The Cockney Canuck - 155. Chapter 155 April Fool

The clock in the classroom above Mrs Reigor’s desk took an age to reach two-thirty, but when it did, I was the first to rise and head for the door. It was Friday the first of April, and I was on a mission, walking as fast as I dared without running to make it to my locker before the corridors filled with excited kids. I nailed it! After exchanging my English folder for my backpack, homework, and coat, I closed my locker, snapped the lock, and was gone. It was as slick as any Formula One pitstop, but after that, I was at the mercy of Cobourg Transit.

There were only two routes around town, but the bus I wanted was the most frequent. It connected the downtown area with the mall and the Northumberland Hospital, where that afternoon, Nathan was having the plaster casts removed from his arms. It was an important moment in our relationship, and I wanted to be the first to see him all healed and back to normal.

I made good time, reaching the bus stop opposite the school five minutes after the final bell. It was where I saw Nathan for the first time and where we used to meet twice a week after my extra math classes. My sexuality was still a closely guarded secret back then, and Nathan was no more than a wet dream, but a lot had happened in the last year. Now I was out to the world and not only dating my wet dream but sharing his bed with his parent’s consent.

I’m sure they would have preferred our relationship to be more platonic, but their son’s attack was a huge wake-up call, and they were prepared to adjust their lives for his safety. I thought it was good parenting. Nathan was a lucky boy; he wouldn’t end up on the street because of his sexuality or be forced into conversion therapy because of religious doctrine.

Thanks to Sue, I was now only one parent away from making the same claim. She had shown remarkable fortitude lately by opposing her husband’s draconian principles and standing up for my rights. She was even risking her marriage by covering my tracks and lying to Don about my whereabouts.

Her wake-up call was Jo. I think that was when she realised this wasn’t just a phase I was going through, and it wasn’t going to go away.

Now only Don stood in the way of my perceived happiness. He was the dark cloud in an otherwise clear blue sky and the only one in the family who wasn’t aware of my relationship with Nathan. Lately, he was too preoccupied with his new boat to pay much attention to what I was doing, but everyone knew he would find out eventually, especially now my boyfriend was back in circulation. It was only a matter of time.

All this played on my mind as I sat on the bus reading a text from Nathan. It was sent from his new phone—a get well gift from his parents—and somewhere between all those love hearts was a message confirming his casts were off. I hurriedly typed my congratulations, followed by an equally obscene number of hearts, but before I could send it, another message arrived from him that made me look around and blush. Then, a further two in quick succession, each more sexually explicit than the last.

It was getting hot on the bus, so I got off early before anyone noticed the growing bulge in the front of my pants and walked the rest of the way. Nathan only had himself to blame for my tardiness, and he had a filthy smirk on his face when our eyes met across the busy waiting room.

He jumped up to meet me with a loose hug—and despite a roomful of bored onlookers—a firm kiss on the lips. Few things seemed to get people’s attention quite like two boys kissing, and Nathan looked pleased when I held my nerve and didn’t back down.

“Four texts in five minutes. You hit the ground running.”

“Five,” he corrected me. “I just sent you another, but I’m not up to speed yet; everything still feels weird.”

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and a dozen pairs of eyes staring at us as he held his arms up to show me. They were pale and thin, and there was a scar just below his left elbow where they inserted the metal plate.

I held his arm to look closer before placing my palms against his and lacing our fingers together. It felt good to be able to hold hands again. Oddly, it was probably what I missed the most.

We were the only ones standing and getting a lot of stares from the now not-so-bored onlookers. There was a television on the wall showing the local news, but I got the feeling we were the preferred source of entertainment.

A woman with a baby must have noticed me looking around for a place to sit and kindly moved along to allow us two seats together. I thanked her and smiled at her baby before turning to my own bundle of joy. Nathan was as excited as I had ever seen him, bouncing on the edge of his chair and battering my eardrums with an endless flow of verbal diarrhoea.

I soon lost track of the conversation, but after everything he had endured, I could forgive his moment of euphoria.

Although the person responsible was still at large, my boyfriend was determined to move on from an ordeal that would leave deep scars, both mentally and physically. There was no doubt that our resurgence as a couple had played a massive part in his emotional recovery, but I worried about the long-term effects. His dogged refusal to talk anymore about the attack, and his insistence on blaming himself, were reasons for concern and potential issues in the future.

In the short term, he still needed some physiotherapy, and ironically it was Sue who he was waiting to see. She worked in the physical rehabilitation unit and had some exercises to show him to rebuild his muscles and loosen his joints.

“They’re still a little stiff,” he said.

“Yeah, I know the feeling.”

“Oh, really?” He smiled and lowered his voice. “You liked my texts then.”

I felt my cheeks heating up as I risked meeting his eyes. “Only if you plan to do those things for real.”

“Try to stop me,” he teased before whispering in my ear. “Do you want me to tell you what I’m gonna do to you when we get to my house?”

I swallowed nervously and glanced around the room at the sullen faces.

“Not now. People can hear.”

He rested his head on my shoulder and leaned against me. “Spoilsport. I’ll text it to you instead.”

Our antics were attracting a lot of attention and now a few harsh looks. A middle-aged woman sitting next to Nathan seemed particularly aggrieved by our frivolity.

Nathan must have noticed also, and his actions suddenly became more pronounced. He finished typing his message to me before crossing his legs and putting his hand on my thigh. I knew what he was doing—trying to make people uncomfortable by being overly-camp. It was a vintage Nathan performance, but it made me feel as uneasy as everyone else.

“Maybe we should wait outside.”

He looked me in the eye with a devilish smile and licked his lips. “Read the text I sent you first.”

I sighed and hesitantly looked at my phone before scratching my head. “Is that supposed to be kinky? I don’t get it.”

“Read it all,” he said.

“I have. You want blue nail polish.” I held my phone up for Nathan to look at the message. “Why would I have that?”

Nathan’s smug grin vanished as he squinted at my screen. “Oops, I must have sent you the wrong text. I’m all fingers and thumbs today. That was meant for Ginny. I need blue nail polish to match the sweater my sister’s buying me.”

‘Of course, you do.’

It began to make sense, and my boyfriend chuckled to himself as he scrolled through his texts before stopping, covering his mouth, and looking at me with eyes the size of golf balls. “SHIT!”

I started to giggle as I watched the colour drain from his face. His mistake was obvious but hilarious.

“You sent my text to Ginny, didn’t you?”

He nodded, and I was bent double holding my stomach, trying to contain my laughter.

“Oh my God. I can’t believe I did that. She’s gonna think I’m some kinda sex fiend.”

I shushed him to keep his voice down. “But you are.”

“No, I’m not. I wouldn’t send someone a text like that.”

I had tears running down my cheeks. “But you just did, you plonker.”

“Yes, but it was meant for you.”

It was getting funnier by the second, but not everyone was in on the joke, and I had to drag Nathan out of the waiting room before the woman next to him called the hospital security. Once outside, I paced the corridor, still chuckling and wiping my tears with my sleeve.

“That’s so funny, Nathan. What was in the text?” I tried to grab his phone, but he moved it behind his back. “Come on; it can’t be that bad.”

“Ginny will think so; she gets hung up about that stuff.”

“What stuff?”

“It was kinda rude.”

“How rude? Are we talking perverted, disgusting, or real filth?”

“All three combined and multiplied by a hundred.”

“Wow, let me read it then.” I grabbed his wrist, but he switched the phone to his other hand, so I grabbed the other one, and he switched it back again.

“No! It’s embarrassing.”

“But it was meant for me, you knob!” Now I held both of his wrists, but when I released his free hand, he used it to grab my arm, and it was a stalemate. My fear of hurting him negated the advantage I had over his weakened limbs—my grip was loose, and he was able to break free. There was a brief one-handed dogfight as my hand chased his and the phone in circles above our heads. Then he put it in his mouth and grabbed my arm. Now he held both of my wrists and had his phone clamped firmly between his lips.

I laughed. “Give it to me, Nathan.”

He shook his head slowly and mumbled in defiance.

‘Two can play that game.’

I pushed him back against the wall and leaned forward to put my mouth over the other side of the phone until our noses touched in the middle of the screen. Then there was a tug-of-war as I attempted to wrestle the phone from his mouth while trying not to laugh or fall into his big brown eyes. They sparkled invitingly at me, weakening my resolve and sending messages far more explicit than any text. It was funny how even our battles—however playful—seemed to quickly degenerate into sex, and I found myself humping his leg.

I was alerted by the receptionist calling his name in the waiting room and jumped away as she breezed through the double doors, leaving Nathan with a red face and a phone stuck in his mouth. She gave us a strange look then smiled when she noticed him still holding my hand. I pulled it away sharply and used it to wipe my mouth. Some people were easy to read, and I could tell she thought we were cute, so I used it to my advantage.

“Can I go in with him?”

“I’ll ask the nurse,” she said. “It should be okay, just this once.”

“She’s his mom,” said Nathan wiping his phone on the front of his hoodie.

The receptionist spun on her heels and tilted her head as she studied my face looking for a name.

“Robbie,” I said, and her smile widened.

“Hi, Robbie. I’ve heard so much about you. I’ll let your mom know you’re here.”

The moment she left, Nathan rolled his eyes and teased me with a squeaky impression. “Hi, Robbie. I’ve heard so much about you.” Then he hit me on the arm. “It’s not even your appointment.”

I slapped the back of his head. “Shutup. You're just jealous because she fancies me.”

“Oh my God, Robbie. She’s like thirty years older than you. She probably has grandchildren that are twice your age.” He tried to hit me, but I grabbed his arm and laughed as I held it still between us while he strained and his face turned purple. “Can you let go of my hand, please?”

I thought about it as I chewed my bottom lip. “No. Because if I do, you’re gonna hit me.”

When the receptionist returned, I was laughing and pushing him away as he tried to poke me in the stomach. There wasn’t much point in physiotherapy; I gave him all the exercise he needed.

“Your mom said you can go in if you promise not to fool around.”

We stopped fighting, and I crossed my heart. “We never fool around.”

She laughed, but when she turned her back on us, I grabbed a handful of Nathan’s butt cheek, making him squeal.

“Why don’t you tell her you like sucking dicks,” he whispered as I followed him into the small treatment room.

“I think she already knows that.”

I was trying to make Nathan laugh as he sat on the examination table with his legs dangling while Sue held his outstretched arm and told him to clench his fist.

“You can stay and watch, but be quiet … and don’t touch anything!” She turned her head to glare at me, and I dropped the rubber ball I was playing with back on the table. It made Nathan smirk, so I pulled a funny face at him while Sue went back to work, twisting and bending his arms.

My boyfriend brought out the mischief in me, and it was difficult to be quiet, especially when Sue explained the exercises he had to do. That was when the giggles started.

As a qualified nurse and a mother of two teenage boys, she must have known why I found it difficult to keep a straight face. It was almost too funny. Those exercises looked suspiciously similar to the kind of wrist movements most boys do for pleasure without the need for instruction. She was wasting her time. I knew from personal experience that Nathan was already highly skilled in this particular field.

Unable to control my giggles, I was reprimanded by Sue—in her role as a mother—and banished to the corridor while she kept Nathan much longer than his allotted slot. He was her final appointment of the day, and there was a good reason for her delaying tactics.

While Nathan was at the hospital, his family were preparing a surprise for him at home. During the week, I was asked to invite a select group of my boyfriend’s closest friends for a small celebration and tasked with keeping him out of the house until they arrived from school.

Sue did her best to help out before releasing him and reminding me that I had to come home that evening. I didn’t usually sleepover on Fridays, but she refused my request to bend the rules.

“You’re gonna have the whole evening together; I’m not being unreasonable.”

Believing we would be on our own, Nathan agreed with Sue and promised to send me home on time. Our sex life depended on her continued compliance, and he knew we had to keep her happy, but I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be so easy now he no longer needed my help.

When we reached the parking lot, Nathan called his sister. She was with him earlier when he had his casts removed before making an excuse to leave to prepare for his surprise, and now, according to Nathan, she couldn’t give us a ride home.

“She had to go out somewhere.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.”

“No, it’s good news, silly. My parents are out too, so we’ll have the house to ourselves.”

‘I wouldn’t bank on it.’

“But there’s no need to rush. We can take our time, can’t we? It’s a nice day; we could even walk to your house.”

Nathan looked at me as if I had taken leave of my senses.

“My sister won’t be out forever. Don’t you want to be alone with me?”

“We are alone, Nathan.”

“This is the hospital parking lot?”

“I know that, but ….”

He stopped me by putting his finger to my lips. “Why don’t we get a cab?” A quick kiss was followed by a knowing wink. “Then I can show you what I can do with my hands.”

I was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. Nathan knew I would never turn down such an offer, and taxis were my preferred mode of transportation, but it would have gotten us there too early.

“I haven’t got enough cash on me for a cab.”

“Well, I have. What’s wrong? I thought this was what you wanted.”

“It is, but … but … here comes the bus.” I was never happier to see that blue and white beast chugging up the hill towards us. So, I grabbed his hand and started running to the bus stop, pulling my reluctant boyfriend with me.

The route zig-zagged across town, so a journey that took ten minutes by cab turned into a good half-an-hour by bus. Nathan was unimpressed by my delaying tactics and pulled out all the stops to get me aroused. My lack of urgency confused him, but he was resourceful, so—unable to wait a minute longer and blissfully unaware of the surprise waiting for him at home—we sat at the back of the nearly empty bus with his hand down the front of my pants.

Saying no to him would have made him even more suspicious. So rather than risk ruining his surprise, I played along and covered his activities with my coat. It was the first time Nathan had touched my dick in seven months, and I arrived at his house with an undisguisable hard-on that he promised to take care of the moment we got to his room.

Of course, it didn’t happen. Nathan was whisked away by his loyal disciples while I rushed to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face and wait for the problem to subside. Whatever perverse pleasures my boyfriend had planned for me that afternoon would have to wait for another time, although I was sure Ginny would have something to say about the text. I laughed again at his bungling as I left the bathroom and bumped into Rory.

My golden-haired buddy had changed from his school clothes into a sexy pair of five-oh-ones and a matching jean jacket that looked like it should be on a girl.

“It’s Beckie’s,” he said, confirming my suspicions, but I was sure it looked better on him. Rory wasn’t one of Nathan’s close friends, but I invited him anyway, and he proved the perfect consolation for a kidnapped boyfriend.

“Thanks for coming; Nathan’s friends suck. I find it hard to fucking talk to them.” I giggled. “Did you hear that, Rory? I just used fucking, suck, hard, and coming, all in the same sentence, and I wasn’t even talking about sex.”

He rolled his eyes at me. “You're so childish. It’s not much of an achievement.”

“It is to me, and I know you like it when I talk dirty.” I put my arms around him for a hug and smiled at his rather lame attempt to push me away.

“Get off me,” he giggled, but I knew his complaints were only for the benefit of those who were watching. He always liked it when I hugged him and often returned the favour for no apparent reason. No one confused me as much as Rory, but I was forced to let him go when Nathan joined us.

“Leave the poor boy alone. You're like an over-excited puppy.” He pulled me away and smiled at Rory. “Excuse my boyfriend; he didn’t get to finish his treat.” Then he winked at me. “I shouldn’t have given you that hand job on the bus.”

Rory looked shocked. “He gave you a hand job on the bus?”

“No,” I said.

“Yes,” said Nathan. “And you don’t wanna know what I’m gonna do to him later.”

“You're right,” said Rory. “I don’t wanna know.”

“PERVERT!”

I cringed at Ginny’s voice and edged away from Nathan. “Looks like you got some explaining to do, mate.”

“I already have,” he said as Ginny looked at me and shook her head.

“You're sick!”

“Me?” I said, pointing to my chest.

“I don’t think that was very funny,” she said.

“What did you do?” asked Rory.

“Nothing.”

Ginny glared at me then turned to Rory. “Your friend is a sexual deviant.”

“I know that,” said Rory.

As Ginny walked away, Nathan pulled me aside to explain. “I had to tell her it was your idea, or she wouldn’t have talked to me ever again. You don’t like her anyway, so it won’t matter if she doesn’t talk to you.”

I was confused by his logic. “So, you told her what …?”

“That you wrote the text, silly. Don’t worry; I said it was an April fool’s joke. She’ll probably forget all about it by tomorrow. It’s her meds; sometimes, she even forgets who I am if she doesn’t see me in a while.”

“I doubt it. She looks like she wants to kill me.”

He put his arms around my waist and rested his head against my chest. “I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow; I promise. My parents are going to Ottawa to visit my grandma. I’m supposed to go with them, but I might feel a little sick in the morning, after all, this food.” He winked and slid his hands into my back pockets. “So, I’ll probably have to stay in bed all day.”

“Sounds perfect.” I pressed myself against him before connecting with a sensual kiss inviting a predictable response from his sister. She put her arms between our chests and separated us like a referee at a heavyweight boxing contest.

“Keep it clean, boys. This isn’t a sex show.”

There were a few groans of disappointment from the guests, most of whom were either girls from school or members of his drama club like Nathan’s overtly-gay dance partner, Simon. He was all smiles as he kissed me on both cheeks and pointed discreetly across the room at Rory.

“Who’s your sexy blond friend?”

I laughed. “That’s Rory, but he’s not gay.”

“Really? You could have fooled me.” He flicked his long fringe from his eyes with an exaggerated twist of his head. “Shame, but look at you two lovebirds. It’s so sweet that you got back together. They say love conquers all, but honestly. It was a surprise to me.”

“Me too,” said Nathan. He rubbed his shoulder against mine and smiled sweetly at me. “But Robbie’s been wonderful. He’s been looking after me.”

“Oh, I bet he has,” said Simon turning to me. “Well, you must be good at it because he keeps coming back for more. What’s your secret? Don’t worry, Nathan will tell me all about it at the drama club, won’t you, dear?” He winked at me while Nathan stood behind him, shaking his head and mouthing a silent ‘no’.

“Robbie wants to be a nurse when he leaves school.”

“Oh, how sexy. You're gonna sparkle in that uniform, lovey, and Nathan will have his own personal nurse. You wanna be careful where he puts his thermometer, although knowing you, you’ll probably enjoy it.”

“Maybe,” said Nathan.

“Sounds like it’s already happened. Don’t tell me he’s popped your cherry already.”

Simon could be funny at times as well as crass and unnecessarily loud, but he was the same whenever I saw him. Only his outfits changed, and on this occasion, he looked dapper in a grey striped shirt with a red bowtie. Nathan looked relatively tame in comparison, but my boyfriend wasn’t expecting guests and hadn’t planned to keep his clothes on any longer than it took him to drag me up to his room.

Nathan was bored of Simon, so he led me into the kitchen where his mom had laid out a table of food and non-alcoholic drinks. He told me to sit down then walked around piling a selection of food onto a paper plate.

“You looked after me; now let me feed you for a change,” he said as he held a quarter of a sandwich up to my mouth for me to take a bite.

“You don’t have to … hmm, tuna, my favourite.”

“I know. Now don’t talk with your mouthful.”

I was silenced by a custard tart, followed a minute later by a spoonful of potato salad. “No more,” I mumbled as I tried to swallow, but Nathan was having fun. He had an evil smirk, and a sausage lined up that he held between his thumb and forefinger.

I went cross-eyed as he parted my lips with the slightly burnt pork-filled banger, much to the delight of my boyfriend and a small but excited audience.

“I knew you’d leave enough room for a sausage,” smirked Nathan, and he looked truly impressed as it reached the back of my throat without me gagging. “I honestly don’t know how he does that.”

Ginny narrowed her eyes at me in disgust, so I winked at her before biting down hard on the sausage, making Nathan and every boy in the room gasp in anguish.

“He’s only playing,” said Karen as she handed Ginny a cup of non-alcoholic fruit punch.

“You haven’t read the text he sent me.”

“Neither have I,” I protested, but Simon hijacked me.

“Now I know why Nathan’s always smiling. I’d be smiling too. You naughty boy, you made me go all flush.” He waved his hand in front of his face to cool himself. “Are you certain your friend Randy’s not gay?”

I chuckled. “It’s Rory, not Randy, and he’s definitely straight.”

“I prefer Randy, but I think you should introduce me anyway; he looks like he might be borderline.”

The idea horrified me. I couldn’t bear the thought of some gay boy leering at my beautiful friend and trying to seduce him. That job was exclusively mine. Rory, as good as told me that if he ever turned gay, I would have first dibs on him, although he didn’t use those exact words. Now Simon was traipsing all over our agreement and threatening my future happiness should Rory decide to switch teams and my relationship with Nathan go tits up.

It seemed perfectly logical to me, but explaining it to my boyfriend wasn’t so easy, and I was forced to begrudgingly introduce the lecherous Simon to my innocent-looking friend. The fast-talking dancer licked his lips like a vampire at a blood bank, but Rory didn’t seem too bothered by his overly-camp mannerisms and lewd innuendos. I guess hanging around with Nathan and me had some advantages.

Poor Simon must have emptied his entire arsenal of compliments at my imperturbable friend, but his attempt to entice him to the other side ended in failure. Rory wasn’t as borderline as his looks suggested, but I don’t think Simon was quite the predator he pretended to be either, and once their lines were established, they seemed to get on quite well.

The party ended at nine o’clock when Nathan’s parents came home. That was part of the deal, although it took another hour to persuade Ginny to leave the bathroom. She was having a bad day, and Nathan was forced to own up to his misdemeanour and apologise through the gap at the bottom of the door.

When she finally came out and stood on the porch to have a smoke, I was peeing against the bush at the side of the house. Our eyes met, and she shook her head in disgust, but what did she expect?

‘That’s what you get when you monopolise the bathroom.’

Another part of the deal was that we cleaned up afterwards, so while my boyfriend was outside saying goodbye to Ginny, I was with Karen collecting balloons and empty cans of pop from the living room.

It was his sister’s idea to throw a party, and she worked tirelessly to make sure everyone had a good time. I thought it was a nice touch from the girl who had already gone way above the call of duty in her efforts to help her brother. Karen had been there for him throughout, caring for him in ways not usually associated with siblings and taking the bulk of the flak whenever he was down. Nathan was fortunate to have such a loving sister, and I told her this as I helped clear the table.

“That’s sweet of you, Robbie. It’s been a worrying time for all of us. I’m just pleased to see him back to normal. It could have been much worse than it was. How was his physiotherapy?”

“Funny.”

Karen laughed as I followed her into the kitchen. “Funny? I wasn’t expecting that, but I think it’s cool that your mom is his physio.”

“Yeah, she’s pretty good at it.”

“So are you. You’re the main reason he’s done so well; you know that, right? Things got a lot easier after you showed up and swept him off his feet.”

“It wasn’t difficult. I was the only one allowed to see him. It’s not like I had any competition.”

She stood in front of me and put her hands on my shoulders. “Ah, sweetie, don’t put yourself down. Yes, you were the only one allowed to see him, but no one else could have done what you did. You made a huge difference. You were made for each other. You should never have split up in the first place.”

“I know that now. A lot of bad stuff happened because we broke up. I wish I could change some things.”

“We all have regrets, honey. You just have to learn to put them behind you.”

“It’s not that easy. I made a mistake that will impact my life, maybe forever.”

Karen sighed. “Is it Stephanie?”

“Yes, do you know her?”

“No, but Nathan told me what happened.”

“Oh, I see.” I dipped my head in shame, but she lifted my chin and smiled at me.

“I must admit; it was a surprise, but you're not the first boy around here to get a girl pregnant, and I doubt you’re even the first gay boy to do it. It’s not your fault; it’s the thing between your legs. You have to learn to say no to it.”

“Sue said the same thing; only she blamed me.”

Karen laughed. “That’s funny. I blamed your dick because I don’t see you as much of a lady’s man. No offence, sweetie, but I’ve heard you entertaining my brother, and I doubt if any straight guy could make him reach those notes.” I cringed as I recalled our chat a few weeks ago. “So why are you so worried? You’re not thinking of hitching up with this girl, are you?”

“No! Never. I’m not into girls.”

“Well, you must have been into her at some point, unless you posted her a sample. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to embarrass you. It was a joke, but I also know how manipulative some people can be, and I don’t wanna see my brother hurt.”

“I’m not gonna leave him for Stephanie if that’s what you think? I love him too much to ever do that. But will he want me if …?”

“If you’ve got a kid, you mean?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean.”

Karen looked pensive. “I didn’t know she was planning on keeping the baby.”

“That’s what I heard.”

“It’s gonna be awkward for you, isn’t it? You're way too young for that responsibility. The girl needs her head examined. Is she expecting you to be a father?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Well, in that case, I don’t see a problem. You may have to give her some money, and when you’re older, you might even want to get more involved. I’m sure she wouldn’t stop you. Look, whatever happens, I know my brother will be okay with it. So you don’t need to worry.” She pulled me towards her for a hug, making me wheeze. “I’m sure things will work out for you. I know it hasn’t been easy for you at home with that jerk of an uncle or father, whatever he is.”

“Jerk will do.”

“Well, if you ever have to leave, you can always stay here; you know that. My parents won’t mind, as long as you don’t keep us awake all night.”

Her hair was in my face, but I could still see Nathan standing in the doorway.

“Geez, I leave you guys alone for five minutes. Can you put my boyfriend down, please? He’s not a timeshare.”

“We were only talking,” she said.

“That’s how it usually starts. Then before you know it, he’s humping your leg.”

Karen raised her eyebrows and smiled. “Wow, what else does he do?”

“Everything! I can’t trust him around girls, boys, or anything that moves, basically. But it’s not his fault. I got him all worked up on the bus earlier, didn’t I, babe.”

“On the bus, really?”

I groaned. “Do you have to tell everyone?”

“She’s not everyone; she’s my sister.”

That would have been a good enough reason for most people not to divulge details of their sex life, but there wasn’t much that Nathan wouldn’t tell Karen. Sometimes they seemed more like best friends than siblings, but there was a lot of love there, too, almost like incest without the sex.

I wasn’t sure if I loved Nicola, although I didn’t hate her anymore, which was a good thing. But I rarely showed her affection and would often ignore her completely. I think our relationship was more the norm.

My payment for helping clear up was a doggy bag of cakes and a ride home in Karen’s car, but after hearing about her brother’s exploits on the bus, she wouldn’t let us sit together.

“Text me later when you’re in bed,” he said as I leaned into the car to kiss him goodbye. “I’ll be up late exercising my arms.” Then he jumped back in his seat when Karen tried to swat him. “What? Sue told me I have to do them four times a day.”

“Huh, don’t make me laugh. No boy can manage that.”

“You’ve got a dirty mind!” said Nathan.

“Really? I’d be careful if I were you, little brother. Ginny showed me the text you sent to her.”

As Nathan covered his mouth in shock and turned crimson, I laughed and left them to it. Then later that night, when Daniel was asleep, Nathan finally sent me the text, and I finished what he started on the bus. The next day we would do it for real.

*     *     *

It was difficult to imagine a sexier sight than my boyfriend’s perfectly rounded, bare buttocks as he lay face down beneath me on damp rumpled sheets. Those smooth and luscious mounds of flesh were still red from the friction of our sex, and like the rest of him, smeared with an overzealous amount of bottled lube.

I got a little carried away, pouring it between us in the heat of the moment during our wildest sex to date. We were loud, dirty, and at times, totally out of control as I pounded his backside for the best part of half an hour in a frantic display of shameless, unbridled boy sex. He was swearing, biting, and ultimately pleading with me to go faster and deeper until my thighs slapped his cheeks while he whimpered and shouted my name. It was the tail-end of three seismic orgasms in a single afternoon—a feat that equalled my personal best but left me with aching balls and a sore penis.

I wiped my fast-deflating member across his cheek before collapsing onto his bed with a contented smile and an empty tank. Then, as I stared at the ceiling, exhausted and out of breath, Nathan turned on his side, hooked his foot around my leg and put his ear against my still fast-beating chest. He was a lot more agile without the extra weight of those cumbersome casts and making good use of his hands as he continued to explore my body as if it was our first time together.

He held my shrivelled and soggy dick between his thumb and forefinger and giggled before allowing it to flop in a sorry heap against the top of my leg. It was the perfect representation of its owner.

‘You and me both, mate.’

“My poor baby, I’ve worn you out.”

I took a deep breath and rested my hands on his head. “That was crazy.”

“I know, right. I can’t believe what we just did. You were awesome.”

“No, it was you,” I insisted, then laughed. “We fell off the bed.”

I could only see the back of his head, but I could hear him giggling. He was trying to put his ankles around my neck at the time and slid off the end of the bed, pulling me with him. It could have been serious, and I don’t know how I would have explained it to his family if he had ended up back in the hospital with more broken bones.

“Oh my God, it was your fault for covering us in lube.” Our bodies were still oiled and glistening under the soft light of his bedside lamp as he climbed on top of me and slid up to meet my face with a smirk. “How much of that stuff did you use? You're only supposed to put it in my butt.”

I used a lot, and it was everywhere. His sheets were stuck to my back as he pressed his lips against mine with a passion I found difficult to match in my post-orgasmic state. After a quick swipe of my mouth, he lifted his head a few inches from mine and stared at me with a dreamy smile. He was starting to get heavy, and his hair was dangling in my face making my nose twitch.

“I think we ruined your sheets.”

He laughed. “And my mattress, and my bed, my whole bedroom even.”

I followed his eyes around the room and cringed at the mess.

Earlier, his sister left us alone to go out with her friend, and Nathan was ripping my clothes off before her car left the driveway. Unshackled and extremely horny, he was keen to make amends for a month of one-sided sex and show what a difference a pair of hands could make.

I had forgotten how nice it was to have a willing and able partner. Conner had shown very little interest in pleasing me during our brief time together. He rarely touched my dick, so I was used to taking care of myself, even before resuming my relationship with a physically challenged Nathan.

My boyfriend had a good excuse for not touching me, and I was promised unimaginable pleasures the moment he was free from plaster. That afternoon, my loyalty and patience were duly rewarded with skilful hands, a darting tongue, and finally, after teasing me to the point of delirium, a warm wet mouth. I guess those wrist exercises came in useful after all.

*     *     *

The window from our second-floor geography classroom afforded an unobstructed view of the baseball diamond where Alex was flexing his muscles and proving his versatility. I watched him swap his glove for a bat before connecting with the first pitch and sending the ball high into the adjacent playing fields. I almost clapped before an elbow from Fran alerted me of our teacher’s displeasure.

“Am I boring you, Taylor?”

“No.”

It was a blatant lie. The teacher had a monotone voice, and the Boreal Shield wasn’t the most riveting of subjects with which to start the week.

“I know I’m not as interesting to look at as the baseball players, but can you at least pretend to listen?”

There were a few giggles from my classmates as they latched on to what was clearly a poke at my sexuality, although he would have denied it if I had complained.

My pot-bellied teacher was right. Any one of those players or even the coach was more interesting to look at than him, and it wasn’t long before my eyes drifted back to the baseball. The inning had finished, and Alex was standing by the side of the bleachers talking to a man on the other side of the chain-link perimeter fence. It was difficult to see the man’s face properly from that distance, but I recognised his dirty jacket and baseball cap. He had shaved off his moustache, but Alex’s dad was unmistakable.

He was supposed to be on the run and wanted for many crimes, including assaulting his son. It was hard to believe that Alex would even talk to him after what he did, but I was sure I saw him pass something through the fence to his dad before turning away and jogging back to his teammates.

I wondered if anyone else saw what they were doing. Alex always seemed to get away with stuff like that, maybe because he was so blatant, but not me. As we filed out of the classroom, my teacher held me back and told me to report to him after school for an hour’s detention.

Seeing Nathan in the cafeteria at lunchtime cheered me up. It was his first day back at school, and he was attracting a lot of attention. My boyfriend seemed to be enjoying the notoriety that accompanied his recent escapades and was back to his flamboyant best. He was wearing eye makeup that made him look very emo, and his thin arms were laden with multi-coloured bracelets. He waved me over and pointed to the empty chair he had saved next to him. His table was too crowded, and there was no way I would abandon Rory, so I left my food with my blond friend and went to explain.

Nathan was disappointed that I wouldn’t join him for lunch, but it was impossible to have a conversation. I preferred it when I had him to myself and when he looked more like a boy.

“I see you found some blue nail polish.”

“Do you like it?”

“No, but I guess it’s who you are.”

He was distracted by a girl who walked over to ask him about his arms. She was friendly, and Nathan was polite as he explained his injuries without mentioning how he got them. She probably already knew, although several versions were still circulating, and my boyfriend had already indicated that he wouldn’t deny any of them.

“You're gonna need an appointment to see him today,” said Ginny. It wasn’t funny, but at least she was talking to me.

“Sorry,” said Nathan, waving goodbye to the girl and turning his attention back to me. “Do you know Alex is in my homeroom?”

“Yes, how’s that working out?”

“He was nice to me this morning, and he threatened some guy who deliberately bumped into me in the corridor.”

I laughed. “He can be useful at times; just don’t let him get too close.”

“Don’t worry; I know how to handle Alex,” he said, but I wasn’t convinced. I doubt anyone knew how to handle him, and it worried me that his dad was back on the scene.

“I got an hour’s detention because of him.”

“What did he do?”

“Nothing, but …”

We were interrupted again, and my lunch was getting cold, so I said goodbye to his friends and stood up to leave.

“Wait!” Nathan was quick to his feet and pulled me back. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to keep ignoring you.”

“I understand. I have to go.”

“Okay.” He smiled, put his arms around my waist, and kissed me on the lips. “Call me tonight.”

My cheeks were on fire when I got back to Rory’s table, but I wasn’t blushing; I was angry. It wasn’t a secret, but Nathan pretty much announced to the whole school that we were back together, and he did it in a way that could only cause problems. There were certain people I didn’t want to antagonise, and one of them was sitting two tables away and staring at me like I had slept with the girl he wanted to date and put her in the family way, which, of course, I had.

Rory was blissfully unaware of the chaos enveloping my life, and as always, he greeted me with an affectionate smile that made everything okay.

“Thanks, Rory.”

He looked puzzled as he sucked a carton of apple juice through a straw. “What for?”

“For being my best friend and putting up with all the times I’ve tried to turn you gay.”

“That’s okay. I know you’re only joking.”

“Yeah, right. I mean, of course, I’m joking. Well, kinda, I think. But not everyone has your sense of humour. Most guys wouldn’t like it if I told them they looked sexy when the sun catches their hair, even if it was only a joke.”

Rory giggled and nearly choked on his drink. “How many other guys have you said that to?”

“None. You're the only one.”

“Well, how do you know then?” He sucked up the last of his drink, making a loud annoying sound, then removed his straw and blew at my face. It was mostly air with a few tiny droplets of apple juice, but Rory thought it was hilarious.

“It’s not funny, Rory. You can’t just go around sucking and blowing in people’s faces. Not without asking them first.” I wiped my face with my sleeve as my friend laughed. “I have a boyfriend, you know.”