Jumping Over My Mountain - 23. Chapter 23

Jumping Over My Mountain
by Tiffani Chin

Chapter 23

---------------------------------------------

***********HIRO**********

As expected, time flew by. Graduation came and went. None of us went to the ceremony. The school was just way too big to sit through all the names, in such hot weather, no less.

To quote Skyler, ‘I don't have the patience for this shit.’

However, we did take a lot of photos together in our caps and gowns. Mrs. Chin must have used up all her flash card capacity with all the photos she took. There were pictures of: the four of us; the twins alone; the twins and their Mom - Crew took those; me and Crew; and some of us individually.

The graduation party had a huge turnout, just as Skyler said it would. Everyone had been there: Aunts, Uncles, cousins, grandparents, and family friends. I recognized many from previous Christmas Eve parties, including, of course, the twins’ Dad. I noticed that Skyler avoided his Dad and step-mom, for the most part.

Helaku and Bryce showed up, as did Callum and Mikhail, whose relationship was still going strong.

Zeke was there of course. After Skyler had made an appearance for his relatives, Zeke and Skyler spent most of their time in Sky's room, probably packing. Or other things. Who knew with those two?

It was a long day, with people coming and going, arriving or leaving, depending on how long they had been at the party. It was hectic. I spent most of my time with Crew. I sat by while he ate cheeseburgers, chips and dip, and talked randomly with people.

Now, between the all day party and the continuous intake of food, Crew was tired. He was passed out, sleeping on my chest as we lay on the bed in a guest room.

Crew shifted in his sleep, bringing his knee up to my groin. He rubbed his face into my chest a bit before settling down. I smiled and gently ran my hands up and down his back, looking at the clock. It was only 11:15 at night, but it seemed like Crew would be out for the rest of the evening.

The party had definitely died down. It was basically just Mrs. Chin, her sister, Skyler and Zeke. Even Storm had left to go back to Kate. Skyler and Zeke were laughing quietly as they packed for their move.

Crew and I wouldn't be able to see them off or help them move into their new apartment next week. Tomorrow afternoon, Crew and I would be on a plane heading to Colorado.

That's why we were staying at the twins’ house. Their Mom would drive us to Newark International in the morning. We were also leaving Sushi with her. We certainly couldn't leave him all alone for two weeks.

Crew was dead to the world at the moment and I didn't want to wake him up. I was actually pretty comfortable with him sleeping in my arms. I was feeling content.

I sighed and closed my eyes. I should get some rest as well. We needed an early start tomorrow morning.

*************

"Bye guys; see you in two weeks," Crew said to Skyler and Zeke. He gave each of them a hug.

Mrs. Chin was already waiting in the car; all of our bags were already in the trunk.

"Have a safe trip," Zeke said. I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Yeah, have fun meeting ‘the oldies’," Skyler chimed in grinning. I laughed.

"Take care of Sushi," Crew said. He leaned down and petted his dog gently. Sushi stood beside Skyler, looking at Crew with his dark eyes. "Bye Sushi; see you soon," he whispered, kissing the dog's slender head before standing up and taking my hand.

Zeke and Skyler waved to us as we left the house.

"Ready, kids?" Mrs. Chin asked cheerfully. Crew nodded.

We went to Dunkin Donuts on the way to the airport. Crew happily munched on two glazed donuts and a Coolata, while I sipped on an iced coffee.

At passenger drop off, Mrs. Chin got out of the car and gave each of us a hug. We removed our luggage. We each had one suitcase and one book bag, which we would bring with us on the plane.

"Ok; give me a call when you land, ok? Just so I know you made it there?" Mrs. Chin reminded Crew.

"I will," Crew promised.

We waved before we walked through the sliding doors. I tugged on Crew's sleeve so he would stay close to me. Following the signs, we got to AA and went through security. There wasn't a line, so it was a fast process. We walked to our terminal and waited about an hour in those uncomfortable chairs until our seat numbers were called. We then boarded the plane.

I took Crew's hand, squeezing it and then rubbing circles in his palm with my thumb.

"Thanks for coming," I said softly.

"Anything for you," he replied simply, looking at me.

I smiled.

************CREW*************

"Crew."

"Crew."

"What?" I mumbled in annoyance.

"Crew, we're here," Hiro said chuckling, "Wake up."

I shook my head and looked around. Other passengers were in the aisle already. I sat back in my seat, sighing heavily and closing my eyes against the bright glare of the airplane lights.

"I'm tired."

"You've been tired a lot lately," Hiro said frowning, looking at me with concern.

I smiled, "Nothing is wrong with me, Hiro. I always get tired on planes. There's nothing for me to do and something about the steady motion conks me out."

He nodded in satisfaction and stood up. Once he was in the aisle, I followed behind him, took my luggage from the overhead, and left the plane with Hiro. I smiled at the stewardess politely on my way out.

Hiro navigated through the airport with ease. I just followed along behind him. He was on his cell, I assumed, talking to his grandparents.

"We just got here. Are you outside?" he asked. There was a pause. "Ok, well, when you arrive, we should already be out and waiting," he said. He took my hand and propelled me forward.

We exited through passenger pickup and stood waiting. Soon, Hiro began to smile and waved at an oncoming jeep. I instantly got an uneasy feeling in my stomach as I watched Hiro step forward to greet them.

"Hiro!" I heard the elderly woman call out as she got out of the car and hugged Hiro tightly, "I've missed you so much! You've changed! Have you gotten taller?"

"No, I haven't," Hiro said smiling, "You just think so because you haven't seen me-"

"In two years," his grandfather interrupted, heading over to Hiro and shaking his hand, which I felt was odd. Not seeing his own grandson for two years and all he gave was a handshake?

Hiro didn't seem fazed by the handshake, however. He returned it with a smile.

His grandparents looked towards me. I stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do or say.

"Is this Crew?" his grandmother asked looking at me, with a neutral expression.

I nodded uncomfortably. Hiro walked over, making me feel more at ease.

He took my hand again and walked me closer to them, "This is Crew. Crew, these are my grandparents."

"Hi, nice to meet you," I said politely and the woman smiled.

His grandfather stood there looking at me as if trying to judge whether I was worthy or not. He had an aloof attitude. I was afraid to even stick my hand out to him, in case he wouldn't shake it.

"Nice to meet you, too, dear," his grandmother said. She patted my arm, indicating I should get inside the car. His grandfather shot me a look that I didn't know how to interpret. I just nodded at him and followed Hiro into the backseat.

If I was nervous before arriving in Colorado, I was even more nervous now.

I glanced at Hiro who was studying me as his hand clasped mine. He looked concerned or worried for some reason. When I met his eyes, he gave me an encouraging smile. He raised my hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. I couldn’t help smiling.

I turned back to the front and saw his grandfather looking at us disapprovingly through the rearview mirror.

Damn it.

Here were more people pretending to be accepting of gay people when they really weren't at all. This was probably how Zeke felt most of the time with his parents and step-parents.

Damn.

*****************

"I don't think your grandparents like me very much," I said later that evening after dinner as we got settled into Hiro's old room.

I glanced around his room and saw pictures of him with his grandparents, with his snowboarding team, some friends, and at the local hangouts. As quiet as Hiro seemed to be and how he appeared to be a loner, he looked fairly popular from all the pictures hanging around.

"Why would you think that?" Hiro asked stepping behind me and placing his hands on my hips.

I shrugged before answering.

They hadn't outright said they disliked me, but I could tell by their body language and tone of voice. Well…mostly his grandfather. His grandmother was cordial enough and friendly when she made conversation. She had asked me about school, my major, my classes, what I wanted to do in the future, my family and what-not.

They both became quiet when I talked about my family or lack thereof. I saw the pity in the woman's eyes.

Hiro’s grandfather was silent and grunted throughout the dinner. I couldn't figure out if that was his usual style. He could have been a man of few words like Hiro, but Hiro never grunted at me. I didn't know what to make of it, but I took it as a bad sign.

"I don't know. I just got that feeling," I said as I rummaged in my bag for nothing in particular, just trying to keep my hands busy.

I was relieved to finish that dinner, that's for sure. Too bad there were gonna be a lot more meals in our next two weeks here.

**************

"Takashi, please lower your voice. The boys will hear you."

Hiro's grandmother's voice stopped me in my tracks as I was about to head into the kitchen to get some water.

I didn't like being here, although I never mentioned that to him. I hated tiptoeing around the house, having to check if anyone was around just to grab a drink of water.

I was about to turn around and head back to Hiro's bedroom, but Takashi's next words made me freeze.

"Natalie, I know I said I would be supportive of Hiro when he came out to us, but it's been hard! Knowing it in the back of my mind is one thing, but seeing him with that boy-"

"Crew is a very nice young man, Takashi," Natalie said in a warning tone.

"Natalie, I never said he wasn't nice, but, god, Natalie, seeing them together… Hiro has never been so, I don't know, touchy-feely with a boy in front of us before," Takashi said. I could hear the shudder in his voice.

"When have you ever stuck around to see Hiro with a boy?" Natalie demanded.

"When have you?" Takashi shot back at his wife.

Natalie sighed, "Ok, I admit it; I wasn't around and I also wanted to avoid seeing Hiro with his boyfriends, but I'm trying, ok Takashi? We have to try for our grandson's sake. He's our only grandson. Crew is really important to him," she explained.

Takashi grunted.

The man of grunts.

Jeesh.

"I just can't get over the fact that Hiro is gay, Natalie. The only child of our deceased son is gay. His life is going to be so difficult. I don't understand," Takashi said sighing.

"Do you love Hiro?" Natalie asked.

"Of course I do! How could you ask such a thing?" Takashi demanded.

"Then we have to try harder for him!" Natalie emphasized.

"Natalie, gay men are so whimsical! Hiro never stuck with who he was dating back in the day. Who knows how long he'll stay with this Crew? Or how long Crew will stick with Hiro? What if Crew gets bored with Hiro and finds someone else? What kind of relationship could they possibly have? Gay men, all they care about is sex or having fun."

I felt myself being pushed forward and I tripped slightly over my own feet, not expecting to move forward. I turned and my face was within centimeters of Hiro’s. He did not look pleased. I wonder how long he had been standing there listening.

"Hiro, I was just trying to get some water," I started to explain. Hiro didn't appear to hear me. He walked forward, taking me along.

We entered the kitchen. Natalie and Takashi turned towards us, looking shocked.

"Hiro," Natalie began, looking apologetic.

Hiro held my hand tightly in his. I looked at his profile. I could tell he was angry. His face was calm, but his jaw was clenched tightly together. I could see the muscle twitching nonstop.

"I heard everything you said," Hiro stated simply.

Natalie looked worried as she regarded Hiro, trying to read his expression, though I doubted she could. If he didn't want to give anything away, he wouldn't.

"Hiro, we were just talking. We didn't mean any offense," Takashi said, staring at Hiro.

They looked like they were having a staring contest.

I swear Hiro got most of his poker face qualities from his grandfather.

"Well you did offend us," Hiro said enunciating the last word, "You also lied when you said you were ok with me being gay. This isn't support. It's a two-faced lie."

Takashi frowned and narrowed his eyes. Natalie looked regretful.

The fact that Hiro said all of this so calmly and not angrily like most people would have, made his words seem more hurtful and definitely had more of an impact.

"Hiro," Takashi said.

"We're leaving," Hiro said, still holding my hand. He opened a drawer, fishing for keys, "I'm borrowing the car. We'll be back later," he said with finality. He tugged me along with him.

I shot one last look at his grandparents. They were still standing in the same position as when we first walked into the kitchen.

Natalie's eyes met mine and she looked sad, but I couldn't do or say anything as Hiro seemed to be on a mission to leave the house.

We put on our coats and gloves and trotted off to the car around the side of the house.
All the way to the car, he never let go of my hand, even as I trailed behind him awkwardly, stomping in the snow.

"Hiro, are you ok?" I asked carefully once I was seated in the car.

Hiro looked at me and I saw pain and sadness in his eyes. I was taken aback for a second.

"I didn't want it to be this way Crew," he said.

"What do you mean?"

He sighed, "I always got the feeling and impression that my grandparents weren't completely ok with my being gay, given they never wanted to talk about anything and would run away whenever I brought someone home. If they did stick around, they would treat the guy indifferently, but I never confronted them. Normally, I don't shy away from confrontations or discussions, but they raised me and took care of me. I didn't want to get angry at them, because I love them so much. Now, I am so angry at them and I feel guilty for it. Does that make sense?"

I nodded stupidly.

What he was saying did make sense to me. He felt guilty for wanting them to be more supportive, because they had already given him so much. What rendered me speechless was this large burst of emotional talk from Hiro. I didn't expect that from him at all.

"I just wanted you to meet them and for them to meet you, so they could really see how special you are. So they can see how you're the one for me, you know? Then they would really accept me for who I am," he continued, "You're not like the others, Crew. We have something. We're in love," he said heatedly.

I saw how much this was bothering him. I reached for his glove covered hand and kissed it, "We are in love."

Hiro smiled at me and massaged my cheek slowly, "Well, they're a different generation. Their opinions will never change. I just have to accept that. What they think doesn't make a difference. My home is no longer here anyway."

"I'm still glad I came here, Hiro," I said sincerely.

He looked at me.

"I wanted to see where you grew up and your past and everything about you," I said smiling slightly, "So don't feel bad, ok?"

Hiro nodded and leaned over, placing a kiss on my lips softly, "I love you."

"I love you, too," I said, full blown smiling by now.

"Well, do you want to get something to eat? I don't want to be home right now."

"Sure,” I said with relief. Anything to avoid dinner in that house.

****************

Getting something to eat turned out to be both good and bad.

It was good because I got to meet some of Hiro's friends from high school and college.

His high school friends told stories of how good of a swimmer and snowboarder Hiro was and how he was the star of their high school teams.

Supposedly everyone loved Hiro-guys and girls.

Guys admired him because he was such a good athlete. He was smart and nice to everyone. The girls loved him because he was quiet and sensitive. He was a bit of a mystery to everyone; even when he was surrounded by a huge crowd, he was bit of a loner. Hiro usually just listened to his friends’ conversations rather than outright participating in them.

"Same old Hiro," I commented which got a round of chuckles.

His friends seemed ok with Hiro being gay and me being his boyfriend. They asked about how we met and what our first date was like.

When they started asking the embarrassing rowdy questions that guys ask, such as: our sex life, positions we had tried, and such, I blushed furiously, causing even more laughter.

Hiro just shook his head, "Knock it off, guys."

Everyone was good natured about the whole topic and it was a fun night.

The bad part came when Caleb Robinson walked up to our table.

Apparently he was another person Hiro knew from high school.

He was also Hiro's boyfriend for most of senior year.

"Hey guys," he greeted the group.

There was a chorus of hellos. When Caleb looked at Hiro, Hiro smiled in a friendly manner. Then Caleb’s gaze turned to me; his eyes narrowed as he saw that Hiro and I were sitting close together.

"Hi, I'm Caleb," he said holding out his hand.

I shook his hand and his grip was firm, "Crew."

Once again he looked at Hiro and me before taking a seat across from Hiro.

"So what's the occasion of this visit?" Caleb asked.

"Graduated. Wanted to see the grandparents," Hiro replied simply.

Caleb nodded, "How did you like Jersey? What was the school like?"

Hiro shrugged, "Jersey is fine. It's just like any other place, really, but I'm happy there." He glanced over at me smiling, "As for school, well, school is school. I had to stay an extra year because I lost some credits."

Caleb nodded and again his eyes fell on me, studying me. It made me uncomfortable. He appeared to be assessing me.

Throughout the evening, I got the impression he was hitting on Hiro and flirting. I hated every second of it.

It wasn't obvious or anything, actually very subtle, but it was my ‘boyfriend duty’ to detect this sort of stuff.

Caleb would laugh and smile at anything Hiro said. He'd tell Hiro how good he looked and asked if he was still snowboarding and swimming in Jersey.

Caleb's blue eyes were glued to Hiro. There was this intense look in his eyes, almost curious and full yearning.

When I mentioned this to Hiro after we got home he just smiled and pulled me into his arms, kissing the top of my head.

"I don't think Caleb has any feelings for me. We dated a long time ago, back in high school. Even that was barely a relationship. It was just physical."

I looked at him frowning, "If it was just physical, why did you stay with him for eight months?"

"I'm not sure," Hiro answered frowning, "We were in high school. We hung in the same circles. He was a nice guy. It was like we were together, but mainly with the group. Other than that, we didn't see a lot of each other."

"What do you mean?"

"We were a couple, but I was busy with sports and school. He had two jobs, so we only saw each other about once a week for a date and some, um, fooling around. It wasn't real, you know? We didn't have in depth conversations or do a whole lot together. After awhile, I wanted out. I wanted more and he couldn't give that to me."

"You don't think Caleb misses you a little bit?" I asked.

Hiro shrugged, "Well if he did, he never tried to contact me, so I really don't think so."

I nodded still wondering.

Hiro kissed my cheek a few times, "Don't worry about him. He's not even in my thoughts. You are. All the time."

I smiled and kissed him on the lips.

*****************

Hiro and I had been in the chilly, tiny town in Colorado for about a week. Everywhere we went, we saw Caleb and his shady little group of friends. This was definitely a small town.

I didn't care for Caleb's face at all. Sure, the guy was good looking, with his clear creamy skin, dark brown hair, and blue eyes, but the way he always made a point to talk or be near Hiro was getting on my nerves.

I didn't want to be the jealous, bitchy boyfriend and whine constantly. I hated acting so much like a girl. So I just smiled and nodded along whenever Caleb was around.

A lot of the time, if Hiro wasn't looking or when he left for a moment, the room would be silent. Caleb and his friends would look at me, not exactly with hostility, but like I was an outsider and someone they automatically disliked.

It made me edgy.

Tonight was no different.

Caleb was at the bar/restaurant where Hiro and I were eating. I didn't notice him immediately; maybe he arrived after us.

Either way, I got an unpleasant surprise when he stopped by.

The funny thing was that he didn't come by when Hiro was around; he came by when Hiro stepped out to talk to his grandmother on his cell.

My brow lifted in surprise when Caleb sat his ass down in Hiro’s seat.

"Hey," I said not knowing what else to say.

He simply looked at me without saying anything. He wasn't smiling, so I felt as if I were on display.

"So how long are you and Hiro in town for?" he asked casually.

"Um, for another week," I answered stiffly.

He nodded in acknowledgement and looked towards the entrance. His eyes lit up. I looked at his focal point and saw that he was gazing at Hiro.

He turned back to me, "Wow, I haven't seen Hiro in ages. Well, I would occasionally see him during college breaks before he moved, but it wasn't like in high school. You know, when I saw him all the time."

I shifted in my seat and saw Hiro at the bar getting drinks and talking to the bartender, whom he apparently knew as well. Like I said, it was a small town.

"Did you know we used to date?" Caleb asked me smugly, almost challengingly .

"Uh yeah," I said glancing at my soda cup.

"We were together for a while," Caleb said reminiscing, "But he broke it off with me because he didn't think I was capable of having a deeper relationship. And he was right."

I looked at him curiously, wondering where he was going with all of this.

"Hiro was right about me at the time. I was young, and I wanted sex all the time whenever we were together. I didn't want to get too serious because when I went off to college, I wanted to see what was out there. I know what is out there now," he said pausing, tearing his eyes off of Hiro and staring directly at me.

"Nothing out there can compare to Hiro," he finished, "He's amazing. He's good at everything he does and he puts everything he has into all aspects of his life. He's so quiet and he has this mysterious vibe that just draws me in. I could just watch him all day long, even if he didn't do anything in particular."

I felt a little sick to my stomach. I had an idea where this conversation was leading.

"He's beautiful isn't he?" Caleb went on, "Beautiful, just beautiful. So exotic," he murmured. Caleb turned back to me and smiled condescendingly, "He's amazing in bed, isn't he? A real good lover. Takes care of all your needs, huh?"

"Why are you telling me all this?" I finally blurted out, unable to stand Caleb lusting after my boyfriend and telling me the details of their past lovemaking.

Caleb looked at me, his blue eyes serious, "I miss Hiro."

"What are you trying to say?" I demanded, getting annoyed with his roundabout statements. I just wanted a direct answer!

"I let go of the best man I would ever meet in my life. I'll be honest with you Crew," he said leaning forward on the table, "I want him back."

I sucked in my breath. I wanted a direct answer. I sure as hell got one.

"You can't have him," I blurted. It was the only thing that popped into my head so I went with it.

The corners of Caleb's mouth lifted up but he didn't break into a smile.

"Says who?"

That reply shocked me.

"He's with me!" I exclaimed as if he were an idiot for even asking the question.

"Well, that can change you know," he said cryptically.

I narrowed my eyes, "It won't!"

"How do you know for sure?" Caleb asked calmly.

"We love each other!" I practically shouted.

He leaned back, his arms spread out across the booth, "You're cute, Crew. I can see how Hiro is attracted to you, with those red lips, rosy little cheeks, big blue eyes, your stupid baby face, and let's not forget those dimples." He took a breath and paused, "but you're not right for Hiro."

I felt my mouth fall open a little.

Caleb turned serious, "I want him back."

We stared at each other not saying a word.

"Hey Caleb, what are you doing here?" Hiro asked, looking a little puzzled when he finally returned to the table, too late, I might add.

"Just saying hi," he said breaking into a friendly smile, his intense expression fading away.

I snorted. Phony bastard.

"Well, I have to get going now," Caleb said sliding out of the booth, "Had a long day. I'll see you guys around," he said patting Hiro on the back. He shot me a meaningful look that made me swallow hard.

"Are you ok?" Hiro asked when my eyes followed Caleb as he left. "Crew?" he asked again when I didn't respond.

"I don't like him," I stated, finally facing Hiro.

"What?" Hiro asked his eyebrows knitting slightly.

"He still has feelings for you," I hissed leaning forward.

"How do you know that?" he asked, still looking calm.

I rolled my eyes, "Hiro, he just sat down and told me he misses you. He said, to my face, that he wants you back!"

"Wow, that was random," Hiro said.

"That's it? That's all you have to say? That it was random?" I pressed.

Hiro smiled and rubbed my knuckles with his fingers, "What else am I supposed to say? It's a bit of a shock, I hadn't really thought about him at all. His admission doesn't change how I feel for you, or him for that matter. I love you, you know that."

Damn him for sounding so rational. Now I felt like an idiot for sounding like such a baby, but what Caleb said really bothered me. I had to get it out somehow.

It didn't really matter anyway. Hiro and I were leaving in about a week. Then Caleb wouldn't be interfering at all.

At least I hoped he wouldn't.

***********SKYLER*************

"Whew, that's the last of it," Zeke said wiping his brow as we brought in our last box of clothes.

I didn't bring much of my electronics or sports gear. Even just bringing clothes, I had a lot more than I expected. We ended up taking several trips.

The place was small, only a one bedroom with a small living room, kitchen, and dining room-all crammed into one area. In any case, it was our own place, and it was in Manhattan, the best borough to live in. I would be with Zeke. Who cares how small the place was?

"Want to start unpacking?" Zeke asked looking at the boxes strewn all over the living room. There was so much that I couldn't even see the couch or window. It was hard work just walking out of the dining area.

"No, I'd rather just relax for a bit," I answered looking at him.

"Ok," Zeke agreed nodding, "What do you want to do?"

I smiled and lunged at him as best as I could with all the boxes in the way. pulled him into my arms, kissing him. I felt his lips curving as his arms came around my neck.

We kissed for a bit and I gently massaged his back muscles, making my way up to his neck with my right hand, rubbing slow circles with my thumb. I didn't know if it was the new found feeling of independence or the idea of domesticity with Zeke, but I was feeling really frisky. More so than usual.

I deepened the kiss, not letting Zeke pull away. I pushed my mouth forward until I couldn't breathe anymore and was forced to pull away.

"Which box has our condoms and lube?" Zeke mumbled rubbing his nose against mine.

"Damn," I cursed looking around, "I have no fucking idea. There are too many boxes. We should have brought a box with just condoms and lube, given we have sex all the time. Then we could have labeled the box `Lube and Condoms' in huge block letters."

Zeke snorted. "Well, we don't need that stuff anyway," Zeke said and I leaned back to look at him.

"What?"

"Well, we've been exclusive for awhile now," Zeke said hugging me, “I know the both of us have been faithful to one another, so we don't really need condoms, right? Bath stuff is easier to sort through rather than looking for lube and condoms which we probably most likely chucked somewhere randomly."

I nodded, his explanation making sense. "So what things can we use for lube instead?"

Zeke tore himself away from me and rummaged through the box my mom had labeled as bath/shower supplies. He rifled through it a bit and finally held up bottles of shampoo and conditioner.

I laughed, "Good job."

"Conditioner has more oils or something. Let's go with that," he said dropping the shampoo back in the box and grabbing my hand, yanking me into our bedroom.

We fell onto the bed, our mouths making their way to one another. I rolled over him, feeling his body pressed beneath mine. My hands wandered to his chest and I pulled his shirt off; then I pushed away briefly and stripped off my own shirt and shorts.

I slid back over to him and touched his cheek. Zeke's face was flushed and he was panting, his eyes filled with desire.

"Zeke," I began, "I want to try something."

He cocked his head at me curiously, "What's that?" he asked.

I paused and then looked into his eyes, "I want you to be inside of me this time."

I almost laughed when I saw the way Zeke's mouth dropped open. His face was filled with shock.

Instead I smiled and pushed his chin up so his mouth was closed.

"Close your mouth, you're gonna make me cum too soon, looking that suggestive," I teased.

"You want to bottom?" he asked in an awed tone.

I shrugged and looked at him, "Zeke, we've been through so much. I love you. I never felt this way about anyone before. I want to experience this. I want you to have all of me and I want to give you all of me, just like you’ve given me all of yourself," I frowned, "Wait, did that just make sense?" I asked, going over my own words, getting momentarily distracted.

Zeke began to smile and I could tell he was getting a bit emotional.

"Plus, you always seem to enjoy it, so it can't be too bad, right?" I asked trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Zeke laughed, "Yeah," he said softly.

We looked at each for a bit, as if we didn't know where to go from here.

"So, um, how do you want to do this?" he asked me awkwardly and I laughed.

"Look at us, acting like this is our first time," I commented.

Zeke smiled, "Well, it feels weird and it is your first time, so I feel a bit nervous, I guess."

"I know, but you shouldn't be. I trust you and I know you'll make it good," I said and he blushed.

With that I pushed up against him and kissed him, rolling him on top of me this time and lightly running my fingers down his sides, tickling him slightly.

I handed him the conditioner when we broke apart, "Will you do the honors?"

Zeke took the bottle from me silently and moved down my body until he was kneeling between my legs. I spread them apart to give him better access. I took a few deep breaths, feeling my pulse speed up.

Even though I knew I wanted to do this and even needed to do it, I was nervous
nonetheless. I never got nervous, but this was a whole new experience for me.

"Just relax, Sky," Zeke instructed, his voice gentle and smooth as he squeezed some conditioner onto his hand.

I saw his finger coming closer to my hole, so I closed my eyes and mentally told myself to relax. I felt his cold fingertip pressing against my entrance and I jumped a little.

"Sorry, but it will warm up," Zeke apologized and then I felt his finger break the barrier. I jerked. "It's ok, I'm gonna go slow," Zeke soothed, "Try to push out a little, ok?"

I did as he said and his finger slid in more easily. There was some pain and discomfort, but I held onto my pillow for support.

I felt more of the cold conditioner being squeezed into my ass as Zeke slid his finger in and out slowly, keeping a steady motion. He twisted it around a bit, stretching my ring. I grimaced as I felt a slight pinch of pain.

His finger moved deeper inside of me. It was a weird feeling, knowing something was moving inside that part of my body where no one had ever been before, except for maybe the doctor.

The pain disappeared as Zeke pressed against my prostate and I moaned loudly. When I opened my eyes I saw Zeke staring down at me, with a peaceful look on his face.

"This is what makes it feel so good," he whispered as he pressed and massaged my button a little harder, causing me to hiss and groan.

"Sky, push out again," Zeke said. When I did, I felt a second finger being added as I was stretched further, and then a third finger. Each time he would make sure to hit my prostate as he fanned out his fingers gently to widen my hole.

"Sky, do you think you're ready or should I go for a fourth finger?" he asked me with concern.

I opened my eyes and had trouble focusing on his face. His tender stroking of my prostate was driving me crazy.

I shook my head, "I'm ready."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded licking my lips.

Zeke leaned back and poured more conditioner into his palms and rubbed them together quickly to warm it up. Then he applied it to his cock. I could smell the fruity scent of the conditioner.

"Push out again baby," he said as he pressed his tip to my hole.

I took a deep breath and pushed out and felt the head pop in.

"Oh shit," I blurted out as a burning sensation hit me. With full force.

"It's ok, Sky," Zeke said comfortingly, "I'm not going to move forward anymore, so just get adjusted, ok?"

"Alright," I breathed feeling the stabbing pain in my ass.

Zeke did a good job of stretching me out, but his three fingers weren’t the same as his hard width.

Through the pain, I did feel good, knowing Zeke was in me. It was different, feeling something so hot and throbbing sliding into me.

It turned me on.

"Keep going," I said.

Zeke moved forward slowly, holding my hips. I could see him shuddering while he bit his lips and I knew he was holding back for my benefit.

The pain increased and I felt my ass burning. Or something ripping. Surely, some bloodshed. Fuck, this hurt!

"Oh god, is it supposed to hurt this much?" I groaned out as I gripped his arms tightly to indicate that I needed him to pause.

"The first time," Zeke said kissing me, "It will get better, I promise you that."

I just lay on the bed panting heavily, as I willed the pain to go away. Eventually it did and I was left with a dull throbbing in that region.

Zeke rubbed gentle circles on my chest, staring down at me lovingly.

I took a few more breaths and braced myself, "Ok, go ahead."

He slid in more and even though the pain continued, I refused to tell him to stop again. Finally I was rewarded when I felt his balls touch my ass as Zeke hit home.

I was sweating profusely at this point. I stayed still, waiting and hoping for the pain to subside.

It did subside into a dull ache instead of the intense burning I was feeling before. Thank fucking God! I guess my threshold for pain wasn’t as high as I thought it was.

Zeke was licking his lips and breathing hard. I could only imagine how hard this was for him.

"Make love to me Zeke," I said and Zeke opened his eyes staring back into mine.

"Let me find something first," he said smiling, "I'm just gonna move around a bit, but not pull out," he said and I nodded, grateful he was letting me know what he was going to do beforehand so I wouldn't be unprepared for something painful.

Zeke rotated his hips slightly and I could feel his hard cock poking my insides or sliding back and forth. It felt strange. And oddly erotic.

"Ah, Zeke!" I cried out and I gripped the blankets tightly.

"Now we can get started," Zeke said, "I know where I have to aim for," he teased pushing his cock on my prostate again, causing me to shudder.

I laughed, "Ok, show me what you got then, big boy," and Zeke grinned at me.

He pulled out slowly and pushed back in equally slowly. The pain was barely there as I got used to the feeling.

Sliding in and out, continually hitting my spot, I felt really good. As I glanced at Zeke and saw the enjoyment written across his face, I was filled with more love for him, happy that I could do this for him.

I knew some gay guys never switched positions, but I didn't want to be that way to Zeke. Our relationship was going to be a reciprocal one, even if it took me awhile to get this this point. Better late than never, right?

His thrusts became faster and I wrapped my legs around his waist.

"Harder," I instructed. Zeke moaned as he held my hips and plowed into me more forcefully.

Zeke was careful to hit my prostate each time he thrust and as each one of his thrusts became harder, more powerful, more passionate, and more frenzied, I got closer and closer to my release.

"Oh fuck," I said shivering as waves of ecstasy washed over me and I gasped when the feeling continued. I could feel myself reaching the edge faster and faster. I was going to cum very soon without touching myself at all. The thought amazed me.

"Zeke, I'm close," I mumbled and Zeke dug into me even harder, if that was possible.

I bit my lip as the raw sexual heat and pleasure engulfed me.

Then it hit.

The tingling sensation ripped through my nether regions.

"Fuck, Zeke, I'm cumming!" I shouted my fingers digging into his arms and I squeezed my eyes shut, thrashing my head from side to side as cum shot out of my cock in enormous spurts.

I felt the orgasm ripple through my body and tear out of my penis. It was the most amazing orgasm I had ever had.

"Skyler!" Zeke screamed as he slammed into me one more time and froze as his hot semen erupted deep within me.

I gasped when I felt the explosion of warmth coating my insides, since we were condom-less and all.

That was a new feeling as well.

I watched Zeke's face as he came. He looked so beautiful.

His mouth was slightly open, head thrown back, Adam's apple pushing out of his throat.
His chest was sweaty and his ab muscles twitched as his body tensed and convulsed.

Slowly his orgasm subsided and he straightened up, his eyes still closed.

When he opened his eyes, I saw his long blond eyelashes fluttering and his dark blue irises focused on me. He took a few breaths without saying anything, only looking at me.

"Skyler."

I didn't say a word, but pulled his face down to mine and shoved my tongue inside his mouth. He moaned and kissed me back.

"How was that?" he asked when we broke apart.

I laughed, "It was amazing you stud," and Zeke broke out into a wide smile.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you," I answered back.

Zeke eased himself out of me and I felt a little empty, like my ass was stretched wide open and nothing was filling it.

He lay beside me rubbing his hand up and down my forearm.

"I'm gonna be sore tomorrow," I said breaking the peaceful silence.

"I know, I'm sorry," Zeke said apologetically. I smiled, turning my face to him.

"That's not what I meant, baby," I said.

He frowned in confusion.

"I'm gonna be sore tomorrow, so you can't make love to me then," I emphasized, then paused, "So," I drawled out, "Want to do me again now?" I asked taking a hold of his semi- hard cock.

Zeke laughed, his stomach shaking up and down before he moved over me.

"You're such a horny little bitch," he said grinning at me.

I shrugged, "Well, I'm not one to deny anything." I smirked. “Especially the truth.”

"I fucking love you," he murmured.

"Same here Z," I answered kissing him.

*************CREW************

The following morning Hiro took me to go snowboarding.

I was thoroughly excited and it was definitely the highlight of the trip. It brought up my mood a bit from when Caleb basically threatened to steal Hiro away from me.

Needless to say I was in much need of some snowboarding therapy.

It was a beautiful day. It wasn't muggy like it was in Jersey; instead it was cold, but sunny. I was definitely in a good mood. Hiro knew practically all of the people who worked at the mountain, well at least the older workers who remembered him from back in the day. Hence we got free admission to everything- lift passes, equipment and gear.

The younger kids who were siblings of his friends recognized him as one of the best snowboarders from his high school. I walked slightly behind him and it was like being with a celebrity. It was nice to know that he was all mine.

We had already completed three runs but it was intense since we were advanced snowboarders. The trail was steep and difficult, so after finishing our fourth, we were at the base of the mountain, catching our breaths.

"Hiro!"

Both of us turned around and saw Caleb and some of his friends walking towards us.

Ugh. I inwardly groaned. Them again?!? WTF?!?!

I forced a neutral expression on my face as the group walked up to us.

"Hey guys," Hiro said seeming to recognize Caleb's friends.

"What's up? Did you just get here?" Caleb asked, all his attention focused on Hiro, his blue eyes sparkling.
I stifled a snort. Stupid phony prick. Stay away from my Hiro! Bitch!

"About an hour ago. We already did a few runs," Hiro said nodding his head towards the mountain.

"Awesome," Caleb said smiling, "Want to do some more with us?" he asked indicating his friends behind him.

Hiro looked at me. I smiled faintly and shrugged, not wanting to cause a scene in front of his friends.

"Sure," Hiro said. My stomach felt queasy as we followed his friends to the lift and got in line.

Caleb chatted with his friends and paid no attention to Hiro, which I found odd since last night he was proclaiming his love for him.

Hiro nudged me and looked at me with concern. I smiled not wanting him to worry. He frowned as if he didn't believe me.

"I'm ok Hiro," I said inching closer to him and touching his hand briefly.

"Guys let's go," Caleb called out as we approached the lift. The line ahead
of us moved quicker than I expected.

"Hey, Hiro, wanna race down like we used to?" Caleb asked Hiro smiling charmingly.

"No, that's ok, I'm not really in the racing mood," Hiro replied which made me smile slightly. Hiro was flat out lying; he always raced with me no matter what.

"Ahh, come on, we should do it once, like the good old days," Caleb said, "What's the real reason you don't want to go?" he asked glancing at me, squinting his eyes in annoyance at my presence, but the look passed as soon as it came.

"There is no other reas-," Hiro started to say, but I interrupted him.

"It's ok Hiro, you should go," I said.

Hiro turned to me questioningly. Caleb looked suspicious for a second.

"You should race him down, it will be fun. Maybe this time you will have some better competition than me for a change, because once we go home, the only person you have to race is me," I said adding emphasis on `we' and `me'.

I shot Caleb a challenging look and smiled widely in a show of sincerity that wasn't really there. He could spend some alone time with Hiro if he wanted to, but Caleb wasn't gonna make me out to be the jealous psycho boyfriend.

I didn't have to fight for Hiro-he was already mine. Anyhow, like I had just said, in a few days Hiro and I would be going home to New Jersey together and then I would be the one around, not Caleb.

Something akin to an angry snarl made its way to Caleb's attractive features, but he pushed it aside and smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. He lifted his chin and shot me a dirty look instead, obviously getting my message.

"Alright then, let's go Hiro," he said putting on a normal face once again and sort of pulling Hiro along with him.

Hiro looked at me as if he didn't want to leave my side and I simply smiled.

"Have fun Hiro. I'll meet you down there," I said. Hiro followed Caleb to
the lift and sat down, his head turning to look at me one last time before taking off.

I shot him another smile and waved as I walked towards my own lift chair and sat down with one of Caleb's friend who appeared distant. I shrugged not really caring whether they liked me or not.

When we reached the top of the diamond, I slid off easily and stopped so I could adjust my goggles.

I looked around but didn't see Caleb's friends around. Then again, there were a lot of guys coming off the lift and I couldn't remember what Caleb's friend were wearing since I hadn't paid them much attention.

Luckily I brought my iPod with me whenever I went snowboarding, so I slid over to a corner to pick out a song since I didn't want to get barreled into by people coming off the lift. I searched through the songs until I found Gnarls Barkley's `Crazy'.

I stuck my headphones into my ears and pressed play as I jumped and whipped my board around 45 degrees and started my descent downward.

`Crazy' was a short song and I had this thing where, whatever song I played, I would try to beat the song…meaning I wanted to get down to the base of the mountain before the song ended.

However, this was a shorter song than most, so it was definitely a challenging task for me. I was up for it since I had some pent up anger after my multiple run-ins with Caleb. That ass.

I tightened my stomach and kept my arms to my side as to not throw myself off balance. I could feel my abdominal muscles clenching and burning as I forced myself to go faster.

I hit the first turn quite sharply and my thighs burned as I tried to compensate for my abrupt shift in movement.

I was concentrating so hard on beating the song and forcing my body to go faster than was humanly possible, I never noticed the two guys coming up behind me, one on each side.

I did notice them when they got too close to me, but at the speeds we were all going at, I couldn't exactly stop and ask them what the fuck they were doing.

The guy on my right got so close to me that the tip of his board hit the middle of mine causing me to slide over to the guy on my left. As my board wobbled around trying to steady itself, the guy on my left rammed into the back of my board so hard that I could feel myself lift off the snow and fall forward.

My arms automatically shot out to brace myself for the impact. I felt a twinge of pain in my right wrist, but I couldn't focus on it as I continued to roll forward.

My face hit the snow first and since the mountain was so steep, my head snapped back painfully as the rest of my torso fell. My headphones were torn from my ears and my goggles pushed off my head, scraping my face.

I couldn't reach over and un-strap my boots, so my feet were securely locked in. I felt tears come to my eyes as I could literally feel something tearing in my knee caps as more pressure was applied as I continued to fall.

Black diamond levels are practically vertical, so I slid forward for about ten feet, with my board digging painfully into the snow, breaking my knees, or at least it felt like it was breaking my knees. Finally I managed to swing my legs to my side in a ‘L’ shape, taking some of the pressure off my already smarting knees and slowing me down a bit as I hurtled down the mountain.

As another hard turn approached, I kind of fell off to the side, into the trees. I was relieved because I didn't want to keep going forward.

The pain was too much for me by this point.

I lay motionless near the trees, breathing hard, wondering what had happened and hoping for help to come.

With shaking hands, I gingerly touched my knees. They felt swollen and hot, throbbing with pain. I closed my eyes and felt more tears come to them. I just wanted to get out of here. Or at least down to level ground.

I heard the sound of someone coming closer to me. I opened my eyes, but it was all a blur because of my tears.

I didn't see it coming.

All I saw was a neon yellow board and a neon yellow shirt with black block writing across it coming straight towards me. It didn't look like the boarder had any intention of stopping or slowing down.

The tip of his board got closer and closer to my face and my eyes widened in fear of what was going to happen.

SLAM!

My head was hit so hard I could hear the knocking sound as the board made contact. I heard, more than felt, the distinct cracking of my neck. The initial hit hurt, but when the pain set it, I felt a huge throbbing and my entire face felt like it was on fire.

Unfortunately I felt too weak and hurt to even reach for my face.

I did feel something warm and sticky on the left side of my face, but I was beginning to see spots and my vision was fading in and out. The warm liquid that was coming out of nowhere began to spill down into my ear and onto my neck and my eyesight got fuzzy, all green and yellow.

Was I hallucinating something?

With great effort I turned my head and more of this hot substance coated the left side of my face and neck, some even falling into my eyes, and I looked into the pristine white snow beside me. I blinked in confusion at what I saw before me.

It wasn't pristine and pure anymore; it was covered in a thick red coating of something. It was a dark murky red, almost purple, and had a metallic scent to it.

I felt like retching and I gagged, my eyesight completely gone at this point.

My eyes were failing me, my lower body that had been aching and searing with pain had now become numb since I was lying on the cold snow.

I didn't even have the energy to listen to the snowboarders that had stopped around me, asking me questions. I couldn’t answer them even if I wanted to. I was weak and couldn't fight whatever it was that was making me drowsy.

I gave in.

I didn't have it in me; I really was too weak.

My thoughts turned to Hiro.

I longed for his gentle touch and his strong arms around me. I wanted to look into his beautiful eyes one last time. I wanted him here with me; somehow I knew his presence would miraculously make everything all right.

I felt a tear slide out of my eye as I realized I would never see Hiro again and the unfairness of it all.

I guess Caleb would have Hiro back after all. The irony almost made me laugh, if I could that is. Apparently when you're near death you become delusional.

Taking one last breath my eyes finally fluttered shut as the concerned voices of fellow snowboarders drifted away and I felt at peace as the blackness finally overtook me.

 

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