The Cockney Canuck - 99. Chapter 99 Niagara Falls

Even an unshackled Nathan at his operatic best was no match for Kirsty’s accomplished vocals from next door but needless to say, we got a lot more value for our money than the unlikely couple in number twelve. They were in the room for less than an hour. A relative sprint compared to our marathon and we were still only warming up when they left.

I soon realised why he was so reluctant to sneak off and indulge in any naughty activities with me at the party. Knowing what he had planned, Nathan had prepared himself well with a three-day self-enforced abstinence. I admired his control but the longer it continued the more difficult and debilitating it became until I was almost too scared to touch him. It was like playing with an unexploded bomb and it was a relief for us both when a gust of wind finally tipped him over the edge for an impressive but predictably messy finale.

That moment alone probably justified the entrance fee and Nathan made sure I had the best view in the house. He milked it for everything it was worth before rolling onto his back and leaving me to search for a towel. When he still hadn’t moved five minutes later, I was ready to start administering CPR but a tell-tale smile on his still giddy face was proof he was alive. I grabbed the bottle of water we left in the mini-fridge and lifted his head for him to drink like a wounded soldier.

“Do you feel better now?”

He choked as I poured more water than he could swallow into his mouth and sat upright spitting it over me.

“Are you trying to drown me?”

I could have accused him of doing the same a few minutes earlier but I accepted his watery, cold-mouthed kiss as compensation until he recovered sufficiently to focus once more on me.

It was, without doubt, the most unusual birthday present I had ever received but it was also the most challenging, physically and mentally. To a teenager, a whole day of uninterrupted sex with my super horny boyfriend sounded too good to be true but in the end, it proved a hopelessly unrealistic proposition.

By mid-afternoon, our appetite for sex had been replaced with the need for food and drink. There were no local stores within walking distance but it seemed like Nathan had thought of everything as he dialled the number of his favourite pizza place. Sex was hungry work but my boyfriend was eyeing more than just the food when it arrived courtesy of the boy from Mario’s. He was watching him from the window as he got out of his car and strolled towards the door.

“Oh my God, it’s him. I knew it would be. This guy’s so hot. I’m going to invite him in.”

“Whatever.” I was more interested in getting the television working than ogling the delivery boy.

“You don’t believe me do you?”

“Oh yeah, I get it. You invite him in and then you tell him you’ve got no money to pay for it. So he takes it out on your ass. Is that it?”

“You’ve seen that movie, huh?”

“Lots of times.”

He straightened his hair before opening the door with a smile and a volley of sexual innuendos. “Wow, that’s a big one. I didn’t know they came in that size. Where do you want to put it?”

I rolled my eyes but kept out of view while Nathan paid him. The guy may have been hot—which was more than I could say about the pizza—but despite a handsome tip, he didn’t look like he was ready to swap his next delivery for an hour of gay sex. Nathan’s ass was safe. At least for another hour or so anyway.

“Oh well, looks like it’s just me and you,” he said. “Real life is never the same as the porn films.”

Considering what we had been doing for most of the afternoon, it seemed like an odd statement to make.

“Haven’t you had enough for one day?”

“You can never have enough but it was only a joke. I wasn’t really going to invite him in.”

“One day someone’s gonna call your bluff, then you’ll be in trouble.”

“I dunno, I think I might enjoy it.”

“What, with a complete stranger?”

“And you, of course. Doesn’t that turn you on?”

Up until that point, I thought we were joking. “Are you serious?”

He was blushing; trying to hide behind a giant slice of meat-laden pizza. “Do you think that’s really bad of me?”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Of course, I had thought about it, but that kind of stuff was just fantasy. It would never happen for real.

“I don’t think it’s bad, but it’s unlikely.”

“Why?”

“Because there aren’t any other gay people in Cobourg.”

“Do you wanna bet?”

I didn’t take up his offer. I knew he would be able to prove me wrong. There was the extremely camp guy from his dance class and a couple of guys at school who I knew of but didn’t know personally. No one I would want to share Nathan with though. When I thought about it, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to share him at all.

He grabbed me and pulled me down onto the bed for a pepperoni flavoured kiss.

“It’s okay. We don’t have to do that really. I can see you're not too keen on it.”

“It’s probably a little advanced for us at the moment, don’t you think? Maybe in the future. When we’re more experienced. And with someone, we can trust.”

I didn’t know what to think of Nathan’s little fantasy. He may have disguised it as a joke at first but clearly, it wasn’t. He wanted to get another person involved in something that was intensely personal and private to me and it was worrying.

“What do you wanna do now?” he said.

I was thinking of rest. A combination of a full stomach, lack of sleep from the night before, and our exertions from earlier were making it difficult for me to keep my eyes open.

“We could go back to bed or watch the Blue Jays.” I pointed to the grainy picture on the outdated TV.

“Either way we’ll fall asleep,” he said. Nathan wasn’t a big fan but baseball was my adopted sport and it was getting to the interesting part of the season.

I knew Alex would be watching at home and I wondered if he was okay. My thoughts had been drifting to my injured friend throughout the day. I was still shocked by his tearful display during the night and I hadn’t been able to get him off my mind.

“You’ve got a thing for baseball players, haven’t you?”

“Huh? What?” I glared at him and then relaxed and smiled when I realised he was talking about the game on TV. “Probably.”

“I prefer something a bit more physical.”

“I know you do. Like horse riding.”

“Horse riding?” He looked confused as I giggled and winked at him.

“Rodeo riding then or whatever you wanna call it.” I was teasing him over something we did earlier and his response was predictable. He looked at me wide-eyed, blushed, and slapped my arm. It was pure theatre.

“Oh my God. I don’t believe I did that!”

I was laughing. “It’s kinda late to get all bashful about it.” It was an act though and I knew it. He wasn’t embarrassed about it at the time.

“You seemed to enjoy it,” he teased and blew me a kiss before walking naked across the room to retrieve his phone. I watched him for a while. Familiar now with his little idiosyncrasies. Some I liked, others I found annoying. Like the way, he would glance in the mirror whenever he walked past. It was like he couldn’t resist admiring himself, even in the middle of a conversation. I was sure he didn’t realise he was doing it most times but I found it irritating.

Clearly, the honeymoon period was over for us too. There was a time when I believed he was perfect. When everything he did was magical, unique, and the cutest thing ever.

‘I guess it kinda wears off the longer you know someone’.

There were things that were beginning to bug me about him which I hadn’t been able to see before.

I didn’t always appreciate his sometimes overly camp style. Particularly when he did it to make others feel uncomfortable. People like Rory, for example, who was the sweetest kid you could ever meet. He was straight, so what? He was still loveable and still had feelings. I didn’t like the way Nathan would try to embarrass him and make him feel awkward. I noticed it when they first met and it was prevalent again at the party.

I did the same thing with Billy but he was a homophobic prick who deserved everything he got. Rory, on the other hand, had proved his worth as a friend many times over and I had never seen as much as a hint of homophobia in him, even before he knew about me. He was just a nice kid, accepting of everyone and I valued his friendship more than I allowed him to see. I was determined to make a big effort the next day to spend as much time with him as possible and make it clear to Nathan he was off limits as far as his games were concerned.

I watched one inning of the baseball. They gave up three runs and I switched it off in a huff. They weren’t looking like a team who were going to make the playoffs.

“You're turning into a real Blue Jays fan,” he said climbing back into bed. “They never win. If you want, you can take your frustrations out on me. I’m better at catching balls than they are.”

“I don’t think I’m ready to do anything else.”

“How about just a hug? I like sleeping with you. We never get to do that.”

He was right. It was something we never did because we never got the opportunity. It was nice to cuddle up to Nathan without doing anything else. Although I could feel his hardness poking me in the stomach as we tied ourselves into knots and swapped saliva. To feel his warm, slightly sweaty, skin, next to mine, and his hot breath in my face was something I knew I could get used to. It was certainly a lot better than sharing a bed with Daniel.

My new brother’s antics the night before were the reason why I was so tired and I should have realised what would happen next.

*     *     *

When I opened my eyes it was dark. Nathan was still wrapped around me with his head under my chin. I didn’t want to move him but I was starting to panic. After peeling his arms away, I eased myself to the edge of the bed and switched on the lamp.

It was ten after eleven and I was already late.

“Shit! Nathan. Wake up.” I kissed him and gently rocked his shoulder. “We have to go.”

“I know.” He was still half asleep and threw his arms around my neck to pull me back down. “I love you.”

“I love you too, but we have to go or we’re gonna be in trouble.” He wasn’t making it easy by kissing me and when he pulled me on top and wriggled beneath me with wide mischievous eyes. There was only one way it was going to end.

It was after twelve when I recovered enough to switch on my phone and order a cab. I was still getting my breath back when the controller told me it would be twenty minutes. We spent ten of them in the shower and the rest frantically getting dressed. I had just dragged my t-shirt over my wet hair when the cab pulled up outside.

The driver was a regular who knew me quite well. His name was Ollie and he was from Ghana. He had picked me up from Fran and Nathan’s house in the past but the Palm Springs Motel was a new one for him and I could see him watching us in the rear-view mirror as we giggled in the backseat.

I think the game was pretty much up with Ollie even before Nathan kissed me goodnight but he sat patiently until we were done and I doubled his fare as a tip. It put a smile on his face and kept him on my side.

“You always pay well, Robbie.”

“It’s to stop you from spreading rumours about me.”

He laughed and winked. “What I see, stays with me.” That was what I wanted to hear but it was probably too late to be covering my tracks.

“I’ll see you in eight hours,” I whispered to Nathan and kissed him once more through the open window.

“Will you have to sleep with Daniel again tonight.”

“I hope not.”

“I hope you do.”

It took me a few moments to work it out. It was Sue’s logic. The alternatives were Tom or Alex but after the day we just had, he must have known I was only good for sleep.

I could only imagine what Ollie must have thought of our conversation but he pretended not to listen and I had to tap on his window to tell him to go.

‘Now all I have to do is sneak indoors’.

The lights were all off so I thought maybe I would be lucky. After a late night yesterday it was likely Sue was asleep so I opted for the front door rather than try my luck around the back. It was a mistake. I should have realised she would put herself through any amount of discomfort to catch me out. As I crept towards the stairs, she was sitting in the living room, watching television in the dark.

I waved and offered her a smile but she pulled me in with her finger and my shoulders slumped as I dragged my feet to stand in front of her.

“I didn’t realise what time it was,” I whispered. “I fell asleep.”

She shook her head, disapprovingly. “You're two hours late. I’ve been trying to call your cell phone.”

“It was switched off.”

“I know but it shouldn’t have been.” I didn’t have an answer but she was too tired to lecture me. “We’ll talk in the morning,” she said. “You’d better get some sleep. Oh, in case you're wondering, Daniel’s in his own bed tonight. I know you had a bit of a disagreement this morning.”

“He kept kicking me.”

“I know but you're going to have to share with Alex instead.”

I knew it. It was fairly obvious what she was going to do. There was no way she was going to put me in with Tom, so he had my bed. She thought she was being smart.

“That’s okay.”

“It’s only while Tom’s here. Alex needs someone with him who he knows. Daniel helped him undress earlier but I think he would be more comfortable if it was you.”

‘I’m bloody sure he would’.

I felt my way around the sofa bed, straining my eyes in the dark to see what side of the bed he was on. Then walked straight into the coffee table and swore under my breath.

‘I’m gonna smash that fucking stupid table one day’.

After sitting down to rub my leg and stripping to my briefs, I gently eased myself onto the bed and under the sheet, keeping myself as still as possible so as not to wake him.

“You're two hours late, dude. Sue’s been going nuts.” I couldn’t help smiling when I heard his deep voice whispering in my ear.

“You're awake? I was trying not to disturb you.”

“I know. I’ve been watching you. You can’t see that good in the dark, can you?”

“No, you should have told me you were awake, I could have switched on the light.”

“That would’ve ruined all the fun. Did you get in trouble?”

“No, of course not.”

“Liar. I could hear her talking to you.”

“A little bit.”

He chuckled. “Are you grounded?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

“Too bad, you could keep me company. I wouldn’t mind going back to school with you guys.”

“Blimey, you must be bored.” I never thought I would hear Alex telling me he wanted to go back to school.

“Your house is really boring.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“Okay, I’m not.”

“You're an ass.”

“I’m a tired ass.”

“Have you been fucking all day?”

“NO!”

“Yeah, right. Where did you go?”

“Nowhere special.” Even in the dark, my face was unable to play along with my lies and I couldn’t prevent the corners of my mouth from turning upwards at the sight of his searching eyes.

“I heard it’s nice there.” When he grinned and bared his teeth I thought it was pointless trying to pretend. It looked as if he wouldn’t be too bothered.

“A motel,” I confessed.

“I know, dummy. You already told me last night where you were going.” As soon as he said it, I remembered.

“You’ve been there too?”

“The Palm Springs? Of course. I hope you showered before coming home.”

I laughed as he stared at me. “You know we’re supposed to be going to Niagara Falls tomorrow don’t you?”

“How could I not know. It’s been the only topic of conversation around here.”

“I wish you could come with us.”

“Leave me out of it dude. I don’t wanna go on your gay road trip. It’s boring. Besides, I’ve been there loads of times and I got my little bro to look after now.” He pointed to the couch where I could just about make out a small human shape lying down with a leg hanging over the edge.

“Luke’s here. That’s cool!”

Alex smiled and rolled onto his back. “Well, you’d better get some sleep then. Just don’t start fighting me in the morning like you did with Daniel.”

“I won't.” But after sleeping for most of the evening I was no longer tired. “Just keep to your side of the bed.”

“I’ll try not to touch,” he said and he didn’t. We established a kind of unofficial, no touching zone in the middle of the bed. A no-mans-land which neither of us occupied. Daniel should have been taking notes.

I was hoping Alex would want to stay awake to keep me company but within a few minutes, he nodded off leaving me to my thoughts.

I was certain he would have enjoyed going with us to Niagara Falls and was simply putting a brave face on it. Despite what he said, I doubted if he had ever been there.

It was a bizarre situation. I had spent the evening in bed with one sexy boy and less than an hour later, I was in bed with another. There were almost complete opposites in build and personality but the physical attraction was virtually the same.

I was tempted to cuddle up to him. It would have been easy to give in, even after the day I just had with Nathan but I kept my focus and the no touching zone wasn’t breached.

*     *     *

I had forgotten how loud Luke could be first thing in the morning and on Sunday he was in top form. There was no doubt he was pleased to be back with his brother and his excitement showed as he joined forces again with Amy to wreak havoc around the house. Ironically, the only person who he wasn’t able to wake up was Alex. My new roommate, however, proved to be a lot less troublesome to sleep with than Daniel and was still out cold when I climbed out of bed to take a shower.

At nine o’clock, while the others were still getting ready, Don drove me across town to pick up Jamie. I called him on the way and he was waiting outside the front of his house with his mom when we arrived. His face lit up when he saw us.

“He’s been looking forward to this all week,” said his mom as she handed Don a small bag with medicines and an inhaler. “Jamie knows what he needs if he has a problem. He’s very good. He’ll tell you what to do.”

“I’ll be fine, mom.” Jamie rolled his eyes at his weary-looking mother as he excitedly showed me a digital camera someone had bought him.

“I want to take pictures of the falls and put them on my wall.” Then, while his mom was chatting with Don, he took me up to his room to show me the collage he was making above his bed.

“That’s pretty cool. How long have you been doing photography?”

“Oh, since I’ve had the camera. Over a week now.”

I was genuinely amazed. Some of those photographs were very good.

“When Jamie finds a new hobby, he submerges himself in it,” said his mom when I told her how impressed I was. “He has to know everything about it. He hasn’t stopped taking pictures.”

I thought it was really cool. He obviously had a great deal of talent and the ability to learn quickly. It was an achievement considering how much time he missed in school but a reflection of everything he did which was sad. It seemed as if he was trying to squeeze as much as possible into a life he knew would be cut tragically short.

To have that hanging over your head and still be able to smile as he did was nothing short of remarkable and it was one of the reasons why I liked this kid so much.

We posed together for his mom to take our picture before he climbed awkwardly into the back of Don’s car. I wanted to help him but his mom tugged my sleeve and shook her head.

“Try to resist fussing over him. He’s tougher than he looks. He’ll ask you for help if he needs it. But it’s important you let him do things on his own, even if he looks like he’s struggling.”

I was happy to take her advice. It made sense. He just wanted to be like everyone else.

Our next stop was Nathan’s house. My boyfriend looked a little weary when he joined us but Jamie’s enthusiasm was hard to ignore and soon Nathan was sharing his headphones and encouraging Jamie to move his torso to the music. It was good to see. Jamie was always a hit and for all the right reasons. I had a feeling he was going to have a lot of fun that day.

Waiting for us at home was another boy who Jamie knew well. Rory was playing football on the front lawn with Tom when Don parked on the driveway. Jamie wasn’t well enough to play any sport or do any physical exercise but it was obvious he would have loved to join in. I think Rory noticed it too and he thoughtfully picked up the ball to end the game before rushing over to talk to the boy he met in the hospital.

While the rest of them jostled for seating positions I slipped downstairs to see Alex. He was sitting on the sofa-bed with no shirt on. It was a sight which would usually get my pulse racing but I guessed there were other reasons for his semi-nudity that day, other than to excite me.

“Do you want me to help you get dressed?”

“I thought you had gone,” he said but he should have known I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.

“Or are you waiting for Sue to help you?” He smiled at me as I pulled a face.

“Okay, I’ll let you do it, dork. I think you enjoy it anyway.” He was very close to the truth and he knew it too as I rather awkwardly pulled a t-shirt over his head. Sue was calling me from upstairs as I put his feet into the legs of his jeans and told him to stand up.

When she came down in a huff to get me, I was standing in front of him trying to pull up his zipper. Had it been any other boy in any other situation, I would have been grounded for the rest of humanity.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were helping Alex,” she said turning her back to give him some privacy, even though he was perfectly decent. I couldn’t help giggling as I winked at my friend and told him I’d bring him back a stick of rock. He had no idea what I was talking about and I didn’t have time to explain.

“That was very good of you, Robbie,” said Sue and she patted me on the back as I passed her to go upstairs. “I may just forget about the time you came home last night.”

I smiled all the way to the car. Sue had just caught me with my hands on Alex’s zipper and praised me for it. In fact, it may have even saved me from punishment.

‘Tomorrow, I’ll do it with my teeth and see what she says’.

It took Don just over two and a half hours to drive the hundred and fifty-two miles from Cobourg to Niagara Falls and he didn’t stop. I was the last one in the car and had to take the back seat in the middle between Rory and Tom. Jamie sat in front of us next to Nathan and Daniel had the unfortunate task of keeping his dad company in the passenger seat.

I had seen Niagara Falls on the television and in photographs but nothing could have prepared me for the sight of them in real life. The sheer size and magnitude were breath-taking and I stood for ages watching them in a trance.

“It’s pretty neat eh.” I could barely hear Nathan’s voice above the thunder of the falls but I felt his hand on my waist as he stood beside me to look over the railings.

“It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” I said and when I turned my head, he kissed me. It was windy and our faces were covered in spray as I kissed him back.

It was no more than a peck but we were being watched by a rather snotty middle-aged English couple who stood next to us. They didn’t like our frivolous show of affection and muttered under their breath as they shuffled away.

“English tourists,” said Nathan. “The place is crawling with them.”

“I know eh, they’re just aboot everywhere.” I laughed.

“I don’t talk like that.”

“Yes, you do, everyone over here does.” I leaned forward and kissed him quickly on the nose. “But I don’t mind, it sounds sexy on you.” We were getting a little too close in a place which was hardly private. Daniel gave me a look to warn me that Don wasn’t overly happy with our antics.

Jamie, however, had no such hang-ups when he approached, camera at the ready, to take another picture.

“Act like boyfriends,” he teased and I threw caution to the wind one more time, pressing my face against Nathan’s for the benefit of Jamie’s collage. Then he gave his camera to Daniel and stood between us for what turned out to be the best photograph of them all. “I can send you these by email when I get home. It’s really easy.”

Jamie, it seemed, had arrived on social media with a bang and by the end of the day, he had collected everyone’s email address, Facebook and Skype details so he could stay in touch. Even Don had to contribute before pulling me aside to give me a warning cleverly disguised as good advice.

“I know you and Nathan are only having fun, but try keep it decent, please,” he said.

“We are being decent.” I was indignant but Daniel cleverly diffused it by interrupting and pointing towards a rather tacky advertisement outside a hotel.

“Hey, Robbie. You and Nathan can come here to get married.” There was a picture of a couple sitting in a heart-shaped hot tub drinking Champaign and according to the sign, the honeymoon suites came complete with vibrating beds and mirrored ceilings. Even Don had a little chuckle.

“If we did I would be your brother-in-law,” added Nathan and I watched Don’s smile quickly fade at the prospect of my boyfriend joining his family. I nudged Nathan playfully in the ribs to show my appreciation his little quip. Those moments were priceless.

As we walked back to the car Don looked exhausted and I started to worry.

“You're not going to fall asleep on the way home are you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said. “Anyway, it doesn’t really matter. I have cruise control.” I glared at him as I tried to work it out and he laughed. “It was a joke, Robbie.”

Joke or not, I insisted on sitting up front with him and talked nonstop for the first hour of the journey until he couldn’t take any more and stopped for a break.

“Why don’t you sit in the back and talk to Tom,” he said swallowing a Tylenol. He was trying to be tactful. Apparently, my constant banter was having the opposite effect to what I intended and sending him to sleep. A more restrained Rory took my place and my compensation was a window seat in the back next to Nathan. He promptly fell asleep with his head on my shoulder, setting up another perfect photo opportunity for Jamie.

When we dropped my young friend at his house that evening he ran inside to tell his mom about his adventure and she was close to tears when we left. I gave him a hug and Rory and I promised to visit him the following week to watch the Arsenal Liverpool game on TV.

After all the concerns for his well-being, Jamie had a great time and far from being a burden, he probably contributed more than anyone else to a day which I would never forget. Only once did he need my help when he asked me if I would sit with him while he used his inhaler. Other than that, he was just one of the boys and everyone treated him that way.

We arrived home at just after ten o’clock. I left Daniel and Tom to unload the car and ran downstairs to see Alex but he wasn’t there.

“If you're looking for my brother, he’s in the bathroom.”

I could hear Luke’s voice but couldn’t see him from behind the couch until his head popped up with a big grin.

“Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?” He shook his head. “I think you are.” Luke was quite adamant he didn’t have to go to sleep until his brother came back but it was a while before the bathroom door opened and Alex walked out dressed in only his bandages and a pair of briefs. He gave me a half smile before telling Luke to go to sleep and carefully crawling into bed.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes,” he said curtly. “How was your day?”

I wanted to tell him all about it but he didn’t look like he was in the mood for talking and he confirmed it by rolling onto his side as Tom and Daniel came downstairs. I asked them to turn off the lights before they disappeared into the bedroom closing the door behind them.

“What’s wrong, Alex?”

“Nothing!”

“Are you sure?”

“Go to sleep.”

“Are you angry at me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because you won’t go to sleep.” I waited a while looking up at the ceiling and listening to his breathing as he settled.

“Is that it? Is that the only thing that’s bugging you?”

“No, there are lots of things that bug me about you. Now let me sleep, dickhead.” I knew he couldn’t see me but I still folded my arms and frowned at him until I heard him sigh and turn his body around to face me.

“Goodnight Robbie,” he said in a much friendlier tone. I could see the corners of his mouth curling up in the dark to reveal a warm forgiving smile.

“Night Alex.”

“Happy now?”

“Yes.”