Date: Sat, 1 Jun 2013 05:32:52 -0700 (PDT) From: Pok Bepxtep Subject: Sander Chapter 1 SSSSSSSS AAAAAAA NNN NNN DDDDDDD EEEEEEEEE RRRRRRRR SSS AAA AAA NNNN NNN DDD DDD EEE RRR RRR SSSSSSS AAAAAAAAA NNN N NNN DDD DDD EEEEEEE RRRRRRRR SSSSSSS AAA AAA NNN NNNN DDD DDD EEE RRR RRR SSS AAA AAA NNN NNN DDD DDD EEE RRR RRR SSSSSSSS AAA AAA NNN NNN DDDDDDD EEEEEEEEE RRR RRR XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX by Pok Bepxtep XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Disclaimer ---------- I don't know why I should add one... If you're here, it means you don't really mind reading erotic stories about adults and boys. But I'm still gonna do it, cause it's something people seem to do around here. Anyhoo: do bear in mind that this story is purely fiction and that nothing like this has ever happened nor will ever happen... Well, at least not in my life. There's a huge step between writing down sexual fantasies like this and actually doing it. That's a step I'm not willing to take, because I would never take the risk of hurting a boy in any way. Besides, I have a hard time believing there's boys that young who're actually interested in doing this kinda thing. Chapter 1: A New Beginning -------------------------- After over five years of working for Shinku, a Japanese firm producing climate control systems with a factory here in Belgium, I finally saved up enough money to by myself a small house. It's only a small house, but it meets with my needs. I'm single and I don't need much space, except to store my collection of cd's and dvd's. That's where the second, smaller bedroom of the house comes in handy. Furthermore, there's a cosy living room, with a lounge that sits a bit higher than the diner, a nice, tidy kitchen that has just been refurnished and a bathroom with a shower. The house stands on the corner of the street and the garage where my car will sleep at night is around the corner. In between there's a small courtyard that can take a table and two chairs to enjoy the few hot summer days this country has outside. No real garden to maintain, which I don't like doing anyway. The past few weeks I've been spending the weekends redecorating the place. All it really needed was a fresh coat of paint to cover up the old-fashioned wallpaper the elderly couple had left behind and some new IKEA furniture I put together with the help of my older brother. There's a few spare screws on the dining room table as proof of that. Today, it's time to fill up the kitchen cabinets with cutlery and to move the last bits of my stuff into the house. Nothing too heavy, so I will pretty much manage on my own, even if it takes me all weekend. Thus I found myself this Saturday afternoon, a few weeks before Easter, carrying loads of cd's, dvd's and books, stuffed in whatever plastic or cardboard box I could find, into the house and up to the second bedroom. Putting everything in racks would be something for either the day after or the following weekend, depending on how long I'd need to get everything moved in. Luckily I'd been able to rent a small van from someone at work, spacious enough to only need one ride from my parents' home to my place. Not that the distance was that big, but I wanted to avoid driving back and forth as much as possible. The weather for early spring was pretty nice, a welcome change from the many days of rain and showers we'd had recently. The temperature was pleasant and the sun was shining brightly. The perfect day to finish moving into my precious little home. Until... I was picking the umpteenth box of cd's out of the van and turned towards the gate when I heard a panicking voice call out to me. "Watch out!!!" the voice yelled. Of course the warning came much to late. By the time I knew from where the shoo came, someone bumped into in a pretty high speed, causing me to drop the box. As the cd's scattered all over the pavement, I barely managed to keep to my feet. The initial shock slowly faded when I saw whoever had collided with me lose his balance and crash land on the concrete tiles. My first reaction was to inspect the damage to the box I'd dropped and the cd's that had flung out of it. The cardboard of the box, which hadn't been to strong to begin with, had torn apart at the bottom, making the number of disks spread and out their cases quite substantial. Anger slowly built up inside me and the person who'd hit me was about to be introduced to my dark side. With steam coming out of my ears, I turned to the culprit, ready to send his ass to kingdom come. But that never happened. My anger must have shown brightly to the one who'd knocked the box out of my hands, because the eyes staring back at me were full of fright, the corners filling up with tears. Normally I wouldn't have cared one bit about that, but when I saw that those watery eyes belonged to the most beautiful boy I'd met, my heart soon melted and the storm raging inside me blew away faster than last week's rainclouds. I sighed deeply to get the anger out of my system and replaced it with sympathy. I took a quick moment to examine the boy's situation. Besides being afraid of how I'd react to his crashing into me, I noticed the rollerblades on his feet, explaining the speed he'd hit me with and why he hadn't been able to avoid the collision. I realized that the combination of that speed and the impact with the concrete pavement might have caused some injury, as well, but the fear for my reaction seemed to be overpower any sense of pain he might feel. So, my first priority was to put the boy's mind at ease. "Are you okay, kid?" I asked in a friendly voice. "Uhuh... Yeah, I think so," he nodded, sniffing. "You sure? You smashed down quite hard, there," I said. "My knee's a bit sore, but it's not too bad," he told me, rubbing his knee. He then looked down to observe the mess my cd's were in. "Sorry about that," he apologized, pointing at the heap in front of me. I briefly looked down where he pointed and sighed, knowing it would take me a while to clean up, hopefully without finding too many of the disks damaged. I looked back to where the kid was sitting and shrugged. "Accidents happen, buddy," I said, trying to ease his worries. "I'm glad you didn't get hurt too badly." The boy seemed to relax a bit. He wiped his tears away with his sleeve and reached down to his feet. He unlaced his blades, took them off and slowly got up on his sock clad feet. "I was afraid you would get mad at me," he confessed as he stood in front of me, holding his blades. "I was, at first," I admitted. "But I didn't know who'd hit me, yet. For some reason, seeing you sitting down there, my anger went away right away." "How come?" the boy asked confused. "I could tell you were a bit afraid of me, as if I was about to eat you alive," I explained. "But I could also tell you weren't a bad kid, so I became concerned with how you felt, so I calmed down pretty quickly. Besides, I don't want to move into the neighborhood and develop a reputation of being a jerk." The child smiled at my last remark and then said: "I don't think you're a jerk." "Why, thank you, buddy," I chuckled. "My reputation is still intact, then." "Yep," the boy nodded, his fears already forgotten. He then looked down again for a second and then turned back to me. "I'll be right back," he then said and turned around, darting off before I could ask what he intended to do. The kid was around the corner in a split second, leaving me with the next problem at hand. I kneeled down and started picking up the c.d.'s. Luckily, only a few of the cases had come open and the disks that had gotten out weren't damaged too badly. The biggest problem was the cardboard box that was completely ruined. That meant I would have to go inside, empty one of the boxes I'd already carried upstairs and coming back to gather these ones. But I didn't want to leave the cd's in front of me unguarded. I got back up on my feet, trying to come up with a solution. Just as I was about to put the cd's into the van, I heard footsteps coming from around the corner. I looked up into the direction of the sound and found the boy sprinting towards me, now wearing a pair of worn down sneakers and carrying a couple of cardboard boxes in his hands. "Here," he said, dropping the boxes next to the heap of c.d.'s. "You can put them in these." "Oh, wow, thanks," I answered, happy as well as surprised with the boy's offer. "It's pretty much my fault you dropped them," he said. "So I had to help you out." "That's very kind of you, buddy," I smiled gratefully. Surprising me once more, the kid than kneeled down and started picking up the cd's and put them inside the boxes. I was about to tell him he needn't do that, but the assistance was welcome. On top of that, the assistance came from a very nice young boy who I was starting to like more and more. Even if it would only be for a short period of time, I was going to enjoy having the kid near me. When all of the cd's that had dropped were put into the boxes, we both got back up on our feet. I was about to thank the kid for his help when he stooped down to pick up one of the boxes. "Where do they go?" he simply asked, holding the box in front of him. "Errr... upstairs," I answered. "But you don't have to do that. You already helped me more than enough." "But I want to," he said. "I don't really have anything else to do, anyway. Unless you don't want me to come inside." How could I refuse? I'd be an idiot if I declined the boy's offer to help me carry the cd's inside. Maybe the extra bit of time together would allow me to get to know him a bit better. Besides, it didn't seem as if the boy would take no for an answer. "Upstairs," I simply answered. "Follow me." And with the kid tailing me I walked through the garage, across the courtyard, through the kitchen and the living room, up the stairs and into the second bedroom where the rest of my stuff were sitting in boxes on the floor. "Put them down where you find a spot," I instructed my new partner. "Wow, you sure got a lot," he whistled as he briefly looked around and then put the box down. "Aren't you putting them in their racks?" "Not yet," I said. "That's something for next week, I think." "Uhuh," the boy simply nodded and then walked out of the room. "Better go get the rest, huh." "Yes sir," I chuckled. Apparently, the boy had his mind set on helping me all the way. I was not complaining. The next couple of hours, both the boy and me went back and forth between the van and the second bedroom. We quickly forgot about our unfortunate collision earlier and started talking about this and that. Along the way, I got to know a couple of things about him. Sander. That was the boy's name. Sander was nine years old and would turn ten during the summer. He lived with his grandmother Annie only a few hundred yards from my place, which explained why he'd made it back with the boxes so fast. His parents had died in a terrible car crash when he was only two, so he barely remembered them. His grandmother, who was still only in her late 50's, was a third grade teacher at the local school. Although he seemed pretty quiet, Sander was a fan of all kinds of sports. He played football (soccer, as you Americanos call it), went swimming with one of the kids also living in the area and loved skating, as I already found out. He explained how he'd just come back from a makeshift skatepark the community had laid out not too far from where we lived. I'd actually seen that skatepark when I'd taken my bike out for a spin to explore my new neighborhood. As we carried my stuff up to the bedroom, he showed an interest in some of the movies I had. I made a mental note to invite him to join me for one of my movie nights, some day. The time we spent moving my gear in also gave me the chance to study his looks. Sander was a handsome little kid, a tad bit shorter than your average nine year old, or so I thought. It's not like I know that many nine year old boys to compare him with. He had lovely blonde hair that came down halfway his neck and enveloped his face like a vail. It gave him an angelic appearance and I thought it was cute how he would brush a strand of hair away from his face every now and then. His eyes were a radiant shade of blue, not unlike topaz. They shone brightly in the sunlight and had a hypnotic effect on me whenever I dared look into them a bit longer. That effect was multiplied by the cheerful smile that often appeared on his lips, the sound of his typically boyish high voice and the occasional giggle that followed a humorous intervention. The built of Sander's body was what you'd expect of a nine year old boy. I estimated him to be about 125 cm (4ft3) and close to 30 kg (66 lbs) which made him a slim, healthy looking kid, abundant with energy. Even though he only managed the lighter boxes, he did more than his share of the work. Dressed in a red and black track suit that he was slowly starting to grow out of, I could see only imagine what his overall well proportioned lithe body looked like. Only the snug fit of his pants showed me the outlines of what I thought to be quite a nice little butt. Of course I made sure I wasn't looking at that part of him too long, not wanting him to freak out. It took us a little over an hour and a half to get everything inside. I was mostly grateful for Sander's help, because he'd saved me half the afternoon. Even though he'd started helping me to make up for crashing into me, I still thought he earned a little reward. After shutting the doors of the van and closing the gate to my garage, I invited the boy to sit down on the couch. "So, how does Ice Tea sound?" I suggested as I went into the kitchen. "Sound great!" Sander accepted my offer. Inside the kitchen, I grabbed two glasses, a big bottle of Ice Tea and two small bags of salted crisps and carried them to the lounge where Sander was sitting on the couch, leaning forward with his arms resting on his knees. Not wanting to get too familiar with the boy, I sat down in a seat across the table and then poured both of us a glass of Ice Tea. I moved one of the bags of crisps towards Sander and handed him a glass of the soda. "There you go, buddy," I offered. "You've earned that for helping me out." "Cool, thanks," the boy smiled as he put the glass to his lips. I took a few swallows of my Ice Tea, too, and then sat back in my seat. "Won't your grandmother be wondering where you are," I asked Sander. Putting down his glass he shook his head and said: "I told her about what happened and that I would be helping you. She said it was okay as long as I wasn't bugging you or anything." "You weren't bugging me at all, Sander," I smiled. "Without your help, I'd probably wouldn't have finished before dinner. Now I've got some time left to chill before fixing me something to eat." "I guess me riding into you wasn't that bad after all, huh," he grinned mischievously. "Ha ha, I guess not," I laughed, adding wit to his qualities. "How's your knee, by the way." "It's okay," he said as he rolled up the leg of his pants to inspect his injury. "It doesn't really hurt much, just stings a bit." I looked down at his knee, seeing it was a bit reddish. "It doesn't look too bad," I said as I inspected the minor wound. Just make sure to ask your grandmother to clean it a bit when you get home so it won't get infected. I'd do it myself, but I haven't got a first aid kit yet." "I will," he nodded and let the leg of his pants fall back down. He then finished his drink and put his glass down, announcing: "I'd better go home, now." "Okay, Sander," I said, trying not to show my disappointment. I would have loved the boy to stay a bit longer. "Thanks again for the help." "Sure," he simply smiled as he got up. "Let me show you out," I said. I got up as well and handed him one of the bags of crisps. "Takes these home with you, but don't go spoil your dinner." He took the bag and thanked me, telling me he'd save him for the evening. I let him lead the way as I escorted him out through the front door. As he stepped out he turned around to say goodbye and then took me completely of guard by giving me a quick hug. Before I knew what came over me, he'd let go and was on his way home, waving as he trotted off. I waved back and stood there flabbergasted, wondering about what just happened. I shook my head in disbelief and drew back inside, shutting the door and going back to the lounge. As I sat down on the couch, I sighed deeply, feeling happy and sad at the same time. Happy because I'd just discovered the most wonderful little fellow lived nearby and sad because the chance of spending more time with him and getting to know him better was probably inexistent. Some of Sander's energy still lingered in my new house and overall, I felt as if I'd just had the best day in my entire life. A bit later I went upstairs again to check on the stuff we'd carried into the spare bedroom. In my mind I tried to figure out where to store everything, often wishing I'd have Sander beside me to assist me. Not because the work at hand was so tough, but because I'd really enjoyed his company. I let that thought slip out of my mind, thinking I was only fooling myself and decided to take a quick shower. After my refreshing shower, I started making plans to head out and grab a pizza for dinner (no home delivery here). Even with Sander's help, I was not really in the mood to prepare my own meal after those hours of hard labour. I got dressed in a plain pair of jeans, a shirt and a sweater, put on socks and shoes and grabbed my wallet. I was about to grab my jacket and to head out through the back when the doorbell rang. I wasn't really expecting anyone, mostly because besides my parents, the people from work sending my paycheck and since this afternoon, Sander, no one knew I lived there. So, I was guessing Jehovah's Witnesses and decided to ignore whoever was ringing my bell. But then I heard the clank of my mailbox, which caught my attention. I turned around and saw a yellow note lying on the rug by the door. I picked up the note and immediately forgot about the pizza. "My grandson Sander told me we have a new neighbor and pretty much begged me to invite him over for dinner. We eat at 6.30. Give us a call at 555-5470 if you can't make it and we'll settle a new date. Otherwise, we will be seeing you later this evening. Greetings. Annie. PS: We're at 135 Cricket Rd." Now there's an invitation I can't refuse. What kind of a neighbor would I be to decline such a kind offer. Most of all, this was clearly Sander's idea and I would never think of disappointing him. I must have made quite an impression on the boy if he wanted to see me again so soon. What was maybe worse, he'd definitely left his mark while he was helping me earlier. From the second he'd left, after that brief hug, his angelic little face had spooked through my head. I could pretty much still here his boyish giggles resonating in my ears and once or twice I even caught myself wondering what he would look like underneath his tracksuit. That last bit worried me greatly, even if it wasn't the first time I'd thought of young boys in that matter. This time was different, however, because I actually got to know the boy and the guilt about my increasing attraction towards him was starting to cloud my mind. There was still some time left before I was expected for dinner. I did my very best to look clean and sharp, so I could make a good impression on Sander's grandmother. A friendship between Sander and me could only grow closer and stronger if she approved of me being her grandson's friend. I think of myself as an easygoing guy, but everyone knows relationships between adults and young children that aren't related are heavily frowned upon... exactly because of that looming attraction towards Sander. Still, my curiosity as to how far this thing could carry was powerful enough to not let this unique chance slip out of my hands. I suppose this is as good a time as any to introduce myself a bit. My name's Robert, I'm 33 years old and as I stated earlier, I just bought this little house, finally moving out of my parents' house. Not that I really had to move out, but the bedroom I spent most of time in had just become way too small and there was no room for expansion. As you know, I have quite a nice collection of cd's and dvd's that's still growing and I was out of space to store the newest acquisitions. The job as a secretary at the climate control systems factory was pretty simple. Most of my work existed in typing out meeting reports and stuff like that. It was a fairly interesting job and I did pay attention to whatever they said during those meetings. The department I worked for was in direct contact with the mother company back in Kyoto, Japan. The rumors were that they were planning to set up a new plant in Australia. I didn't know if that would have any effect on us, since we were only one of their offshore departments. How do I look? Like thirteen in a dozen, I suppose. Glasses, dark brown hair that's usually a bit messy because I always let it grow to long before even thinking about a visit to the hairdresser and slightly overweight. I don't think of myself as attractive or anything, just plain and fairly uninteresting. You'd only spot me in a crowd if I'd wear a bright orange vest, which I won't. Apart from music and films, I don't really have hobbies, although I just picked up on hiking. I think me not seeing too many people outside of the office made the interaction with Sander earlier extra special. Of course, if anyone besides Sander had been lying sprawled on the pavement after skating into me, I would have called him everything under the sun and then demanded some financial compensation for the non existing damage to the cd's that I had dropped and there would have been no pleasant afternoon. I think I'd still be going back and forth with boxes right now. Now, as you've already understood, I like boys. Whenever I go shopping to expand my collection of if I need new clothes, I pretty much spot every small boy that crosses my path and with quite a few I turn around to make sure my eyes didn't fool me. During the rather wet and cold winter, not much of the kids can be seen, except there usually blushing cheeks in between woolen scarfs and hats, but even that makes them look adorable. Most of the times when I return home, I already forgot about them, unless I was granted and better view of the boy's features. Spring and especially summer were a lot more interesting, when scarfs and thick coats make way for t-shirts and shorts and hats no longer hide their little faces. Then it's the little blond heads that capture most of attention, but I'll never ignore a boy because his hair is of a different color. The only thing that turns me off in boys is big bellies and large butts... Even if it's a medical condition, overweight in children is never attractive. That's as far as my attraction goes. With the very unforgiving society towards people like me, I shy away from any form digitalized nudity (unless it's part of the movies I own... I can't help it if the makers of the films think showing the boys undressed is vital for the story). A picture or a video of a naked boy in a dishonorable position isn't worth jail time. My freedom is sacred, especially if I want to make something out of my life. My only sin is reading stories about that same naked boy in that same dishonorable position, although I prefer to use my own imagination in time of... need. With today's events, things will become a bit more complicated, because now there's a walking, talking version of that boy in the stories and dreams. I do pray that I will have a strong enough will to separate fiction from reality. Even thinking about Sander that way seems disrespectful, criminal even. It's beyond saying that no matter what happens from this point onwards, I will be tested to my very limits, and I hope I can pass the test with flying colors. Before heading out, I splashed my face a couple of times with cold water to wipe out all the thoughts currently going through my head. I then grabbed my jacket and headed out. I remembered Sander coming from the left when returning with the cardboard boxes, so I headed that way and looked up at the house numbers to find number 135, which was on the other side of the road. Only three minutes later, I found my destination. As I stood in front of the door, I inhaled deeply, not believing how nervous I actually was for something as trivial as a neighbor's friendly dinner invitation, and then rang the bell. When the wooden door swung open, it was Annie who greeted me. I already knew she was a teacher and my first thought when seeing her was that she kinda looked the part. She was about foot shorter than I was, with curly brown (dyed?) hair and glasses that made her look pretty strict. She was dressed in a purple woolen sweater and a skirt that added to the teacher's appearance. "You must be Robert," she greeted me in a voice that was warmer and more welcoming that I'd expected. "That's me," I confirmed. "Well, then, come on in," the lady said. "Thank you, Misses, errr... I didn't quite get your name," I accepted the invitation. "Just call me Annie, Robert," she smiled as she pointed me to the living room. "I believe neighbors should go on first name bases, don't you agree." "Absolutely," I smiled politely. I started to see where Sander had gotten his good manners from. Annie then escorted me their lounge room where she invited me to take off my jacket and to sit down. I looked around, finding myself in a cosy living room and pretty quickly I spotted some of Sander's comic books on the table in front of me. One of them was lying upside down, opened at the page where Sander had interrupted his reading. Annie took my jacket from me to hang it up in the hallway and offered me a glass of wine, which I gladly accepted. "Sander's upstairs taking a bath," she told me as she served the drinks. Oddly I hadn't mentioned the boy and although she was not mistaken, it was a bit awkward that she would assume I was there because of her grandson. I was starting to wonder what Sander had told about me and how he'd persuaded his grandmother to make dinner for one more. "Probably a bit sweaty from all the hard labor this afternoon, was he," I said. "That, and I've been a teacher long enough to know there's very few boys who don't get dirty, every now and then," the kind woman smiled. "I hope he didn't bother you today." "No, not at all," I reassured her. "I really appreciated his help." "He felt really bad about the accident, when he came in here this afternoon," Annie told me. "He was dead set on making up for it." "The boxes he let me borrow would have been enough to do that," I nodded. "Instead he saved me half an afternoon of work by helping me unload the van. I still think I'm the one who's in debt with him." "Well, you're here accepting his offer to have dinner with us, so that should settle things between you two," Annie happily accepted my appraisal for her grandson. At that very moment, Sander walked into the room. He'd combed his still damp hair backward, granting my eyes full access to his handsome face. The warm light from the big chandelier above the dining table and the remaining wetness gave his hair a golden touch, which looked almost divine. With the pupils in his a bit larger, rendering the blue in his eyes a shade darker, almost like sapphires. When he saw me, they twinkled with joy as a broad smile appeared on his lips. "I knew you would come!" he declared happily. "You did, huh?" I smiled, just as happy to see him again. "I would have been a fool if I let the chance of a free dinner slip." "Oh, you're just here for the food," he said, disappointment seeping into him. "That, and the company of a certain young man I met this afternoon," I winked. Flash!! There was that smile again. Cheerfully, he hopped over to where I was sitting and flopped down right next to me, with not an inch between us. "We're having mac and cheese," he let me know. "One of my favorites," I said. For theatrical effect, I sniffed up the air and then turned back to the boy. "Smells delicious!" "Flattering the cook and you haven't even tasted it," Annie laughed as she stood up, appreciating the compliment. "Dinner should be ready in just a minute. Why don't you go take a seat." "Cool!" Sander said anxiously, heading for the dinner table. He pulled one chair back and then sat down on another. "Come sit next to me," he smiled invitingly, beckoning me to the chair he'd pulled back. "Sure thing, buddy," I accepted as I sat down next to him. Well, not quite next to him, because I sat at another side of the corner, but close to him. Close enough for his knees to touch my legs. It was only then, while Annie was finishing up on our dinner, that I dared look at the boy a bit more closely. It was only then, while Annie was finishing up on our dinner, that I dared look at the boy a bit more closely. His hair was becoming drier and was losing it's fight with gravity as it fell back down around his face, transforming him back into the boy I'd met earlier. The reflex of brushing a strand back behind his little ears returned quickly. Straight out of the bathtub, Sander'd wrapped himself in a comfy looking burgundy fleece bathrobe, with the ribbon tied in a big knot across his belly. On his feet he was wearing a pair of fluffy slippers that simply looked adorable. When he'd entered the room, I'd noticed his bare knees and calves sticking out from below the bathrobe, which made me wonder what exactly he was wearing underneath it. For a minute my imagination ran wild, thinking the bathrobe and the slippers were the only attire Sander was wearing. That was stilly, of course, but not impossible. I hoped for the boy that he wasn't naked underneath, because I know from experience that no matter how tightly you tie the ribbon, a bathrobe never stays in place for too long, which would result in Sander revealing more than he wants to. That might become quite embarrassing for the little munchkin and I don't think Annie would approve either. While we waited for Annie to join us for dinner, Sander and I started chatting a bit. The topic of him playing football came up and I let him tell all about that. It was obvious that he loved the game and he was friends with most of the kids he played with. At his age, there are no standings, so there's no champion at the end of the season, but they do have weekly matches to play, both home and away. It was only when I asked about those matches that he seemed a bit sad. I was about to ask if something was bugging him when Annie put a steaming hot pot of mac and cheese on the table. The delicious smell and hunger shoved the conversation to the background, leaving it for a future moment. Still, it bothered me a bit that Sander had turned so quiet when playing matches came up. Annie scooped our plates full with the yummy looking macaroni, threads of cheese hanging from the wooden spoon, making both Sander's and my mouth water. The kind woman made sure neither of us would get hungry, making sure to fill our plates to the rim. Before she could serve herself and sit down, Sander was already wolfing down his pile of the Italian delicacy. I waited until Annie could start herself and then followed the hungry boy's example, trying to look less like a little piggy. Our stomachs slowly filled and small talk rolled over the table in between bites. Mostly, it was Sander doing the talking and I listened closely to his every words, no matter how trivial the topic was. I would ask a question now and then, showing him I was genuinely interested in whatever he had to say. Annie remained silent during most of our meal, adding a few remarks of her own every now and then. I almost felt guilty to exclude her from our chats, but she seemed happy to just sit in on our conversations. That happiness only appeared bigger when she saw how much Sander enjoyed this dinner party, something that didn't go unnoticed with me either. I was most amazed at how quickly and how easily I was growing found of the little chatterbox and I strongly believed he felt it. We sat at the table for about half an hour and let the food digest a little. For a young, energetic kid, Sander managed to sit still (besides the usual shuffling and fidgeting) for quite a long time. Annie then got up and started collecting the empty plates and the used cutlery. "Do want any help with that?" I asked, wanting to show my gratitude for the wonderful dinner. "No, no," she quickly refused. "I will not have a guest of mine do any work." "Hey, do you want to play a game?" Sander then suggested, knowing we would have the table to ourselves. "Sure," I nodded. "What've you got?" "Errr... How about 'Snakes and Ladders'?" Sander proposed. "Okay, buddy," I agreed. Quick as lightening, Sander got up and only a split second later I heard his little feet pounding up the stairs. Having heard her grandson challenging me to a game, she came and cleared the table for us. The boy returned only two minutes later with the game. He deftly set it up between us, letting me chose my pawn. He then climbed back onto his chair, deciding to sit on his knees so he could reach the board easier. 'Snakes and Ladders' turned out to be a good idea. Playing the game, which I hadn't played since my own childhood, with Sander made it the best fun I'd had in a long time. The boy really put his mind to it, displaying every emotion between the excitement of victory and the disappointment of defeat on his precious little face. The constant smile on his lips, forming dimples in his cheeks, told me he enjoyed it just as much as I did. Annie had put a bowl of peanuts on the table for us which mostly disappeared between the boy's teeth. During the game we continued talking about whatever came to our mind. He told a few jokes he knew from school, which were usually not all that funny, but his laughter was catching enough for me to laugh along with him. Football came up again, this time about why his favorite team was the best (and mine was not), the tv shows he liked were discussed and he inquired about the movies I had. The entire night my eyes seemed to be glued to his handsome face. The look of an angel was even enhanced when Annie switched of the light from the chandelier and turned on a couple of smaller lampshades, allowing us enough light to play the game and making the boy almost glow in the dark. Every now and then I would steal a glance downward, and true to it's nature, Sander's fleece bathrobe had opened up a little, due to the boy's constant moving around to throw the die and move his pawn. It was only a couple of inches, and even though the dim light coming from the lamps shaded most of what was underneath, I could clearly make out the smoothness of what could only be Sander's naked skin. Obviously, this meant my young host wasn't wearing his pajamas underneath the robe, which I had pretty much guessed when I'd seen his bare knees. Luckily for both Sander and me, I could only see the boy from his chest up, the table concealing the rest of him, so I could guess that the lack of pajamas also meant no underwear. The discovery of his bare skin appearing between the flaps of his robe was intriguing but dangerous. My imagination started running wild a bit and I didn't want that. I wanted to continue enjoying Sander's company without making things complicated. So, I made myself focus back on the game and keep the stolen peeks between the slightly opened sides of his bathrobe to a strict minimum. That was easier said than done with a boy as handsome as Sander, but I definitely didn't want to jeopardize our nascent friendship by showing too much interest in his body. It was the sound of his voice that kept my attention to the game and to the boy's presence. The evening went by way too quickly. Sander had just beaten me in the game for the third time in a row when Annie called his name. "It's past your bedtime, sweetie," Sander's grandmother said softly as she approached the table. "Awww, already?" the boy complained. Of course I was sad to know I'd be saying goodnight to the little darling soon, but I had to try and get on Annie's good side if I wanted to add a few points in my favor. "It's nice of you to want to give me another chance to win a game, Sander," I said as I smiled at him. "But those snakes have developed a hunger for my little pawn, so I'm gonna have to forfeit." "Awww, do you have to?" Sander tried to put off his bedtime. "Don't worry, buddy, I'll get my revenge some other time," I said. "Do you mean you want to come back?" Sander asked, checking if he'd understood my hint. "Only if you want me to," I promised. "Uhuh, yeah, I do," he nodded happily. "Can he come back, grannie? Huh? Can he?" the boy then begged his grandmother. "We'll see," she just said, but I knew she meant yes by her loving smile. "But only if you're a good boy and go to bed right now." "I will," the youngster obeyed as he hopped of his chair. Then he came standing right next to me, leaned forward a bit and planted a big wet kiss on my cheek. "Goodnight, Robert," he said in his sweetest voice. "It was fun!" "I had a great time, too, Sander," I told him as I reached out and caressed his arm. "Sweet dreams, ey, buddy." "Yep," he smiled and then turned to his grandmother. Annie then kneeled down in front of her grandson. She must have noticed his robe coming loose and quickly pulled the flaps back in place before kissing him on his forehead and wishing him goodnight. Sander had looked down while his grannie tidied up his bathrobe and giggled silently when he understood what had happened. It was only then that I realized I hadn't even paid any attention to that anymore. The loving way the boy had wished me goodnight and his explicit request for me to come back another time had meant so much to me that it completely overpowered my curiosity about what he was wearing underneath his bathrobe. In a way, that set my mind at rest a bit, knowing that what I felt for the little boy was a lot more than plain attraction, as I'd had for quite a score of kids I'd spotted in the street. If that was possible, maybe a friendship could exist between us without letting my attraction towards him complicating things too much. Grandmother and grandson said their goodnights and Annie sent her apple of the eye off to bed with a playful pat on his little butt. Giggling cheerfully, the boy exited the room to go to bed. Annie then invited me to sit down on the couch and offered me nightcap in the form of another glass of the wine. I gladly accepted. She then went upstairs to tuck Sander in and returned five minutes later, joining me in the lounge where the two of us got a chance to get acquainted. We then talked about each others jobs. Mine seemed boring compared to her long life as a teacher. The anecdotes she told about some kids in her class were really funny and proved over and over how amazing young children can be. And even though she complained about the growing workload and stress a bit, she loved teaching and wouldn't think of doing anything else. I kinda envied her, even though I was fairly happy with my own job. Of course it didn't take too long before we started talking about Sander. It was Annie who brought him up. "So, Robert," she said, turning rather serious. "What are your intentions with my grandson?" I had to swallow hard when I heard her question. 'Intentions' made it sound as if I was up to no good, which was never the case. "I'm not sure yet," I tried carefully. "I took quite a liking to him, today, I'll admit that." "That's obvious," Annie smiled. "And clearly, he did too. I never heard him talk as much as he did tonight." "Really? So he's not the chatterbox I took him for?" "Not at all," Annie said. "He's usually pretty quiet. It's all because you took the time to listen and paid attention to him." "It's the least I could do," I shrugged. "Playing that game with him and talking with him was relaxing to me. I really had fun with him, tonight. But that doesn't mean I have any real plans with him, or anything." "I see," the woman nodded. "When I asked about your intentions, I probably gave the impression that I thought you had a second agenda with Sander." "A bit," I admitted. "I can imagine it might seem weird for a grownup to take an interest in a young boy like Sander. I read the newspapers too." "I can't help but worry," Annie said. "Sander's all I have and I don't want to see him hurt." "I understand," I nodded. "But I was talking to Sander when I was upstairs with him," Annie then said. "I think it's a bit early, but something he said made it clear that he wants to be friends with you." "What was that?" I asked. "Well, it's a tad bit delicate to tell you," Annie answered. "But it was enough for me to give you the benefit of the doubt." "Meaning?" I was now truly curious about where this was going. "Meaning that I don't see a reason why you shouldn't be friends," Annie sighed. "Refusing Sander a good friend would hurt him just the same and well, a bit of male influence might be a good thing, too." "I see," I nodded, trying hard not to seem to thrilled about the outcome. "And do you propose now?" "You already know he plays football," Annie said. "I think he'd like it if you'd go and watch his next game." "I've been thinking the same thing, actually," I admitted truefully. "But when Sander and I talked about football, he seemed to clam up a bit. Would you have any idea why? He definitely enjoys playing football, so I wondered if anything was wrong." "You really did listen to him, didn't you?" she sighed, her worries about the subject clearly visible. "I don't know, really, but whenever I pick him up after a match, he always seems a bit down. That's been going on all year." "And he never told you anything?" I asked. "No, never," she replied, shaking her head. "He tells me the final score, but that's all he ever tells me. I tried asking him about it, but he just shrugs and changes the subject. I can never make it to his matches because I tutor a few of my students, during the weekend, so I really don't know what's going on." "Do you think he'll want me to go watch him play?" I wanted to know. "If he doesn't let you know if something's wrong, I don't think he'll want me to know either. We've only just met." "Maybe not," Annie agreed. "But I'd still like to know what's bugging him. It's no good sending him to football practices and games if he doesn't like going." "That's what's so awkward about it," I said. "I bet he would have asked to quit if he didn't like playing football anymore. When's his next game?" "Next Saturday. It's an away game, I think," Annie informed me. "Why?" "I was thinking, maybe I can make a surprise visit," I suggested. "Instead of driving him, just show up during the match. Maybe I'll find out from the sideline what his problem is, and talk to some of the other kids' parents or so." "That might not be a bad idea," Annie pondered. "Would you really do that?" "Look, I really do care about your grandson," I confessed. "If he wants me to be his friend, I better start acting like one. He might not be too thrilled if he sees me show up, but I want to be there for him whenever I can." "Somehow I think you'd do it even if I asked you not to," Annie smiled gratefully. "Alright, I'll check his calendar tomorrow and then let you know the details. I've got the feeling Sander might even want you to be there." "Okay, then," I nodded as I quickly glanced at the clock. "And now it's time for this boy to go home and hit the hay." "Oh, right, look at the time," Annie smiled warmly. "Thank you for coming. You've made Sander a happy little boy and I've got the feeling we'll be seeing more of you, pretty soon." "I can only hope so," I said. "It was a lovely evening and I thank you for your hospitality and your wonderful meal." "Not a problem," the lady nodded as you escorted me to the door. "After all, it was all Sander's idea. He can be very convincing." "I believe so," I chuckled. "Goodnight to you, Annie." Annie then gave me a warm hug, explaining where Sander'd picked that habit up, and sent me off home. "See you some other time, Robert." "Bye," I said as I waved at her. As I crossed the street, I looked up at one of the bedrooms and it might have been my imagination, but I think I saw one of the curtains move. Apparently Sander hadn't been asleep yet. I hope he hadn't been eavesdropping, because I didn't want him to know about the little plan for next week's football game. A bit later I found myself lying in bed, playing the video of the day in my mind, from the moment Sander had crashed into me, to the wonderful dinner at his grandmother's house. Of course the slightly open bathrobe came into the picture as well and in my imagination it showed just a bit more than it had in reality. Happy to have found such a wonderful boy who'd declared to his grandmother that I was to be his friend, I quickly fell asleep. Dreams about Sander in his football outfit scoring the winning goal and celebrating his victory with me came fast and I never had a more pleasant night in my entire life. ---------- Please let me know if you like the story or not. Feedback is the best encouragement to continue writing. So, send me a little mail at pok_bepxtep (at)yahoo(dot)com.