The Cockney Canuck - 81. Chapter 81 Meeting the In-Laws

July 14th was a big day for two very important people in my life, albeit for different reasons. For an overexcited Amy, it was her ninth birthday and she was in fine form almost Nathanesque in the way that she lapped up all the extra attention with an exaggerated touch of theatre.

She had learned from the master of course, but Nathan wasn’t able to attend her party later that day. He had to go to Ottawa for his grandad’s funeral, but he persuaded his parents to stop at our house first so that he could give Amy her present. I wasn’t expecting him to turn up and I think that under the circumstances, even Amy would have forgiven him for not being there, but as disorganised as he often seemed, Nathan rarely, if ever, let anyone down, especially his young protégé.

Sue was surprised when she opened the door to a very dapper looking young boy in a white shirt and black tie. “Oh my, there’s a gentleman here to see you, Amy.”

I nearly fell off my stool when I saw him. He looked completely different. His hair had been cut short with a neat side parting and for once, I could see his ears and forehead. It was a classic boy’s cut, a little dated perhaps but a brave choice and it suited him. He pulled it off to perfection. I thought he looked absolutely stunning, like a model, not a single hair out of place or blemish on his peachy clean face, it was almost as if he had been photoshopped.

“Wow, it’s James Bond,” said Daniel.

“Nathan; is that you?” asked Nicola.

“You look amazing,” I said and he smiled at me before greeting a wide-eyed, dumbstruck Amy and saying hello to everyone else.

“We’re on our way to Ottawa, I can’t really stay that long.”

“We understand,” said Sue. “You look very smart dear. Are your parents outside in the car?”

“Thank you. Yes, they’re waiting for me.” Even his voice sounded polished and his manners were impeccable, even among people who viewed him almost as family. My eyes followed him around the room as he made time for his number one fan, Amy.

“You got your hair cut?” she said and giggled. “You look different.”

“Yeah, you look like a boy!” added Daniel with a chuckle.

“Take no notice,” said Sue. “You look very handsome dear and I love the shirt and tie.”

I agreed but handsome didn’t do him justice, he was way above that. Gorgeous, adorable, or stunning, would have been better descriptions but to me, he was simply irresistible.

He was already putting Don’s no touching rule to the test and I couldn’t imagine how it could possibly survive anything more than the briefest of visits from the sexiest boy in the world, whose every second glance seemed to be directed at me.

“Your parents are more than welcome to come in Nathan.”

“There isn’t time Sue, we have to leave now,” he said, but having already met his sister, Sue seemed determined to introduce herself to the rest of his family. Nathan gave me an inquisitive look as she rushed outside to say hello while we waited for Amy to open her gift.

Her present was a pair of dolls; part of the set which belonged to the house that we had bought for her. “I hope I got the right ones?” said Nathan.

“Yes, you did,” said Amy, but she was a little confused when she unwrapped two identical, sportily dressed, male figures.

Nicola had to cover her mouth to stop herself from laughing and even Daniel found it amusing.

“I can change them for two girls if you want?”

“It’s okay,” said Amy with a shy smile, then she threw her arms around his perfect neck and kissed him on the cheek.

“Way to go, Nathan,” said Nicola. “Two guys eh?”

“They’re a couple,” he said. “Married, of course.”

“Of course,” said Nicola and she smiled at me as she walked past. “Can’t wait to see what dad has to say about this.”

“That’s really cute, Nathan,” I said. I thought it was an inspired choice from my boyfriend if a little antagonistic. It didn’t seem to bother Amy though, who took her newly acquired gay couple downstairs with her, to move them into their new home.

“Hey Amy, I think you should name them Robbie and Nathan,” said Daniel, then he turned to his friend with a huge grin. “My dad’s gonna love you for this.”

Nathan, of course, had nothing to lose. He was already disliked by Don, who viewed him as a potential danger and our relationship must have confirmed his worst fears. The corrupter had infiltrated his family and led me astray. That was what Don wanted to believe anyway and it was easy to use Nathan as a scapegoat. My boyfriend, however, was resourceful and while there was no doubting his commitment to Amy, his choice of gift was also a blatant shot at Don.

“When I said to buy her a couple of dolls, I meant you should get her two,” said Nicola, but she was laughing.

“Well, you told me to buy her a couple so I naturally assumed you meant two guys,” he said dismissing her with a theatrical wave of his hand. He looked towards me for backup, but he was preaching to the converted.

“Naturally,” I said.

“Of course, he’s gonna agree with you,” said Nicola, “But it was very sweet of you Nathan, thank you.” She gave him a gentle hug and he received his second kiss in as many minutes.

‘It has to be my turn soon’.

I was still captivated by his appearance, hanging on his every word, and unable to take my eyes off him even for a second. Nathan in a shirt and tie was something that I had never imagined before. I had to remind myself that this incredibly sexy and charming young man in front of me was my boyfriend and everyone now knew it, including Amy.

I wanted to touch him, hug him, or kiss him even, all of the things that were forbidden under the new house rules which I was already regretting agreeing to. When I edged towards him, Daniel beat me to it so I held back, anxious to allow him some time alone with his long-serving buddy.

I was itching to speak to Nathan, even though we had only chatted on the phone the night before and I had nothing new to say to him, but I also felt sorry for Daniel. He stood awkwardly next to his friend, almost as if it were a chore, then he looked towards me before making an excuse to leave us alone.

“I wanna say hello to your mom and dad,” he said before leaving to join Sue outside the front of the house. He didn’t need to do that but it suited me and with Nicola upstairs, it provided us with an unexpected opportunity which Nathan was quick to exploit.

In stark contrast to my sophisticated looking boyfriend, I was still in my pyjamas and feeling grubby and very conspicuous as he walked over. On the inside, I was even worse. My stomach was in knots, my mouth dry, and my legs had turned to jelly. At times, the power that this kid wielded over me was frightening.

He smelled nice, fresh and clean but like a boy, and for once he really looked like one. I liked it.

“What do you think?” he said tilting his head from side to side and waiting for the approval which he must have known he would get, no matter what. It was never in any doubt.

“I love it, you look so sexy,” I said. “And I seriously wanna jump you, right now.”

He thought it was funny but I was telling the truth. “I don’t think that would go down too well,” he said.

“Neither will this.” I pointed to the growing tent in my lap and my face lit up as he dropped his hand to grab the cause the unsightly extrusion, wrapping it in my pyjamas and clenching it in a tight fist.

Technically, of course, this wasn’t touching as there was a layer of flannel between his hand and my dick. I was pretty sure, however, that this was the kind of thing that my legal guardians were trying so hard to prevent. Their plan was ill-conceived and so obviously unenforceable.

I broke eye contact with him just long enough to hold onto the counter and stop myself from teetering backwards off my stool as he tightened his grip. It had been almost two weeks since we had done anything naughty together and I was so horny for this guy that I would have given anything for the opportunity to have ended that drought right then and there. It would have been impossible of course, but asking him to stop seemed to go against every natural instinct that I had.

“Not much I can do about it now,” he said, relinquishing his grip. “It’ll have to wait until I get back. Maybe you can talk Sue into letting you stay over at the weekend?”

“I can’t wait until you get back,” I whispered. “I’m jumping in the bath as soon as you’ve gone.”

“Send me some pictures,” he said as he inched closer and placed his hand on the back of my neck.

“You know we’re not supposed to….” I was unable to get the words out of my mouth before he tilted his head to kiss me. Full on, no half measures and no holding back. Maybe he felt boosted by his super cool appearance or perhaps he was just over-emotional because of the funeral. Whatever it was, it was a blatant violation of Don’s new house rules but who was I to deny him.

We separated when we heard Nicola walking back into the kitchen. She had gone to get dressed and was surprised to see us on our own and closer than regulations allowed. She looked suspiciously at us.

“You’re gonna have to do better than that boys.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. My mouth was tingling and my cheeks were burning but I was still prepared to deny it even as Nathan flashed her a guilty grin.

“You know what I mean…where’s mom?”

“She’s still outside, talking to his parents.”

She laughed. “Getting to know the in-laws eh.” I hadn’t looked at it like that but I kind of liked the idea.

“I can’t believe that they’ve never met before,” I said as I swivelled my stool around to face the counter in an effort to hide my arousal from my eagle-eyed sister. She giggled and I got the impression that the battle-hardened Nicola knew the reason why I had turned my back on her. She could read me like a book.

“NATHAN!” It was Sue calling from the front door. He was holding them up.

“I have to go now, enjoy your bath.”

“I’ll be thinking of you,” I said. “Wait, let me take your picture.”

He laughed before posing for Nicola and me to take a few photographs with our phones. His family may have been tearing their hair out waiting for him in the car, but as far as Nathan was concerned, there were some things that took precedence and being photographed was always one of them.

“Take care of my baby for me Nicola,” he said before turning and tripping over one of the stools, sending it, and him, crashing to the floor.

It was impossible not to laugh but before I could help him, he was back on his feet and brushing down with an embarrassed smile. Then, as he ran into the living room to shout goodbye over the staircase to Amy, he clattered into a surprised looking Daniel, who had come in to tell him to hurry up. It was pure comedy, and Nathan was able to match his stunning entrance with an equally dramatic exit. He was like a mini tornado that day; leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.

The moment the door shut behind him though, it was still and the only sound in the room was my heartbeat which thumped in my chest. I could still taste him in my mouth and smell his scent. I missed him already. Whenever that boy left, he always seemed to switch the lights off and my world which moments before had been bright and colourful, was now dull and dark again. I decided to wait for my body to return to its pre-Nathan state before venturing upstairs for a much-needed bath.

“You know what?” I said to Nicola. “I think he likes me.”

She laughed. “You’re lucky it was me who walked in, was you kissing?”

“No.”

“Yes, you were. I saw you.”

“Then why did you ask?”

She smiled. “So you were kissing. I didn’t really see anything,” she said smugly.

“Do you think that’s bad?”

“No, why would I think that?”

“Some people wouldn’t like it.”

“Because it’s two guys you mean?” I nodded. “I’ve never seen two guys kissing before, but it wouldn’t bother me. I’m not gonna be shocked if that’s what you think. But you should be a little more careful in the house.”

“You won’t say anything?”

She narrowed her eyes at me. After everything that she had done recently, I guess it was wrong of me to even question her loyalty.

* * * * *

As usual, a hot bath relieved most of the tension that had been building inside of me since Nicola’s early morning news flash and I was surprised by how much tension there was and how funny it looked floating in the water afterwards.

With mental images of the new look Nathan occupying most of my brain and half a dozen sexy snaps of him on my phone, I had enough material to go around a second time. I was sure that Nathan would have been impressed with my efforts but by the time I had finished my lap of honour, the hot bath had turned cold and I no longer felt like washing my hair. When I eventually crept downstairs to get dressed, my skin was wrinkled, and my dick was sore, but my hair was bone dry.

Daniel was sitting at his computer but he didn’t acknowledge me as I pulled on a pair of boxer shorts, jogging bottoms and a t-shirt. Then I sat back in my chair to rehearse my phone call to Alex and stared at a very bare looking wall above my bed.

‘He must’ve said something’.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I said pointing to where his hockey posters had been.

“Dad told me that I had to take them down so that you could put some stuff up there. You should’ve just asked me; I wouldn’t have minded.”

“I didn’t ask him to say that, I’ve got nothing to put up there anyway.”

“Well, from now on that’s your wall and that one too. You can hang anything you want on them.”

‘How about you’?

He was abrupt and back to acting like a dick. Whatever his problem was I wanted him to get it out into the open.

“Look Daniel; I can understand why you’re pissed off with me, maybe it’s best if we didn’t share a room anymore, I can ask them if I can sleep in the family room.”

“What are you talking about, that would be stupid? And I’m not pissed with you.”

“Right.” I looked him in the eye, he seemed agitated and unhappy. It certainly wasn’t the Daniel that I was used to.

“Mom and dad already asked me if I was still comfortable sharing with you…and I told them yes. I already told you, I don’t have a problem with you being gay.”

Hearing him say that made me feel a little better but it didn’t close the subject completely and it felt as if he was still holding something back. Maybe I was asking too much for wanting everything to go back to the way things were before I came out and I wasn’t sure if that was a realistic objective anymore.

“So is it just about Nathan, because he’s your friend?”

“Well, it kinda sucks when your brother starts dating your best friend, don’t you think? But I guess I should’ve known; Nathan’s only my friend when it suits him. When he came out, he started hanging around with Ginny because she was cooler. That was his choice; I didn’t ask him to stop coming around. Then after you got here, he started visiting again and hanging out with me. He told me how much he wanted us to be friends and sleepover again and shit and suddenly we were best buddies again. Then I realised that it was only because you were here. He wanted to see you, not me.”

“So you think that he used you as a way of getting to me?”

“Of course, can’t you see that?” I could, and it did make sense, although I wasn’t sure if that made him a particularly bad person. It was something that I might have done as well. I thought that maybe Daniel was being a little over-sensitive over this.

“That’s not entirely true,” I said. “I know that he liked me for sure but that wasn’t the only reason why he came over, he likes you too Daniel.”

“I know that; he’s tried to convert me a few times, but I’ve never told anyone.” Nathan had already confessed to me that he had had a crush on his friend when they were younger and I could only admire Daniel’s resolve at being able to resist his advances. After all, I had been the main beneficiary of his stringent heterosexuality. Had he fallen short then things could have been a lot different and I would have been the one on the outside, instead of Daniel.

“I meant as a friend.”

He didn’t look convinced. “It’s just kinda weird seeing you guys together. I mean like a couple. And I definitely don’t wanna walk in on you two doing whatever it is that you do to each other.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Yeah, they told me that you weren’t allowed to do anything in the house. So I guess that means you’re gonna have to take separate showers from now on?”

I thought that we had got past this but obviously not and it wasn’t meant as a joke either. I wasn’t comfortable discussing my sex life with Daniel, especially when it involved his best friend but he made it sound as if we were at it all the time. This seemed to be a popular misconception but nothing could have been further from the truth and I felt the need to put him right.

“It’s not what you think,” I said. “We haven’t done much…you know, sex stuff.”

“I don’t wanna know what you guys are doing. I don’t even wanna think about it.”

“Well, fuck you then, because I don’t wanna talk about it!” It was a bad choice of words but he got my drift and sat down on my bed.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“Why were you and Nicola in the bathroom this morning anyhow?”

“We were talking, what do you think? We didn’t want to disturb you.”

He laughed. “Finding you guys in the bathroom was very disturbing, believe me.” I smiled but I needed to get back on track.

“Daniel, I can’t change what happened with Nathan and I don’t want to either. I know he’s your friend but I like him too, just in a different way from you.”

“I just wish you had told me in the beginning that you liked him or that you were gay even.”

“It was a mistake; I know. I fucked up but this is the real me, not the guy who was dating Fran, and if I didn’t have all this shit going on, I would be happy. I love Nathan.” Daniel laughed. “No, I mean it. I love him, it might sound weird to you but it’s the truth and you're gonna have to accept it and move on because I don’t know what else I can do.”

After our impromptu chat, Daniel seemed to lower his defences somewhat and even managed to smile a couple of times at me during Amy’s birthday party. I wasn’t sure if our relationship would ever return to the way it was but if it did then it was likely to take a long time.

* * * * *

After our early morning discussion in the bathroom and my perhaps premature revelation to Nicola about my secret rendezvous with Alex, I had managed to push my concerns over Jenny to the back of my already cluttered head.

Amy’s birthday party helped as did a constant stream of text messages from a bored boyfriend on his way to the capital city. They ranged from polite conversation to fairly graphic pornography written in crude text speak. It was hot enough to get me worked up even in a house full of family and with Sue hovering around me.

“You’re a popular boy today,” she said as I read another message from Nathan. I must have blushed as I read about some of the things that he planned to do when we were next alone. I quickly deleted the message and downed a glass of water. “Was that Nathan?”

“Yes, he wants to know if I can stay over at his house this weekend?” I said throwing it out there. Sue was adamant though that it was too soon and my shoulders dropped. Nathan’s plans to please me would have to be put on hold for at least another week.

“I talked to his parents this morning,” she said, “and they seem like nice people.”

“They are nice people. How come you’ve only just met them, he’s been Daniel’s friend forever?”

“I know dear, I guess we never got around to it but it’s different now…now that you and Nathan are close friends.”

“Close friends?”

‘Please Sue, everyone knows I’m fucking him’.

“Well, I think that it’s important that we get to know each other so we know where you are and that you’re safe.”

‘So you can keep tabs on us more like and make sure we don’t have any fun’.

“Why don’t you just hire a professional bodyguard to keep us apart?”

“Don’t be sarcastic dear, we’re not trying to be intrusive.”

“Not many.”

“Robbie, don’t be rude. I’m doing…we’re doing our best to make things normal for you.” I didn’t like her choice of words, normal always sounded bad. I didn’t like normal.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Things will be different for you now, especially if you choose to see Nathan on a more personal level. We live in a small town; it’s not like Toronto or London. People here aren’t used to seeing gay couples showing affection and they won't like it. I know that it’s wrong but I can’t change it, that’s how it is. We will try to make your lives as normal as possible but you won't be able to enjoy the same freedom as a straight couple would.”

I couldn’t remember asking any of the questions that she had just provided answers for and I already knew all of that anyway, so I was a little confused about where this was going.

“So will I ever be allowed to stay over at Nathan’s house or will you have to fit security cameras in his room first?”

“We will see dear.”

I hated that answer and she knew it by the way that I kicked one of the cushions across the room for a field goal. Daniel managed to make an athletic save just in time to prevent it from hitting a shelf full of ornaments and in doing so, moved up a notch in my estimations. He followed it up with a smile that had been missing from his repertoire for a long time but it was the last one that I saw that day.

“I would like to meet this Alex friend of yours too,” said Sue. “Now that Amy’s birthday is out of the way, you should invite him over, maybe this weekend.”

“Why do you want to meet him, he’s just a guy from school?”

“He’s also the boy who looked after you for the best part of a week, I know his father didn’t. You seem to think a lot of him, so you should pay him back for his help. Also, I don’t like the fact that he’s on his own in that house and having to take care of his younger brother.”

I agreed to call him; it was something that I had to do anyway but had been postponing all day. We hadn’t talked since I left his house a week ago and he sounded pleased to hear from me.

“I’m really sorry man, I don’t know what’s got into that bitch, she’s crazy.”

“Where did that photograph come from?”

“Oh, that. It was a selfie, something I took when I was a little out of it that night that we….”

“Yeah, I get it, but I don’t remember it, how did she?”

“She must’ve seen it on my phone and sent it to herself. Anyway, I’m supposed to meet her tomorrow and hopefully, I can persuade her to drop it before it gets outta control. The only problem is Brad isn’t here anymore, so I could be stuck.”

“Where is he?” I asked cautiously.

“Where do you think, they picked him up in Port Hope yesterday.”

“The police?”

“No, Walt Disney, they want him in their latest movie.”

“Shit, so what happens now, with you and Luke I mean?”

“I dunno, some social worker bitch has been prying. I hate those fuckers.”

“Yeah, me too Alex. But maybe she can help, they’re not all bad. Will they let Brad out?”

“I very much doubt it, dude.”

“Did they find any drugs?”

“Robbie, what the fuck man, I don’t know what you’re talking about, Brad would never get involved in that shit. Fuck man, if anyone was to overhear you they would get the totally wrong impression and maybe even come back and wake me up at five in the morning again.”

‘I’m such a dickhead’.

“Sorry, I err, don’t know why I said that.”

“It’s okay, I’m probably being a little over cautious. Just a second.” I could hear Luke’s voice in the background and then Alex telling him to go back to bed. It was quite late; after ten. Amy had been in bed for at least an hour but it wasn’t really Alex’s fault.

‘I wonder where his dad is’.

It was his dad who was causing all the problems but I had a solution, at least for tomorrow night. “Is it because of Luke that you might not be able to get out to see Jenny?”

“Yeah, I have to make sure that my dad stays sober enough to look after him.”

“You don’t have to rely on him, you can bring him here, I’ll look after Luke. I’m pretty sure that I’ll do a better job than your old man, no offence or anything.”

“Ha, I don’t mind you slating him, he fucking deserves it. Are you sure it’s gonna be okay with your uncle though? I mean Luke can be a bit of a handful, but to tell you the truth, I definitely would prefer you looking after him if you could swing it?” It sounded as if this was what Alex wanted all along and it seemed to be the perfect solution. I desperately wanted him to try and smooth things over with Jenny, which would mean I wouldn’t have to tell Nathan something that he didn’t need to know. I would have looked after Luke for a year to get that result.

“I know it’ll be okay with my aunt and uncle and Amy will…well, Amy will just be Amy but they’re the same age so that’ll be cool. You just gonna have to get him over here.”

“No problem, I got Brad’s car.”

“NO! take the bus.”

“You’re an asshole, do you know that?”

“Yes Alex, you tell me all the time but please take the bus. You can have dinner with us before you leave.”

“What the fuck, what are trying to do domesticate me or something?”

“No, that would be impossible but it would be cool, you can even meet my sister and because it’s Friday so Don won’t be home until late. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone that you came to my house, you know, in case they think that we’re, you know.”

He laughed. “Don’t sweat about it, dude, it’s Jenny who’s the problem, not you. You’re just a dork. Nobody would listen to you anyway.”

“Phew, that’s a relief. I was worried for a while.”

“No need.”

“I’m just a dork.”

“Yep…but I like you and I’ll prove it to you on Friday.”

“Are you gonna hit me?”

“Fuck you, shithead, I’m gonna give you something.”

“I would prefer it if you hit me.”

“Shut the fuck up and I’ll see you Friday.”

My day ended a lot better than it started thanks to Alex who was relieved to find a babysitter that he could trust to look after his little brother. That made me feel good even though I didn’t have much in the way of competition from his dad. Now I just had to hope that Alex could find a way of gagging Jenny although he didn’t seem to have too many problems doing that when I was there and no one was better equipped for such a task.

Sue was happy when I told her that they would be coming to dinner although Nicola was a little more reserved after my earlier confession, and seemed to think that I should still come clean to Nathan about my episode with Alex.

Nathan’s sexy text messages stopped when he arrived at his grandad’s house and he must have switched off his phone after that. He called me that evening though to tell me that it went well and perhaps for the first time he sounded really upset. Maybe it had finally caught up with him.

“I wish I could be there for you, just to give you a hug.”

“That’s okay, save it for when I’m in a better mood.”

“But you won’t need me to hug you then.”

“I’ll always need you to hug me.”

“Always?”

“Uh huh.”

“They won't let me stay at your house.”

“I know,” he said. “My dad told me; apparently Sue discussed our sleeping arrangements with my parents this morning.”

“Our sleeping arrangements?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty shitty.”

“They can’t always stop us though; I mean there’ll be other times. They can’t lock you up forever.”

“That’s what it feels like at the moment.” I leaned back in the chair and listened to him breathing. “Oh, there’s one other thing. Did you really mean what you said in your text messages earlier?”

“Yes, of course.”

“All of it?”

“Uh huh.”

“You really wanna do that?”

“Do you think that’s bad of me?”

“No, not at all, it’s just a little unusual.

“You think that I’m weird don’t you.”

“Totally.”