Camp Echo - 19. Chapter Nineteen – Love is a Many Splendored Thing.

It was never Max's intention to finish Sunday afternoon with three in a bed, but as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. He actually laughed to himself, because that very thought entered his head. Still, Max was nothing if he wasn't the world's best escape artist, and another idea he had at the same time was, what the eye doesn't see the heart doesn't grieve. This just about summed up his life, he was forever escaping slippery situations. He'd managed it with Davy, and with Tobias. Nate was none the wiser about Max's tricky sex life.

He could, of course, blame it all on Aeriol. It was Aeriol's preoccupation with getting it on with Davy that led to the whole Sunday affair. If Max was going to criticise himself, then he had the right to lay some blame at Aeriol's door. Or then again, they were perhaps just as bad as one another.

Aeriol loved a challenge and Max had presented Davy as just that. The moment he told him that Davy was into fucking, boys or girls, he was Bi. But, Bi, meaning very hetero, you get the picture. This was all a fabrication, Davy had told Max something like that, and Max had believed him. One reason he lost interest in Davy. However, another of Max's traits is a tendence to take people at face value. In other words, he mostly believed what he was told. It's a convoluted circle, maybe Davy believed what he was telling Max, or he would have liked to believe it. It wasn't true.

They were in Aeriol's bed, all three, mostly naked under the duvet. Aeriol soon had the last item of clothing removed from Davy. He crept back up the bed alongside the boy and at the same time launched the underpants across the room. Max watched, turned over, and lay with his head on the pillow staring at nothing in particular on the opposite side of the bedroom. Aeriol's master plan was tailored around mutual excitement leading to unleashed desire. He was the conductor, or should that be manipulator. Suffice it to say that his contrivance allowed him to prove Davy was not the hetero Bi he supposed he was, but he achieved this somewhat at Max's expense. Except Max didn't complain and Davy ended up asking Max, rather coyly: "Max... fuck me."

About an hour after all this, when Aeriol was sitting up in bed rolling a joint, the phone rang. Max dashed out of the bedroom and down the stairs into the lounge. Aeriol paid no attention, but Davy's eyes followed after the naked figure and stayed staring at the door.

"Hey, you falling in love, or what?" Aeriol joked, as he searched around for his lighter.

Davy turned back, sitting up in bed, he frowned at Aeriol, but didn't reply.

"Oh, come on. It was just a joke."

Aeriol had found the lighter and was about to inhale.

"You know what?" Davy watched as Aeriol blew out a trail of smoke.

"What?"

"You can be a real bitch."

"Shit, kid. You're insulting me."

He handed Davey the joint.

"You're not pissed because it was your first time?"

Davy was still frowning, maybe the frown got deeper.

"Listen," Aeriol took back the joint and flicked the ash into the little metal ashtray, a souvenir from Brighton. "Just chill. I didn't do anything you didn't like or want."

Davy relaxed under the influence and Aeriol cuddled up next to the boy.

"If it makes you feel better we'll say this never happened. You can go right back to being who you were before today."

"I don't think that's possible," Davy said, a little quiver of sadness in his voice.

"Come here."

Aeriol gently pulled Davy towards him. Inhaled and held the smoke in his mouth. He lent in and planted his lips over the boy's, blowing the smoke out into his throat. Davy smiled. Aeriol grinned.

"I only ever do this with guys I like a lot."

"What? Give them a blow back, get stoned, or fuck them?"

Aeriol couldn't be sure if Davy was being seriously angry or not.

Davy laughed.

"You're winding me up, kid."

He put out the joint in the brass coloured souvenir ashtray and rolled over on top of the boy, kissing him forcefully this time. Davy responded and kissed him back.

"So how was your Sunday?" Nate asked.

"Nothing special. You know, quiet."

Max was suddenly feeling the cold, standing there naked.

"Hold on a sec, can you?"

He rushed into his bedroom, grabbed the duvet off the bed and wrapped it around himself. It trailed along the floor after him as he went back to pick up the phone.

"Sorry, had something cooking."

"What did you do?" Nate asked him.

"Just hung around the flat with Aeriol," he lied. "And you?"

"Had to be here for Sunday lunch with the grandparents."

"Oh."

"Yeah, well they're okay. Anyhow my father asked if we're going to Turkey."

"Guess we didn't actually decide yesterday. But yes, why not?"

"Because he'd like to meet you again."

"Meet me?" Max was a bit taken aback.

"Yep."

"But, he knows you're gay? About us? I mean, I thought..."

"You thought I was in the closet."

Max heard a little chuckle.

"No, you made things clear at the restaurant."

"Yeah, my folks are okay. I told them a while ago, before that."

"And they're okay about it?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"And they want to meet me now, because..."

"Because you're my boyfriend," Nate finished the sentence.

There was a moment of silence.

"You are my boyfriend, right?" Nate demanded.

"Yeah, I just never thought about it."

"Thought about what? Being boyfriends?"

Nate sounded a little weird.

"Well, yeah, maybe. No, about your parents. About us being together and your parents knowing, like..."

Max lost his words again.

"That we sleep together? Is that it?"

"Can you stay over tomorrow night? I'll meet you after work at the cafe. I hate talking about all this over the phone."

"Why? Is it bugged?"

"Very funny. You never know. I have heard clicks."

"You're crazy, Max."

"So, you can sleep over?"

"Sure. But it's sleep or..."

"Yeah, yeah. You know I can't resist your very sexy body."

"You're getting off the topic."

"Okay. Listen. I'll meet you at the cafe after work. I finish about six I'm working the whole day. And You?"

"I can finish at six."

"Great. And we'll talk about everything. Promise."

"Tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Night."

The phone went dead. Max stood there, wrapped up in the duvet. Slowly he crept back up the stairs and looked into the room. Aeriol and Davy were wrapped up together under the covers. Max smiled at the scene, watching the movements, before Aeriol looked up and noticed him.

"Coming back?" Aeriol smiled.

But no, Max wasn't coming back.

"I'll leave you two love birds," he replied.

Davy crawled over Aeriol and he too looked up at Max.

"Aw, come on, Maxy," Davy grinned.

"I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

He turned and closed the door. Forcing himself back down the stairs and along to his freezing bedroom. Laying down on the futon, he jumped at the touch of the cold mattress on his bare skin. Rolling over, he lay on his back looking at the ceiling and contemplating his complicated relationships and wondering whether to ignore his hard on or play with it.

The warehouse was a rush of work Monday morning, Aeriol, Max, Joel and Jacob, we're very busy emptying two lorries and stacking the shelves. Everything was a mad rush, even Alan leant a hand.

"Bad timing," Alan smiled, as they finished. "Not often we get two six tonners at the same time.

The boys looked at him. Not often, Aeriol said to himself, it had never happened. They were all flat out and exhausted. Jacob had been driving the fork lift like a grand prix. Max blocked the street as the last lorry pulled out.

"Take an early lunch," Alan told them, as he returned to the office. "Back around one, okay."

It was eleven-fifteen, Aeriol slipped outside to collect Max.

"Let's go to the cafe in the lock," he suggested.

"It's not lunchtime yet," Max told him.

"Alan said it's okay."

"Alright then."

They headed off down the street, leaving Joel and Jacob brewing their coffee and listening to Led Zep on the radio.

The place was half empty, or half full, depending which way you looked at it. They took a table over by the window, looking out towards the bridge over the canal. A few people were walking across the yard and the music venue, Dingwalls, was receiving a delivery.

"So what's happening with you and Nate?"

Aeriol sipped his mug of instant coffee.

"And you and Davy?"

"That's a kinda defensive reposte," Aeriol looked across the little wooden table.

Max was staring idly out the window at the dampness that seemed to lend a gloomy dull cloak to everything.

"He wants me to meet his parents again."

Aerial smiled: "Really?"

"No, I just made it up. Of course, really."

"Oh, well, that's okay. Isn't it?"

"Is it? I don't know. If they start asking all sorts of questions, like last time."

"So what. You tell it like it is."

"What does that mean?"

"Well," Aeriol contemplated the steam floating from his mug. "You tell them you got a job. You share a flat. Blah, blah, blah."

"I already told them I work in a warehouse and live with another guy? I don't think it went down too well. They live next to Hampstead Heath in some palatial fucking mansion."

"Oh, really? Very convenient."

"What?"

"Being next to Hampstead Heath."

"For fuck sake, Aeriol. This is serious."

"It is?"

"Yes. It fucking is."

Aeriol sat a moment, watching Max return to staring out the window.

"Just tell them that at the moment you're working in a warehouse because you can't decide what you want to do. It's temporary, because you don't wanna be on the dole."

Max thought about this whilst toying with the piece of buttered toast he'd ordered but not yet eaten.

"You know that every guy I've slept with, you've slept with?"

"I know. I'm like your big brother. You get the hand-me-downs."

"That's not very nice to say."

"Sure it is. You and I are like family. The hand-me-downs are good as new. I'm just trying them out for you. Except Davy. Didn't you sleep with him before me? And anyway, Saturday we all slept together."

"Make sure you keep that to yourselves."

"Of course."

Aeriol put down his coffee.

"If you're not gonna eat that, give it here," he said, looking at the toast.

Max lifted it off the plate and took a bite. Then he slid the plate across the table.

"You can have the other half."

"Story of our lives," Aeriol smiled. "It is serious then. You and Nate?"

"I think so. But..."

"Yeah, what?" Aeriol looked him in the eyes.

"Nothing. Guess I've never been in this seriois relationship thing before."

"You and me both."

"No. You're not getting serious with Davy?"

"Why not?"

"Cos I know you. He's just another conquest. You've proved he's not so hetero as he makes out."

"Maybe I like him and his pretend hetero."

"What? How? Why?"

Aeriol finished his slice of toast and the rest of his mug of coffee. Max was still waving his slice in the air.

"How? Why? I don't know. He's kinda sexy. Besides, there's stuff about him you don't know."

"There is?"

"Yeah. You left early. I got to know him, a bit."

"And?"

"Well there's things he likes to do."

"Things he likes to do? You mean... in bed?"

Max was leaning forward, lowering his voice. Aeriol reached for the remaining slice of toast.

"Give that and I'll tell you."

Max gave him the toast with the chunk bitten out of the corner. Aeriol looked at Max.

"He likes a little..." Aeriol leaned over and whispered. "Flagellation."

Max sat back: "Spanking!"

"Ssh! Tell the whole fucking world, why don't ya!" Aeriol frowned.

"Oh, sorry."

Max took a quick look around, but nobody in there seemed to be paying them the least bit of attention.

"So how did you discover he was a pervert?" Max continued.

"Max!"

"What?"

"Fuck off! He's not a pervert. No more than you are, you prick!"

"Okay. I'm just winding you up. Go on, spill the beans."

"No, I don't think I should,"

"Why not?"

"It's personal. Between the two of us. I haven't asked you what you and Nathan do in bed together."

"I never asked. You volunteered the info. But if you don't want to say."

"You know there's loads of things that can spice up sex?"

"I wasn't aware your sex life needed spicing up."

"Aw, Max. Cut it out. You want a serious discussion or not?"

"Okay. I'm being serious now." Max tried to put on a serious look.

"Sex toys. You ever thought about that?"

"Not since you had that idea to buy the biggest rubber dildo you could find in the shop."

"Oh yeah, you remember that?"

"I remember you had to try cutting it down to a size that might actually fit. I think they call that having your eyes bigger than you mouth. Only it wasn't about the size of your mouth."

Max started laughing.

"Stomach," Aeriol told him.

"What?" Max said, now in a fit of laughter.

"Eyes bigger than your stomach."

"Whatever," Max's fit was becoming uncontrollable.

Aeriol looked around. A few people had turned their heads towards their table.

"Come on, let's get out of here."

He stood up and dragged Max, still laughing, out of the cafe.

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