Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 08:13:36 -0500 From: Jeff Allen Subject: Love of a Lifetime Part 27 This is a fictional story dealing with love and consensual sexual activities between males. If you are not of legal age, reside in an area where viewing such material is illegal, or are offended by homosexuality and/or homosexual themes, leave this site now. The author retains all rights to this story. No reproductions or links to other sites are allowed without the permission of the author. Note: I owe a special thanks to Robb for doing the final proofreading and catching all those silly little errors that I missed. LOVE OF A LIFETIME PART 27 Jason looked like he'd been crying for hours. His eyes were puffy and red; his complexion was blotchy. Larsen pushed his way past me and sniffed Jason's hand before starting his tail wagging look-how-cute-I-am routine. Jason bent down and scratched Larsen's ears. "Is this Larsen?" "The one and only. You look awful, man. Are you okay?" He followed me into the apartment. "I need to talk to someone..." He stopped when he saw Ron sitting on the couch. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you had company." "It's okay. Come on in. Jason, this is Ron Kestler. Ron, Jason Sherman." Ron stood up and shook Jason's hand. "You look familiar. Aren't you one of the campus cops?" "Campus Security, yes. I've talked to you before." "Yeah, about C.Z.'s troubles and the gay bashings." I guided Jason to the other side of the couch. He accepted the offer of a beer, and as I handed it to him I said, "What's going on, Jason. I thought you'd be at home in Charlotte for the summer." He hung his head. "I was, but I'm not sure I have a home any more. He threw me out." "Who threw you out?" "My father." "Why?" Jason looked over at Ron trying to decide if he wanted to explain. Ron saw the hesitation. "Jason, it's okay. I'm not in uniform. I came here tonight to share some really personal things with C.Z. I'll leave if you want." "Yes. I...I mean no." He leaned forward, covered his face with his hands, and started to cry. "I don't know what I want. It's all happened so fast." Like we were of a single mind, Ron and I moved to the couch and drew Jason into a hug. He cried into my chest for a couple of minutes before pulling back. "I thought I was cried out. Guess not. That beer really went to my head. Do you have something to eat? I haven't had anything since breakfast." Ron stood up. "I think we all need something. I'll go get a pizza from Antonio's. What do you want on it?" "Anything but anchovies." Jason smiled for the first time. "Yeah, no anchovies." "You got it. I'll be back in about twenty minutes." We listened to Ron's footsteps going down the stairs. I sat down next to Jason on the couch. "I think Ron left so you could tell me what happened. What's going on?" "C.Z., you were right about me two years ago. I'm gay. I've been denying it for years." I put my arm around his shoulder. "Is that why your dad threw you out?" "He came into my room this afternoon. I was jacking off, and I had some gay porn up on my computer. It was bad enough when he saw me 'abusing' myself as he called it. When he saw the picture up on the computer screen, he went crazy. He asked if I was queer. I told him I was gay. He called me every name in the book. Told me I was going to burn in Hell for my sins, and that I wasn't his son anymore. He told me to get all of my stuff out of the house and never come back." "What about your mother?" "She didn't say anything. She wouldn't even look at me as I was loading my stuff in the car. I didn't know what to do. I have no place to stay. I was working for dad's church so I don't have a job anymore either. I couldn't go to any of my friends 'cause dad said he was going to call all of them and tell them I'm a queer. He'll do it too. I've seen him do this before to someone in the church. He called him a sodomite from the pulpit during church. Ordered the guy to get out of God's House. I knew you were staying up here this summer. You were the only person I could think of that wouldn't turn me away. Oh, God, I've made a mess of everything." He started crying again. I hugged him again and rocked back and forth. "Shhh. You didn't screw up anything. You're no different now than you were yesterday. You just know yourself a little better. It takes a lot of guts to admit that you're gay." "What am I going to do? I don't have a home." "You can stay here for a while. Do you have money?" "Yeah, I think I'm okay there. I've got the football scholarship. That'll pay for tuition and most of my share of the rent...that is if my roommates will have me in the apartment after they find out I'm gay." We talked quietly until Ron returned with two pizzas and another six pack of beer. We consumed the first pizza in about five minutes. No one said anything. We were all too hungry. Jason ate like he hadn't had anything for weeks. Larsen sat attentively next to the table hoping that part of a pizza would decide to jump off the table onto the floor. "Jason, you need to tell Ron what happened to you today. He's been working on the gay bashings, and I think hearing your story might give him some new ideas." I thought that Jason's admitting his sexuality would move him a lot farther down on Ron's list of possible suspects. At the same time, I didn't want Jason to know that he was one of the suspects. Jason looked from me to Ron and then back to me. I thought he might start crying again. I reached over and took his hand. "Trust me, Jason." He swallowed hard. "Ron, My parents found out that I'm gay, and they threw me out." To his credit, Ron realized that Jason thought he was outing himself to a straight guy. He reached over and took Jason's other hand. "Jason, it's okay. I'm gay too. I told C.Z. tonight. That was one of the things we were talking about before you came." You could see the relief on Jason's face. He started telling us his story. He talked about having feelings for guys beginning back in junior high that he had tried to repress. Deep down he knew he was gay, but he kept denying it. He told Ron about our being roommates freshman year and how he and I had begun masturbating together and later had oral sex. He told us about getting drunk with Brad Miller and some other guys and mistakenly talking about getting head from me. Of course Brad had been all over that like flies on shit so Jason felt he would be labeled a queer by Brad unless he changed roommates. He talked about our argument that night and how that had led me to 'out' myself to Brad and half the guys on the floor in my anger. Ron saw an opening and took it. "Tell me about Brad Miller. What's he like? "Brad's real strange. It was like he was angry all the time. He always put people down. I thought it was kind of clever and macho at first, but it got old in a hurry. He also snores like no one I've ever known." I laughed. "Yeah, Justin had to by ear plugs when he was rooming with Brad. You had to get some too, didn't you?" He smiled. "Sure did. Man, that guy could make noise. I didn't get any sleep for a couple of nights until I got the ear plugs. Once I had the plugs, I could still hear him, but I couldn't hear my alarm clock. I missed a whole lot of morning classes that year. I think Brad was actually proud of his snoring. Like he was a big macho man because of it. One time I woke up, and I could hear his snoring through the ear plugs, but when I looked over at his bed, he wasn't there. It was a tape recorder! Brad came back in a couple of minutes later. I asked him why he had a tape of his snoring, and he got real mad at me. Told me to mind my own business. Weird! I was glad when Brad decided to move into an apartment the next year. He asked me to go in with him, but I lied and said that my folks wanted me to stay in the dorm for another year. I was kind of tired of him by then." Jason looked over at me. "C.Z., you have to believe me that I felt awful about what was happening to you and Justin. Brad though it was just great. Said he hoped you two would leave school because of all the problems. I should have said something, but I didn't. I just kept my mouth shut so he wouldn't suspect me. I'm so ashamed." I put my hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "It's okay, man. You weren't ready to deal with it then. We all come out differently." Ron chuckled. "Bad pun, C.Z. But what he's saying is true, Jason. I'm a couple years older than you guys, and tonight's the first night I've ever told anyone that I'm gay. I've known for a long time, but I haven't been able say it out loud. What happened to you when your folks found out doesn't make me feel any easier. My folks and I have always gotten along real well, but I don't know how they would handle finding out that their only son is gay." "I hope they do better than mine." "Yeah, so do I." Ron paused, and then brought the subject back around to Brad Miller. "Jason, how many times did Brad use that tape recorder with the snoring on it?" "I don't know for sure. I'm a real sound sleeper, and I don't wake up easily in the morning. There were at least three more times during the year when I woke up and that tape was on. I didn't say anything to Brad the other times 'cause he'd gotten so upset and mad the first time." "Did any of those times correspond with the acts of vandalism?" I saw the light dawn on Jason's face. "Oh, I see what you mean. No, none of those were times when there was vandalism, but I guess he could have used it other times, but I just didn't happen to wake up. Like I said, I'm a pretty sound sleeper." By that time the pizzas and the second six pack of beer were gone. I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. Jason yawned. "Okay, guys. It's time to call it a night. Ron, after all these beers, it might be a good idea for you to stay here tonight." He yawned and chuckled at the same time. "Thanks. I don't think the brass would like to read about one of their security officers being picked up for DUI. Where do you want me to crash?" "We've got Justin's bed and the couch. You guys decide." Jason volunteered. "It looks like I might be camping in Justin's room for the next couple of weeks, Ron. So I'll take the couch tonight and let you have the bed." I let Larsen out for his nightly round of sniffing bushes and tree trunks and found some sheets for the couch. It was a warm night so I didn't think Jason would get cold on the couch with just sheets. Larsen returned from his trip to the doggie bathroom; I gave both Ron and Jason a hug before disappearing into my bedroom. Larsen looked like he was having trouble deciding what to do. I knew his scheming dog mind was trying to figure out whether he would have better luck suckering Jason or Ron into sharing their bed with him. I left my door open a crack so he could come back into his bed in my room if his hopes for sharing a bed with a warm human didn't pan out. ********** The next morning I rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of running shorts. I checked the dog bed. Empty. Larsen had snookered either Ron or Jason into being a doggie pillow. I relieved my bladder and padded out into the kitchen to start some coffee. Jason was alone on the couch. That meant Larsen was in with Ron. Jason was lying on his back with one arm thrown over his eyes. The sheets were down below his waist but still covering his cock and balls. I looked at him for a while as the coffee was brewing. His body was more muscular than when we were freshmen. He had more definition in his pecs and abs, and it looked like he'd added a couple inches to his biceps. His left bicep sported a chain tattoo that circled his arm just below the deltoid muscle. Man, I wonder what his dad had said about that! The treasure trail of hair from his naval down to where it disappeared under the sheet was thicker than I remembered and now extended up to join the hair between his pecs. Larsen emerged from the bedroom and went over to the door. I opened the door, and he bounded down the steps to check the trees and bushes for signs that some other dog might be horning in on his territory. I heard the toilet flush, and turned around just as Ron emerged from the bathroom dressed in a pair of plaid boxers and scratching his well developed stomach muscles. I tried not to be too obvious in checking Ron out as he moved into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. His chest muscles were nicely rounded and covered with a scattering of dark brown hair. The hair came together under his pecs to form a line that traveled down the middle of his abs, flared out to surround his belly button, and then narrowed again before disappearing under the waist band of his boxers. His thighs and calves were thicker than I had realized before and densely covered with hair. His face, arms, and lower legs were tanned, but the rest of his body wasn't. "Do I pass inspection?" I hadn't been as subtle as I'd thought. "Sorry. I like looking at men's bodies." "Me too. Once I get my eyes open with some coffee I'll be checking you out." I nodded my head toward the sleeping beauty on the couch. Ron smiled. "Yeah, I'll check him out too." "Hope Larsen didn't hog the bed last night." "He was a perfect gentleman and didn't take more than his fair share. Let me make breakfast to say thanks for letting me crash here last night." I showed him where things were in the kitchen, and he set to work breaking eggs into a bowl and chopping up onions and peppers for an omelet. Larsen appeared at the screen door along with Gary Williams dressed in his Spiderman PJ's. I motioned for Gary to come in. "Hey, Tiger. What's up?" "Hi, C.Z. My dad said it was too damn early to be out of bed. I saw Larsen out in the yard. I knew that meant you were up. Can I come in?" "You're already in, Tiger. This is Ron Kestler. Ron, this is Gary Williams, my landlords' son." Ron stopped his chopping for a second to reach down and shake Gary's hand. "Hi, Gary. Nice to meet you." "Who's that?" Gary indicated Jason on the couch. "That's Jason Sherman. He sleeps soundly." Gary turned his attention to Ron's omelet preparations. "Whatcha making?" "An omelet for breakfast. Do you want some?" "I don't like those green things you're putting in it." He turned to me "Can I have some Cheerios like the other day?" "Sure. You can have those if you want, but I bought some Froot Loops the other day just for you." "Oh, wow! Thanks, C.Z.!" He gave me a quick hug around my waist and then climbed into a chair at the table. "I'm really hungry. Can I have some now?" I fixed a bowl of the nasty sweet Froot Loops for him as Ron poured the omelet mix into the frying pan. Ron and I were finishing our omelets and our second cup of coffee and little Gary was on his third bowl of Froot Loops when Jason began stirring on the couch. He sat up stretching and yawning. Still without opening his eyes fully, he grabbed his underwear and shorts from the floor beside the couch and carried them with him on his way to the bathroom with his morning erection waving proudly in front. All of us watched his progress across the living room. Little Gary was the first to speak. "He's circle scribed just like you, C.Z." "The word is circumcised, Tiger. Now eat your Froot Loops." Ron laughed so hard I thought he was going to snort coffee right up his nose. ********** After cleaning up the breakfast dishes, Ron took a shower and got ready to head home for a while before going back on campus for his afternoon shift with Campus Security. "Are you working on Sunday afternoon also?" "No, Sunday's my day off, then I go back on the day shift for the next two weeks. Why?" "Well, I'm going to be house sitting for Doc Griffith for the next couple of weeks. He's got a great private place out in the country with a hot tub. I thought you might like to come out in the afternoon, stay for dinner, drink some beers, soak in the hot tub. That sort of thing." His face lit up. "I'd really like that. I'll bring the beer. Will it be both you and Jason?" "Yeah, I think I've got a roommate for the next couple of weeks." "Great. Give me some directions and the time." I scribbled directions to Doc's house on a piece of paper. "How's four?" He took the directions. "Thanks. See you then." ********** After Ron left, Jason and I unloaded the stuff from his car and found places for it in Justin's room. It didn't take long to unload. All he had basically was clothes and a computer. Most of his stuff was in a storage garage he and his roommates had rented so they wouldn't have to haul everything back to their homes in the spring and bring it back up to Adams in August when their apartment became available. While we were carrying stuff up the stairs, Kathy Williams came out side looking for Gary. I introduced her to Jason and told her he would be staying with me for a couple of weeks. We didn't go into the reason why he was there, and she didn't ask. When we got Jason's stuff squared away, he and I and Larsen went out for a jog. After taking showers and getting cleaned up I asked Jason to ride out to Doc's with me. I needed to take the data from last night's tests out to Doc and get final instructions on taking care of the house for the next two weeks. I also wanted Jason to have a chance to talk with Matt, but I didn't tell him that until we were pulling into the driveway. Jason got real nervous when I told him about talking with Matt Stevenson, but the nervousness quickly evaporated with the humorous scene that greeted us when we pulled into Doc and Matt's yard. Doc was mowing the grass. He had a pair of work boots and socks on his feet, a set of sound deadening ear protectors on his head, and nothing else. I thought Jason's jaw was going to drop off when he saw Doc. I pulled up to the house. Doc shut off the lawnmower and started walking toward us. He and Matt had been expecting me to come out so he didn't react to Jason's presence right away. When he finally noticed Jason getting out of the car, he stopped for a second before shrugging his shoulders and giving me the finger. "I'll get you back for that one, C.Z. I didn't expect you'd be bringing out company." I was laughing so hard, I could hardly make the introductions. Doc and Jason shook hands just as Matt came out of the house. He had on a pair of thin cotton gym shorts. It was obvious that he'd been working out in the yard when I'd pulled in and had ducked inside to pull on the shorts because his body was covered with sweat but the shorts were still dry. By the time he'd walked from the house to the driveway to greet us, his sweat was starting to penetrate through the thin fabric of the shorts outlining his cock and balls. Matt stuck out his hand. "Jason, you're about the last person I'd expect to see out here. I see you've just met my ever modest partner, the always properly attired Dr. Griffith." Doc flipped him the bird. "What brings you out here?" Jason was tongue tied so I broke in. "Jason showed up at my place last night. I thought it'd be a good idea for you two to have a little talk while Doc and I go over the data from the last samples." Matt's a quick study. "I see. Okay, Jason, let's you and me go in the house, have a beer, and you can tell me what's going on. C.Z., I was doing the trimming while Gary was mowing. You can finish that while Jason and I talk." Like I said. He's quick. As Matt and Jason disappeared into the house, Doc fixed me with an evil grin. "Don't think I won't remember this. I'll get you back." "Hey, is it my fault that you couldn't hear the car? If you're going to be mowing your yard naked, then you're going to be embarrassed some times." "You enjoyed that! Just remember, payback is hell. Get going with the trimmer. I'm almost done with the mowing, then I'm going to sit down and have a beer. YOU can't have one until the trimming's done. Hop to it!" "Yes, sir!" I gave a mock salute as Doc turned back to the lawn mower. I finished the trimming just as Doc turned off the mower and started maneuvering it into the tool shed. I handed him the trimmer, and he put it in it's place on the wall. He asked what was up with Jason. He knew we had been roommates and that Jason's wanting me to move out had led to my being outed to the other guys on the floor. I told him that Jason had been struggling with his sexuality for some time, that his parents had found out and had kicked him out of the house, and that he'd shown up at my door last night. "Do you think Jason could have had anything to do with the attacks on you and the other guys?" I was emphatic. "No. He was confused, not mean." "Okay, good enough for me. Let's go see what Matt and he have figured out." Doc put a sweaty arm around my shoulder and we headed toward the house. Jason and Matt were sitting in chairs out on the deck under the shade of a tree. They were facing one another, and Jason had his face buried in Matt's chest. It looked like Jason was crying. Matt was rubbing his back. Doc and I went into the living room so we wouldn't disturb them. We talked about the data from the last set of samples. Doc thought for a while, and then we talked through the research strategy for the next couple of weeks. He wanted me to run the same samples with a different set of standards and to repeat several of our other samples the same way. It was going to keep me busy in the lab, but the results just might give us the answers he'd been looking for. Matt and Jason came in. Matt had his arm around Jason whose eyes were red from crying. "Jason and I are going to have some lunch. You guys want something?" Matt and Doc bustled around in the kitchen throwing together some sandwiches while Jason and I set the table. "Are you okay?" I whispered as we worked. "Yeah, I'm fine. Coach Stevenson...I mean Matt helped me work through a few problems. I think things will be okay. Thanks for bringing me out here." We must have made a humorous picture at lunch. Red-eyed Jason was still dressed in his cargo shorts and tee shirt; I was in just a pair of shorts and tennis shoes having taken off my shirt before using the trimmer; Matt had on just the thin gray cotton gym shorts, and Doc was still naked as a jay bird except for his work boots. A couple of times I noticed Jason checking out both Doc and Matt. A good sign that his mind was moving away from his own troubles. We had just finished lunch when Mark and Jamal pulled into the driveway in their big Chevy Suburban. Matt introduced Jason to Mark and Jamal. I could tell that Jason was impressed with meeting Mark. He had been one of the best quarterbacks in the university's history, so his name was still mentioned often. Jamal shook Jason's hand. "Are you family?" Poor Jason had no idea how to answer. Matt came to his rescue. "Jamal's asking if you're gay like the rest of us." Jason nodded. Jamal quickly drew him into a bear hug. "Oh good! I just love hunky white football players, especially gay ones. I've got me one right now, but I might find a better one if I keep looking." Mark stepped up and rescued Jason from Jamal's embrace. "Don't pay any attention to him, Jason. He's all bark and no bite...well, maybe sometimes he bites." "And you love it, baby. Are you guys ready to roll. I'm on vacation! First time I've been able to get away from the store for what seems like months. I'm ready to party!" Doc sent Jason and me back into town to pick up some food. He also told us to pack some clothes and plan to stay out with them that night. We picked up the groceries, grabbed a change of clothes and toothbrushes, loaded Larsen into my truck, and headed back out to Doc and Matt's. All four of them were naked and in the hot tub when we got back. Jason and I joined them in about twenty seconds. I think Jason was a little shy at first being buck naked with a bunch of guys that he knew were gay, but he came out of that particular shell after the first beer. We stayed naked the rest of the afternoon and evening. Doc grilled some steaks. Mark fixed baked potatoes and salad. We moved in and out of the hot tub, did some light exercises on Doc and Matt's Nautilus machine, had a contest to see who could tell the worst queer joke, and drank beer. That night, Jason and I were on the sleeper sofa in the living room. We could hear Mark and Jamal's bed upstairs bouncing against the floor. Jason started to giggle. I joined him. Soon we were hugging and laughing until the tears ran down our faces. Suddenly he stopped laughing. "C.Z., will you hold me like you did that one night?" "Sure, buddy. Come here." He turned his back. I snuggled up behind him and gently rubbed his neck and shoulders until he fell asleep. (To be continued)