Disclaimer:

All other content or otherwise are works of my own imagination. All events are fictitious in nature.

Any similarities to persons living, dead, or otherwise are purely coincidental.

This story contains strong themes of homosexual content, if this offends you in any way, please refrain from reading further. If you are not of legal age to read this, please leave now.

A/N: I'd like to thank TalonRider for editing this chapter. His unparalleled brilliance and tiresome effort applied to my work is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

American Differences
-By Emulated

Chapter 15: Peace

He shook his head, “No…I wanna stay here with Matt.”

I reached out and touched his shoulder, “Josh, it will be easier for you. You can’t st-“

Josh pulled away from me, “No. I’m not going back home.”

I stared at him for a second, before I looked at Amanda and Terry, I needed their help with this.

“Josh,” began Amanda, as she sat down next to him, “We’ve just spoken to your parents, they want you to come home.”

“But they don’t want Matt.”

“I was the one who left this time. They never kicked me out.” I replied, trying to make it sound like my parents weren’t the enemy. While in reality, it was very much their fault why I left in the first place, but if Josh was to return home, I needed him to believe that they weren’t as bad as he thought.

Josh looked at me, “Why don’t you want to go home?”

I sighed, “It’s complicated.”

Terry turned to Josh, “Matt wants to give them some more time to…deal with what happened.”

Josh thought for a moment before he looked at me, “How long will that take?”

I shook my head, “I don’t know.”

“Then why can’t I stay here too?”

“Because here isn’t your home, Josh.” I frowned, “Mum and Dad miss you. It would be better if you stayed there.”

“But I wanna stay with you!” He whined.

Amanda leaned closer to him, “You’d still be welcome around here whenever you want. You’ll just be going home to sleep, and do all your other stuff you need to do there.” She glanced over at Adam, “I’m sure Adam won’t mind you being around here.”

Adam shook his head, “No, you can come here whenever.”

“See?” I began, “It won’t be that bad. And you’ll still see me at school and stuff.”

“I don’t know…” He mused.

I wrapped an arm around him, “It’ll be ok. I promise.”

He sat there silently for a moment before he looked up at me, “You sure?”

I nodded.

“Ok. I’ll go home.” He began before he looked at Amanda and Terry, “But I wanna come over all the time.”

They smiled, “Yes, of course you can come over.” Said Amanda.

Josh nodded and smiled. Seemingly satisfied with the decisions made.

“Good.” Said Amanda as she stood up, “Do you want me to give you a lift home now, so you can get out of the uniform?”

“Ok.” He looked at Adam, “Can Adam come too, then we can walk back?”

She looked at the clock, 5:26. “Ok. Terry and I need to pick something up for dinner, but I don’t want you two out late. Come straight back once you finish at your house.”

Adam and Josh nodded, “We will.”

“Alright, let’s get going before it gets too late.” Said Terry, as he walked to the door.

Amanda looked at Connor, Ayo and me, “Will you guys be ok here? We brought back quite a few of your clothes, Matt, and Terry packed your computer, so that’s here.”

I smiled, “Yeah, that’s great. Thanks.” I glanced at the other guys, “I think we’ll be just fine here.”

She nodded, “Ok then, we’ll see you in a bit.”

“Sure.” Replied Connor, “See you later Mum.”

“Bye.” She called out, as she walked out of the door.

I turned at Connor and Ayo, “Hey, I think I’m going to head over to Jamie’s house for a bit. You can come too, if you want.”

Connor shook his head, “I’m fine staying here. You can go and…have fun with Jamie in peace.” He said, causing Ayo to laugh aloud.

I blushed, “I was only going to talk to him! Jeez!” I said, ginning.

Connor looked at Ayo, “Sure. They talk at first, and then one thing leads to another…”

I stood up and held up my hands, “I can’t win.”

They both giggled at that.

I turned and walked into the hall, “I'm just gonna take this stuff upstairs and get changed.” I called out, as I eyed my suitcase and laptop bag.

“Sure thing, just put them anywhere.” Replied Connor.

I gripped the bags and carried them up to Connor's room, before I quickly changed out of my uniform. After looking through the clothes Terry brought back for me, I decided on a white French Connection t-shirt and a comfortable pair of black joggers. I checked to made sure my phone was in my pocket, before I headed back down stairs, and pulled on my trainers, “I shouldn’t be that long.” I called out, as I heard them giggling from the other room.

“Take your time.” Called out Connor, as Ayo giggled again.

I rolled my eyes, “Alright. I’ll see you guys later.”

“See ya.” Shouted Ayo, as I reached the door.

I pulled it open and stepped outside. I closed the door behind me, and made my way down the path, as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I tapped through my contacts, and found Jamie under ‘favourites’. I tapped on his name and held it up to my ear.

I turned down the street, as the phone started to ring. I waited a few seconds before Jamie answered.

“Hi Matt.”

“Hi, Babes.” I replied, smiling at the sound of his voice.

“Are you ok? How did things go with at home?” He asked.

I sighed, “I feel like crap, and no, things didn’t go too well.”

“Damn, I’m sorry.” He paused, “Do you want me to come over? I can be there in a few minutes.”

“Actually I’m on my way over to yours, well if you’re at home.”

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“Good.” I replied, “How are you, anything new?”

“Not really…Just here with Sam and stuff…” He paused again, “I’m so sorry that everything is messing up for you. I just wish I could help.”

I frowned, “You do help me.” I said, taking a quick glance around the empty street, “You’re my boyfriend.”

He sighed, “You know how much I love you, right?”

I smiled, “No. How much do you love me?”

He giggled, “More than anything.”

“But I love you more.”

He giggled again, “You almost here?”

I shook my head, “No, I’ll be a few more minutes yet.”

“Ok, I’ll see you when you get here.”

“Yeah, see you.”

“Bye, Babes.” He said, before I hung up the phone.

And after a brisk, ten-minute walk, I arrived outside Jamie’s home. I immediately noticed that his dad’s car wasn’t parked there, so he must have gone out somewhere. I walked up his path and knocked lightly on the door. I waited for several seconds, before the door opened to reveal a grinning, and very sexy-looking Jamie standing there.

“Hey.” He said, before flicking his head and opening the door fully, “Come in.”

“Hey, Babes.” I replied, as I stepped inside. I quickly slid off my shoes, as he closed the door. I turned around to face him, seconds before he pulled me into a warm embrace. He wrapped his arms around my back and drew me closer. He didn’t say anything, he just held me close. I tilted my head and buried my face in the side of his neck. I felt him slowly run his hands up and down my back, comforting me. I inhaled softly, smelling his scent, which my mind associated with love, closeness and security. I felt at peace in his arms. Peace that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

I kissed his neck, as I pulled back and stared into his pools of grey. I kissed his lips softly, “I love you.”

He kissed me back, “I love you too.”

I leaned forward and pressed my forehead against his gently, closing my eyes, savouring the moment. After several seconds, I pulled back, grinning at him. I sniffed the air, “Something smells good.”

He smiled and led me into the kitchen, “I’m making dinner.”

“Oh, you cook too?” I joked, as Sam came into view, “Hi Sam, how are you?”

“Hey Matt, I’m ok. How are you?” She asked, as she sat on one of the stools at the breakfast bar.

I nodded, “I’m alright.” I glanced over at the food simmering on the stove, “Is he keeping you busy?”

She looked at Jamie, “No, HE doesn’t trust me in the kitchen.”

I took a seat opposite her, “Why doesn’t he trust you?”

She opened her mouth to reply, but Jamie interrupted, “It’s because she can’t cook.”

“You don’t give me a chance!” She retorted.

He nodded, “Yeah, I do, but you never listen.” He turned to me, “She thinks the recipe is lying to her. She always wants to add a little extra of this or that.”

“But that’s what you do!”

“Yeah, but I don’t go crazy with the stuff like you do.” He looked at me again, but calmed down and paused, “I’m sorry. You come over here expecting peace, but we’re fighting instead.”

I folded my arms, “No, please. This is fun.”

He narrowed his eyes and gave me that Jamie stare. But being in better mood, I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek! I pulled back and smiled at the surprised look on his face. Clearly he wasn’t expecting me to do something so…daring. Let alone right in front of his kid sister!

“Awww!” Remarked Sam, looking at me, “Kiss him again!”

Jamie bit his bottom lip as he began to blush, causing me to giggle. It seemed that he was vulnerable to kisses on the cheek! Who’d have thought? Once he recovered, he looked at me, “I…erm...wasn’t expecting that.”

I giggled again, “I kinda guessed that.” I replied. I watched him closely, in case he was angry or anything, but he seemed to be alright with it.

He turned to Sam, “Kiss him again? We’re not your entertainment!”

“Aww, but he really loves you.” She said, looking from Jamie to me, causing us both to blush. She giggled, before her phone started to ring on the table. She picked it up and examined the screen, her eyes lighting up, “I’ll be in my room.” She said, as she skipped out, answering the phone.

I looked at Jamie, “Do you know who that was, on the phone?” I asked, but he seemed to be in a daze, “Jamie? Sexy American boy?” I called out, gaining his attention.

“Sorry. I was just thinking.” He smiled.

“About…”

“Us, you.” He grinned, “I love you.”

I smiled back, “I love you too.” I said, as I laced my fingers with him, “So do you know who it was?”

“Who?” He asked, raising his eyebrows.

“On Sam’s phone, she seemed pretty happy.”

“Oh, that.” He said, “Yeah, it’s probably this guy who likes her.”

I giggled, “You don’t sound too happy.” I pointed out.

“Yeah, well, the guy’s a jerk.” He replied, looking at me, “Sure he plays socc-, football, and talks to her for ages on the phone, but I don’t like him.”

“What’s he do?” I asked, running my thumb across his knuckles.

“He messes about and stuff in school. He’s a bad kid.” He sighed, “He probably only likes her because she’s from America.”

“Well, I’m dating you because you’re American.” I said, earning a glare from him, “Seriously, it’s super hot!”

He looked at me, “I just don’t want some stupid kid messing with her.”

I squeezed his hand, “Ok, tomorrow we’ll go and find out more about this kid. We’ll see if he’s bad and stuff. Alright?”

He smiled, “Yeah.”

“Good.” I said, before I looked about, giggling, “I only just noticed, but where are your parents?”

“They’re at town, I think.” He replied.

I nodded.

Jamie leaned closer, “I haven’t forgotten about you, I mean, at home and stuff. You sounded ok on the phone, so I didn’t want to interrogate you as soon as you walked in.” He paused, “But I don’t mind if you want to talk. I just don’t want to force it.”

I smiled, “You’re too cute, you know that?” I squeezed his hand again, “I don’t mind talking.” I paused, “Actually there’s quite a lot to tell.”

He nodded and stood up, pulling me with him, “Come on. We’ll go upstairs.”

I stood up, but looked over at the stove, “What about that?” I asked, pointing.

“Shit!” He remarked, as he rushed over, “God I completely forgot.”

I stood next to him, “Is it ok?”

He nodded and shut off the gas, “It might be a little softer than usual, but it’s edible. Any longer and it would have been burned.” He walked over, grabbed some lids and covered the food. He turned to me, “I can leave it now, let’s go.”

I smiled and followed him, “Ok.” I said, as we headed to the stairs, “Is there anything that you’re not good at?” I asked.

He giggled, “You make out like I’m some kind of god.”

“You are.”

He giggled again, “Well, I’m not that good at soccer, apparently.”

I smiled, “How could I forget that?” I remarked, causing him to glance over his shoulder at me. I swatted his backside, “Don’t give me that look. You know I’m right.”

“Sure, coming from the boy who can’t hit a ball. Seriously, you need to work on your swing.”

“You need to work on your throw.”

He turned to me, “I was the best pitcher in my school.”

I was about to reply, but I giggled at the innuendo.

“Jeez, Matt. You’re such a kid.” He said, once we reached his room.

I giggled again, “I’m sorry.” I said, as I stepped inside.

Jamie closed the door and locked it behind him, before he walked up to me.

I looked up at him, still in my cheeky mood, “I’m better at fielding, than batting.”

“You like…receiving the ball?” He asked, grinning.

I nodded, “Guess that makes me a…erm…catcher, right?” I said giggling.

He smiled, “Yeah.”

We continued to stare for a moment. We both knew that we were just having some light-hearted fun with each other, but in reality, it was the closest that Jamie and I had come to discussing full-blown sex. I mean sure we’d been with each other, and done stuff, but to me, there’s a large difference between a blowjob and intercourse. And in that moment, as I looked up at Jamie, I felt an odd sense of nerves, a sense of anticipation. Not that we were going to do anything right now, but that it was definitely something that we’d face in the future. Together.

Jamie leaned closer and kissed me lightly, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” I replied, as he took hold of my hand and pulled me over to his bed. He sat down, and pulled be down next to him.

He turned to me, “Do you want to talk about what happened at home?”

I looked at him and nodded. I took a few seconds to decide where to begin, “I’m living at Connors now, at least for the time being.”

His eyes widened, “They kicked you out?”

I shook my head, “No, I left on my own.” I paused, “After I left school, today, I walked home and, well, we had a chat.” I looked at him, “They said that they were going to work hard to make things work. They even said that they were wrong to kick me out in the first place.”

Jamie nodded and listened intently.

“SO I really thought that everything was good, that we could finally move on…” I shook my head, “But they had another idea. They said that it’d be best if I kept it to myself, you know, my sexuality.” I glanced at my hands, “I thought they were talking about telling people. I mean, I’m not ready to tell other people just yet, so I told them that, but it wasn’t what they meant.” I looked up at Jamie, “They wanted me to stop seeing you. They didn’t even want me to talk to you anymore.”

Jamie stared at me, before he looked away, his mind deep in thought.

I reached across and grabbed his hand, “So I told them that I couldn’t live like that. They have no right to tell me who I can and cannot be with. Especially when neither of us are doing anything wrong.”

Jamie nodded, “I’m sorry Matt. I didn’t mean to make things harder.”

“Don’t apologise, you have nothing to be sorry for.” I tugged at his hand, making him look at me, “I love you. Nothing can change that. Not my parents, not anyone.” I looked into his eyes, “And for them to deny me that, is to deny who I am.” I shook my head, “And I will not live like that.”

He frowned, his grey eyes darting over my face.

I took a breath, “So that’s why I left. They didn’t want me to go, but I wasn’t going to stay there. So I walked out of the door, to Connors house.” I paused, “But as I turned the street, Dad caught up with me. He told me to come back.”

“What did you say?”

“I told him that I’ll come back once they’re ready to have their son, their gay son come home.” I shrugged, “So I turned and walked on.”

“And then you went to Connor’s house?”

I shook my head, “No, Ayo and his cousin found me walking through the park. So I went home with them.” I smiled, “Tanisha, his cousin, she’s nice.” I turned to Jamie, “She’s his gay cousin, so she spoke to me for a while, told me to give Mum and Dad some more time.”

Jamie nodded.

“She said that we can call her if we just wanna talk or anything.” I paused, “She told me about when she came out, that she had to give her mum some time, months before she came to terms with it, well, as close as they could get.” I shifted on the bed, “When I finally got to Connor’s house, then I had to deal with Josh.”

He turned to me, “What happened with Josh?”

I faced him and nodded, “It’s just so…complicated.” I began, “I love him so much, so I want what’s best for him.” I looked at him, “Connor’s parents went over to my house to pick a few things up for me. Like my clothes, my computer. But they also spoke to my parents about Josh.” I thought for a moment, “And when they returned back, they said that my parents wanted Josh to return home. We spoke about it for a while, and then we decided that Josh will stay at home.” I glanced at the floor, “Josh wasn’t happy at first, but I told him that he’d see me whenever he wants anyway, so it isn’t that bad.” I shook my head, “But it’s still messed up. I hate seeing him upset.”

“If the same thing happened to Sam and me, I would have made the same decision.” He squeezed my hand again, “As…messed up as your parents are right now, they’re still your parents, and Josh’s too. And while he isn’t with you, at least he’s being looked after.”

I nodded, “Yeah, that’s what I keep telling myself.” I turned to him, “But it doesn’t make it any easier.”

Jamie leaned over and kissed my head, as I rested against his shoulder, “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that.” He said, as he kissed me again.

“It’s ok.”

“No, it isn’t. We shouldn’t be treated like this. We’ve done nothing wrong.” He sighed, “It just makes me angry.”

“Yeah, me too.” I said, as I pulled back and looked into his eyes, “I wish we could like press a button to make everything alright.”

He smiled, “I think every gay person would like one of those.”

I grinned back and looked at him, “So, anything new with you?”

“Erm...” He thought for a few seconds, “I’ve made dinner. And that’s about it.”

I rested my head against him again, smiling, “I love being here with you.”

He pulled me closer, “I love having you here.” He paused, “You know you’re always welcome here. I know my bed isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world-“ He said, before I cut him off.

“Your bed is perfect.” I said, before I laid back, resting my head against a pillow.

Jamie followed suit and laid next to me.

“Besides, it’s much nicer having you to cuddle up to.” I said, as I slid closer to him.

He reached out and ran a hand through my hair, playing with it between his fingers, “You’re so beautiful, Matt.” He said, before he slowly cupped my face, bring me into a kiss. I leaned closer and closed my eyes, seconds before I felt his soft, warm lips beneath my own. But before I could get into it, he pulled back. I opened my eyes and looked at him quizzically.

“Is something wrong?”

He looked at me, “It’s just that…the last time we done this…” He trailed off. I knew immediately what he meant, the last time we made out, was when we were caught by Max and Josh. Just thinking about it again caused me to cool down some.

“Yeah.” I said, as I sat up.

Jamie glanced at me, “I’m ok, it’s just…” He paused, “Sam’s here and…” He blushed.

I regarded him curiously, “What?”

“She might hear us. Her room is beneath us.”

“Oh.” I said, before I giggled, “Yeah, that’d be weird.” While it may have looked like Jamie was trying to avoid me, I completely understood where he was coming from. Seeing as what happened the last time we were together, it’d take a bit of getting used to before we can ‘carry on’ as normal. It was so frustrating, because as much as I wanted Jamie right then, I also didn’t want to find myself in a situation where we’d have to explain ourselves.

I shifted closer to him and rested my head against his shoulder, “Let’s see what’s on the telly then.”

He smiled and grabbed the remote, switching the TV on, before he held me close. Making out with Jamie was one of the best things in the world, but just being with him in any physical way was more than enough to keep me happy. And being held in his arms was definitely one of those ways.

“Do you think Ayo’s hot?” I asked suddenly, recalling the banter between Ayo and myself earlier.

“Mmm, yeah Ayo’s hot.” He said, “And he’s got a cute ass.”

I raised my eyebrows at that, and turned around to face him, “Cuter than mine?”

He kissed my cheek, “No one has a cuter ass than you.” He said, “But his is nice.”

I thought I’d have some fun, “Wanna threesome?” I bluffed, keeping a straight face.

“Mmkay.” He replied, before he focused on the TV again.

I stared at him for a moment before I pulled back, looking at him. He didn’t mean that, surely. He must have known I was joking, right?

He stared at me for a few seconds, “What? I think it’d be fun.”

I kept on staring at him before a smile crept onto his face as he burst out in laughter. Yeah, he caught my bluff.

“God, you had me going there…” I replied, as he continued to giggle.

“Hehehe, you were just begging for that, so I had to play along.” He smiled, as he calmed down, “But no, I don’t wanna threesome with Ayo, sorry.” He replied, giggling.

“I was joking, you know that right?” I asked, before I continued, “Besides, I’m greedy. I don’t want to share you with anyone.” I said, as I pulled him closer.

“Even Ayo?” He giggled.

I parted my lips and leaned closer, “Even Ayo.”

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter of American Differences.

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Emulated

Copyright © 2009 By Emulated