The Barnstable Chronicles: Book 5 - Beautiful Boy - 14. Growth

I was surprised that Carlos was in bed with me. I was even more surprised that he was still naked and sleeping in my arms. I had to pee real bad and tried to get out of bed without waking up Carlos.

He was holding my arm, and when I tried to pull it away, Carlos woke up. “Thank you for holding me, Noah. It helped me fall asleep.”

“Okay. I don’t remember you getting into bed with me.”

“You were sleepy when I asked if you could hold me, but you said yes, and I crawled into the bed with you.”

“Oh, okay. But I have to pee real bad.”

“Okay.”

I crawled out of bed and over Carlos. My cock was hard and brushed against his because he rolled to his back when I let go of him. His was hard, too. I smiled at him, but he looked real scared. I wonder why that was?

I finished peeing and brushed my teeth. I was surprised that I slept so well. Maybe it was because I had someone to hold on to all night? That must have been it.

When I walked back out to the room, Carlos was in his bathrobe and went into the bathroom with his clothes. I put on a pair of jeans and decided to wear one of my favorite shirts. It had buttons and big blue and white stripes. I decided not to tuck it into my jeans. I put on my sneakers, and Carlos came out of the bathroom, already dressed.

Carlos was wearing cargo shorts and an Alelphi Panthers t-shirt. He smiled at me and asked if I was ready to start my first day of class. I smiled back and told him I was excited.

He reminded me to put my name tag on. I got my backpack, and we went to the cafeteria for breakfast—which wasn’t very good either. I had scrambled eggs and sausage. The eggs didn’t even taste like eggs, and the sausage was just okay.

When we finished breakfast, Carlos walked with me to my class and told me he would be there at 11:30, so we could have lunch. Then we would get my student ID and meal card.

The class was very different than my classes at Aaron School. There were fifteen people, and the teacher—I mean, professor—talked a lot. I typed a lot of what she said into my laptop. She would ask a lot of questions but didn’t wait for people to raise their hands. Instead, she would call out a name, and then ask the question.

I was lucky that I answered my questions, and she would say things like, “Very good, Noah” or “That’s exactly right, Noah.” That made me happy.

I was surprised by how fast two-and-a-half hours went by. At the end of the class, the professor told us that she was very pleased with how well we did on the first day. We had to read three chapters of our book and answer a page of questions on each of them.

Carlos and I went to lunch, and when I told him how much homework I had, he said that there would be a lot of homework because we were doing an entire class in just three weeks. He said the regular classes during the year still had homework, but it wasn’t close to this much.

After lunch, we went to get my ID and my meal card. We stood in line for about thirty minutes, and we were done for the afternoon. Carlos told me that we were going to have a Bridges dinner at the center, and they would talk with us some more about the program.

We went to the gym after I got my ID, but this time we spent the whole time on the ellipticals and treadmills. Carlos said he always did an aerobics day between weight days. He said that gave his muscles a chance to rest before he worked them again. I was glad about that. I was still a little sore from yesterday’s workout.

The dinner was good. I wondered how this food could be good when the cafeteria food wasn’t. Carlos said that was one of the big mysteries of Adelphi. That made me giggle.

After we ate our dinner, Mrs. White told us that we would start meeting in groups of six students tomorrow afternoon. We would be with our mentors. Carlos said it was called “group” and that it would be one of my favorite things about the program.

We went back to the room and watched two more episodes of Atypical. I thought Sam’s friend Zahid was funny. I hope that someday I’ll have a typical friend like that—someone who liked me for just me and not even think about me being different.

When the second episode ended, I told Carlos I had to read one more chapter of my book. He said he was going to go to the center and hang out with some of his friends.

By the time he came back, I had just finished answering the last page of questions. Carlos asked if I wanted to go for a walk. I thought it would be good to get out of the dorm room.

We walked around the campus. It was very quiet, and there was a breeze blowing that cooled things off a little bit. After a while, we got to a place where there were some trees and benches, so we sat down.

“I made a list tonight when I was at the center.”

“What kind of list?”

“Well, there are two lists. One is all the things I don’t like about myself. The other is a list of all the things I like about myself. That list was a lot harder to write. Do you want to see them?”

“No. Those are your lists. But I’m glad you made one of the things you like about yourself. Last night you said there wasn’t anything you could think of.”

“I know. I’m surprised that in just one day, you became my mentor. You are teaching me things I didn’t know about myself.”

“That makes me happy, Carlos.”

“It makes me happy, too.”

“Did you like sleeping naked last night?”

“Yes. It felt nice. But I liked sleeping naked with you even more. I slept better with you holding me than I have since I was a kid.”

“I slept real good, too. I liked holding on to you. It made me feel good.”

“I know. Your penis was hard.”

“Yours was, too.”

“Did I make your penis hard?”

“I don’t know. I was asleep when it got hard. But maybe it was you because it’s hard now, and I’m with you.”

“Me too. I think I like you, Noah.”

“I like you, Carlos. You’re my first friend in college.”

“I mean, I think I like you a lot. I mean, I think I want to kiss you.”

“Okay.”

I leaned over to Carlos and could see him breathing faster the closer I got. I touched my lips to his, and he moaned. When I pressed my tongue against his mouth, he opened it so I could move it inside.

After a while, Carlos pulled away and smiled. “That was my first ever kiss, Noah. It was better than I ever thought it would be.”

“It wasn’t my first kiss, but it was still nice for me, too.”

“I’ll never forget this. For the rest of my life, when I’ll think about my first kiss, I’ll always think about you.”

“Do you want another one?”

“Yes. But can we go back to the room? Can we get naked and kiss in bed?”

“Yes.”

We got up off the bench and started to walk back to the dorm. After a couple of minutes, Carlos held my hand. He asked me if that was okay.

“It’s okay. I don’t need you to hold my hand, but I like it when you do.”

“I like it, too.”

When we got to the room, Carlos closed and locked the door. When he started to take off his clothes, I asked him to wait.

I walked over to him and kissed him again. This time he put his tongue in my mouth and moaned into it. I stopped the kiss and pulled his t-shirt over his head. I told him he could take my shirt off. His fingers were shaking a little bit, but he took it off.

“You’re beautiful, Noah. I never thought I would say that about a boy, but I can’t help it.”

“You’re pretty, too.”

I took off Carlos’s belt and opened the button on his cargo shorts. I unzipped them, and they fell to the floor. Carlos opened my belt and jeans, and they dropped to the floor, too. We slid each other’s underwear off, and we were naked.

I took Carlos’ hand and led him to my bed. He stopped me and said we could use his bed this time. He led me to his bed, and we laid down and wrapped our arms around each other. We started kissing, and the more we kissed, the more we moaned. I liked kissing Carlos—especially since he liked it, too.

I was on my back, and Carlos was on top of me. We were still kissing when Carlos started to move his cock against mine. A few minutes later, his body tensed up, and he started to spray his cum all over my cock and tummy. He started to move his cock against mine after he sprayed, and that made me spray.

Carlos looked at me and smiled. “Wow! I never thought that would feel so good!”

“Yes, it felt good for me, too.”

“It never felt that good when I do it to myself.”

“I know. It always feels better when it happens with someone else.”

“It’s messy, though.” Carlos got out of bed and got his underwear off the floor. He wiped my tummy clean and then did the same to his. He crawled back into his bed and asked if I would hold him.

I scooted back and became the big spoon again. I felt Carlos sigh, and he thanked me.

“Thank you, too.”

“You are helping me see things I never thought of, Noah. You’re the nicest boy I’ve ever known.”

“You’re nice, too. Don’t forget the things on your list and believe them.”

I felt Carlos relax and knew he was asleep in my arms. I was sleeping right after.

The alarm on our phones started to ring at 7:00 in the morning. I woke up when Carlos reached over to the table, but his phone wasn’t there.

“I think they’re still in our pants.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Carlos got out of bed and found our phones. He turned off the alarms and was standing in the middle of the room—he was still naked, and his cock was hard. I liked how he was smiling at me, so I got out of bed and walked over to him.

“You’re hard, too.”

“Yes. I’m always hard in the morning.”

I reached down and wrapped my hand around Carlos’ cock. His legs started to shake a little, so I asked him if that was okay.

“Yes. It’s more than okay.”

I smiled at him and went down to my knees. “How about this?”

I opened my mouth and put the head of his cock inside.

“Oh! Wow! Yes, Noah!”

I started to move my head on Carlos’ cock while he held on to my head. It didn’t take him very long to start spraying his cum into my mouth. It tasted different from Timmy’s and Sky’s—it was a little salty, but I still liked it.

“Do you want me to do that to you?”

“We don’t have time. We have to shower and get dressed—and then go to breakfast—and then I have class.”

“Okay, go ahead and take your shower. I’ll straighten the room.”

I took my shower, and when I started to dry my hair, Carlos came into the bathroom to take his. Only this time, he was naked. He wasn’t hiding in his bathrobe. That made me happy to see him not being embarrassed.

After class, Carlos picked me up, and we went to lunch. He was acting different. It was like he was happy. After lunch, we went to a conference room in the center. It was for the first meeting of our group.

There were six of us and our mentors. The lady who was in charge was Miss Campbell. She would talk and ask questions about being on the spectrum and how we dealt with the different challenges the world gave us.

As more and more people talked, I began to realize how lucky I am. A lot of the kids talked about how they were bullied in high school because they were different. I was lucky because I wasn’t different at Aaron School.

I got real sad when Debbie, one of the girls, said she heard her cousin call her a retard. All of us were surprised. We couldn’t even say anything. Even I knew that was one of the worst words someone could use.

Miss Campbell walked behind Debbie and hugged her shoulders. “We live in a world that’s filled with people who can be cruel, mean, and highly disrespectful. But I really want you to understand that this world is filled with many, many more people who will love you, respect you, and celebrate all the wonderful things each of you accomplish in your life.

“Some people will happily be there to help you when you face different challenges. And it may not be the easiest thing for you to do, but when you do find someone who is disrespectful or mean—always try to remember that there are a lot more people who love you.”

I was thinking about Daddy and Papa—and David and Nana—and Sky—and Timmy—and their families. They loved me—not because I was atypical or on a spectrum. They just loved me. I’m so lucky—and it made me feel bad for Debbie and the others who had mean people in their lives. I was thinking and looking down at the floor when I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Carlos.

“Are you okay, Noah? Do you need anything?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m just sad for Debbie.”

After group, we walked to the gym. I asked Carlos if he had mean people when he was growing up.

“No, I was lucky. My dad works for the Mexican Consulate in Philadelphia. I went to a private school in Switzerland that was a lot like your school in New York. I spent my Summers in the United States, but most of the time, I was at different camps.”

“Do you know how to talk in—in—in Swiss?”

“I can speak German. That’s the language they use in Switzerland. I also learned English, French, and Italian.”

“That’s a lot of languages. Do you ever get mixed up?”

“Sometimes! Sometimes I start talking too fast in one language and start thinking in another language. If people start looking at me funny, I stop talking and try again. But since I’ve been at Adelphi, I’ve been speaking mostly English.”

“I think I want to learn a new language when I come back. I took some French in Barnstable, but I don’t remember very much of it.”

The rest of the Bridges program was good. I liked that every day was almost the same. I like routines.

Carlos and I slept in the same bed every night. We usually helped each other cum in the morning. We would kiss a lot, too. But I never felt like Carlos was a boyfriend. He was a boy. He was a friend. We had fun.

Every afternoon before dinner, I would call Daddy and David. I wrote emails to Papa and Kelsey every day and talked to Papa on the phone a few times a week. Everybody kept telling me I was growing up so fast. I felt the same, though. Except Carlos made me feel important in a new kind of way.

On the last day of the program, we had a big goodbye dinner at the center. After dinner, Mrs. White said she wanted to speak with me privately. I guess I looked scared because she told me not to worry about anything.

Carlos came to Mrs. White’s table with me. She smiled at me and said she was very proud of how well I did with the Bridges Launch Program.

“I want to talk about the Fall with you, Noah. We have more students in the program than we have peer mentors. Three of our Bridges students will be assigned mentors who are not on the spectrum. The non-spectrum mentors have been thoroughly trained and are wonderful boys. Would you be comfortable with one of those boys?”

“I think so. The people I work with at the aquarium are typicals, and I like being with them.”

“I’ve picked a delightful young man for you. Would you like to meet him?”

“Yes, please.”

Mrs. White turned around to another table of students and asked a boy named William to come over to the table.

“William Miller, this is Noah Danner. Noah? William.”

William held his hand out to me, and I shook it. “You can call me Billy.”

“You can call me Noah.”

“Hi, Carlos. Didn’t you graduate?”

“Yes, that’s why I can’t be Noah’s mentor in the Fall.”

“Why don’t Carlos and I let you boys get acquainted? Carlos?”

“Carlos leaned down to me and whispered, “Billy’s real nice, Noah. You’ll like him.”

I smiled at Carlos, and he walked away with Mrs. White.

I looked at Billy. He was almost as tall as me. He had long, wavy brown hair and pretty brown eyes. Billy didn’t have a suntan, and his skin was real pretty. He was thin like Daddy and had a pretty smile.

“Do you like coffee, Noah?”

“My favorite is the Peppermint Mocha Frappucino at the coffee shop.”

“That’s one of my favorites, too. Wanna go?”

“Yes, please. That would be nice.”

We walked downstairs to the coffee shop and ordered our drinks. We took them to a table in the corner and sat across from each other.

“Do you know what you're going to major in when you start in the Fall?”

“Yes. I’m going to study Marine Biology.”

“Wow! I’m impressed!”

“It’s my favorite thing. I work at the aquarium in Westhampton. I help feed the penguins, dolphins, sea lions, and the sharks. Mike said when I get my degree, I can work there full-time if I want to—and I want to.”

“Do you live in Westhampton?”

“We live in New York, but we also have a house on the ocean.”

“I live in New York, too.”

“Oh. Okay. What do you study?”

“I’m a music major. I sing opera.”

“Oh! My other daddy plays the piano, but he doesn’t sing very much. Sometimes he sings to me, and I sing with him.”

“You sing?”

“Yes, but I can’t sing opera. I sing theatre songs.”

“That must be why Mrs. White put us together. Maybe she knew that we both sing.”

“Maybe. I don’t think she knows I can sing, though.”

“You should sing in the choir. That way, we could sing together.”

“I would like that.”

We drank some more of our coffee drinks, and Billy asked me, “Do you have a girlfriend, Noah?”

“No. I had a boyfriend, but he’s moving to California, so we can’t be boyfriends anymore.”

Billy got a big smile on his face. He has a pretty smile that makes me smile back.

“Now I think I know why Mrs. White put us together.”

“Why?”

“Because I like boys, too. I have a boyfriend back in New York.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Billy told me his dad was a chef. He didn’t know very much about his mom because she left when he was nine years old. He also has a brother who is older than him, who is going to NYU in the city.

Billy asked me what I liked to do for fun. “I like to go to the gym, I like movies and TV, and I like sex.”

That made Billy smile, and that made me happy. “I like sex more than anything! That’s the hardest part of being away from Devin. But I always have wanted to go to the gym. I’m just so fucking skinny!”

I giggled when Billy said the bad word like it was a regular word. I told him I would help him learn what to do in the gym. That made Billy smile again.

“You could be my gym mentor. That would be awesome!”

“Yes, it would be fun, too.”

“What’s your favorite movie, Noah?”

“It’s Onward now, but it was Toy Story for a long time.”

Then, out of nowhere, Billy started to sing softly:

You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said
Boy, you've got a friend in me
Yeah, you've got a friend in me.

“That was beautiful, Billy. You sing really good!”

“Thank you, Noah. But I really do mean it—you have a friend in me. I’m excited to be your mentor, your friend, and your roommate.”

“Me too, Billy. I’m going to like being your friend, too—and your gym mentor.”

Billy and I walked back to the dorms. He was in the building next to mine.

We stopped in front of my building, and Billy asked me if I was okay to hug.

“Yes, I’m okay to hug people when I like them.”

“You like me, huh?”

I giggled, “Yes, I like you, Billy Miller.”

I held my arms out, and Billy moved into them. He got close and wrapped his arms around my back. It felt real good. He rested his head on my shoulder. His hair smelled nice and minty. I could feel his cock start to grow. It’s big—real big!

“Your muscles are really nice, Noah. I hope I can get some when we start working in the gym.”

“Your cock is real big. I could feel it growing when we hugged.”

“I couldn’t help it. It kinda happens when a sexy boy is hugging me.”

That made me giggle again. “I’m not sexy! I’m just—just Noah.”

“Yes, Noah. You are the sexiest boy I think I’ve ever seen. It’s not just about your body. You’re so incredibly sweet—and your giggle is so fucking cute!”

That made my face burn.

“When are you going home?”

“My daddies and Nana are coming to pick me up at 10:00. Then we’re going to the ocean house. When do you go home?”

“I’m just going to take the train back sometime in the afternoon. At least I don’t have to take everything home with me, I’m—we’re—going to be in the same room in the Fall, and they’re letting me keep my things here. Maybe I can meet your family in the morning?”

“Yes, I’ll text you.”

“I need your number. Give me your phone.”

Billy put his number in my phone and told me to call him. Now he had my number. He gave me another quick hug.

I went up to the room, and Carlos was packing his suitcase.

“Did you like Billy?”

“Yes. He sings! Billy sang the Toy Story song to me at the coffee shop. He sings pretty, too.”

“That’s good. I think you and Billy will become good friends. Do you want some help packing?”

“Yes, please.”

“I left my sheets on my bed for tonight. We can sleep there so you can pack yours.”

“Okay.”

It didn’t take very long to pack my things. Then, I called Daddy, and he said they would be at my dorm at 10:00. I was excited to see him again! I missed my family!

Carlos and I took off our clothes and crawled into his bed. We rolled around the bed while we kissed. Carlos stopped kissing me and said he wanted to do something special for me since it was our last night together.

He moved down to my hard cock and put it in his mouth! Carlos never did that before, and it felt real good. He used his mouth and his hand at the same time—and it didn’t take very long for me to get that feeling where I knew I was going to cum.

“I’m so close, Carlos! I’m gonna cum!”

I thought he would move his mouth off, but he didn’t. I ended up moaning and spraying in his mouth. It felt so good!

I was going to do the same thing to Carlos after I could breathe again, but he couldn’t wait. Carlos got up on his knees, stood over me, and rubbed his cock. He sprayed his cum all over me.

I got out of bed so I could take a quick shower and clean off. When I got back in the room, Carlos surprised me again. This time, he was the big spoon. It felt nice to be held while I slept, and I slept all through the night.

We got up at 8:00, and Carlos said he was so happy he got to know me and spend three weeks with me. I told Carlos it made me happy, too. I didn’t tell him I had dreamed about Billy Miller holding me and feeling his big cock against my back. But, I was real hard and needed to go to the bathroom.

Before I could pee, I had to rub my cock and spray into the toilet. After I peed, I went out to the room. Carlos went into the bathroom while I got dressed. I put on my cargo shorts and the Adelphi Panthers t-shirt I got the other day. I wanted to look like a college boy when I saw Daddy.

We walked to the cafeteria for breakfast. Billy came in right after we did, and I invited him to eat with us. It was neat eating breakfast with my two mentors. The funny thing is, I felt like I was a regular student, not like a scared kid who needed help.

It reminded me of what Mrs. White told us last night. She said that we were now ready to be a full part of the Adelphi University student body. She said that all of us had grown and developed into full-fledged college students.

We talked about our plans for the rest of the summer. Carlos and Billy weren’t going to do very much, but I was going to go back to the aquarium on Monday. I was excited!

At 9:30, we walked back to the dorms. Billy said he would brush his teeth and come to wait with us in our room.

My phone rang at 9:45. Daddy was a little early and said they were pulling into the parking lot. They were here!

I went out to the parking lot as fast as I could and got there just as Daddy got out of the car.

“Daddy!”

“Oh, Noah! My beautiful boy!”

Daddy wrapped his arms around me and held me tight. David hugged me next and asked if I had been working out at the gym because my muscles felt bigger. That made me happy! Nana hugged me next, and she sniffled and told me how much she missed me.

I told everyone they should come to my room and meet Carlos and Billy. Daddy asked who Billy was.

“He’s going to be my mentor when I come back. He’s not like me—he’s a typical—but he’s real nice. We talked a lot last night.”

I walked with everyone to the building, and David asked if I wanted him to hold his hand.

“No, please. I don’t need that anymore. I’m not a little kid anymore.”

“Look at you, all growing up! That’s wonderful, Noah!”

We went into the room, and Carlos said hello to Daddy. Billy stood there with his mouth hanging open and looked like he couldn’t breathe.

“Everybody—this is Carlos. He was my mentor while I was here. We’re going to be friends for a long time now. And this is Billy. He’s going to be my mentor when I come back in the Fall, and—Billy? Are you okay?”

“Noah, when you told me your other daddy played the piano, you didn’t tell me he was David freakin’ Chase! I’m—I’m—”

“It’s okay, Billy. It’s just David and Daddy—and my Nana.”

“I’m sorry—I was just surprised. It’s so nice to meet you all. I’m Billy Miller.”

“Billy sings opera. That’s what he’s studying.”

David smiled and shook Billy’s hand. “There’s no need to be intimidated. I have a feeling you are going to become an important part of our family if you are important to Noah.”

“Billy lives in the city, too.”

Daddy asked Billy how he was planning to go back. When Billy told him he would take the train, Daddy insisted he ride back to the city with us. It made me happy when he said he would.

Billy said he would go get his bag and meet us at the car. Carlos, Daddy, and David took my things, and Nana walked out the door with her arm around my waist. It sure felt good to be with my Nana again!

I hugged Carlos goodbye and thanked him again. He also thanked me for showing him all the cool things he had never done before. That made me happy. We promised that we would keep in touch with each other. We hugged each other, and Carlos walked back to the dorm as Billy walked to the car with a big smile on his face. I like Billy’s smile, and that made me smile back at him.

David put Billy’s bag in the back of the SUV. Daddy was driving, and Nana sat in the front with him. David sat in the next seat, and I sat in the back row with Billy.

We were driving on the highway when I had an idea.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, Noah?”

“Would it be okay if I call you Dad now? I’m not a little kid anymore. I’m a college student.”

“Noah, you can call me anything you want—just don’t call me late for dinner, okay?”

I was confused. David and Nana groaned, and Billy giggled. I looked at Billy, and he held my hand. “Noah—that’s what is called a dad joke. It’s kind of dumb, and the only person who thinks it’s funny is the dad who told it.”

“I heard that, Billy Miller!”

“Oops!”

David turned around and knocked his knuckles with Billy. “I like you already, Billy. You’re going to fit in just fine with this crazy family!”

For the next fifteen minutes, David and Billy talked about opera and classical music. I didn’t understand much of what they were talking about, but Billy got more and more comfortable with David. That made me happy.

When we got into the city, we drove to a place called Brooklyn. That’s where Billy lived. When we got to Billy’s house, we stopped in front of a restaurant. Billy told me that it was his dad’s restaurant, and they lived above it.

David said we would be sure to come and try it out one night. He also invited Billy to spend a weekend with us at the ocean house. That made Billy happy, too!

Billy hugged me and thanked me before he got out of the SUV. David got out and helped Billy with his bag.

Billy waved goodbye as Daddy drove away. I put on my headphones so I could take a nap. We were on our way to the ocean house, and I was going to start the end of my summer. I had new friends who weren’t animals, and I couldn’t stop thinking about Billy Miller. That made me happiest of all.