Camp Echo - 17. Chapter Seventeen - Temptations, Crushes, and Revelations.

“A friend is coming around later."

Aeriol was pacing in front of the fireplace, trying to decide whether to put the record he held on the turntable, or which side to play.

"What friend?" Max was intrigued.

"Just a guy I met. American. I told him to call round. He doesn't know too many people in London."

"He's on holiday, or something?"

Max was sticking some cigarette papers together to make a joint. Half looking at Aeriol, half watching what he was doing.

"Yeah, holiday I guess."

Aeriol finally bent down by the turntable, placed the record on it, and lifted the arm into place. The speakers crackled as the needle engaged.

"You know. I'm gonna ask our landlady if she can change this old fireplace. It gives out no heat at all."

Aeriol sat down between the turntable and fireplace on a strategically placed giant brown bean bag. Max twisted the end of the joint, tore it off and moved to pick up the lighter.

"It's an antique and looks great," he told Aeriol.

"Max," he smiled across at him. "It may be a fucking antique, but it uses up gas and gives out no heat at all. Unless you stick your arse right in the flames."

Max flicked his thumb across the metal wheel on the lighter and brought the flame to the tip of the joint. He inhaled and the paper flamed. Flicking away the burnt ash, he breathed out a cloud of smoke.

"I've never stuck my arse in it," he laughed, and handed Aeriol the joint.

Just at that moment the bell sounded. Aeriol stood up, taking a long drag and handing it back to Max, he went out to answer the front door.

A couple of minutes later Max heard them in the hall. Muffled voices, then the door opened and he looked up at the American. Least he guessed it was the friend Aeriol had announced, because he hadn't seen the guy before.

As they did introductions: "Cal, this is Max. Max, Cal. And..."

And, fucking hell, Max looked at the kid with Cal. He couldn't be more than sixteen, but god, he was beautiful. Even though a few acne spots decorated his face, the boy was a model. Actually, those spots only made Max think about the testosterone that must be coursing through the kid's body. And what a body, slim, well proportioned, beautiful face, great little arse. Max was instantly hard.

Aeriol invited them to take the sofa and passed Cal the joint.

"Sorry, so what's your name?" Max was looking at the boy.

"William," he replied, and Cal who was watching the interchange allowed the palm of his hand to rest on his boyfriend's thigh.

"You two been together long?"

Max was digging, and Aeriol gave him a long stare.

"Actually," Cal butted in. "I was coming to London and invited Will to come with me."

Max turned his attention to Cal: "You staying a while?"

"No, as it turns out. We leave day after tomorrow."

Max had moved across the floor, closer to William, who bent down and handed him the last of the joint. He took a long draw, holding in the smoke. Then as he released it, he asked: "So, what you think of London?"

William looked Max in the eye, then glanced quickly away.

"It's great," he replied. "I've always wanted to come here."

"Yeah, it's been a good trip," Cal added, patting the kid's thigh.

Fuck, I bet it has, Max thought, images going through his head of Cal fucking his boyfriend, and wishing he was in Cal's place.

"It was really nice of Calvin to bring me here."

"So, is it a one off, or will you be back some time?" Max just couldn't stop himself from fantasising.

"I'll probably be back next fall," Cal told him. "But Will here, has college, I don't think he'll be coming."

That shattered Max's erotic imaginings as he told himself that was probably for the best, but still... How often do you meet a boy that sexy. What a shame.

Aeriol had changed the record and put on Elton.

Daniel is travelling tonight on a plane

I can see red tail lights heading for Spain

Oh and I can see Daniel waving goodbye

God it looks like Daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes...

It was William and not Daniel, heading home to America, not Spain. Max was stoned and emotional, caught up in a cloud of smoke and erotic fantasy; desperately missing Nate. But like some devine message had been sent out across the celestial airwaves, the bell sounded.

"You can get it this time," Aeriol insisted, lying back, engulfed in the big brown bean bag.

Max forced himself up, along the corridor and down the stairs. As he opened the front door, his face lit up at the sight of Nate standing there. He pulled him inside, wrapped his arms around him and kissed him full on the mouth. When he pulled back, Max still had a really silly grin on his face.

"You look stoned," Nate told him.

Max pushed the front door closed.

"I love you," he replied.

It's terribly weird how things play out. Max had slipped from a sexual fantasy that would never see the light of day into a warm embrace that promised a wonderful dream.

*****

After Calvin and William had left, Nate stayed on, and him and Max were lying under the duvet on the hard futon in Max's bedroom, snuggled together for warmth.

"That kid with Cal was younger than me," Nate told him as he brushed a hand along Max's side.

"He was beautiful, don't you think?"

"Ah huh," was all Nate answered. His hand slipping over Max's hip, sliding slowly across his skin.

"No, I mean, he really was."

Nate's hand now rested on its target.

"Judging by this." Nate turned on his side to face Max. "He really excited you."

Max turned so they were face to face.

"Not like you're doing now," Max grinned.

"Yeah, but I bet you'd have liked to fuck him."

Nate shifted up closer to Max.

"I..."

Nate squeezed Max's cock.

"Don't lie or I'll yank it off," he laughed.

"Yeah, okay, of course. But I've got you."

Max rolled into Nate and softly kissed his lips. Moving to lie back he sighed.

"Did I ever tell you about Billy, Aeriol's friend?"

"You're changing the subject."

"Yes, but so what? Did I?"

"No, I don't think so. Maybe you did, I don't remember."

Nate let go of Max and propped himself up on one elbow.

"Not long after I got to know Aeriol, I met Billy. They eventually shared a place together. The first place was really, really, weird."

"How do you mean?" Nate asked.

"It was a squat. Just up the road from here. Doesn't exist anymore. They tore it down. Bulldozed the place to build flats. When Aeriol got chucked out of home he found this squat and him and Billy shared a big empty room. Right up until the place got busted. But that really is a whole other story. No, the weird thing is... I was born there. The squat used to be a private maternity clinic... And that is where I was born."

"Wow! That is weird."

"Yeah, like everything is connected. He was another guy I almost fell in love with. Billy was good looking, blue eyes, long blond hair, really nice."

"Are we gonna go through all the guys you've crushed on?"

Max rolled over on top of Nate, laughing.

"Nah, it just came into my head."

"I think something else is in your head now," Nate pushed him off.

Max then wrestled Nate back until he ended up lying on top of Nate, his whole body pressing into Nate's back.

"You're too heavy," Nate complained.

"I don't think so," Max laughed.

*****

It was freezing cold when they crawled out of bed in the morning.

"I can see my breath. You need some heating in this place," Nate quickly put some clothes on, pulling a jumper over his head.

Max hugged him: "You're my heater."

"Get dressed or your bits will drop off with frost bite."

Nate skipped off towards the kitchen and Max found his clothes from yesterday in a pile on the floor. Picking up his underwear he sniffed it. Guess it'll do, he said to himself, and got dressed.

The kettle was just boiling when he sat down at the kitchen table. Nate poured the hot water into two mugs and brought them over.

"Instant," Max remarked.

"Don't start complaining," Nate smiled.

"What we gonna do today?" Max grinned back at Nate.

"Not sure. But for starters you never finished telling me about Billy."

"I didn't?" Max said sheepishly.

"No. Only how beautiful he was. Was he another boyfriend?"

Max grinned again. "No chance. I thought maybe, but turned out he is straight. Unrequited love I guess."

Nate leaned over the table and punched him on the arm.

"Ouch!" Max feigned injury. "No, Billy was, is, a great guy, but, like I said, straight. Actually, when he found out about Aeriol and me. I mean when we told him we were gay. He was like... shocked, really shocked. Upset even."

"Because he'd been living with Aeriol and didn't know?"

"Maybe, I don't know. I never thought about that. I was like, too obsessed with coming out to everybody. Guess I never thought about them. How they might feel about it. I just thought about me. Or us, Aeriol and me. Just like, I'm doing this big thing and telling you I'm gay, now you got to accept it."

"Hmm, but heavy maybe." Nate reflected over his mug of instant coffee.

"Maybe. Just never considered how our friends might think. Stupid really. Not stupid to tell people, but a bit idiot to imagine everyone would be, oh wonderful, how lovely."

Max did a little theatrical performance over on the other side of the table.

"So Billy was shocked?"

"Yeah, disbelief. Guess it was a major surprise. But after time he came around. He even got himself a new best friend... who was also gay. Can you believe it? But his new best friend was gay from the start, so no unexpected revelations. You don't think about it, but in a lot of ways you're living a big lie with your friends when you're in the closet. So you gotta expect some odd reactions."

"Yeah, suppose you're right."

Max stood up, "You want some breakfast?"

"Yes please."

"Okay. So how about, I make us some breakfast and then we go out."

"Have you thought about Turkey? My dad's offer?"

"No, not really. But we can talk about it today. I mean it sounds good, I suppose. So why not?"

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