to let them leave.

"No we really do need to get going. We both have a biology test Monday that we haven't studied for." Lawrence said before pulling a pen and piece of paper out of his pocket.

"This is mine and Lou's cell numbers. Call us after everything is settled, or if you need us. We'll have the phones on us all night." Lawrence said scribbling out the numbers then tossing me the paper.

"Will do, but you two better study for that test and not spend all your time between each others legs." I said making my first ever sexually oriented joke.

"Lou says we promise to study, and that if you were going for a vulgar joke that it still needs work." Lawrence said as Lou signed over his head as they walked out the door.

"I thought it was funny." I said to Zeek after the guys had left.

"I’m glad they gave us their cell numbers. It's good to have some back up should my parents go crazy." Zeek said solemnly.

"I don't want to hear you talk like that anymore. Your parents are not going to do anything. This maybe hard for them to accept but they love you too much to let this be too big of a deal." I said resting my hand on his chest.

"I'll stop, I promise." He said before sitting up and picking up his cane.

"Where are you going?" I asked and he reached his hand out to me.

"We're going upstairs to snuggle up on my bed till my parents get home." He said and I stood up putting his hand on my shoulder and guiding him up the stairs.

Zeek propped his cane by the door and set his shades on the night stand before curling up on the bed. I lay down next to him and pulled him against my chest, like I did the night his parents had argued over moving to California. He didn't cry or say a word but I knew he was scared, I was scared too. I may have preached how level headed and accepting his parents were to calm him down but inside I couldn't help but have the same thoughts and feeling he did. I was so afraid that they would react the way Zeek feared and forbid us to see each other or send Zeek away.

I couldn't let that happen, Zeek was my life, the best friend I ever had and the only love I ever would.

As we lay there in each others arms I silently swore that if they tried to stop us from being together or tried to send Zeek away that I would find him, and run away with him.

We would both be turning eighteen near the end of the month and since Zeek didn't need any special medication or treatments I could take care of him and finish putting him through school.

One way or another I wasn't going to let anyone take Zeek away from me.

* * *

"It's going to be OK. It’s going to be OK. We'll tell them, they'll be OK with it and everything will be OK." I thought silently as I buried my face in Jake's chest.

I'd never felt such fear and uncertainty, not even the day I woke up and wasn't able to see the ceiling.

But then I knew what had been coming, my sight had been going down hill fast; I knew it wouldn't be long till my sight was gone.

This though, this I didn't know anything about. I didn't have the slightest clue how my parents were going to react to us. I didn't know how I was going to tell them or anything else. I just knew that I needed to do it. I knew it would be better to wait till we were eighteen like Jake had suggested but I knew I couldn't keep the secret that long, I had never been able to keep a secret from my parents for more then a few days, either I would end up slipping up and then finding out or they would just know I was keeping something from them.

I was being irrational, I knew that, my parents weren't the kind of people to judge based on sexual orientation. But I couldn't help feeling scared, I wouldn't let them take me away from Jake, I knew the chances of that were slim, but if they tried, I’d be gone in a heart beat. I'd go to Jake and talk him into running away with me, we could take care of each other till we turned eighteen, then maybe we could come back.

I nuzzled against Jake's shirt and took a deep breath. The woodsy sent of his cologne mixed with his own scent was soothing; it calmed me down and let me fall asleep against him.

I woke up about an hour later to the sound of a door closing down the hall. I shot straight up and felt around For Jake.

My hand found his thigh which I followed up to his shoulder, he was still there, thank gods. I willed myself to calm down as I shook him awake.

"Jake, Jake wake up, my parents are home." I said and he stirred then yawned groggily.

"I'm up, I'm up, "He said taking hold of my hand and sitting up, "Calm down, everything will be alright." He said sleepily, but reassuringly.

I took a few deep breaths and did my best to keep from hyperventilating.

"OK I'm calm, at least as calm as you can be before telling your parents you’re gay and in love with your best friend." I said shakily and surprised as I felt Jake’s lips against mine.

"I love you too." He said with a laugh, probably at the look on my face.

"Well I guess I'm ready if you are." He said and I felt his weight leave the bed as he stood up.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood. I reached for my shades but felt them slide over my face and Jake pulling my hand up to rest on his shoulder.

As we left the room Jake paused for a minute and I felt his shoulder shift as he reached out for something, then I felt my collapsed cane being slid into my pocket.

"Just in case." He said as we continued walking. I was too nervous and afraid to ask what he meant by just in case.

I could hear my parent's voices coming closer as we walked, they were talking happily and I could hear them laughing. We took a left turn after reaching the bottom of the stairs and I knew we were walking to the kitchen. Their laughter cut into me like a knife, in a few minutes time I would be telling them something that could wreck their entire world.

I quickly added up the distance we walked and the turns we had made, if I was right we were right outside the door that connected the kitchen to the formal dinning room. I felt Jake’s shoulder shift again as he reached for the door, before he could open it I took my hand off his shoulder and backed away.

"Zeek what's wrong?" Jake asked and I could tell by his voice that he was in slight panic.

"I can't do it. I can't go in there and tell them. I'm sorry I can't, I just can't..." I said and I lost it right there. I felt tears streaming from under my glasses and Jake’s hands on my face wiping them off my cheeks.

"Zeek its OK, it's all right we don't have to tell them now. I’ll help you keep it secret as long as you need to." He said soothingly as he wiped the tears off my face. For a second everything was OK and I calmed down. But my heart suddenly stopped dead when I heard my Mom's voice.

"Keep what a secret as long as he needs to?" My mom asked quizzically.

Jake's warm hands suddenly went ice cold as they slipped from my face. We both stood stunned for a second unable to move or say a word. We had been caught, my mind raced as I tried to conceive some plan, some idea as to what to say that would cover our butts, but nothing that came to mind would have worked.

"I'm waiting boys." She said and the tone of her voice had changed from questioning to what sounded like a mixture of anger and fear.

I fumbled with my hands for a few minutes before finding one of Jake’s. As I gripped his hand tightly, I stepped forward a little bit and spoke up.

"The four of us need to talk, now, before I loose what little courage I've amassed." I said unsure of where this sudden burst of fearlessness had come from.

I don't know what happened then except for the fact that Jake had started forward, still gripping my hand.

We walked into the kitchen and Jake lead me to a chair and sat me down; however he didn't sit, he stood behind me with one hand on my shoulder, where the other one was I don't know but I heard a slight wringing sound from behind me and if I had to put money on it I would say he was gripping the back of my chair and was twisting as if he was twisting the throttle to start a motorcycle.

"What's this about boys?" My mom asked. The tone of her voice had changed again, this time I couldn't place it.

I reached up and took hold of Jake’s hand before answering.

"We're, We're together now. We love each other." I said. I was so nervous that had I been able to see I would have been looking at the floor.

"What do you mean? What are you boys talking about?" My mom asked. Her voice was anxious, almost scared.

"Molly, look at them. It’s pretty obvious what their saying.” My dad’s voice rang in. I was surprised and elated by the sound of my dad's voice, it may have been wishful thinking but I swear I could hear a tone of happiness, even relief in his voice.

"You two are gay? I don't believe this, how long has this been going on for?" My mom asked and I could feel Jake shift uneasily.

I was about to answer till my dad spoke up again.

"Jake why don't you and Zeek go up to his room; I want to have a talk with Molly.” My dad said his tone made it plan it wasn't a request.

I stood up and Jake raised my hand and put it on his shoulder. He led me out of the kitchen, up the stairs and we were almost to my room when I stopped him.

"I can't just come up here and not know what’s going on." I said trying to devise a way of hearing what my folks were saying, then it hit me.

"There’s a vent in the wall, across from the bathroom door. Take me over to it." Jake lead me over to the wall and I lay down on my stomach.

"What are you doing?" He asked quietly. I reached up and pulled him down next and whispered for him to put his ear against it.

Our kitchen was designed oddly so there was an air vent in the ceiling, and I had discovered when I was younger that if my parents talked loud enough and were standing in the right part of the kitchen I could hear every word they said.

"Molly where are you going?" My dad's voice rang through the vent reaching us perfectly.

"I'm going up there and tossing that louse out of my house, taking advantage of an innocent blind boy, he should be ashamed of himself." My mother said angrily and I heard Jake shift. I reached out and made contact with his face, his cheeks were wet with fresh tears.

"Jake." I began quietly but he placed his fingers on my lips to keep me quiet. I pressed my ear closer to the vent.

"...How in the world can you say such things about Jake? He has been Zeek's friend since they were five. He has bent over backwards to make Zeek feel normal and safe; he had his class schedule altered so he could be with Zeek in every class just to keep him safe. He loves him Molly, and Zeek loves him, you can tell by the way he talks about him, the way his face lights up when he says his name. The same way my face lights up when I say yours." My dad argued back.

My heart was beating a mile a minute my dad was standing up for us.

"They're seventeen, what do they know about love?" My mom scoffed.

"Molly I asked you to marry me when we were fifteen. We didn't know anything about love, only that we were in love with each other. Just like Jake and Zeek." My dad sounding half amused and half exasperated.

"So you’re not worried. You’re not afraid that something will happen to him just like what happened to Aaron." My mom shouted at my dad, it sounded like she was in tears.

This had me puzzled. I didn't have a clue who Aaron was or what had happened to him.

"Damn it Molly you’re not the only one who lost Aaron. He was my best friend, and yes I'm scared that something will happen to him, I wake up everyday praying that he'll be OK, and I thank gods that he has Jake. I have looked into that boy's eyes and seen his worry, his affection, and I've witnessed his determination to keep Zeek safe. He would put himself between Zeek and anyone or anything that would threaten him. So help me god if you try to take those boys away from each other you will regret it. Even if you were to succeed, in a little less than three weeks their going to be legal adults, and they'll be together whether you want them to be or not." My dad's voice was full of emotion, hurt, anger, and sadness.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." My mom's voice came, she was crying. I imagined in my mind that my mom had her arms around my dad with her head tucked against his shoulder.

"I'm going to go upstairs and talk to the boys, do you want to come?" My dad asked, he must have said it very low because I could hardly hear him.

"No. No I can't. I'm too ashamed of myself to talk to them right now. I'll talk to them tomorrow after school." My mom said slowly. I wished that she didn't feel like she did. I wasn't mad at her, I was as sad as she was.

"Come on Zeek, we need to get to your room before your dad gets up here." Jake's voice sounded from above me. I had been so caught up in what my parents were saying I hadn't noticed he had gotten up.

He reached down and helped me to my feet then half drug me to my room.

"I would, you know, put myself between you and any harm" He said as he sat next to me on my bed.

"I know you would. I would do the same thing for you." I said and I felt his arms go around my waist and his head against my chest.

"You know your mother and I used to hold each other in that exact same position." My dad's voice sounded near the door. We both jumped from the surprise.

"You did?" I asked quietly.

"Oh yea, normally whenever one of us was really upset." His voice was closer this time, near the edge of the bed.

"What’s the verdict?" Jake asked suddenly. He wasn't leaning on my chest anymore. He shot straight up on hearing my dad's voice.

"No verdict, No punishment, and no jail time. So long as you boys’ are careful and sure about how you feel Molly and I aren't going to try and stop you. But you two already knew that." My dad sounded like he was close to laughing.

"How would we know?" I asked feigning innocence.

"Those are some very interesting marks you boys have on your faces. It sort of looks like you've been pressed up against an air vent.” My dad said and I know both our faces must have been bright red.

"I didn't want you to hear that. But it’s OK that you did. It makes this talk a lot easier." My dad said and I felt the bed give as he sat next to me.

"It was his idea." Jake said attempting to lighten his mood.

"I should have blocked that vent off a long time ago. Zeek has been using it to spy for years." My dad replied with a laugh.

"Jake I don't know how much you heard, but Molly said something about you, about your intentions. She was out of line and she realizes and is sorry for it. She's upset about how she reacted and was too afraid to come up here tonight but she wants to talk to you boys after school tomorrow." My dad voice was full of sympathy. I felt his arm slide behind me and stop near my shoulder. I guess he put his hand on Jake’s.

"We heard that part. I was upset till I heard her apologize. I'm OK now." Jake said, it sounded like he was choking back tears.

We talked for a few more minutes. My dad asked a bunch of questions; how long we had felt like this, how long we had been together, and of course the million dollar question; if we were using protection. The shear heat from the three of us blushing would have cooked an egg. I knew my dad had to be bright red, just by his voice tone. The relief in his voice was plain though when we told him of our activities and our plans to wait.

"I am glad to hear you boys are being so mature about this. You’re a hell of a lot more mature then your mother and I were at this age." My dad said and he kissed the side of my head.

“Dad, I've got a question." I said as I felt my dad shift to get up.

"Shoot son." My dad said repositioning himself.

"Who's Aaron? Jake and I heard you and mom talking about him."

He was quiet for a few minutes before answering.

"I guess you’re old enough to know. Aaron was your mother’s cousin. The three of us grew up together. When he was younger Aaron was just like every other boy, he liked to play sports, and he got dirty playing the in mud and ruff housed normal little boy behavior. As he got older though, probably around thirteen or fourteen, he quit sports and buried himself in music and art, drama clubs and such. Looking back it was pretty obvious, he looked a lot like you actually; short sandy brown hair, small build, his eyes were even a little like yours. He had a high, effeminate sort of voice.

He told your mother and me first, we were OK with it, he was like a brother to both of us, the rest of the family took a while to come around but they got there.

After high school your mom and I went off college and he went to New York to try and make it as a song writer. We kept in contact, letters, phone calls, postcards; he even came to visit us one year."

My dad was quiet for a few minutes before going on.

"It was during midterms in our sophomore year. We hadn't heard from Aaron in a few weeks, which was strange he always called at least three times a week. One night your mother and I were studying in her dorm room when her mother called. She told us that Aaron's body had been found in an alley being a gay night club. He'd been raped and beaten; he had died of internal injuries. It devastated your mother and me." My dad choked up unable to say anymore.

I put my arms around him and felt Jake get up and do the same. My dad hugged us together and cried silently. I reminded my mom of Aaron, that’s why she acted the way she did. I would have to talk to her about it tomorrow.

"I love you dad." I said quietly.

"I love you too Son," My dad said before kissing my head," and you too, son-in-law." He said with a laugh and squeezed us both tighter.

My dad let us go and addressed Jake.

"You should probably go home Jake. That'll give Molly time to cool down and un-wind a little bit."

He said and again made it plain that it wasn't a request.

"Of course. I Have chores and house work to do anyway." Jake said happily, although I could tell he didn't want to leave me alone.

"I'll meet you down stairs." My dad said and left the room.

"You'll be OK right?" Jake asked sitting back down next to me.

"Yeah I'll be fine so long as you pick me up in the morning." I said reaching out and taking his hand.

"I'll be here, I promise. If you need me, call." He said before kissing me hard on the lips.

"I love you Jake." I said as he made his way to the door.

"I love you too Zeek." he said lovingly as he left.

* * *

I really didn't want to leave Zeek alone, but I wasn't about to make his dad mad.

I got down stairs and sure enough Mr. Manning was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

"Jake I don't want you to worry about Zeek tonight. Things here will be better soon, I promise you that. I also promise I won't let anything happen to Zeek while you’re gone." He said as he walked me to the door.

"I will do my best. It's just hard for me not to worry about him." I said quietly.

"I know; it’s hard for me too. And speak up. I don't want this to change how you act around us,

I've always respected you for your determination and outgoing personality." He said giving me a playful smack on the back.

"Yes Sir." I said in my normal tone.

"That’s better. I will talk to you later son." he said as he opened the door for me.

"Did you really mean what you said up there, that you love me like a son?" I asked nervously.

"Jake, I've always thought of you as a second son. God knows we've spent enough time around each other, and yes, I mean it." He said as he gave me a one armed hug.

"Thanks, pops." I said as I left.

"Your welcome sonny." he replied as he closed the door.

My mom was out with a few friends of hers so I went upstairs to change into some work clothes then went about my chores.

I was so happy about how things with Zeek's folks had worked out, it made me hopeful about my own parents.

After I finished my chores and got a bite to eat I went upstairs to mess around on my PC. I looked out my window which faced Zeek's room. He wasn't inside.

It was a bitch to be so close yet so far at the same time.

To be continued........
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As always I want to give a big thanks to Rush for her work in editing. I’ll have the next one to you soon as I can. I’d love to hear what you think so feel free to let me know, good or bad. Drop me an email at allenarcane88@yahoo.com, PM me or leave a review. I read and respond to everything.