Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2021 00:46:36 +0000 (UTC) From: Alex Century Subject: Takeoffs and Landings: Jared and Matt's Story chapter 6 Jared Thanksgiving with Matt was a good experience and my relationship with Sam improved almost instantly after we both said what we needed to say. The day before Matt and I went back to Kalamazoo, my mom handed me her credit card and directed me to the computer room to book our flights. We would first need to go from Kalamazoo to Philadelphia to get to Matt's parents' house for Christmas. Then on New Year's Eve we would fly to Los Angeles and meet up with my parents and brothers for the Rose Bowl game. And finally we'd then go from Los Angeles back to Kalamazoo on January 2. I was obviously going to buy the cheapest ticket but it was clearly going to be expensive. With Matt by my side I compared flights on airline after airline and ended up making my final selections based on the schedule and not so much the fare. I wrapped Matt up in an embrace after I had the tickets bought and the itineraries printed. "This is actually happening," I whispered into his ear as we hugged. The next morning we set our alarm for 5:30 as our train left at 7. We loaded into my dad's SUV and made the 25 minute drive into downtown St. Louis to the Amtrak depot. Just to give Matt a glimpse of the ghetto known as East Saint Louis, we took Route 15 to the Eads Bridge, which avoided the freeway during rush hour. About 10 minutes after we got there they began boarding for the trip northeast to Chicago. The conductor scanned our tickets as we boarded and we went and found an open row. After we pulled out of the station Matt and I went to the cafe car. He got coffee, I got a Pepsi. We both sat back and enjoyed the view as we passed through all the small towns and miles of farmland. While most people who aren't from Illinois think of Chicago first, it's the exact opposite. There's an old saying, "Just outside Chicago, there's a place called Illinois." Once we arrived in Chicago we had lunch at a restaurant at the Union Station before boarding the Wolverine back to Kalamazoo. It took about 2 1/2 hours but we pulled into Kalamazoo at around 5:30. We rode the bus back up to campus and spent the rest of the evening relaxing in Matt's apartment in Spindler Hall. The next three weeks were very stressful with finals coming up right before the holidays. And finally like an answered prayer the end of the semester arrived. On December 20, 1997, Matt and I made our way to the Kalamazoo airport. We approached the US Airways ticket counter and were greeted by a friendly middle-aged lady. "Hi there, can I see your IDs? Ah okay, one bag each to Philadelphia?" "Yes," I replied. "Are you guys brothers?" she asked as she typed into the computer. "He's my boyfriend," Matt replied. "We're going home to my parents' for Christmas." "Oh," she snorted, her tone changing dramatically. "Gate three," she said handing Matt our boarding passes. "Let it go," Matt told me as we walked away. I was pretty upset at that little slight by her. "Did you see the look on her face?" I asked. "Just let it go," he said again. Matt has always been my best influence and I'm his worst. We went through security and each got a beverage from the little cafe in the boarding area before we sat down at gate 3. It was a packed flight today and one of the few days that the flight to Pittsburgh would be on a mainline jet and not a propeller plane. "Ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin boarding our first class passengers for US Airways flight 1172, nonstop service to Pittsburgh. Any passengers requiring additional assistance may also board at this time. Now boarding through gate 3..." We stood in line for about 10 minutes before we made our way down the jetway. We were flying the first leg on a McDonnell-Douglas DC-9, my personal favorite airplane. The best thing about it on this flight was that there were only two seats per row on the left side of the plane, so Matt and I sat together without anyone else intruding. It only took about an hour to get to Pittsburgh and we had a long walk to our connecting flight, the entire length of one concourse and the entire length of another, but we made it. Before long we were on our connecting flight to Philadelphia and I could finally breathe easy knowing we were finally on the home stretch. After we touched down in Philadelphia I stood at the baggage carousel waiting to collect our luggage while Matt searched for a quiet place to call his parents and let them know we were on the ground. We went out to the curb and stood in the snow waiting for them to arrive. Finally a white Buick approached and Matt tapped me and said "That's them." Matt's dad parked the car on the curb and got out and hugged Matt first and then shook my hand. Laura hugged me tight and said "Hi Jared, it's so good to see you again." Matt and I climbed into the backseat after loading our suitcases into the trunk and we commenced the forty-minute drive back to Delaware City. "So I can't keep the surprise in any longer," began Rob. "You two get to go stay at the beach house on Slaughter Beach." "Are you kidding?" Matt replied, his voice rising. "Nope. Your grandma and grandpa can't wait to meet Jared and they're flying up for Christmas and they wanted to let you two have some time alone for the holidays. So they decided to let you two stay there as long as you're here for Christmas and spend a few days with us before you go down there." "Oh my god, thank you so much!" Matt said, gushing. "This is the best Christmas of my entire life," he finished. "The beach house is the vacation house that my grandparents bought and we all get to enjoy. It's right on the beach on the Atlantic too," he explained to me. It was a 40-minute drive from Philadelphia down to Delaware and we finally pulled off the main road and then into their driveway. Once we got to their place we unloaded our luggage and discussed where to have dinner. It was after 5:00 by the time we arrived and we ended up going to a pizza place about 15 minutes away. As the snow fell outside we laughed and enjoyed each other's company and I felt completely content. I always thought that spending time with your in-laws would be an awkward experience. They were very loving and caring people and I could see where Matt got it from. "So how did your semester go, Jared?" "I did a lot of flying. It was kind of a whirlwind," I said looking at Matt with a smile. After spending the next day with Matt's parents we finally headed south to the beach house. We loaded our suitcases into the trunk of Matt's car, a 1987 Cadillac deVille that had been his grandma's before she timed the buying of a new car for when he first got his license. Matt turned us out of his neighborhood and set out south on Route 9, passing through fields and a lot of nothingness before we got to the freeway. "Do you have any weed?" he asked me. "Fuck no, we went through airport security yesterday remember?" I replied. "I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask," he said with a laugh. "Why don't we get drunk tonight instead?" I suggested. "Great idea!" Matt chirped with that damn mischevious smile. "What do you like to drink?" "American Honey. It's bourbon and honey and the colder it gets the better it tastes. If you put it in the freezer for a couple hours it tastes like candy." "That sounds really good. I drank vodka in undergrad," Matt answered. "Vodka? You can drink that shit?" I said, disgusted. "Yep, goes down like water." "Awwwww that's nasty," I said recoiling. After about an hour of driving he pulled into the parking lot of a Food Lion store in Milford, Delaware. "We have to get our groceries and our liquor first because the house is 10 miles away from here. And why don't we go have dinner at the diner across the street when we're done?" Matt rattled off. We headed inside and Matt grabbed a cart and started shopping. "You get whatever you want," he instructed. After we checked out we drove across the parking lot to the liquor store and $30 later we were armed with booze. Then, just as he said we would, we had dinner at the small diner across the street. Matt is kind of eccentric. He's sweet and loving and when he tries to be sweet and loving he ends up being goofy. That's what attracted me to him. He's so lovable and full of love. As we turned down a road that ran along the Atlantic shore and pulled into a driveway. It was a two-story house that was much longer than it was wide. It had two garage doors out front and that's how wide the house was. Matt retrieved the keys from his pocket and unlocked the front foor. We stepped inside and it looked like a stereotypical grandparents' house. It had wood paneling on the walls as well as brick and it was filled with old people's furniture. There was a screened-in patio on the back with a picnic table inside of it. "Right in here," Matt directed me. "This was always my bedroom growing up." He put his arms around me and brought me in for a kiss. "Ready to start drinking?" he asked. "No, we have to chill it first," I replied. We spent an hour or so watching The Simpsons on TV before the liquor was cold enough to be enjoyable. I opened the cupboards looking for a couple shot glasses and I found them. Matt got peppermint schnapps and I got a fifth of American Honey and we would share. We went shot for shot, round for round. Matt tapped out at 13, but I kept going until I tied my record of 19. "Dude aren't you going to puke?" Matt asked me slurring his words. "I've never puked in my entire life. It stays down like water," I replied. "Shut up and let's do this," Matt said bluntly before leaning in for a kiss. Before long we were making out and we couldn't keep our hands off each other. It was passionate and electric, yet sloppy at the same time. "Let's go back to the bedroom," Matt whispered and together we went. Before long our clothes were shed and in my drunken state I really had to concentrate and focus on what I was doing and take it one step at a time. "This is exactly what the doctor ordered. Just you and me. No school bullshit, no family bullshit, just us. Together." I mused. I positioned Matt on the edge of the bed with his calves resting on my shoulders. I rolled the condom down my erect dick and lubed him up with my fingers. "Oh my god," Matt let out as I prepared to enter him. He let out a sigh and moaned appreciatively with every thrust. I made love to him standing up and through the haze of the alcohol it felt amazing and never-ending. I went faster and then slower, faster and then slower, pounding away at him and hearing him express his pleasure. "Mmmmmm, uhhhh, uhhh, uhhh, mmmmmm" he went as I varied my speed. "Dude this is amazing," he whispered when I paused to catch my breath. "What do you want to bet they sent us here because they don't want to hear us having sex," he then said and we both laughed out loud. "I'm going to try to cum soon," I said. After a couple more minutes I slowed down my thrusting to a sensual speed and finally I was able to let it loose. Boom! The alcohol was making me into a sloppy fool but one who could pound like a jackhammer for what felt like hours. Even after that I still had some left in the tank. Matt had rolled over like he was ready to go to sleep. "Matt it's your turn. How do you want me?" He sat up in bed and took one look at me standing at the foot of the bed. "Assume the position," he instructed. "Doggy style it is," I said as I complied. So don't tell him I told you this, but Matt has a foot fetish. He likes to get me in certain positions so he can spend some time on my feet before he gets down to business. He took his position inside me and pushed himself in. He took it fairly slow, which I appreciated, and I enjoyed listening to his breathing as he enjoyed himself. After a while he blew his load and we laid down on our backs next to each other. "That was incredible," Matt said to me. "Yeah it was," I said, panting. The next day we hung out watching the ocean and watching TV. We drove back to Matt's parents' house on Christmas Eve and spent Christmas there with them and I got to meet Matt's grandparents. They were very kind and affirming, just like Matt's parents. It just wasn't a big deal to them that he was gay and that's something I was kind of envious of after what I went through with my brother. After the Christmas festivities were over we returned to Slaughter Beach for another four days before we drove back up to Delaware City the day before we flew out to California. Finally New Years Eve came and it was time to head to Pasadena. Our #1 Michigan Wolverines were taking on the #8 Washington State Cougars in the 84th Rose Bowl. Matt's parents took us up to the airport but we hit a major snag that threatened to derail our plans. A semi truck had tipped over on I-95, bringing traffic to a standstill. By the time we got to the airport our flight would be leaving in 20 minutes! I was distraught in the car thinking we were going to miss our flight and on one of the busiest travel days of the year we'd have no chance of getting a seat on a different flight. We just made it and rushed to the ticket counter and dropped our bags. The agent printed our boarding passes as quickly as she could and instructed us to hurry. We ran to security and thankfully the line was moving quickly. We got to the gate and found there were three people left in line to board the plane. We compared boarding passes and found that we were assigned seats way far apart. I followed Matt all the way to the back of the plane where he was assigned seat 25B, a middle seat in the second to last row of the Airbus A320. I looked at the guy in the aisle seat and said "My seat is about 12 rows in that direction. He and I would like to sit together, would you mind trading?" He didn't refuse. It was a 4 1/2 hour flight to Phoenix and we only had about an hour on the ground once we got there. We quickly got to our connecting gate and boarded a Boeing 757 bound for Los Angeles. After a quick, one-hour hop we were finally on the ground. My parents and brothers had flown in from St. Louis earlier that morning on TWA so they were picking us up from the airport and taking us back to the hotel. Matt and I waited for what felt like forever before our bags finally started coming around the conveyor belt. Once our bags showed up I called my mom on my cell phone and told them we were outside. Five minutes later a minivan pulls up and we got in. In the back were Brady and Sam and my dad was in the driver's seat, my mom on the passenger's side. "You guys will have your own room," my dad said as if that was the most important thing we had to talk about right now. "Hi Dad, nice to see you too," I said sarcastically as my brothers laughed. It took about an hour to get back to the hotel as it was 26 miles in rush hour LA traffic. Matt and I got our key cards and took the elevator up to our room. We both fell onto the bed and rested for a moment. We were pretty worn out from a long day of flying across the country. Not even a minute after we got into the room there was a knock at the door. Matt and I both looked at each other puzzled and then I stood up and went to the door. I looked in the peephole and it was Sam. I opened the door and just looked at him, not sure what to say. "I need to talk to you two," he said quietly. "Okay, come on in," I said still perplexed. When he walked in he started to pace. "What's wrong?" I asked. "I got a boner." He spat out. "Ummmmmmm" was all I could manage. "I was at the campus rec center and I saw a guy I knew from class naked coming out of the shower and I got a boner." "And you don't know what to think about it?" I replied. "No it made me think. I've been trying to fight it for so long and I can't lie to myself anymore. I have a thing for guys." "It's okay. It's okay," Matt said as he went and embraced him in a hug. "I'm sorry for how awful I was to you two," he said. "No it makes sense now. Lots of people go through through that because they're trying to fight their own desires," I explained. Sam looked up at me and I smiled and said "Welcome to the community." The next day we headed up to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. It was a back-and-forth seesaw kind of game, but our Wolverines prevailed 21-16, completing the perfect 12-0 season and claiming our first national championship in almost 50 years. It was an exciting game with a scary finish at the end, but the maize and blue prevailed. It was a euphoric moment at the end, seeing the players hoist the trophy and knowing what it feels like to be a national champion. Our flights the next day were at similar times so we all got back into the rented van the next morning after breakfast and headed to LAX. My parents and brothers had the luxury of a nonstop flight, while Matt and I were flying Continental and changing planes in Cleveland before arriving in Kalamazoo at around 9:30 that night. We took a cab back to campus and we spent the night at Matt's apartment. We held each other close in bed that night because we were way too exhausted for anything fun and I couldn't help but confess what was on my mind. "Matt, I don't ever want to be without you again." *** I love my readers and I appreciate you all so much. Thank you so much for reading! Whether you like this story or not or just want to chat, drop me a line at AlexCenturyErotica@yahoo.com. I want any and all feedback and feel free to ask me anything. Stay tuned because there's a lot more to come!