A Different Love - 25. Chapter 25

As we stood outside the bungalow furiously brushing snow off our clothes, Nathan was struggling to dislodge some from the back of his jeans when he suddenly turned towards me with a look of frustration on his face.

“Is it all off Jason?”

There was a moment’s hesitation and my heart began to race at the open invitation to gaze at his awesome rear. Suddenly overcome with desire, I couldn’t stop the white lie that inadvertently slipped out of my mouth.

“Well no, erm not quite”

In reality all that remained was a tiny trace of snow overshadowed by a large wet patch covering most of his buttocks. Call it intuition or just blind hope, but I had a sudden feeling what his next request would be.

“Any chance you can brush it off for me?” he asked casually, seemingly unaware of the effect his request was having on me.

My heart immediately skipped a beat and every nerve end in my body began to tingle with anticipation. I couldn’t quite believe that such an opportunity had arisen to touch him in a place I’d been longing to caress ever since the first day we met and there was no way I could deny his request. To refuse would appear churlish and unhelpful and before he even had the slightest chance to change his mind, my shaking hand began hesitantly brushing away the non-existent snow.

I was rock hard within seconds and the feelings of sheer pleasure as my hand softly brushed the rough material of his jeans was indescribable. I was incredibly reluctant to take my hand away, but to leave it there any longer would definitely have aroused his suspicions. That was the last thing I wanted, at least until my feelings were fully reciprocated. My stomach was tied in knots as I smiled at him weakly and tried desperately to hide my erection.

“There you go Nathan, all done!”

“Thanks Jase, much appreciated”

A moment of guilt washed over me for deceiving him and I didn’t dare to ask him to do the same for me. I quickly readjusted myself whilst he finished brushing his jeans off and turned towards him with an innocent smile.

The front door of the bungalow was covered in snow and Nathan brushed it away as I fumbled with freezing fingers to retrieve my keys. A sudden thought occurred to me and I gazed at him worriedly.

“I hope I didn’t put you on the spot when I mentioned meeting my parents. You don’t have to, you know”

“Its fine really, I don’t mind”

He smiled at me reassuringly and I tried to detect any signs of reluctance. Now that I’d said it, I couldn’t help thinking that 'Would you like to meet my parents?' sounded as if I was about to introduce him as my boyfriend! Unless he was hiding it really well, he seemed eager enough though and I scolded myself for being so paranoid. He'd already proved several times before what an extremely nice guy he was, so there was no reason to be surprised. With one final effort, I turned the key and pushed open the front door. As we stood in the hallway and began removing our coats and shoes, mum called out from the kitchen.

“Is that you Jason?”

“Yes mum” I called back “Just going to get changed”

I motioned for Nathan to follow me down the hallway. “I’ve got to get out of these jeans, they’re wet through!”

I winced as he instinctively looked down at the front of my trousers and without saying a word, nodded in silent agreement.

“What about you?” I said, as we entered my bedroom "You can borrow a pair of mine if you like. We're about the same size”

"Thanks Jase, that'd be great"

I felt oddly embarrassed removing my jeans in front of him and surreptitiously turned to one side as I slid the stubborn damp material down my legs as quickly as possible. My erection had never really gone away and as it fully hardened again, I realised that facing him would be a real problem. Luckily the wardrobe was in front of me and I hurriedly pulled both doors wide open to hide my embarrassment. Quickly scanning the pile of clothes before me, I grabbed two pairs of jeans and passed one of them to Nathan, without fully turning around.

"Here, try these Nathan"

I could hear him changing and I furiously fumbled around in the wardrobe, desperately playing for time. I would’ve given anything to turn around and watch him, but my current predicament definitely prevented me.

“Thanks Jase" he said "They're a perfect fit"

Half turning around, I gave a weak smile of acknowledgement and nodded towards the carrier bag containing my freshly washed clothes.

"It's the least I can do after you did those for me"

There was an awkward silence as I wondered what to do. I could hardly stand in front of the wardrobe for however long it took for my erection to diminish. Despite desperately trying to think of something else, the image of a semi naked Nathan in my bedroom seemed to have completely taken over my thoughts and I failed miserably to rid my mind of the sensual image. I was determined not to turn around though, even though he must be looking at me by now, wondering what was taking me so long. As if to confirm it I momentarily froze as his words rang in my ears.

“That bruise is still a corker!”

For a second or two I was unsure how to react and gave an uneasy laugh, before glancing warily over my shoulder.He was laid full length on the bed, propped up on his elbows watching me and I struggled to keep my voice steady. The affected area on my leg was rapidly turning yellow and as I twisted around, making an involuntary attempt to see it, his eyes suddenly shifted to the large bulge that had been revealed at the front of my briefs. My heart thudded with horror and I hurriedly tried to adjust myself, but it was still obvious what was happening. His eyes widened momentarily and an incredulous look, quickly replaced by amusement, spread across his face as my cheeks began burning with embarrassment.

"Looks like the snake's trying to escape" he quipped.

He was referring of course to the briefs I was wearing when he'd undressed me the previous night. They were emblazoned with the words 'Beware of the Snake' across the front and were currently sitting in the pile of clothes that he'd washed for me

"Yeah well, I'm not used to being watched when I get undressed" I answered, fixing him with a mock frown.

"Sorry" he quickly apologised, still grinning "I know my name’s not Connie. I'll close my eyes!"

He immediately placed his hands behind his head and laid back, pretending to be asleep.

"How's that Jase?"

By this time I’d finally managed to fasten my jeans and I sat down on the bed and poked him in the ribs, smiling affectionately.

"Idiot!"

Within seconds his eyes were open, dancing with anticipation. "So speaking of Connie, you said you were going to tell me all about her!"

“No I didn’t!”

He gave me one of those mischievous glances before screwing his face up and gazing at me in mock disappointment.

“Promise I won’t tell anyone” he pleaded

I was wondering how long it would take him to ask me again and I sighed loudly, resigning myself to the fact that I would have to tell him something. My brain suddenly went into overdrive, desperately trying to think of a believable story. I hated having to deceive him and wondered how much longer I could keep up the pretence. He clearly still thought I was straight and at this stage I couldn’t risk the chance of him running a mile because he was too embarrassed to be seen with me.

There was a slight pause and he gazed at me, eagerly waiting for me to continue. Finally I responded, forcing out the words reluctantly.

"If you must know, I met her when I went to visit my grandma. Connie was her next door neighbour’s daughter”

I paused and he impatiently urged me to go on “And?”

“And what?” I replied, loath to continue the deception.

“Well obviously she must have been a stunner to go out with you for a start” he joked.

“Come on Nathan” I replied, playing along with his humour “That goes without saying”

He laughed out loud and with a huge grin on his face, continued to ask questions.

“So, what was she like?” How long were you together? Was she a good kisser? Come on Jason, spill the beans. I need to know these things!”

I sighed and reluctantly carried on, feeling decidedly awkward.

“I don’t know, what can I say? She was a lovely girl, really pretty. We were together for about six months”

My face flushed with embarrassment as I answered his last question “And yes, before you ask again, she was a good kisser”

“Mmm. I’ll let you off for now, but I think you’re a bit of a dark horse on the quiet Jason Wright” he laughed, narrowing his eyes suspiciously “I reckon you’ve got girls coming out of the woodwork!”

If only he knew the truth, I thought to myself ruefully, he probably wouldn’t be so happy I was deceiving him. I gave him a nervous glance and purposefully ignored his remarks, hoping he wasn’t expecting an answer. Of course that was wishful thinking and it was clear from his expression that he couldn’t help himself from probing further.

“So why did you break up?”

I sighed and frowned at him,making sure my face took on a hurtful expression.

“Look Nathan, I know I said before it was a mutual thing….but it wasn’t, ok. She was seeing someone else behind my back and that’s why I don’t like to talk about it. Gran didn’t know and kept encouraging us to get back together. It was pretty painful…….”

I left the sentence unfinished and slowly shook my head to emphasise my meaning. He looked totally gutted that he’d upset me and his face was full of concern.

“I’m sorry Jason, you don’t need to say anymore; I can see now it’s something you really don’t want to talk about”

He frowned and shook his head, obviously annoyed with himself for thinking he’d upset me.

“I’m so sorry for making you tell me, I promise I won’t mention it again”

He gave a sigh of resignation and a fleeting look of sadness crossed his face.

“Nathan, what’s wrong?”

“Oh I don’t know…..it’s just….well, at least your gran cares enough to try!”

Although he did his best to hide it, I could see he’d become quite upset and I wasn’t sure what to say to him. I would’ve given anything at that moment just to lay beside him and hold him close. It was obviously a deep-rooted problem, probably caused in part by the poor relationship he shared with his father. As if to confirm what I was thinking, he quickly continued.

“I love that you’re so close to your family Jason. I wish it was like that for me”

“Do you think you’ll ever make it up with your father?” I asked in a soft voice.

He shook his head and gazed at me doubtfully.

“Who knows what the future holds Jason? To tell you the truth, I think we’re both as stubborn as each other”

“Look Nathan, I don’t want to tell you what to do, but all I know is if it were my father, there’s no way I could fall out with him”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to put up with my father!” he replied dolefully.

Things were obviously very different for Nathan. His face had dropped a mile and I briefly touched his leg.

“Come on Naith, cheer up. Now’s your chance to meet mine”

Mum and dad were watching television when we entered the lounge and I greeted them cheerfully. Nathan hung back near the door, waiting to be introduced.

“Hi Mum, Dad”

“There you are son!” dad exclaimed “Wondered what had happened to you this morning”

I gazed at mum warily before replying. “Oh, I erm decided to have a lay in. Day off and all that”

“Ah, I see”

An amused expression played around his lips as he tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh. “So you didn’t have a hangover then?” he added, winking at me.

There was no fooling dad, that was for sure. As usual he’d gone unerringly to the truth and I couldn’t help but return his smile. “Well…..maybe just a bit”

“And now I bet you’re never going to drink again, are you son?” he interrupted, still smiling.

“Yeah, something like that” I answered sheepishly

“Ah well, no harm done I suppose. You’re only young once”

If only that were the case, I thought to myself, sub consciously pulling down the sleeve of my pullover. If dad caught sight of my injured wrist he wouldn’t be satisfied until he knew every little detail and I didn’t want him to know what kind of state I’d really been in. Even worse, the thought of my ruined watch kept nagging away at me and I knew it would hurt them a lot if they ever found out. I gave a weak smile and hastily turned around, drawing their attention towards the doorway.

“Mum, dad this is my friend Nathan”

I gazed at him proudly and my heart skipped a beat as he smiled back at me. I couldn’t help thinking how good it would be to say, this is my boyfriend Nathan, instead.

They both greeted him in unison and with his customary charm he smiled and politely responded.

“It’s really nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Wright”

He ventured further into the room and held out his hand to each of them in turn. They both smiled and shook hands with him warmly. Mum immediately offered him a seat and as we sat down on the small sofa, I could feel the warmth of his leg as it pushed against my own.

I couldn’t help noticing that dad was staring at him with a slight frown of puzzlement on his face and I wondered why. It was incredibly important to me that mum and dad liked Nathan as much as I did, but with dad’s current reaction I wasn’t at all sure that this would be the case. By this time Nathan had noticed it too and my heart beat slightly faster as I tried to work out what was on dad’s mind. Within seconds he offered an explanation and I heaved a sigh of relief that it was nothing serious.

“Sorry for staring Nathan, it’s just that you look vaguely familiar”

Nathan raised his eyebrows in surprise and for a second or two was clearly unsure how to respond. He quickly regained his composure and shook his head in denial.

“I don’t think we’ve ever met before Mr. Wright. I’m sure I would’ve remembered if we had”

“Ah well, never mind lad” he sighed “You probably just remind me of someone, that’s all”

“We don’t usually get to meet any of Jason’s friends these days” remarked mum, gazing at me in surprise.

I couldn’t help thinking to myself that the main reason for that was because I didn’t have any.

Nathan merely smiled at her before elaborating further “We’ve actually only just met fairly recently Mrs Wright. Jason leant me some money for the bus fare home when I left my wallet at work, so I took him for a drink last night to say thank you. We seemed to get on really well and we’ve just become friends”

I nodded in confirmation and smiled at him, silently thanking god that cars needed MOT’s.

“Nathan’s from near London” I cut in “But he was born in Hamborough”

“My family moved down south about five years ago” added Nathan, continuing the story “So I’ve lost touch with everyone I knew back then”

“So what made you come back?” dad asked

“Oh, I just felt it was time for a change” he replied wistfully “Dad and I…we erm….”

Clearly struggling to find a suitable way to explain, his voice tailed off and I rushed to help him with the first thing that came to mind.

“Nathan’s working at AWB dad”

“Really!” he exclaimed, immediately wanting to know more “Which department son?”

As Nathan began talking to dad about AWB Engineering, I couldn’t help but admire how good he looked. His handsome face and slim figure took my breath away and the way his shirt tightened when he moved forward, mirroring the contours of his well defined muscles set my pulse racing, forcing my imagination to run riot. How good would he look without clothes, I thought to myself excitedly. A shiver ran up and down my spine and I wondered what on earth mum and dad would think if they knew what was going through my mind right now. Mum’s voice broke through my thoughts and I was suddenly aware she was speaking to me.

“Would you mind making us all a drink Jason?”

“No, course not mum. I was just about to”

“Nathan, would you like a tea or a coffee dear?”

He momentarily broke off his conversation with dad to answer.

“Oh, a cup of tea would be lovely Mrs Wright. Thank you”

She smiled at the polite way he spoke and I could tell she was impressed by his pleasant easy manner. I knew that mum and dad would also want tea so that made it extremely easy.

I gave Nathan a last reluctant glance and headed slowly towards the kitchen, making sure that no one could see the front of my trousers. Admiring him had given me another enormous erection that now pushed against the cupboard front as I leant over the sink to fill the kettle. It seemed like these days all I had to do was think about him and I had an instant erection. That hadn’t happened since my days with Connor!

As the kettle began boiling I stood for several seconds with my back to the work surface waiting for it to diminish and I couldn’t help noticing something shiny on the floor. It appeared to be some kind of identification tag, attached to a long silver chain. I stooped down to pick it up and turned it over in my hand, reading the inscription to myself out loud.

Along the top were the printed words, Arthur WBrown (AWB) Engineering Ltd. and the name Nathan Brown along the bottom. A small photograph adorned the middle and I had to squint hard to see it. I realized with a jolt that until now I didn’t even know Nathan’s last name, but the photograph and name on the tag were undoubtedly his. I slipped it into my pocket whilst I finished making the tea.

The fully laden tray was heavy to carry as I carefully negotiated my way into the lounge and I was glad to set it down safely on the coffee table. Nathan was still talking to dad about AWB and as mum began pouring the tea, I pulled the identification tag out of my pocket and swung it to and fro in front of them.

“I found this in the kitchen Nathan! Bit of a coincidence really, Nathan Brown and you work at Browns” I exclaimed, laughing at the coincidence.

Arthur W Brown Engineering was a well-known company in Hamborough, known locally as AWB Engineering. Arthur had started the business back in the 1940’s and his son Jim had started work there on the same day as dad.

“Oh thanks” he said, hastily stuffing it into his pocket “I’m always losing that”

Meanwhile dad had leant forward in his chair excitedly and it soon became apparent why he’d thought that Nathan seemed so familiar. Something in the tone of his voice as he spoke immediately caught my attention.

“Do you mind if I ask you something Nathan?”

He hesitated before answering, as if he knew what was coming, and I could hear the uncertainty in his voice “Of course not Mr. Wright, go ahead”

“Are you Jim’s son by any chance?”

“Jim who?” I broke in, convinced that dad had finally lost the plot.

“You know Jason!” he exclaimed “Jim Brown!"

He gazed at me impatiently as if I should instantly know who he was talking about, but I was clearly a little slow on the uptake.

"Jim Brown?" he reiterated sharply "He owns Browns!”

"Oh!!!"

As realization dawned, my mouth dropped open and I turned towards Nathan in astonishment.

“Jim’s your dad!”

He sighed deeply before reluctantly nodding in the affirmative “Yes, he is”

There was a stunned silence and for some reason mum and dad seemed totally shocked by the revelation. Raised eyebrows and a fleeting look of surprisepassed between them, but their unexpected reaction was instantly gone, almost as though it had never existed.

“I thought so!!” exclaimed dad in triumph “I knew you reminded me of someone!”

Nathan, meanwhile, gave a weak smile, clearly embarrassed by the situation. The more I thought about it, there was a definite resemblance between Nathan and his father. Whilst Jim’s natural blonde hair had prematurely turned silver grey, their undeniable similarity remained and I could fully understand why dad had picked up on it. For some reason I hadn't made the connection, even though I knew that Jim had a son called Nathan. Thinking about it, he must have gone to school here in Hamborough at the same time as me, but he certainly hadn’t attended my school. I absent-mindedly wondered if maybe he’d gone to a private school. After all, his father did own a factory!

Jim Brown and my dad had gone to school together, quickly becoming best friends. After they left school Jim went into the family business working for his father Arthur, and dad started work there as an apprentice on the same day. They continued to be good friends throughout their working lives, often enjoying a game of golf together or a pint of beer. After dad’s health failed they saw much less of each other but still kept in touch. Jim had taken over the business from his father by then, and had moved away to open another factory in London, but if he was back up here on business he would usually make time to call round for a visit. Dad was always really pleased to see him and they would sit for ages, chatting about old times and reliving the past. Whilst I was growing up he never forgot my birthdays and always sent a present at Christmas. On the numerous occasions I'd met him he always seemed to be a really nice guy and I wondered what the problem was between him and Nathan.

Dad went on to astound us even more with his next revelation and I gasped with amazement.

“Talk about coincidence!!” he continued, shaking his head in amazement “What you don’t realize is that you two have actually met before!”

I glanced across the room at mum, and once again caught that same inexplicable look passing between them. This time though I was almost too flabbergasted to notice. My stomach had tied itself in knots, and my brain struggled to digest what had just been revealed. Nathan was staring at dad in astonishment and we both asked the same question at once.

“Where!!”

“Oh it was years ago, when you were both young” dad explained “We went to the coast for the day with Jim and his wife and their little one. Obviously that was you Nathan” he added with a smile.

“So how old were we?” I asked, still struggling to believe what dad had revealed.

“Oh I don’t know” he mused, rubbing his chin “five, maybe six?”

Now that he mentioned it, I did have a feint memory at the back of my mind of playing football on the beach with a blond haired boy. Obviously that must have been Nathan!

“I can hardly believe it!” exclaimed Nathan in amazement, mirroring my thoughts. “That’s amazing!!”

“It’s true” confirmed mum, smiling at him “And what a good looking young man you’ve turned out to be!”

“Thank you” he said, blushing slightly as he acknowledged her compliment.

“So how did you two meet?” asked dad.

“Nathan caught the same bus as me a few nights ago” I explained “Then the following night he forgot his wallet and I leant him the fare. We just got on really well together from the start and found we had a lot in common” I went on, smiling at Nathan.

“I’ve lost touch with all my old friends” he added “So it was brilliant to meet someone new that I could make friends with”

“And where are you living at the moment Nathan?” mum enquired

“Oh, erm in Cranford. I’ve got a flat. Well actually it belongs to dad, but he’s letting me stay there. It’s pretty decent though" he went on "Just a bit lonely sometimes”

“So how is your dad these days Nathan?” asked dad "I haven’t seen him for a while”

His expression immediately darkened “He’s ok as far as I know Mr. Wright. I don’t actually see him very often either”

Something in the tone of his voice immediately alerted dad to the fact that all was not well between the two of them and the inquisitive look on his face soon prompted Nathan to reveal further details. He screwed up his face as he concentrated on what to say, before reluctantly beginning to elaborate.

“Dad and I……we....erm....well we don’t get on too well” he began hesitantly “We have….erm..how can I put this?” He paused for a little to gather his thoughts before continuing. “I suppose what I’m trying to say is that we have differing opinions on certain things”

“Aye well” chuckled dad knowingly “That's no surprise. Your father always was a bit single minded”

“Tell me about it!” he agreed with a grimace on his face.

Nathan’s answer left me feeling intrigued about what those ‘certain things’ were that they didn't agree on and did nothing to satisfy my curiosity. Aware of his obvious discomfort, mum immediately changed the subject

“How long will you be working up here Nathan?”

“To be quite honest I wasn’t going to stay much longer. It didn’t seem to be working out very well. But now…..” he smiled across at me and my heart soared “I think I’ll give it a bit longer”

“Yes!” I thought triumphantly “At least now there was a chance I’d get to know him better”

“Well, you’re always welcome here Nathan” dad said “Don’t you forget that”

Mum reiterated his statement with a simple smile and a nod of agreement and I heaved a sigh of relief that things had gone so much better than I ever expected.

“That’s very good of you” he said gratefully, addressing them both “Thank you”

“So what are you up this afternoon? asked dad

I gazed at Nathan questioningly and he quickly responded.

“I’ve got to collect my car from the garage this afternoon” he volunteered “It’s been in for its MOT. Come with me if you like Jason?” he said, turning towards me.

“Yeah ok. Thanks Nathan, that’d be great”

“I don’t know if you’re busy tomorrow Nathan” said mum “But you’re welcome to join us for Sunday lunch”

“No, I’m not doing anything special Mrs. Wright, I’d love to come” he said, smiling appreciatively “Its ages since I had a home cooked meal”

“That’s settled then! she said, smiling brightly "We’ll see you tomorrow”

I reached for the tray of cups and saucers to take to the kitchen and mum instantly put her hand gently over my exposed wrist so that dad didn’t see it.

“It’s ok Jason. You get off, I’ll see to them”

It had been a near miss and a brief look of understanding passed between us.

“Thanks mum, I’ll see you later then, be back for teatime”

“Ok love, bye”

“Bye Nathan”

Dad added his goodbyes with a wave and the two of us left the room.