You're so Weird - 10. Chapter 10

I'm only mildly excited about the pool party. The past few days have been a little crazy and I was hoping for a lazy afternoon, plus maybe to spend some alone time with Liam. The guys seem okay so far, but it will be a long time before I let my guard down and risk being myself with them.

Liam calls his parents and they agree after he promises all homework will be done beforehand, we won't make too much noise and we'll be done at a reasonable hour. I can't believe Liam still has the nerve to complain about them. My mom was always suspicious about me bringing my friends over. She'd ask why won't we go play outside every time until I stopped inviting them altogether. It's not like it destroyed any of my very few friendships, but it didn't help either. I guess she was just very private. Still is, I mean.

We come back home to see that the twins already had a similar idea. We find them splashing around with two other kids I’ve never seen before. Looks like the pool is a local gathering spot. I can only hope the water filters are efficient enough, if you know what I mean.

“Wrap it up before five, I’m having friends over,” Liam tells the twins as we pass by.

“But we were here first!” Brody complains. I want to believe it’s Brody, at least.

“Calm down, we’re just taking turns.”

Inside, we find Maggie solving crossword puzzles and Michael reading a book in the living room. The TV’s on, but they’re not paying attention. It messes with my brain.

“Mom, can you make us some snacks for the party?” Liam says, heading straight to the kitchen. Then he sticks his head back out to add, “And tell Patrick and Brody to go to their room at five,” before disappearing again. I follow him to find him standing next to the open fridge, chugging orange juice straight from the bottle. I cringe. My mom would kill me if I left the fridge open for a second longer than necessary.

“Want some?” Liam offers.

“Uh, sure,” I say, taking the bottle from him and closing the fridge door with a subtle move. I take a few slow sips of the cold juice, savoring the tangy sweetness and imagining I could feel Liam’s lips on the bottle's mouth. He watches me with a smile that I can’t decide is affectionate or patronizing. Maybe both. When I finish drinking, he moves his thumb along my lower lip.

“What?”

“You have some juice left on…” he whispers and places a quick kiss on my lips. It’s enough to get my blood boiling. “There. You’re welcome.” Then he opens the fridge again and studies the contents. “We’re out of almost everything.” He walks back to the living room, and I close the fridge behind him, flushing. “Mom, can you make the cookies again? You know, the chocolate chip ones.”

“I told you, I’m not doing anything today,” Maggie says without looking up. I stand behind Liam, not sure what to do with myself.

“But Mom, I told you the boys are coming!”

“You told me an hour ago,” she says. “Also, it’s Sunday. I’m only letting you do this because you included Mike, so don’t push it. Can you help me with this one? Where the wild things are after dark. Seven letters, starts with ’B’.”

“Mom, I am for real!”

“Then go to the store and buy some snacks. You won’t talk me into this, so don’t even try. But seriously, what is it? Barnyard? Batcave?”

“Ugh,” Liam turns to me. “Now we have to go to the store.”

“Uh, sure. Or, we can make the cookies ourselves,” I suggest. Not that I know much about baking, but I helped Mom on many occasions. It can’t be that hard.

“Not a bad idea. We’re gonna need to buy chocolate chips anyway. And I need a shower first. Wanna come with me?” he adds in a lower voice.

“Ugh… maybe later?” I ask, immediately hating myself for not simply jumping on that train.

“Your loss,” Liam says and goes upstairs, passing two stairs at a time.

I patiently wait for Liam to finish his shower, and then we head to the local family store, chatting about nothing in particular but vibing quite a lot. The kitchen kiss was quick, but enough to fuel my confidence for a while. Maybe I can be like the other kids after all, not overthink and just take things as they come. As we walk back, I wish we could hold hands or something. That would probably be too soon. Or is it just me? Probably.

We find a chocolate chip cookie recipe that looks the most mouthwatering and start following it step by step. We’re doing alright, but things get messy pretty quickly. We end up in a laughing fit, which is interrupted by Maggie coming over and looking at us like we’re psychos. Judging by her little smile as she shakes her head and leaves, she doesn’t really mind, though there is some sadness in her eyes. Maybe she’s hungover after all.

With the cookies in the oven (Maggie agreed to take them out when the timer beeps) and store-bought snacks distributed into bowls, we head back to our room. My brain feels clogged as I try to start a conversation, but before I come up with anything, Liam pulls out a box that had been under the desk.

“We have some time. Want to try it out?” he asks, already opening it.

“Uh, sure, why not,” I say, sitting next to him on the carpet.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just… never had one of those.”

“Me neither. But my friends do. It’s epic, trust me!”

Liam eagerly tears open the box, and carefully lifts out the VR headset, setting it aside before pulling out the controllers and various cables. He lays everything out on the carpet in neat rows.

Liam starts connecting the cables, his fingers moving quickly.

"Alright, let’s get this set up," he says, plugging in the final cable. "You ready to be blown away?"

"Yeah, hit me," I reply, trying to match his enthusiasm.

He hands me the headset, adjusting the straps as I put it on. "Hold still," he murmurs, making sure it fits.

I laugh nervously. "Feels weird already."

“It’s not weird. Just wait," he says. He places the controllers in my hands. "Here, take these. Now, look around."

I do as he says, and the world around me fades away, replaced by a sleek interface. "Whoa," I breathe. I'm standing in a spacious, minimalist room bathed in soft blue light. The walls are covered with floating panels displaying various apps and games, each icon gently pulsating.

I glance down and see a pair of virtual hands that mimic my movements perfectly. Ahead, a large window opens to a breathtaking view of a serene mountain landscape, complete with a shimmering lake and gently swaying trees.

“You’re tempting me, standing with your mouth open like that,” Liam chuckles

In the center of my view, a circular menu hovers, displaying options like "Explore," "Play," and "Settings." The text is crisp, and the animations are smooth, creating an immersive experience that feels both natural and cutting-edge. I take a moment to soak it all in, feeling a mix of excitement and disbelief at how real this virtual reality feels.

“Now what do I do?”

“Try to start a game. Just use your controllers.”

I clumsily navigate to games and see one called Beat Saber. Yeah, even I know it from Instagram and memes. I play for a while, slowly getting used to the controls and destroying incoming colorful blocks with my lightsabers to the rhythm of electronic music. It seems easy at first even if I’m a little off-tempo, but when the obstacles appear and I actually have to move around while fighting, it becomes really hard. And fun!

“Once more!” I shout, louder than I intended and jump when Liam embraces me from behind and kisses my neck.

“I’m happy you like it.”

“If only we could co-op.”

“You go. I’ll play later.”

Who am I to argue? I play a few more rounds and I get a little better at it. Most of my life I’ve been missing out on technology, and I’m not a natural, but I feel like I could get used to it. I think about home and Mom, wondering if I’m being ungrateful and unfair, but I chase the thoughts away.

“Okay, I think I’ve had enough,” I say. Liam takes the controllers from me so I can remove the headset. It takes my brain a moment to readjust to the real world. “Do you want to try it?”

“Another time. It’s getting late. Come on, help me take over the pool. If any of those brats peed in it, then help me God.”

When we go downstairs, the twins and their friends are nowhere to be seen. Looks like they didn’t want to wait for Liam to inevitably kick them out and found something better to do. I have mixed feelings about it, but at least they don’t have to spend another day by themselves.

I help Liam bring a table and some chairs next to the pool. Just as we set out the plates of cookies and bowls of chips, his phone buzzes.

“Mike says he can’t come,” Liam says. “The other Mike. He’s always like that. But at least he didn’t ghost me like Jared does. I bet he won’t come either.”

“Then maybe it’s better to cancel?” I suggest, but Liam squints his eyes and steps closer.

“Do you want me to cancel it?” he asks, and I know I messed up.

“No,” I shake my head nervously.

“You sure? Because if you do, I will.”

“I don’t,” I sigh. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that.”

“No, it’s fine. I misunderstood.”

We both chuckle nervously, creating an awkward silence between us for the first time since we broke the ice. I watch Liam take off his shirt, looking as good as ever, all casual and comfortable with himself.

“Do you have your swim trunks on?” he asks.

“No.”

“Then go and change. I can finish here myself.”

“Okay.”

I almost run upstairs. I know I’m being awkward and I know it’s because this day is already too long. I had to interact with too many people and it’s not even over yet. I’ll need some serious alone time to recover from it. At least Mom will be happy when I tell her.

I quickly change into my trunks that are still a little wet from the morning swim and head back downstairs. As I'm about to leave the house, I hear Maggie’s emotional voice from the living room. She’s whispering, but loud enough for me to hear, and she sounds angry.

“...and I shouldn’t have believed you when you said ‘only once’. Now I know why we can never go out anymore.”

“And I told you to stop overreacting. It’s just one drink.”

“I think I can still count to three, Michael, and I know it’s not the last one. At least stop pretending this is fine. I know where this is going. You know where this is going.”

“Just because you have problems doesn’t mean I can’t have a drink or two on a weekend.”

“I have problems? I?”

At this point, I shake it off and decide to leave through the open door. I know better than to get caught eavesdropping. I didn’t understand much of what was going on, but it didn’t sound good. Anyway, I forget the whole thing immediately when I see Liam talking to John by the pool. Damn it. I’m not exactly ready to have him see me half-naked. My plan was to get in the pool and stay there until they left, but I’m too late. For a second, I consider going back to put something on, but John notices me and waves. Oh well, at least Liam took his shirt off too. It’s only weird if I make it weird.

“Hey Mike,” John greets me. I can’t tell if his smile is welcoming or patronizing. He’s the type I will never feel fully comfortable around. The type that, in my previous life, wouldn't even look in my direction. If being Liam’s… roommate… means now I’ll have to be around people like him… I don’t know. Maybe I’ll start hanging out with Olivia. She asked me more than once and I should probably find some time for her, or else she’ll think I don’t like her. Then again, she’s making me nervous for completely different reasons.

“Hey,” I say meekly, feeling super naked, and force some small talk out of my mouth. “Do you live nearby?”

“Opposite end of town, actually,” he laughs. “My parents don’t like it when I bike after dark, so I only have a few hours.”

“So you guys met at school?” I ask.

“Yeah, we did,” he says, ruffling Liam’s hair playfully. I could’ve sworn Liam blushed a bit. Not blaming him, I would too.

“Why is there no music?” Liam asks, as if he’s not the host of this little party, and picks up his phone. I take advantage of the distraction and jump in the water. I think to myself that I could get used to this life, all the while thinking about Mom who’s probably forcing other patients to take a stand on which pop singer is the worst influence on kids these days. She’s really a ‘90s person, not only in terms of music. She will argue with anyone who claims that the ‘90s are not a superior decade for movies, culture, fashion, or simply being a teenager.

I take a spot at the end of the pool, getting a good vantage point to watch John, who just takes his shirt off. He has this body I know I could stare at for hours and not get bored for a second. Standing next to Liam, they plant some dirty thoughts in my head that I can’t wait to put on paper later on.

Liam starts the music and jumps in the pool next to me. Just as John drops his shorts, displaying his tight, white – yes, WHITE – swimming trunks that cover his legs halfway down his thighs, and his bulge is, oh god… I’m getting sidetracked here. Just then, Maggie comes out of the house wearing her outside clothes and marching fast. She barely notices us, but she smiles when she sees John who’s just dropping his shorts and smiles back at her.

“Hello Mrs. Cooper,” he grins, and I swear to god, he stretches and crosses his hands behind his head.

“Hello John. So you’re this whole party I’ve been hearing about? Where are the others?”

“I don't know, Ma’am,” he says when she stops right next to him. “Beautiful weather, isn’t it?”

“It is. If I were a little younger, I’d jump in right with you, believe me.”

“Come on, Mrs. Cooper, you know you look like Liam’s sister,” John winks at her, and I hear Liam groan next to me.

“It’s very nice of you, but as long as you refuse to call me Maggie, I get reminded to feel and act my old age. You boys have fun, I really need to be somewhere else,” she says and walks away towards the garage. A moment later, she emerges in the car and smiles at John who’s waving at her as she drives past.

“You really need to stop flirting with my mom, dude,” Liam tells John who joins us in the pool.

“Flirting? I was just being nice.”

“Yeah, she likes you alright, we all know.”

Shortly after, CJ and another boy from the basketball game, Noah, arrive. Meanwhile, others text Liam that they can’t make it, most excuses revolving around it being a school day tomorrow. If my mom had anything to say about this, I would be in the same situation. I feel like I’m on vacation on my own for the first time, and the feeling is pretty exhilarating.

It’s my first ever pool party, too. What does it look like? Everyone’s chilling, talking about nothing in particular (for the most part and to my relief, not cars and girls, against what Liam told me on one of my first days), watching things on our phones, playing some music, mostly, rap, and singing over it, especially as the evening progresses. I feel emotionally drained after the long day, and don’t contribute a lot, and luckily no one seems to have an issue with it. I get an occasional smile from Liam that seems to say that he knows what I feel and he’s grateful for me to keep up with him. And that he’ll make it worth it when the time comes. At least that’s what I hope for, but I’m famously bad at reading signs, so he could be actively mocking me and it would go over my head. I don’t mind watching the boys as they sit on the edge of the pool and look at some reels CJ is showing them on his phone, laughing.

As the laughter dies down, Liam swims over to where I'm sitting at the edge of the pool. He gives me a gentle nudge with his shoulder. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah," I reply, and luckily my smile comes naturally. “You?”

“Same. Wanna get out and grab some snacks?”

“No, I’m good,” I say, but realize my stomach is empty. Good thing Liam doesn’t care about my answer.

“Wait, I’ll bring you some,” he says and before I can protest, he’s already filling a plate with food.

“Thanks,” I say as I gratefully pick a chocolate cookie before Liam puts the plate on the edge of the pool and jumps back in next to me. “I just realized I didn’t even try them.”

“Me neither,” Liam says and grabs one for himself, then he holds it up like a glass. “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” I chuckle, bump his cookie and take a bite. I munch it for a while, trying to figure out what exactly is wrong with it. “It’s… salty. A bit too salty,” I notice.

“You’re right. But I added only a little salt.”

“Uh…”

“What?” Liam gives me a look.

“I added some salt too.”

“Dude, I told you I already added salt!”

“Sorry, must have been daydreaming,” I say, blushing.

“But they don’t taste bad, for our first try,” he shoves the rest of the cookie in his mouth. I do the same, looking him in the eyes and decide that if the cookies were as sweet as him, we would get diabetes. He chews and looks back, a little more seriously now. Is he thinking what I’m thinking? If so, the next thing he’ll do is to tell John, CJ and Noah that it’s getting late and they should go. “You know what?” he says instead. “I like them salty like that.”

“It can be our secret recipe then,” I say, only partially disappointed, because I can feel his leg touch mine.

“Don’t worry, our secret is safe with me,” he winks and I’m surprised the water hasn’t started boiling around me yet.

Just then, John swims over, splashing water playfully. "Hey, no secret conversations without me!" he says with a mock pout. "Should I be jealous, Liam?"

I laugh nervously, but Liam doesn’t miss a beat. "Hell yeah you should," he says, leans over, and plants a quick but affectionate kiss on my cheek. My eyes pop out.

John raises an eyebrow and feigns shock. "Oh, is that how it is now?" He turns to CJ, who’s laughing at us at the edge of the pool, and gives him a kiss on the cheek as well. "There, now it’s even!"

CJ laughs, pushing John away lightly. "Dude, you’re crazy. Can I have one more later?"

But John just laughs and goes out of the pool to lay on the grass. Noah follows and lies next to him, texting someone. The sun is low already and in just a few minutes it will hide behind the house. I really didn’t expect the party to be so chill. Maybe they’re just tired after the game. It doesn’t take long before Noah stands up, checks the dryness of his swim trunks, and says he has to go home, as he puts his shorts on without changing.

“I’ll go too,” John says and follows suit, and so does CJ. Liam gets out of the water to see them out. I like seeing him almost naked chatting to his now-dressed friends. I like his slim but shapely ass and the arc of his back, now covered with droplets of water shining in the evening sun. I should probably go there too, but there would be no way to cover my boner, so I just wave at them when they leave.

When Liam turns back to me, there’s something new in his eyes that gives me chills. He jumps back in and slowly floats towards me, his head half-submerged in the water like a crocodile.

“Hi,” he says when he emerges right in front of me. I feel his hands on my hips and they give me instant goosebumps when they slide up my back. I instinctively wrap my arms around his neck.

“Someone can see,” I whisper but I don’t really care, I just say it because someone had to.

“No one’s looking,” he replies and hugs me tight. His arms feel so safe, I don’t even mind if the whole neighborhood is watching. “Been a long day, huh?” he asks softly with his lips right next to my ear.

I let out a big sigh when I think about the day.

“Long day, longer week,” I whisper back, only now realizing that just a little over a week ago I was standing alone, scared and tired in the airport, waiting to be picked up by a woman I only saw on pictures to take me to the house full of strangers. Feels like months ago.

“Best week of my life,” Liam says and backs away a little to look me in the eyes. I look away against my will. “It’s fine, Mike,” he comforts me, touching my chin. “I know it wasn’t all good for you.”

I gather courage to look back at him. “Still ten times better than I thought it would be.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I almost feel guilty about how good I feel. Thanks.”

“Don’t. You know your mom would want you to feel good.”

“She would,” I reply, knowing it’s not the full story. She would want to be there to watch me feel good and be a part of it. I have to do a better job including her, even when she’s away.

I kiss Liam on the lips so he doesn’t worry about me, and he kisses me back, longer. I pull him to me and his almost naked body glues to mine. We kiss for a long time, and all problems are gone again. I get really hard inside my swim trunks, and whenever Liam grinds against my erection, I can feel he is too. I realize I secretly lusted for his dick all day. The water reaches all the way to our ribs, so I feel safe reaching down with my hand and slide it right inside Liam’s trunks. His dick is hot and throbbing in my hand and he lets out happy whimpers into my mouth. His hands disappear under the water for a moment and he pushes his swim trunks down to his knees, giving me much better access. Is it a good idea? Water filters should handle whatever mess we make, at least I think so. Liam puts his hands on my shoulders and closes his eyes as I jerk him off, and the sight is pretty rewarding. But I already know I want more today.

I let go of Liam’s dick and start taking long, deep breaths.

“You okay, Mike?” he asks, a mix of worry and disappointment in his voice, his cock now unattended.

“Yeah, I’m good,” I dismiss him between breaths. Finally, I fill my lungs with air and dive. I quickly find his dick and grab it. The water is darker now, but I can still see it clearly, its shape distorted by the currents. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for most of my post-pubescent life. I didn’t think it would be like this. I imagined it in a double bed with romantic music playing, but I’m not picky. I take him into my mouth, gently sucking the head and getting a little deeper with every second. My time here is limited. I imagine an oxygen bar, like in video games about diving, and mine depletes fast. But I don’t care. Liam’s dick feels amazing in my mouth, and I hope it feels great for him too. I tickle his balls and continue sucking, making every second count.

My lungs start to burn, and I know I need to come up for air soon. I release him, surfacing quickly and gasping for breath. Liam’s eyes are wide with pleasure and surprise.

“Holy shit, Mike,” he breathes, his voice ragged. “That was incredible.”

I grin, happy with the praise, but focused on breathing. “I’m not done yet.”

I take another deep breath and dive back down. This time, I waste no time and start sucking as soon as I get it inside my mouth. I can’t take all of it in my mouth, but damn if I’m not trying. I feel the burning again and the need for air increases, but I push through, stealing a few more seconds to make him, and myself, feel as good as possible. Finally, I can’t hold my breath any longer and surface again, gasping for air.

Liam’s hands are gripping the edge of the pool, his knuckles white. “Mike… that’s… you’re amazing,” he manages.

I nod, unable to reply, busy catching my breath. Eventually, I recover and smile at him. “One more time.”

“No,” he holds me before I can take another dive. “You shouldn’t hold your breath for that long.”

“But I want to,” I whine and tug on his dick, hoping I don’t come off too needy.

“Wait,” he says, clearly as horny as me, if not more. He looks around a couple of times and then bites his lip. “Screw it,” he mutters. He moves closer to the edge of the pool, puts his hands on the rim, and pulls himself up in a swift move. I can see his swim trunks around his ankles, and his mouth-watering dick points up to the deep blue sky from his shaved crotch. The naughtiness and riskiness of the situation feel more exciting than scary, and I only take a look around out of instinct. If he’s fine with it, then I’m more than fine. I’m down!

I swim closer, resting my elbows on Liam’s thighs and grab his dick. I look him in the eyes as I give it a few slow strokes, watching him breathe through his mouth, his eyes narrowing, and red spots coming up to his cheeks. I can’t believe this is happening.

I fantasized about sucking dicks so many times that when I actually take him in my mouth, I feel like a pro. I chew on his dick head with my lips, keeping my teeth back and manipulating the base of his shaft with my left hand. I barely register Liam’s thigh muscles tensing beside me. The taste is the only thing that surprises me. After staying in the pool for a while, I shouldn’t expect it to taste like anything other than pool water, but it still has this fleshy, tangy feel to it that I can’t compare to anything else.

But most of all, it feels fucking amazing! Somehow better than I thought it would. I would suck almost any dick, really, but Liam’s is so perfect, shape- and size-wise, that I don’t think I’ll ever be interested in another. I look up at him, and he’s breathing slow and deep, making small whimper noises every time he exhales. He forces a small smile and puts his hand on my head, not really guiding me, just passing his fingers through my wet hair. I slowly bob up and down his dick, keeping eye contact, and this is already the sexiest thing I’ve ever experienced.

“You’re so sexy,” Liam whispers, as if reading my mind. “And you’re so good, don’t stop.”

I’m not going to stop until I’m done, but I appreciate the compliment and pay back by sucking him even more eagerly, gently rolling his rock-hard shaft in my hand every time I go down on him. Liam leans back a little and looks at the sky, his chest muscles flexing, and his hand still gripping my hair for balance. His dick head starts hitting the back of my mouth and I gag a little, the saltiness of his precum going straight down my throat.

“Close…” Liam whispers.

“Hm?” I ask with my mouth full.

“I’m close,” he repeats. I don’t know why I asked. I can now see Liam holding his breath and gripping me tighter, which can only mean one thing. I speed up, using my right hand to play with his tight ball sack. His breath is ragged now, and short grunts escape his squeezed throat. His legs start kicking water and his dick swells in my mouth.

“Mhh… ghaaa,” he exhales in relief and at the same moment, the first jet of cum lands on my tongue. I didn’t really plan it, but now there’s no way I’m backing off. Liam quickly fills my mouth with his seed, moaning loudly, while I squeeze my eyes shut and do my best to swallow. There’s more of it than a beginner like me should take, but somehow I manage to make it all disappear without choking to death.

I still suckle on Liam’s softening dick as his orgasm dies down, wondering how long I can keep doing this before he inevitably calls me weird. After a minute, I just let him go and let it rest in my palm, fighting the instinct to drink pool water to get rid of the bitter taste. It’s not honey, but knowing that it’s Liam’s helps a ton. I’d totally do it again.

With a long groan, Liam lowers himself down into the pool and hugs me, but his arms feel limp around me.

“I don’t think I ever came so hard,” he whispers in my ear and I can’t help but laugh. “I’m serious! I’ll never jerk off again in my life.”

“Who said it wasn’t a one-time deal?” I tease.

“Your eyes as you sucked my dick. You looked like a kid on Christmas Eve.”

“No way!”

“Yes way. And now let’s get out of here. It’s your turn, but let’s take it back to our room.”