Chapter 11: New Friends
**Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read this.
I took Colt out to a fancy restaurant that evening, so we could celebrate his emancipation. Everything seemed to be falling into place. I also introduced Colt to a new treat -- lobster. I ordered lobster and steak dinners for both of us, after explaining to him that I thought he would love it. I was right. He did. I had even ordered a bottle of wine and let Colt have a little, as a treat. I couldn't get him his own glass, but I let him take sips out of mine, and he seemed to get a kick out of doing that.
After I finished eating, I noticed that a little of the melted butter had dripped onto my shirt. I wanted to wash it off with cold water before I returned home, so I excused myself and went to the men's room. When I came back out, I ran into someone that I hadn't seen since I used to visit my grandparents, when I was younger. I was surprised he recognized me, but I enjoyed the few minutes we got to chat. I even gave him my phone number, so he could call and set up a time when we could get together again.
By the time I got back to the table, I caught Cole taking another drink from my wineglass. I didn't really mind, but I thought he should have waited until I returned. Although I wasn't totally happy with his action, this was a celebration and he was too adorable to stay mad at. However, I did cut him off from drinking any more, because I noticed his face was starting to get flushed and he was beginning to act a little silly. I suddenly realized he had caught a slight buzz. I quickly grabbed the wine bottle out of the ice bucket and discovered Colt had drunk more than half a bottle while I was away. I quickly paid the bill and got him out of there, before anyone else noticed his deteriorating condition.
I drove directly home, but Colt was getting sillier by the minute. During the drive, Colt started grabbing at my crotch and trying to unzip me saying, "I needs dez-zert." I knew this sudden boldness had come out of a wine bottle, so I pulled the car over to the curb, so I could push him away.
"This is not the appropriate time or place for this," I advised him. "Besides, I think you're a little drunk."
"Me? Naaaah, I'z not dunk," he slurred. I obviously had made a mistake in judgment tonight by indulging him and I knew this was one mistake I would be careful not to repeat.
When we arrived home, I steered Colt inside and he immediately started trying to take my clothes off again. However, I wasn't about to reward him for what he had done. We could have both gotten into trouble tonight, if someone had complained about my allowing him to drink my wine. Instead, I undressed him and put him to bed early. He still had school tomorrow and I wanted him to get a decent night's sleep and sober up in plenty of time for his classes. It was a struggle, but I finally managed to keep him in bed until he passed out.
Once that task was over, I went to the living room to relax and think about how foolish I had been by allowing Colt to share my wine. On the day he had gained his freedom, I almost helped him prove to the world that maybe it had been a mistake. Damn, I thought I was smarter than that. Oh, well, no sense dwelling on it now.
When I went to bed, Colt was snoring a little, something I had never heard him do before. It was probably because he was passed out on his back, with his mouth wide open, instead of on his side and snuggled against me, as he normally would have done. After getting ready, I climbed into bed beside him, but did not cuddle with him. The fact that I was unable to feel his body against mine all evening was punishment enough for me for letting it happen. I hadn't felt that lonely in a long time.
The next morning Colt seemed fine. When I dropped him off at school, I told him to have a good day, but he knew I was still upset with him. "I'm sorry, Leo," he told me, meekly. "It just tasted good and I didn't realize it would do what it did to me. Trust me, I won't do that again." He did look as if he was being sincere.
"I hope you mean that," I quipped back. He gave me a nod and then took off, eager to meet up with his friends.
When I came home that night, Colt was playing basketball in the driveway with another boy, so I parked my car on the street. Colt noticed me, stopped playing for a few seconds and waved in my direction, before motioning me to come over. "Leo, this is Jason," Colt announced, as soon as I was near enough to hear him. "Jason, this is Leo. He's the terrific guy who's letting me live with him." Jason immediately reached out his hand.
"Hello, Mister..." he started, but then suddenly stopped when he realized he didn't know my last name.
"It's just Leo, Jason," I told him, while taking his hand and shaking it. "I'm pleased to meet you."
"Same here, Leo," he replied. "Colt has told me what a great guy you are. I'm really glad I finally got to meet you. I just came over to help Colt practice basketball."
"So I see, and that's very kind of you," I responded. "Well, if you two will excuse me, I'm going to go inside and slip into something a little more appropriate for the weather."
"Will you come back out and play winners?" Colt offered, as I walked away.
"No, but thanks anyway. You guys have fun and I'll just start dinner,' I explained.
"But that's my job," Colt protested.
"I think I can handle it once in a while," I retorted. "Remember, I used to do the cooking at one time."
"Okay," Colt agreed, laughing. "Then I'll clean up afterward." I nodded and went inside.
About forty minutes later, Colt came rushing into the house. "Is your friend staying for dinner?" I asked. "I fixed plenty."
"No, he had to go," he told me, all excited. "He said he really liked you," he added, while watching for my reaction.
"Interesting," I told him. "I'm not sure how he could have decided that by just saying hello," I quipped.
"Well, it's because you told him to call you Leo and maybe because of some of the things I've told him about you," he explained.
"Hmmm..." I mumbled. "I told him to call me Leo because that's my name. I probably wouldn't have answered him if he called me Tom or Joe." Colt gave me a funny look.
"I meant, he thought it was great that you didn't ask him to call you Mister something," he reasoned.
"Well, I'm not Mr. Something," I teased. "Something is not my last name."
"Oh, cut it out," Colt whined. "You know what I mean." He put his hands on his hips and gave me a disgusted look.
"And just what have you been telling him about me?" I asked, with a touch or sarcasm.
"I only told him how you let me live with you and how nice you are to me." He paused momentarily before continuing. "I might have also mentioned about how you bought me the bike, do all kinds of nice things for me, like taking me to the amusement park, and how you helped me set up my job and all. I didn't tell him about the other things we do though."
"That's probably wise," I teased. "You seemed very comfortable with him."
"Yeah, he's a really great guy," Colt told me, with a touch more excitement in his voice than I had expected. "Leo, do you mind if I start riding my bike to school?" he asked, interrupting my thoughts.
"Sure, it's your bike," I assured him. "We'll just have to run out and pick up a lock and chain for you first. No need taking a chance of having it stolen. When do you expect to start doing this?"
"I was hoping tomorrow, if that's all right with you," he explained. "Jason said he'd have some other guys join us and we could play a game on the high school courts, the ones outdoors, if I can. He said they'd teach me some of their plays and how to set picks and things like that."
"Sounds good to me," I agreed. "Let me turn down the heat on the oven and we'll make a quick run and pick up those things for you. Okay?"
"Yeah, great," he replied, and then we both made a dash toward the car. We weren't gone long and I bought chains and locks for both of our bikes. When I went back to prepare dinner, Colt came along to assist me, so he could tell me more about Jason. I learned they were in the same grade, nearly the same age and both had similar interests. They enjoyed the same types of music, the same subjects in school and the same television shows and movies. He seemed thrilled to have found such a good friend.
"Do you think I could ask him to stay over tomorrow night or next Friday," he asked, while trying to contain his glee. "I have to call him anyway, to tell him I'm riding my bike tomorrow, so he can call the other guys."
"Sure, I don't see a problem with that," I informed him. "However, there's something else we should discuss first," I added. Colt looked puzzled.
"What?" he wanted to know.
"When you have Jason or others over," I began, "you're going to have to be very careful about not showing me affection. No kissing, hugging or cuddling with me on the couch. You'll have to sleep in your own room when anyone else is here and you can't be running around naked or doing anything suspicious."
"Yeah, I know," he responded. "I figured most of that stuff out myself."
"Okay, that's good," I told him. "He can either sleep in your room with you or in the spare bedroom, whichever he's comfortable with. Your bed is big enough to share, but I also have a couple of sleeping bags too, if either or both of you want to sleep on the floor."
"Cool," Colt beamed. "I guess you've thought of everything."
"Not everything," I replied, chuckling, "but I used to have friends stay over too, when I was younger, and those are the kinds of things we did."
"Thanks, Leo," he added, giving me a hug. "You're gonna be a super dad."
"Not unless I get you or some other guy pregnant," I quipped back. Colt started laughing and punched me in the arm.
"Not likely," he giggled.
Colt immediately ran off to call Jason and get things set up. Before long, he came running back all excited. "Jason said he'll ride his bike to school tomorrow too and then follow me home, after we finished playing basketball."
"Sounds like a plan," I told him, happy to see him so excited. "Do you want to eat here or shall we take him out to eat?"
"Let's eat here," Colt replied.
"Okay, what do you think we should have then?" I asked him. He thought for a second, before he responded. "Let me call him back, so I can talk it over with him." I nodded and Colt ran off again.
A minute or so later, he burst back into the room.
"We've decided on either pizza or spaghetti," Colt announced, causing me to smile. I remembered hearing those choices once before.
"Which would you prefer?" I countered, trying to pin him down to one or the other.
"Let's have spaghetti," he proclaimed. "That way I can fix it all and maybe Jason could help me." I eyed Colt, suspiciously.
"Are you sure you're going to want to come home after playing basketball and fix dinner?" I asked, trying to get him to think this through.
"Yeah, I don't see why not," he replied sincerely. "I don't think we're going to be playing that hard. I guess Jason and his friends are just going to show me some stuff they learned from their coach, so I'll have a better chance of making the team next year."
"That's very nice of them, but just in case," I assured him, "you'll still have the option of going out to eat, if you do discover you are too tired to do what you've planned."
"Thanks, Leo, but I think I'll be fine," he told me. "I'm glad you care though and it's nice to know that you're willing to help."
For the next hour, Colt planned his meal, checked what we had on hand and then gave me a list of a few items he wanted me to pick up at the store on my way home from work tomorrow. I told him I'd be happy to do that for him and was impressed with how much effort he was putting into this dinner. It was immensely apparent that Colt wanted to make a good impression.
Colt was flitting about the house the rest of the night, making sure his room was clean, the spare room looked good and that he had everything ready to take with him the next day. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought he was preparing for a date. It was actually fun to watch him. He had his first close friend, who was going to not only help him sharpen his athletic skills, but was going to spend the night at our house too. Colt was pacing about, like a mare in a corral that had just noticed a grizzly moving toward her and her foal.
I finally got him to go to bed, after assuring him I'd help to make sure everything else was perfect for Jason's visit, but I wasn't sure how much rest he would be able to get. I checked on him, before getting into bed, and noticed he was tossing about in his sleep. That entire night, I thought I was sleeping inside of a tornado.
After waking him the next morning, Colt seemed more than a bit sluggish, although he was eager to get to school. I guess he hadn't really slept well. Colt told me later that the school day seemed to drag on forever for him and he actually thought his teachers were being exceptionally boring all day long. Colt ran into Jason at lunch and Jason assured him that everything was all set for later. That made Colt feel a little better, but he still had half a day of classes to go. By the time his last period finally arrived, Colt was ready to just ditch class and wait for his friends outside, but knew that wouldn't make the time go by any faster. Instead, he sat through one more boring lecture. When the bell rang, signaling the end of his school day, Colt bolted for the locker room. He had planned to meet the other guys there and change, before going to the outside courts.
Since he had lived with me, Colt had become very open about others seeing his naked body, so he made no effort to hide his goodies while he changed. He was pleased to discover that most of the other boys were just as open as he was, because that gave him the opportunity to check them out, on the sly. He was quite happy with what he saw too. After changing, the boys grabbed all of their things and headed outside, where they began to teach Colt some of the basics.
Jason and his friends showed Colt how to set good picks and how to rub a defender off on a pick, whenever someone set one for him. They also demonstrated how to work a give-and-go and how to reverse pivot, to block out someone from the other team when going for a rebound. They also made him work on shooting lay-ups with his left hand, as well as with his right, and they made him work on dribbling with both hands too. The boys felt that was enough for their first day together, so they let him practice his newly acquired skills by playing a four-on-four pick-up game.
Colt said some of the things were hard to remember and put into use during the game, but his friends would call a timeout and show him when he should have done something differently, so he could learn. He said he felt better by the time they finished and thought that some of the things were starting to come more naturally to him by that point. He was excited and looking forward to their next group outing.
After they finished playing, Colt and Jason loaded their belongings into their backpacks, unchained their bikes and peddled to our place. I was already there when they arrived, even after stopping at the store first and putting my purchases away. I heard the garage door open, as Colt and Jason stored their bikes, and then Colt burst through the door yelling, "Leo, we're home."
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