Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 02:55:33 -0400
From: Markheaven Tshuma <tshumam@wlu.edu>
Subject: They Say- Chapter 28,29

Chapter 28

	**General disclaimer: please do not continue if you underage or in
an area where reading this would be problematic. **

	**They say that all good things must come to end. I say that all
the best things always return. Enjoy the two parts.**

	Denton- I wasn't ready for any of it. I just wasn't. I stood there
like a zombie as my brother and Luke stood facing each other, saying things
like `forever' and `always.' I wasn't ready. I hadn't prepared myself.
	Just minutes ago, Luke and I were in the car together, my head bent
over his hard cock, slurping it up like I hadn't eaten in weeks. He was
over me, telling me that's how he liked it- telling me I was the best he'd
ever had. And I sat there watching him vow to be faithful and true to my
brother, a sick feeling filled my insides and I felt like everything I had
ever known was crushing in on me.
	Mitchell shot me a look of concern and I tried my best to look as
relaxed and nonchalant as possible. I tried.
	Then it was over. Luke and Bri kissed and hugged. They walked past
Mitchell and I with tears in their eyes. Bri smiled at me.
	Mitchell and I followed at a pace far enough away that we could
whisper to each other without my brother or his hearing.
	"That's cute isn't it?" he asked quietly.
	"I guess."
	"I want that someday." I didn't say anything to that
statement. Mitch looked at me. "Do you want that someday?"
	"Of course," I replied quickly. "Everyone does."
	He slowed down. "Do you?"
	I didn't say anything. Did I? I wasn't sure. I always thought I
would have that but with a church full of friends and family, a wife in a
white dress and a home awaiting us after the honeymoon. Seeing my brother
walk down the aisle hand in hand with another man made me think that that
wasn't the only scenario there was. I don't know why, but it worried me a
little.
	"Yeah," I replied with very little confidence. "I guess I do want
that someday."

	Zach- "Zach," he said when I was finished spilling my guts. I
braced myself. "Zach, I appreciate everything you just said, I really do."
My heart sank. "And I wish that there was a way that we could work this
out, I really, truly wish that there was." My heart sank even deeper. "And
I'm really sorry."
	"You don't have to say anything else," I interrupted trying to end
the torture as soon as possible.
	"Zach, she's coming to live with me."
	I was stunned. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to
react to that. I couldn't get mad at that. His wife was coming to live with
him so they could work things out for them and their daughter. How could I
get mad at that?
	"Well," I said. I cleared my throat. "That's great."
	"You don't have to..." he began.
	"That's great," I repeated, cutting him off. "I really mean
that. And, you know, whatever I said just now, even though I meant every
word, doesn't necessarily mean that I thought we should get back together."
	"I know," he replied.
	"And the best thing for both of us is for you to work things out
with your wife and child and fix your family and for me to move on."
	"I know," he replied.
	"And I wish I had called you a long time ago."
	"I know."
	"I do love you, Chris."
	"I know."

	Jesse- "They're asses aren't they?" I said fueling him on.
	"Hell yes, they are. I mean, really. Who leads someone on for
months when truly, deep down inside they know for a fact that they don't
feel the same? That's just cruel."
	"Cruel."
	"And I will not be played for a fool anymore," he continued.
	"And you shouldn't be."
	"I'm smarter than they think, you know?"
	"Oh, I know."
	"And I am going to go back there and tell Zach and Charles and
maybe even that little Italian boy what's on my mind. I'm gonna tell them
that they can take their cocks and shove them."
	"Mmm, no you aren't," I said softly.
	"What?" he stopped quickly.
	"You aren't going back there to yell at them."
	"Why not?" he looked so cute when was confused.
	"Let me tell you something, Shane." He nodded. "When I lived with
Charles I learned a very important lesson. Do you want to know what that
lesson was?"
	"Yes," he replied.
	"Reciprocity."
	"Which means?"
	"Which means that I get even at every opportunity. I mean, take
Brooklyn, for instance. I knew all along that he was cheating on me with
Charles. Did I make a fool of myself by doing something stupid? No, I
didn't. Instead, I let them think I didn't know and when the time was
right, I struck. And I embarrassed them both in front of a room full of
people."
	"But you were drunk, and from where I stood, it was you who..."
	"Listening time," I said forcefully. "Now you have a chance here to
get truly even with not only Zach, for the obvious reason of hurting you,
but with Charles, for no other reason than that he passed you off to his
friend like you were a pack of cheap cigarettes."
	"He did pass me off to Zach."
	"See what I mean? Hurts doesn't it?"
	"So what are we gonna do?"
	"What do you mean what are we gonna do?" I asked.
	"What's your little plan?"
	That's when it hit me that I didn't really have a plan.
	"You leave that to me, Shane. You leave that to me."

	Charles- "So how did it go?" Zach asked me when I went out into the
living room. He tried to pretend like he hadn't been crying.
	"Good," I said. "I officially have a boyfriend."
	"Great," he said feigning happiness for my sake. "I'm, uh, I'm
happy for you."
	"What did he say?" I asked tenderly.
	"Umm," he replied, a tear welling up in his face. "He's gonna, um,
get back together with his wife."
	"Oh, wow," I said. I scooted in close to him and put an arm around
his shoulder. "I'm really sorry man."
	"Its ok," he said strongly. "It's for the best, you know? They have
a kid and, um, they love each other." He sniffed. "And they deserve to see
if they can work this out. It's for the best."
	"I know. You'll be alright," I said as soothingly as possible. I
wasn't really good at this whole comforting thing, but Zach had been there
for me when I needed him and so I tried my best to let him know I was
there.
	He was trying as hard as he could to be strong, and I admired
that. He wiped away his tears with the palm of hand, sniffed and sat up
straight.
	"I'm gonna, uh, go get something to drink."
	"Nope," I said standing up before he had a chance. "You are gonna
sit right there and I will go get us something to drink."
	I dashed into the kitchen and looked around for some tequila,
lemons, salt and glasses. I heard someone come in the front door and walk
straight into the bedroom.
	"Was that the Italian?" I asked when I came back in.
	"Yeah," Zach replied. "I can't believe this, you know. Everyone
else, even the fucking foreign exchange student, has someone. I bet Shane
is out there fucking some guy's head off as we speak."
	"Shane cares about you," I said pouring him a drink. "He'll be
back, I promise."
	"What if he doesn't come back? I already blew it with Tag and now
Chris and what if I blow it with Shane? What if I..." he was really crying
now. Tears were coming down faster than he could control them and he
stopped trying to be strong. Instead, he just sat back and let them come
out. He cried like he had nothing else to do in this world. And I sat there
and held his hand.
	"It'll be ok, Zach," I said. "Everything is gonna work out."
	I held him close to my chest, feeling his entire body vibrate under
me as he heaved and sighed and cried as hard as anyone could.
	"It'll be ok."

	Denton- "So that's that then," I said as I got into the driver's
seat of the car Mitch and I were taking back to the city.
	"Yeah," he replied quietly.
	"They'll make each other happy," I said trying to spark a
conversation.
	"Yeah," he replied, not helping me in the slightest.
	"I wonder what they're doing right now," I said.
	"Probably becoming acquainted with the mile high club," he
replied. I laughed.
	"Your nasty," I responded.
	"Seriously," he said turning to me. "What would you be doing with
your new love-partner in a private jet on your way to some exotic island
with nude beaches and sexy oil-studs? Not munching on complimentary
peanuts, that's for sure."
	"Depends whose peanuts," I added, joining in on the fun. We
laughed.
	"Gosh, your brother is really funny," Mitch said out of the blue
after we'd stopped laughing together.
	"Bri? Funny?" I asked surprised.
	"Yeah," he replied. "He was telling me stories about the two of you
that had me rolling, Skidmark."
	My face flushed as soon as I heard him say my childhood nickname. I
turned to him wildly.
	"What did you call me?"
	"Oh, sorry," he replied. "I wasn't supposed to say anything."
	"That was a long time ago."
	"I know, I know," he said choking back laughter.
	"I'll kill him," I replied with faux-anger. "He's dead. I'll kill
him."
	Mitch was laughing hysterically and when I looked over at him for a
second, I couldn't help but crack a smile. Then I remembered something that
turned my stomach for a second and I asked the question before I could stop
it.
	"Mitch, did you fall in love with me?" the words stopped him dead
in his track.
	"What?" he asked.
	"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to weird you out or anything, but I
kinda..." I trailed off.
	"Where is that coming from?" he asked. He sounded like I'd offended
him in someway. He wasn't looking at me anymore.
	"Look, forget I said anything."
	He didn't reply. We drove in silence for a few minutes and I
instantly regretted being so stupid. We were having a great time and I
ruined it. Why did I want to know anyway? What was the point of that? I
thought about it as we drove in silence, Mitch's arms crossed over his
chest, the radio blaring some pop song, and I realized it was because I was
still confused about what I'd seen with Brian and Luke. They loved each
other more than I could have imagined. It didn't matter that Luke was evil,
everything he did was to protect Bri from his past, even at my expense. And
when I'd asked Mitchell that question, it was because I was wanting someone
to love me as much as Bri and Luke loved each other.
	"Luke told you, didn't he?"
	I was taken aback from the break in silence.
	"What?"
	"Luke told you that I was falling in love with you."
	"That bastard wasn't supposed to fall in love with you." I
remembered Luke had said in anger.
	"Umm," I hesitated. "It might have come up, maybe."
	"Well, then," he said bitterly. "There's your answer."

	Charles- I couldn't sleep that night. It wasn't just because I was
uncomfortably seated on the couch with my head hanging off the side of the
couch and Zach's head crushing my lap that I couldn't sleep. But looking at
him and seeing how devastated he'd been, how much he'd cried onto my leg
and how his body would convulse every few minutes- indicating he was having
a terrible dream- kept me awake for most of the night.
	It was breaking my heart. I looked down at him in the semi-glow of
the dark night, hours after Marco had gone had to bed and I realized I
needed to move Zach, and myself, to a more comfortable place.
	I gently lifted his head off my lap and lowered him onto the couch
cushion. Then I stood up quietly and lifted his body off the couch. He felt
so limp in my arms and I stood there for a second making sure I hadn't
awaken him.
	His face looked peaceful but tired, his body felt light and
lifeless. I slowly walked towards the bedroom, hoping not to run into
anything in the dark. Getting through the door was a challenge, considering
I was a tall guy and so was Zach. Somehow I maneuvered well enough to get
him in without smacking his head on the doorpost. I slowly made my way
between the two beds, trying to remember which one was his. I decided to
just lay him somewhere and get to my bed as fast as I could.
	As I was walking to the door, I heard him rustle softly and utter,
"Thank you, Charles."
	"You're welcome, Zach," I replied softly. My hand was on the
doorknob.
	"Don't leave me," he said softly- so softly I wasn't sure I'd heard
him. "Don't leave me."
	"Ok," I said quietly. I closed the door and went to Shane's bed and
drew back the covers, getting ready to get in.
	"I need you, Charles," he said almost sounding wide-awake now.
	"I know," I replied. "That's why I'm still here for you. I'm not
going anywhere."
	He turned his back to me without saying anything, but scooted to
the other edge of the bed. Then, when I was all settled in Shane's bed,
Zach looked back at me, as if I'd done something wrong. "What are you
doing?" he asked. "You're sleeping over here. You have to keep me company."
He said as if it was a common everyday thing, like I was an idiot and we
did this all the time.
	"Oh, yeah," I said a little uncomfortably. The truth is, as I got
out of Shane's bed and into Zach's, I realized why I was uncomfortable. He
was vulnerable, broken and weak and he needed me more than anything. And it
was his needing me that was forcing me to look at him differently.

	Jesse- "I'm going to bed," I said softly, getting up off the couch
and going into the bedroom. "You can sleep in here if you want." I really
didn't care. If he came wanting me to have sex with him, I'd give it to him
and he'd never forget. If he didn't want it, I wasn't gonna push. He was
really hot, but there would be time for that later.
	"That's cool. I'll sleep out here." He didn't look me as he
responded. He seemed kind of lost, like he'd given up his edge. In the last
two hours we'd been talking, less and less as the time went by, about the
rage our old roommates had caused us, I realized he'd been sort of
deflating the entire time, growing less and less aggressing and forcing me
to fuel him on.
	"You sure?" I asked.
	"Yeah," he said. "No, I'm fine," he replied quickly. "I just don't
want to be in your way."
	"You know damn well you aren't in the way, Shane." I was standing
in the doorway. His playing hard to get was making me want to play harder.
	"No," he said. "I'm really ok. Thanks though."
	I decided that this was a good challenge for me. So I walked over
to were he sat, stood behind and took his shoulders in my hands, massaging
him slowly.
	"You like that?" I whispered, kind of lamely, but it got the
desired effect.
	He cocked his back. His eyes were closed. His breathing was short
and deep at the same time and exhaled with a slow moan.
	"Yeah," he said rolling his head back. "That feels pretty good."
	"I want you to relax, Shane. I'll take care of you."
	He didn't say anything. He just continued to feel me feeling
him. One hand continued to massage him the classic massage as my other hand
decided to make its way down his shoulder to his chest. I cupped one of his
well-defined pecs in my hand as I continued my massage. He loved what I was
doing to him. I looked down and saw him adjust his lower body for more
comfort and growing room, proof that I was doing something right. I knelt
down so that my face was close enough to his.
	I whispered in his ear, making sure to put a lot of breath into
every word. "Do I make you feel good, Shane?"
	He didn't answer at first, and I was expecting him to. I let him
take his time and I felt his chest with my hand. Slowly, I lowered my other
hand, pausing to brush his firm nipple, but continuing down to his hard
stomach.
	"You know, Shane," I whispered, making sure to drag out his name in
a sexy way. "This would feel even better if you took your shirt off."
	I felt him tense under my touch as if he had something to think
about. But before he or I knew it, the decision was made and he was leaning
forward to let me lift his shirt over his head. I made sure to touch his
bare skin lightly as I performed the act ever so delicately. He raised his
hands over his head as if someone from above possessed him to do so.
	"Relax, Shane. I'll take care of you."
	And that's when it ended. He snapped out of his trance and sat up
straight. I tried to touch him again, but this time he flinched.
	"I'm sorry," he said barely audible. "I can't." He stood up and
reached for his shirt.
	"Zach really did a number on you, didn't he?" I asked, somewhat
insensitively.
	"Look," he replied. "Its just that I really, really like him- more
than anyone I've ever been with before. And I don't want to throw that away
over something with you."
	"He's already thrown it away, Shane."
	"I don't know that," he said. It was almost noble hearing the words
come out. "And until I know that, for sure at least, I'm sorry, but I
can't."
	I stood there, looking at him a little stunned. He loved him. And
Zach had hurt him without even thinking twice about it. But he still loved
him. I turned slowly, without saying and walked into my room and
immediately fell asleep.

	Zach- "What the fuck?" were the only words that I heard as I sat
straight up and saw Shane staring at me. At first I couldn't understand why
his face looked like that.
	"Shane," I exclaimed sitting straight up. "I'm so glad you came
back."
	That's when I noticed who was in the bed next to me. Charles didn't
wake up. He just lay there, drooling on my pillow, his body half naked and
hanging off the side. I looked back at Shane and realized what the look was
across his face- betrayal.
	I got out of the bed and started walking towards him as he slowly
backed out of the room. All my fears of losing everything were right in
front of me as I noticed Shane, staring speechlessly at me, not
understanding what was going on.
	"This is so not what I looks like," I whispered. I closed the
bedroom door behind me as we stood face to face in the dark in the living
room.
	"How could you?" he asked, barely finishing the sentence.
	"No, Shane," I said. I know that I sounded desperate. "I swear to
you. Charles was just sleeping there because I couldn't be alone."
	"Obviously," he said pointedly, cutting into me deeply. "You're a
whore, Zach."
	The words went right into me and I almost didn't recognize the face
I was looking at.
	"Jesse was right," he said, raising his voice. "He was completely
right."
	"What are you..." I started, but Shane wouldn't let me finish.
	"I cannot believe that I trusted you, and loved you," he said. He
was crying now. Tears were streaming down his face and I was powerless to
stop them. I stood there paralyzed by his words, feeling my own tears come
down my own face.
	"Don't say that," I said. "Don't say that. I swear to you," again
he cut me off.
	"Don't you dare swear to me. Don't swear shit to me because I know
what I know. I saw it today, Zach."
	"You don't know what you saw!" I raised my voice to match his. I
saw the Italian come out of his room and stand in the doorway. He was
rubbing his eyes.
	"Is everything ok?" he asked. Neither Shane nor I stopped. It was
almost as if we were speaking at the same time, yet I heard every word he
said and I know he heard every word I said.
	"I had to make a decision today, Shane, and I did. I made the
hardest decision of my life and I chose wrong, I admit that. I got my heart
broken and I needed someone and you were not here."
	"What did you expect, Zach? Me to sit and wait to see what Chris
Cattan had to say? What the fuck do you think I am? A mail-order? I'm not
just gonna sit here while you fuck everything that moves. Oh, but good
thing Charles was here."
	"That is not fair. I did not have sex with Charles," I said. I
wasn't surprised that he'd jumped to that conclusion but the words still
cut deep.
	"What is going on out here?" I heard Charles' voice from behind me.
	"Fuck you," Shane yelled at him before I had a chance to say
anything.
	"Tell him we did not fuck," I said turning to Charles.
	"We didn't fuck," Charles said matter-of-factly.
	"Oh, of course you would say that," Shane said.
	"Is everything ok?" Marco repeated.
	"Shane," I said sternly. I was fed up and tired of being called a
whore. I was tired and angry and this was going to end immediately before
someone said something they'd regret. "You are being unreasonable," I
began. He started to say something, but I cut him off. "You can not just
waltz in here and jump to conclusions." Again he tried to cut me off, but I
raised my voice. "Yes, I tried to sort out my feelings. Yes, I went to
Chris. I didn't pick you. I didn't, and I'm sorry. But I did not sleep with
Charles." By this time I was crying just as much as Shane was. The tears
streamed silently down my face, but I did not skip a beat. "I don't know
what the fuck you went to Jesse for, and I don't care. But whatever he
planted in your head is just false."
	The last word screamed out of me. I was spent. The word rang in the
air and I stood there silently looking at Shane. I waited for him to say
something, holding my breath, not wanting to think or move or do anything.
	Shane's eyes went back and forth from me to Charles behind me. I
just stood there, waiting for him to say something as the last word I spoke
echoed in my mind.
	"How can I trust you?" Shane asked slowly. He was broken.
	"I don't know, Shane," I said with an attitude. "But figure out a
way and then come to bed." I turned around, pushed Charles aside and said,
"Excuse me." I went straight to bed.

	Charles- The entire thing was unreal. It was like an episode of
Desperate Housewives the way they went back and forth. I stood there, not
able to say anything, but slightly enjoying the show. I had nothing to lose
and as much as I felt for Zach, I knew he could care less what Shane
did. Still, he cared about the kid, so when he went back into his bedroom
to sleep, I decided to stay out in the living room with Shane.
	"What was that?" I asked, sitting on the couch, still not turning
on any lights.
	He sobbed, silently, and sat beside me. "I don't know. I didn't
realize I cared that much about Zach and to see you two together like
that."
	"We weren't doing anything," I said tenderly. I knew he didn't want
explanations and that he'd probably think whatever he wanted anyway, so I
decided that was the last time I would say that.
	"I want to believe that," he started.
	"Then believe it," I said. I didn't mean to sound all Dr. Phil, but
the kid was clearly confused and just needed a little push in the right
direction. "Look," I began. "Zach cares about you. Trust me on that if you
don't trust me on anything else. He cares about you. He went to Chris
today- big deal! He came back. And he hoped to find you here. He didn't
expect, but he hoped it. And when you weren't here, that broke his
heart. Not what Chris had said or done. What broke his heart was you not
being here."
	I paused. I wanted him to say something, but he just sat there in
the dark, so I continued. "Zach is my best friend." I stood up. "If
Brooklyn ever breaks my heart, I hope Zach is there to hold me while I
sleep." I walked towards my door and for dramatic effect, I turned and said
softly, "he shouldn't have to be lonely."
	I closed my door, but instead of going to my bed, I kept it cracked
open and listened into the living room. After about 35 seconds, the soft
crying stopped. I heard Shane stand up and walk to his door. He hesitated,
but after a second, I heard the door open and then close softly. I smiled
to myself and gave myself a pat on the back for an excellent performance.

	Zach- My eyes were closed tight. I heard him come in about 10
minutes later, but I pretended to sleep because I wasn't sure how long my
strength and patience would last.
	I sensed him standing over me, watching me. I didn't see anything
but I knew he was watching me.
	"Zach," he called softly. I turned and slowly opened my eyes. "Are
you awake?"
	"You I know I hate when you do that," I said, fully awake now.
	"I know," he said. He reached behind himself and turned on the side
light, halfway illuminating the room. I lay in bed watching him tower over
me. "I'm sorry I flipped out earlier."
	I didn't say anything. He stood there, no longer tear stained,
though his eyes were a little red. He looked gorgeous. I smiled at him and
he didn't smile back, but his face was no longer frowning. He began slowly
unbuttoning his shirt, starting with the top and working his way down. I
just watched him silently.
	"I'm sorry I listened to Jesse," he whispered. His shirt was off,
exposing his bare chest and abs and he looked so hot tossing his shirt
aside.
	"I'm sorry I didn't trust you," he whispered in the same tone. By
now, he was working on his belt. He slowly unbuckled it and began pulling
it out, one loop at a time, slowly.
	"I didn't mean to hurt you," he said. This time his voice was lower
and sexier. I met his eyes. He was the most beautiful boy I'd ever seen. He
unbuttoned the top of his jeans as he gazed at me lustfully. I just lay
there feeling my cock rise slowly, causing a slight tent in the thin
sheets.
	Without saying anything else, he crawled over me until we faced
each other, our faces only inches apart. He looked sad and sexy and the
same time.
	"I hope you'll find a way to forgive me," he whispered before
kissing me softly. He waited for my reaction, so I lifted my head off the
pillow to meet his lips. He opened slightly to allow my tongue to enter his
mouth. I was thrilled by the feeling of his body on top of me and I moaned
softly into his lips. He lifted his head up and smiled down at me. "I'll
take that as a yes," he said before diving in for more.

	Charles- I was woken up the next day by the sound of Marco typing
away at his computer and talking on the phone.
	"What the fuck are you doing?" I asked. I turned to look at my
clock and realized it was 11.
	"Homework," he mouthed as he continued listening on the phone.
	I'd missed my first class, so I wasn't in any particular hurry to
get up and going, so I just rolled over and tried to fall back asleep.
	"I had a great time last night too," I heard him say in his sexy
Italian voice. "You were amazing."
	He must have been talking to his hot date from last night. I was
suddenly intrigued.
	"Tomorrow night? I have an international student orientation," he
replied after a pause. "Let's just get together tonight."
	Another pause. "Sorry to hear that. Yeah, I'm working on my first
paper too." Pause. "European history." Pause. "Call me if you want a study
break tonight." A long pause. "Lunch?" Pause. "I'm there. Dining hall back
table. Sounds hot." That table sounded familiar. "Later, sexy," he said
before hanging up.
	"Hot lunch plans?" I asked, a little envious that this guy was
getting so much action during his first days here.
	"I guess," he replied, still typing away. "Jesse said to meet him
after my 1 o'clock class. The d-hall should be pretty empty by then, huh?"
	I stopped what I was doing, not sure if I'd heard what I thought
I'd heard.
	"Who?" I said, pulling my shirt over my head.
	"What?" he replied.
	"Who'd you say? You were meeting at the dining hall."
	"Oh," he said. "Jesse. This really cute, I think Hispanic guy."
	I smiled. It really was a small world.

	Zach- We didn't sleep all night. After we'd lay there kissing,
touching and grinding for what felt like hours, Shane's cock finally found
a tight spot in my ass. He did it nice and slow for eternity, pushing me to
edge several times before pounding away until he spilled the first of many
loads inside of me. I thought he was spent, but the guy took his cock out
and immediately went to work licking up all the cum he'd spilled in my
ass. It felt amazing having him down there and I never wanted it to stop.
	As soon as he had my ass cleaned out, he took his tongue to my
cock. My rock hard, throbbing dick didn't stand a chance as soon he put it
in his mouth and I came within seconds, erupting into his mouth as he
swallowed every single drop.
	"I love you," he whispered, rejoining me, our heads inches apart. I
thought the bliss was finally over and coming down from such an amazing
high, breathing heavily, I returned the sentence. "I love you too," I
whispered.
	Then I turned to notice the sun was peaking through the bottom of
the curtained window.
	"Fuck, Shane," I said with a smirk. "We just fucked all night
long."
	"I know babe," he replied. "And every second was hotter than the
one before it."
	Before he had a chance to finish the sentence, the phone rang.
	"Don't get it," I said to no avail. He was already rolling over to
pick it up.
	"This is Shane," he said. "Ok. It's for you," he said handing me
the phone. "I'm gonna go shower." He got out of bed, grabbed a towel and
headed out to the bathroom.
	"This is Zach," I said.
	"Zach," the voice on the other line said. I knew exactly who it
was. "I'm sorry to call so early..."
	"I'm hanging up," I said, but as I pulled the phone away from my
head, I heard: "Wait! Please, just listen."
	"I said all I had to say yesterday, Chris. Don't do this to me," I
pleaded.
	"Listen to me," he said. "I didn't call to talk about us."
	"There is no us," I said. "You made that perfectly clear. Stop
making this so hard for me."
	"I know," he replied.
	"Then why are you calling, Chris?" I was getting edgy.
	"I know this is probably inappropriate." It took all I had not to
hang up the phone or say something smarmy. I sat there and listened
instead. "But listen. I, uh, I want you to know that if the circumstances
were different... I mean. I uh, I want us to at least be friends."
	"Goodbye," I said, again pulling the phone away. He cried wait
again, so I continued to listen.
	"I know it's probably to late for that. But listen. Can we try?
Please? I care about you."
	I didn't say anything. He stopped talking. I didn't know where this
was coming from but I barely wanted to hear to it. The silence was reaching
an awkward level.
	"I want you to come to a gathering," he said suddenly. "You can
bring a date. It's formal, so dress up. It's this Saturday at 7. It would
mean so much to me if you were there. Please."
	I didn't respond at first. Then I asked: "What is this party for?"
	"It isn't a party per se."
	"What is it, Chris?" I asked softly. I was tired.
	"Whitney and I are, um. We're throwing a second-chance engagement
party."
	I hung up the phone.

	Denton- It took me one hundred and three miles, but I finally got
there.
	"I'm scared, Mitchell," I said. We had been silent for over an
hour, listening to the radio but not saying anything to each other. The
words came suddenly and I saw the look of surprise on Mitchell's face.
	"Scared of what?" he said after he'd recovered. I thought about it
for a split second, not knowing if I was strong enough to confess
everything to this guy. I did.
	"You and my brother and Luke, you all knew. You all knew a long
time ago how you felt."
	"What are you talking about?" Mitchell asked. I knew I wasn't
making much sense.
	"This is all new to me, and it's happening so fast. I dated
girls. In high school, I dated girls. I had sex with girls," my voice was
rising. "And then I come to college and the first week, who am I in bed
with? I'd never felt like that about a, uh, a. A guy."
	I left it there. I needed time. It was the first time since the
term began that I had thought about what bothered me and why. It had all
happened so fast that I didn't take the time to realize that this was all
foreign to me until I was stuck in a car with a guy that had fallen in love
with me with nothing else to do but think. This is where thinking got me.
	"You wanna know it happened for me, Denton?" Mitch asked softly. I
didn't say anything, so he continued. "It was the first time I saw my best
friend changing in the locker room. We were in the eighth grade and I sat
there and watched my best friend take his shirt and shorts off, put on his
jeans and walk out. I stared, Denton, wondering why I found his body so
intriguing. I used to watch Luke sleeping, not shirtless, but admiring his
physique. I've always been attracted to male bodies. Imagine growing up
like that. Imagine checking out your dad's friends when they come over for
poker, or being the kid who blushes in the locker room or when the coach
slaps his ass. I grew up like that. It doesn't get easier just because I
realized it long before you did."
	I'd avoided looking at him for the entire speech, but at that point
I had to turn. I noticed his eyes were full.
	"It's hard for everyone," he said. "And we'll be lucky if one day
we find what Luke and Brian have. But don't think it's harder for you just
because you're used to one way. Trust me. It's hard for everyone."
	I felt ashamed. I hadn't even stopped to think what Mitchell, Brian
or Luke had been through, growing up with gay feelings and having to sort
them out all their lives. It wasn't Shane's fault he was 13 the first time
he looked at a guy like that. In my defense, it wasn't my fault that I
wasn't.

	Charles- "You are not gonna go," I said. "You can't go." Marco,
Shane, Zach and I were all sitting at the table eating breakfast. Zach and
Shane looked like they'd been up all night. I took a bite out of my bagel
and repeated, "You simply cannot go."
	"I know that," Zach replied. "Except that, he had the courage to
invite me. I should find the courage to show up."
	"Or," I replied. "You can show him you don't care and have moved on
by not going."
	I met Zach's eyes and I knew exactly what his look said. Shane
didn't see it, sitting there engrossed by his Lucky Charms. Marco didn't
catch it as he rose from the table to go into the kitchen. The look was
unmistakable though. It said that he hadn't moved on.
	"Look," Shane said, chiming in for the first time. "I think you
should go."
	Marco laughed from the kitchen. Zach just looked at him.
	"You think he should go?" I asked. This kid was stupid. "You think
that your boyfriend, or whatever ya'll are, should go to an engagement
party for his ex. His ex who is married. His ex who broke..."
	Shane cut me off. "I think that he should go buy himself the most
expensive suit he can find. And he should get a haircut and spend some time
in a tanning booth."
	"Is this going somewhere?" Marco asked appropriately coming back
into the room.
	"And he should look so fucking hot that when he walks in, all eyes
turn to him. And he should bring a date that's equally as hot," he added
quickly with a smile.
	"That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard," I replied. I turned
to Zach. "Do not listen to him. Trust me. Chris is behind you and going to
this will open old wounds that are still pretty fresh. Let's not forget
that you told him you still love him, what, like YESTERDAY!?"
	I could see the wheels inside Zach's head working. The fact that he
was considering this was worrying me. How hard could it be? Forget the
guy. Move on. Put it behind him. But he wouldn't, and I could tell. I
sighed as Zach turned to Shane.
	"Are you busy tomorrow night?" he asked. My heart sank for my best
friend.
	"Actually," Shane replied. "I am. We have a mandatory diving
workshop that goes all weekend. Sorry, stud, you'll have to find another
trophy date."
	I sighed with relief. If Shane couldn't go, there was no way that
Zach was going to show up alone.
	"Charles?" Zach asked. I looked at him.
	"Huh?" I could tell what he wanted by his smirk and I didn't even
give him a chance to verbalize it. "No. Hell no."
	"Are you busy?" Zach pleaded.
       "No. But I will not support this. You are on your own on this one. I
will not help you make a fool of yourself in front of your ex. Sorry, but I
won't."
	Without so much as skipping a beat, Zach turned to Marco.
	"International Fancy Ball is happening. Sorry." Marco got up to go
to the kitchen again. This was his third bowl.
	"Come on, Charles," Zach said to me. "Come on. Do this for
me. Please. I really want to show Chris that I'm ok." I didn't respond. "It
will be fun," he tried. No response from me. "Be a friend." I said
nothing. "I'll give you fifty bucks."
	"What time, tomorrow?"

	They say that all good things must come to end. I say that the best
things always come back. Thanks for your patience and please enjoy the two
parts.

Chapter 29

	**They say that often times, when faced with an impossible dilemma,
it's best to simply let it go and deal with it later. Leaving the problem,
coming back to it and dealing with it later is sometimes the best thing you
can do. They say patience is a virtue. They say that the best things come
to those who wait.**

	Denton- "I guess I'll catch you later," Mitchell said when we'd
finally made it back to the school. Our conversation in the car had been
strained and tense but we did come up with some things.
	"I did fall in love with you," Mitchell confessed. "I wasn't
supposed to, it wasn't part of the deal and I'm sorry. Actually, I'm not
sorry. I didn't do anything wrong." He paused and looked at me. "I don't
regret it."
	"So what do we do about it?" I asked timidly. I pretended to
concentrate on the road. I knew what I wanted to do. I didn't want to get
stuck in a relationship. As much as I like Mitchell, I didn't ask him to
fall for me. I just thought we were messing around and I liked that. I
wasn't ready to love a guy.
	So I told him that. I couldn't tell how he took it because just
like his brother, he was an expert at hiding his feelings. I cared, I
decided. But I still needed to find out how much.

	Jesse- I called Shane. He didn't answer. I called
again. Nothing. Whatever, I thought. He probably went back. He was retarded
anyway. I spent no time stressing it. Instead, I got up, took a shower and
got ready for my lunch date with Marco.

	Charles- "I'm gonna head to the café for lunch today," I told Shane
and Zach, who'd been cuddly cuddly all morning. "I'll catch ya'll later."
	I went into my room to grab my book bag just as Marco was putting
his Puma's to head out. Perfect timing.
	"Hey bud," I said. "Where you off to?"
	"Lunch. With Jesse. Remember?" he asked.
	"Oh yeah!" I replied. I winked at him and
giggled. "Coincidence. Brooklyn can't get out for more than a few minutes
for lunch, so we're meeting at the café too. We should go over
together. It'll give me a chance to meet this new guy of yours."
	"Cool, I guess," he said. "Although, I'm pretty sure it won't last
long between us, so you might be wasting your time meeting him."
	I smiled inside. This was going to be better than I thought. I
immediately called Brooklyn and told him we were eating in the café at 1:20
today.

	Jesse- "Marco!" I yelled. I waved him over to where I was
sitting. There were about three other people in the dining café, two of
which were studying in the opposite corner. This was going to be just as
hot as it had been the first day with Charles. As soon as I thought that, I
looked up and almost threw up my milk.
	"What the..?" I started.
	"You must be Jesse," Charles said extending a hand. "Marco was
talking about you all day. Nice to finally meet you."
	He had an intensely smug smile on his face and I almost threw him a
punch right then and there. I glared at Charles as Marco came around to sit
next to me.
	"How rude of me," Marco said. "This is my roommate Charles." My
face almost dropped to the ground. I tried to recover quickly but I could
tell Charles caught the whole thing.
	"Cool," I said. "Nice to meet you roommate Charles. Will you be
joining us for lunch?"
	"Oh, no," he replied with enough smug to match his smirk. "I'm
meeting my boyfriend, Brooklyn in a few. I'll just wait for him over
there."
	"Nonsense," Marco said. "You'll wait here. I've always wanted to
meet this famous Brooklyn."
	"Are you sure?" Charles asked and without waiting for an answer,
pulled out a chair and sat down. "So how are you too lovebirds doing?
Staying busy I hope."
	"We try," I replied shortly. I moved my hand to Marco's thigh and
clutched it tightly, more than anything so that I wouldn't clock Charles
with it. He looked at me with surprise and smiled.  "We try hard."
	It almost lightened the mood, but the discomfort immediately
returned when I looked up and saw Charles sitting across from me.
	"When is this Brooklyn kid showing up, anyway," I asked, not even
attempting to mask my rudeness.
	"He should be here in a minute," Charles replied with feigned
courtesy. "I really hate to third-wheel it on ya'lls hot date. Speaking of
which," he continued with a devilish smile on his face. "I came here once
with someone at the very beginning of the year."
	He looked me straight in the eye. I swallowed hard. He continued.
	"It was pretty sweet. I thought we were just gonna eat, but the
dude ended up giving me a hand job right under, wait, that's right. It was
this very table." Another pause. "I'd known the guy for like ten
minutes. What a whore," he added nonchalantly.
	I coughed, spilling some of my coke in front of me. I glared at him
as I stood, leaving Marco wondering what was going on.
	"I'm going to the restroom."
	Marco must have had a different idea because he called after me,
"I'll go too."
	I just knew Charles was sitting there grinning from ear to ear and
I couldn't bear to look at it for one more second. I need a distraction or
something. Anything else. Then I saw him walk through the door and my heart
sank even lower.
	"Jesse," Brooklyn said when he saw me. I walked right past him with
out saying a word, Marco in tow.

	Zach- "I thought about it and I realized, you don't really have to
go to this thing," Shane said as I came out of the shower. After fucking
each other senseless all morning, we finally decided to get up and go to
our afternoon classes. "I mean, are you really going to have fun."
	"You're cute," I said, unwrapping my towel and putting on a pair of
boxers. "But I'm going."
	"I guess your mind is made up, huh?" he said. He came up behind me,
still smelling of the jizz I'd spilled all over him earlier.
	"It is." I pulled over a t-shirt and turned around to face
him. "I'm going."
	"Ok," he replied. "Just make sure its what you want to do. I mean,
I'm sure Chris won't mind if you don't show up. He probably just called out
of courtesy or something."
	I reached around Shane to grab my pair of jeans off the bed. "It
was your idea for me to go in the first place. Trust me, I want to do
this. Calm down and hand me some deodorant. And go brush your teeth."
	"Harsh," he said. He walked into the restroom, tossed me some
deodorant and started brushing his teeth. I sat on the edge of the bed,
fully dressed and watched him for a second. He was beautiful. But was he
better than Chris?

	Charles- Brooklyn tried his best to make the situation less
awkward. Whatever Jesse and Marco had done in the restroom for twenty
minutes must have changed their spirits because Marco insisted on me and
Brooklyn staying for lunch with them.
	I looked at Brooklyn. I couldn't help myself. It was way to
easy. Every time Brooklyn would try to change the subject to school, or
classes or something, I would always interject with some question to Jesse
about old relationships. The guy would turn red, glare at me and plow
through. He remained relatively quiet the entire lunch, but my enjoyment
didn't go over his head.
	"What the fuck was that about?" Brooklyn asked when he got home
that night. I'd been laying in bed watching TV and reading for a class.
	"What are you talking about?" he walked into the bedroom and
started taking off his suit. "I ordered a pizza in case you're hungry."
	"Are you gonna have Jesse deliver it or did you get your fill of
evil this afternoon?" he asked. He sat on the bed to pull of his shoes. He
hadn't looked at me once since he'd walked in and now his back was to me.
	"It was harmless, Brooklyn," I replied sitting up and putting my
book down. "You can't tell me it wasn't a little bit funny."
	"It was wrong, Charles," he said. He stood up, walked to the
dresser and pulled out some running shorts. "You crossed the line."
	"He deserved it," I replied.
	"He was near tears the entire time."
	We were almost talking over each other. I didn't understand why he
was so mad.
	"He tried to humiliate me first. I saw an opportunity to even the
score and I took it."
	"What score? This isn't some fucked up game you two invented. What
the hell were you thinking?"
	"He's fucking my roommate," I announced randomly.
	"And what the fuck does that have to do with anything?"
	"Why are you getting so worked up?" I was genuinely confused why
this was such a big deal.
	"It was fucking wrong, Charles."
	"Why do you care, Brooklyn?" he didn't say anything. I stopped. I
didn't want to go here, but he'd left me no choice. I was tired of being
screamed at like some baby bitch. "Why does it matter to you? I made Jesse
feel like an ass, ok. He'll get over it. Why can't you?" he said
nothing. "That's what I thought."
	I picked up my book and my t-shirt and felt Brooklyn's eyes watch
me as I went straight for the front door. I knew we'd both be sleeping
along tonight.

	Denton- it was like something had opened up inside of me and I
didn't realize it until I fell asleep that night. I'd managed to avoid
Mitchell in the frat house all evening, but as soon as I went to sleep in
the bed Glass and I had once shared, Mitchell was off my mind completely.
	That night I dreamed of things completely random; things I'd never
dreamed of before. I dreamed of my 11th grade French teacher. I dreamed of
the lead pitcher on my high school baseball team. I dreamed of the guy that
sat in front of me in Chemistry class.
	When I woke up, I was sweating, panting and horny. But I wasn't
thinking about Mitchell. I guess that was a plus.

	Jesse- He made me forget how upset I was. His kiss made me forget
how angry Charles had made me or uncomfortable seeing him and Brooklyn
sitting there was. His touch erased every feeling of hatred I'd harbored
the entire walk home.
	He closed the door gently behind him, sensing something wasn't
right. He looked at me, smiled, picked me up and carried me to the
bedroom. He dropped me on the bed and I looked up at him wondering how
someone so unbelievably sexy hadn't walked out yet. His voice is usually
what turns me on first, but tonight the Italian didn't even have to say
anything, he lay beside me as he took my shirt off while passionately
kissing me like there was no one else in the world.
	Silently, he undid my pants and let my rock hard cock free, letting
out a silent but naughty smile. He kissed me, grabbed my dick and began
stroking it softly as I lay there, letting him do all the work.
	He rolled onto his back and quickly undid his own pants, chucked
his own shirt and in seconds was laying on top of me, grinding or rock hard
dicks together. I let out a moan, the first sound of the night. He followed
it with the first words of the night: "I'm gonna make you scream daddy,"
only he said in Italian first, only translating it when he knew I didn't
understand. I smiled.
	And make me scream daddy was exactly what he did. It wasn't when he
deep throated my cock for what felt like eternity. That simply made me
writhe and moan under his touch.
	It wasn't when he loosened up my ass with his tongue. That simply
made me itch for something more.
	It wasn't when he stuck his cock in me and began slowly pumping in
and out. That just filled me with intense pleasure.
	It wasn't when he sped up, fucking me like I hadn't been fucked in
ages, reaching places I forgot I had. That simply made me clutch the sheets
and moan over and over.
	My scream finally came as he was towering over me, sweat dripping
down his hot body. After fucking my whole every way I knew possible, we
ended up in the same position we'd started. Our eyes were welded
together. Every thought that passed through my mind was fair game. He was
inside me deep and with last thrust, I felt ropes and ropes of his cum
erupt deep inside me. Feeling his hard cock swell over and over with every
spurt brought me over the edge well, sending cum spewing between our
conjoined bodies.
	That's when I let out a moan that could be heard clear across to
Mexico. That's when I screamed daddy.

	Charles- He didn't call me that night or the next morning. In fact,
he didn't call me until I had gotten out of the shower the next night. I
was putting on my suit for Chris' engagement party when my cell phone rang.
	"Charles, we should talk," he said softly.
	"You already said an awful lot, Brooklyn."
	"Come on, man," he said. "You know you aren't even really upset. It
was just a fight."
	"I have to get ready. I'm going out with Zach tonight."
	The door opened. Zach's head peeped in. "Are you decent?" he asked
before coming in anyway. He continued. "Which tie says `I'm over you?'"
	I looked at the two ties, decided both were hideous and pointed him
towards my top drawer. "Take one of those," I said with my hand over the
phone. Brooklyn was saying something about misunderstandings or whatnot; I
didn't really feel like listening.
	I came in at "... so if you're worried that I'm siding with Jesse
because I still have feelings for him then..."
	"Whoa," I cut him off. "I never said anything about you still
having feelings for Jesse."
	"That's what you implied," he replied bringing his voice down to a
reasonable level.
	"Why are you acting like such a girl?" I asked. "I never even went
there, so don't act like I went there when I didn't. Stop making me the bad
guy, Brooklyn."
	Zach came back in. "Umm, we need to go. We'll be late."
	"We'll be fashionable," I replied.
	"You did take it there," Brooklyn was saying. "You asked me why I
couldn't get over it, and that was taking it there."
	"That was not taking it there," I said. Why was he being so
difficult? Had I taken it there, without realizing I'd taken it there? If
I'd taken it there, we both would have known it. I rock at taking it
there. "I hate to put a halt on your ego trip, but I am not jealous. I do
not think you have feelings for Zach and I do not feel like our
relationship is being threatened in any particular way. I'm just upset that
you can't find the humor in an innocent practical joke."
	"Ok, Charles," Zach called from the living room. "We're verging on
embarrassingly late. Can we get a move on please?"
	"Brooklyn, I have to go," I said bringing my volume down. "This is
me leaving an uncomfortable conversation to do something fun. Please try
not to interpret this as my way of saying you're still in love with your
ex."
	I hung up the phone, put on my belt and went out to meet
Zach. Between putting on my coat and walking out the door, Brooklyn called
three times. I dropped my phone on the couch and decided not to think about
him for the rest of the night.

	**They say whenever you have a problem, it is sometimes better to
let it go. They say patience is a virtue. They say that the best things
come to those who wait.**
	Like always, your feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Heavensforlife@aol.com.