Learning to love

 

When we walked into the condo, I saw my father out by the pool. Tommy said he had to go to the bathroom, so I walked out to where my father was sitting in a cabana chair. "Hello dad, Tommy and I just got back. I invited my friends to come to dinner, but I need to call them and let them know where we're going and to make sure their parents have said ok." He was wearing a pair of swimming shorts and Ray Ban's. Seeing him like this, I was aware of just how much he had kept himself in shape and I hoped I looked as good at 44-years-old.

"Hi Brent. Let me see. I made reservations at the Water Grill, so make sure they all like seafood when you call. You better do that soon, because it's getting close to 7 pm and I need to change the reservation." He stood up and opened his arms. "First I'd like a hug." He smiled at me and I walked into his arms. "I love you Brent. You make me so happy that you're giving me a chance." He kissed the top of my head.

"Dad I love you too. I wish you had decided to accept it a lot sooner than you did, but we have a lot of time to get it right still." I hugged him back and we parted. "I better go call."

"I'll be in my room, so let me know when you get off the phone." He said and walked back into the penthouse.  I followed him, and then headed to Tommy's and my room. Tommy was still in the bathroom and I tapped on the door, "Are you shitting again?" I asked and laughed. He yelled through the door.

"No, I'm jerking off! You don't give me enough sex!" I heard him snicker after.

"You better not be! You waste a drop of that and I'll have to put you in a cage and milk you four times a day." I put my ear to the door like some perv and he must be a card carrying member of the Psychic Friends Network.

"Get your ear away from the door while I'm taking a crap!" I heard him tear paper and I laughed and went to pick up my phone.

Everyone was allowed to go and they all liked seafood. They asked what they should wear and I told them just dress clothes, no suits or evening gowns. I also told them they should start getting ready, because the reservation was for around 7 pm. Tommy came out of the bathroom and wrapped his arms around me from behind as I was disconnecting from talking to Cheryl. He nuzzled into my neck and kissed me just under my ear. "Hey sexy, we have time for a quickie?" He whispered in my ear.

"I wish."  I liked the feel of his arms around me.  "We need to shower and to get dressed, but first I need to tell my father that everyone is able to go to dinner with us." I turned around in his arms and he kissed me as soon as our mouths were even. When he stopped the kiss, I told him, "Wow that was a good kiss. I never knew shitting was a turn on for you." I grinned.

"All I have to do is see you and I get turned on." He reached down and rubbed my crotch through my jeans.

"Tommy! Dude, we don't have time. I have to go walking in my dad's room and you're trying to give me hardon." He squeezed my cock through my jeans.

"Hmm...Not trying, succeeding. You better hurry and go tell him. He needs to change the reservations." He gave me an evil grin and let me go.

"Grrr, your time will come little boy. When you least expect it." He just laughed and grabbed his crotch and said eat me. I said you wish and hurried out of the room before he decided trying to eat ME was a better option.

I got everything set with my father and when I got back to our room, Tommy and I jumped in the shower together. I had to fight for my virtue the whole time, Tommy was really horned up. While we were dressing, I got a call from Connie and I did summersaults apologizing to her for forgetting to call and let her know we made it safe. She just laughed and said it was ok. She told me Frank had called and she told him where I was. He said he'd call me on Friday when I got out of school. We chatted for awhile while I continued to dress. We finally said goodbye and I looked over at Tommy and he was standing there smiling at me.

"How do I look?" He turned, modeling for me.

"You look awesome. Those pants show off your ass really well. Come over here and let me squeeze it a couple times." I leered at him.

"No. No. No. I no can touchy in the shower; you no can touchy in the bower!" He stuck his tongue out at me and I swear I could eat him all up!

"That was damn witty Cutey! How'd you come up with that ditty off the top of your head?" It was awfully good.

"I'm good like that." He rejoined. I gave him a steady look.

"I think we need to get you back home. You're picking up the local attitude too fast." He winked at me and I just laughed. I finished dressing myself and sprayed him and me with some cologne. My father knocked on the closed door and asked us if we were about ready to go. We gave each other a once over and opened the door and walked out. "We're ready." My father was also looking good in his clothes and Tommy and I both told him so. It was refreshing to see him out of a suit and he even had a more relaxed presence about him.

"Thanks guys. You both look handsome yourselves. Now we better get going so we can pick everyone up and make the reservation." We left the penthouse and rode the elevator to the lobby. When we walked outside, there was a stretch limo waiting and the driver was holding the door open. Tommy's eyes went wide and his smile lit up his whole face. My father climbed in the limo first then Tommy. I sat beside Tommy, closest to the door so I could get out at each stop. Our first pickup was at Cheryl's house. I walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. I heard a bunch of giggling and then the door opened and I was presented with a shocking sight. Both Cheryl and Stephie were there and wearing DRESSES! Cheryl snapped her fingers in my face a couple times to get my attention and the two girls started laughing.

"Daaaaamn! I never knew you two actually had tits!" I laughed as they both blushed and Cheryl shushed me because her mother might hear me. "Seriously, you two should wear dresses more often. You look amazing."

"Why thank you young sir," Stephie said and leaned forward and whispered, "If you didn't suck cock, maybe we would." I looked at them with a mock shocked expression and we all started laughing. My father must have told the driver to honk, because we were interrupted by the sound and Cheryl yelled inside the house that they were leaving and closed the door. I escorted the girls down the drive and they both squealed when they saw the limo waiting for us. The driver was standing at the door when Cheryl got to the limo and he opened it and started to help her in. Cheryl had paused and was looking into the car when I heard my father.

"Hello young lady, let me see, you must be Cheryl. Please come in and have a seat." That must have been what she was waiting for, because she disappeared inside and I had to wait on Stephie to receive the same invitation before I could finally climb in myself. The girls were seated across from ours and they both had their eyes lock on my father. My friends had never interacted with my him. He was this aloft lawyer of whom their only knowledge was derived from me and I was not a happy son at the time. I looked at them and then my father. He seemed a bit out of sorts himself with the unblinking attention he was receiving. I looked back at the girls.

"It's ok you two. I discovered he doesn't bite and I also found out that I love him. The best part is he loves me too," They both jerked their heads and looked at me. "Yeah, weird huh?" They looked shyly back to my father and he was now beaming. "Dad, this is Cheryl and this is Stephie. Two of my best friends and ladies this is my father," I turned to Tommy, "and I'm sure you remember this stud!" I leaned over and gave Tommy a kiss.

"Hello Mr. Stewart; pleased to meet you. Uh...excuse Stephie and me. We're...um..." She trailed off, not seeming able to continue.

"I understand completely. You two have known Brent for 14 years, and me for 5 minutes. That's hardly normal for this situation, but please relax. We have plenty of time to get acquainted." He directed the driver to proceed and we pulled out from Cheryl's house to next stop for Julian. Julian was waiting out front when we pulled up and he came running to the limo. I laughed when he opened the door, looked at us and just got in. I think this activity flustered the driver, but Julian was not fazed by it. He was in shock at seeing the girls in dresses and then renewed his shock at finally realizing my father was in the car. Julian is Italian and he has the classic swarthy good looks. He's very reserved around people he's unfamiliar with...for about ten minutes, and then he usually won't shut up. He's also a loud talker, like he's talking to people hard of hearing. I introduced him to my father and as we drove to pick Tom up, him and my father hit it off well and Julian began to talk and talk and...Talk.

We pulled up at Tom's house. I got out and walked up the drive to his front door. When I stepped up to knock, the door opened and there he stood. He had his hair spiked and was wearing a black button front shirt with a row of small red thorns running from each shoulder down to disappear in his waistline. The first three buttons of the shirt were undone and he had a Figaro gold chain around his neck. His pants were charcoal grey and fit his form to perfection. He was also wearing A&F Fierce cologne. He looked...amazing. "Hey Brent, I heard a car so I was checking to see if it was you." He smiled at me and the look in his eyes caused me to swallow hard.

"Uh...yeah, we've picked everyone else up. We better get going." His eyes were sparkling and he was exuding sexuality. I was having a hard time concentrating. I had never in my life seen him look like this and it was having an unexpected effect that I'm sure he planned.

"I'm ready to go." He closed his door and looked at me, then started down the walk. I followed behind him and my eyes went right to his ass in the tight fitting pants. What the fuck?! I looked away and followed him to the limo. The driver was standing at the door to welcome him. He paused only for a moment as he climbed in, then I started to get in and he had taken a seat beside Tommy where I had been sitting. I looked at him and he said, "We're getting to know each other better. Sit across from us." I looked at Tommy and he raised his brows up and smiled. I climbed in and sat across from them both. I introduced him to my father and Tom said hello, but immediately returned to watching me. I knew exactly what he was doing. He had taken my seat so I would have the perfect view to compare him to Tommy as we left and traveled to the restaurant. On the way there, his getting to know Tommy better consisted of looking at Toomy and then me, trying to read what was silently passing between us. I looked at my father only once and he raised his eyebrows at me. He doesn't miss a thing I thought to myself and decided I'd avoid eye contact before he read too much.

We arrived at the Water Grill and soon were seated at our table. Tommy sat on my left and had Cheryl not slide in front of Tom and took the seat to my right, he'd be sitting there. As it were, he took the seat to her right, then Stephie, Julian and then my father between Julian and Tommy. The hostess told us that our waiter would be right over and to enjoy our evening. Tommy wasn't letting Tom's attentions disrupt his enjoyment and looked around the restaurant. "This place looks great, have you been here before?" He asked me and finally took my attention away from dwelling on what in the hell Tom was doing.

I looked over at him and smiled, "Yeah Cutie. I've been here...Mmm...Maybe three times. They have really good food."

"What type of food do they have?" He asked me and I blinked at him.

"I thought I asked you if you liked seafood...they serve seafood. You do like that don't you?" I couldn't believe I had asked everyone else if seafood was ok, but had forgotten to ask my own boyfriend, but remembered he wasn't out with my father and me by the pool, and was in the bathroom when I called everyone else. He nodded at me.

"Sure I do, my mom fixes fish sticks all the time and I really like catfish too." He told me.  I grinned at him. My sexy small town boy.

"Well I don't think they have either of those on the menu, but they do have other kinds of fish. I'm sorry I never asked you if you liked seafood before we got here. I thought I had."

"That's ok, I like it. I eat almost anything, including Brussels sprouts!" He grinned at me and all I wanted to do was kiss his gorgeous face. Our waiter came and informed us of the specials for the day and distributed menus. He took our drink orders and said he'd return with them and take our order. My father looked around our table and then suggested that if everyone was hungry and liked most seafood, the best item to select was the Tasting Menu. It consisted of six dishes, selected by the Chef, of seasonal specialties. After thinking it over, we all agreed it was a good suggestion. When our waiter returned, he placed our drinks in front of us and took our meal choice from my father. My father also ordered an iced shellfish platter for appetizer. We of coursed passed on a first course, since the main meal was going to consist of six dishes of food, a piece.

I kept a sideways eye on Tom and I could see he was still intent on watching me. Cheryl was talking to Tommy around me, asking about Beulah and the people he grew up with. She really wanted to know what it was like to live in a small town. Julian and Stephie were telling my father about their high school, and this left him free to watch me and me to do nothing other than be made acutely aware of it. The waiter returned with the iced platters of appetizers interrupting everyone's conversations and diverting Tom. We all served ourselves from the platter of the items we liked. Tommy squeezed my thigh under the table and leaned over and whispered why I was being so quiet. I looked at him and mouthed 'Tom'. He nodded his understanding. Conversation resumed after awhile and Stephie caught Tom up in a conversation which left me free to eat my appetizers in peace.

Our waiter arrived again, followed this time by a train of servers to clear our table and begin our Tasting Menu courses. The food was great and Tommy made sure to give me a running commentary on how he thought every dish he ate was the best thing he had ever had. I chuckled at him and told him I loved him. I was happy to see him enjoying himself. My father looked at me several times through the meal. He winked once and smiled. I smiled back at him and he returned to his meal. After everyone had been served and finished their last dish, Cheryl excused herself to go to the ladies room and Stephie went with her. Julian was in a conversation with my father again, and Tom slide into Cheryl's now vacant seat.

"That was good food. I never ate so many different things in one meal before." He said to me and smiled. I told him that I thought it was really good too. He put his left hand on my shoulder and leaned in to whisper to me how hot he thought I looked and that made my decision for me. I had to talk to him to find out what he was trying to do. I turned to Tommy and whispered that I was taking Tom outside to talk and would be right back. He nodded and smiled. He turned to listen to my father and Julian's conversation. I turned back to Tom.

"We need to talk. Let's go out on the veranda." I stood up and motioned for him to follow me. I told my father and Julian that we'd be back in a few minutes. I walked to the veranda and opened the door. Tom followed me out and closed the door behind him. I turned and started immediately. "What are you doing?" He raised his eyebrows, trying to play innocent. "Tom, you have been trying...well...acting like your competing for my attention and watching every move I make. The way you looked at me and acted when I picked you up, was like you were trying to seduce me. I want to know what the fuck your thinking?" He ducked his head and then looked back at me.

"Can I kiss you Brent?" Bam! No explanation, no apology for making me feel uncomfortable, no feigning ignorance of what I'm talking about. His first words out of his mouth were to ask me for a kiss?!

"What?! Can you KISS me? What kind of a question is that Tom?" Fucker, what is he thinking?

"I want to kiss you."

"I have a boyfriend and he's sitting right in there at our table. I love him Tom and I don't have the right to allow you to kiss me. Why wou..." Before I could finish he interrupted me.

"Wait for me here Brent? Please wait, I'll be right back." He asked.

"Where the fuck you going?" I asked him.

"Just wait, I'll be right back." He left me standing there and I watched him walk to our table and lean down and talk to Tommy. Tommy turned back and looked in the direction where I was standing on the veranda and got up from the table, following behind Tom to the veranda. When Tommy came through the door, he walked up to me and smiled.

"What's all this?" He asked me. I was getting more and more pissed at Tom as each moment passed.

"Tom's idea." Was all I said to him. He turned and looked at Tom.  Tom was closing the door and walked over to stand with Tommy and me.

"Brent said he didn't have the right to let me kiss him, so I wanted to ask you. Can I kiss Brent?" Tommy turned and looked at me, focusing on my eyes for a couple of moments, and then turned back to Tom. I however, was in a state verging on explosion. Tom had been my friend for 14 years and what he was doing was chipping away at me.

"If Brent is ok with it, then I don't have a problem with it, but listen to me Tom." Tommy moved closer to him. "If you want to kiss him because you think you're going to sweep him off his feet, you might as well forget it. One more thing you need to know. He loves me and I love him. Your tackle today caught me off guard and shouldn't give you some false sense of advantage. I'm not some city boy who gets up every morning and rides a bus to school, sits home watching TV or playing video games until I go to bed and start it all over again the next morning. I work for everything I want. Don't press what you're doing to far, because," he now moved right into Tom's face and said, "I will kick your ass all over this restaurant. Now if you still want to kiss Brent, then ask him again, but remember I'm staying right here." He backed up and made room for Tom to see me. I was amazed. I always had in my mind that I was going to be Tommy's protector, but he turned the tables and declared his protection of me. My heart just swelled up at listening to him tell Tom this. Tom looked at me and walked over.

"Brent, can I kiss you?" The boy just wasn't going to give up! I looked at Tommy and he SMILED and nodded his head. I looked at Tom and sighed.

"If you want to kiss me, fine, kiss me. This ends afterwards though. We've been friends forever and you are testing it with all this shit."

"You have to kiss me back Brent. A real kiss, not just quick lips touch and we're through." Will he ever stop! Again I looked at Tommy, again he nodded.

"I'll kiss you back. A real kiss." Without waiting a moment more, he took my face in his hands and pressed his lips to mine. He held me gently and I felt his tongue run along my sealed lips and press forward for me to open my mouth and let it in. I had promised him a real kiss and he was going to get what he wanted. I hesitantly separated my lips and opened my mouth to him.  He slowly pressed his tongue forward and touched mine. He slide his tongue across mine and gently probed my mouth. His taste was different from Tommy. I kept my eyes open, watching his face as he continued. He was very gentle and then he kissed me even deeper sealing his lips around my mouth creating an airtight vacuum.  After a moment of this, he withdrew his tongue and closed his lips, but did not break the kiss. I felt him swallow and in just a moment more, he once again entered my mouth and this time the taste of him was wetter and more distinct. He slowly began to withdraw his tongue and paused until I followed it with my own. His passed from my mouth and mine entered his. He sucked it gently and I felt my cock start to harden at the sensation. I even started to feel light-headed.  It was the most passionate kiss I had ever had and then he was gone. He broke the kiss and looked at me. He frowned a little and turned to Tommy, his voice sounding horse and broken.  He looked at Tommy for a few moments and sighed.

"I'm jealous of you Tommy. I'm sick with it. You have someone that I have loved for so long and you took him from me in a matter of weeks. I wish I were gay." I recovered from his kiss at this point and looked at Tommy. He walked up to Tom.

"Kiss me." He said to him. I was about to protest, but he looked at me and I decided to keep my mouth shut. Tom could fucking KISS! Damn! I could still feel my heart beating fast and my cock was still in a semi-state of arousal.

"I'm not gay Tommy." He said to him.

"Kiss me Tom." Tom looked at me and then back at Tommy. Since he heard no protest from me, he placed his hands on Tommy's face and repeated what he had just done to me, on my boyfriend. I watched them both and could judge exactly what was happening in the kiss, because it was something I was not likely to forget anytime soon. Then I saw something that hadn't registered on me when I was being kissed. Tom pressed his hips forward and ground his pelvis into Tommy's, but now I remembered him doing the same to me. I think it had happened the moment I felt my cock start to harden. Tom finished and broke the kiss with Tommy and I almost laughed at the expression on Tommy's face. He looked as dazed as I had after mine. He looked at Tom.

"Tom, you need to come to terms with being gay man. You kissed two guys just now and you held nothing back. Damn, you even made me start to get hard." Tom was about to protest, but Tommy stopped him. "Don't deny it man. I watched you kiss Brent and you did the same thing to him that you just now did to me. I felt your cock. It didn't just brush against me because we were so close, you ground it into me and you're as hard as a rock." His statement acted as if a string was tied to all three of our heads, tightening all at once to a focal point, right at Tom's crotch. We all looked down at it. His pants had a very obvious tent in them and stretched full mast and a bit to the left was a very sexually aroused cock. Tommy looked once more at Tom's face and then over at me and came walking to me.

"I love you Brent. I...need you as much now as I ever have. You've known Tom for 14 years and me for...for only three weeks. If...If you think you need to give...give you two a chance..." He stopped and stared into my eyes and I used them to draw him in and lock him there. We stood there on the veranda not moving and I didn't care if we ever moved. I was not letting him turn away from me until he finally understood for the last time that that he was MINE! He gasped and hugged me and I held him.

"I told you and don't ever do this again. You hurt me each time you question me like this." I felt him nod his head into my shoulder. I saw Tom as I looked over Tommy's shoulder. He was watching us and he ducked his head. He turned and opened the veranda door and closed it behind him. I pushed Tommy back away from me and looked at him. "I want to go home." He nodded to me and after making sure we had it all together, he and I walked back inside and returned to the table. Julian and Tom weren't there when we sat down. My father looked at me and then Tommy.

"Well, the girls say that they both have early curfews on school nights and once the guys get back from the men's room, we better get everyone home. I think we all need to rest after eating all that food." He smiled at me and I gave him a grateful smile. I looked at Cheryl.

"I really have missed you guys. I was so wacked about going to high school without my gang. You all have to promise to come and visit me. You can even milk a cow!" I laughed and she grimaced.

"I'm not touching some beasts' breasts! I'll drink my milk from the grocery store, thank you!" Tommy and I looked at each other and we both started laughing. Tommy explained to her what I went through with fresh milk and both Stephie and Cheryl said they agreed with me about drinking it straight from a cow. He next told them about the rooster and the whole table laughed as he told it. Julian came back to the table and before he sat down, jerked his head in the direction he had come from to indicate I should go there. He sat down and kept looking at me. Tommy touched my leg and said go. I got up and went to find Tom. He was in the men's room and when I walked in he looked up at me.

"Hey Brent."

"Tom. Are you ok?" His eyes were a bit red and he looked like he had lost his best friend. He nodded to me. "Tom, dude, I still love you. You're my best friend. I just can't be anything else than that. I used to crush on you when we were in elementary school, but things changed and you're like my brother. I know that is a shitty thing to say considering, but I love him Tom. You have to understand that. I love him differently and with every part of me." He listened to me and eventually he nodded.

"I know Brent. I saw how much outside. Your my bud and we'll always be, right?"

"Of course we will. I want you to visit me anytime you can." I smiled at him and then chuckled.  He raised his eyebrow and I told him, "I have to agree with Tommy about something. You know how to fucking kiss! What the hell? Who have you been practicing on?!" He blushed a little.

"You. You're the first other than cheek kisses with my family." He sheepishly replied.

"Well if you ever get close enough to give a guy or girl a kiss like you did me, you'll have them in your pocket and begging for more." He reddened a little bit and then I looked at him.  I wanted to try and make this right.  He was important to me and I didn't want to lose him.  I needed all my friends. "I want another kiss Tom, but not like the one outside. I want to kiss you to let you know I care." I walked over to hug and then kiss him.  I felt him begin to open his mouth and I ended the kiss. "Not every kiss involves tongue. Save that for when it matters most. We better go. The girls have curfew and I'm sure you guys do too. You promise to visit me?"

"I promise. I still love you, but I think this time it's different. Let's go."

We left the men's room and walked out to the table. I asked if we were all ready to go and we went out and waited for my father to join us. I had told Tommy that we would go to the beach tomorrow and I would invite the gang. Not now. I wanted to say goodbye to them tonight and spend the rest of my time with just him. I started cooking up plans for us as my father came out and climbed into the limo. This time I sat by Tommy, and Tom sat across from us. Tommy and I both smiled at him and he blushed. As we dropped each of them off, I walked them to their doors and told them goodbye. I invited them to come and visit me when they could. Christmas had a long school break and I thought we could plan something for then. Julian was the last and when I climbed in the limo after seeing him to his house, I sighed and felt relief. Tommy hugged me and my father smiled. It wasn't the reunion I was expecting, but it was enough for this time. More than enough.

We got back to the penthouse and Tommy wanted to go swimming. I looked at my father and asked him to join us. Tommy thought that would be great too and my father said he would. We all met back at the pool and spent the next hour playing around and dunking each other. My father chased Tommy and me, trying to pick us up and throw us. We had him worn out in a matter of minutes. I had never had so much fun with him ever. Tommy and I soon tired of the pool and we all decided to give it up for the night. My father gave us both a hug and wished us a good night. We had the appointment with the court in the morning and we all needed to get some sleep.

Tommy and I showered together and climbed into bed. I was exhausted from everything we had done today and the lack of sleep from the night before had an effect on both of us. After kissing goodnight, we spooned together and quickly fell asleep.

Tommy's kissing my neck, woke me the next morning. I giggled, flipped over and jumped on top of him. "Good morning hot stuff. Give me a kiss like the one last night!" He demanded. I locked my lips on his and tried my best to comply. I had an advantage though; I was in boxers and so was Tommy. The kiss and grind we experienced last night was on a whole new level as we did it this morning. His moaning while I kissed him and his attempting to pull my boxers down increased until I suddenly jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom laughing. "Get your ass back here and fuck me, now!" He yelled. Then I heard KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! Tommy yelped real loud and I heard a bunch of scrambling around coming from the room. He called out, "Just a minute!" and I started laughing my ass off, just visualizing what was going on in the bedroom. He knocked on the bathroom door and loud whispered, "Your dad's at the door." I wanted to say no shit, but I doubt he'd see the humor in it.

"Well, tell him to come in Tommy." I said through the bathroom door.

"But...I think he heard me yell at you. My...my face is so hot right now I'm going to go up in flames. Let me in there with you!" I laughed at how little he sounded, like an 8 year old whining.

"Tommy, I heard you tell him to wait a minute. What do you think he's going to think if you NEVER show up at the door and he finds you hiding in here with me?" He kept pleading and I relented. "Tell him you have to put on some clothes, I'm shitting at the moment so I can't get up." I thought for a split second. "TOMMY!" I yelled. A moment passed before I heard him at the bathroom door say what. "Don't tell him I'm shitting, he doesn't need to know that!"

"I wasn't going to tell him! Hurry up though." He left again and I heard him tell my father he was putting some clothes on. I hurried and finished taking care of my business, and when I opened the door and walked out, Tommy hadn't just thrown on a shit and shorts like I thought he would, he was clothed completely. He even had his socks and shoes on. I couldn't help it, I broke down and laughed my ass off. My father said he was coming in and did. I had only made it like three steps out of the bathroom before I had seen Tommy, so that's where he saw me, laughing and only wearing boxers. He looked at Tommy who was sitting like a sweet innocent boy, completely clothed on the end of the bed. He had even managed to spike his hair.

My father raised his eyebrows and looked at us both. "Now looking at the both of you, I don't know quite what to say. I thought I'd be coming in here with Brent hiding under the bed spread and Tommy in only a pair of blue jeans to answer the door." Ok, if they didn't stop I was going to die in my boxers. My stomach muscles were killing me! I lost it all over again at my father's comment.

"So I guess I have to start with you Tommy, since Brent looks about to pass out. I know I have given you both a lot of leeway with your relationship and most of it was my hopes in helping you two develop a deeper affection for one another. But yelling out like you did, when you should be well aware that I'm sharing this apartment, was pressing my forbearance a little too far. I'm aware that you two will be having sex and experimenting with each other, but I do NOT want to hear it. Secondly, Tommy, I do not ever want to here you use that kind of language again. It was crude and totally uncharacteristic of what I had expected from you. It honestly shocked me." The seriousness of my fathers tone had killed my laughter and I looked at Tommy and he was mortified. He was looking anywhere except at my father.

I stood up. "Wait a minute dad. Your right, what Tommy said was bad, but it was said as a joke and we were only aware of what we were doing with each other at the moment." Seeing Tommy cowered set my engines on fire and triggered my defense for him. "We were in our room and the door was closed. Had we been at home in our house, you would never have heard a thing. I'm sorry we got out of hand and forgot that we weren't at home." I looked at my father and I knew I needed to stop now, but sometimes my heart overrules my brain and I can't control it. "Maybe it was because we felt so secure because we knew you were the only other person in the apartment and we didn't need to hide anything from you. I won't make that mistake again. That's a PROMISE!" I turned from him and walked over to Tommy. I sat down next to him and pulled him into my arms. "It's ok Tommy. Give me a few minutes and I'll get dressed." I turned to look at my father. "Are you done or do you have more to say to hurt his feeling?"

Tommy jerked away from me and stood up. He stared down at me. "That's enough Brent. I can't sit here and listen to you talk to your dad like that. I can't STAND IT! He was right! My father would still be yelling at me and I'd be lucky if his boots weren't planted up my butt." He turned to my father. "I'm sorry Mr. Stewart. I don't know what got into me to say what I did. I promise I don't use that kind of language often, even less than often. I'll...I'll even tell my dad I said what I did and maybe after he's done with me, I'll remember what he taught me." Tommy turned back to me. "Brent, look at me please." I looked at him and now I was feeling small. "You don't need to get so mad to stick up for me Babe. Especially with your father. He wasn't even yelling at me. I was feeling bad because I know I was wrong." I looked at my father and remembered what I had just said to him.

"Dad, I'm sorry. Will you forgive me. I didn't mean any of that." I wiped my eyes and felt the tears wipe across my hand. "I...I love you and I can't believe I tried to hurt you like that." He walked over and sat next to me.

"Brent I love you too, but I'm still your father. I'm not saying this to be mean to you. I want to build our relationship, but I'm not going to totally vacate all my responsibilities as your parent to do so. I know you didn't mean all that you said to me. I recognized it as your want to protect Tommy. I know you love him and share when he's upset." He searched my face with his eyes. "Let's make a deal. If I say something that you don't like, instead of immediately erupting, think about what I said when you've calmed down. If you can present a good enough argument for your point of view, come back to me and we'll talk it over. I will concede it to you if you make a valid rebuttal. But, if you find that I'm right, then you need to accept my judgment. It will be better for us both this way without causing a rift. Would you do that for me?" I nodded and he took me in his arms for a hug. "Good. It's 8:30 and if we want to go and grab some breakfast before court, we need to hurry and get ready. I told Marco Henderson, our lawyer, that we'd meet him at the court building at 10:45."

I stood up from the bed after my father and told him that I would be ready in about 30 minutes. He turned and walked out of the bedroom and Tommy got up and gave me a hug. "Thank you for sticking up for me Babe. I love you." He gave me a kiss and then I went into the closet to grab the suit I had packed to wear to court. When I came out, Tommy was getting undressed again.

"What are you doing? We have to hurry and get going for breakfast." I asked. He looked up at me.

"I'm not wearing jeans to a court building! I threw...well...I put all this on for when your dad came in." He blushed and finished pulling his jeans off. I just smiled and shook my head. Like I had promised, I was dressed and ready in the given time. Tommy was also redressed and my father was waiting for us in the living room. We left the penthouse and had breakfast at La Abeja Restaurant. Tommy and I both ordered huge breakfast burritos stuffed with eggs, chorizo, potatoes, beans, cheese, onion, jalapeno, and green peppers. They were massive. My father had huevos ranchero. I started to feel a little nervous as we were finishing the meal. I had never been to court before, and now I was going to be facing a judge and telling him I wanted to live with my father instead of my mother. I know my father said it wasn't going to be anything to worry about, but I was happy that I had Tommy and him with me for support.

We met the lawyer from my father's old firm outside the family court chamber. He shook my fathers hand and then both Tommy's and mine. He and my father discussed what was going to take place and Tommy and I stood and listened to the conversation. At 11:00 a bailiff came out and called for James and Brent Stewart. My father turned to me and smiled. "That's us son. Don't be nervous. Just answer the judge in a clear voice and above all be honest in your answers. Everything will be fine." Mr. Henderson preceded us into the court room and we walked down a short aisle to the front of the room. He, my father and I took seats at a table on the left side of the room, with Tommy taking a seat in a row chair right behind me. I looked over to the right side of the room and it was empty. My father had told me that if my mother planned any additional action on the custody issue, she would have to hire a lawyer and appear at court to petition a change. No one was on that side of the room, so I sighed a bit in relief. A door opened and I turned to the sound. Mr. Henderson rose from his chair as did my father, and I followed them to my feet. A matronly looking woman entered the room and walked to the raised bench in the front center of the room and took a seat. She looked around the room and finally at us standing to her right.

"Good morning gentlemen. I'm Judge Ellis, please take you seats and we will get started." My lawyer thanked her, and we all sat back down. I looked behind me as I retook my seat and saw that Tommy had also stood up when we had. He smiled and winked at me. He mouthed 'I love you' and I did the same and sat down. When I looked to the Judge she was staring at me and then she looked behind me, at Tommy presumably, and I felt a chill. Had she seen what Tommy mouthed to me? She looked back to me and smiled before looking down at some papers in front of her. After a few moments she looked up and around her court room, then back to our table. "Gentlemen, since it appears that the three of you and the young man behind you are the only ones with an interest in this hearing, please stand and introduce yourselves and your reason for requesting this hearing today."

Mr. Henderson stood as did the rest of us. "Good Morning Judge Ellis. My name is Marco Henderson with the law firm of Stewart, Phillips, Renault and Wheeler. I'm here today to represent Mr. James William Stewart in his petition for full physical and legal custody of his minor son Brent Michael Stewart. May I introduce James Stewart and his son Brent." My father spoke next and introduced himself and then I followed. When I had finished the Judge looked behind us.

"And who is this young gentleman seated behind you?" She asked and I looked back and saw Tommy bounce to his feet, red as a firecracker in the face.

"Good...Good morning your majesty.." he began and before he got any further we were all gifted with a gentle laugh from the Judge sitting in her chair.

"Young man, I may seem to be a bit intimidating and I must say that having people feel that way about me is not one of the things I enjoy about my position, but in all my years on the bench, you are the first to flatter me as handsomely as royalty. Please be at ease in my court. Now, I apologize for my laugh and if you wish to name me, you may call me Your Honor or Judge Ellis. Please excuse me and continue." She gave Tommy a broad grin and awaited his answer. I looked back and I thought my Cutie was about to pass out he was so embarrassed. He cleared his throat.

"My name is Thomas James Weber and I'm...Brent's best...His friend. Your honor." He stammered out. I turned back around and the Judge was still smiling.

"Thank you gentlemen. You may be seated. Seeing there is no filing of a petition to alter the original, I just have a few questions. Mr. Brent Stewart, would you please stand young man." I stood up and faced her. "Brent, I understand from the petition that you have elected to remain with your father in his custody. He has filed for full physical and legal custody with two weeks visitation privilege for your mother Mary Louise Stewart. Physical and legal custody gives your father complete and absolute control over your upbringing and grants only the right of visitation to your mother without her control over any aspect of your life. Do you understand this young man?"

"I do your honor. I prefer to have my father as my sole parental guardian." I looked at her directly without distraction. This was my life I felt I was justifying and I wanted her to know I had no reservations about being with my father. My mother not even appearing in court today was one more indication of her lack of caring.

"Very well. Children, even young men your age, still need the nurturing of a mother figure in their lives. I understand that many young men look up to their fathers as their role model and the thought of being without them seems the worst choice in matters of children having to endure the divorce of their parents. I just want you to understand that if I grant this petition, your mother and you will have no further choice except in extreme cases to alter the future of your custody." She looked to me.

"I understand your honor. My mother is not here today. She has never provided me with any kind of nurturing. My nanny Connie has been the one I have always relied on to care for me. She is still with me and told me that wherever I go she goes. I love her as though she were my mom and she loves me." I turned my head and looked at my father, then back at the Judge. "I love my father your honor. I don't know if you will understand this, but I know he loves me too. There are only three people in my life that I know love me for sure. My mother is not one of them." She looked at me as I finished speaking and nodded her head.

"Thank you young man. I believe I do understand you and I would also like to say you are a very mature and articulate 14-year-old. I only wish to speak to one more person and then I will take a few moments in my chamber to make my decision." She turned to Mr. Henderson. "Mr. Henderson. I understand you are here to represent the Stewart's before me, but I would like to ask Mr. Weber some questions in private. Would you agree to represent him pro bono in the absence of his legal guardian?" Mr. Henderson agreed and the Judge appointed him as Tommy's representative and asked that they both join her in her chambers. Tommy looked at me with surprise and a little worry on his face. I wasn't feeling so well about this turn of events either. Tommy and Mr. Henderson followed the Judge through the door she had entered the courtroom in and it closed behind them.

"What's going on dad? Why does she want to talk to Tommy, and why does she want to do it in private?" I had turned and asked him almost before the door clicked shut.

"Calm down son. She probably wants to ask him if he's aware of anything that you have shared with him that perhaps you have not made the court aware of because of being here with me. My petitioning for full legal as well as physical custody is almost a severance of your mother's parental rights. The judge must make sure that she has all the information available to her to make an acceptable ruling in this case." He just sat and smiled at me.

"Oh. Well, then there's no problem. I've never told Tommy anything about you or mom that would be held against us." Almost 45 minutes passed before the door opened and Mr. Henderson and Tommy reentered the court room. I was bouncing in my chair by this point, because I thought 15 minutes and they'd be back, but 3/4 of an HOUR! Tommy came right to me.

"Brent she asked me a lot of questions and she makes me so nervous. I just look at her and I want to pee my pants. Brent, she KNOWS!" He said.

"She knows what Tommy?!" I asked him, scared now.

"She knows we're gay and that we're boyfriends! She asked me how long we knew each other, about how you got on in school and if I had spent any time over your house to see how your family life was. I told her that we have been friends for almost a month and that you seemed to like school. I told her that I've spent a few nights at your house and then...then she just threw in while I was talking and asked 'You really love him don't you?' I was so busy trying to think of answers to her other questions that when she asked that I didn't even have to think and I just came out and said that I love him more than life. It...just came out." He was almost in tears now. I looked over at our lawyer and he had been listening to Tommy.

"Tommy, son, its ok." Mr. Henderson said. "You heard the judge say that it really had no bearing on her decision and that it wouldn't be put in the court records. She was just commenting on how devoted you seemed to Brent and when you answered the way you did I was watching her and she smiled. You did nothing wrong."

"Of course you didn't Tommy." My father said. "Your love for Brent isn't something for you to be ashamed of and don't let the fact that you told the judge make you so upset. It's her job to assess and make sure that Brent will be well cared for and the fact that she knows that he's loved by someone as kind and caring as you can only help her agree to stay with us." I stood up then and took Tommy in my arms. He looked at me and still looked ready to cry. I hugged him to me.

"Tommy I love you so much. I'm starting to not care who knows it. Soon we'll be back home and this will be all over. You didn't do anything wrong and I'm definitely not mad at it. I actually feel so good that you just came out and told her without even having to think about it, that you loved me." I pushed him back so I could see his face. I leaned forward and in the court house in California, in front of my father and our lawyer, I kissed my boyfriend in public. When I broke the kiss, a smile spread on his face and I kissed him again. He hugged me tight and then I went and sat next to him to wait for the Judge to return. We waited maybe 15 or 20 minutes more and then the Judge came back into the chamber and took her seat while we all stood up. When she was seated I gave Tommy's hand a squeeze and returned to the table with my father.

"Please be seated gentlemen. It is my order to grant your petition and award full legal and physical custody of Brent Michael Stewart to his father James William Stewart with two weeks prearranged visitation rights for Mary Louise Stewart at the sole discretion of Brent Michael Stewart. Mr. James William Stewart has not petitioned this court for child support from his ex-spouse for the benefit of their child. Having review the financial statements and assets provided the court I see no reason to amend the petition for support. If you gentlemen have no further business with this court?" She looked to each of us and then concluded. "Since no further petition has been made it is so ordered and this case is closed."

"Before you are dismissed I would like to make a comment, off the record." She looked to the court recorder, who removed her hands from a device she had been typing on, then back at us. "Mr. Weber, would you please come forward and stand with the others at the table?" Tommy got up from his seat and came and stood next to me. "Mr. Stewart, I understand that you are aware that your son is homosexual and that he and Mr. Weber are together. Even though I do not have the authority to enforce an opinion and this is off the record, I want you to be aware that among young homosexual teenagers, the suicide rate is outrageously high. Without the support and understanding of their families, they find themselves not only alienated from the majority of their peers, but also from the family that has raised and nurtured them. It is my firm belief that homosexuality is not a choice made by these teens or even adults, but an inherent part of their genetic make-up. I hope that you provide the support and understanding that your son and his partner need to live a full and happy life. From just the little amount of time I have spoken to Brent, he seems an intelligent and thoughtful young man. His sexual orientation is only a part of the whole of him and should not define him. It is my wish that you provide him the love and emotional support as a father that means so much to a young man." She turned her head and looked at me and then at Tommy. "Brent, I asked Tomas a question in my private chambers that was more a vocalization of a thought I had at the moment, than an actual conscience request for an answer from him. He answered me, however, without hesitation and he was mortified by his admission. I'm sure if he had such a ready reply that you already know his feelings for you. I wish you both the best. You both are very young and this may be your first experience on the path of life and may not be the first you both will travel. In the time that you two will share together, I wish you both love and happiness." She finally looked at Tommy. "Thomas, I apologize again for placing you on the spot in my chambers. Please do not be ashamed and embarrassed by your admission. It was honestly given and received. I wish society could be so open and honest. You're a faithful and charming young man. It was a pleasure to have met you." She looked at all of us. "Thank you all for taking the time to listen to my rather personal assessment and I wish you all a good day. You may depart." She stood and after we all thanked her, she departed the court room.

Outside on the steps of the court building, my father thanked Mr. Henderson and we all shook hands with him, before he left. My father turned and looked at Tommy and me and smiled. "I'm so proud of you guys. I love you both and Tommy, you have made me so proud to know you. I didn't expect anything less from a son of Mike's, but even he would be proud of you." Tommy blushed and I smiled at him. "It's almost 1:00 pm. I don't know about you two, but I'm ready to go home. We can stay if you two have plans, but I want to get out of here as soon as we can. I don't feel I belong here any more. Everything I want is in Beulah now as long as I have Brent with me."

I looked at Tommy and then my father. "The only thing I still want to do is take Tommy to the beach, he wants to see the ocean and sand. I also want to take him to the Grove shopping. Dad, will you come with us?"

"Are you sure you want me along?" He looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"I just told the State of California that I want you with me, why would I change my mind now?" I laughed. He smiled and ruffled my hair.

"It's been a while since I've been to the beach and I think I could do some shopping too. I seem to remember my son and his boyfriend ordering me out of business suits and into the casual world. Maybe the two of you can help me make the transition. Thank you for inviting me. Let's get to the penthouse and change. I'll see what flights are available and see if we can take a late flight for home." Our family of three left the court building steps and located our driver. I wanted to go home too and even though Tommy was having a new experience, I'm sure he was missing his family too. Like my father, I was beginning to feel I didn't belong here any more. I still had friends that I cared for a lot here, but my home was wherever Tommy was and his home was Beulah. After we arrived and changed in the penthouse, my father made reservations for our return flight to Bismarck. He called Hank and informed him of the change in our plans and also called and spoke with Mike. He told him that he was awarded custody and that we were all returning tonight.

Tommy and I kissed and hugged in our room. I was also proud of my boyfriend. He let his true feelings be known to a complete stranger. Maybe it was a declaration to the whole world that he loved me, but it was more than enough for me. We had picked up a sports bag on our way back from court and now we packed it with a change of clothes. We also bought some board shorts for the beach, which we were now wearing with muscle tees and sandals. Tommy balked at the flowery pattern on the shorts but he looked damn sexy in them and finally gave in when he saw the drool dripping from my lips seeing him in them. My father changed from his suit and dressed for the beach like us. He packed his change of clothes with our and we left the penthouse to spend our final day in Los Angeles.

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I hope you enjoyed this segment of Learning to Love.  If you would like to send me an email, you can send it to jmedinacorona@gmail.com . Stay tuned for more to come!