The Barnstable Chronicles: Book 5 - Beautiful Boy - 3. Meeting Sky

Since we didn’t have Mrs. Henderson in New York, Daddy ordered Chinese food for dinner. We all got to order our favorite—mine is Orange Chicken! Yummy!

David said he would go to the restaurant and pick up our food. Nana made some iced tea, and I helped Daddy set the table. As soon as we had the table set, David came into the house carrying two bags of food.

While we were eating, David told Nana that he wanted to hire someone to help around the house to fix food and keep the place clean. Since there would be times when Daddy or David would be away for work, he didn’t want Nana to have to take care of the house by herself.

Daddy said he didn’t want to hire someone without us there because he felt it would be best to have a live-in.

“What’s a live-in, Daddy?”

“Well, David and I thought that it would be a good idea for the person we hire to live in one of the extra bedrooms. That way, she—or he—will be here to help us with all of our meals.”

“Oh. Okay.”

David started to speak next. “Another thing we have to consider is that the two of us have a certain degree of celebrity. We can’t just post an ad and see who shows up. Ben, my manager, said he and his staff would do the search and initial screenings. That way, he would only send the top candidates to see us. Does that work for you, Beverly?”

“I think that’s a wonderful approach.”

“Daddy?”

“Yes, Noah?”

“What’s a celebrity?”

“A celebrity is someone famous, and people want to get to know them sometimes. Of course, some are more famous than others, but celebrities need to be careful, so their friends and family are kept safe. Does that make sense?”

“Well, I know David is a celebrity because there is a lot of stuff on the Google about him. But I didn’t know you were one.”

David smiled at me, saying, “Noah, your Daddy is a brand-new celebrity. People have learned about him from Project Runway, and since he won, he’s been getting a lot of fans—all over the world.”

“Oh, okay.”

We finished eating our dinner, and Nana said I should go to my room and unpack my suitcases. Daddy said he would help me as soon as they got the dishwasher started.

“Can I take the elevator?”

“Of course you can, sweet boy. I’ll be up to help you shortly.”

Nana and I got into the elevator. She pressed number 7, and I pressed number 6. I got off the elevator first and went into my room. I knew there was one thing I had to do before Daddy got there—I had to unpack the lube stuff and put it in my nightstand drawer.

Daddy knocked on my door, and I told him he could come in. I didn’t understand why he knocked. When I asked him about it, he said I was a growing young man, and young men deserve their privacy. I like this new rule. This means I can rub my penis without anybody walking in on me!

Daddy and I unpacked my suitcases and hung my shirts and pants in the closet. Next, we put my underwear, socks, t-shirts, jeans, and shorts in the different dresser drawers. It didn’t take very long with both of us doing it together.

“Would you like to come up to the terrace with me?”

“Yes, Daddy. I like the terrace!”

He smiled at me, and it looked like his eyes sparkled. “I’m so glad you’re here, Noah. I love you sooooo much!” He took me in his arms, hugged me, and kissed me on top of my head. It felt so good to be in Daddy’s arms! I’m glad I’m here, too.

We took the elevator up to the terrace, and Daddy got two boxes of apple juice out of the refrigerator. We walked over to one of the big chairs. Daddy sat down and asked me to sit with him. He pulled me in, so his arm was around me, and my head was resting on his shoulder.

“Are you happy to be in New York now?”

“Yes, Daddy. I like it here.”

“That’s good. I think you’ll like your new school too. I went there this morning and met Mrs. Rousch. You’re going to meet her tomorrow. You’ll like her, too.”

“Okay.”

‘You sound a little nervous. Am I right?”

“Yes, I think I am. I won’t know anyone at the new school. I won’t have Timmy there. Timmy and I have been in the same class forever.”

“Do you miss Timmy?”

“Yes, Daddy. I miss him a lot. I hope he misses me.” I don’t know why, but my voice started to get shaky, and tears started to fall out of my eyes.

“It’s okay, Noah. I know it hurts your heart right now. But I promise it will get better. You love Timmy, don’t you.”

How did he know? But he was right. I love Timmy, and I miss him. “Yes, Daddy. I love Timmy, and I miss him a lot.”

“Just remember, you get to see him in a few weeks. I talked with your Papa, and he said Timmy could stay with you in the apartment when you go to Barnstable for your visits. Would you like that?”

“Yes, please.”

“Noah? I want you to know—no matter what you say, you are not in trouble. But—did you and Timmy become intimate?”

“What’s that mean, Daddy?”

“Did you and Timmy do things together—like kiss or touch each other in your private places?”

I nodded my head, and more tears fell down my face.

“So, I want you to hear this, Noah. It’s very important. You should only be intimate with other people—boys or girls—that you are very close to, people you love. There might be times when you want to do those things with someone you might think is pretty, but if you don’t love them, it won’t mean anything to you—and you could get your feelings hurt.”

I nodded my head. Daddy was pretty smart. But I was getting confused.

“Daddy?”

“Yes?”

“I’m confused.”

“What is it?”

“Well, I love you, and Nana—and David. But I don’t want to do—intimint things with you.”

“Of course you don’t, son. But, you see—there are as many kinds of love as there are people in your life. You’ll love a lot of people in your lifetime, Noah. And you’ll love each one differently. But, every now and then, you’ll find that you love someone in a very, very special way. You’ll love them in a way that you need to get as close as you possibly can. Is that what happened with you and Timmy?”

I nodded my head again. “I love him. I miss him so much, and my heart hurts. Is that how you felt when David went to Russia?”

“You know, I didn’t even think of it that way. I’m sure that’s exactly how it feels. And you see? Everything worked out just the way we all wanted it to work out.”

“Yes, it did. I hope it works out good for Timmy and me.”

“It will work out just the way it’s supposed to work out. I love you so much, Noah. And I love the amazing young man you are becoming.”

“I love you, Daddy. And thank you for not treating me like a little kid. I like talking to you like this.”

“My little boy is growing up. Does that make you happy?”

“Yes, please.”

“Why don’t we go downstairs and see if there’s some chocolate ice cream in the freezer?”

“Okay.”

We went down to the kitchen, and Daddy found ice cream in the freezer! He told me David and Nana were probably down in the living room, and I should go and get them so we could all enjoy some ice cream together.

I went down to the living room, and they were there watching television. I told them Daddy was making ice cream for us, and they should come up and have some.

We went out to the deck from the kitchen and ate ice cream. It was the best ice cream I’ve ever had! I told Daddy it was the best, and David smiled.

“This is my favorite ice cream in the whole world, Noah. One of the first things I did when your Daddy moved here was take him to Morgenstern’s. They’re the people who make this ice cream.”

“It’s so goooood!”

I was starting to get sleepy. It had been a long day. I asked Daddy if I could go to bed, and he said I could. I stood up and gave everyone a hug goodnight. That surprised them because everybody always hugs me first. Well, I’m growing up now. And I kind of like surprising people I love.

I crawled into my new bed. It was comfortable, but I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Timmy. I saw him kissing me, putting my penis in his mouth. I saw the look on his face when I pushed my penis inside his butt.

I felt my penis get bigger the more I thought about Timmy. I reached over to the nightstand and got the bottle of lube stuff. I poured some into my hand and started rubbing my penis. I closed my eyes and thought about Timmy—naked Timmy. He is real pretty. I squeezed my hand extra hard and thought about being inside Timmy. It didn’t take long for my sperms to start shooting out. I said Timmy’s name out loud. And then I started to cry.

I must have cried myself to sleep because it was morning when I woke up, and I was still lying in bed just like I was when I finished shooting my sperms. I got out of bed, put the lube stuff away, and went into my bathroom to take a shower.

After my shower, I put on my sleep pants and a t-shirt to go downstairs and have breakfast. Yay! David made Mrs. Henderson’s breakfast casserole—my favorite! We ate out on the deck again. Mornings in New York are nice—but they sure can be noisy. There were a lot of cars driving around.

Daddy said we needed to leave in about thirty minutes to go to my new school. I asked him what I should wear. He said I could wear my jeans and a polo shirt. That was good. I like those clothes.

I went up to my room and changed my clothes. I put my phone in my pocket and my wallet in my back pocket. I went downstairs, and Daddy was at the table reading his iPad and drinking some more coffee.

“I’m ready, Daddy.”

“Excellent! You look very handsome, Noah.”

“Yes, please.”

“You might want to bring your headphones with you. It can get pretty noisy on the street.”

“Okay, I’ll go get them in my room.”

I have a pair of headphones for really noisy places. They don’t play any music, but they block out all that extra sound. They’re a good thing to have with me.

I put my headphones on before Daddy and I stepped out the front door. The school was a lot of blocks from our house. Daddy took my hand and held it tight. He didn’t want me to let go and get lost. I’m glad Daddy was with me because I didn’t know where we were going.

We got to the school, and there was a big sign over the door that said Aaron School. We walked in the front door, and there was another door. Daddy pressed a button on the wall and said it was Charlie and Noah Danner. Somebody said they were expecting us, and there was a buzz. So daddy opened the second door, and we went in.

I could tell it was quiet inside, so I took off my headphones and let them rest on my shoulders. Daddy took my hand and took me through one of the first doors we came to. A pretty lady was smiling at us as she came nearer.

“Mr. Danner—so nice to see you again. And you must be Noah.” She held out her hand to me. Daddy said I could shake her hand because it would be polite.

I shook her hand one time and told her I was Noah.

“Excellent. My name is Mrs. Rousch. Would you like to come into my office?”

Daddy was still holding my hand. I’m glad. I feel braver when he holds my hand.

We went into Mrs. Rousch’s office. She sat behind her desk, and Daddy and I sat in the chairs in front of her.

“Noah—I’m so very happy that you will be joining us at Aaron School. It might seem a little different from your old school. There will be fewer people in your classes, and you’ll move to different rooms for different subjects during your day here. Can you tell me what some of your favorite subjects are?”

“I like math. I like singing. But my favorite subject is anything with animals.”

“That’s wonderful! Your father told me that you had a wonderful time at the aquarium last Spring. Can you tell me about that?”

“Yes. There were a lot of animals. The penguins were funny, and they told me they liked it there—but they wanted more ice and snow to play in. My favorites were the sharks. We went in the water with them, and they came up to me. They told me not to be afraid. There were a lot of sharks, but I only talked to the great white and tiger. The tiger is a girl shark.”

“That’s fascinating. I spoke with Mike this morning, and he told me the same thing. Did you know the aquarium added more ice and snow to the penguin habitat, and they play even more now?”

“That’s nice.”

“Noah, can you tell me what grade you are in?”

“I finished the eleventh grade. I’m in the twelfth grade now.”

“That’s right. You’re a very smart young man. We will be putting you in the twelfth grade when you start here.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome, Noah. Now, do you know what an internship is?”

“No. I don’t.”

“An internship is similar to a job. You spend a day once a week—usually Saturday—working at a place that we think is a good fit for you. I spoke with Mike this morning, and he would like to speak with you. Would you like that?”

“Yes, please.” I looked at Daddy, and he was smiling real big.

Mrs. Rousch dialed her phone, and she asked for Mike. Then she told the phone she was going to put the call on speaker.

“Hello? Is this Noah?”

“Yes. Is this Mike?”

“It sure is! How are you, buddy?”

“Am I your buddy, too?”

“You are if you would like that!”

“Yes, please.”

“Excellent! So, I heard you moved to New York, and you’re at your new school.”

“Yes, please.”

“That’s wonderful, Noah. Did Mrs. Rousch tell you about the internship?”

“She told me what it was, yes.”

“Would you like to come to the aquarium on Saturdays and do an internship with us? I know the animals would love to see you again.”

“I would like that.”

“That makes me happy, Noah! I’ll talk with Mrs. Rousch later, and we’ll work everything out.”

“Okay.”

“You have a wonderful day, Noah. Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.”

“Bye, Noah.”

“Bye, Mike.”

“Daddy? Do I get to go to the aquarium on Saturday?”

“It looks like you do, Noah.”

“Mr. Danner, my only concern is getting Noah there and his having a place to stay.”

“That’s not a problem. We have a home in Westhampton, and between David, my mother, and me—at least one of us will be more than happy to drive him out to the island on Friday evening. We’ll come back on Sunday. It won’t interfere with school at all.”

“Perfect. I’ll make it happen then.”

“There is one thing, though. Noah will be spending one weekend a month and one month over the Summer with his other father. We have a joint custody arrangement.”

“I’m sure we can work around that. Since we are going to be enrolling Noah in our year-round program, we can arrange for his six-week break to happen during the summer months.”

“That’s perfect. Thank you, Mrs. Rousch.”

“Now—Noah, would you like to see the school?”

“Yes, please.”

“We have a student—also in the twelfth grade—who loves showing people around. Like Noah, he’s very high on the spectrum. I think they might get along quite well.”

I wasn’t sure what she was talking about, but she picked up her phone again and started to talk to it.

“Good morning, Mr. Lanier. Is Skylar Davis available to show a new student around campus? Great! You can send him to my office.”

Mrs. Rousch hung up her phone and looked at Daddy. “If Noah is okay with it, we’ll let the boys be on their own. Of course, we’ll be close behind them—and I’ll give you a much more detailed tour as we follow the boys.”

Daddy took my hand and asked me if I would be okay to let Skylar show me around the school. He said he and Mrs. Rousch would be right behind us if I needed anything.

“Maybe. Can I meet him first?”

“Of course you can, Noah. Your father would like to meet Skylar as well.”

There was a knock at the door, and Mrs. Rousch told whoever it was to come in.

“Hello, Mrs. Rousch.”

“Good morning, Skylar. Are you having a good day so far?”

“Yes, I am. Mr. Lanier said you wanted me to show a new student around?”

“Yes. Skylar Davis, this is Noah Danner. He will be starting classes with us tomorrow morning. Noah, this is Syler Davis.”

I looked up and saw the most beautiful boy I have ever seen. I don’t know why Daddy and David call me beautiful—not when there is someone like this! Skyler was a little taller than me. He had wavy, dark-blond hair. He smiled when he saw me. But what I couldn’t stop looking at were his beautiful green eyes. They sparkled when he held out his hand. He wanted to shake my hand.

“Daddy, he wants to shake my hand.”

“It’s okay. You can shake his hand.”

I stood up and walked over to Skylar. I took his hand, and he said, “Hi. I’m Skylar, but you can call me Sky.”

“Hi, Sky. I’m Noah, but you can call me Noah.”

“You’re very pretty, Noah.”

“So are you, Sky. You’re beautiful.”

We walked out into the hallway. Daddy asked me if I wanted him to walk with us or behind us. I told him I wanted him to walk behind us. That made Sky smile. Good! I made him happy!

The first place Sky showed me was the cafeteria. He told me they made food there if we wanted it, but most people brought their own. Then he took me to the auditorium. Sky said he does plays there, and the choir sings concerts there.

“I did plays back in Barnstable. I was in Annie, and I sang “Tomorrow.”

“Maybe we can sing and act together. I would like that.”

“I would like that too. I like to sing and act.”

We kept walking down the hall, and Sky would point to a door and tell me what they were teaching in there.

“This is my favorite place in the school. It’s the library. I like it because it’s quiet in there.”

“I like the libraries, too. Maybe we can sit together in the library sometime?”

“Yes, I would like that.”

“I would like that, too.”

“Are you going to have an internship, Noah?”

“Yes. I’m going to go to the aquarium and be with the penguins and sharks.”

“Ooooh, sharks are scary!”

“No. These sharks are nice. They want to be my friends. ”

“I want to be your friend, Noah.”

“Okay.”

Sky stopped moving and turned to me. “Can I hug you?”

“Yes, please.”

Sky wrapped his strong arms around me and hugged me. He smelled so good. I didn’t want to let go, but I started to feel funny. I pulled away.

“Thank you, Noah. I’m happy you’re my friend now.”

“I happy, too. You’re very nice, Sky. Is there anything else to see?”

“Skylar, I think it’s time for you to go back to Mr. Lanier’s class. I’ll take Noah and his father back to the office.”

“Goodbye, Noah. I hope I see you tomorrow.”

“Me too, Sky. Goodbye.”

I waved at him, and he smiled. I made him happy again!

Mrs. Rousch took Daddy and me back to her office. When we sat back down, she asked me if I liked the tour.

“Yes, please. It was nice. Sky was nice, too.”

“Would you like to be in classes with Sky?”

“Yes, please.”

She typed on her computer and then told Daddy that there were only six students in Sky’s class, and she would easily fit me in. Daddy was happy—that made me happy.

She typed some more on her computer, and a piece of paper came out of a printer. She handed it to Daddy. “This is Noah’s daily schedule. Homeroom is at 8:15. We would like our students to arrive by 8:00. Is that possible?”

“Yes. We live just a few blocks away. I’ll be walking Noah to school every morning. There are three adults in our home who would be picking him up in the afternoon.”

“Excellent. This is our pick-up form. Could you fill out the information on the other two adults? We’ll need to photocopy their IDs when they come for the first time.”

Daddy started writing on the paper, and Mrs. Rousch asked me if I had any questions.

“Will I get to sing and act with Sky?”

“Yes, Noah. You will have all the same classes as Sky. Once a week, you’ll have an acting class and a music class. Our students have a performance once or twice a year. I’m sure you’ll be able to participate in that.”

“Okay.”

Daddy stood up and asked me if I was ready to go home.

“Yes, please.”

We said goodbye to Mrs. Rousch and left the school. I put my headphones on, and Daddy took my hand. There are so many people walking on the sidewalks in New York! I’m glad Daddy told me to bring my headphones. I wasn’t nervous at all.

While we were walking, we got stopped three times. People we didn’t even know wanted to take pictures on their phones with Daddy. He was real nice about that, but I could tell he wanted to get home. I did too.

When we got home, Daddy hugged me and told me he was proud of me.

“Okay.”

“You made a new friend today. Skylar seems very nice, too.”

“His name is Sky. And he is nice—and beautiful.”

“Oh? What is one thing that makes him beautiful?”

I had to think about this. Daddy wanted just one thing—and there are so many things! But my answer was pretty easy.

“His eyes, Daddy—they’re so green, and they sparkle.”

The elevator door opened, and David walked into the entryway.

“Hi, babe. Hi, Noah! Did you like your new school.”

“Yes, I did.”

“David, our boy is growing up.”

“Oh? What happened?”

“Noah? Do you want to tell David about your morning?”

“Yes, please. I made a new friend. His name is Sky. He showed me around the school.”

“Is there something else you would like to tell David about Sky?”

“Yes, please. He’s beautiful. Sky has green eyes that sparkle.”

David held his arms out to me. I walked over to him, and he hugged me. “I’m so proud of you, Noah. You really are growing up!”

“David, there’s one more thing. Noah is going to have an internship at the aquarium. So we’ll need to be spending our weekends in Westhampton.”

David hugged me again and said he was so happy for me. I was happy, too! I have a new school, a new friend, and I get to go to the aquarium every Saturday.

I looked up at David and asked, “Can we cook sandwiches and cheesey mac for lunch?”

“Yes, should I order something and have it delivered?”

“Can we cook it together like we did at the ocean house?”

“We sure can. Would you like ham, turkey, or roast beef?”

“Yes, please.”

“Okay, buddy. I need to run down to the market and get everything we need. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

David took his keys, kissed me on top of my head, and kissed Daddy on his mouth. I wonder if Sky wants to kiss me on the mouth?