Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2014 21:00:13 -0700 (PDT) From: Seth Kirkcauldy Subject: Brother Mine 11 Brother Mine Chapter 11 copyright 2014 Seth Kirkcauldy seth-kirkcauldy@sbcglobal.net ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This story may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the author's permission. The author grants the Nifty Archive a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, and non-cancellable license to display this work. This story is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. They are a product of the author's imagination, or used fictitiously. This story contains erotic situations between brothers not yet of a legal age. If it is illegal for you to read this, or you just think it's yucky, please leave now. Please donate to the Nifty Archive. Part 1: Aiden Roderick's finger ran lightly over Aiden's collarbone, making him shiver involuntarily. The movement was a whisper of skin on skin where the collar of Aiden's purple polo shirt opened invitingly. Aiden found he was suddenly puffing his chest outward so that he arched toward Roderick like a filament of iron aligning to a magnet. He frowned in irritation at his own reaction and pulled himself straight again to the accompaniment of Roderick's deep chuckle. "Next question," Aiden said brusquely as Roderick withdrew his finger. "You come across a boy who is drowning in pig shit. Do you A: wade in and rescue him; B: toss the perpetrators in with him; or C: find a plunger to play with?" They were on their first date and they had very different agendas. "Do I really have to answer all these in order to go to bed with you? I'm not that good at tests, Aiden. Although, I'm good at lots of other things." "Answer the question. Someone could drown in that pig shit while you sit around arguing." Roderick rolled his eyes. It was especially comic in the dim faux-candlelight of the French restaurant. Other couples held hands and whispered to one another while Aiden interviewed Roderick over the flickering LED that winked wearily within its votive holder. "Really, I'm a flame," it seemed to tell Aiden. "Really, I'm with the man I love," Aiden replied in obligation to this confederacy of liars. Roderick's tongue peeked out of the corner of his mouth while he thought, and the natural child-like gesture melted Aiden some. He found the big guy kind of adorable. Roderick was almost the exact opposite of Aiden in every way imaginable, and there was no doubt that the magnetic polarity attraction pulled within him. Aiden tried to squeeze his erection under the table without being noticed while he watched Roderick's dark eyes narrow in concentration. The jock's very large hand sifted unconsciously through his short, dark hair, and then rubbed his chin where a scruff of dark whiskers grew. He was masculine and sexy and Aiden realized his own tongue was hanging out, too. "I know that Connor is a hero; I know he rescued you. But I also know you should not have been in danger after the very first time you were hurt, Aiden. The answer is D none of the above. The boy in question would have been by my side all day long and he never would have ended up in the muck to begin with." Aiden bit his lip and glanced at Roderick, wrestling the warring of his loyalty to Connor and gratitude for stated truths. He made a hesitant checkmark on his paper. "That's an acceptable answer." "Do you ask all potential dates these questions?" "I've, uh... never been out on a date before this one. Well, not counting; well... I guess I have, actually, but it's different somehow." "Do I get to ask questions of you, too, during this interview?" Aiden screwed up his face. "You want to know things about me?" "God, yes. How many freckles do you have?" "I don't really know." "Can I count them after our dinner? Could I play connect-the-dots with my tongue?" Aiden sputtered in surprise and a glazed look overtook his eyes. "Y-you... you want to lick ME?" "Ohhhhh yeah." Aiden swallowed noisily, blinked a few times, and then looked down at his paper. He was suddenly very, very glad his best - and ONLY - friend, Bo, had rejected Roderick's offer to relieve him of his virginity. It turned out that Bo was not at all happy that Aiden was trying to organize stud service from Connor and all his jock friends. Something about dignity and morality, blah, blah, blah. "Uh- Let's see. Next question. What kind of name is 'Roderick'? It sounds like someone was confused when they filled out your birth certificate: 'His name is Rod, er... Rick'?" "You make fun of me a lot. I'll leave you alone if you really want me to, Aiden. I know that compared to you, I'm pretty dumb, but..." "You are not dumb," Aiden said fiercely, and then he blushed as Roderick grinned at him, teeth glowing whitely in the dim light. Roderick shrugged his big shoulders casually, "I only meant compared to you; but it's no secret that I don't understand some of my classes and need a lot of help to study for 'em. I'm good at plenty of things, but nobody likes their raw spots poked at, and you're a little intimidating sometimes." Aiden's jaw was hanging open. "I intimidate YOU?" The big man laughed and rested his chin in the palm of one large hand and watched Aiden closely. "You're a whole lot to take in, Aiden, and yes, you intimidate the hell out of me. I dunno why I find smart people so hot. My friends think it's weird since smart people generally don't like me much. It's like I go for the ones I can't have." "I know a bit about that," Aiden muttered. "I bet you do." Aiden looked up at the serious eyes and gentle smile, and he set the papers aside. "You know." Roderick shrugged. "I suspect. All that's really important for me to know tonight is: do I have a fucking chance? Even a little, tiny, chance?" Aiden frowned and then glared down at the light bulb pretending to be a votive candle. Was nobody fooled by artifice anymore? "It depends what you want a chance at. If you want a chance to replace him..." "I'm not THAT stupid," Roderick growled, and then relaxed his scowl when he saw Aiden's frightened expression. "Look, Aiden, I can't claim undying love and a lifetime commitment. I just met you a few weeks ago when you tried to bash my head in and drown me. As hot as that was, I can't quite get up the nerve to commit to you forever. But your brother will be your brother for the rest of your life. You think I'm out to replace that?" "No. I'm sorry... that was really unfair..." "But..." Roderick interrupted, holding Aiden still with his steady gaze, "I really like you. I could make you a list of the reasons, but I'd rather just spend the night SHOWING you how much I like you. I sorta suck with words unless I'm offering direction, you know?" Aiden's mouth was dry and he was trying to find sufficient lubrication for his voice. "You... uh, you offer direction?" "I wore this fucking tie tonight for only one reason, Aiden: I was afraid you might not have rope in your bedroom. I want to tie your hands behind you, lick you from head to toe, make you spurt in three different ways, and then and only then do I plan to start giving you direction so that I can make a mess too." Aiden screwed up his face and huffed loudly, trying to hold off the tears that wanted to spill over. Roderick lurched across the table and grabbed his hands to steady him. "I love him," Aiden said in a quiet gasp. "I know. I hope you never stop." "He's straight." "I know that, too. I gotta say, I REALLY hope he never stops." Aiden laughed; it was a surprised sound like a cough and hiccup together. He turned his wet gaze up to Roderick. "I think you have a chance. I want you. I want you really bad. You are... God, you are really hot and kind and funny. But I love.... I love..." "I know." Aiden nodded. "I'll never stop loving him, but that's the whole reason I let him go. I guess I just wanted you to know that although I love him, it's not like being with someone else is a consolation prize; I chose this, so yeah, I think that's doable." "You think I'm doable?" Roderick asked with a grin. "You are so very doable. Your whole body is even bigger than... I mean, you're more muscular... geez, I'm sorry." "Don't be. I think you'll find that physically I compare favorably to Connor in every measurement. I invite the comparison." Aiden's eyes rounded, big and wide. "You're kidding me." Roderick grinned very broadly. "Nope." Aiden glanced hastily around the restaurant, suddenly nervous and excited. "Um, did you want dessert? I don't think I really need to stay for dessert..." "We haven't ordered any food at all yet, Aiden." "Oh! Yeah... we should probably at least do..." "C'mon," Roderick said gruffly, rising from his seat and taking Aiden's hand. "I'm not all that hungry for food right now, anyway. I want to get this knot off my neck and tied where it belongs." Aiden grasped his hand nervously, but followed his long strides out of the restaurant. They returned to the brothers' apartment with the idea that it would offer more privacy than Roderick's dorm room. While the truth of this was uncontested, there was another bright and sharp truth showing beneath Connor's door, a shard of light that slashed them both like a conscience. Roderick only allowed Aiden to gaze at it for a moment before he shepherded him past and into Aiden's bedroom, shutting the door behind them. "Do you put something on the knob so he knows not to come in?" "We haven't really worked out any signals," Aiden's hand gestured all around him. "This whole thing is kind of kamikaze Jell-O, you know?" "You say weird stuff." "Yes." Aiden sat on the edge of his bed with his hands between his knees, shrinking inside himself, folding up like an origami boy. "Would you like me to leave? I'm sorry I didn't consider that he might be home." Aiden looked up at Roderick then and studied him closely, trying to decide what it was he actually did want Roderick to do. The large jock was standing there taking up most of the space in the room, his expression neutral. He was one of the tallest men Aiden had ever known, a full head above Connor. His height didn't remind him of a tower, tall and straight, but rather a mountain, sturdy and inexorable. From his large feet and solid, wide stance to where his neck strained the buttoned collar of his shirt, his clothes bulged with the boulders of his muscles, hard and bulky. The dress pants he'd worn to dinner were an ill fit for his large size, the fabric shiny in the places where his muscles strained against it. The crotch bulged obscenely and Aiden realized his mouth was hanging open. Connor always teased him about his Pavlovian response, and that thought was enough to pull his jaw shut. "Would it be okay if you took your shirt off? Can I see you?" Aiden asked breathlessly. He could feel his brain slowing, the multitude of thoughts fading in a way it had only done with Connor. With no change in his expression, Roderick pulled the knot of his tie loose until the ends fell free. Then his lips twitched slightly as he pulled the fabric free of his neck and let it dangle suggestively from his fingers. He finally flung it away to the bed where it twisted upon the pillow. His large fingers began working at the buttons. He had to unbutton his cuffs and sleeves because his hands were much too large to pull through, and when he at last peeled the fabric away from his body, Aiden hissed quite nervously. The man was beautiful, as he had known he would be, but he was also huge in a way that made Aiden feel insignificant. "Jesus," Aiden said quietly. "I've never seen so much muscle." Roderick shrugged his massive shoulders, but then relaxed them so that Aiden could look his fill. "I just try to stay in shape for my sports, but my body turns it into all this bulk." Roderick's skin was a creamy expanse the color of mascarpone, except for the fading summer tan that outlined his chest in the silhouette of a tank top. The paleness of his chest highlighted the dark, hard lines of his muscle definition. "You shave your chest," Aiden observed, both amused and slightly disappointed. He loved male body hair in a primal way that he couldn't really explain; but he had to admit the wide terrain of smooth, male flesh in front of him was quite beautiful, too. Roderick shrugged again, and this time Aiden got to see the way the muscles rolled under all that tight skin. "I have a lot of chest hair, and I'd be happy not to shave it if I had a reason. You like hair, Aiden?" Aiden licked his lips as his ears prickled with embarrassment. He knew he was blushing bright red. "Yeah." Roderick nodded. "I see." He raised his arms and folded his hands behind his neck so that his powerful body was fully displayed for Aiden. He could barely hold the pose because the intumescence of his biceps pushed against his forearms. "I don't shave anywhere else," he said, and turned his head slightly to run his tongue into his own armpit where a thick shock of black hair protruded. Aiden clamped his eyes closed to keep himself from orgasm. He could feel the cramp in his lower belly that told him his body had almost been jolted into release. He panted heavily and felt a drop of sweat trail down the side of his face. He gritted his teeth and hissed. "Hey, you okay?" Roderick was suddenly on his knees beside Aiden, his large, warm hands soothing up and down his arms. Aiden laughed deep in his throat and nodded violently, his eyes still closed. He grabbed a deep breath and cracked open his eyes. "A-almost messed up my pants. A-almost." He gestured vaguely around the room while not meeting Roderick's eye, trying to move the jock's attention elsewhere. He knew he was blushing hotly, and he couldn't remember being more embarrassed. "It sometimes catches me by surprise if my brain gets jolted by something really, really hot." "Oh," Roderick's breathy growl almost pulled Aiden to the edge again. "Did you see something really, really hot, Aiden?" Unconsciously, Aiden's hands were exploring all those hard muscles, memorizing the paradoxical feel of silk and granite. "I like your hands on me; but I'd sort of like to tie them up now. I want to do dirty things to you, Aiden." Aiden took a deep, shaky breath. "I don't think... It sounds really hot, but I don't think..." "Ahhhh," Roderick's voice sounded sad and disappointed in himself. "Did they do that to you? Tie you? God dammit, I'm so sorry. I didn't want to scare you; I should have known better than that." "They did," Aiden whispered, his eyes watching his fingers touching Roderick's chest like he couldn't believe the man in front of him was real. It had been a couple of weeks since he had last been with Connor, and the need for touch was choking him. "It'll be alright; I just need more time to get to know you better. I'm not ready..." His fingers brushed a nipple and stopped a moment to pluck at it. Roderick hissed. "Okay, then, maybe some other day when you've learned to trust me more. Let's just start slower than that for today, huh? Can I undress you now? Would that be okay?" "Yeah," Aiden whispered again, and then he glanced up at Roderick's eyes, shyly. "But, you know, I could just stay dressed and, uh, suck you or something, if you want. You know, if you don't want my junk in your face or anything." Roderick frowned at him and his eyes got a little hard. "Look, Aiden, I don't really know what you're used to, but let me tell you the way it's going to be with me. There's not a thing on your body that's junk, and I gotta tell you I'm hard as a rock at the thought of putting any part of you in my face. I'm getting a vibe that you like to be submissive and sort of used for pleasure, and that can be hot as fuck. I'd get totally into making sure those needs are met. But we're gonna go slow and I'm going to explore you some tonight, okay? We're not going to play roles or tie up your hands. You aren't going to be my sex slave tonight. We're gonna both get undressed and find out a few things about each other, alright?" Aiden gestured at the words he wanted to say. They were scattering around the room. "Nnngg," he managed, and squeezed his eyes shut in embarrassment. "Yeah, okay. You are so beautiful, I can't stand it any longer," and then Roderick's warm lips were brushing against Aiden's in a tentative kiss. Aiden's lips opened and he lunged at the big man, groaning loudly and ravaging his mouth. Roderick fell backward onto the floor, and Aiden followed him, devouring his yelp of surprise. "Jesus Christ, you're something," Roderick laughed, and then crushed his smile against Aiden's. While they kissed, Roderick's fingers opened Aiden's belt, unfastened his pants and lowered the zipper, and then pulled the dark purple polo over his head so that their bare chests rubbed against each other. "Oh," Aiden moaned, absorbing the skin-to-skin contact thirstily. "You multi-task well." "I'm goal oriented," Roderick muttered, crushing Aiden against him harder, making him moan again. Aiden was laughing. "We're talking like a Dilbert cartoon. Why is that hot?" "Skin," Roderick panted in reply, shoving Aiden's slacks and boxers down his thighs. "More skin." After Aiden was stripped bare, Roderick rolled them over so he was on top and had room to maneuver. The crushing weight of the huge man caused Aiden to grind his teeth to forestall the second threat of orgasm. Just the bulk of this giant, gentle guy atop him made him want to jet his semen in complete submission. God, he was weird. He groaned in both relief and frustration when Roderick positioned his forearms to bear much of his own weight and relieved the burden from Aiden. "There, now you can breathe a little, okay?" "I liked it. I don't want to breathe. I just want you to crush me into a little puddle." "Hmmmm. Well, I think I like you with functioning organs. This one, in particular." Aiden gasped as Roderick ground his crotch against his hard, leaking cock. "Do that again." "How 'bout I undress the rest of me and do that again when I'm naked? Would that be okay?" "MMnnnng." "Yeah. Okay, Aiden. Just kiss me while I get these things off." While Aiden was focused on warm, wet lips, the rest of the clothes seemed to vanish. Roderick was a special kind of magician, and Aiden was falling deeper for his illusions. He squirmed down Roderick's body. "That is one hell of a big rabbit. Can I make it disappear?" "What the fuck?" Roderick barked a laugh. "Sorry," Aiden muttered, embarrassed. "I say stuff." As advertised, the flesh between Roderick's legs was larger than Connor's, and so different in many other ways. It sprouted from a tangled mass of black curls, jutted up and away from Roderick's body before arcing back toward him, forming a curved column from the juncture of his groin to where the circumcised head touched perfectly right above his navel. The flared head without its hood looked more like Aiden's own circumcised organ, except about twice the size. Aiden loved the solid heft of it in his hand, and with his stomach fluttering with excitement he gently kissed the glans before opening his mouth for a more complete taste. "Wow!" Aiden flicked his eyes upward at the sound and found Roderick watching with wide eyes as Aiden slowly swallowed his very large cock all the way down to the base, accommodating its wicked curve by pivoting around in a corkscrew so that it angled down his throat. "Where the fuck did you learn... Jesus, Aiden! Come back up here before you make me squirt. I wanna do that to you." Aiden ascended the column again and released it with a slurp. "To me? But I don't..." "Come up here, Aiden. Have no fear about me wanting more of that. I've never seen anyone do that to me before, and I didn't really think that could be done, honestly. I may just move in here and keep you on my cock for a week; but not tonight. Tonight I'm giving something to you. Something I don't think you've had enough of." Aiden squirmed. "But I don't really get sucked. I'm more the guy that does the sucking." "Yeah, I got that; not tonight, though." "But..." "Not tonight." "I don't know if I can... I mean, I'm just not sure my brain will let me - Jesus...." Roderick finally had gotten tired of waiting, and since Aiden wouldn't come up, he went down. He wasn't even at Aiden's crotch yet, merely at his taut, pale stomach, which was quivering as Roderick lowered his lips and placed gentle kisses along the flesh surrounding his navel. "Ahhhhh..." Roderick's rough whiskers dragged across his skin, burning like soft fire, but his moist lips immediately followed, caressing gently and quenching the burn with gentle kisses. "Oh... that smells like green grass and gasoline. Holy... UH!" Roderick had nipped his hipbone as he continued to meander lazily across Aiden's body, planting small kisses and dragging his masculine scruff and twisting tongue. "I... I... I don't know about this... my head is- weird." He got a nip on his other hipbone, causing him to involuntarily thrust upward into the air, arching his back and banging into Roderick's head. "S..Sorry... I..." "Don't be sorry, Aiden. I love that your brain and body are out of control right now. Just close your eyes and let me make love to you." "B..but I love... I love..." "I know who you love. Close your eyes, Aiden. You need this." "But I don't deserve... nobody should want to... ARGH! How could he stand all this love all the time? It's so LOUD." Aiden was squirming and moaning on the bed while Roderick hung onto his hips out of self-preservation. The big man lazily laved his tongue over one thigh before dipping down to lap lazily at Aiden's sac. "Jesus. Please, Roderick, please... it's so loud..." Aiden's arm was thrown over his eyes and his body wracked with either pleasure or pain, it was hard to tell which one. He vibrated and bucked, and his chest convulsed with what might have been sobs. Roderick opened his mouth and swallowed Aiden's hard cock down, twisting his tongue as he went and sucking hard. Aiden had never felt anything like it in his entire life. His brain went bright white. He howled in orgasmic agony, thrashing wildly while Roderick held his hips down, sucking. Aiden's head whipped back and forth, and a keening wail issued from his throat as he emptied himself into Roderick's mouth. His chest heaved and tears streaked his face. He brushed at them mindlessly and stared blankly at the ceiling as he slowly relaxed to the gentle kisses Roderick placed on his scrotum and thighs. His breaths leveled, and then slowed. "I think you're wrong, Aiden," Roderick said softly. His deep voice vibrated in Aiden's balls. "I think your brain will let you be loved. Let's try that a few more times and make sure." Part 2: Connor I listened to my friend have sex with my brother throughout the night. In the morning, my sheets were drenched with sweat, tears, and semen. I had not slept, tortured for the duration of the long night, restrained tightly by knots of love and jealousy. I'm sure I didn't miss anything at all, especially the louder portions. My God, Spaz can holler. I was happy that he'd found someone who could give him things I simply could not. I felt guilty and frustrated that I hadn't offered him these things myself, although Aiden and I both knew I had offered him more than I ever thought I could to begin with. I wanted him to have all these things that Roderick could give him, but I wanted him to have them with me. I wanted my cake, I wanted to eat it, I wanted the bakery it was made in, and oh yeah, throw in the fucking baker because I wanted him too. Hell, you better add in the baker's wife while you're at it; I like breasts a lot. This was my state of mind when I finally rose around noon, groggy, jealous, horny, and sad; and started to get ready for my first date with Meghan. We were meeting at a coffee shop, and with the way I was feeling, I'm sure she'd be running for the exit within the first few minutes. I wanted to hate her. But, I had forgotten how much she looked like Aiden, and my stomach did a flip-flop when I saw her bright red head enter the shop and make its way over to my table. "Connor?" She held out her hand for me to shake. "I'm Meghan." I grinned at the gesture as I stood. "I understand you've seen me naked? Can we at least hug?" She laughed at that and stepped forward to give me a friendly hug. She smelled like apples. At this point Aiden would tell me she also smelled like honeydew rind. Or a platypus's intestines; I never REALLY knew what to expect from Aiden. I offered her the coffee I'd purchased her and then apologized that I didn't know what she liked. She waved it off with a smile and thanks, took a sip, and then we both sat and fidgeted a bit. "So, Connor Cavanaugh, do you know your brother is in love with you?" The surprise of that statement sort of kicked me in the stomach; I couldn't breathe. I turned red, and realized I was doing my grouper imitation again, mouth silently opening and closing. "Yeah," I finally managed to say. When I looked up into her green eyes that were so much like his, I found my backbone. "And I love him, too." She nodded and frowned. "I had no idea I was going to ask you that. My friend Lisa is the one who mostly talked with him and set it all up; but... well, do you already know all this...?" I grimaced and admitted, "No. I wasn't really a part of any of it. I want you to understand up front that I was an unwilling participant in this. I lost a bet, which I know sounds awful, but I don't think it's as bad as it sounds." She nodded. "I know about the bet. He and I finally talked and he told me all about it. I only had to talk with him for about five minutes before I realized he's in love with you. Not just that he loves his brother; he's IN LOVE with you." I sighed heavily. "That must have been uncomfortable for you. If you knew how he felt about me, why did you come?" She frowned again. "Honestly, I'm here BECAUSE of how he felt about you. I never thought I'd go out on a blind date, but after talking to Aiden and understanding how much he loves you and how important you are to him, it was really obvious to me that he's serious about this thing. This isn't a joke to him. It's not a punishment for losing a bet. He's trying to make you happy and he thinks what you need is me." She laughed self-consciously. "And frankly, if you are just a fraction of the man he thinks you are, you're better than anyone I've ever met." "Spaz thinks everyone sees me the same way he does. He makes me out to be this... this..." "Hero." "Exactly." "So, just to be clear about things: you love him, and I totally get that; he's your brother. But you're not... you're not gay?" She was obviously uncomfortable asking me this, but was determined. She was looking up at me from underneath her red lashes. It sort of took my breath away. "No. I'm not gay. I'm not bisexual either. I'm straight. And... and... I want you to know that although I was against being set up against my will, I've still been... uh... looking forward to meeting you. I mean, all I knew about you was how you looked; but, well... that was.... Uh..." Yeah, I was really THAT impressive. "Until I talked to Aiden, all I had was a picture of you, too." One eyebrow had suddenly arched in a perfect unspoken query. "I could fucking kill him for that. I was so angry. I mean, well, sorry for my language. I probably shouldn't say..." "Fuck fuck fuck. It's a great word. My Mom swears like a fucking sailor and I'd like it very much if you just spoke the way you're most comfortable. Tell me about that fuckolicious picture." I swallowed quite loudly and tried to adjust my erection under the table. "I guess he came in my room while I was sleeping. I didn't know anything about it being posted until my friends told me. I could fucking KILL him." "Yeah, but no. That's not what I wanted to know. Is it Photo Shopped?" Now BOTH of her eyebrows were arched and there was a smile playing around her lips. I laughed. "No. No, it's not Photo Shopped." She grinned wickedly then, but it turned into a true smile. She had freckles across the bridge of her nose, and I could see now that her eyes were a darker green than Aiden's. Her eyelashes were the same red color as her hair. She was beautiful. "Honestly, it's a gorgeous photo. You're a beautiful man. And in my opinion, his love for you shows even in that picture he took. My guess is that's probably what makes you so uncomfortable about it." "Well, that and every inch of my skin is exposed to thousands and thousands of strangers. You know, just so everything is fair, I think I should get a picture of you with all..." "Ain't happening, bucko; nice try, though." I grinned and took a sip of coffee, realizing the moment she'd walked in the door I had forgotten to do something very important. I fished my phone out of my pocket. "I know this is rude, but if you'll indulge my phone call, I think you'll understand why I need to do it." She nodded her permission and watched me curiously. I had taken Aiden's phone this morning and programmed in a new ringtone, as well as increasing the ringer volume to its highest level. I dialed his number and met Meghan's eyes. Sure enough, from the other side of the cafe, Hall and Oates started belting out the lyrics to "Private Eyes" at full volume. We both turned to watch the boy scrambling in panic to find his phone, along with everyone else in the coffee house. He had camouflaged his hair with a baseball cap, and wore a hoodie sweatshirt which was pulled up over the hat. A nice pair of sunglasses completed his disguise, and they almost fell off as he thrashed all around trying to find his phone. "Uh, hello? Connor?" "Heya, Spaz. Whatcha doin'?" "Um, just getting some studying done." "Yeah? In the same place I'm having my date? What a coincidence. Go home, Spaz." "But, I just wanted..." "Go home, Spaz. Do you know what it's like being on a date while you're sitting over there watching me?" "I imagine it's a lot like having sex when I know you're lying awake all night listening." Well, fuck. I turned and looked at him across the shop and he tilted his head so that he met my eyes over the top of the sunglasses. "Go home, Spaz. And make sure you take Bo with you." "How did you know that he..." "I didn't until you just confirmed it. Now find Bo and go home." "Shit." He hung up and started gathering up his things, collected Bo from a table much closer to ours, and they both departed sullenly. "The sunglasses were pretty swank," Meghan offered. "I'll say. I hope he didn't blow his whole allowance on them." She chewed her plump lip thoughtfully. Her teeth were pretty, and one was charmingly crooked. "You two are quite a pair. You knew he would be here." I shrugged. "I know Aiden very well; it's about my only weapon against him. He's so much smarter than I am. My only advantage is that I knew he would be here spying on me before he even decided to do it." "So... "she said, "am I wrong that there's still something about your relationship with Aiden? You're not gay; he's in love with you, not the other way around; yet I still can't help feeling..." She trailed off and I waited for the eyebrow. There it was. "You're not wrong," I sighed. "It's just a really big topic for a first date, yeah?" She nodded. "All right. That's fair. You're not denying it, so I can definitely work with that." "Thanks. Do you have siblings, too?" "Two. One older sister and a younger brother. He's a junior in high school this year. My sister is an adult but lives with my Mom and Dad. She has Down syndrome, but she works at an art supply store and is pretty independent." "Aiden is probably the same age as your brother. He's supposed to be a junior in high school this year." She nodded. "He seemed really young to me. He's enrolled though, isn't he? He takes college classes?" "Junior and Senior level college classes," I replied drily. "Supposedly we're both freshman, but one of us will probably graduate next year the way things are going." She laughed at me. "You're trying to sound jealous, but you're actually proud." I liked that she wouldn't let me get away with it, and nodded. "I am. He's amazing, there's no two ways about it. But he's... different." She shrugged. "Who isn't? My sister has Down syndrome; I've learned to see the ways we are alike more than the ways that we're different. She's really the most amazing person I know, just as Aiden is the most amazing one you know." I nodded and swallowed around the knot in my throat. She put her chin in her palm and watched me carefully. She looked intrigued. "Did you really rescue him? They tried to kill him?" I looked around the coffee shop slowly to give myself time to answer. "I did, but... God, you're going to get tired of this from me, and I would hate that, but... could we not..." She nodded. "Too big for a first date?" "Yeah." "In that case, tell me what we're doing the rest of the afternoon and evening. I've decided I like this blind date and it's not going to end after we have coffee." "It's not?" "No, it is not. We're spending the afternoon together. We're going to learn all about each other, and then you're going to take me to dinner." "I am? You're a little bossy, you know?" "See, you're learning about me already. Now, where are we going?" I laughed, charmed. My little brother had done very, very well. That night, I entered my darkened apartment after taking Meghan home. We had spent a really great day. My chest felt full and the buzzing excitement of mutual attraction had settled deep into my bones, rattling my nerves a bit. I liked her just as much as Spaz thought I would. I started into my bedroom, but then glanced down the hall to see something big hanging from Aiden's closed door. I wandered down the dark hall to his room where there was a lot of muffled grunting and groaning going on. Hanging from the doorknob was a sign made from a huge piece of cardboard. Aiden had written in black, felt marker: WE'RE HAVING SEX. DON'T COME IN. I smiled, placed my forehead against the wood of his door, and listened to the sound of my brother's pleasure. I closed my eyes and smelled the scent of apples wafting from my clothes. I think I might have stood there for hours. * I appreciate hearing from people who are reading my stories. Shoot me an email and let me know what you think. Your feedback is the only way I know you're reading and whether or not it makes sense to continue. I have other stories, too. Look up Seth Kirkcauldy in the author's section. seth-kirkcauldy@sbcglobal.net