Jumping Over My Mountain - 3. Chapter 3

Jumping Over My Mountain
by Tiffani Chin

Chapter 3

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

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

"I won!" Skyler shouted triumphantly.

"Dude, no way, I won," Zeke argued.

"In your stupid imagination! I won!" Skyler argued.

I raised my eyebrows, mildly amused and mildly surprised. In all the time that I've known Skyler, he's never been competitive. He was so laid back and usually wanted to have a good time. But he became surprisingly mean spirited when it came to food eating contests.

Zeke turned to me. "I swallowed that donut first, didn't I, Crew?"

Skyler turned sharp eyes on me as he waited for my reply.

"Uh, I didn't notice," I said quickly. Skyler and Zeke both exchanged annoyed glances and rolled their eyes.

"You cheated!" Zeke said turning his attention back to Sky.

"Please! You're just a slow eater!" Skyler shot back.

"It was twelve chocolate cream filled donuts! You're both fast eaters,"

Hela stated, in disbelief. I laughed at his incredulous expression. Both Skyler and Zeke's mouths were covered in white powder and chocolate flecks were at the corners of their mouths.

The image that came to mind was a pair of rabid dogs, but very adorable rabid dogs. Huh, I didn't think rabid dogs could even have a cute factor, but somehow my friends managed.

"Children, please!" I called out. Zeke glared at me, while Skyler stuck his tongue out.

Zeke turned to Skyler. "Want to see a movie and then get dinner?"

My jaw dropped. They still wanted to eat dinner? What did they have, ten stomachs?

"Sure man. Let's go now. If I don't do anything for a long period of time, I get even hungrier and I'm trying to eat less."

I would have laughed, but Skyler looked completely serious when he said that.

"You guys up for a movie and dinner?" Skyler asked, already standing up. Zeke looked at me and Hela as we exchanged looks. He smiled knowingly, as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"No, I'm going to go home and take a nap," I said.

"I gotta work tonight," Hela added.

Skyler shrugged. "Catch ya later then." He led the way to the door. Zeke followed behind him, checking out his ass. Zeke turned back to us and mouthed `Nice!' while giving us the `ok' sign with his pointer finger and thumb. I started to crack up.

"I think Zeke has a crush on Skyler," I said to Hela.

He looked at me intensely. "I have a crush on you." He rubbed his thumb over my knuckles.

"You have to work tonight?" I asked. He nodded. "I'll miss you."

Hela laughed. "Want to take a nap with me before I go to work?" he asked.

I nodded eagerly and he laughed again. He stood up and reached his hand down to pull me up. "Come on, pup."

"Pup?!?"

"That's a good thing, baby. You have puppy eyes," Hela released a breath. "You don't know what they do to me."

I stared at him hard, wide-eyed, and unblinking. "What?" I inquired innocently.

He growled and wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. He nuzzled my neck and his hands touched my ass. I giggled. He growled again. "I want you so bad, pup," he whispered in my ear grinding his crotch into mine. I groaned.

"What about our nap?"

"I'm not tired anymore," Hela said, his hands going to my belt.

"You should nap. You have to work tonight and you'll be tired," I said taking hold of his hands.

"Come with me to work?" Hela asked, his eyes lighting up as if the idea had just occurred to him.

"What?" I asked.

"Come with me to the Lounge. I need to see you. I can't stand not being around you," Hela said, pleading with his gorgeous green eyes.

"I don't know," I hesitated. "I never went to a gay bar or club before. What's it like?" I asked nervously.

"There's good music - hip hop, trance. I bartend; so you can stare at me all night.” He smiled at me. "Or, you can dance and stuff, and then you can stay over at my place tonight." He gazed at me adoringly.

I smiled and chewed my bottom lip. "Um, ok, I guess so. But you have to promise to look out for me. I've never been to a gay bar before."

"I will look out for you. I would never let anything happen to you," Hela said.

His words warmed me. "And you have to promise to be a gentleman tonight."

Hela looked mock offended. "I am always a gentleman."

"Promise," I said.

Hela looked around the room, finally resting his eyes on me. "I promise." He said the words, but his smile and the look in his eyes caused butterflies in my stomach.

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

I stared around the club. It was crowded. Half naked bodies were sweating against each other. The music was so loud. I felt as if I was losing more of my hearing with each passing second. I kind of felt like going home; I could come back to meet Hela. But at the same time, I didn’t want to leave him or to disappoint him. Anyhow, I doubted I could get his attention. The bar was swarmed. In all truthfulness, I was having a semi-decent time. This was my first gay public experience. It was good to have that experience, or at least to see how a large group of gay men acted together. I probably would have been more inclined to dance if Hela was free. Mmm, Hela's tight, warm body pressed against mine as we danced. Good image.

"Hey there cutie, want to dance?" asked a brunette guy around my height.

Several men had made a pass at me over the two hours I had been there. There were smiles, dance requests, some trying to cop a feel. I just smiled and said a polite, "No, thanks."

I continued to glance around the club, leaning on the railing surrounding the lounge area.

"Hey, gorgeous. Can I buy you a drink?" I turned around and saw a tall, lanky, bleached blond with dark brown eyes staring at me.

"No, I'm good," I stammered out.

He stepped closer to me. "Are you sure? You look like you could use a drink."

I tried to inch away, but someone from behind bumped into me, causing me to lurch forward directly into the blond.

"Come on," the blond coaxed. "Dance with me." Without waiting for an answer, he dragged me out onto the crowded dance floor. He held me tightly against him with one arm, while the other hand was on my ass. He was grinding into me.

I struggled futilely. He was making me uncomfortable and I certainly did not enjoy being groped by some stranger! "Let go of me," I yelled over the music, trying to shove him. He only pressed closer against me.

Suddenly, I felt a strong arm wrap itself around my stomach and I was pulled from the stranger's grasp. In an instant, someone tall and dark was in front of me, in a protective manner.

"Leave him alone," Helaku said in a menacing tone.

"What's it to you?" the blond asked condescendingly.

"He's with me. If you come one step closer to him, I'll beat your face in," Hela said, in a grave tone that sent chills down my spine.

Remind me to never get on his bad side.

The blond looked pissed, but after taking in Hela's considerably more built frame, he decided to back down. He walked off in a huff.

Wise choice my man.

Hela whirled around to face me and pulled me into his arms. He hugged me like I was a small child who had just had their lunch money stolen by bullies. "Are you ok?" he said into my ear. "He didn't hurt you, did he?" I shook my head no and looked into Hela's eyes, which were focused on me questioningly. "No," I mouthed. Hela ran his fingers over my face and over my body as if checking for damage. "I'm ok, Hela," I insisted. Hela's jaw muscles were twitching and he clasped his hand around my wrist and gently pulled me along with him near the bar.

"Stay with me," he said simply. "Or stay in the backroom. I don't want you out here." He said it with such firmness that it sounded like an order from a colonel.

"Why not?" I asked innocently, although I had a feeling I knew why.

Hela sighed impatiently. "I don't want other guys touching you or forcing themselves on you. Some of the regulars can be pretty aggressive. You're safer here with me."

"What, you won't ravage me?" I teased.

Hela's brows knitted together. "I'm serious Crew. These guys can be animals and you're really fresh, hot meat." I laughed. He looked at me and joined in too. "And yes, I will ravage you, but in a private place, and in an orderly manner." I blushed furiously.

"Do you want to go to the back room or stay here with me? I can fix you a drink," he offered.

"I'll stay here with you," I answered, staring at him.

Hela leaned over and placed a soft kiss on my lips. "Good. I want you right by my side."

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

"Is hot chocolate ok?" Hela asked as we made out way inside his apartment.

I nodded. I watched as he went into the kitchen and started getting milk and packets of chocolate. My eyes roamed around his place. His place was so simple, with barely any furnishing. What a typical guy. I smiled. I felt a hand on my lower back. I spun around.

"Come with me to the kitchen," Hela said quietly. Without waiting for me to answer, he gently led me by the hand and placed me in a chair. He returned to the stove and poured some milk into two mugs. I watched as his strong hands opened the packets and he added the powder to the milk and stirred. He looked over at me and smiled sweetly.

"For you," he presented, holding the mug to me. I took it from his hands carefully and I felt his eyes on me as I took a tentative sip. I made a face. "Hot," I said, sticking my tongue out.

Hela laughed. "That's why you're supposed to wait a little bit, you impatient baby." He chuckled when I pouted and put the mug on the table. Before my hand was off the table, he reached and grasped it. I looked at him imploringly.

"I want to know you," he blurted out.

"What?" I asked confused.

"I want to know you," he repeated. "Tell me something about yourself."

I shifted in my seat. "Well, what do you want to know?"

Hela cocked his head at me. "Let's start out small. What's your favorite color?"

"Uh, I don't know. There are so many nice colors out there to choose from. I guess anything bright," I answered shrugging.

Hela only smiled at me. "That's exactly the type of answer I would expect from you." Before I could ask him what he meant by that, he fired off another question.

"What's your favorite food?"

"Wait, you didn't tell me what your favorite color was." I said.

"Blue. A pale shade - like your eyes," he answered in a dreamy tone, staring directly into my eyes. I looked down and felt the heat rising in my face. "God, you are so beautiful."

I forced myself to remain calm. "Focus on the questions," I told him.

Hela shook his head as if clearing his thoughts. I wonder what kind of thoughts he was having. "Your favorite food?"

"Umm, away from home, cheeseburger and fries. But my all time favorite food is something my brother used to make for me when we were kids. It was an egg and ham sandwich with Thousand Island dressing, bacon, tomatoes, olives, and cheese. I used to think it was so disgusting; but he made it so often that I got used to it," I answered, smiling at the memory. "What about you?"

"Lasagna and garlic bread. What's your favorite sport?" but then he caught himself. "Wait! That was a dumb question. Snowboarding, right?"

I smiled and nodded. "I love snowboarding, but soccer is right up there with it. You?"

"Basketball. What's your favorite dessert?"

"Chocolate cake topped with fruit."

"I like cheesecake. Who's your favorite actor?"

"Orlando Bloom."

"Orlando Bloom?" Helaku scoffed. "He looks like a woman."

"He does not!" I protested, laughing.

"He has such feminine features! No way, I would totally go for Brad Pitt!" Hela said.

"Yeah, I can agree with that," I said grinning.

"Ok," Hela said smiling mischievously. "I have a question. Were you attracted to the twins when you first met them?"

"Um, well when I met them I always thought they were good looking. But I got to know them and we became really close. I would feel weird thinking dirty stuff about them," I said after thinking about it for a moment. I looked at him. "Why? Are you attracted to them?"

Hela blushed. "Well…they are pretty good looking. I wouldn't have minded getting with them if they were gay, and if I hadn't met you, of course," he stammered out.

He recovered quickly and started with another question. "If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?"

"Anywhere with mountains, so I can snowboard everyday," I answered easily, without thinking.

"No. Name a specific place," Hela urged.

"I'm not sure. I never thought about that before," I said shrugging. "To me, it doesn't matter where you are - just as long as you're happy, and that you have your health, family, and love in your life."

Hela nodded. "That's the perfect answer. Go figure, coming from you."

I yawned in response, prompting another laugh from Hela. "Come on, let's put you to bed. It must be way past your bedtime," he said, coming over to me and lifting me up by my armpits.

"Yeah, I'm not used to staying up into the wee hours of the morning like you," I said, blinking my eyes, trying to wake myself up. "And I have to work in the morning," I groaned, for once not wanting to wake up early for snowboarding.

"Poor baby," Hela teased, leading me to his bedroom.

"That means I have to sleep and that means nothing naughty. I have to actually sleep," I emphasized.

"Hey, I promised to be a gentleman. I keep my promises, Crew," Hela said.

"Ok. Good.” I collapsed on his bed, but felt his hands on my shirt.

"You can't sleep in your clothes," Hela said and pulled off my shirt and reached for my jeans next.

"This reminds me of the New Year's Eve party," I said sleepily. Hela just continued to work my pants around my ankles and pulled them off.

"Don't worry baby. Nothing like that tonight. Tonight, we just sleep." He got into bed with me, rested his head in the crook of my neck, and rubbed circles around my chest. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Night,” I whispered.

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

"Dude, what's up with you?" Storm asked, as we waited for the next group of lessons to start.

"Yeah. You’ve been smiling nonstop. It's like you got laid or something," Skyler said, joining us with his neon yellow board hoisted onto his shoulder. Suddenly he smiled. "Wait a minute, did you have sex?" he asked excitedly. "Woohoo, little baby Crew had sex. Un-fucking believable!" He said all this while hopping around and he was attracting a lot of unwanted attention on my part.

"Shit, Skyler, lower your voice," I hissed, looking around.

"Yeah bro. There are children," Storm added. Skyler rolled his eyes.

"So are you going to tell us or do we have to pry it out of you?" Skyler asked in a noticeably lower voice.

I remained silent, trying to desperately think of something to say. Nothing was coming to mind. Damn me! What happened to the brain that scored me a 1490 on my SATs? Shit, shit, shit.

"Leave him alone, Skyler. Not everyone wants to share their personal lives, you know," Storm said. Thank you Storm. Storm to the rescue. I shot him a grateful glance, and he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Fine. I'll get it out of you eventually. This isn't over," Skyler said. I felt a little twinge of panic. That was squelched when Skyler sniffed the air which held the aroma of greasy onion rings and burgers.

"Let's get some lunch. I'm starving," Skyler said. He walked off without another glance. I breathed a sigh of relief, and thanked the sky gods for Skyler's very short attention span and his insane appetite.

I turned back to Storm, who was eyeing me carefully. It was as if he was scrutinizing me. I felt oddly naked and uncomfortable under his analytical stare. But then the look left his face and he smiled. "Come on. Let's get in line for lunch before Skyler cleans out the place."

Once we were inside the food court, I spotted Skyler sitting at a table that was filled with food. Storm and I did a double take.

"Man, how did you get your food so fast?" Storm asked and I silently agreed when I saw how long the line was.

Skyler swallowed his mouthful of cheese fries and took a sip of soda before answering. "You know Shelly, the girl who works at the front desk? Well she was in line and I hopped in with her, pretending to be her boyfriend. I was all like, ‘Hey baby, thanks for saving my place' and all that. Good thing. Otherwise, I would have been in Guam waiting for food, and that would be a disaster." He then crammed half a chili cheese hot dog into his mouth.

"Gross, one of these days you're gonna choke on your food and I'm not doing the Heimlich or CPR on your sorry ass," Storm said, walking away. Skyler flipped him off since his mouth was still stuffed.

I followed behind Storm and it took a good twenty five minutes before we got our food. Surprisingly, Skyler was still sitting there. Actually, he was resting his head on the table.

"Ugh, food coma," Skyler groaned when we sat down.

"Shit man, wake up. We still have two more group lessons to teach," Storm reminded him.

"Go for a walk. The cold air will wake you up," I suggested.

Skyler popped his head up. "Oh I know. I'll go see Megan. She brought a huge box of giant Kit Kat bars and I gotta have some. I know she'll give them to me because she can't resist my pretty face," he said doing an exaggerated hair toss and then he was off.

Storm smiled and took a bite of his chicken sandwich. I was about to take a bite of my pizza when my phone beeped, indicating I got a text message. I opened the phone and saw that it was from Hela.

"I want to cook you dinner tonight. Let's go to your place. Ok?"

I smiled. Hela wanted to cook me dinner. I felt so touched. No one, except my mom of course, ever cooked me dinner.

I quickly typed, "OK, I'll be home by 7."

About twenty seconds later I got a response. "See you then. Can't wait."

I closed my phone and noticed Storm studying me again.

"What?" I asked nervously.

"Who was that?" Storm asked casually.

"Hela," I said, deciding to be honest. Storm just nodded.

"So…you guys are becoming good friends," Storm said.

I chewed my pizza and swallowed nervously. Oh shit, where was Storm going with this? Did he figure me out? I'm not ready for anyone to know just yet.

"Yeah, he's really cool," I said, forcing my tone to be neutral.

After studying me for another moment, Storm changed the subject. "So, yesterday Kate and I were talking and we decided to become an official couple."

I smiled. "Congrats, man. She seems really cool. And she snowboards, a definite plus." Storm opened his mouth to say something but them Skyler popped back at the table. He was trying to carry ten very large Kit Kat bars, but was having trouble. A couple fell to the ground, which some kids by the door immediately snatched up.

"Check it out," Skyler said excitedly.

"Megan gave you all those?" I asked.

"Nah. She had the entire box lying around near her lunch. I just took them."

"Skyler!" Storm cried out. "You can't just take someone's stuff."

"What, I was doing her a favor. She could do without the candy, if you get my drift," he smirked. Storm narrowed his eyes at his twin. "I mean, she's fat. Huge, chubby,” Skyler elaborated.

"We got that," Storm said sarcastically.

"Plus, once she finds out it was me, she won't mind. She's been totally crushing on me since I started working here," Skyler added. He unwrapped a bar.

"You think everyone's crushing on you. You're what they call a narcissist," Storm said.

"Alright, Mr. I took Intro. To Psychology freshman year," Skyler said, rolling his eyes. "Besides, she really is crushing on me," Skyler insisted. "She said I was the hottest guy she's ever seen."

"You mean you and Storm were the hottest guys she's ever seen?" I asked.

Skyler shook his head. "No, she meant only me. I'm way better looking."

Storm's mouth dropped open and I started to laugh.

"You guys are identical," I said stating the obvious.

"Yeah, but I'm cooler, and have a better style. All in all, that makes me hotter," he replied simply.

"No way. I'm just as hot," Storm put in.

Skyler snorted. "You're just about as hot as…” He paused, and then shook his head. ”Ok, I don't know how to finish that. The sugar is making it hard for me to think. But I'm hotter!" he finished.

"Oh, yeah? Well I'm smarter," Storm shot back.

"You're not smarter! You just study more! Loser!" Skyler sneered. "I got it all baby. Brains, awesome athletic abilities, and hotness that is superior to yours!"

As the twins bickered over which one of them was hotter, my mind wandered. I smiled, looking forward to having dinner tonight with Helaku.

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

I got home around 6:30. I must have been driving extra fast in my excitement to have dinner with Helaku. I swung open the door and came face to face with Zeke.

Oh crap, I forgot about Zeke.

"Hey man, what's up?" Zeke said smiling at me. "I didn't see you last night. Were you with your man?" he teased.

I blushed. "Yeah I was."

"Ooh, I want details. You have to tell me this time!" Zeke whined.

I smiled. "Ok I will. You have to leave now," I said.

"What?" Confusion marred his features.

"Hela is coming over to make me dinner tonight. And you have to be gone," I said ushering him to the door.

"Wait. What should I do?" Zeke asked.

I practically shoved him out the door. "Go over to Skyler's. He has winter class and he is always dying for company."

"I don't want to go to school!" Zeke waited, planting his feet firmly on the wooden floor.

"It's not school for you; it’s school for Skyler. And you get to be with Skyler and he'll be grateful for the company," I insisted.

"Fine," Zeke said begrudgingly. "But I expect full details tomorrow and an awesome breakfast from IHOP!" he called through the door, after I shoved him out.

I drew a deep breath and ran into the bathroom, tearing off my clothes as I went. I needed to shower, and fast!

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

I ran to the door and pulled it open. "Helaku," I said smiling happily.

"The one and only," he answered. His eyes roamed my naked glistening torso and the towel wrapped around my waist. "I like your outfit," he said, grinning.

I shut the door behind him. "Keep your mind out of the gutter," I warned. "I need to get dressed. I just took a shower." Before I could move, he walked over to me and planted a kiss on my lips. His hand brushed my lower back and ass. I put my arms around his neck. He deepened the kiss. I leaned into him, enjoying his gentle caresses.

I pulled back. "I really should get dressed, before I'm unable to control myself. You can set up in the kitchen," and I tore myself from his arms and hurried into the bedroom. I willed myself to calm down and threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

When I walked out, I was hit with the smell of lasagna and garlic bread. Hela looked up at me and smiled. "The food's heating up in the oven and the bread is being toasted." I moved closer to him. "I thought it would be easier for me to prepare the food at my house and bring it..." He trailed off. As soon as I was within reaching distance, he grabbed me and kissed me.

"…bring it over, so we have more time to do that," he finished, smiling down at me. He kissed my nose. He checked his watch and pulled open my oven. "It should be heated up by now," he said. He pulled a large dish of lasagna out of the oven. It smelled really good. My stomach growled in anticipation of being fed.

We sat down to eat. The food tasted heavenly.

"You're a really good cook, Hela."

"Thanks. I always liked to cook. I also knit."

I raised my eyebrows. "You knit?"

He nodded. "Yeah, there is this knitting place in New York. They have guys-only night once a week," he explained. "Most of them are gay, so I enjoy it," he added, wiggling his eyebrows comically.

I laughed. "Really? That's so cool. Will you knit me something?" I asked.

"Sure," Hela smiled. "I'll knit you a sweater. Pale blue to match your eyes," he said, feeding me a bite of lasagna.

Over dinner we talked more and got to know each other better. I found out that Hela was against Wendy's burgers. He was grossed out that the square shaped patty didn't match the circular bun. "I hate geometrically challenged foods," he said. "I swear I feel the urge to vomit every time I even see someone eating a burger from there," Hela added shuddering slightly.

He told me about the first time he tried horse back riding, when he was a kid. He had fallen off after about ten seconds. He felt some demonic monster was trying to burst out of the horse to get him. So, he purposely threw himself off the horse.

I told him that when Zeke and I were in high school, we didn't have cars yet, but we were super hungry after a game and walked over to Wendy's. "Zeke was too lazy to walk inside and suggested we use the drive thru. So we walked up to the speaker box and ordered our food. We then walked up to the window to pay. The worker gave us such strange looks and I'm sure everyone in the drive thru line was laughing his ass off."

I also told him how Zeke had once seen a movie where this woman dodged bullets underwater. He wanted to see if he could do it too. "We only used paintball guns," I added quickly when I saw the look of alarm on Hela's face. "Anyways, we got some of our soccer buddies to distract the lifeguards at the local community pool. We jumped in and I started firing away," I said chuckling.

Hela was cracking up at this point. "Obviously, he was able to dodge them, but the paint balls still exploded when they hit the walls of the pool. There were little explosions of red, green, and blue. Finally, when the lifeguards noticed, they started yelling. We all jumped out of the pool and made a mad dash for our cars."

"How old were you guys when you did this?" Hela asked, after I mentioned the car part.

"This past summer," I said sheepishly.

Hela snorted. "Last year? So you guys were nineteen when you terrorized the local community pool?"

All I could do at this point was nod in shame and embarrassment at my involvement in very immature antics. I felt the flush spread over my face.

"You guys are hilarious," Hela said. "But it sounds like you had a lot of fun."

I shrugged. "I don't know. Zeke came up with all these crazy ideas. He always somehow managed to drag me into them. I have to admit that I did have fun and Zeke's always telling me how important it is to have a good time."

Hela nodded thoughtfully. "He's right."

A small lull fell over us as we finished what was left on our plates.

"So, what do you want to do now?" I asked quietly.

"Oh, I have dessert," Hela announced. He stood up and came out with two plastic containers. One contained a large chocolate cake and the other an assortment of strawberries, kiwis, and blueberries.

"Cake!" I exclaimed smiling. I really did love my chocolate cake. YUM!

"Yeah, you said your favorite dessert was chocolate cake with fruit." Hela said as he shyly looked down at the table.

I touched his hand. "Thank you," I said sincerely. "Now, gimme!" I grabbed the container out of his hand and inhaled the sweet smell. "Mmm, smells yummy."

Hela reached into the container and smeared some frosting on his finger. He then wiped it onto my mouth.

"Hey!" I protested. I was quickly cut off when his mouth covered mine. He positioned me in front of the table and forced me to lay down on it. His body was soon on top of mine as he kissed me furiously. His hand went up my shirt and massaged my chest and then went around my back as he lifted me back into a standing position.

"Eat later," was all he said as he pulled me into my bedroom. I fell onto the bed. Hela landed on top of me, supporting his weight with his arms, so as not to crush me. After all, he did weigh more and was taller. He continued to kiss me all over: my lips, forehead, nose, neck, and throat. The lower half of his body was pressed tightly against me. He was rubbing in small rhythmic motions. All I can say was that he was definitely getting me excited.

Hela moaned as I managed to roll him over and straddle him. "Crew, you drive me crazy," he said, his voice thick with lust.

I raised my arms and pulled my shirt over my head. I was about to lean up and kiss him some more when the loud ringing of the telephone startled me.

"Fuck, I really have to fix the volume on that thing," I muttered. I usually screened calls. I blamed it on all the telemarketers in the world. So immediately after one ring (who really wants to wait an entire four rings before knowing who was calling?), the call went to the machine which, by the way, had also been put on high volume. As a result, Zeke's voice drifted loudly into the bedroom.

"Dude, I know you're there and the only reason you still haven't picked up the phone, even though you screen your calls, is probably because you're doing the nasty with Hela," he said obnoxiously.

Hela looked at me in shock. “As if Zeke were here with us,” he said.

"Yeah, that’s right Hela, I know you're there! I know everything, baby!" Zeke shouted. "I am everywhere, baby!"

I cocked my head. I wondered if Zeke was drunk or high. He had a tendency to be a total, albeit funny, jerk when he was either drunk or high.

"I just wanted to let you know, Crew, you are a rude host! I mean, here I am, a guest all the way from Boston University, to see my dear friend from high school and I get thrown out of the house. In case you're wondering, I’m on a break from Skyler's class, which is mad boring! God, I'm going out of my mind. And no, before you ask, Skyler isn't here with me now; so no worries on being outted."

I let out a breath of relief that I didn't realize I had been holding.

"You owe me big time, Crew. Big time, big time, big, big, big, big, big, big time! Big time, big, big, big…”

I ran out into the living room to pick up the phone.

"Holy shit, Zeke. Put a lid on it already!" I said.

Zeke giggled. Uh-oh, I knew what that meant. Zeke only giggled like that when he was high.

"Did you smoke?" I demanded.

Zeke giggled again. "No," he said in a solemn tone. He then burst into a fit of giggles again.

Panic ran through me. "You didn't give any to Skyler, did you? He really has to pass this course."

"Nah, man. I did it myself. After you threw me out, I lit up."

"While you were driving?"

"Nah, I parked at the twins' place and did it in their bathroom. Hey, good thing their bathroom has a window. I swear all bathrooms should be made with windows. You never know when you're gonna need to air out some pot." He giggled again.

"Ok then Zeke, be careful. I'm gonna hang up now.”

"Crewie, you owe me big time, big, big, big…”

Click.

I walked back into my room and sat on the bed where Hela was sitting up as well. He had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

He looked at me carefully for a moment. "Do you and Zeke have feelings for each other?" he asked, suddenly transfixed by his hands.

I shifted on the bed. "No, there is nothing between us. We're just friends, I swear."

"You may feel that way, but what about him?" Hela asked.

"We've known each other for about five years now. If he's ever had a thing for me, he could have told me at any time. He never gave me any implication of such feelings," I said firmly.

"Ok," Hela said simply; but he still wasn't looking at me.

"Look," I said taking his hand, causing him to look at me. "I like you."

A small smile made its way onto his lips, which caused me to smile.

"I like you too." Hela paused again and appeared to be contemplating something.

"Is there something else you wanted to say?" I asked cautiously.

He finally looked at me, his green eyes full of worry. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"I wanted to know if you wanted to make it official," he said in a rush. I really had to strain my ears to make out everything he said.

However, I was a little confused on what he meant by making it official. "What do you mean?" I asked frowning.

"Listen, I really like you. I know you wanted to be friends and all, and take it slow, but I don't know if I can do that." Hela licked his lips. "It’s hard being just friends with someone you like so much. I want us to have a relationship and build on that." He glanced over at me nervously.

I looked around the room. I really hated getting close to people. It was such a huge investment; and such a huge loss if something happened. But I decided, right at that moment, that things in my life had to change. I had to start living and making something of my life. Good things, or great people like Hela, didn't come waltzing into my life on a daily basis. I really shouldn't, and didn't want to, let him get away just because I was too much of a pansy to take a chance.

I wanted Hela.

Hela's leg started bouncing up and down nervously. He was chewing on his lip, waiting for me to answer. I placed my hand on his knee and forced it to stay still.

"So you want us to be boyfriends?" I asked.

Hela nodded. "Yes, totally exclusive," he stressed. I smiled.

I leaned over to him. "Don't worry. I wouldn't want to share you with anyone else either." I kissed him.

"So you're willing to give us a chance?" Hela asked hopefully.

I grasped his hand and gave it a squeeze. "With you, absolutely."

"And if you think about it, we already had our first date, well kind of," Hela said.

I frowned. "When?" How did I miss our first date?

"Well I consider it a first date. That night you came with me to work and then we stayed up talking," he said sheepishly.

"Oh, I guess you're right," I said, the thought dawning on me.

"So, um, not to pressure you or anything, but do you think we should tell the twins?" Hela asked hesitantly.

I must have looked shocked and a little scared, because Hela reached out and took my arm to reassure me. "We don't have to. I just thought it would be wise. I mean, we hang out with them all the time. It would be so hard to hide our feelings. They're good friends and they know us well. It's better to have it out in the open than worry about constantly giving something away," Hela said. "Besides, Storm already knows I'm gay and he was totally cool with it. I am one hundred percent sure that Skyler will be cool with it too," Hela added.

I nodded. That's right; Storm did know that Hela was gay. He didn't act freaked out about hanging out with a gay guy who, potentially, might make a move on him. The whole idea of coming out freaked me out completely. Then again, I didn't have to tell the whole world, just a select few who were close to me. Besides, as long as the important people in my life knew I was gay, then no one else really mattered.

I nodded slowly in agreement. "You're right. We should tell the twins. But this doesn't mean I want to flaunt our relationship in public. I'm not ready for the staring and the ignorant comments," I stated.

Hela agreed. "I understand." He looked at me and cupped the back of my neck and pulled me to him. He gave me a tender kiss. "Thanks for taking a chance on me," he said, staring at me.

"Thanks for caring about me," I said quietly, blushing.

"No problem, babe. When I met you, it's not like I stood a chance anyway," Hela said, kissing me before I could answer.

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

"Guys, I'm gay."

I glanced back and forth between Skyler and Storm, trying to gauge their reactions.

Judging from their reactions, you would have thought I told them two different things: Storm looked as if I had just failed my calculus final; Skyler, well, Skyler was just Skyler, doing what he did best.

Storm was silent and a slight frown was evident on his face.

Skyler was full blown laughing.

"Good one, bro," Skyler said, his laughter subsiding, except for a few straggling giggles.

"Um, I'm serious," I said, clearing my throat slightly.

Skyler abruptly stopped laughing. Without missing a beat, "Oh, ok, then. I'm cool with it. Go gay sex." He waved his arms in the air, using mock pompoms.

I was speechless. That was it?

I looked over at Storm, waiting for him to say something.

"When did you know you were gay?" Storm asked casually, glancing over at Hela.

"Um, I've known since I was fourteen," I answered feebly.

"Wow, fourteen." Skyler said in awe. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Skyler asked, remaining remarkably serious.

"Well, I didn't know how you would react. It’s not like I could just blurt it out while I was getting to know you guys. I wasn't in the right state of mind at that moment because of… “

"We understand, Crew. You did it on your own time - when you were ready," Storm said, shooting his brother a warning glance.

"So are you seeing anyone? Have any men lined up for your hot white ass?" Skyler teased, bringing humor back into the conversation.

I blushed and snuck a glance over at Hela, who was also looking down at the ground. "Uh…h. I'm seeing Hela," I finally said.

"What?" Skyler exclaimed. "You're gay too?"

Hela nodded. Storm just chuckled at his brother's outburst.

"Wow, so is everyone gay? Maybe I should give it a try too." He looked at Storm. "How 'bout it, bro? Want to hop on the gay bandwagon?"

I shook my head. Everyone started to laugh. Nobody but Skyler knew how to break up the tension or create some very awkward, yet mildly humorous, moments.

"Sky, you don't ‘try’ being gay. It's just how you are," Storm explained.

"Nuh-uh. I don't think that's it. You have to try something. Otherwise, you'll never know whether or not you might like it. I mean, take ice cream flavors. I didn't know I loved chocolate until I tried it. Even though strawberry looked damned good, I hated it once I tried it. Then there's mint chocolate chip, and cookie dough. Wait, hold up a minute. I need some water. My mouth just filled with saliva," Skyler said, actually getting up and walking away to get a bottle of water from the fridge. "By the way, you guys up for some ice cream? All this talk…”

"Focus, child," Storm said. Skyler stuck his tongue out.

"I wonder what it would be like to be bisexual," Skyler said, jumping back into our previous topic. How his head didn't burst from all the thoughts running through it at the same time, was beyond me.

Storm looked at Hela and me. "I want it on record that I dared to ask, ok? Why would you like to be bisexual, Sky?" he asked patiently, as if talking to a teenager.

"Think about it. You get the best of everything. Bisexual doesn't mean you can't make up your mind, like Grandma always says." He paused when Hela let out a laugh at the mention of Grandma. "It just means that you love people, regardless of their sex."

I smiled. That was oddly profound, in Skyler's own little way. It was times like these that you really knew how smart Skyler could be when he put his mind to something.

It looked like Storm agreed, because he didn't throw some dumb twin comment at him.

Skyler continued, "I'm a total people lover and everyone loves me. I would be an awesome bisexual."

I started grinning. I have no idea why I was ever worried about telling the twins. In Skyler's warped way, he had made me feel good about myself and about telling them. This monologue by Skyler just reinforced how supportive he could be. I couldn't even begin to explain to him how grateful I was for that.

"You know Storm, I could totally get more guys than you," Skyler said, grinning mischievously.

Storm rolled his eyes. "You know what Skyler? On this one, you can have all of them."

Then a thought occurred to me. One name came to mind. I directed it to Skyler.

"Zeke?" I said quietly, looking him in the eye.

In typical Skyler fashion, with pure confidence, no hesitation, no bat of the eye, nor any tinge of embarrassment, he answered, "Yes." Just like that.

Storm gawked at his brother, his face full of questions.

Helaku looked amused and somewhat pleased.

So this was what coming out what like?

Wow.

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

"I thought you wanted to hear all the details about me and Hela," I protested when Zeke waved off my comment with his fork.

Zeke swallowed a thick piece of chocolate pancake covered with chocolate and syrup. He took a sip of water and then looked at me. "I do, but I'm really hungry."

"Why are you so hungry?" I chewed on some bacon. I savored the taste. Boy, did I love IHOP and their International passport! You get everything: bacon, sausage, and pancakes. Awesome.

"I was up late last night with Skyler. We smoked up."

"So, you and Skyler?" I asked, my interest piqued.

Zeke shook his head. "There's not much to tell - and later. You first."

"Well, that night you went to Skyler's class…”

"Ahem, when I was thrown out…" he scoffed.

"When you went out." I glared at him for interrupting me. "Hela asked me if I wanted to be boyfriends. I decided I did, so I told him yes."

"Wow, I'm shocked, but happy for you. It's about time you let someone in, bro," Zeke said, smearing the melted chocolate onto his pancake.

"Yeah, I was thinking that I needed to make something of my life. I'm just waking up every day, going to school, going to work, going home, and doing homework. Then, I wake up the next day to start the process all over again. I want something more," I said.

Zeke nodded. "I agree. This is good for you. And normal! Everyone has relationships, and this is your first." He faked some sniffles and drew a tear line down his cheek. "My little boy's all grown up."

I threw my straw wrapper at him. "Shut up."

"Just make sure he treats you right," Zeke warned. "If he ever changes, gets crazy, too jealous and possessive, or hits you once…”

"He would never hit me," I interrupted firmly, with an emphatic shake of my head.

"I know, but just in case, ok? Listen to me; hear me out. I want you to walk away the moment anything goes wrong, ok? People don't change, they just hide it really well," Zeke said.

I stared hard at Zeke and understood where his words were coming from. Last year, before freshman year had officially started, he crashed some parties and met some senior. They dated for about nine months, but only the first two were really decent. After that, the guy became angry and jealous a lot. He stalked Zeke. He even harassed me - because he thought something was going on between us!

That's when he started to get abusive - at first some pushes and punches. Then it became a full out beating. I still didn't know why Zeke had stuck with the guy for so long. Every time I asked him about the numerous bruises that seemed to pop up, Zeke just sort of brushed me off. He said that his boyfriend didn't mean to hit him. It just happened. One concussion later, and a hospital visit for a broken rib, Zeke had had enough.

I remembered one night I was doing my homework. It was pouring outside, the rain and thunder distracting me. I heard some insistent banging on my door simultaneously with the door bell ringing. I knew it was Zeke. Zeke liked to do both. He said if one didn't get my attention, the other one would. He was usually right.

I was curious as to why he was here. He liked to be spontaneous, and sometimes dropped by unannounced, but it wasn't anywhere near the weekend. It was in the middle of the semester. Zeke went to school in Boston. Hell, it was pouring outside. I loathed driving in the rain and that applied even to a drive down the block! I couldn’t imagine a trip from Boston.

I opened the door to find Zeke, soaking wet, wearing only a wife beater and jeans. Even though it was April, it was still fairly cold on the East Coast. Zeke was shivering. He jumped into my arms, hugging me tightly. I was shocked. I stepped back and pulled him inside, closing the door against the storm.

"What happened?" I asked, rushing him to my bathroom where I wrapped towels around him. I was really worried that he had a mild case of hypothermia. He could not stop shivering. I turned on the shower and silently urged the water to become hotter quicker. Finally, I felt the steam rise and leaned Zeke against the wall, holding the towel in place over his body. Slowly but surely, his shivering began to subside. I felt myself relax.

"What happened?" I repeated, although I already knew the answer. The fat cut lip, the red slap marks on his cheeks, and his rapidly swelling black eye were telling enough. I needed Zeke to say it though - to make sure he mentally knew that what was being done to him, was wrong. Zeke refused to meet my eyes. I reached out and touched his chin for a split second, and he cringed, shrinking away from my hand.

I felt anger surge throughout my body - but I hid it. I didn't need to upset Zeke more. He didn't need me getting angry at him. Instead, I tried to comfort him. Zeke started to cry and his shoulders began shaking in time with his sobbing.

"Come on, let's get you out of those clothes," I said, gently leading him to my room and helping him change into a pair of dry socks, sweats, and a sweatshirt.

"It was a bitch driving here," he finally said, still avoiding my eyes.

"Yeah, it's raining pretty hard," I said.

"I'm done with him," Zeke continued. I nodded, glad he decided to skip the crap talk and get down to the real thing.

"You should, you deserve better. I wish I was there for you when you needed me," I said.

He waved me off. "You were going through your own things. We did the best we could, being there for each other. The semester is over in three more weeks. Can I stay here with you over the summer? I don't want to stay with either of my parents and I can't stay in Boston. And I need you," Zeke said quietly.

I sat down on the bed with him and rubbed his wet hair with a towel. "You can stay with me for all four months. I need you too. We'll be there for each other. Like we always are." I said comfortingly.

"Thanks, brother," Zeke said.

"No problem, bro."

"CREW!"

My body jolted. "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking."

"About?" he asked curiously.

"Last April," I replied.

"Oh," he said quietly. "I guess I was pretty stupid, huh?"

I shook my head. "No, you just got sucked in with the wrong person and had trouble realizing what was going on."

"Yeah, well never again," Zeke said, shaking his head.

"Good, glad to hear it."

"Just be careful, ok? Hela seems cool, but you don't know him too well, so…”

"I will be careful," I promised. "I just think this could be something really great," I added.

"Well, you have to keep me updated. I expect weekly emails about: what you guys have done; where you went; what Hela looks like naked…" Zeke said smiling, chewing slowly.

I laughed.

"What?" he asked innocently. "I have to live vicariously through you," Zeke put in.

I kept quiet. Ever since that abusive relationship, Zeke hadn't had anything serious going on. I think he was too afraid to have a repeat of the abuse. He stuck to hook ups and one night stands.

"What about Skyler?" I asked, a smile forming.

Zeke began to blush. It was easy to see. He had the same skin tone I did, and the tendency to turn as red as a tomato.

"What about Skyler?" he asked evasively.

"Don't avoid the subject, not when you beat stuff out of me all the time," I said. "You like him."

"I do," Zeke admitted.

"How much?" I asked.

"A lot."

"Does he like you back?" I asked.

Zeke sighed. "I don't know." He rubbed his face with his hands. "Probably not. It's just a crush. I mean, it's only because we've been spending so much time together, since you were so busy working and spending time with Hela. We just have so much fun together. I don't know," he finished.

My mind wandered back to the conversation at the twins' place, when I came out, on Skyler's take on bisexuality.

"You know, Skyler might have some bisexual tendencies. He said he was open to the idea," I suggested.

"Yeah, well being open to the idea is different than actually being bisexual. Plus bisexual people are a pain. You never know when they're gonna ditch you to be straight again," he said almost bitterly, crossing his arms.

"If you're worried about being dumped or cheated on, it could happen even if the guy was entirely gay. I mean, straight people cheat all the time," I offered. “People just cheat.”

Zeke rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks. I feel so much better now."

I shrugged. "I'm sorry. I'm just telling you how it is."

"I know. Being gay sucks," Zeke said, dropping his head onto the table.

"Are you going to make a move?" I asked.

Zeke's head shot up. "What? No way. It would never work out anyway. I go to school in Boston. He'll be back with girls the minute I leave. Anyhow, he's not even gay or bisexual, or whatever," Zeke said in one sentence. I smiled. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself, instead of me.

"I think he likes you back," I said.

"What? What makes you think that?" Zeke asked, in a curious tone. I could tell he was trying to downplay his excitement and interest.

I smiled. "Well when he was discussing the whole gay bandwagon…" Zeke shot me a questioning look when I said ‘bandwagon’. "Yeah, he referred to it as the bandwagon, but in a positive way. But anyway, after he said his little speech, I thought of you. I mentioned your name to him - just your name. He looked right at me, and said, 'Yes'".

"Yes?" Zeke asked, his brow knitting. "Yes, what?"

"I don't know exactly. We didn't elaborate and didn't talk anymore on the whole subject. It was like a weird moment - silent communication. I guess it meant that he was open to the idea of being with a guy, but only if that guy were you," I explained, as best as I could.

Zeke nodded. “Maybe.”

He looked at me with a torn, dejected expression. I had rarely witnessed this in the five years we'd been best friends. "What do you think I should do?" he asked.

"It's not my place to tell you what to do. But, you haven't had the greatest track record when it comes to relationships. It seems as if you really like Skyler. I know for a fact that Skyler is a great person and friend. He would never shun you or treat you badly. I think you just have to ask yourself if you're willing to take a chance," I said repeating my earlier musings to my friend.

Zeke nodded. “Maybe” was all he said.

"Do you think he finds me attractive?" Zeke asked suddenly.

I smiled. Since when was Zeke worried about his looks? This was new. Skyler must have really gotten to him.

“Well…” I said slowly, as if I was thinking carefully on the subject. He shot me dirty look. "You're not as good looking as I am, but you're not too shabby either."

"And honestly, if Skyler ever did want to be with a guy, he couldn't get any better than you," I said sincerely.

"Thanks bro," Zeke said smiling.

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

I stared down at my sneakers as Zeke loaded his bags back into his car. Winter break was officially over. It was time for me to say goodbye to Zeke. We did this every time he came to visit, which was winter, spring, and summer break. It was always sad when it came time to say goodbye.

In many ways, I was clingy when it came to Zeke. I couldn't help it. We went way back. He was part of the past that I cherished the most - when my family was still alive. It seemed as if being with Zeke made things normal again; and I didn't have to feel so sad and lonely.

Zeke launched himself at me. "Cheer up, bud. I'll come to visit you again over Spring Break. Then, we'll do something over the summer, I promise," he consoled.

I leaned into him. "I know. It's just that I'm going to miss you."

He rubbed my back comfortingly. "I know. You're my best friend. You know I'm going to miss you too. Who else would I have around to corrupt?" he said playfully. "You're my only friend that has yet to learn everything I wish to bestow."

"And you know you can always call, email, or text me. Gotta love technology, right? And remember, Boston is not that far away. If you need anything, I'll drive over, ok?"

I smiled. "I know. You have my back."

"You know it."

Just then Skyler's white G35 pulled up behind Zeke's car. Skyler strolled up to us. Zeke and Skyler seemed to share a silent conversation with their eyes.

I once asked Zeke how things with Skyler were progressing. He said he wasn't too sure and didn't want to talk about anything beforehand for fear he might jinx it or something. All I knew was that they spent their time together, doing god knows what.

"Hey, uh, Zeke, I'm going to get the rest of your stuff," I said, heading back into the house. He didn't have that many bags with him. Winter break was so short and if he needed extra clothes, he usually raided my closet. But I wanted to give them a moment, in case Skyler was embarrassed to do anything in front of me. In the meantime, I decided to prepare some food for Zeke's drive home.

While I prepared a sandwich for Zeke, I glanced out the kitchen window and spied them having a pretty intense looking talk. I didn't want to be nosy. Zeke or Skyler would tell me when they were ready. No need to act like some gossipy granny. I had a life, thank you.

By the time I made it back out with some sodas, chips, cookies, and sandwiches, it appeared as if they had finished their conversation.

"Here, something for you to eat on the road. Save you some money at the rest stops," I said.

"Thanks," he said gratefully. He leaned in to give me one more hug and a pat on the back.

"Je t'aime, mon petit frère. Je serai là pour toi toujours," he said.

I smiled. High school French. I'm surprised either one of us remembered anything; but I understood every word he said.

"Merci, mon grand frère. Je t'aime aussi."

Skyler looked perplexed. "Uh, yeah, I took Spanish and barely passed. What did you guys just say?"

Zeke smiled at him. "Nothing," he said as he grabbed Skyler into a hug and squeezed tightly. The hug lasted longer than necessary - especially between a gay man and a supposedly straight guy. I saw Zeke pull away from Skyler. He touched Skyler's face and ran his fingers through his hair briefly. A faint smile was on his lips.

"I'll see you…” Zeke said, trailing off, looking at Skyler.

Skyler just nodded and watched Zeke turn around to go into his car.

Then, in one quick motion, Skyler had spun Zeke around and kissed him so fast that I wasn't even sure I had seen it.

I would have normally been more shocked. For some reason, coming from Zeke and Skyler, it was just natural.

Ah, my two best friends, secretly in love, but too afraid to do anything. Isn't life great?

Zeke just smiled at Skyler and waved to me one last time before slamming the door and driving off.

I watched Zeke turn onto the main road. I watched Skyler watch Zeke for a few seconds, even after Zeke was out of sight.

"I like him," Skyler said simply, without turning around.

"I know," I said. "The feeling is mutual," I added, even thought it wasn't necessary to elaborate.

"I know" was all Skyler said.

 

 

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