A Marching Band Story - 3. Chapter 3

The kiss was better than I could ever have imagined; it was more perfect than my most vivid fantasies. The mix of his pillowy soft lips, the enticing warmth of his mouth, the gentle caress of his embrace, and the familiar musk that I knew so well, created an intoxicating concoction in which I easily lost myself, momentarily forgetting everything that had troubled me moments before. I was so stunned that I had all but forgotten to kiss back, and when I came to my senses, without thinking I quickly pushed Connor off me in a moment of anxious fear.

The hurt in his eyes was painfully apparent, his soul crushed by my rash mistake. “I-I-I am s-s-so s-s-sorry”, he stammered, “I-I-I d-d-didn’t mean…”

I didn’t give him the chance to finish as I wrapped him in a passionate embrace, this time making sure to kiss him back. I realized at that moment that Connor had wanted me just as much as I wanted him. Who cares if Connor didn’t have everything all quite figured out yet? At this moment, not kissing him was causing him more pain than kissing him.

Needless to say, this time it was Connor who was shocked. But only after a couple of seconds of stunned paralysis, Connor began to return my passion and then some. Neither of us was afraid to explore each other with our hands, fiercely caressing each other’s bodies while our lips and tongues danced together in gleeful amazement. After what seemed like an eternity, give or take a couple of minutes, Connor broke away with a simultaneously mischievous and confused grin on his face.

“Okay, so, that was literally the best kiss of my 15-year-old life, but, what the fuck Jarrod?!?”, Connor exasperated between heavy breaths.

“Yeah, I should probably explain myself shouldn’t I”, I said to no one in particular. “So, umm, I guess I was just really surprised, to the point of panic, when you first kissed me, Connor. My mind literally had no idea how to react, so I made the decision to push you away, which is definitely not going to be one of my proudest moments. I don’t know, I guess I’ve just wanted you for such a long time that I didn’t know what to do when I finally had you if that makes any sense”.

Connor had this look of complete shock on his face. “Wait wait wait wait wait, you’ve had a crush on me for a long time?!? You are literally one the hottest guys in this band and you’re telling me you are in love with me?!?”

Smiling at Connor’s surprise, I explained, “Of course I’ve had a crush on you, Connor! You are the most perfect guy in this band. Your hair is this beautiful golden-brown color, and just long enough for me to run my hands through it and watch you flip it out of your eyes like you always do. Your light brown eyes always seem to catch the sunlight just right so that they shimmer like gold. Your face is one of the cutest I have ever seen, and I can now attest to the fact that your lips are even softer than they look. Your skin is literally flawless, as smooth and as rich as caramel. You have an amazing body, toned in all the right places. On top of all that, you are a beautiful human being. You are so kind and empathetic, acting as a mentor and friend to all the drumline rookies. You are also super funny, and your laugh is enough to send me to pieces. Connor, you are everything and more I could ask for in a boyfriend, so never, ever think you are less than amazing”.

Connor was completely floored by what I had said, and tears began to appear at the edge of his already red eyes. “Jarrod, you can’t be serious. You are perfect, you are friends with literally everyone in the band, you are compassionate, you are funny, you are beautiful, you are… everything. I don’t even compare”, Connor said, his voice breaking with those last words.

Now, as literally anyone will tell you, actions speak louder than words, so I decided to take this beautiful boy in my arms, hold him as tight as I could, and our lips met once more. This kiss was even more passionate than the last. Nothing was hidden from our explorative caresses, and our tongues fought for dominance in each other’s mouths. After another several minutes of making out, we finally broke away, and I smiled at my young lover.

“Connor, you really have no idea just how beautiful you are”, I began to say.

Connor tried to interrupt, “Jarrod, come on, I’m no–”

“Yes, you are. Any guy, or girl for that matter, would be so extremely lucky to have you”, I continued adamantly. “I am dead serious when I say I think you are one of the cutest boys I have ever had the opportunity of meeting, and even if I have to remind you of that every single day, and trust me, I will, never ever think for a second that you are somehow lesser than me”.

“Every single day? I mean, wow, would you really be willing to do that, just for me?”, Connor asked with a look of grave skepticism on his face.

“Every single day, every hour, even every minute if I had to”, I responded, looking directly into those golden eyes of his.

Connor grinned. “But not every second, that’s asking for too much, isn’t it?”

“Oh, I don’t know, nothing is too much for you. But if I had to tell you how perfect you are every single second, there would be no time for anything else”.

For the first time that evening, I heard Connor’s distinctive yet infectious laugh, like something caught between a hearty chuckle and a delicate giggle. “Yeah, every second is a little ridiculous, and you’re right, we would have no time for, I don’t know, making out”, as he gave me a quick kiss on the lips, “and more… intimate embraces”, as he started to kiss and nibble at my neck.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough”, I said, gently pulling away from Connor. “Believe me, Connor, I want more than to take things further with you, but we hardly know each other. I mean, literally not even ten minutes ago we were barely even friends and had no idea the other was gay. I want to have sex with you, I really do, but take it from a guy who has had a lot of sexual experiences and one-night stands, if this is going to be a real relationship, then we should maybe take things slow, get to know each other a little bit, you know?”

Connor sighed, clearly disappointed yet also understanding. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, and I do want this to be a ‘real’ relationship. But I guess that brings us to another point: how long we want this,” he motioned between him and me, “us, to last”.

I was almost shocked at how mature Connor was to ask that question. “Wow, umm, honestly I didn’t think you would ask that. But, umm, I don’t know. I mean, I head to college the last week of August, so there really isn’t a lot of time with this week being the first week of July”.

Connor sat there with this adorable look on his face, clearly deep in thought. “Okay, so, how about this? Why don’t we hang out together for the rest of this trip, which is what, like five days more? We get to know each other, act like a secret couple, maybe even fool around a little, and then, when we get back home, we can make the decision whether to continue as a couple or not, that way we will have at least five days of fun unburdened by the question of how long we want to last together”.

For the second time in as many minutes, I was shocked by Connor’s maturity. “I honestly could not have come up with a better plan myself”, I said, watching an infectious grin creep across Connor’s face. “That sounds wonderful, but I do have one more question: how do you want to spend your first evening as a ‘secret couple’?”

“Another excellent question, babe”, Connor said with a smile. “You know, I heard this hotel has great walking paths that take you right into the surrounding forests. How about we take a stroll among the trees and the moon and the stars?”

“Babe, huh… well, that sounds perfect, what are we waiting for?”

The walk was nothing less than enchanting. As the sun set in the west, painting the clear mountain sky with hues of orange, pink, and purple only nature could create, the moon and stars became increasingly more visible, bringing the nocturnal life of the forest abuzz. We walked in silence at first, his hand fitting so naturally in mine, not really caring if anyone saw us. As the last moments of sunlight winked out of existence, we began to talk.

“So, Connor, umm, what’s your favorite color?”, I asked sheepishly, not really knowing what to say.

Connor gave me one of his trademarked mischievous grins and replied, “Really? That’s the first question you want to ask me?”

“Well, I don’t know, we have to start somewhere don’t we?”

“Yeah, I guess so. Well, to answer your question, my favorite color is blue”, Connor said with a twinkle in his eye. “Blue is just a deeply rich yet soothing color. It’s the color of the sky, of the oceans, of the rivers, and of the lakes. Blue can also mean so many different things. Light, baby blue is soft and playful, whereas deep, dark blue is both comforting and sorrowful”.

“Wow, I had no idea you were so poetic”, I said, taken back by how much passion was in his voice.

“Well, what’s your favorite color?”, he asked with genuine curiosity.

“My favorite color is purple”, I stated matter-of-factly. “I don’t know, purple is just a very comforting color to me. Purple can be vibrant or muted, light or dark, royal or simple, opulent or plain. Purple is only found in nature in flowers or in the night sky. It’s rare in that way, so I guess that makes it special”.

“Okay, that’s enough color speculation for one night”, Connor said, stifling a laugh. “Rapid-fire round: what’s your favorite animal? Favorite food? Favorite season? And… what’s your favorite Star Wars movie?

I took a moment to think, careful to choose my answers. “Wow, okay, a lot of questions. Umm, elephants, any type of seafood, spring, and Empire Strikes Back”.

“Really, seafood? That is definitely not on my list of favorite foods. I can respect elephants and spring, and there is literally no better Star Wars movie than Empire. If you had said any other movie, we would’ve had to break up right then and there”.

I giggled, “I am SO relieved that we have similar Star Wars opinions, but what about you, care to answer your own questions?”

“Bears, lasagna, and autumn”, Connor said with a smile.

"Wow, that was quick, are you always so sure of yourself?" I laughed comfortably.

Connor laughed with me, “Only on simple things. But now for a more serious question. We are both band kids, so, what is your favorite genre of music?”

I responded without hesitation, “Jazz, definitely jazz. You know I play trombone, and I also play that in jazz band. I don’t know, in jazz, there are just so many layers coming together to create art, it’s just… beautiful”.

“Well, I’ve heard you play trombone, and you are awesome by the way, so I can only imagine how incredible you are at jazz trombone”, Connor said not even trying to hide the notes of flattery in his voice. “So, what are your top three favorite genres of jazz?”

Again, without hesitation, I listed off, “Big band, Latin, and funk. Nothing beats classic big band swing, and Latin and funk have specifically unique rhythms found nowhere in other music”.

Connor smiled, moving closer to me as we continued to walk the moonlit trails. “All very good choices. Now, I wouldn’t say jazz is my favorite, but as a band kid, I do appreciate it. As for my favorite genre, I don’t know, I guess I just listen to a little bit of everything. I have a very eclectic taste in music”.

“Well then, I will definitely have to educate you in jazz so that it becomes your favorite without question”, I exclaimed with a laugh. “In fact, why don’t we listen to some right now?”

We sat down at one of the trailside benches and I pulled up one of my many jazz playlists on my phone. I hit shuffle and the first song that came up was Fly Me to the Moon, by Frank Sinatra, one of my personal favorites. Now, there is this rumor that band kids cannot sing, that’s why they’re in band. But I can assure you that that is just not the case. To be in band means you must have at least some singing ability and to be a good instrumentalist you have to be a good singer. Anyways, I started to sing along with the song as Connor rested his head on my shoulder, cuddling close to combat the chill of the night mountain breeze.

The song lasts for about three minutes, and afterward, Connor is blown away. He grabs my phone to pause the music and adjusts himself so that his eyes look directly into mine.

“Where the HELL have you been hiding THAT?!?”, Connor all but shouted. “That was absolutely brilliant! I had no idea you could sing like that! Why aren’t you in choir?!? Why don’t more people know you’re an amazing vocalist?!?”

I look back at the face of my love with a shy grin. “Well, I don’t know, I just don’t really like to brag or show off or sing in front of others all the time. And at my school, we’re only allowed to do band or choir, not both. Besides, my band directors wouldn’t let me switch over to choir even if I wanted to”.

Connor put his head back on my shoulder and I wrapped my arms around him. “Well, your voice is AMAZING, and I wouldn’t mind listening to it all night long”.

Which is exactly what we did. We sat on that bench in the middle of the forests and mountains, cuddled together as I sang to my love, for what felt like hours. When my playlist was finished, we walked back to my hotel room. Connor left to go “sleep” in his room with his assigned roommates, but once he was sure they were all asleep, he sneaked out and joined me in my single-bed room. We decided that we didn’t want to do anything too intimate that night, so we just stripped down to our underwear and spooned in my bed until we both slipped into the most peaceful and comforting sleep of our young lives.