Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2011 23:13:50 -0700 (PDT)
From: John McDonald <madmax212542007@yahoo.com>
Subject: The Neighbor series - Chapter 6

It was Friday morning of Todd's impending big weekend.  In the days since
the "date" had been made, Todd kept up messenger and texting contact with
Ben.  Both hot young blond studs were psyched for this meeting, but a
certain amount of nervousness kept a place in their emotions.  Unbeknownst
to Todd, Ricky was feeling a little unsettled as well.


"Why was I so eager to spend tonight at Todd's place?  He's only 10 minutes
away, so it's not like we'd be getting such a tremendous head start on the
trip."


Ricky pondered the question he'd posed to himself.  He loved Todd like a
brother, right? He had a girlfriend, didn't he?  He felt this unclear need
to cling to Todd.


"I'm gonna have to talk to Todd about this tonight.  I know I'm not into
guys, but........."


******************************************************************************


Brian had the day off, so he elected to sleep in.  His sleep, however, was
not a restful one.  Ever since the last evening he'd seen Carlos at the
apartment, Brian's night was disturbed by a recurring dream.......well, a
nightmare, actually.


Brian found himself on the bow of Captain Nemo's submarine.  It was slicing
through a choppy sea's surface like a hot knife cutting butter.  Carlos
stood with him on the front of the sub.  They were looking at a setting
sun.  Brian saw the brilliant pink & orange sky contrasting with the
blue-green ocean.  Then Carlos was gone.  Next, the sky would go dark gray
and the sub would be under attack by a giant octopus.  The sea creature's
tentacles would grab at Brian, lift him from the sub and jerk him in
different directions. Sometimes it was by his arms, sometimes his legs,
sometimes around his middle and holding him upside down.


Each time he had the dream, Brian would wake in a cold sweat with a little
more recollection of the terror.  Brian started writing down what he could
remember each time; it had him both puzzled and unsettled.  He hated the
water, but he seemed at ease in the dream so long as Carlos was with
him. He'd been a fan of Jules Verne for many years, enjoying the author's
books and the movies made from his work; but he feared many of Verne's
monsters.


On this Friday morning, Brian awoke with an additional detail: hanging from
the octopus' tentacle that, this time, encircled his neck- was the gold
pocket watch that Brian's grandfather had given Brian's uncle Eddie.  The
face of the watch was blood red, but otherwise looked like it had when
Brian was much younger.


******************************************************************************

Carlos had been having a quiet, but somewhat sad, week.  He missed Brian
and had tried several times to call him, but would only get an answering
machine.  At work, Kirk would occasionally say or do something suggestive,
but Carlos simply ignored him.  On some level he wouldn't have minded
drilling Kirk some more.......but he was determined to repress the mindless
animal lust that Kirk inspired.  Such sex was part of his former self; the
new and improved Carlos had no place for those feelings.  Yet, they were
always close to the surface; completely dismissing Kirk from his head was
like trying to quit cigarettes in a room full of smokers.


Carlos intensified his workouts at the Fitness Center.  Of course, he hoped
to run into Brian over there, but it just wasn't happening.  His only
outlet for the tremendous pent up sexual frustration was his right or left
hand.  When he used them, he always pictured Brian manipulating him.


******************************************************************************


Ben awoke in an almost euphoric mood that morning.  He had I-M ed with Todd
till around midnight and the two exchanged many ideas of what the weekend
would/could be like for them.  Ben felt his entire groin vibrate at the
mere thought of Todd's hot body in his bed.  Ben had experienced several
attractive guys in very kinetic relationships, but something about Todd
took him to a different level and they hadn't even put hands on each other
yet.


Ben checked his supply of condoms and lube; he even bought an expensive,
but very highly recommended, massage oil.  When he pictured giving Todd a
rubdown with the scented oil, it gave him a massive hard-on. At the same
time, he realized he was placing too much emotional energy into something
that wasn't even a real relationship yet. What if he and Todd didn't mesh?
Being hot only takes you so far, but even a short ride could be loads of
fun.


****************************************************************************


Todd woke up slightly troubled.  He was still very excited about visiting
Ben for an overnight, but he was also nervous.  His mother was perfectly
fine with Todd visiting the campus of the school he wished to attend in the
Fall.  She was glad he had met someone familiar with the campus, so that he
wouldn't be wandering around with nothing to ground him.  It sounded to
Carol like Ben could be a mentor for her son; going off to college was a
big step, even if it was only a couple of hours away from home.


For Todd, this trip was the first step in an inevitable exit from his
closeted existence.  Sure- Rick and Edie knew his story, but they were his
trusted secret-keepers.  Having a sexual relationship with Ben would be the
beginning of "there's no turning back now".


It was a thought that Todd found stimulating in many ways, but it was also
tempered by the notion that he'd have to have "the talk" with his mother.
He knew Carol was a modern age woman, but he was her only child and his
focus had always been to make her proud.  Could even a "modern age" woman
be proud to have a gay son?  Todd wished there was some kind of guarantee,
but this was life after all.


Todd had already packed for the weekend (well- 2 half days and 1 night) and
had obsessed a little over what clothes to take.  He already knew what
Ben's greatest assets looked like (did Ben HAVE any bad ones?) and was
determined to accentuate his own.  Poor Todd even resorted to modeling his
underwear in the mirror to decide which to pack.  He figured he'd sleep
naked, but maybe he shouldn't assume?  Of course he'd be sleeping
naked.....duh.....everything they'd messaged about came back to exploring
each other; layers of cloth would impede that exploration, now wouldn't it.


Todd had laughed to himself as he'd completed the packing process.  Ben had
said he would have condoms and lube on hand, so Todd didn't concern himself
with those items.


Todd's thoughts turned to Ricky this morning as he brushed his teeth.  What
an awesome friend he had in Rick. Todd could trust Rick with his life
without reservation.  They were closer than most brothers, and always had
each other's back.  Todd had to think of a way to thank Ricky for being his
chauffeur to Auburn; it wasn't enough to just pay for the gas- he really
owed his friend.




*****************************************************************************


Brian knew what he needed to do.  He arranged for some time off from work
and made arrangements to travel to Minnesota.  His Uncle Eddie and Aunt
Caroline lived just outside of St. Paul.  He hadn't seen his uncle in over
15 years, but he knew the way to their home.  Eddie Abrams lived in his
father's house that Brian had visited many times as a child.


Brian felt like he was on the verge of remembering something from his past.
Thinking about his grandfather's watch brought on snapshot flashes of
Brian's early youth.  It made little sense, but Brian felt drawn to that
house; he had to go there but he was unsure as to why.


******************************************************************************


Carlos was so preoccupied with wanting to repair things with Brian that he
wasn't paying attention to a forklift lowering a large wooden crate close
to where he was standing.  He took several steps towards the lift just as
the crate's lid splintered sending shards of wood in several directions.
One such shard pierced Carlos' left arm close to his tricep. His immediate
reaction was to yank it out, but it must have been barbed because it
wouldn't dislodge.  The lift driver called the shift supervisor who in turn
drove Carlos to a hospital emergency department several blocks away.


Dr. Sam Resnick was the doctor on duty in the emergency room when Carlos
walked in.  The wound was bleeding a good deal, so the young doctor went
right to work rather than complete any initial paperwork; that could be
done later.


"So what happened?  Cupid's arrow misfired?"


Carlos looked at the doctor with a raised eyebrow, and absorbed certain
details.  Dr. Resnick wore dark green cargo pants and a buttoned down shirt
of the same color that was tight enough to have been painted on. He was
probably in his early 30s and had an inviting manner.  A pink ribbon was
pinned to his shirt pocket just above his hospital badge.  The doctor had a
gold stud in each ear and a braided pink and black wristband. His
reddish-brown hair was closely trimmed around his ears and the back of his
neck, but seemed to be somewhat wild on the top of his head.  The
short-sleeve shirt revealed impressive biceps and triceps; this was someone
who did serious workouts.


"Uh, something like that......except the `Cupid' who fired the arrow is
pretty damned ugly; he's overweight and smokes too much. I was at work in
the UPS warehouse on Market Street and we had a mishap with a forklift."


"I see. I'm going to cut above the splinter, lift it out, clean the area
and stitch you back up."


"Sounds good to me, doc. Will this disable my arm for awhile?"


"When I stitch it, I'll be able to let you know about how long you'll need
to lay off the arm.  In any case, you won't lose the definition you've
worked so hard at getting.  I can tell you work out."


Carlos wondered if this hot physician was checking him out; or was he just
one fit guy assessing another?


"Yeah, I try to work out regularly.  How about you, doc?  You've got a good
build on you."


Sam chuckled and winked at Carlos. "Sure do.  Gotta look good if you want
to meet good looking people."


Carlos thought, "he said `people' and not women."  Carlos suddenly had a
good feeling wash over him; a feeling he hadn't had since the last evening
he'd seen Brian.


"Doc, if you don't mind my asking, where do you work out?"


"I have some equipment at home, but I also like the Fitness Center at
Market and Main."


"I have a membership there.  Maybe I'll run into you sometime."


Sam looked Carlos directly in the eye and said, "I'd like that."


He returned to the business at hand and made an incision 3 inches long and
about an eighth inch deep.  Sam snagged the large splinter with tweezers
and then thoroughly cleaned the area.  After he stitched the incision and
bandaged Carlos' upper arm, Sam patted Carlos' thigh and let him know he'd
soon be as good as new.


"Come back in to see me in a week and I'll check the stitches; they may
come out by then."


"Sounds good, doc."


"Call me Sam, Carlos.  I really do hope I see you at the Fitness Center."


"Generally I go there after work on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, but
sometimes I go on Tuesdays as well.  I usually show up there around 5:30."


"I'm on a 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. shift in this emergency department.  Count on me
coming by around 6:15 next Monday.  I can look at your arm and suggest how
you might complete a workout without disturbing the wound."


"Great!  I appreciate that, doc."


Sam turned to pull the curtain open from the treatment area.  When he
reached up, his body stretched in such a way that accentuated the way his
firm, rounded ass cheeks curved into a very slim waist.  Carlos felt a
stirring in his loins.


******************************************************************************


Ricky drove into Todd's driveway and parked by the garage that belonged to
the downstairs tenant who had no car.  Todd had instructed Rick to park
there so that Todd's mother would have access to her own garage.  Rick
grabbed his overnight bag, locked the Mustang and bolted up the stairs to
Todd's apartment.  It took less than 10 seconds for Todd to answer the
doorbell's ring.


"Hey Rick, come on in; I've got a pizza in the oven and some pepsi's in the
fridge."


"Sounds good; I sure am hungry, Todd.  How long before the pizza's done?"


"About another 20 minutes.  Wanna play some Zombieland on the computer
while we wait?"


"Sure thing."


The two high school seniors headed to Todd's bedroom and pulled video game
chairs into position.  It seemed to take little time before the oven timer
went off.


"Can you manage the war on the undead alone while I take out the pizza,
Rick?"


"I'll do my best.  If it gets too intense, I can always pause the action."


Todd headed to the kitchen and Rick continued slashing and bashing zombies
in a shopping mall setting.  A few minutes later, Todd returned with a tray
for each of them: 2 slices of supreme pizza, a can of pepsi and a glass
with ice.  Rick paused the game and the two friends chowed down.


"Want to look at a movie while we eat, Rick?"


"Sure......what do you have in stock from Netflix?"


"How about `Pineapple Express'?"


"That's a riot, and I'm a big James Franco fan anyway."


"I know that, Rick.....how many of his films have we seen?"


"All of them, I think.  Remember `Milk'?"


"Yeah, I ended up with a wet spot on my shorts from the pool scene and that
kissing scene between James and Sean Penn."


Rick remained quiet while Todd loaded the movie.  They enjoyed `Pineapple
Express' and polished off the pizza.  Afterward, they returned to the
zombie war and played intensely until the shopping mall was free of the
gimping ghouls.  It was nearing 11 o'clock when Carol came home.  She poked
her head in the room briefly.


"Hello, Rick.  Todd, honey, I'm beat and heading right to bed.  You boys
have a safe drive to Auburn in the morning."


Todd closed the door after he heard his mom's bedroom door close.  The boys
brushed their teeth and changed into clean undershorts.  Todd's queen-size
bed was plenty big for the both of them; they'd shared a bed numerous times
over the course of their friendship.  It didn't mean anything in
particular.......at least not until now.  There was an almost full moon
that night, so the room wasn't completely dark when the light was turned
off.  Rick lay on his back, and Todd lay on his right side facing away from
Rick.


"Todd?"


"Yeah?"


"You gonna be okay at Auburn?"


"I've got the world's best driver taking me there."


"I mean staying overnight with Ben.  This is HUGE, man."


"You've seen Ben's equipment, Rick?"


Rick playfully punched Todd's shoulder.


"You know what I mean!"


Todd laughed.  "Yeah, I know......and it's going to be AWESOME."


"Todd, look at me."


Todd turned and faced his good friend.


"What is it, Rick?  You sound so serious."


"This IS serious."


Ricky reached out a hand and stroked Todd's face.......and moved
closer.......and kissed his friend lightly on the mouth.  Todd froze and
was clueless as to how he should respond.


"Todd, I love you so much it twists my stomach to think of you getting hurt
by this relationship you're wanting to have with Ben."


Todd mulled that over.  He reflected back on how grateful he was to his
friend, and how he'd thought earlier in the day that he needed to show his
thanks in a meaningful way.  Todd slipped one arm under his friend's neck,
grabbed his hip bone and pulled Rick close to him into a very tender and
loving hug.


"Rick, if I'd had a brother by blood, I couldn't be any closer to him than
I am to you.  It means a lot that you care about my feelings.  I'm going to
be just fine.  If I didn't have a good feeling about this, I wouldn't have
asked you to take me up there. Now let's get some sleep."


"Todd?"


"Yeah?"


Would you mind if I spoon with you?  I'll feel like I literally have your
back."


"Sure.....what the hell."


Todd turned on his side again and Rick scooted close.  He put his arm
across his friend's stomach.  Even though he had his crotch pressed against
Todd's butt, Rick didn't get hard. He smiled to himself.


"Well that answers my question.  A guy can love a guy without sex
complicating it."


Both enjoyed a good night's sleep.


******************************************************************************



Any and all feedback is welcome.


I owe a special thanks to David Lee (under Prolific authors) for his
friendship and encouragement. Since posting Chapter 5, I've gotten feedback
from .Malc, Gene and Tom H. Thanx, guys....  madmax212542007@yahoo.com