You Don't Know Me - 11. Chapter 11

Tuesday afternoon I met Kyle in the gym after school along with all the other kids who were trying out for the school team. Kyle made some introductions for me and the kids were more or less accepting of me. The ox that had banged me up on the court over the summer was there and a little stand-offish, but that was okay.

We ran several drills for agility, testing our ability to follow directions and general athleticism. I felt pretty good afterward, and Kyle and I were both upbeat. We split for dinner and came back for the travel league tryouts, and I was surprised to find the gym mobbed. I thought there had been a lot of kids at the school team tryout, but this was nuts!

"What's with all the people?" I asked Kyle.

"More slots," he replied. "They make an A team, a B team and something they call an In-House team. More kids show up because there's a better chance of making a team."

"Oh. Makes sense."

We ran many of the same drills as the previous tryout, then they broke us into three-on-three groups and observed us playing. I ended up with Ox on my squad and discovered he had a knack for posting up well. I was able to get my team some easy points by passing in to him. We rotated teams several times before the night was through.

Wednesday we were back at it for the school team. This time we were broken into two five-on-five teams and got to play for about ten minutes before teams got changed around and the coaches played us in different positions.

A whistle blew to bring a stop to play. One of the coaches came over and spoke to me during the break. "Hey, Mathews. Listen up. You're playing too far off your man. Standing back so far gives them an easy outlet pass. Get about a step and a half closer, and if the passer tries to lead the guy you're defending you could have a shot at a steal."

"Right. I should have thought of that," I said with a nod.

I adjusted my defense as he suggested and found the point guard more hesitant to pass to the guy I defended. I didn't get a steal, but I did deflect the pass a couple of times, which slowed up their offense. At one point I was rotated off the court and went to score a drink from the fountain. Afterward I walked the sidelines and watched Kyle play. He was better than I was and obviously had more experience with the guys on the court. A certain amount of predictive ability comes from playing with people. You learn where they'll go, or are likely to go and that makes it easier to make plays.

"Mathews." I turned to face the coach who'd corrected my defense earlier. He had a slight frown on his face and I wondered why. "This is a first. What are you doing here?"

I looked at him with a bit of confusion. "I'm here to learn how to play better and have some fun," I told him. "Street ball can teach some bad habits and there's no one to tell you what you can't see that you're doing wrong. And I love playing basketball."

His frown only deepened and he nodded slowly and turned away, paying attention to the scrimmage. After the practice they announced the team roster would be set on Friday and the list would be outside the athletic office door.

Kyle and I had homework to contend with along with tryouts, so we didn't get to hang out much one-on-one. We made the most of texting and seeing each other in school, though. When I got home from school Wednesday it was to find Pam Givens, my social worker, waiting for me.

"Hey, Drake, how were try-outs?" she asked.

"Good," I told her. "I'm optimistic. What's up?"

"Well, I thought you might want to go over to your old house and get some stuff," she said with a little sparkle in her eye.

"Wow. Yeah. Can I shower first?"

"Please do," she said while wrinkling her nose and laughing. I cleaned up and rode over with Pam to get my first look at the house Drake had lived in.

"So I spoke to your lawyer, and she'd be glad to meet with you if you have any questions, but she gave me a summary of the disposition of your parents' estate." She glanced at me off and on as she spoke and drove.

"Okay, that's great. What's the score?"

"Their resources will go into trust for you until you're eighteen, with a few exceptions. You have the choice of selling the home and adding its sales price to the trust, or the trust can pay the taxes each year and you'll keep the home."

"I think I should sell," I told her.

"That was fast. What makes you say that?"

"An empty house? People will trash it. I don't want to go through the expense of renting the place out and having someone manage the property. It seems like a waste, unless this house is something special."

"That's...wow. I've never had to make that choice, but those are good points. Where did you come from, Drake?" she asked and laughed.

I shrugged and she continued. "You'll continue to get a small allowance from the estate. Since you turned sixteen I assume you'll want your car and a shot at your permit."

"Wait, I'm sixteen? When?"

"Oh, crap!" she said and hit the steering wheel lightly. "I don't know why I thought you'd know. How dumb is that?"

Ignoring her self-recriminations I asked, "When is my birthday?"

"September third. Happy belated birthday, Drake."

"Huh." I felt a light ripple of emotions run over me with the knowledge. A few months ago I'd been near the end of my life and full of regrets. Now I was that magical age of sixteen and staring down the barrel of freedom in the form of being able to go where I would and responsibility as I'd need to pay for that freedom. But more than that, even...I was sixteen and in love. Something I'd never had before. Something I'd dreamed of.

We pulled up to the house and got out of the car. I looked it over, curious about where Drake had grown up. Had his parents crafted him into a jerk or had he just been a bad seed? The home seemed modest-a single story ranch home in a very nice neighborhood. Brown brick was the dominant design feature, and a detached two car garage was off to the left. A newer BMW was parked in front of the garage, and I wondered if that would be the car she'd referenced as mine.

"Any memories?" Pam asked quietly.

I shook my head slowly. "Nothing."

"Well, come on," she said kindly. We walked up the path and she inserted the key into the lock. I spent the next twenty minutes or so walking from room to room. While the outside had been modest if well kept, the interior was anything but. The furniture was Ethan Allen. Famous prints hung on the walls. The design was airy, yet the sense of expensive touches was heavy.

I discovered the elder Mathews' bedroom. The furniture was heavy and tastefully ornate. It held little interest for me and I kept looking, stumbling on the bathroom before finding what must have been Drake's room.

It was a mess. Clothes were draped haphazardly on the edge of the bed, over a chair and simply on the floor. They were good clothes, and I'd want to bag them up and wash them. I'd go through them and see what I wanted to keep. A large, fancy-looking desktop computer was on a desk. The walls were covered with scantily clad women in suggestive poses. I found various electronics, like a tablet and a TV with attendant video games. The bed was a full and much more modern looking than the one in the other bedroom.

The room reeked of a spoiled kid with few boundaries. At least from what I knew of the former Drake Mathews, anyway.

"Does anything look familiar?" Pam asked.

"No. It feels weird, like I'm shopping in someone's house."

"I see. That's so strange. I thought for sure something in here would trigger a memory or two."

I picked up a shirt and placed it in the clothes hamper. "You know, Pam, I don't think I want to remember any of it."

"Why not, Drake?"

I chuckled without humor. "Look around. Even just this room. All I see is a spoiled kid with no limits. TV and video games in the room, computer, tablet. Look at the walls. How must Mrs. Mathews have felt seeing that on her son's walls? Disrespected? Objectified? Or did she feel that this was just how boys were, beaten down by society's expectations for a woman?"

I snorted. "Compare that to what I have right now. The Benoits are fantastic. Kyle is the absolute best. Giles, James, Stacy...even Kyle's folks and his Gram. What do I want to go back to, exactly? Every single person that knew Drake said he was a jerk, someone they despised. I have so much more now."

I shook my head in disgust. "I won't be stupid. I want the clothes and the computer. I can talk to the Benoits about the TV and game systems; if nothing else it'll save them the expense, and the twins will get the benefit. Everything else - furniture, house...it can all go. I don't want it."

She nodded her head slowly. "I understand. How about we go out to the garage? We can see about this car of yours."

"It's not that BMW?" I asked out of curiosity.

"No, not according to the lawyer. Your parents had bought something for your birthday. My parents helped me get a used Honda - you never forget your first car," she said with a rueful smile.

I nodded and followed her out of the house. I felt a sense of being washed clean as I stepped from the confines and into the cool autumn breeze. We entered the garage though a side door and looked at the car. It was a clean sedan, stylish. I walked around it, and it seemed less ostentatious than I'd have expected of the parents. It was a black Volkswagen CC with a manual shift, what looked like leather seats, and a sunroof. I grinned at that; I'd always enjoyed the way a stick shift drove.

"Okay, I'll keep the car," I said. "Selling it doesn't make any sense. I wouldn't get its full value, and I'd just have to buy something else." I thought for a moment and asked, "Can I sell the car, the BMW, to anyone? I mean, it's mine, right? If it were going to be sold, I could dictate the terms?"

"You can check with the lawyer, but I don't see why not. Why? What are you thinking?" she asked.

"Well," I said slowly, the thought still taking shape as I considered consequences. "I don't think the Benoits need a new car. But my boyfriend is about to turn sixteen and his parents might be looking. I wouldn't want him to know I had anything to do with it - I'm not trying to buy him and it's a one time thing. But it would be cool if he could get the car."

"Well, we can talk to the lawyer and you can discuss it with the Benoits and your boyfriend's parents. Although," she said, tilting her head down and looking at me seriously, "I think your boyfriend will resent you keeping things from him."

I grumbled. "He'd probably hit me again."

We spent some time gathering the clothes from the bedroom and packed the computer and tablet. The game systems, TV and the rest could be left for another day.

It was a little late by the time I got home. I ate a plate of dinner that had been saved for me. The twins asked questions about my old house and what sorts of things I had. I teased them a little and embellished, and they whined about all the things they'd like to have. Eventually it was reading time and finally time for them to sleep. Once they'd been packed off to bed I asked to speak to the Benoits.

"Is everything okay, Drake?" Mr. B asked with concern.

"Yeah, totally," I said, looking back and forth between them. "It's a few things I want to talk to you about, though. First is, apparently I'm sixteen."

"Oh? When?" Mrs. Benoit asked. She shook her head and muttered, "I don't know why I didn't think to look in the school records. How dumb can I be?"

"September third," I told her. I smiled as they said happy birthday, and I moved on. "First thing is I have a bunch of stuff at the house. I don't want most of it. There is a TV with a bunch of game systems that I thought I'd offer you to put downstairs for the twins."

"Well, that's kind of you," Mr. B said. "We do try to limit their screen time, but options are always nice to have. Those things would still be yours, though I'm sure they'll love it if you shared with them. Were you going to ask to put the TV in your room?"

"No," I replied with a shake of my head. "I don't need that. There is a computer and tablet I brought back with me that I'd like to have, though. I wasn't even thinking about that, to be honest," I said and chuckled.

"Okay. Well, the computer comes with some expectations but for the moment, I think it'll be fine. What else is on your mind?" Mrs. B asked.

"My parents had bought me a car for my birthday. I'd like to get my permit and permission to get a job so I can get insurance and - what?" I asked as they shook their head in tandem.

"Drake, we'll teach you how to drive. But you may not be aware that the county provides a stipend to us as reimbursement for your room and board. As long as we don't lose our jobs or something equally disastrous, that money can be used for expenses like that." Mr B paused and smiled. "You can think about a summer job, but during the school year we'd like you to focus on school and athletics. Mind and body, you know?"

I smiled and nodded. "Thank you, I appreciate that. Um, the other one is a little trickier. My parents also had another car. I was thinking you don't need another, but I was hoping you could work it out with Kyle's parents for him to get this other car. Only, I don't want him to know it came from me. His parents can say they found a good deal and still not be lying."

Mr. B frowned. "That's generous of you. Why wouldn't you want him to know it was from you?"

"Simple. It's a one-time thing and I don't want him to think I'm trying to buy him or that he owes me. If I were to sell the car then whatever I'd get from it would probably not be what it's worth. But Kyle will be looking for a car, or his folks will be, and it's a used car they could get a good price on. Seems like a win-win."

They shared a look and then Mrs. B said, "I think it's a mistake not to tell him. But I can speak to his parents. Pam gave me the lawyer's contact information, so I can reach out if the Winters are interested."

"In the meantime, we need to go get your permit!" Mr. B said with a grin.

I told Kyle about the trip by text that night, and he was jealous about the car I'd get. I told him the backseat was big enough for us, and he cussed at me followed by smiley faces and what looked like an eggplant. What the hell?

Thursday Stacy joined the table for lunch, and she looked very different. Her manner of dress was more conservative than before, and her chestnut hair was pinned up.

"Hey, Stacy," I greeted her. "I like the new look."

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "It's how I looked before we dated."

"It suits you," I said with a grin.

"That's bullshit," Giles grumbled. At the looks of confusion he explained, "If I said that to Stacy she'd think I was hitting on her. But you can say anything and it's okay."

I smiled and asked him, "Giles, would you like to tell Stacy she looks nice?"

"No. I mean, yeah," he said, flustered as he looked at Stacy. "She does. You do. I'm just saying it's a bullshit double standard."

Stacy blushed lightly. "I think it's okay if you're polite about it. Most people appreciate a compliment."

"Really?" Giles asked skeptically. "Moira said I can't do that."

"Giles!" Kyle said with a laugh. "You can't say it about other people because you're dating Moira! She doesn't want you flirting with other people!"

"Right," I said. "But Kyle's not like that. He said I can flirt with you all I want, Giles."

"You want to get slugged?" Kyle asked and poked my side while the others laughed.

~YDKM~

We had the second night of tryouts for travel league that night, then it was finally Friday. Kyle and I both went to the athletic office as soon as the last bell rang to look at the list, searching for our names.

"You made it. I made it!" Kyle blurted a moment before I spotted our names. We high fived and grinned as we basked a little in having earned a spot. Later that night we got emails stating he'd made the A team for travel and I the B. Kyle told me that the school team would take work and he didn't want to play on the second team since we'd be apart so much.

I'd be lying if I said that didn't hit me in the feelings. Friday night I stayed at home. We had a nice family dinner and I helped to clean up. I played a game with the twins, a board game, and they both seemed to have fun. I like board games so it was kind of cool, even though getting them to follow the rules was something of a chore.

That night I texted with Kyle while I lay in bed. It was a nice way to spend time just before sleeping and always gave me some good thoughts before I closed my eyes.

'Drake, have you ever thought about that day we were cleaning my room?'

I raised an eyebrow with interest as to where this was headed. I didn't want to pressure Ky though, not in any way. 'Sure. That closet is hard to forget.'

'Not the closet. Ass.' Before I could start to text back his next message popped up. 'I've thought about it. A lot. I've fantasized. About you. About what might have happened.'

My underwear felt a little tighter and my hands were just a bit sweaty as I replied. 'I'd be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind.'

I reached down and adjusted myself. I felt warm, yet a shiver ran up my spine and my whole body trembled for an instant.

'This is stupid. Goodnight. I love you.'

'Ky. I love you, too. But it's not stupid. Nothing about you is stupid.'

I sighed and looked down at my rigid dick. "Looks like it's you and me again, buddy."

'I just feel silly asking if...you ever fantasize about me. Sexually.'

I smiled as heat rushed into my face. 'Number one, don't ever be embarrassed to ask me anything, especially about us. Number two EVERY FREAKING DAY.'

I wondered for a moment if that had been wise. Could that be pushing him? God knows I wanted to love on every inch of him but he had to be good with us, to trust us before I could give myself permission. It was difficult, though, because the temptation was nearly unbearable sometimes.

'Drake...you're so freaking hot. I can't believe you think about me that way. Are you really serious?'

I glanced down at my erection. Setting my phone down I reached down to adjust my dick so it stood up straight, tenting the fabric of my underwear in a very unmistakable statement of excitement. I picked up the phone and snapped a picture and texted, 'This is how I react to just texting with you about it. Clear enough?'

'Holy shit.'

I reached down and adjusted again for comfort. I felt a little stupid since pictures like that weren't really me. It made me think of the images Stacy had sent the old Drake. My judgment of her flew out the window as I wondered if Ky would ever consider sending images of himself to me like that. Oh my God I'd never been so hard in two lifetimes!

'Are you still there?'

'At attention, yes sir'

Was he going to text sexy to me? Were we about to do something kind of weird and completely dorky and awesome? My dick pulsed at the thought and it took a tremendous amount of restraint not to start without Kyle. Why wasn't he texting me back? Was he undressing? Looking for the best pose? Should I be?

I nearly fell off the bed when I heard the tap at my window. I crept across the room and looked between the curtains to see my beautiful boyfriend looking back at me. I opened the window and popped the screen out.

"Grab a pillow," he said and I did without asking why. He draped it over the metal window frame and hoisted himself up and into my room, using the pillow to protect himself from the metal ribs of the frame. I guided him partway so he wouldn't thump on the floor and wake anyone. I reached over and gently slid the window shut before turning back to Kyle.

His cheeks were a little red and his eyes were large and limpid. The warmth they usually held was magnified with a dollop of sexy. His breathing was a little rapid and I guessed he'd hustled over from his house. I didn't get far thinking if he'd crawled out his window and shimmied down from the roof of his front porch or if he'd simply snuck out his front door. He pursed his lips quickly and then his lips trembled with an attempted smile.

"Fuck. You're...can I...." He paused and shook his head as I stepped a bit closer. His voice trembled and he said, "Help me out of my clothes?"

I tilted my head down slightly, maintaining eye contact. My intent was to ask if he was sure, but he saw what I was going to ask and nodded sharply.

"I want to. I want this." He swallowed and looked at me, gaze darting at my form dressed down as I was and whispered, "I want you."

The energy coursing through me was akin to being plugged into an electrical transformer. I reached out and pulled at the hem of his hoodie and he lifted his arms as I tugged it from him, revealing his torso as there was no shirt beneath. He reached a hand out and touched my chest, trailing down to my abs and let out a sigh.

"Abs look so different in person compared to a picture."

"Is that a good thing?" I choked out, overwhelmed at his intimate touch.

His gaze rose to meet mine. "Fuck yes."

His kiss was like fireworks - fast, somehow bright and filling all my senses with brilliance. Our chests being crushed together, heaving against one another was the friction of erotic dreams. His hands roamed quickly and I responded in kind. With trepidation I slipped my hands down his backside and he pushed into me, whimpering slightly in my mouth. I pushed on the hem his sweatpants and he wiggled, helping me to slide them down his legs.

We separated as he toed his sneakers off to reveal his bare feet and then he shook the sweatpants from himself, which had puddled around his ankles. If I had any doubts left, he erased them by pouncing on me and we stood, crushed to each other and driving the temperature in the room up. We pushed into one another and I was put in mind of when we'd first kissed and I felt like our hearts were reaching for the other, pulsing in our chests and working to leave our bodies and join the other as one.

Kyle broke the kiss and with heaving breaths pulled me tightly to him. We were very nearly standing on each other's feet and holding him like this was the height of perfection. His body seemed made for my own, pressed tight and warm to me. Our erections pressed against one another, side by side. He squeezed me and whispered, "I love you. So much."

"I love you, too," I replied and kissed his neck. He shivered. I leaned back to look at his eyes, filled with love and lust. I let my hands run down his sides as I leaned in and kissed his clavicle and knelt before him, planting angel kisses on my way down. I looked up at him, the elastic of his underwear in my hands, and waited.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly and he nodded. I pulled the last garment he had off his body and he lifted his feet in turn so I could discard it. I have no idea if I actually did a good job. I had no experience with the job at hand, or at mouth, I suppose. I was a little amazed that it just tasted like skin. I'm not sure what I expected, really. After all, I'd never heard of a dick-flavored anything. There was, however, a sweetness I picked up on that I liked not long before Kyle climaxed. I wasn't so thrilled with the silky texture of his spend, but it wasn't awful either. More importantly, Kyle had just trusted me - us - and I'd just had my first experience with a guy. How lucky was I to have had that guy be Kyle?

His legs became wobbly and he sank down onto the edge of my bed while I regained my feet.

Kyle looked up, staring into my eyes. "You're mine. You're really mine."

Before I could agree or comment he slid off the bed and yanked my underwear down. With something akin to an assault he took me in his mouth and I gasped in surprise and pleasure. I croaked out his name and then was lost in the sensation of his rhythmic motion, the feel of each of his fingers as they pressed into the meat of my butt as he pulled me in closer. Like my boyfriend, I didn't last very long and he found himself in the same position I'd been in.

Breathless I pulled him to his feet and we fell together, chests heaving and bodies slick with a light sheen of sweat. I nudged him to the bed and we lay together, entwined and slowly coming down from the most wonderful experience I'd ever had with a person, one-on-one. He brushed his hands across my face.

"You're mine," he repeated.

"Yes," I agreed. "Why are you saying that, though?"

"Because," he said and pursed his lips before continuing. "If I'd have said no to you pulling my underwear off, you'd have stopped. You promised me this would be at my speed and you were ready when I could trust us. I trusted you, and us and that means...you're mine. And I'm yours."

We stayed curled together for some time. I couldn't say for how long. He made mention of going back home but he didn't try to get up and I didn't let him go. Eventually the fact we were in love, naked and alone caught up with us and I whispered in his ear how much I enjoyed sucking him. Soon we were pleasuring each other, but taking our time. There was still urgency but no frantic motions, no doubt. It would only get better, which was hard to believe.

~YDKM~

"Ky, you earned A team. You should play if you want. I'll come watch your games," I told him Saturday afternoon as we lounged at the Benoits.

"No. It won't be as much fun. Besides, we'd have practice, like, five times a week. My parents were already a little skeptical about playing both and keeping my grades. This way, when I tell them I want to skip travel, they'll think I'm being responsible and thinking of my school work."

"When in reality you're being a horn dog and just want to make out with your boyfriend?" I teased.

"A little," he replied with a grin. I eyed him and he squirmed slightly. "Okay, more than a little."

"That's huge, Ky," I told him in a teasing tone.

"What is?" he asked suspiciously.

"You like me more than you do basketball," I said smugly.

"Whoa, let's not get carried away," he said, trying to adopt a serious tone but breaking down in laughter.

We played some hoops out front, and the twins came to join us again. It cracked me up how Jess was so transparent about her burgeoning attraction to Kyle. It would have embarrassed her mightily if we had teased her about it, but it really was quite obvious. Mr. B chased them off later and worked at coaching us both for a while. He was tough, critiquing most moves we made. It was instructive, if a little aggravating.

The next few weeks went by in a blur of school, practice, home life and spending any free moment with Kyle. We'd snuck in another clandestine meeting, but it wasn't easy to make that work. Giles and Moira broke up and, surprising no one, he asked Stacy out. I was a little surprised she said yes, considering how her last relationship had gone, but I was glad to see her healing. James wasn't doing as well as I'd have liked. His bitchy attitude was still very evident, though he was making an effort to curb it. I felt for him, because it seems like the world is stacked against guys who aren't macho or the very stupid sounding 'straight-acting'.

He'd been punished for that his whole life, and it was for exactly that reason that I kept forgiving him. He needed people to accept him for who he was before he could ever be confident enough to be happy.

I walked over to Kyle's house the day of his party to find him sitting behind the wheel of the BMW. It had a bow on top. He was beaming and immediately started to show me details about the car. It warmed me to see him so excited. My car had to be registered, and there wasn't a great deal of reason to do that until I had some driving time under my belt, according to the Benoits. I didn't fight it. I had plenty of time. Later I rode over to a trampoline park with Kyle for his birthday party. A group of guys gathered, including Giles and a few guys from the team. My teammates had gotten to know me a little and were warming up to me pretty well. I had done the song and dance about the accident and memory loss, of course. We spent an hour bouncing off trampolines and dunking at the special hoops set up for that purpose. We played Dodgeball and generally had a great time. Pizza was provided, and Kyle opened presents.

I'd taken my allowance money and worked out with Mr. B a way to earn a little more so I could buy Kyle a Warriors jersey. His eyes got big when he saw it, and his grin made every second of the extra chores I'd done worth it.

Later that night Kyle, Giles, three guys from the team and I settled into the Winters' basement. We played video games and teased each other for a while, then Mr. Winters told us to settle down as it was late. We broke out the sleeping arrangements - a pull-out bed from the large sofa for a couple guys, another stretched in a recliner and Giles took the love seat. Kyle and I stretched out on an air mattress. We watched a couple of movies. One guy grumbled how it must be nice to have your date for a sleepover.

Around a quarter 'till two the credits for the last movie were scrolling on the screen. Kyle and I were the last ones awake. I turned the TV off for him while he turned off the lights, leaving just the moonlight filtering through the windows set high in the wall. We got under the blanket and snuggled together. Kyle let out a big yawn and hugged me close.

"Thank you for the jersey. It was my favorite gift," he said quietly.

"What about the car?" I asked.

"Oh my God, the car," he said in a dreamy voice and chuckled. "It's not fair to compare parent gifts to others, though. Isn't it a nice car, though? You like it?"

"I think you'll look great in it," I said indulgently.

"So, yeah, the jersey was great. Thank you."

"I didn't want to get you something cheesy, like a broken heart pendant or something," I whispered back.

He shook with a silent giggle. "I half expected something like that. As usual, you surprised me. You know," he said after a pause. "I changed my mind. This is my favorite present," he said and squeezed me. He kissed me, his patented slow yet intense lip lock only accentuated by our proximity and being dressed down for bed.

"I was checking out the car," he said softly. "I found something interesting."

"Oh?" I asked distractedly as our erections ground into one another.

"Yeah. The old insurance cards."

It took a moment for his words to register and I leaned back a bit. He didn't appear upset, simply studying my reaction.

"Are you...mad I didn't tell you?"

The fabric rustled as he shook his head. "Curious, though. How can I be mad? I have a cool car and you."

I nodded slightly, glad he wasn't upset. "Everyone told me I should tell you, but I didn't want you to feel like I was buying you or flaunting something. The car was useless just sitting there and I'd decided to sell it. Why shouldn't you get a good car? Something I thought you'd like? It's not like I can do that again - I'm not rich. You see what I was thinking?"

"Yeah. I don't care. Let's go into the laundry room. I want you."

I needed no urging as we crept away from the sleeping party-goers and into the laundry room. We spent an inadequate amount of time exploring and pleasing each other. Even once I'd been spent I never really felt like it was time to let him go or let him get dressed. We were stretched out on the carpet, I lay on my back with Kyle on his side, stroking my leg and looking at my body. I picked up my shirt and wiped my stomach off, and Kyle nestled in closer. I turned toward him and held him to me.

"Hey, I was still looking," Kyle grumbled in my ear before giving my earlobe a small nibble.

"You can look whenever you want," I told him and kissed his neck.

He sighed and moved his head so that we were looking at one another.

"Drake...don't laugh, okay?"

I shifted my hand and cupped him briefly. "That's nothing to laugh at," I told him seriously.

"Drake," he whispered, managing to growl at the same time. I moved my hand to his hip and kissed the end of his nose.

"I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

"Just that...it's my turn to be cheesy,I guess," he replied. "These last couple months have been the best of my life. I'm so incredibly happy. I always thought people sounded so dumb when they 'fell in love' and said and did sappy things."

"They can be strange," I agreed.

"Now I get it, though. I want to say dumb things to you, like how I want us to be together forever and how I really do want to marry you and go to college; see the world. I've never felt so complete as I do with you in my life."

"I know what you mean, Ky. I feel exactly the same."

He blinked a few times, perhaps from the emotion he was putting out there. Maybe relief that I'd accepted his words. "That's not all. I know a guy is supposed to be ready to just fuck at the drop of a hat, and you know I was interested - beyond interested. But you respected me. I used to think that was kind of a crap line adults threw out there, but you waited for me to give the okay; I still feel like that was huge. When you did that...something really important, something big that I can't even wrap my head around clicked for me that night.

"Who turns down a blow job? But you'd have stopped if I didn't want it, I could see that. I've never had someone respect me so much. And, what that all means is...I love you, Drake. I'm so in love with you."

For a time we held one another and basked in the fire of our love. Eventually we pulled our underwear back on and Kyle slipped up to his room to get me one of his tee shirts. We settled back in on the air mattress and got our cuddle on. "I have to confess, I really like blowing you," I told him. "I can't wait to do it again."

He covered his mouth to stifle the snort and then, smile on his face, said, "I always thought someone was just supposed to like getting a blow job, not giving them."

I chuckled. "But I guess I was kind of saying it's not a one way thing. I honestly enjoyed it, making you feel good. I want to do it again. A lot."

He moved slightly closer and lowered his voice even further. "I like to suck you, too. We'll find time, somewhere but...I want you to know I want you, too." He paused. "I want more, too. Maybe not tomorrow but...I want more. Everything."

We spooned on the mattress, Kyle molded to me as I held him. I yawned and let my mind drift. A few months ago I was resigned to never feeling the joy that comes from having your love returned. Peggy loved me in her way, as of course did the kids. I cared for Peggy and I'd loved my kids in return. Romantic love, the kind the poets wrote about that caused hearts to quake, had never been within reach. I'd never even tried when I'd been away at college as a young man, because my parents' had pushed their way of thinking on me so thoroughly.

Yet now, a young man with a beautiful soul had looked at me and wanted what he saw. I knew Ky saw inside me and wasn't just fixated on my looks, as nice as I felt they now were. This was something strong and good. As I closed my eyes I thought of that barman and how he'd altered me forever. I thought about how everyone around Drake had gotten a second chance - Kyle, Giles, Stacy, James and even Jeremy. They all did different things with that second chance, mostly good things.

I edged forward, putting my nose into Kyle's glorious mop of sort-of-curly hair, and took in the scent. A scent I knew, that filled me with peace and desire. My conscious mind slipped toward sleep, and I thought, right on the edge of sleep...He knows me. Kyle knows me and I know him.