The Barrier

By Wes Leigh

 

This is a work of fiction intended solely for the entertainment of my readers; any resemblance to any real people or places is purely coincidental. Readers who would like to chat are encouraged to contact me at weston.leigh@protonmail.com.

This story is the property of the author and is protected by copyright laws. The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent.

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Chapter Eleven

 

A dark blue Audi A3 pulled up to the curb next to Jack. The passenger window rolled down. Jack glanced sideways and saw Micah behind the wheel. Micah was leaning over, looking out the window at Jack, concern on his face.

Jack sighed. "How did you know which school I attend?"

Micah pointed at Jack's hoodie. "You're wearing that same hoodie in your ZipChat profile picture."

Jack looked down and saw the school name printed across the breast of his hoodie.

Micah studied Jack carefully to see how he was reacting, adding, "It wasn't hard to figure out."

Jack found himself getting a bit miffed. Sure, Micah was his friend, but at the moment, it felt just a little creepy, almost like Micah was stalking him, so Jack asked, "What are you doing here?"

Micah noticed the anger and frustration in Jack's voice. His reply was gentle. "Hoping to talk to you."

Jack shook his head and continued walking down the sidewalk, ignoring Micah, hoping Micah would catch the hint and leave him alone. However, as Jack trudged along, Micah drove slowly down the street next to him, keeping pace with Jack's slow steps.

Exasperated, Jack turned and snapped, "So you're following me now?"

"Nah," Micah replied. "I'm escorting you home to be sure you aren't kidnapped by terrorists and sold as a sex slave to a Russian oil tycoon."

Jack snorted and laughed. "A Russian oil tycoon wouldn't want me for a sex slave."

"Not from what I hear," Micah replied with a grin. "Cute teens like you are a hot commodity on the black market these days."

Jack rolled his eyes. He definitely wasn't in the mood for stupid dad jokes. He walked faster, but Micah sped up and stopped a few feet ahead. Then Micah got out of the car and stood next to the open driver's door, leaning across the top and gesturing with his hand. "Will you please get in, Jack?"

Jack sighed. If they kept this up, people would notice and that would be even more embarrassing. Reluctantly, he opened the passenger door and slid inside.

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They drove around for half an hour, saying very little, then stopped for drinks before heading out of town to the scenic overlook. It was a beautiful place to sit and talk. High up above the city, looking down from far away, you could pretend that your problems were also far away.

"When do you need to be home?" Micah asked.

"Around five. That's when Mom and Dad get home, and we'll eat soon after that."

"Okay, I'll have you back by then."

"Why did you bring me here?" Jack asked.

Micah hesitated, thinking carefully about his reply. "I wanted a chance for us to talk. To really talk. No more ZipChat. No waiting for an answer. No trying to read between the lines and figure out what the other person is really trying to say. Because it seemed to me that something was seriously wrong. Something was hurting my best friend, and I had to take drastic measures to help him."

Jack sat quietly, staring at his hands folded in his lap.

When Jack didn't reply, Micah continued. "Last night, I didn't do a very good job of explaining myself. Jack, I have an affection for you that can NEVER be tarnished by anything you could ever do or say."

Jack slowly shook his head. "This might," he said.

"I don't think so," Micah insisted.

Jack turned and stared at Micah, tears misting his eyes. "How can you say that? You don't know what I've done."

Micah carefully reached over and took Jack's hands in his own. Squeezing gently, he asked, "Why do you think I've always insisted that the only contact you and I have is through ZipChat?"

Jack shrugged. "To protect our privacy? I don't know."

Micah shook his head. "Maybe that was part of it, at first. But there's more."

"What is it then?"

"I didn't want anything to dilute the friendship we were developing, Jack. I wanted us to focus on the words we shared as we came to know one another better. I didn't want my age to be a barrier that prevented you from seeing me as your friend, as someone you could trust and talk to about anything."

Jack snorted. "The barrier is destroyed now." He made an explosion sound as he mimicked a detonation with his hand.

Micah nodded and chuckled. "Yes, it is."

Jack blinked, trying not to break down. "Why did you do it? Why did you come to my school? Why couldn't we just stay friends, talking to each other in chat sessions?"

"Because a young man I know and love was hurting. I don't know what was causing him so much pain; he wouldn't tell me. But I could tell he was in such anguish that he desperately needed me. I had to come help him."

Jack sobbed and the tears began flowing down his cheeks. Micah pulled tissues from the center console and handed them to Jack, who dabbed his eyes until the fears finally stopped. He held the tissues to his face and blew his runny nose. Jack looked around for a place to throw the used tissues. Seeing nowhere to put them, he shrugged and stuffed them into a pocket on his hoodie.

"Don't forget to take those out when you get home," Micah said, grinning.

Jack chuckled. "I won't." He took a few more tissues and rubbed his eyes.

Micah touched Jack's cheek with one finger. "I had no choice, Jack. Our friendship has reached a point where I couldn't say I was your friend, hear how much pain you were experiencing, and not come running to be by your side. I had to be there for you, helping you with whatever it was you were going through."

Jack turned to look out the car window. He couldn't face Micah. He couldn't even think of words to say, to explain how dejected he was and how it was all his own fault.

Micah continued speaking. "It's been a rough few weeks for you, Jack. You've experienced ups and downs like never before, so you shouldn't beat yourself up over how you've handled it. We all would have had a hard time dealing with all you've faced lately."

"I suppose," Jack replied. "It just seems like every decision I made was wrong."

"Why do you say that?"

"I tried to talk to Ian and ended up in trouble with the school and my parents. The first guy I picked for a date was dishonest. He was a middle-aged creep just trying to get me in bed. The next guy I dated was a party animal who only wanted me as part of his late-night orgy. And then when I decided to stop dating altogether, I —" Jack paused, realizing how close he'd come to revealing the secret he didn't want to utter.

Micah waited patiently. When it was apparent Jack wasn't going to finish, Micah said, "I don't see those as bad decisions on your part. If anything, they were bad situations that gave you a chance to show you can make good decisions, like recognizing it wasn't something you wanted to be a part of and walking away."

"I know. You told me all that. But if I'm making good decisions, how do you explain—?" Jack paused again, miserable now. How could he explain his frustration with himself if he couldn't tell Micah the rest? If Micah knew the truth, he'd see that Jack didn't always make good decisions, and deep down inside, there was something wrong with Jack's brain, something that made him think it was okay to fantasize about getting his dick sucked by his best friend, who also just happened to be old enough to be his dad.

Jack opened the car door and jumped out. He walked to the edge of the lookout spot and stared out over the city.

͠ ͠ ͠

When Jack felt the warm hands sliding onto his shoulders and neck, he knew Micah had joined him. Micah didn't say a word but slowly kneaded Jack's muscles, pressing in with his thumbs moving in small circles.

Jack felt his eyes misting over and filling up with tears. He didn't want to be a baby, but he couldn't help himself. Micah was always so kind to him, but this was one time Jack didn't deserve that consideration. Micah would undoubtedly stop being so nice if he ever learned the truth. Jack's shoulders began shaking slightly as he sucked in shuddering breaths and allowed the tears to fall again.

"Whatever it is ..." Micah said, his voice trailing off at the end.

Jack sniffed. "You really want to know?"

Micah squeezed Jack's shoulders. "I do."

Jack turned around. His face was downcast as he stared at Micah's shoes. He reached out and took Micah's hands in his own. The skin was soft, the flesh warm. He saw a blue vein running along the back of Micah's hand and traced it with his own finger.

Then he took a deep breath and began explaining, holding nothing back. "You remember when I decided to stop dating? Because it wasn't working?"

"Yes."

"I guess it helped, because I didn't have crazy guys bugging me anymore. But it did cause another problem ..."

Micah softly asked, "A bit of extra semen pressure?"

Jack nodded. "I'm horny every day, but it was worse this time. I tried reading a story and jerking off, but something happened ..."

Micah waited.

Jack realized the time had come to open up and lay it on the line. "I was fantasizing about getting a blowjob, and I ... uhhh ..." Jack blew out his breath and gulped. "I ... I fantasized about you doing it."

Jack waited for Micah to explode, but Micah said nothing.

Jack slowly lifted his eyes to meet Micah's. "I felt horrible afterward. Guilty. Stupid. Picturing you between my legs really messed with my head, and I couldn't talk about it to anyone, especially you."

Jack expected anger, but there was none. Micah's eyes were kind and understanding.

There was no lecture. No conversation about how Jack was being immature, allowing his hormones to take over. No dismissing it as a silly crush of some kind.

They continued to stare at each other.

Jack wondered if maybe Micah was secretly pleased. Some older guys would probably be flattered to know that a sexy teen like Jack was jerking his dick at the thought of getting a blowjob from his older lover. But Micah didn't show any signs of pleasure either.

What was going through his head?

Micah held Jack in front of him, stared into Jack's eyes, and used his fingers to wipe away Jack's tears. Then Micah leaned in and kissed Jack gently on the lips. A soft and chaste kiss that lasted only a few seconds. Micah pulled back and waited, watching to see how Jack would respond.

Jack felt his heart flutter.

 

The end of THE BARRIER, Chapter Eleven