The Year I Stopped Being Invisible - 23. Chapter 23

I lay in Taine's bed, cuddling my angel close to me under the covers. Our entangled limbs stroked each other in the sweet afterglow of our first lovemaking, and I felt warm. I was content, and finally complete. Taine's face was pressed close to mine, his eyes half-closed with sleepy, languorous pleasure.

This is what I had really wanted, despite my years of fumbling and searching, and despite my two days of disappointing sexual exploration with Mark, Kathy and Jeff the week before. This is what making love was really about, and I at last understood why poets, artists and writers had devoted so much time and energy singing the praises of this most intimate of human interactions.

Taine's breath felt warm and wonderful on my face as he exhaled. I tried to time my breathing so that I could inhale as he did, feeling so close to him, as if we were one. I was almost overwhelmed with emotion from the magic of breathing his sweet, sleepy human essence, the very air which gave life to the boy I loved.

I sighed contentedly, hugging him and stroking the skin of his smooth, pale shoulder, tracing my fingers across the flow of the muscles beneath. As passionate and sweet as our lovemaking had been, as heated and explosive were our climaxes, this part was my favorite so far, this gentle, relaxed intimacy with another human being. Our lips brushed in a slow, lingering kiss, and Taine continued the kiss along my chin and neck, his fingers stroking the ridge of my clavicle across my throat.

"Ricky," Taine murmured softly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything, angel."

He slid his hand tenderly across my chest, kissing my neck and cheek. I could tell that he was trying to gather his words, which Taine only did when he was attempting to voice some very deep and complex emotion or thought.

I waited patiently, stroking his hair and kissing his forehead softly as he formulated his question. I knew that I had to listen carefully and be sensitive to subtleties in his tone and phrasing before answering.

"Well," he began, and his voice sounded so young, so innocent and vulnerable that I instinctively hugged him closer. "This was the best thing that ever happened to me. And..."

He paused, raising himself on his left elbow as he continued to explore my chest with his right hand. I watched his eyes as he studied my skin. It was as if trying to memorize all of me, the first person other than himself whom he had been allowed to examine so closely.

"And?" I whispered softly, encouraging him.

"And," he continued, turning his head away from me, "I just wanted to know if this was it."

I furrowed my brow, concerned.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Was this what?"

There was another long pause as he traced his fingers across my belly, kissing my chest with his warm, soft lips. I reached a hand up to caress his neck, stroking his hair and running a finger down the curved rise of his spine.

I loved him so much at that moment that I found it hard to breathe.

"Well, I know you've been looking at me since you first saw me. In the hallway, in the bus stop, the cafeteria. Even when Coach Keith was stripping my clothes off in the locker-room."

I blushed, suddenly ashamed.

"I couldn't help it," I said. "You're beautiful, Babes."

He shook his head slightly.

"I'm not," he said. "You're beautiful. But I know you wanted to do this. I know you wanted to make love to me."

"Yes I did," I replied, confused. "Of course I did. Wait...Taine...are you saying that you didn't want to do this?"

He ran his fingers down my tummy, stroking them over the top of my boy parts, and cupped my balls lightly in his warm hand, as if to reassure me that he was a willing partner.

"I did," he said. "I loved when you sucked me and licked me. I loved having you in my mouth. I loved having you inside me, and holding me, and telling me how much you love me. I just..."

"Just what, angel? What is it?"

He moved his hand away from my groin, resting it lightly on my thigh. I felt a hot teardrop fall on my belly, rolling slowly down my side.

"I know I told you not to love me," he said, his voice quavering. "But I'm wondering if maybe now that we did this, if that was all you wanted."

Despite myself, I began to laugh in disbelief.

"What, you think I'm using you for sex?"

Taine turned to look at me, anger and hurt flashing in his eyes as they shone with tears.

"Don't laugh at me!" he rasped.

"Taine!" I cried out. "Taine...Babes...sweet angel...no! I love you! Do you get that? I love you! You're all I ever wanted. You're all I will ever want. Do you not understand that?"

He shut his eyes tightly, squeezing tears onto his hot, flushed cheeks.

"Do you?" he asked.

"Yes I do," I affirmed forcefully. "Listen, Taine, if I used you for anything, it was for this. This is what I love. Holding you, kissing you, feeling your body close to me. Look, I think you're the most beautiful boy I've ever seen in my life. I love the way you look, I love the way you taste, I love the way you smell...Look at me, Taine!"

I took his chin in my hand and he opened his eyes wide, the tears stopping as he regarded me with amazement at the intensity in my face and voice.

"And, yes," I continued, my voice rising with passion. "I love having your beautiful cock in my mouth, I love licking your sweet balls, I love being inside your tight, gorgeous ass. That ass should have its own TV show! But, most of all...I love your mind...I love your heart...I love the way you can love so openly and freely even with all the pain and hurt that you've had in your life. I love the way you look at me, and I love the passion in your kiss and the tenderness of your words. Taine Maxwell...I love your beautiful fucking soul!"

I sat up, clutching him to my chest fiercely, covering his teary face with kisses, crying uncontrollably myself now, holding him like I never wanted to let him go, which I certainly didn't.

Taine wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tighter than ever before.

The dam broke, and he collapsed into my arms, weeping and feverishly kissing our mingled tears from my face, neck and chest.

"I love you too, Ricky," he sobbed. "I love you and I shouldn't because you'll get hurt, I'll get hurt...everyone will get hurt!"

His body heaved with wracking sobs as he buried his face in my neck.

"Shh, angel," I soothed, as my tears began to subside.

I lowered my face to his hair, inhaling the soft, strawberry scent of his shampoo as I held him, rocking him slowly back and forth on the bed.

"No one else is getting hurt," I said softly, "unless it's Kevin and his friends. I won't let anything happen to you. And our dads won't let anything happen to either of us. I promise you, Babes, and I've never meant a promise as much as I mean this one: I will love you and hold you and protect you for the rest of our lives. Nothing on Earth could make me leave you, and nothing on Earth could make me stop loving you."

Finally, he relaxed in my arms. Taine turned his face to look up at me, drained from exposing his raw emotions so nakedly and openly. I leaned down to kiss him. As his soft, pink tongue explored my own, I felt myself beginning to stiffen again. He noticed, and moved his hand to stroke me. I reached my own hand down to his lengthening boyhood, tenderly urging it to erection.

I searched his beautiful eyes for permission, and found both love and desire there.

"Make love to me again, Ricky," he whispered. "Never stop making love to me."

I responded my kissing him passionately and deeply, and we rolled over to hold each other in a full-body embrace. We were connected totally and completely, every inch of our warm young skin touching each other's from head to toe, and our hearts and souls joined forever. We made slow, yearning, tender love until the dawn.

* * * * *

We showered together in the morning as we got ready for school. We were both exhausted from lack of sleep, and were running late, so we didn't do more than clean each other's backs and hold each other in a close and loving embrace as the warm water washed off the remnants of our lovemaking.

We toweled each other dry and began to dress for school, all business now, but we stopped at the door of Taine's room for another long, lingering kiss before heading downstairs.

"I love you, Babes," I said.

"More than anything, Ricky?"

I nodded enthusiastically, and he grinned with happiness and love.

"More than everything," I smiled.

When we got down the stairs, we found Sly sitting in the breakfast nook with his usual mountain of food -- pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, hash browns, toast and kippered herring. I wondered how he didn't explode.

"Morning, boys," Sly bellowed happily. "Want some breakfast? Big day for you, Rick."

I nodded. It was my first day back to school since my suspension for Hulking out on Kevin Gorman, and -- despite my exhaustion -- I was getting nervous about what the reception to my return would be among teachers and students alike.

"We don't have time for breakfast," said Taine. "Linda's coming to get us in like two minutes."

We had called Linda for a ride when Rex had dropped us off the night before, and she pulled into the driveway and honked just as Taine grabbed a slice of toast from Sly's plate. Saying quick goodbyes to Sly, we rushed out of the house to Linda's car, completely forgetting to ask where he and Rex had gone after they left us in the driveway.

Linda took one look at our tired, happy faces and broke out in a mile-wide grin.

"Long night, guys?" she asked, a lecherous tone to her voice.

Taine blushed as he climbed in the back seat, but I smiled joyfully as I jumped in next to Linda and flipped her radio from country to pop.

"The best night," I told her, as the silky voice of Donna Summer filled the car.

When you're laying so close to me

There's no place I'd rather you be than with me

I looked up at Taine in the rear-view mirror. He was napping, his beautiful face slumped into the seat with a faint smile playing on his perfect lips.

Do it to me again and again

You put me in such a awful spin, in a spin

Linda and I sang along, she with comically over-exuberant lustiness, I with soft, genuine feeling as I thought about last night, visions of Taine's body entwined with mine in love and passion playing in my mind.

Lay your head down real close to me

Soothe my mind and set me free, set me free

After a time, I stopped singing with Linda and turned around in my seat, watching Taine's sweet, sleeping face as we drove toward the school.

I love to love you baby

I love to love you baby

I love to love you baby

Oh, I love to love you pretty baby

Love to love you pretty baby

Ohhhhh