Date: Sun, 9 Jul 2006 19:19:24 -0400
From: Miss Meehan <lilliluthor@hotmail.com>
Subject: Roman's Customizing - Chapter 16

School was out and the fourth of July was just around the corner. Matt
opted to work in the garage with Joe, rather than getting a summer job
elsewhere. Even if it didn't pay much money, it didn't matter. Being with
Joe was reward in itself. The garage was busy and Joe had taught Matt a
lot. There were a few jobs he could handle on his own. It was over dinner
that Joe announced he had entered an amateur motorcycle race in
Indianapolis and would be taking a leave of absence from now until the race
in August.

Matt instantly volunteered himself to be on Joe's maintenance team but Joe
shut him down, stating that he was needed around the garage because they'd
be one man short. It was his mom's casual attitude towards the announcement
that let Matt know they had discussed Joe's departure already. That meant
that Joe had planned this for quite some time.

Matt wasn't stupid. He knew things had changed between him and Joe since
their trip. After nearly getting caught by Andy and Lloyd, Joe had become
more and more distant. He kept putting Matt off, saying that when school
was out and he didn't have to concentrate on his studies, they could spend
more time together. Matt had wanted so desperately to believe it, that he
went along with Joe's wishes, only occasionally making love when absolutely
no one was around.

Now here was the truth staring him right in the face. Joe wanted nothing
more to do with him. He was probably disgusted with himself and Matt for
allowing the relationship to take place. He knew Joe hated scenes so Matt
pretended to be okay with the decision. Joe was leaving after the holiday
and Matt decided not to stand in his way. As the weekend approached before
Joe's departure, Matt kept himself busy in the garage. In his spare time he
started hanging out with Kristin, a troubled girl he met near the end of
the school year. Matt wasn't really interested in her but she was a bit
adventurous and fun to be around.  Since she was cool, he confided in her
that he was gay and had just broken up with his boyfriend. He didn't
mention that his boyfriend was also his brother.

The night before Joe was to leave, Kristin convinced Matt to go to a party
at a friend's house with her. Claire was totally against it. She didn't
like the girl. She told Matt that Kristin wasn't his type. Matt smirked and
thought about telling her how right she was. When he told Kristin that he
couldn't go, she teased him for being a nerd and challenged him to come to
the party anyway. She insisted there was someone there she wanted him to
meet. Matt wasn't going to defy his mom, but Joe was still giving him the
cold shoulder and barely said goodnight before he went to bed, knowing he
was leaving him behind for the summer and possibly forever.

Matt didn't press the issue. Deep down he was hurt by Joe's actions but if
his older brother didn't want him anymore, he wasn't going to grovel and
beg to be loved. It was after eleven when Claire finally went to her room
for the night. Matt called Kristin to see if she'd left for the party.
Naturally she teased him for that, letting him know that she never arrived
at a party early. He agreed to meet her around twelve. He managed to slip
out unnoticed. When they got to house, music could be heard about a block
away. Kristin borrowed her father's car which basically meant she took it
without permission. Once there, she introduced him to a cute guy with silky
blond hair that framed his face. His name was Silent Jim.  Kristin
explained that he rarely talked, that's how he got his name. It was later
in the back seat of Kristin's car that Matt found out Jim spoke volumes
with his tongue, his hands and other parts of his anatomy. He allowed the
boy to lick, touch and fuck away every trace of Joe.

Kristin was too drunk to drive so Matt brought his new best friends home
with him and snuck them into his room. Kristin made herself comfortable on
the floor, curled up on the mattress Jim and Matt managed to slide off his
bed without waking the household. Matt and Jim crawled between the two
sheets that covered the box spring and curled up together. Matt set his
alarm to go off around six. It was nearly five in the morning when they got
in. It was the frenzied yelling of Claire that woke him around seven. When
he peeled his eyes open, Joe and Claire were standing in his room. Claire
was pulling Kristin up by her arm.

Matt didn't know what all the fuss was about. He was in his bed and Kristin
was on the floor. It was perfectly innocent. That's when he felt the warm
naked body pressed tightly against his own and saw the look of disgust and
disappointment on Joe's face. Of all the times for Jim to speak, Matt knew
this was not the best time.

"Morning Matt," Jim yawned. "What's going on?"

The fallout from the mornings events left Matt banished to his room. Matt
had never heard his mother yell so much. It was hard to figure out which
parts of the mornings events ticked her off the most; finding out he was
gay or that he disobeyed her and snuck out to a party. Parents were called
and more yelling was done when Jim and Kristin's fathers showed up.

Matt spent the rest of the morning in his room.  He could here his mom
crying and talking to Joe about him. By noon he emerged only to shower and
get something to eat. When he entered the kitchen, Claire began yelling all
over again.

"What if Andy had seen you like that?" She hollered. "What kind of example
are you setting for him?"

Joe sat there letting her yell. Matt decided against food and returned to
his room. It was an hour later before Joe knocked on the door.

"Come in," Matt said.

"Can we talk?" Joe's tone was cold.

Matt nodded.

"If this was some sort of ploy to get me to stay, it accomplished just the
opposite."

Matt bit his lip forcing back tears. He hadn't done this to make Joe
stay. He'd done it because Joe had hurt him. Jim was cute but he wasn't
Joe.

"You have no idea how much trouble you've caused because of this. Claire
wants you out of here. She wants me to take you with me for the summer."

Matt would have been happy to have heard the same news a week earlier but
Joe's tone told him his former lover wasn't happy about it at all.

"Everything I'm doing was for you Matt. If we continue down the path we're
going, we'll only get hurt.  I made a choice to leave you to your life and
you ruined it. Your mom doesn't trust you and she's confused about what she
saw this morning."

Matt couldn't think of anything to say so he just sat there, letting Joe
dress him down.

"Thanks to you, I've had to postpone my trip by a day. Pack your things.
I've agreed to take you with me for Claire's sake but know this; nothing
will be the same between us again. We leave in the morning."

With that, Joe slammed the door. The one thing he'd wished for since Joe
made his announcement was coming true and it was a bitter victory. He'd
spend the summer with the man he loved; a man who now hated him.