Choices - 5. Chapter 5

Part III Choices

Chapter 5 The Day Before...

Friday seemed to crawl along. We had Mass in the morning with the school president and founder, Father Marlen, leading the service as he did once a month or so. He was actually somewhere in his late fifties, but he seemed ageless somehow, with a smooth, clean shaven face that always had a gentle smile on it. His dark eyes seemed to be able to peer into your very soul, but never in an intrusive way. His black and grey peppered hair was always meticulously combed back, giving his face an open and kind appearance. He usually had something interesting to say in his brief sermons, and everyone: students, faculty, and parents seemed to like him. He was also a very gifted artist and some of his religious paintings decorated the lobby and office. Other than at the occasional Friday Mass however, he wasn’t seen very often, even though he lived right on campus in an apartment directly connected to the school office. He was fond of baseball however, and I was sure he’d be present for some of our home games, as he had been last spring.

Lunch was a mixed bag--excuse the pun. Morgan came up and pounded me heartily on the back, bragging how I had scored the second most points at the game yesterday afternoon, which was rather strange simply because I generally played defense. There was no doubt that I had been on fire, and the coach had taken full advantage of it. I think it was the sense of anticipation I had about Jesse coming over to spend the night that made me nearly unstoppable on the court. Morgan sat with us the whole time, describing my exploits, selflessly never once mentioning his own point total--which was the highest in the game. I could barely get a word in edgewise, trying to proclaim Morgan’s own achievements, which he just brushed off as if they were nothing compared to my accomplishments. He really was a great guy and my admiration for him seemed to grow with every week that I knew him. Occasionally, one of the other members of the team would come to the table to congratulate me and I had to admit, it felt pretty cool. I could see Jesse beaming at me proudly and I just wanted to...well, it could wait a few more hours!

Tom was acting a bit nervous again, and I was worried that he was going to recklessly press forward with his relationship with Derek sometime over the weekend. I wondered if I should remind him of my advice one more time. The thing of it was, if I kept telling him to take it slow with Derek, it might make it sound like I was trying to stall or in some way interfere in their relationship. So, apprehensive as I was, I just kept tight lipped about it--that was certainly a new philosophy for me!

There was definitely something going on between Jesse and me, though hopefully, no one but us was aware of it. We were both so keyed up that it was harder than usual to keep our true feelings for each other hidden. He had brought an overnight bag with him to school this morning, and I sensed that he was looking forward to this weekend as much as I was...even though my mom would be there the whole time and we’d have to be careful.

“So, what are you guys doing this weekend?” Tom asked as we were getting ready to head back in for our afternoon classes.

“Our church is having a big rummage sale on Saturday, and I have to help out,” I explained. “Jesse’s coming over to help my mom and me get some of our stuff together for the sale, and then we’ll work at the church pretty much all day tomorrow.”

“That’s cool,” Tom said, and I could sense that he was feeling a little envious. I didn’t want to mention the fact that Jesse was sleeping over.

“That’s what I get for being Perry’s friend,” Jesse complained facetiously.

Tom gave Jesse a rather long looking over, and I knew what he was thinking. “Maybe Sunday we could all hang out at the arcade or something...” Tom suggested a bit nervously.

“That’d be awesome!” Derek chimed in, assuming that he was now automatically included as part of our little group. “Will you come too, Jesse?” he asked, and I couldn’t help but cringe a little. Derek looked at Jesse with such a clear sense of admiration that it was amazing to me that Tom wasn’t bothered by it.

I assumed Jesse would say no, that he had to study, or take care of Miranda or whatever. Instead he smiled shyly. “I’ll try,” he said, glancing at Derek and shrugging.

“Awesome!” Derek said, a little louder than I would have cared for. He lifted his palm in the air and Tom gave him an enthusiastic slap. Morgan looked on with a vague look of disgust. I didn’t think he suspected anything, but I got the sense that he was somehow annoyed by Tom’s and Derek’s friendship. Maybe it was just sibling rivalry, but maybe it was something else. It definitely made me uncomfortable.

I’ll probably see you guys at the church tomorrow afternoon,” Morgan said, quickly leaving the table. “I know only high schoolers can officially volunteer, but I heard some of the gals saying they might drop by.” He gave me a playful little wink.

The clock ticked slowly all afternoon. As we sat at our tables in art class, sorting out colored beads for some lame project, I would occasionally glance at Jesse and he at me, and Tom at both of us! It was kind of funny if you knew what was going on!

Finally, the bell rang and I imagined myself crashing right through the classroom door like a Warner Brothers cartoon character in my rush to get home! But in reality, I actually displayed a great deal of self control, walking slowly to my locker, methodically figuring out which books I needed to take home, securely closing my locker, walking at a very deliberate pace to the parking lot to wait for my mom and...and then, there was Jesse, waiting for me, his backpack slung over his shoulders, his overnight bag clutched in one hand, smiling at me and looking absolutely radiant. I felt my heart melt even as I realized I was holding my breath.

“Hey there,” he said with a shy little smile. “Think I can bum a ride?”

“Where ya headed?”

He looked around to make sure no one was in earshot. “To my boyfriend’s house--he’s really hot!”

“That sounds great--I wish I had a hot looking boyfriend!”

Jesse gave me a playful shove.

“Hey guys!” We both turned to see Tom standing there, a few feet away, standing next to his bike.

“Hey, Tom,” Jesse acknowledged cheerfully.

The two of them stared at each other for a minute, Tom looking nervous, Jesse looking much more relaxed.

“So, going to Perry’s house?” Tom asked, trying to sound casual but not managing very well.

“Yup, we got eggs to lay and dirt to scratch!” Jesse responded lightly.

“More like furniture to move, and boxes to pack,” I clarified, more for Tom’s sake than for Jesse’s.

We all stood staring at each other for another uncomfortable minute.

“Everything okay, Tom?” I asked.

Tom nodded in the affirmative, but his eyes kept darting from me to Jesse.

I wanted to say something so badly, I had to grit my teeth to keep the words from spilling out. “Everything cool with Derek?” I finally asked.

Tom looked at Jesse, who suddenly got very interested in the pavement beneath his feet.

“Sure, we’re tight!” Tom answered, a little smile finally playing across his youthful face. We had one more round of staring, and then Tom swung his leg up over his bike.

“So, see you guys at the arcade on Sunday?” he asked, a slight tremor in his voice.

“I’ll try if I get done with my homework,” I offered.

“Yeah, same here,” Jesse added.

Tom just nodded and took off on his bike.

“Gees, that was intense,” I said, when Tom was well out of ear shot. “What do you think he wanted?”

“I guess he was trying to figure out if you told me his little secret,” Jesse surmised. “I think he was also trying to figure out if I had any interest in Derek.”

“Well...?”

“Well what?”

“Do you have any interest in Derek?” I asked, half seriously.

Jesse gave me a sly little grin. “Wouldn’t you like to know!”

“I would!” I replied greedily.

“I don’t think it’s any of your business who I’m sleeping around with,” he said, much to my surprise. “Besides,” he added with a mischievous grin, “we need to think about more important things--like the sleeping arrangements for tonight!” His eyebrows did a little dance.

“What did you have in mind?” I asked, slowly licking my lips.

“You’re so gay!” he whispered in my ear in his most sexy and raspy teenage voice.

Sigh...When I looked into those incredible crystal blue eyes, it all seemed so clear. Maybe I was gay...

Finally, my mom pulled up to take us home. After asking how our day went, and how everyone reacted to my surprising performance at the game the day before, she settled in to start telling us what needed to be done to get ready for tomorrow. There were some old clothes in the garage that she wanted sorted and packed into boxes, and some furniture she wanted to get rid of. She was planning on turning the room she was using as a home office into a real guest room and had already ordered all new furniture. Around seven, the church would send someone over in a truck to pick up our stuff. Then we’d be free for the rest of the evening, with the caveat that we’d need to be up by six tomorrow to get to the rummage sale on time.

To my surprise, when we got to our house, my mom only pulled up to the curb instead of turning into the driveway.

“I’m just going to run over to the Public Storage to get some boxes. You boys have a snack and relax for a few minutes. There’ll be plenty to do when I get back--I should just be half an hour or so...”

We got our backpacks and Jesse’s overnight bag out of the car, and my mom pulled away. I couldn’t believe our luck. I took off for the side of the house, and let us in through the kitchen door.

“Thirsty?” I asked.

Jesse shook his head. I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the stairs. Our sneakered feet pounded dully on the carpeted staircase as we raced up to my room. We dropped our stuff on the floor and stared at each other breathlessly for about three seconds. Then I jumped him, almost knocking him off his feet. My lips pressed hungrily into to his. It took him a few seconds, but soon Jesse was responding, tilting his head so that our open mouths locked together in a passionate french kiss. Our tongues swirled around each other’s mouths as if searching blindly for something that remained just out of reach.

I pushed Jesse towards my bed, forcing him to sit.

“Your shirt...” I gasped, finally breaking our lip lock. I helped Jesse pull his white polo shirt off, his long golden locks tumbling back onto his forehead as I slid my hands up and down his narrow shoulders and smooth hard chest. He moaned sensually as I aggressively caressed his small brown nipples. Soon I forced him back, his head resting on my bed and his feet still on the floor.

I knelt on the floor myself and quickly undid Jesse’s belt. I slipped the button at the top of his khaki Dockers out of its slot and pulled down the fly, exposing his plaid boxers. There was already a sizable lump there to greet me. I pulled his Dockers down past his knees and left them there since I hadn’t even given him a chance to take off his shoes.

I began kissing his torso, starting at his sternum and briefly sucking each erect boy-nipple, before descending to his concave stomach. My tongue explored his belly button as Jesse tried weakly to push me off, giggling at the stimulation.

“I need you so bad, Jesse...” I moaned, my kisses going lower and lower. I tugged the elastic waistband of his boxers down a little so I could continue kissing his soft flesh, moving well below his light tan line and finally reaching the top of his sparse blonde pubic bush. I could see his erection straining against the fabric of his underwear.

Gently, I slipped my fingers into the opening in the front of Jesse’s boxers. His hard dick practically sprang out into the open air.

“You’re so...beautiful,” I gasped in complete awe, seeing Jesse’s perfectly formed penis poking out from the front of his boxers, already fully engorged. Jesse spread his legs as wide as the pants around his calves would allow. I wrapped my fingers around his shaft, enjoying the strange but exhilarating combination of outer softness and inner hardness that came with a full erection. I felt Jesse's whole body stiffen at my touch, but he didn’t try to pull away.

Slowly, I slid my hand up and down his shaft, noting the small dribble of clear precum leaking from his slit. My other hand reached under the leg of his underwear and caressed the tender inside of his thigh, starting at his knee and working my way slowly upwards until my fingers slid in between his thigh and his ballsac. Jesse wriggled and his penis twitched as I rubbed the sensitive area at the top of his scrotum. As I continued sliding one hand up and down his shaft, I played with his hard little nuggets through his boxers, gently rolling them around with my fingers.

“Ummmm...” Jesse groaned urgently, and I knew he was close. Still clutching his penis tightly, I licked the smooth, rounded glans with its drop of precum and swirled my tongue around the hard ridge of his corona, all the while lusting for Jesse’s taste as if his member was a loaf of freshly baked bread. Jesse began thrusting his hips forward into the air, lifting his butt off the bed and then back down. I opened my mouth and took him in, letting my moist lips caress his smooth round head and shaft as it passed through. I bobbed up and down, letting his penis slide in and out of my mouth, all the while keeping my teeth carefully covered by my curled lips. Soon our movements were synchronized, with Jesse thrusting his hips upwards as I took his rock hard cock further into my mouth, letting it slide partially out as his hips relaxed.

“Perry...!!!!!!” he gasped, his whole body going rigid, his ass in the air, his back arched, only his head and shoulders pressing into the bed as I felt the first spurt of hot, salty cum spray into the back of my throat. I swallowed it hungrily, quenching my thirst with it, my hands tightly gripping his thighs, my head deeply between Jesse’s knees. I continued sucking even after the spasms stopped, and Jesse moaned and twitched as his dick became super sensitive. As I felt it go flaccid, I reluctantly let the thoroughly moistened organ slide out of my mouth.

I felt the urgent burning in my own groin and climbed up on top of Jesse, my clothed body grinding into his naked torso. Lifting his head up, Jesse quickly undid the belt of my black Dockers, got them unbuttoned with trembling fingers, and pulled my pants down my hips to my knees. He slipped his fingers into the opening at the front of my boxers and easily found what he was looking for. Now my freed penis, fully erect and curving upwards towards my belly button, thrust into Jesse’s groin, craving the stimulation of the friction my movements produced.

Somehow, Jesse got his hands in between us and he found my shaft. I felt his slender fingers wrap around my hardness and squeeze it passionately. Just a few moments more and I was cumming on Jesse’s naked belly. His hand remained around my shaft, squeezing, pumping every last drop of semen from it until I rolled over to lay next to him. Our chests, glistening with perspiration, heaved as we gasped for air. I turned to look at him and his cheeks were flushed such a rosy red that they almost matched his deliciously full lips. Even though my animal passions had been temporarily assuaged, I leaned in to press my lips against his, our noses bumping as our hot breath fell on each other’s faces.

We just laid there like that, with our pants down around our ankles, panting like overheated dogs. I kicked my shoes off and shrugged my pants the rest of the way off. Wearing only my shirt, socks, and boxers, I climbed all the way up on my bed to lay lengthwise, the top of Jesse’s head pressed against my chest. I gently brushed stray locks of shiny, golden blond hair from his perspiration coated forehead.

“I can’t imagine you not being in my life,” I whispered.

“I love you so much, Perry...” Jesse insisted with quiet intensity.

“Why can’t we...” I was interrupted by the sound of the door opening downstairs--my MOM!!!

Jesse looked at me, both alarmed and amused.

“Towel please?” he asked, pointing to the puddle of sticky goo spread around his belly. I sprang up and rushed into the bathroom to grab a hand towel. I had gotten some boyjuice on my shirt and tried my best to wipe it off as I ran back to clean Jesse’s belly. He was snickering quietly, finding the whole thing somehow amusing. When I was finished, he got to his feet and pulled his pants back up. As he buckled his belt, I got my pants back on and stuffed my feet back into my sneakers, both of us giggling giddily as we finished getting dressed.

“Boys, are you up there?” my mom called from the bottom of the stairs as Jesse slipped his shirt back on.

“Yeah mom--we’ll be right there!” I called, my voice surprisingly raspy. We took a few seconds to straighten each other’s hair and clothes. Doing our best to stifle our giggles, we went back downstairs.

“I was afraid you boys might have fallen asleep up there,” my mom said with an innocent smile.

Jesse and I just exchanged looks of amusement at the innocent suggestion.

My mom fixed us a light snack and we chugged down a can of Coke each.

“I’m making spaghetti and meatballs for supper,” my mom told us. “It’s one of Perry’s favorites. Is that okay with you, Jesse, darling?”

“Oh, I love meatballs as much as Perry does!” Jesse replied, giving me a subtle wink.

I felt myself turn red. This boy seemed to live for danger!

Finally we got to work, starting with getting the folded up boxes out of the trunk of the Lexus, which was now parked in the driveway. We took the boxes to the garage, entering from the side door. It was dark inside because the garage door was closed, so I flipped on the lights.

“Whoa! What a cool garage!” Jesse said, his eyes wide with surprise.

It was a two car garage with what the real estate agency boasted was a ‘workshop,' which was really just an extra empty area at the far end. We didn’t own that many tools--just a few things for the garden--so my mom had piled up some of the boxes from our move, going through them slowly over the past year or so. Surprisingly, there were still a few boxes left unopened. Some of the old clothes she wanted to give away were somewhere in there.

“Reminds me of Resh’s garage,” Jesse said, referring to Mall Encounter, the story based on our run in with Julio and his friends about a month ago.

“Don’t get any funny ideas!” I joked.

“Spoil sport!” Jesse retorted, sticking out his tongue.

“You’re so gay!” I teased.

“I am, you know,” he said, shyly nibbling his finger.

I just shook my head in joyful disbelief, wondering how many times I could thank God for sending Jesse to me.

“The computer’s in that box over there,” I said, pointing to the ‘workshop’ area. The computer was to be Jesse’s ‘payment’ for helping out at the rummage sale. I wanted to just give it to him, but I guessed it reeked a bit too much of charity for the Taylors, and hey--it all worked out in the end any ways. Jesse would get his computer, and I’d get to spend the night with my sweet angel!

“It even has a modem. I’ll show you how to get on the internet. There are some pretty cheap ISP's--the main thing is to get email so we can talk dirty all we want!"

It was time to get to work. Jesse started assembling the new boxes while I pulled open the old ones. Even though the garage floor was fairly clean (the Lexus didn’t leak oil), I didn’t want to spread the clothes on the floor while we sorted them, so I had an idea.

“Hey, help me with this,” I said, going to the back of the garage. There were four long, folding tables there that we had used for a couple of social gatherings. We had set them up in the backyard and put nice tablecloths on them and it all looked pretty fancy once my mom got done with it. But now, they were just cheaply laminated work tables with folding metal legs.

“Let’s set one of these up and we can sort the clothes on it,” I explained.

We pulled the long table out into the middle of the large space, unfolded the legs, and set it up. I began emptying the boxes of clothes on the fake wood surface. Mostly, it was clothes I had outgrown in the past couple of years, with a few things of my mom’s that had gone out of style--way out of style--and even a few things my dad had left behind. I pulled out an old flannel jacket of his that I remembered him wearing when we went fishing off the pier at Oceanside. I guessed I did miss him. He was my dad, and he had always treated me well when he was around. I even knew deep down that he loved me, but it just burned me up whenever I thought about how he had taken advantage of mom and then just dumped her when he was ready to run off with his skinny lawyer bitch...

“Hey, nice sneaks!” Jesse said, holding up an old pair of black hi-top Keds, a lot like the ones Tom wore.

“Those used to be my favorite basketball shoes when I was like...ten,” I recalled nostalgically.

“Ohhh, you must’ve looked hot in these!” he said, holding up a pair of cutoff denim shorts.

“I bet you’d look hotter,” I replied.

Jesse looked inside for the waist size.

“I could probably wear these but they’d be really, really tight,” he mused.

Picturing Jesse in those denim short shorts, the faded fabric clinging tightly to his cute bubble butt, made my mouth water. “And the problem with that is...?”

We finished sorting the clothes, and ended up with seven big boxes of stuff, which we closed up and left on the garage floor.

“I’ll just open the garage door and we can take these out to the driveway,” I said, heading for the automatic door opener switch.

“Hey, wait,” Jesse said, leaning against the now empty table.

“What?”

Jesse had a truly evil grin on his face. “I just had an idea,” he said, beckoning me back. “Just lie down on the table for a minute...”

“Jesse...” I began to protest. “My mom...”

“She’s busy making those yummy meatballs,” he reminded me. His crystal blue eyes pleaded with me and I sighed.

“Okay...just for a minute...” I turned my back to the table and used my hands to slide my butt up. Then I leaned back and swung me legs up, slowly lowering myself until my head was resting on the hard surface. It was long enough so that my feet didn’t even reach the other end.

“It’s cold…” I complained.

“That's okay 'cuz you’re such a bad, bad boy...” Jesse intoned in a deep and solemn voice, slowly walking around the table as I followed him with my eyes. “You keep jacking off in your room all the time even though all those smelly old ladies at church say you shouldn’t!” He wagged a scolding finger pointedly in my direction.

I smiled. It was clearly time to enter Jesse’s weird little fantasy world again...

“It’s your fault that I keep jacking off all the time!” I protested weakly. “You’re so fuckin’ hot...”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I guess you really need to be punished,” he said a little sadly.

“Punished?” I asked, trying not to smile too much. “But how...?”

“Hmmmm...Well, to begin with, I’m picturing you completely naked...” Jesse said in a sexy whisper, moving to where my head rested.

“Okay, now I’m really cold...”

“And I have this white silky rope...it's so smooth and strong, and I tie it around your wrist like so...”

Jesse mimed tying a piece of rope meticulously around my right wrist. He then lifted my arm towards the corner of the table past my head.

“Then I tie the other end to the table leg like so...”

I kept my hand where he had put it and watched as he pretended to tie my other wrist.

“Then I have to tie down those big old feet of yours!” he said, moving to the other end of the table.

Okay, I had to admit--even though I was lying on a cheap pressed-wood table in my garage, staring at the fluorescent lights in the bare rafters, I was getting completely turned on by Jesse's wild imagination!

Jesse reached under the cuff of my pants and took a hold of my ankle, pulling my leg straight. If my hands had really been tied to the head of the table, he could have stretched my body taut the way he had when he tied me to his bed. As it was, I was only able to straighten my body out to a certain point before I just started sliding down the length of the table.

“Mmmm...Those toes look good enough to eat,” he observed hungrily.

He spread my feet apart and then mimed tying a rope around my right ankle and then tying the other end to the table leg. He repeated the same routine with my other ankle.

“I believe that will keep you still,” he said in a sophisticatedly evil voice, even going so far as to rub his hands together in eager anticipation.

“What are you going to do to me?” I asked fearfully, keeping my body stretched as tight as I could in a big 'X,' fully aware of the growing lump pressing against the front of my Dockers.

“Well, to start with, I think I’ll run my fingers ever so lightly over the soles of your feet!” he said. I felt him actually tapping lightly on the soles of my Sketchers.

“No, stop! I’m very ticklish!” I protested, squirming and straining against my imaginary bonds.

“Then I’ll slowly move up the sides of your legs...” His hands danced lightly along the insides of my pants legs, slowly making their way up until they were lightly caressing my inner thighs. I was really starting to get hard again!

“Then I’ll move just...a...little...further...” Jesse teased, letting his fingers crawl up the insides of my thighs right to my...

Suddenly, he leapt forward, and before I even realized what was happening, Jesse was furiously tickling my armpits for real! I began flopping around on the table, laughing hysterically, taken completely by surprise. I managed to sit up, but Jesse insistently worked my armpits and ribcage with his long slender fingers…

“Stop! Stop!” I cried, gasping and guffawing like a complete fool.

Just then, the side door started to open. Jesse and I froze. My mom poked her head in and we were caught like two deer in the headlights of an oncoming SUV!

“I just wanted to see how you boys were coming along,” she said with a slightly perplexed smile, undoubtedly wondering why I was sitting up on one of the folding tables with Jesse (his hands now innocently dangling at his sides) standing next to me.

I quickly jumped down, trying unsuccessfully not to look too guilty.

“What are you two doing?” she asked in a completely nonthreatening manner.

“Oh...we...” I tried to gather my wits about me, when I suddenly realized I must be showing rather blatantly down in front. I moved around the edge of the table to at least partially hide from my mom’s inquisitive eyes.

“What are you two looking so guilty about?” she asked with a curious smile.

“Perry thought it would be a good idea to sort the old clothes on this table so they wouldn’t get dirty,” Jesse explained quickly.

Glancing over at him, I noticed that he too was hiding a sizable bulge and I had to stifle a laugh.

My mom just shook her head in disbelief. “You two...you’re like brothers or something--it’s just remarkable.”

We laid on our sweetest smiles and big puppy dog eyes.

“Anyway, that sounds like a good idea--how’s it coming?” she asked, apparently not noticing the distorted areas at the front of our pants.

“Oh, we’re finished!” I said proudly, gesturing to the new boxes laid out on the floor, already closed and stacked.

“That’s great!” my mom said, well pleased. “Those can go out in the driveway later. But I think the big job is going to be getting that furniture down from the office upstairs...”

I think we sighed in relief simultaneously. That had been close! Still, we felt giddy after our little tickling session (following so quickly our passionate encounter in my bedroom) and the silly grins on our faces were unavoidable.

“Why don’t you put that table back and come in the house?” my mom asked. “That is, if you’re done with it...” she said with a weird little smile.

“Sure mom,” I said with some relief.

“I’ll put the car out on the street so that the church people can come right up the driveway to load everything.”

My mom finally closed the door, leaving us to release all the giggles that had been building up inside us.

“You’re seriously ticklish, dude!” Jesse remarked.

“I almost wet my pants!” I laughed.

“That’s what diapers are for!” Jesse exclaimed.

When we had laughed ourselves dry, we put the table away, folding the legs back up and laying it back with the others.

Jesse let out a heavy sigh. He rubbed the table lovingly. “It was nice while it lasted...”

“My armpits are sore, you bastard!” I gave him a playful shove.

“It would be fun to play out here sometime,” he suggested with a mischievous smile.

“Especially if you were the one on the table!” I teased.

We went inside and my mom took us upstairs and told us what to take down to the driveway. There was a desk and bureau, a swivel chair, a ratty looking display case, and some small tables. The biggest challenge looked to be the floor to ceiling bookcase which my mom had emptied just the other day.

“Do you need a desk at home, Jesse darling?” my mom asked.

“I already have a desk in my room, and I think this one would be too big...”

She nodded sweetly in understanding. “Are you boys going to be okay going down the stairs with those things? If not, we can do it when the man from the church shows up.”

“We can handle it, mom!” I assured her, a little embarrassed at her coddling. I was only a month away from turning fourteen, and Jesse was a blackbelt, for cryin’ out loud!

Well, it did prove to be a challenge after all, and it was slow work getting the bigger pieces down the stairs without bumping into anything. We took the stuff out the front door since my mom was busy cooking in the kitchen. This made our route a little longer since the driveway went along the side of the house. Jesse elected to walk backwards, his keen senses helping us to navigate the house smoothly. But he wasn’t quite as strong as I was, and I could see him straining sometimes.

Whenever I asked him if he wanted to put something down and rest for a minute, he’d just shake his head. The look of concentration and determination on his face was so incredibly cute that I kept getting distracted. If it weren’t for Jesse’s excellent navigating, I’d probably have bumped into every corner and railing along the way.

As we dragged the tall bookcase up the driveway towards the garage, Jesse gave me a lopsided smile. “Someday, you’re going to get tired of looking at me.” He looked at me tiredly as we set the heavy thing down and leaned on it to catch our breaths.

“No fuckin’ way,” I said with absolute conviction.

I just had to reach over to brush some of those precious golden locks out of his eyes. I felt the warm perspiration on his forehead and boldly leaned over to kiss him there, tasting his salty flavor. Jesse quickly pulled back, looking to see if anyone had spotted us in the dim, early evening light. When he saw the coast was clear however, he returned the favor, brushing my floppy brown bangs out of my face and planting a wet kiss on my cheek. It seemed to tingle for minutes, even though the contact had only lasted for seconds.

“I’m so lucky...” I whispered, gazing lovingly into those crystal blue eyes that glistened in the mid-November twilight.

Jesse shook his head modestly. “I don’t know what you see in me, Perry.”

“Everything,” was all I could answer. Why had I been so smitten by this beautiful but bashful teenager? Before Jesse, I hadn’t really felt like I was missing anything in particular. I had been a little despondent when we moved from La Jolla, but I was content with my little group of bookish jocks. Then along came Jesse and suddenly my whole life revolved around him: his face, his body, his hair, his smell, his smile...I didn’t think I would ever tire of any of those things...

“I guess we should get those boxes out of the garage,” Jesse suggested uncomfortably. Damn, I wish he could just accept my complete and total worship of the ground he walked on and enjoy it a little!

I sighed and led him back into the garage. I hit the switch that activated the automatic garage opener.

“Cool!” Jesse said, watching the mechanism pull the sectional door up. I had to laugh sometimes at the things that impressed him. I mean, an automatic garage door opener, for christssake?

We set the boxes out in front of the furniture and went inside. The kitchen smelled incredible. It wasn’t very often that my mom cooked a complete meal. She told us to get washed up for supper and I realized I was starving!

The three of us sat in the formal dinning room, the table completely set, sipping Coke from wine goblets. My mom had really gone all out. We dined heartily on spaghetti and meatballs, warm Italian bread with butter, tossed salad, and green beans.

My mom reminded me (unnecessarily) that my birthday was coming up next month, and asked what I’d like to do. Last year she took me, Morgan, Tom and Gene to L.A. to see the championship Lakers at the Staples Center. We stayed in the Bonaventure Hotel (spending half the night riding up and down those fantastic glass elevators!) and went to Universal Studios the next day, before driving back to Santa Corina. (Now I had to think back and wonder what it must have been like for Tom, having a crush on me and spending so much time with me like that--even sharing a hotel room!) Of course this year, all I wanted for my birthday was Jesse, naked, with a big red bow tied around his...er...you know, and the hell with anything else. I asked him if he had any ideas.

“Well, I heard Disneyland was pretty cool,” he said meekly.

“What?!” I asked in disbelief. “Are you telling me you’ve never been?”

Jesse shrugged, blushing with embarrassment.

“Anaheim is a long way from Evanston, you goof!” my mom chastised me for my churlish reaction.

“Oh...yeah...” I stammered, feeling like an idiot.

“I bet you’ve been dozens of times, huh?” Jesse asked, not letting me dwell on my insensitive remark.

“Yeah, we’ve been there,” I said. “But not since they opened the new park. It would be cool to go for my birthday!”

“And wouldn’t it be wonderful if Mrs. Taylor and your dear little sister could come to,” my mom added. It wasn’t usually like her to impose her ideas on my birthday plans, but this time, I had to concur.

“That would be awesome!” I said, giving Jesse a big smile. “We can stay at that new hotel!”

“And of course, you can invite a few more of your friends--if you want to,” my mom added.

“Thanks, mom!” I said, although frankly I didn’t care if anyone came except Jesse. We’d get our own hotel room, boys in one room and girls in the other! “What do you think?” I asked, turning to Jesse.

He seemed embarrassed by the whole conversation. “Look, it was just an idea. Don’t do this just because...”

“Because I want to go!” I said determinedly.

“Well, I’ll let you boys think about it a bit. But let me know so I can make the reservations. I guess we’d need to rent a van or a Suburban for all those people...” she mused outloud.

I smiled at Jesse, and when my mom went to the refrigerator, I reached under the table and squeezed his hand excitedly. He gave me a warm, if somewhat hesitant, smile. Again, the difference in our financial situations seemed to be hitting home in an awkward way, but I was determined to show Jesse a good time--whether he wanted it or not!

“When’s your birthday?” I asked, realizing that it was something I’d been meaning to ask for almost two months now. Everyone else in class already knew each other’s birthday because it had been part of a graphing assignment in Math last year.

“Oh, it’s in February,” he said, shyly picking at his spaghetti.

“When in February?” I pressed him.

“Uh...the fourteenth...” he said, almost too quiet to hear.

“Oh, how precious!” my mom said. “A Valentine’s baby!”

Jesse turned about as red as the spaghetti sauce, and he glanced helplessly at me.

“A Valentine’s baby!” I repeated playfully.

Jesse scowled at me and went back to playing with his pasta.

For desert, my mom made strawberry sundaes and we wolfed them down greedily even though we were already stuffed. We both thanked her sincerely for the great meal.

“We’ll wash the dishes, Mrs. Thompson,” Jesse offered as he licked his desert spoon clean.

“Oh, that’s so sweet of you, Jesse, darling. But really, all this stuff is just going into the dishwasher...”

“We’ll take care of it, mom,” I assured her, wanting to win a few brownie points for myself.

It really seemed to make my mom happy, and she excused herself to watch some TV in the den. It was after seven now, and she was expecting the guy from the church to show up at any minute.

We were just finishing loading the dishwasher when we heard the rumble of a truck coming up the driveway. I flipped the outside lights on, and Jesse and I went out to see what looked like a brand new, black Chevy pick-up truck backing into our driveway. Last year, it had been an old retired man in a beat up Ford. From the back of his head, this guy looked a lot younger.

When the rear of the truck was a couple of yards from our pile of stuff, the guy turned the engine off. The cab door opened and a surprisingly young looking guy stepped out. Dressed in black jeans, a tight white T-shirt, and a light, unbuttoned denim jacket, this guy took my breath away! Glancing over at Jesse, I think he was equally impressed. This kid looked barely old enough to drive. He had long, light blond hair that was combed back off his forehead and away from his ears. He had the sexiest eyes and full red lips. When he smiled shyly in greeting, he had dimples, and his bright white teeth made Kyle look like an also ran. And the way he walked--like a guy, a really confident guy with a totally awesome pick-up truck--was just oozing with coolness.

“Hey guys, I’m Jason--Jason Tarentino,” he said, giving a little wave. “I’m picking stuff up for the St. Agnus rummage sale.”

“Hey,” I managed to stammer. “I’m Perry--this is Jesse.”

“Cool. What's up?” he crooned.

“That sure is a great looking truck,” I said admiringly.

“You like it?” he asked, and I could tell he was proud. “My dad got it for me when I turned sixteen--which was just a couple of weeks ago. It’s an eight cylinder--really kicks ass!” He smacked the side of the vehicle with obvious pride. “The only thing that sucks is, because of the new laws, I can’t drive any of my friends around until I’m seventeen.”

“Bummer,” I agreed.

“So this rummage sale thing not only gives me a chance to get my community service points, it also gives me a chance to give this baby a work out!”

“I’d love to ride in it sometime!” I blurted out, belatedly realizing I must sound like a ten year old.

“Maybe next year dude,” he said, and something about the way he said it told me that he was serious.

“Where do you go to school?” Jesse asked.

Jason turned to really look at Jesse for the first time and--was it my imagination or did his eyes momentarily pop out of his head? I must be turning into a homophobe, I chided myself--all of a sudden, I see gay people everywhere!

“Holy Trinity,” he answered, “ I’m a sophomore.”

”Cool. Perry and I are at St. Boniface.”

”Hey, so you guys might be coming to H. T. next year?” he asked, actually sounding excited by the idea.

Jesse shrugged noncommittally. “Maybe if I can get a scholarship or something...” he added hopefully.

“I’m definitely there,” I jumped in. “I want to play for the Warriors.”

“You play basketball?” Jason asked excitedly.

“Perry was the second highest scorer at the game yesterday!” Jesse boasted.

Good old Jesse. I couldn’t have said it myself, but I was kinda glad he did. For some reason, I really wanted to make an impression on this guy. There was just something about him...Did I mention that he was like, really, really cool...?

“That’s great. Congratulations!” Jason actually high fived me and he nearly knocked me over. “Whoa, sorry about that!” he laughed.

“S’okay,” I muttered with embarrassment.

“So you play basketball?” Jesse jumped in, coming to my rescue.

“I play for the JV team, but they suck this year," he shook his head. "But I’m more a musician than a jock." He shrugged and grinned. "We could sure use some fresh blood on the team, Perry!” he added.

There was something about this guy, like he was casting a spell over us or something. I felt like I wanted to hang out with him all night.

"What instrument do you play?" I managed to ask.

"Trumpet at school, but mainly guitar..."

Just then, my mom came out.

“Oh, hello there. I’m Mrs. Thompson. Thank you so much for coming.”

Jason actually gave a little bow of respect before flashing his brighty whites at my mom.

“Hey there, Mrs. T. I’m Jason. Just been talking to your boys here.”

“Only this one’s mine,” she said pointing to me. “The good looking one belongs to someone else!”

“Mom,” I groaned, but everyone else had a good laugh at my expense--even Jesse, who didn’t seem to mind being called ‘good looking’ in front of Jason.

“I’d say they’re both on their way to being lady killers,” Jason laughed. “Oh, no offense, Mrs. Thompson,” he apologized sheepishly.

“No need to apologize--I was going to say the same thing about you!” my mom smiled modestly. I think even she was caught up in this guy’s magical spell.

“So, I guess I’ll just load all this up. I have a couple more stops to make before I unload this stuff at the church.”

“Well, you’re a sweet, sweet boy to be doing such a good deed,” my mom insisted. “Will you be there tomorrow?”

”Nah, I have to go out of town with my folks tomorrow, but I was telling these guys I might see them at Holy Trinity next year!”

“That is, if they can get through this year first!” my mom laughed. “I’ll leave you boys to it then. Thanks so much, Jason.” My mom gave him a little wave, patted Jesse and me on our heads like two little kids, and went back inside.

“You’re mom’s pretty cool,” Jason said with a smile.

“Sometimes...” I admitted grudgingly.

“Give me a hand,” he said, as he started lifting the furniture into the back of his truck. Jesse and I joined in with a vengeance, both of us with strange little smiles on our faces the whole time. We were making a little game out of staring at Jason when he wasn’t looking. Jesse’s eyes widened noticeably when Jason, with his back to us, leaned over to pick up one of the boxes, his jacket lifting high enough for us to catch a good glimpse of his ass straining against the seat of his tight jeans. I nudged him and scolded him with my eyes. The thing of it was, I could have sworn that Jason was throwing little glances our way when he thought we weren’t looking! But like I said, that could’ve been my imagination.

“How come I’ve never seen you at church?” I asked curiously.

“Oh, I’m there almost every week. I’m on the Youth Worship team--I play guitar!”

“Oh, that must be on Saturday evenings!” I said.

“You guys go on Sunday?” he asked.

“Well, I kinda have to, ‘cause my mom’s in the choir.”

”Cool,” he acknowledged. What about you, Jesse?” he asked.

I had to admit, I was getting a little uptight here. Whether or not Jason was that way or not, there was no question that he was a total teenage hunk! While I couldn’t deny being smitten, It seemed like Jesse was practically thunderstruck. I noticed him blush every time Jason spoke directly to him.

“Oh, I...er...usually don’t go. My mom works a lot and...”

”Well, if you guys do decide to show up, please come over and say ‘hi.’ I’ll introduce you to the rest of the team. We practice every week and play three services a month, plus at some special youth event type things.”

“Jesse’s a great singer!” I had to interject.

“Really?” Jason said with open admiration. Jesse just blushed harder than ever. “You should definitely come by then. We’re always looking for good singers. I mean, some kids, they think they can sing but...” He shook his head and made a face.

We all laughed, and finished loading up the last of the boxes.

At that point, there wasn’t really any more reason for Jason to stick around, so he gave us both a smile and a firm handshake, and got back into his truck. After he turned the engine over and it roared to life, he stuck his head out the window. “It was really cool meeting you two--Perry, Jesse. Hope I see you guys around!”

We just waved, silly awestruck grins on our young teenage faces. We still stood there even after Jason’s truck pulled out of the driveway and disappeared down the street. Even after the roar of the engine completely vanished, we were still standing there.

Finally, I had to ask. “Is he...?”

“I don’t know--but I can wish!”

I was a little surprised that Jesse didn’t seem to have the guy pegged. Besides, I could have sworn that Jason was checking us out as much as we were him.

“Whatever he is, he’s like one of the coolest guys I’ve ever met!” I said with geeky admiration.

Jesse just nodded silently, still gazing off into the darkened street.

 

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