Jaden's house was about the same size as the one I lived in. A red brick with white trim and a two car garage. As expected, there was a basketball net above the garage door and I looked over at Ty and smiled.

"Your net?"

"Yeah, but I let Jaden play sometimes, but he gets mad when I win."

"Which is never," Jaden laughed.

We piled out as Jaden and Ty kept ragging on each other and I smiled. It was easy to see that they were more than just brothers, that they were friends, and I wondered how I'd fit into that dynamic.

"You boys hungry? You can take your snack to your room if you'd like, Ty has his piano lesson in a few minutes and you can shut out the noise."

"You play piano?" I said, looking at Ty with a whole new interest. I love piano, and had studied it two years before finally deciding the teacher had taught me all she could. We didn't have a piano, but I did have a decent keyboard and still played occasionally.

"Yeah, been playing since I was four or five. My birth parents got me interested when I was little, and I been playing ever since."

"He's really good," Jaden said sounding proud, "Someday he's gonna be famous and make a lot of money, right Ty? And then you can buy me a Ferrari."

"I might," he said shrugging, "I just like playing, that's all."

"He's very modest when it comes to his music," his mom said hugging him from behind. 

He looked up at her and smiled and she kissed the top of his head. It was obvious that Ty was loved and accepted by his family, just as much as Beth was by ours. It gave me a warm feeling to know that Jaden lived in a loving home. 

In Jaden's room, I couldn't help but snoop a little. I wanted to know everything there was about my new friend and this was where he spent most of his time. From below I could hear Ty playing the piano, and though I didn't recognize the tune, I had to admit he was a gifted pianist.

There was a desk with a laptop that was opened, but the screen was dark. There were a few books stacked up on the desk and some papers, but all in all it was pretty neat. In fact, his whole room was very tidy. Maybe he'd cleaned it up hoping I'd say yes to coming over, but I couldn't help but think that neatness was just one of the many wonderful traits Jaden possessed.

"Like my posters?" Jaden said pointing to several car posters with exotic cars, including a Ferrari, and a few with video games and sports themes. 

"Yeah, they're cool," I said studying them closely. I was pleased that there were no girlie posters, like some teenage boys displayed, but that didn't mean he didn't like girls.

"I figured you'd have some swimsuit babes on your wall," I teased.

"Nah, I like cars better," he said plopping down on his bed, "Come on, help me eat these sliders before they get cold."

Jaden's mom had nuked six sliders, three for each of us, and Jaden had grabbed us a sports drink, and suddenly I realized I was hungry. The sliders were great, and the sports drink really hit the spot after a long thirsty day of school, and I felt really good sitting there beside Jaden and just being...well, normal.

Somewhere along the way to becoming friends, I'd gotten over my feelings of inferiority and realized that Jaden, despite being beautiful and sexy, and close to perfect in my eyes, was just another boy with the same kinds of needs and likes that I had. I'd gone from being in awe of him to accepting that we were equals in many ways, though I still had my moments of insecurity.

"These are good," I said munching down on one of the little burgers.

"My mom makes them herself and keeps them in the freezer for us."

"Wow, your mom is awesome. Hey, want to adopt another kid?" I teased.

"Nah, then we couldn't mess around, you know? Incest and all," he joked, causing me to choke on a bite of meat.

"So, it's like that now?" I teased back, "and I didn't even know we were dating."

"Well, you said you didn't make out on a first date, so this is number one, next time you gotta put out," he laughed, keeping the joke alive.

"Well, I don't know, you might have to treat me to a movie or dinner or something first."

"Heck, I'd do both if you go all the way," he roared with laughter then, and I realized I was getting excited for nothing. 

"Maybe Brenda would be interested," I said, feeling him out. Brenda Star was a cheerleader and one of the girls that had befriended Jaden.

"Nah, Brenda and I are just friends, she's cool. Besides, she has a boyfriend, Hank Davis."

"Well, I'm sure there are a few dozen girls at school who would be happy to take you up on that offer."

Jaden shrugged and wolfed down his last slider then stood, "Come on, let's get at that homework before your mom comes to get you." And just like that, we moved to less interesting things.

"What did you get for number seven?" he asked after a few minutes.

I was pretty good in math and proudly gave him my answer and he frowned.

"I don't get it, how did you come up with that answer?"

"Here, let me show you," I said scooting a bit closer, and in the process bumping my leg against his.

The shock waves that touching his leg sent through me startled me for a moment. I thought I was over that hero worship and Adonis bullshit, but I guess deep down inside I was still a little in awe of him. I knew I liked him, but except for some good-natured teasing, there was no indication that he was anything but straight, and I just couldn't let myself fall for a guy that was unobtainable. 

He looked my way as soon as our legs bumped and I pulled away a little, "Oh sorry, didn't mean to crowd ya."

"No, it's okay, scoot back over and show me how to do the problem, I'm not gonna rape ya," he teased, causing my dick to jump in my pants. 

"Can't rape the willing," I said, regretting the words as soon as they flew out of my mouth.

"Oh, so...you are hot for me then?" he said giving me a grin and nudging me oh so slightly, causing the burn on my face to deepen.

"Come on, get serious," I said scolding him to alleviate my own anguish, "watch, and I'll work this one for you..."

"Oh, I see...duh, I was doing it all wrong. Thanks," he said at last.

"No problem, just remember, do the stuff inside the parentheses first, then the rest.

"Yeah, that makes sense. Thanks, let me see if I can do the next one."

He worked the next problem out, with me watching the whole time, and he did it perfectly, making me wonder if he'd been faking the first time. Was I that good a teacher, or was he just messing with me for some reason?

"Perfect, dude, you got it now," I said, pulling away and returning to my own notebook. I worked the rest of the problems in the set, then looked up to see Jaden staring at me.

"What? Do I have a booger on my nose or something," I joked.

"Huh, oh...no, well maybe," he laughed, "I was just thinking, I'd never noticed how green your eyes were before."

"Dude, you're freaking me out," I said, trying to sound bothered, when in fact I was delighted that he was even thinking of me.

"Sorry," he said sounding dejected.

"Dude, it's okay. I know you've got the major hots for me," I said grinning.

He grinned back and went back to his work, leaving me to wonder once again, what was going on in that pretty head of his?

I finished first and stood to stretch, then walked over to his bookcase and began thumbing through his CD's and DVD's. Like I said, our musical tastes were very similar, and he had a lot of the same CD's I did, but a few that I'd never heard of.

"You can borrow anything you see there," he said looking up and giving me a smile, "Or I can burn you a copy on my laptop."

"How about if I borrow a couple first, and if I like them you can burn me a copy?"

"Yeah, okay," he said going back to his homework.

I picked out a couple CD's and placed them with my books, then walked over to where he sat and looked over his shoulder to see how far along he was.

"Almost done," he said glancing up, "rub my shoulders, will ya? I'm all stressed out."

I was completely caught off guard, and it took me a minute to figure out how to reply. Was he testing me, or was he serious? Was he just asking something innocent of a friend, or was he trying to give me a sign that he was interested in more than friendship?

"Uh, I'm not a professional, but I guess I can try," I said trying not to sound as anxious to get my hands on him as I was.

"Right here," he said reaching back with his own hands and demonstrating the area that was in need of attention. 

I know my hands had to be shaking as I slowly laid them on the soft warm skin of his neck. I could feel him tense up a little, maybe he was as nervous as I was, but he soon relaxed as I began kneading his knotted up muscles.

"Wow, you aren't kidding, your neck is all tight and stuff," I said after a couple of minutes, just to keep it professional.

"Yeah, it gets that way sometimes, especially when I do homework," he laughed.

"Is this helping?" I asked, wanting him to tell me it felt as good on his end as it did on mine.

"Yesss..." he moaned, "right there...oh, yeah...that's it. You got magic hands, dude," Then he giggled, "Wonder what they'd feel like on some other part of my body."

"In your dreams," I smirked, but my dick was so hard it hurt. Fortunately, he couldn't see it from where he sat.

"Mmmmm...lower, yeah...like that," he said, ignoring my burn, "When you get done I'll do you, if you want," He added looking back at me.

"Uh, that's okay," I said fearful I'd do more than pop a boner if he touched me that intimately.

"Aww...come on, I have magic hands too."

"I'm sure, and I'm sure they get lots of exercise on certain other parts of your anatomy," I laughed.

"Yeah, well...I bet yours do too," he chuckled, "We're 14, what do you expect?"

"Yeah, I guess," I mumbled.

"I mean...I'm not the only one, right? Other guys have that problem too, right?"

"Well, yeah...I guess that's part of being a dude and going through the 'Big P'."

"I thought the 'Big P' was pussy," he giggled.

I blushed bright red. I guessed since I didn't think much about that P I wasn't in the loop.

"Well, that too," I mumbled.

"Not likely for guys our age," he sighed, "so it's my hand or nothing. At least until I finally convince you to put out," he added laughing.

"Your arm is gonna get lots of exercise then," I laughed too, but my heart was beating really fast and my dick was throbbing at the thought of what he was implying.

"Mmmm...that's enough for now. Sure you don't want to let me do you?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," I said, then quickly removing my hands from his neck and adjusting the bulge in my pants.

"Your loss," he said scooting his chair back and starting to stand.

"Uh, could I use your bathroom?" I said quickly, needing to get away before he saw my state of arousal.

"Oh, sure, through that door," he said pointing to a door I had assumed was the closet until now.

I dashed toward it and made it just in time as Jaden stood and looked my way, but all he saw was my cute ass as I retreated into the bathroom. The bathroom was just as neat as his room, but everywhere there were reminders that it was uniquely his.

The color scheme was blue. Blue rugs, blue shower curtain, blue towels, blue cup and toothbrush holder. There was a blue wicker hamper against one wall, and suddenly I noticed a pair of blue plaid boxers hanging over the side. At first I just stared at those boxers, then I found my feet taking me toward that hamper and the treasure that lay half exposed, held in place by the hinged lid.

I knew I shouldn't, that it was crossing a line, and would only make it harder to control my raging hardon, not to mention make me want something that I could never have, but I was weak and I went for it.

Lifting the lid, at first I just stared into the hamper. There were a couple of pair of socks and another pair of boxers plus a towel or two, but it was the blue plaid boxers hanging there on the edge that interested me most.

They were fresh, I remember thinking. They hadn't been polluted by the other garments in the hamper and they might still have some of his sexy odor clinging to them. 

I could visualize him coming into the bathroom intend on taking a shower. He would stop at the mirror to stare at his reflection just like I always did, then strip off his boxers and gaze at his naked body before walking over and opening the hamper and dropping the boxers inside. Only they didn't quite make it all the way in. Perhaps he didn't notice, or just didn't care, and off he went to start the shower.

I could almost see his naked body as he stepped under the spray, and... I had to stop there or I'd never get out of there without making a mess in my undies, but that was still a possibility once I did what I was about to do.

Reaching down with a trembling hand, I grasped the soft cotton boxers and just held them for a moment before lifting them up and holding them at eye level. They were new looking, but had been washed enough times to be soft, and I could just imagine how they must feel caressing Jaden's soft tanned skin. My dick throbbed between my legs and I took a deep breath. How I envied those boxers which had held Jaden's most private parts not so long ago.

Was that his scent I detected in the air? I had to be sure. Bringing the garment to my nose, I sniffed, and my nose was filled with the smell of fabric softener, and...Jaden. This was the scent I had noticed immediately when Jaden sat beside me that first day in class, only amplified by a hundred, maybe a thousand, and it was intoxicating.

Holding the boxers in my hands, I looked them over again. There was a fly front with a single button, but I doubted Jaden ever used it. I thought of Jaden as more of an out the leg or over the top kind of guy, and I smiled.

Then turning the boxers around, I stared at the seat. I envied those boxers even more at that moment. Oh to be those boxers and hold those twin orbs of Jaden's ass as he went about his day. Then I had the most wicked and dirty idea I had ever had. Shaking even worse than I had been earlier, I brought the seat of those soft sweet smelling boxers to my face and sniffed like a hound dog. I was immediately rewarded by a musky, spicy aroma that filled my head and drove me into a frenzy.

I rubbed the boxers all over my face, sniffing every thread, and getting higher on his aroma by the second. I wanted to stay there all night, sniffing his undies and getting high on his aroma, but I knew he must be wondering what was taking me so long.

I had no idea how long I'd been in there, but I knew I had to get back soon or Jaden would come looking for me. The thought of him catching me sniffing his undies was enough to bring me back to reality, and after taking one last sniff, I gently and lovingly dropped the boxers back into the hamper and closed the lid.

I considered stealing them, sealing them in a plastic bag and sniffing them when I was doing what all teenage boys do, but that seemed too tawdry and just wrong, and I put that thought aside quickly.

"There you are," Jaden said as I reappeared, having peed and finally gotten my raging hardon under control.

"Sorry, thought I had to do more than pee, but it was a false alarm," I lied. What better way to avoid suspicion than to tell him something that personal.

"TMI", he laughed,"It's almost 5:30, I thought I was gonna have to put on a gas mask and come lookin' for ya."

"Damn," I said pulling out my phone and looking at the time. He was right, mom would be pulling up soon, and I needed to be there when she did. 

I grabbed my backpack and quickly put everything away and Jaden walked me downstairs. His mom and Ty were nowhere to be seen, but I could hear laughter coming from the kitchen.

"Ty is a momma's boy, in case you haven't noticed," Jaden laughed, "ever since Ty got sick with pneumonia that time, they've been thick. I think mom was afraid she was gonna lose him, heck, we all were, and she stayed with him night and day till he was better. Now, they're like really close."

"That's so cool," I said smiling, "I like your mom and Ty, they're really cool, and Ty is so funny."

"Yeah, he's a riot," Jaden said rolling his eyes, "Wait till you meet my dad and you'll see where we get our craziness," he laughed.

"Well, maybe next time...although, next time you should come to my house. I got to see your room, it's only fair you see mine, and meet my family."

"How's Saturday?" He said knocking me for a loop.

"Uh, Saturday is fine. Yeah, yeah...Saturday for sure. I don't have any plans."

"Maybe I could sleep over...if you think you can keep your hands off me," he laughed.

"If that's what you want," I teased back, "but earlier you were begging me to touch you."

"Oh, well...we'll see what happens then," he said looking serious, too serious for what he was implying.

I was getting all kinds of mixed signals from Jaden, but no way was I going to get my hopes up and try something, only to be knocked down, and maybe damage our budding friendship. Jaden was important to me, and even if we never became as close as I'd like, I wanted us to be friends. After all, I didn't have that many friends, okay...none except Jaden, and I was going to do everything I could to hang on to this one.

"Dude, you look spaced out. You okay?"

"Yeah, great, really great. Hey, thanks for having me over. I'll talk to my mom about you coming over Saturday and we can talk at school tomorrow."

"Hey, thanks for coming, and for the great hand job...I mean... massage," he snorted.

"Did something happen that I didn't know about?" I said, trying to sound alarmed, "Did you hypnotize me or something and make me do things I forgot about?"

"Nah, I was just teasing," he said seriously, "but really, thanks for the massage, it really helped. Maybe next time you'll let me return the favor."

"Sure. Well, there's mom," I said waving as she pulled up in the driveway. 

I knew she'd want to meet Jaden, so I dragged him over to the open window and pushed him toward mom.

"Mom, this is that guy I been tellin' you about. Mom, this is Jaden, Jaden, my mom, Mrs. Gains."

"Hello Jaden," my mom said smiling and going into full-on mom mode, "such a handsome boy, and from what Greg tells me, a very nice one."

"Moooommmmm," I whined.

Jaden just laughed. I guess he knew how moms were.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am, Greg is pretty nice too, when he wants to be," he teased.

"Oh yeah, thanks for the kind words," I growled.

"Boys, boys," my mom laughed, "I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"Oh, you didn't, ma'am," Jaden said grinning, "Greggy and me, we get along just fine. In fact...we were wondering if I could maybe come over Saturday night and sleepover. Do you think that would be all right? If you want you can call my mom and make sure it's okay with my rents...uh, parents. Greg has my number."

"Well, I think that would be just fine. I'll call your mother and arrange things if you'd like."

Wow, that was easy, I thought, but then mom knew how important my new friend was to me. She knew because, like she said, I talked about him a lot, and she always listened with that little smile that said, 'If you're happy, then I'm happy too'. She knew I'd had a hard time since dad died, we all had, and she worried about me not having friends to support me. Then, when Jaden came along I could see her relax a little as I wove my tales about how much fun we had together. Now she was finally meeting him and I could tell she approved wholeheartedly. She loved sassy kids, and Jaden would fit right in with our family.

"Yes ma'am, that would be really nice of you."

We chatted a bit more before mom insisted we needed to go, since Beth would have dinner ready by now, and after bumping fists with my new best friend, I piled in the car beside mom.

"He seems really nice," mom said smiling, "I'm glad you've made such a good friend. I worry about you sometimes, son."

"I'm fine, mom. Jaden is great. He really gets me, and we have so much in common. It's like I've known him all my life, and his mom and little brother are cool too. I haven't met his dad yet, but Jaden says he's pretty cool too. He has an older sister too, but she's away at college."

"I'm glad things are working out for you two. I'll call his mother later and we'll work out the logistics of his staying over. We'll have pizza and we can rent some movies at Red Box, if you want. I won't try to plan it for you, but I'll help in any way I can."

"Mom, it's just a sleepover. It's no big deal." 

But, it was a big deal and she knew it. In fact, it was the first sleepover I'd had since I was like seven or eight years old. Back then I'd had lots of friends and sleepovers, and play dates were very common.

"All right dear, if you say so, but the offer still stands. I want this to be fun for both of you."

What she meant was: she wanted Jaden to have a good time so he'd want to come back. She was being supportive, but in a way it hurt to have her think that we had to put on a big show just to get Jaden to like me. I was pretty sure he already liked me, oh, maybe not as much as I liked him, but then that was another thing entirely. As far as friendships went, I was pretty sure ours was solid, as long as I didn't do or say something stupid and admit my true feelings for him.

"Thanks mom. So...what's for dinner," I said changing the subject.