I sighed to myself as I slumped back on the bed. My brown bangs fell into my eyes, and I flicked them aside with a snort. The lecture still rang in my ears; she had really fired both barrels tonight. 'You have to get out more!' 'It won't do for a growing boy to play alone all day!' And then the one that hurt most of all. 'All other kids forget about their imaginary friends when they get older, why can't you leave that kind of thing behind? You're almost a teenager, it's not healthy!'

What does she know? I kicked off my shoes and threw them into the wall, hoping she would hear my tantrum and that it would really annoy her. For a second I thought about breaking something, but decided against it. Things were getting bad enough already, the last thing I needed was to cause more trouble.

My temper didn't last long; they rarely did. After just a little while boredom was setting in. I fought it by pouting, but it was a losing battle. So, computer or video game? Or maybe I should just sneak out to play. All alone, on my own, just to tick her off? Then again, my going outside would be a kind of defeat, wouldn't it? In the end the indecision made me sleepy, and even though it was the middle of the afternoon my eyelids decided that they needed a nap.

When I woke up, a grin spread across my lips. He was back, sitting next to me on the bed. I wondered how long he had been watching me sleep. Sometimes he was like that, he'd just stop whatever he was doing and stare at me for a while, until I either started blushing or burst into giggles. I stretched and yawned, then sat up. He looked great, as ever, though his strawberry hair seemed longer than I remembered it. Wish I could give him a haircut, though that tufty look kind of suited him. It was my turn to stare, even though I never seemed able to make him blush.

"Where've you been?" I asked. "I missed you."

"Sorry," he said in his usual, quiet voice. "I thought I'd stay away for a little while, 'til she calmed down."

"I don't wanna listen to her."

"I'm sorry she's like that. But you know I won't leave you for good, right? No matter what she says?"

"I know..." I hung my head and sighed again. "Why can't she just understand?"

"Moms always worry, that's in their job description. I've told you that a hundred times."

"But it's not fair!"

"Ssschh!" he hissed. "If she hears us there'll be another lecture."

"It's still no fair."

"I know. But she can't tear us apart, can she?"

"No way!" I looked up again and saw his smile, and it made my heart flutter. "She won't, not ever."

"Good."

And that was true. Because what did she know, after all? Talking about imaginary friends! Friends were one thing, but we were so much more. Had always been, for as long as I could remember. And now, that look in his sparkly green eyes, the one I knew so well. Mischief, defiance, longing and...

...love.

I got up and walked slowly over to the door, checking that it was locked, then I returned to the bed. He was already licking his lips, and I caught myself blushing. For a second we sat there staring into each other's eyes, then I closed mine and leaned closer. I could almost feel his lips as I touched them with mine, could almost smell him as we not-quite brushed against one another. How I longed to touch him for real! Just once, just once.

"I love you so much," he whispered in that not-yet-cracked, sweet boy voice of his, making my entire rib cage shiver with the rapid beating of my heart. "I'll always love you."

"I love you too," I whispered back, careful to keep my voice low. "I don't care what she says, I could never stop loving you."

"Sappy bugger..."

That was all it took to spoil the tense moment, and we both started giggling like mad. I even fell off the bed before I caught myself, which made us both laugh dangerously hard. It took us a while to hush each other down, before we could start planning the rest of our day. Maybe after dinner, we could start having some real fun. Maybe even... The voice startled us, sounding as if it were coming from just outside the door rather than from downstairs.

"I have to go down to the store before I start making dinner! Will you be all right on your own, son?"

"Yes, mom!" we both yelled, biting back fresh giggles. I shook my head again before returning to whispers. "Geez, what does she think? We're twelve, not eight!"

"Remember that she doesn't believe that there's two of us here."

"Well, yeah, and she's got no idea what I wanna do right now." I licked my lips, and he let out a soft chuckle. "Can you guess?"

"Nakie fun?"

"Nakie fun!"

I can't honestly remember when we started this game, all I knew was that it had been getting so much better recently. Since we couldn't touch each other, at least not physically, we'd take turns stripping off our clothes, then play with ourselves while the other watched. It was lots of fun, not to mention sexy as hell.

I soon stood naked in the middle of the room, gently pulling at my dick, while he sat on the bed, doing the same thing. Before long, I was all the way hard, and that first tingle began coursing through my body. Ever so slowly, we moved closer to each other, our moans louder now that we were alone in the house. I looked down at his dick, which was almost a carbon copy of my own. Four slim inches, almost completely hairless except for a couple of downy strands just at the base of it. His hand was a blur on it, pulling the skin back and forth so fast that his tip looked both covered and uncovered at the same time.

I was going fast, too, and that golden moment was just a couple of seconds away. We came at the same time, crying out our pleasure while we squirted our few drops. As always, I got all dizzy with tiredness afterwards, and I couldn't really recall how we had cleaned up and got dressed, before I lay on the bed again, losing the battle against another nap.

I woke up again when I heard the front door close downstairs, and I made a quick panicky-check around to make sure no evidence remained of our little fun. The room was empty except for me, and for a moment I wondered where he had gone. Then I heard the voices downstairs. They were too low for me to make out many words, but I caught the gist of it. She had invited Simon, from down the street, and that fact almost sent me into another tantrum. I really hated that kid, and now he was gonna come between us again.

After a little while the door opened, and Simon walked in with my love in tow, neither of them even glancing my way. I just shrugged my shoulders and left the room. The fact that he didn't call me back hurt, and the happy laughter coming from in there a couple of minutes later, when the video game had been fired up, hurt even more. I sank down to the floor in the hall, leaning against the wall and feeling sorry for myself as I watched her bring them a plate of cookies and two glasses of milk.

"Why two!?" I yelled, but it did no good. "Where's mine?"

They had dinner together, then he went outside with Simon, not bothering to ask me to tag along. I knew I had no real rights to complain, but it still stung that he didn't even look for me on his way out. Not for the first time, I wondered if his mom's lectures were taking effect, no matter what promises he made me when we were alone.

Tonight, I knew, it would be just us again, as always, but our times apart were growing longer and more frequent. I tried not to think about the thing that had been worrying me for some time now. The thought that scared me more than anything else ever had.

If he were to forget his imaginary friend, what would happen to me then?