Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 21:05:15 -0600 From: Cody Kramer Subject: As Long As You Love Me Okay so just to give everyone a bit of background info, this is my first major piece of writing that I'm submitting for the public to read. I'm taking a shot to see what peers of my own age think of my writing instead of my teachers. My story does include homosexual relationships just cause I have that kind of time on my hands this summer. If you don't really appreciate or like male to male relationships then you are free to leave and not read on. If you do turn out to like this story then please send me some feed back, I'd very much appreciate it. Thanks and enjoy. My email: all-star07@hotmail.com The following story is fiction, and is not meant to reflect anyone's lifestyle in anyway. "Who ever said ignorance was bliss knew what they were talking about." "Wow that was random, what are you talking about Bri?" "Well think about it, remember back to when you were sixteen..." "Oh I do, sixteen was a good year for me back in high school." "Okay, I so didn't need to hear that, Bryt." Brytany is one of my closest friends, we've been practically like brother and sister since we met sophomore year in high school but sometimes she can be rather annoying or sarcastic or both at the same time when you're trying to tell her something. "Oh my god I'm just kidding Brian, you know I don't roll like that hun." "Yeah okay." Now it was my turn to be sarcastic and annoying. "I'm serious!" "Sure you are, Brytany, sure you are." "Oh shut up and just continue with what you were saying." "Yeah before you so rudely interrupted me." "Bitch please, just say it." "Okay, well when you were sixteen everything just seemed so easy right? You don't have a clue about the real world and the only thing you had to worry about was what outfit you were going to wear to school tomorrow." "Um hun, only you worried about that." "Hey you can't blame me, I always have to look good, you know that and hey if you actually cared about what you wore then well maybe you wouldn't look so...trashy." "Fuck you! You're such an ass." "Omg Bryt, I was just kidding!" "Omg? Oh my god don't start speaking in IM now." "Who me? Nfw." "What the hell does that even mean?" "No fucking way" "Why not just say it then?" "Cause then that wouldn't be me." "Yeah, okay." "Hey that's my saying!" "Nope it's mine, you just started saying it." "What ever can we just get out of here?" I guess I should tell you all a little bit about me. Well my name is Brian, and I work at Starbucks on Monroe Ave. I live in Corvallis, Oregon but am dyeing to go someplace more exciting like Ohio or New York City, anywhere but here. I'm 24 years old, dirty blond hair, with kind of a navy cut, short on the sides and the back, but growin out my bangs a bit. I'm about 5'10 and I always wear my cloths baggy. Today is my day off and me and Brytany decided to spend the day together. Basically just talking and walking around, nothing to exciting. "You know what I think?" "Um not usually Bri, I try not to get into your head." "Omg, bryt do me a favor and just listen." "Not until you stop saying `omg'" "As I was saying, I think I have the world's worst taste in men." "Why do you think that?" "Well c'mon just look at my ex's. I haven't had a real boyfriend since I was sixteen and they were all losers." "You've only dated two guys." "Yeah and they were both ass holes." "True." "Jason was a definite mistake and Josh well, another really bad mistake." Jason and Josh were both two guys I dated during my sophomore year. Jason was my brother's friend and well he basically cheated on me and Josh was someone Brytany hooked me up with who, after a month of dating, left me for another girl. "Hey, you were happy with Josh remember? It wasn't gonna last forever and you knew that." "Yeah but I was hoping it would." "You just need to find another guy." "If that was so easy, do you think we would be having this conversation?" "Okay you got me there." "I just think my problem is that I think basically everyone is good, but then I fall for them right away, and then I get my heart broken." "Oh god, you stole that from a movie!" "So not the point Bryt! The point is that I just want to find someone." "You will, just give it time." "Men are just complicated, you never know what to do to make them happy, you think I would know since I am a guy." "Yeah but you're a gay guy." "So?" "So you're definitely not like other men." "Yeah, that's true. Anyways I'm gonna head home, do you need a lift?" "Nope I'm good, just gonna go meet up with Kyle and Jason." "Why do still talk to Jason?" Brytany and Jason were always friends, and yeah I'm talking about my ex Jason. Even though they dated they were still good friends, which I don't see how. "Cause he's my friend, just because you hate him doesn't mean I have to." "Yeah, okay." "Oh just shut up and go!" "I'm already gone girl, see you later." While driving home I replayed the conversation I just had with Brytany over again in my head. Maybe I wasn't like other men but I still was one. And since I'm gay I should know exactly how to be in a relationship. It wasn't till I got home that I realized that no one knows how to be in a relationship. Now I'm not rich considering my job title, but I do live in a pretty fancy place. I live up on the top floor of the only condo building in my small little town, over looking the river down below. The sun sets to the west so I could only watch the sun rise from my balcony. When I got home, I tossed my keys aside, kicked off my shoes, read my email, and watched some TV. Not exactly a thrilling lifestyle, I know but when you're a single bachelor like me, this is what life was like. As the sun was setting, I decided to head out onto my balcony and watch the stars come out. The moon was just beginning to rise over the river and a few stars already littered the sky. I was practically zoning out when I heard a muffled but steady tone coming from the ground below. I looked down and saw a young man, about my age, walking along the river side, singing a tune that I couldn't quite make out. He had an amazing voice and I found myself entranced by his voice, though he was no rock star, he had the talent to be one. Without a second thought I raced down the steps and out the front door of my building. When I hit the sidewalk I looked around but I couldn't see him anywhere, it was kind of like he disappeared. Feeling a bit disappointed, I turned and went to head back in, and then I realized, I forgot my keys to get back in. "Oh fuck!" I almost shouted. Soon after I said it, I heard someone cough from behind me. I turned to see who it was and then I came face to face to what I thought was someone who just came from a pop star tour bus or something. He had on baggy jeans, white skate boarder shoes, a black muscle shirt, and short brown hair with blond high lights and his bangs were spiked up in the front, and he had a piercing in his left ear, just like me, leave it to me to notice something like that. I just stared at him, never had I seen a guy who was that cute. After a few awkward moments I realized I had to say something, but I couldn't bring myself to do so. "Um hi, are you okay?" "Huh? Oh yeah I'm fine sorry, just locked myself out." Somehow I managed to get that out, I felt like a dork. He just laughed a bit and smiled as he went to unlock the door to the building. "You live here?" "Yeah, third floor." "Sweet, I live just one floor above you." "Sweet." "How long have you been living here? I don't think I've ever seen you around before." "Not long, just moved in last week. It's only temporary though, I don't plan to stay here all that long." "Got plans to be somewhere else?" "Yeah, you could say that. Well I guess I'll see you later." "Yeah, definitely." He started to walk away and I was just about to turn away when he spoke again. "Hey, by the way, what's your name?" "Brian." He reached out to shake my hand. "Good to meet you Brian." "Yeah, you too." And then he turned to walk away again. "Hey wait." I said, making him face me once more. "What's your name?" "Do you really want to know?" "Yeah I do." "Then you're just going to have to see me again to find out." He smiled and then went into his apartment. I just stood there, dumbfounded, completely at a loss for what to say, which for me was a first. My mind was racing and my heart felt like it would fly out of my chest. For the first time in my life I felt generally clueless. "What just happened?" I wondered aloud, before finally turning to head up to my floor. That night as I tried to fall asleep, I kept thinking of him, the mystery man, wondering if he was for real. Even though he said we would, I doubted I would ever see him again. But man was I ever so wrong.