Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 10:38:59 -0700 From: Jeremy Taccone Subject: Dylan and Alex, Part 3 My first hickey! I looked down at it, perfectly centered between my belly button and the waistband of my speedo, and smiled. I looked up at Alex, and he was smiling too. "Hey, maybe I'll get a tattoo," I wondered out loud. "I like yours. What does it mean?" Alex briefly glanced at the color faded seafoam to teal symbol on his left inner arm between his elbow and wrist. "Namaste. The light in me honors the light in you. It's Hindi." "Is that your only one?" "Yep. I don't want another one. They're ridiculously painful. I was cringing in the chair for forty-five minutes from start to finish," Alex said. "So what tattoo do you want?" "I dunno. Maybe I'll get my ears pierced first." "The pain would be shorter than getting a tattoo, and the healing wouldn't be as painful either." "Still want a massage?" I asked. "You bet!" Alex turned and lay down on my tummy, and I went to work massaging his shoulders and back. Within minutes sweat was dripping from the tip of my nose to Alex's back. "Sorry," I quietly said, but Alex didn't respond. He was probably already drifting off to sleep. When I realized that he was sleeping soundly, I plopped down on the other side of his bed and let my mind wander, thinking I might go to sleep as well, but realizing that I should get back to my own bed in case my mom checks on me. She's usually up in the middle of the night for a couple hours. After a good-night's sleep, I woke up late the next day. Usually I wake up at about eleven, but it was almost one. What day was it? Vacations do that to me -- I always forget which day it is. It doesn't matter. Well ... it does because my second question was about my mom being in the house or at work. I really love being home alone. My mom and I get along great -- better than most kids and parents -- but I'm a typical teenager who wants his independence and freedom. My third question was if Alex was at home or not. I'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, I grabbed my phone from the nightstand next to my bed planning to text one of my online gamer friends when I noticed a text from Alex. "Thanks for the awesome massage! It was better than a sleeping pill." I decided not to apologize for dripping sweat on him since he probably didn't know about that anyway. I texted back, "No worries. You home today?" He didn't text back right away. Cool! People who text back right away make me wonder if they're desperate or lonely or thirsty. After I texted my gamer friend to find out when he (or she?) was going to be playing GTA5 online today, Alex responded. I've been playing GTA5 for five years, and only once did I ever team up with a girl. Mostly boys play video games. I guess that's because of the connection between testosterone and adrenaline. I dunno. "Yeah. I'm doing your job right now," Alex texted. "Just kidding! Come over whenever you want today and we'll talk about your hours and your duties ... and your pay ... as my new houseboy." Intrigued, I got up and spent about three and a half seconds putting on my usual summer outfit -- speedo and flip flops (Yes, I always sleep naked ... with my door closed!) -- and went out the back of my house to the back of Alex's house while wondering when my friend was going to text me back about gaming today. "Hey little buddy!" Alex said while unpacking boxes and putting stuff away as I walked through the rear sliding door into his family room. "Can I help?" Then I smelled something familiar. "Pizza?" I asked pointing with my nose from the family to the kitchen. "Yeah. Help yourself." As I walked over into the kitchen and found last night's open pizza boxes on the island counter, I could sense Alex's eyes gazing all up and down my backside. I was starving. "Hey, guess what's good on pizza?" I asked. "Peanut butter?" "No! Is it good?" "Not sure. Never tried it. I was just guessing." "Guacamole," I said. "That does sound better." "Guacamole is like ranch dressing. It's good on almost anything." I mumbled while chewing a huge bite and dribbling tomato sauce onto my chest." "Pig!" Alex mused, looking at me and grinning. "Pigs are cleaner than humans." "Who told you that?" "My mom. She would know." Walking over to me, Alex looked at my chest and said, "Not cleaner than you!" He reached out with both hands, lowered his head, pulled me close, and said, "Come here you!" while proceeding to lick the mess off my chest and tickling waist causing me to scream and giggle uncontrollably. Then he stood up and still had to look up into my eyes because he was only about five-eleven and I was already six feet tall. Leaning in, Alex pressed his lips to mine, lightly as first, until ... after my surprise had worn off ... poked his tongue into my mouth, caressed his hands up my back, gripped the hair on the back of my head, and French kissed me until my perception of the passage of time disappeared. When Alex finally came up for air, still holding the back of my head, my hands now resting on his shoulders, no words were spoken between us as we gazed into each other's eyes. A line had been crossed, but I certainly wasn't complaining. I was in awe, and I had a lot to learn about ... well ... everything, and with Alex twice my age, I thought to myself once again that he and I are probably going to make a really good team. Part four will be coming soon. My original intention was to create a new part each day, but life, as it always does with everything, interfered with that plan. A more realistic prediction would be that I'll probably create one or two new parts each week. I imagine that this is going to be a long story with many parts spanning a couple fictional years at least until after Dylan graduates from high school.