Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 13:19:19 -0500
From: MGTBILL@aol.com
Subject: DYLAN'S SOPHOMORE YEAR Chapter   16

DYLAN'S  SOPHOMORE YEAR


Chapter  16


by  Donny  Mumford




Watching Dodger's pickup turn the corner and drive out of sight, I  mumble
out loud to myself, 'Huh, how random. Very unexpected concerns from  him'.
Still staring at the spot where the pickup disappeared, I'm smelling the
back of my wrist, a habit that's hard to break, as I'm thinking how it's an
understatement saying this was unexpected. It came from so far out of left
field I didn't have an inkling it was coming, not a single fucking clue. It's
shocking actually, and frankly I've always thought Dodger was more of a
lovable wild child than a deep thinker. He's convinced himself that Robby and
me are going to screw up our relationship before we're through. I don't
agree,  of course, but I'm not going to disregard everything he said just
because I  didn't like hearing it. Dodger was so adamant about everything too, so
I'll  give it some thought. He even suggested I talk to Chubby and Robby
about it. I  want to run this by Chubby, but I'm not going to tell Robby. No
way do I want  to be the cause of then losing their brotherly love over a
difference of  opinion. Robby could easily misconstrue Dodger's well meaning
intentions by  thinking Dodger was stabbing him in the back. Talking to Chubby
makes sense  though, you know, maybe I can't see the trees for the forest
where Robby and I  are concerned. Um, is that how that saying goes? Anyway,
much of what Dodger  said seems farfetched on the surface, but maybe that's
because it's new to me.  Alien concepts for me, ugly and raw initially, but
is there some truth in what  he says, or should everything be brushed aside
because it's ruining my vision  of the future? Confusing too because I'm
feeling I should be pissed-off at  Dodger, but in fact I'm not. I'm taking what
Dodger said seriously because who  knows Robby better than his brother? No
one, that's who.


Hmmm, there's no denying Dodger's sincerity, and he was quite definite
about  his message. It didn't appear to be a spur of the moment thing on his
part at  all. He's thought a lot about Robby and me, and he's been thinking
about it  for awhile now. Or, is it that he's been moodily brooding about this
for the past eleven  weeks? Dodger being jealous or spiteful wouldn't have
entered my mind before,  but I suppose I need to consider that possibility
too.  He actually said  he's jealous, but jealous about what? I'm not sure if
Dodger meant he's  jealous because Robby 'came out' along with me and that
left him alone in the  closet. Or maybe he meant he's jealous because Robby
has me as his boyfriend,  or that Robby's the family golden boy, as Dodger
put it. Maybe he's jealous  because Robby's in college and he's in the Army,
or because Robby's moving up  in his parent's expanding family business, or
because Robby's engaged, or is  he jealous because of all these reasons
and/or ones I haven't thought of yet?  I should have asked him to clarify why
he's jealous. Yeah, that's easy to say  now, except when he said he's jealous
it was like no big deal... like his  jealousy was a very minor point. That's
how I took it when he said it in  passing, but now I wonder if Dodger's
jealousy is significant enough that he'd  purposely try to sabotage what Robby
and I have together? We need to have  another talk, Dodger and me, about why
he's jealous, and exactly how deep the  sense of jealousy goes.


Going inside to the basement, I try rehashing Dodger's main points in  my
head. Well, obviously he doesn't think Robby's the right life partner for
me. He claims Robby and I will need to pretend forever that Robby's something
he's not. That's if we're to make our long term relationship work. I don't
expect Robby to be a confidently dominant figure in our lives to the extent
 some guys I've known are naturally dominant. And it's a good thing he's
not  that dominant. Still, Robby's ten times more confident now than he was
when I  first met him, so why wouldn't his confidence and take-charge attitude
 continue growing? Dodger claims, when push comes to shove, Robby will
always  rely on me to decide what to do. Okay, but how many times have we had a
'push  comes to shove' situation?  They're rare, so if we need to
commiserate on  a situation on rare occasions, what's so bad about that? That seems to
be a  good thing to me. Plopping down on the chaise lounge, I think about
what those  rare situations might be, but it's almost impossible to predict
the future, so  who the fuck knows what might arise. I'm fully capable of
making decisions,  although I'd prefer not to... that's the bottom line. Okay,
so I need to think  about all this with an open mind. Also, the way Dodger
described Robby's  so-called five year obsession with me is very, um, unusual
and a bit odd.  When Robby told me he'd had a crush on me for a few years I
never thought it  was so, um, organized. I mean, how was I to know he's
been talking with Dodger  every night about his obsession, and doing so for
years? The thought of him  gauging his progress while planning future strategy
is disconcerting. It's a  little creepy too, almost like stalking. I assumed
it was a crush like I had  for him, a passing tweak in the balls
occasionally, not an obsession. And then  there's Dodger's question about whether
Robby's more in love with me or more  in love with the concept of fulfilling the
fantasy he's had about me. Now that  is interesting. They're two separate
objectives obviously; I'm real, where the  fantasy is a, well it's a fantasy,
which isn't real.


Hmmm, when I think back over the three-plus years I've known him, I  recall
Dodger telling me many times it's him I'll end up with, not Robby. Of
course I assumed he was just being his overconfident, free-spirited self and
therefore not to be taken seriously. There's no way he knew until recently
he'd be joining the Army, so maybe at times he was seriously thinking he and I
 would eventually be lovers. I can't deny that it might, at first glance,
seem  Dodger's the more logical choice for me because he has the attributes
I'm  looking for in Robby. That's true except for the small matter of me
being in  love with Robby, not Dodger. And anyway, Dodger just admitted he and
me being  lovers can't  happen because he'll be away for almost all of the
next two  years. So that leaves me with a big question: if Dodger accepts
we're never  going to be a 'couple', what's his motive for telling me that
Robby's and my  plans for the future will be our eventual demise? Is it that he
sincerely  thinks Robby and I are headed for disaster and he cares about us
both so much  he's taken the chance of alienating himself in an effort to
save us from  ourselves? It's petty to think that's his motive. That's gotta be
it  because what else could it be? In that light Dodger's, um, intervention
is  admirable, if flawed.


I've got an hour or so before I should leave for the cookout. Wait a
fucking minute! Chubby's picking up MJ so how am I suppose to get there, take  a
cab? Of course not, I'll simply call Robby, he's always dependable. Yeah,
but if I'm dependent on him now, how much more dependent will I be on him
when  we're married? Yeah, but I don't want to carried away here with wild
speculations. I can't let myself be influenced by what Dodger said to the
degree I'm manufacturing problems in my head that don't exist. Anyway, right
now I should be thinking about the homecoming and getting reacquainted with
Connor. Now there's a sweet thought. Thinking about Connor makes me smile. It
 can also make me sad because of the circumstances of his childhood. That's
 changed now that he's in the Army, so I'll think positive thoughts and
well  wishes for Connor's life going forward. It was reassuring knowing Dodger
was  there to have Connor's back during basic training, and I'm very happy
they'll  also be together for their advanced training at Fort Sam Houston,
Texas. These  are the kind of thoughts I should be having today, not worries
about the  distant future and Dodger's dire predictions of doom. Does it
bother me that  Dodger said he and Connor have had sex a couple of times? It
shouldn't, but I  wonder how Connor will handle that. Will he tell me about it,
or what?  Dodger's created so many questions for me, but few answers.

Hmmm, did those two actually have sex a couple of times? Maybe Dodger  was
pulling my chain because when or how would they have had an opportunity to
do it at basic training? they're living in a barracks with twenty or thirty
other guys and under almost constant surveillance. The thought of Dodger
fucking my boy, Connor, leaves me feeling a little weird, but they were in a
weird situation themselves. I guess it comes down to how Connor feels about
 it, not that I expect he'll mention it to me. Obviously I wouldn't
embarrass  him by mentioning it myself. All I'm sure of is it gave me some peace of
mind  knowing Connor had Dodger to lean on. If those two did actually have
sex  together somehow, I'm happy for them. I don't want to see Dodger and me
 drifting apart as friends because of whatever relationship he and Connor
have  developed, or because of what Dodger said to me this afternoon. There's
a  possibility that could happen though, and that's because of the delicate
 nature of his concerns and conclusions, especially where Robby's
concerned. I  won't let myself resent Dodger. I chose to believe he said what he felt
from  his heart, and that he has nothing but the best possible motive for
saying  what he's said. Or am I talking myself into that conclusion? Before
his leave  ends I need to clarify this jealousy situation he mentioned. That
might  clarify something. Also I'll discuss all this with Chubby because I
need at  least one more viewpoint. What if Chubby thinks the same way Dodger
does? Or  what if Chubby won't tell me how he's truly feeling because he
won't want to  throw a wet blanket on my happiness? If he thinks like Dodger
though, it'll  give me pause to rethink things. If he won't be forthcoming
about his  feelings, I'll insist because I need Chubby's opinion.  And, yes, my
 thoughts are scrambles and all over the fucking place right now.


Yeah, and something occurred to me a couple of minutes ago that's
bothersome. Some niggling thing that reminded me of something Dodger said.
Something registered with me like a slap in the face, but now I can't quite  put my
finger on what it was. It was a passing comment from Dodger who then  moved
right on to another point and this thought was left behind to torment  me.
It's been nagging at the back of my brain for awhile now. I'm wandering
around the condo aimlessly touching this and that while trying to remember  what
it was he said. I go over the points Dodger mentioned one by one. Ah ha!
I've got it! It's that Robby wants me be a stay at home dad for selfish
reasons. Dodger claims that will be Robby's way of effectively keeping me  under
wraps. I'll be in the house all day taking care of the place, plus the
baby, while he's out living a life. Yeah, and fuck shooting pool all day!
That'll get boring after awhile, and what about seeing my friends or making  new
ones? How the hell do I do that if I'm stuck inside all day, every day?
Maybe taking care of a baby won't be the breeze it seems either. It could get
tedious, as well as boring and repetitive. Will Robby be calling home a
couple  of nights a week to say he's working late and I shouldn't wait up for
him? I  won't know if he's working late or, um, something else. Damn that
Dodger! He's  got me inventing worse case scenarios now. Okay, but it's smart
to think about  these things before the fact. Robby's the planner, but maybe
it wouldn't hurt  for me to do a little anticipating and planning myself. If
I wanted to nitpick  at Robby's plans for us I might suggest getting
married at age twenty-one or  twenty-two wouldn't be the smartest move we ever
made. And neither is having a  baby right away if I'm honest about it. It was
Dodger's comment about Robby's  keeping me from interacting with people,
that's what was nagging at the back  of my mind. Not that I'd be looking for
side-sex necessarily, but what's wrong  with once in awhile having some fun
flirting, or at least meeting a few new  gay guys. How better to prevent that
than saddling me with a stay at home  dad's responsibilities. That's what's
stuck in my craw. Craw? What the fuck's  a craw? Oh never mind that, Robby
keeping me basically under house arrest  bothers me. Wonder why it didn't
bother me before? I'm asking myself a  shit-load of questions here, but not
coming up with any answers.


I've beat myself up about all this enough for now. I need to  concentrate
on continuing to welcome home Dodger and Connor. I should also be  hoping
Cory and Connor are enjoying each other's company because they  certainly both
deserve some happiness in their lives after what they've been  through
growing up. Oh yeah, I need to get my mind off Dodger and his prophesy  of doom
to concentrate on the here and now. I'll text Robby about picking me  up and
we'll get this party started. Hmmm, when we're married I wonder if  Robby
will say we're a one car family, effectively making it impossible for me  to
leave the house other than taking the baby, and maybe our dog for walks
around the neighborhood. I can see myself nodding at the housewives and  talking
about the fucking weather. Robby wouldn't be worried about me bopping  the
housewives, that's for damn sure. What the fuck! I'm right back on this
topic again! Jesus, get a grip, Dylan!  I text Robby, 'I need a ride,
boyfriend,' and he texts back, 'Text me whenever you're ready and I'll come  right
over. Love you!' Well, that's the other side of the coin: Robby's  attentive
and reliable, and I sincerely believe he loves me. So what if he  also loves
seeing his fantasy become real? I don't see how that's a bad thing,  I just
don't.


Dodger and I showered this afternoon so I only need to wash my face and
hands, then I try doing something with my hair. Nothing doing though, Ryan
fucked it up so badly Chubby couldn't even save it. It looks better after
Chubby did his best, but it's still a haircut warranting a hat. The Merrimack
hat is uncomfortable and even though the posse boys' hat is comfortable I
don't want to wear it because, well, I just don't. Wonder what Sonny's been
up  to? Oh God, forget Sonny! This is right now so I'm rustling through my
bedroom  closet looking for a hat and come up with a Red Sox hat, and it's in
good  condition. Okay, the hat situation's taken care of. Getting dressed in
the  usual cool stuff I put on for special occasions, which is another way
of  saying the stuff Willie's bought me over the years. Dammit, I need to
call him  and make sure he's okay. How many times am I gonna say that and then
not do  it? Sitting on the side of my bed I hit his cell number. He answers
on the  second ring,  sounding fine. "Hi ya, Dylan! Man, I miss you! Hey,
thanks  for calling." I go, "Hi, Willie, um, how's Cornell?" He goes,
"Smooth, dude. I  love it so far. Get this, my roommate has blond hair and blue
eyes. Guess who  I pretend he is?" Laughing, I'm like, "I can't imagine. Um,
what style haircut  did you make him get?" Willie goes, "Ha! Nick's the 'top',
Dylan, not me. He  doesn't seem to give a damn about haircuts. We're not
even doing sub/dom shit.  We're just your normal garden variety fuck buddies,
that's all. It's cool  though, although I don't really see any kind of
relationship developing  between us beyond our current fuck buddies status. How
you doing in the  romance department?" I say, "Same as always, me and Robby."


He lets that simmer for a second, then he goes, "Well, you know best,
Dylan, I guess.  I'm assuming by now Dickers' pretty much got you exactly  where
he wants you, huh?" How's he think...? I interrupt, asking, "What the  fuck
do you mean by he's got me where he wants me?" he quickly says, "No
offense, Dylan! Take it easy. I'm on your side, dude, remember? I'm just  guessing
that if you're happy, he's gotta be running your life, right?  When I was
dominating your ass, that's when you were the happiest. I took  total charge
of everything, and not just in Key west either, remember the good  old days?
And like I said, no offense intended at all. You're awesome, and you  know
what you like, which is some dominance in your life. Nothing wrong with
that. Hell, I've been on both ends of that dynamic as you know better than
anyone. Oh, and I gotta thank you again for straightening me out. I was
fucked-up in Wildwood. You can't imagine how grateful I am to you." Which  makes
me wonder how come he never calls me, so I'm like, "Gee, glad I could  help a
great friend like you. Um, how come you never call me?" He says, "Oh  Jeez,
dude, it's embarrassing for me to admit this, but you're too hot for me,
Dylan. When I'm with you all I want to do is keep you captive in my room and
never let you out of my sight. I've come to see, with the help of my
fucking  psychiatrist, that isn't a healthy relationship for either of us." I
mutter,  "Oh, I'm... ah, what?..." He goes, "Please don't take that the wrong
way. It  doesn't mean I never want to see you again. God forbid that, Dylan! I
want to  have dates with you from time to time, but not too often or I'll
get that old  urge to turn you into my lap dog. Ha ha, that's a gross
exaggeration, but you  know what I mean. We go way back and you'll always be the
main love of my  life, but we're not right together, we just aren't. Talking
to you right now  is giving me a hard-on, ha ha, see what I mean?" I go, "Um,
no, but I'd like  to see you sometime too." He quickly says, "Maybe over
the Thanksgiving break  we can get together, although I can't promise
anything. I've got to meet,  Nick, now. Thanks for calling. I'll talk to you later,
okay?"


Huh, Willie sounds good although it's like he couldn't get off the  phone
quick enough. Whatever, I'm glad he's got his shit together. Laying back  on
my bed, I'm thinking, 'Guess I won't need to work too hard at cutting down
on side-sex because one by one my main side-sex partners are beating me to
it,  and cutting back on me. Or am I being overly dramatic? Dodger's got me
in a  weird frame of mind, and something Willie said sort of backed up one of
 Dodger's points. I don't want to think about it because everything is
getting  more and more muddled in my head. Okay, the important thing is Willie's
doing  fine, and that's a load off my mind. Guess I should be proud of
myself for  helping him. He occupies a strange, but prominent place in my heart.
What the  hell, he was my first real boyfriend and he loved something about
me before  anyone else did, except my family. The only person I've had more
 adventures other than Willie, is my brother. And yeah, that's true, but I
still can't get off the fucking topic of Dodger's conversation. Does Robby
want to do what Willie said he wanted to do? Is it Robby's goal to,
metaphorically  speaking, keep me captive in his room and never let me out of his
sight? Lap  dog, what the fuck? Dating Willie, after a year or so, I came to
the  realization he thought of me as his prize possession more than his
lover. Is  that how Robby subconsciously thinks of me, I'm his prized possession
allowing  the fantasy he's had from age fifteen to come true. Well, Robby
has said any  number of times his fantasy is coming true, so I guess that's
part of the  answer to my own question. Obviously this Dodger stuff is
messing' with my  head something terribly.


On the balcony I have  another cigarette trying to clear my head and get in
a 'partying' frame of  mind. I'm looking at the little boxes with the
leather bracelets. The  homecoming gifts for Dodger and Connor, and now I'm
thinking I should have  gotten something a little more special. Especially since
I put on the cards  that the gift is from the three roommates. A forty-nine
dollar bracelet from  three of us seems like kind of a cheap gift. Damn!
Maybe I'll go with this:  'It's the thought that counts'. What else can I go
with at this point. I'm  dressed and ready to go, but hesitant to call Robby
for some reason. My cell  phone rings. Oh shit! It's Ray Ellis showing on the
caller ID. What the fuck  does he  want? With resignation in my voice, I
go, "Hi, Ray, wassup?" He says, "You  don't sound too thrilled to hear from
me." I say, "No, not at all, Ray, how ya  doing?" He says, "That's a little
better. Ya know, for being as enthralled  with me last summer as you were,
kissing my ass and being thrilled to be my  boyfriend, there's no way you're
treating me like an annoyance now. I know  better than that, so drop the act."
I roll my eyes... what an asshole he is. I  sarcastically mutter, "Oh,
please don't get all paranoid on me, Ray." He has  the highest opinion of
himself of anyone I've ever known. I add, "What can I  do for you?" He says, "I
wasn't exhibiting paranoia, numbnut's, I was  exhibiting confidence from the
way you creamed all over me last summer. Check  your free dictionary online
for paranoia." I mutter, "Yeah, right, I'll do  that Ray. Whaddaya want?" He
goes, "The reason I called is  simple, I  wanna find out what weekend you'll
be home. I hope it's before Thanksgiving  because I need a haircut and my
dick is itching to tantalize that awesome ass  of yours again, and don't
pretend you don't want it." I take a deep breath,  then mutter, "Forget your
dick, Ray. That's not happening. You dumped me,  remember. My fragile ego was
crushed and I might never recover." He does a  sarcastic chuckle, saying,
"Yeah, I'll bet. The word is that I dumped you  about ten seconds before you
were gonna dump me." I ask, "Who told you that?"  and he goes, "A little
birdie, it doesn't matter which one. I'm not holding a  grudge, so why should
you?" I'm like, "Hold a grudge? Shit no, I'm not holding  a grudge, Ray, get
real." He says, "That's good because you probably could use  some hard sex on
the side by now." I'm like, "That's a negative, Ray, I'm fine
side-sex-wise. You and me are finished with that phase of our lives. As far as  the
haircut goes, I'm busy this weekend. How 'bout I text you when I'm free  and you
can tell the posse boys to come over too. I'm looking forward to  seeing the
guys again." He goes, "Since my posse broke up I don't see much of  them
myself. I'm mostly concentrating on Maryanne. My bisexual side is missing
your ass though." I mumble, "Yeah, that's nice, but I gotta run, Ray. I'll
text you." He goes, "See that you do," and he hits the 'end' key on his cell
phone so he gets to hang up on me. That weirdo always needs to have the last
word. Shaking my head I mutter out loud, "God, what'd I ever see in  him?"





Oh well, done my cigarette  I flick that sucker, aiming it high over the
railing. Oh fuck, it hits the top  of the railing, pops up in the air, then
just barely misses the railing on its  way down to the patio below... hooray!
Heh heh, I'm about to pat myself on the  back for that awesome cigarette
flick when I get a text from Robby. "You ready  yet, baby? Just say the word
and I'm on my way." Nodding to myself I decide,  for tonight at least, the
hell with all that stuff Dodger said! Yep, I'm  taking my old approach of
thinking Robby's sweet, and I am in love with him.  There's no reason to think
I'm not, but to be fair I'll consider Dodger's  concerns later. Tonight I'm
pretending he didn't say anything. I want Robby,  Dodger, Cory, and Connor to
have fun at the cookout, without a care in the  world. Chubby and me can
take care of ourselves, and MJ is Chubby's problem.  The adults who will be
there are in their own world anyway, and aren't on my  radar screen to worry
about right now. Texting Robby back, 'Thanks, Robby. I'm  more than ready.
Anxious to see you! Love, Dylan'. After checking myself out  in the mirror one
last time, I pull my Red Sox cap down a little more and go  out the front
door, then down the steps to be at the curb when Robby pulls up.  I can feel
myself willing my mood into the positive column, and away from that  worrying
column that contains all Dodger's negative theories about Robby and  me.
Why worry right now about something that's merely speculation on Dodger's
part. Huh, someone just drove by honking their horn at me. Not sure if I
should wave at them or flash them the bird, I do half of each, wondering who  it
was that honked, and why. Am I the one getting paranoid now? Then Robby
drives up and I run over to the driver's side window and lean in for a kiss.
Robby puts his hand behind my head and we have a sweet kiss. Grinning at me
now, he takes my hat off and tosses it in the little back seat, saying, "You
 don't need that, baby." He runs his fingers through my hair, adding,
"We're  with friends tonight and anyway, everyone's heard about the screwed-up
haircut  Ryan gave you. Nobody cares 'cause it'd take more than a fucked-up
haircut to  keep you from looking cool. Get in the car."


Huh, everyone couldn't know  about it. I wait until I'm in the pickup
before asking, "How would Connor know  about this fucked-up haircut?" Robby
drives his pickup onto the road, grinning  at me, "Your fan club was in full
swing this afternoon, that's how." I go, "My  fan club, who's that?" He says,
"Cory, Connor, and Seth, of course. They all  claim to be president of your fa
n club.' He chuckles, "And they gave me a  headache telling me how awesome
you are." I mutter, "Awww, that's nice," then  it hits me, "Seth? When did
you run into him?" He says, "Dad invited him to  the feast tonight. He saw
Seth at work and invited him. Seth initially told  dad he'd feel out of place
since he doesn't actually know Dodger or Connor.  That's just what you'd
expect Seth to say.  Dad told him he was at the  going away party, so why not
the welcome home party." I go, "That's awesome!"  and Robby says, "Yep, and
Seth drove over right after you and Dodger left, so  he went on my errand with
Cory and Connor." I mumble, "It was nice of your dad  to invite him." Then
I remember what Dodger told me about his parents secret  negativity about
Robby being gay. I don't think I'll ever feel the way I used  to about Mr. and
Mrs. Dickers again, not after hearing that. I almost wish I  didn't know
about it. "Um, Robby, how is your dad? He feeling okay?" Robby  says, "He
doing good, Dylan. He needs to do rehab three times a week, but  overall he
survived the accident as well as could be hoped for." Then I have a  thought:
huh, Seth met Cory, which was one of my objectives this weekend.  Maybe
something sexy will develop somewhere in that threesome of Cory, Seth,  and
Connor. Wait a minute, what was the name of Seth date from the matchmaking  web
site? Ah yes, I got it, Jackie Bradley, like the baseball player. I should
ask Seth how things are developing between those two. I ask, "Um, how'd the
guys get along with Seth?" He glances over, "Whaddaya mean?" I shrug, "Oh,
just that's Seth's a little like you and me used to be. A little shy, ya
know." Robby says, "He was fine. Everyone got along great." Hmm, that isn't
exactly what I was getting at, but at least they got along. Seth was a bit
confrontational when we first met. Probably a defense mechanism to deflect his
 shyness. Guess he's over that.


We pull off the main road  and are now only a mile from Robby's place. He
says, "Oh, by the way, dad  want's me attending a long-range strategy meeting
next Saturday. Mostly the  meeting is about that large condo contract we
were awarded recently. I told  you about that. It's two years off, but we need
to start laying the groundwork  now. It'll like double the size of Dickers
Landscape and Design. Oh and get  this: Dad's changing the name to 'Dickers
and Son's Landscape and Design'." I  go, "That is so cool, Robby!" He beams,
nodding his head, muttering, "Yeah, I  knew eventually the company name
would include me, but this is sooner then I  expected. Dad says we need to
change the signage for the expanded company, so  we'll combine that with a name
change." I go, "Exciting times, huh?" and he's  like, "Yeah, I'll say. Um,
I'll expect you to come home with me next Friday  night of course. We'll
leave after last class and you'll eat dinner with us.  Dodger will still be home
so maybe the three of us can hook up and hang out  together after dinner."
I say, "Oh, um, sure, you bet." He looks at me,  "Thanks, baby," and I ask,
"Am I suppose to go to the meeting with you  too?" He laughs, "Nooo! Fuck
no, ha ha. Dylan, you don't need to give the  meeting a thought, baby. Let
the head of the household worry about taking care  of business." Hmmm, an
especially inopportune time for this to come up. I'm a  little irked at his
condescending attitude, as I ask, "What should I give a  thought to, Robby? You
know, when you're in your business meeting?" Robby  detects something in my
tone because he glances over, asking, "Is anything  wrong?" Remembering I
want this night to go well for Robby and Dodger, as well  as the others, I
take a deep breath and drop the attitude, saying, "No, Robby,  everything's
fine. Hey, it was great spending some time with Dodger this  afternoon, and I'm
excited about having some time to do the same with  Connor too." He nods
his head, glances at me again, then smiles. "You are so  good looking, Dylan,
it blows my mind sometimes." That was a subject changer  if I've ever heard
one. We drive in silence for a minute, then Robby says,  "Um, Dylan, maybe
you should stick fairly close to me tonight. After all,  everyone knows we're
boyfriends and, well, I want to show everyone we're  tight. Okay, will you
do that for me?" Normally Robby talking in that bossy  way would give me a
boner, or get my dick to move at least. Not so this time  and it's because of
Dodger's take on Robby and me, and then  Willie's  offhand comment
regarding pretty much the same topic. I'm not sure how I feel  right now. Robby
looks at me, "Dylan? Did you hear what I said?" Okay, that  time my dick did
twitch, and I go, "Oh, yeah, Robby. We'll stick together  tonight." He nods his
head smiling, then mutters, "Thanks,  good."


As we approach his house  I'm thinking back to when Robby laughed at me for
asking if I was going to the  business meeting too, like... are you
kidding? You go to a business meeting?  Well, at least he didn't say. 'You don't
need to worry your pretty head about  anything as complicated as business',
and then suggest I go shopping for some  new clothes. Maybe slip me a few
twenties, saying, 'Treat yourself, have fun,  baby. The meeting might run late
tonight so don't wait up for me. Get your  beauty rest." Am I acting like a
drama queen now? Me? Ha ha, that fucking  Dodger put some weird shit in my
head. That'll be my new nickname for him:  'that fucking Dodger'. Ha ha, oh
man, I gotta get a grip. I'm now thinking,  after this exchange Robby and I
just had, that Dodger could very well be wrong  about Robby needing to pretend
he's in charge. Robby seems to be  handling the being in charge part pretty
fucking well. What I need to do, more  than anything else, is decide if
it's really what I want. That's the more  important aspect of everything Dodger
said. It's not 'Can Robby be dominant?'  I think he can, but is it what I
really want? Maybe I'm the one  pretending, and it's not Robby at all.

He parks behind Dodger's  pickup, then reaches over to ruffle my hair
again, murmuring, "I love you,  Dylan." I smile at him, and he goes, "Come on,
lets see what the guys are up  to." We don't need to go far to see what the
guys are up to. As soon as we get  out of the truck we hear the music coming
from the pool house. Robby grins at  me, saying, "Ten bucks says they got
that keg tapped already." I feeling a  little funny anticipating a reunion with
Connor after all this time. Why do I  get like this? We're close friends,
so what's the problem! Smoothing down my  shirt and khaki pants, then running
my fingers through my hair, I'm thinking,  'Damn, that Ryan and his shitty
haircutting'. Fixing a big smile on my face, I  follow Robby in the side
door to the pool house. Everyone looks up and says,  "Hey, guys, where ya
been?" Dodger's pouring cups of light beer and passing  them around. Cory and
Seth have a cup of beer already, and the one Dodger's  pouring now goes to
Connor. I'm still feeling the beers Dodger and I had this  afternoon. I better
watch it or I'll get drunk and say something I'll regret.  Seth comes right
over to me grinning, and it appears he's going to give me a  kiss so I ruffle
his hair and turn it into a hug, "Seth, long time no see." He  hugs back
chuckling, "Yeah, a whole week. Nice to see you too," and another  squeeze of
my body. Connor's looking over smiling, like always, so I say,  "Hey,
Connor, don't I get a hug?" and both he and Cory give me a group hug.  The top of
Cory's hair is right under my nose. He smells good. For something  to say, I
go, "Jesus, awesome haircut, Cory!" He laughs, "If you think my  haircut's
awesome you should meet my barber." Robby says, "The Dylan Newman  fan club
will now come to order." Dodger says, "I'm president," and Robby  insinuates
himself next to me with his arm going around the back of my neck,  as he's
saying, "Sorry, boys, but I'm president of Dylan's fan club," and his  arm
pulls my head over so he can give me a wet kiss on my lips. Then he asks,
"Right, Dylan?" My face is so hot and red. Avoiding Robby's awkward question,
I ask, "How fucking hot is it in here anyway?" Robby kisses my cheek,
muttering, "You're hot, that's for sure. Hot and sexy." Robby's never this
demonstrative and everyone looks a little uncomfortable as Dodger gives me a
knowing glance. I look away from him, frowning.


Connor's standing close to  me staring at me. I grin at him wondering how I
could have forgotten how  startling his looks are. He's very good looking
and now very fit. No more baby  fat ring around his belly. Grinning, I
mumble,"Nice haircut, soldier." He  mutters, "I agree with, Cory. I used to have
the most awesome personal barber  before I joined the Army. Now my barber
sucks." Dodger says, "Roger that,  Connor," as he passes me a cup of beer.
Dodger's cool, like there's nothing  different and we never had that
conversation. Robby murmurs to me, "Sit here  with me , Dylan," and we sit on one of
the benches used to change into  swimsuits during the summer. With his arm
across my shoulders and his fingers  ruffling the hairs at the side of my head,
Robby's telling us about the food  we can expect tonight. "He goes, "Dad's
got a whole tenderloin of beef he's  doing on the grill, and because it's
Dodger's favorite he's doing -kabobs of  chicken livers." Dodger laughs, "He
wouldn't fucking dare. I hate any kind of  liver." Connor says, "Calves
liver's good," and Dodger goes, "No it's not,  Connor." Connor blushes, saying,
"Oh," and those two share a secret look.  Hmmm, maybe I've lost my biggest
admirer, Connor, to Dodger. I've seen that  same look between Vinnie and
Dodger many times. Yeah, where's Vinnie. I ask,  Dodger, "Where's Vinnie?" He
says, "He's coming . He got grounded for staying  out too late with Connor, me,
and the stoners last night. He needs to wait  until his 'rents take off for
the night, then he'll sneak out and be joining  us." Connor makes a face,
then asks, "He won't get in more trouble will he,  Dodger?" Dodger goes, "No
more than he got into with me since I've known him.  His parents have this
idea in their heads that I'm a bad influence on Vinnie.  Total hogwash of
course, but it's nothing new. Vinnie knows what he wants."  Cory's looking at
Dodger like he's a rock star, like he's mesmerized by him.  What the fuck?
"What else we having tonight, bro?" Dodger asks, and Robby  lists a lot of
yummy foods, way too much for our group. I ask, "How many  people will be
here?" Robby says, "There are only seven of us guys, and Mary  Jo, to start with,
but dad gave in and says the stoners can come after  everyone's had their
first round of food. So there's another half dozen or so  right there."
Dodger says, "You hope there'll only be a half dozen. You know  how word
spreads." Robby shrugs, "Who knows how many, but there's also fifteen  adult
relatives and neighbors too." He goes on to say we need to be careful  about
drinking, "Nobody better get drunk!" We talked about that, and then  Dodger begins
telling basic training stories.


We finish our first beer  and Robby leans over whispering in my ear, "Get
us both another beer, baby,  and meet me outside." I'd rather hear the
exaggerated stories of basic  training life. Dodger's a great story teller
omitting no curse words known in  the English language, and inventing a few of his
own. He's just naturally  funny. Everyone's laughing, but I'll see what
Robby wants. Carrying two cups  of beer, I mutter, "Be right back," and slip
outside. Robby says, "Come around  to the side, Dylan, lets have some private
time. I haven't seen you all day."  He takes his beer and I light a cigarette
and offer it to Robby. He takes it  and as I'm lighting another one, he
goes, "Um, did I say something that upset  you in the pickup?" I shrug, "No,
not really. You were kind of bossy  and...,"Robby interrupts, "Are you saying
you don't want me taking charge? I  mean, it's impossible to be in charge
and not be a little bossy." I nod my  head because he's right, so I let that
go, and say, "Oh yeah, no problem. It's  just that you kinda talked down to
me about the business meeting thing. Like,  I shouldn't worry my pretty head
about business, ya know." He frowns, "Pretty  head? I never said that,
Dylan. Do you want to come to the meeting. If you do,  you're welcome." Jesus,
he's got me there. That's the last place I want to  spend a Saturday. I go,
"Um, no, I guess not. It's just the way you said it."  He asks, "Said what?" I
shake my head, "It's nothing, really!" He goes, "If I  do anything to
offend you in any way, just tell me and I'll never do it again.  Offending you is
like the last thing in the world I want to do."I mutter, "I  know," feeling
like a little kid now. He gives me a one arm hug, "You nut. Are  you
pulling my chain again?" I go, "Yeah, I guess," and I lean against him  feeling a
strong sexual attraction to Robby, and to hell with what Dodger  said. He
just doesn't know how it is between Robby and me. Pressing my body  against
Robby I look into his eyes grinning, and he asks, "Here? You wanna do  it
here?" I nod my head as my cock gets firm. Robby shrugs and looks around,  then
says, "Okay, yeah, but around back." Oh, he's so fucking  hot!


I follow him around back  where Robby looks around again, then hands me his
cup of beer, "Put this some  place and drop your pants." He unzips his fly
and pulls his stubby fat cock  out, pulling on it. Setting the beers on a
level rock, I drop my khaki's  halfway down my thighs and look at Robby. I'm
pulling on my dick, but he  reaches over to push my hand away, muttering,
"No, Dylan, let me fuck an  orgasm out of you. Don't touch yourself, okay?" I
nod my head as he points to  his limp dick, and shrugs, so I bend over and
take it in my mouth. He murmurs,  "Yeah, baby, suck my cock." Robby rubs his
hands over my back, then his  fingers go through my hair as spit drools down
from my chin from slurping on  Robby's cock. Really getting into it right
from the start, I'm wishing I could  get down on my knees to do this right. I
don't though because there'd be  telltale dirt spots, which wouldn't be
good. "Mmmm," from Robby, "This is  nice, Dylan. Just you and me." Bobbing my
head on his hardening cock, and with  each bob his cock pushes past my gag
reflex area into my throat, then back  out, then in again as my cock gets rock
hard. I bob my face tight against his  jeans, my nose through his fly and
pressed to his belly. His familiar sexy  scent floods my brain as I moan
around his boner, "Oooooh, mmmm." Pulling my  head back I pull his nuts though
his fly and hungrily lap and suck on his  balls, as his saliva-dripping boner
moves around my face smearing my own spit  everywhere. His boner's sticking
straight up next to my nose now as I suck on  his balls and then precum
oozes out from the slit of his hard cock to drool  down the shaft onto my upper
lips. Taking my face away, licking at the precum  and grabbing my crotch,
I'm moaning, "Aaah, I'm gonna cum, Robby." He reaches  over and gives my balls
a tight squeeze. As I stifle a scream, he murmurs,  "I'm so sorry, Dylan,
but I know you'd like the climax sensation to last  longer than this. You're
making me feel so special the way you're so  turned-on. We're getting there,
aren't we?"


I straighten up with my  balls aching as Robby hugs me to him kissing my
lips with his boner poking my  bare groin. His hands grab my butt cheeks
pulling my groin against his and  humping gently into me. The pain in my balls
fades as does the sensation of  climax. My arms go around Robby and hug him to
me. He's not pretending,  Robby's found his comfort zone finally, and he's
sweetly dominant and in  charge for real. My lips suck on his as I moan,
"Ummm, Robby, I love you so  much." He squeezes my buttocks continuing to hump
against me gently,  murmuring, "It's getting better and better between us,
Dylan, and I'm grateful  to you for being patient with me and giving me time
to grow into the type  lover you need me to be. I'm not there yet, but I'm
getting there." My  forehead's on his shoulder as I hug him against me,
inhaling his sexy scent,  feeling dreamily submissive to him. It's like floating,
feeling safe and taken  care of. Such a sexually dreamy state of mind I
want it to last forever. Robby  says, "I need to fuck you now, baby. I've got a
seriously strong urge to fuck  you, fuck you until you're totally mine. Oh
God, I need this right now. Turn  around," and he roughly turns me away from
him, slapping my ass hard, "SMACK!  SMACK!" I moan as my hand goes back on
it's own to rub my stinging ass. Robby  pushes my hand away, and the head of
his cock presses against my asshole as  precum runs down my boner and drips
off my nuts. I bend right over and grab my  knees with Robby muttering,
"Yeah, like that, baby. Take my fat cock up your  ass."

He squeezes my butt cheeks  and then grabs my hips and pushes his cock all
the way up my ass. It burns for  the minute he leaves his fat boner inside
me and tightly rubs his hand up my  sides, then down. He's quietly grunting,
"Ump, ump, ooh," then begins steadily  fucking my ass, "Slap, slap, slap,"
and it goes on lusciously for a minute or  so. Soft moans from both of us,
then Robby asks, "Feeling good, baby?" My  heads moving around because nothing
feels better than this. I moan, "Uh huh,  Robby, mmmm, ooh, Jesus, oh,
ooh." He steadily fuck's me for a few more  minutes with both of us continuing
our quiet moaning and groaning. Fucking  outside is so cool! My rectum is a
house of pleasure with the sensitive spots  screaming sexual pleasure.
Feeling my orgasm building I start humping back  into his thrust.. I feel my
climax building to a crescendo, but too quickly  now. Robby's got me so hot with
his real, not pretend, dominant manner.  Dominant, but loving and
considerate and what? Perfect? Is it getting near  perfect? He grips my shoulders
grunting something I can't make out. Cupping my  shoulders now he's pulling me
back into his thrusting hips, pounding his cock  inside me fast and hard,
"SLAP, SLAP, SLAP." It's on me now and my back arches  as all the muscles in my
body clench. I put a hand over my mouth to quiet my  squeal and my hips
hump and a tantalizing stream of cum shoots out in an arc,  landing with a
subtle rustling sound against a shrub. Everything's red in my  head as I
tremble, my boner's so tight my hips quiver as more cum shoots out.  The sensations
have my whole body shuddering and then Robby's chest is on my  back with
him humping against me whining as he fires a stream of cum up my  ass. Robby
makes strangling noises in his throat as more cum shoots inside me  and it's
warm and squishy. Awesome buzzing sensations result after my  orgasm, sizzle
a while, and then quietly fade-out. It's leaves me feeling  wonderful and
full of love and admiration for Robby.


He's laying limply on my  back for a few seconds, then Robby thrusts his
cock inside me lazily for  another minute before pulling out. He gasps, then
mutters, "Dylan, would you  suck me off again...?" I turn around, still bent
over and slurp his semi-hard  cock in my mouth, sucking on it until Robby,
murmurs, "Okay, that's good,  that's enough," and gently pushes my head away.
"Turn around and I'll wipe up  the drooling cum from your ass." I do that
in a fog of emotions, feeling  sexually satisfied and also experiencing a
different kind of submissiveness,  different than I've ever felt before. It's
like the most comfortable feeling  as Robby wipes my ass with his
handkerchief, murmuring, "What a beautiful ass  you have, Dylan." He chuckles,
muttering, "Man, I shot a big load of spunk in  there, babe, holly shit," and more
chuckles. He's in a light mood feeling good  after getting laid. I feel good
too and strangely attached to Robby, like I'm  part of him now. The irony of
this situation is that earlier I was thinking  about the things Dodger said
and wondering how much of it might be true, and  now I'm like more
attracted to Robby than ever. And I still feel submissive to  him even though we've
had our extemporaneous sex and he's in this lighthearted  mood about all the
spunk he poured up my ass. He's acting the opposite of  being dominant,
he's just playfully goofing around and yet I think he's  awesome and my
submissiveness remains. This is something new. Robby's my man,  ya know. Yeah, that
corny thing Ray used to claim he was. If anyone is 'my  man' it's Robby. I
don't even want to call him Robby now because it sounds  childish. I'm gonna
call him 'Rob' from now on and hope I don't inadvertently  call him 'my
man' because he'd laugh at me. This feeling is something totally  new, a new
step up in our relationship that I need to think about before  saying anything
about it to Robby.


He slaps my ass lightly,  mumbling, "All cleaned up, Dylan. Man, that felt
good!" He helps pull my pants  up as I straighten-up. Turning around I get
my arms around the back of Robby's  neck and hug him. He says, "Hey, your
face is smeared with spit from my cock."  He wipes my face, spits on the
handkerchief and wipes some more, murmuring, "A  little of my spit to clean off
yours. Ha ha, that's nuts, right? I nod my  head, still feeling very
submissive to him as I hug him with the sides of our  faces together. I whisper in
his ear, "I loved the way you fucked me, Rob, and  the way you take care of
me." He mutters, "I'll always take care of you." I  pull my head back and look
at him, our noses touching, "I'm calling you Rob  from now on." He
chuckles, kisses me, then says, "Sure, but why?" Oh my God,  he's so hot to me.
Putting my lips to his ear, pulling his head against mine,  I quietly say,
"Because you're my man, Rob." He gives me a hug, laughingly  saying, "Oh, I got
promoted," and he kisses me again, mumbling, "Come on,  babe, we better get
back inside before they come looking for us." I hug him  again, clinging to
him. Sounding a little annoyed, he goes, "Okay, okay, you  love me. That's
awesome, but lets go. Get our beers, Dylan, come on, do what I  said." I love
that! My dick moves in my underwear as I mutter, "Sure, Rob,"  and let go of
him to adjust my junk, and then pick up our beers. "Here ya go,  Rob." he
takes the beer, mumbling, "Wait a second, I thought I heard something  in
front. We'll go all the way around to the other side." I'm staring at his  face
as dusk begins descending.


Coming around the other  side, Robby says, "That was kinda dumb of us,
Dylan. There's about a hundred  things that could have gone wrong." I mumbling,
"Oh, sorry," and he stops, "Oh  no, Dylan, I'm not blaming you. I got the
hot's for you, babe. It was fun  though, wasn't it?" Too loudly I concur,
"I'll say." He gives me a funny look  just as the outdoor lights come on making
us jump. Then Robby chuckles again,  and says, "We'll sit on a couple of
those chairs around the pool. It'll be  like we've been there all the time.
Man, I feel good. That was fast, but a  good time, eh?" I nod my head as I
stare at the pool cover and wonder if  there's still water in the pool. We sit
down and light cigarettes with Robby  gesturing at the chairs scattered in
groups here and there, saying, "The guys  and I dragged these chairs out of
the storage area in the pool house so people  will have someplace to sit
tonight." I see something new on the other side of  the pool, and ask Robby what
it is. He goes, "Oh, that's cool. It's an outdoor  fire pit that we'll fire
up when it gets darker. There's another one over  there on the patio.
Atmosphere, ya know." I go, "Yeah, cool," and stare at him  grinning. He goes,
"What?" and I shrug, "I don't know, I'm just feeling great  being your
boyfriend, that's all." He smiles, "Thanks, Dylan, you make me feel  special every
day. I love you more than anything I can think of. You've been  fabulous
about our engagement too, ever since our engagement you've been  perfect.
There's no one like you, Dylan." I nod my head, muttering, "Thanks,  you too. Um,
did you have an obsession for me when you were fifteen?" He makes  a face,
"An obsession? No, why do you ask? I mean, I had a puppy love crush on  you
because you're the cutest boy I'd ever seen, but you were very much all  boy
at the same time. You fascinated me and yeah I had a big crush, but I was
way too shy to say anything to you."

We smoke silently for a few second as I  look around at the lights they've
strung above the whole back yard. It really  is cool and there's a big
banner too, 'WELCOME HOME DODGER AND CONNOR!' It's  nice of the Dickers to
include Connor. Maybe I'm being too hard on his  parents. It must have been a
shock learning their eldest son is homosexual. I  suppose it's natural to
question if it's somehow something they did that  caused Robby to be gay. Then,
looking back at Robby, and knowing I shouldn't  push this, but I'm wicked
curious, so I ask, "Did you ever tell Dodger about  the crush you, you know, the
one you had on me?" He looks at me, frowning,  "What the fuck did Dodger
tell you this afternoon?" I say, "Dodger? Nothing.  You told me you had a
crush on me, you know, and you said it was a couple of  years so I," and my
voice dies out, finishing, "so I thought maybe it was from  when you were
fifteen." He stares at me with a quizzical expression, so I add,  "Dodger didn't
tell me that, not exactly  in those exact words, I mean." He laughs again,
punching me lightly on my  shoulder, saying, "You're the worst liar ever, ha
ha. Damn, don't ever get in  a poker game." Hmm, I better drop this subject.
I go, "Do you need any help  grilling tonight?" He says, "I think dad and
uncle Mark are grilling. The guys  and me did all the grunt work today so I
think that's all they're looking for  me to do." I nod, and he asks, "Dodger
didn't say anything to you about me?" I  shrug, "Um, ummm, he mentioned you,
yeah. You guys are tight." Robby asks,  "What'd he say? He's been acting a
little different since he came back. Is he  upset with me about anything? We
didn't even have our, um, personal reunion."  I do an elaborate shrug,
"Upset? Gee, I didn't get that feeling, not exactly."  Before Robby can say
anything to that, Dodger comes running out of the pool  house chasing Connor.
They're both giggling and yelling something. Cory and  Seth come out right
after them.


Robby gawks at them, then  gets up and jogs over. I follow and hear Robby
say, "Keep it down, guys. Jeez,  dad will think we're drunk already."
Dodger's got Connor in a headlock,  grinning, "This recruit told a basic training
story that was our little  secret." He rubs Conner's head, then lets him go.
Connor stands close to  Dodger grinning at him. We hear, "Get away from my
boyfriend, Connor," as that  cute, little hot shit Vinnie strides down the
driveway. Dodger laughs, saying,  "You're in the shit now, Connor." Connor
jumps back, laughingly saying, "My  bad, Vinnie! Don't hit me." Vinnie's
grinning, muttering, "Goddamn recruits."  Everyone says 'hi' to Vinnie as I'm
thinking, 'Damn, these guys seem like old  friends after spending one night
cavorting around with Dodger and his stoner  friends. I didn't think Connor and
Vinnie would instantly relate. Maybe it's  that they both have Dodger in
common. We all go back in the pool house and  more beers are poured as we hear
conversation in the driveway, and Dodger  says, "The adults are coming, the
adults are coming." I say, "What the fuck,  are you Paul Revere? Then say,
"The redcoats are coming, the redcoats are  coming." Vinnie says, "What he
actually said was, 'The regulars are coming'.  Initially, due to misreporting,
it was said Paul Revere yelled 'The British  are coming.' but they wouldn't
have said British..." Dodger says, "Enough with  the  history lesson,
Vinnie. Who gives a fuck what he said?" Vinnie  shrugs and Dodger hugs Vinnie's
shoulders almost lifting him off his  feet.


Dodger says, "Lets see who's coming," so  we take our beers and go outside
again. We hear a car door slam and around the  side of the house comes
Chubby without MJ. I wave and then meet Chubby half  way for a hug and a quick
kiss. "Where's Mary Jo, Chub?" He shrugs, grinning,  takes my beer and gulps
half of it, then says, "We had a fight and I told her  to fuck off." As we're
walking toward the rest of the guys everyone has an  'hello' for Chubby
with Dodger asking, "Where's the extraterrestrial expert?"  Chubby says, "She
can't make it tonight." Murmurs like, "Aww, that's too fucking bad, heh heh,"
 drift down towards us with Chubby smirking and asking me, "The guys don't
love MJ? What the fuck, bro.." I shrug, and ask, "What was the fight
about?" Chubby puts his arm across my shoulder, looking at   me, "I forget, bro.
How you doing?" I have to laugh. It's like nothing bothers  Chubby. "She'd be
the only girl here anyway, Chub, it's probably best." He's  like, "Oh,
yeah, that's what the fight was about, but now  I probably won't get laid." He's
hugging Dodger now, then Connor while saying  something that makes them
laugh. I love it when Chubby's wherever I  am.


As Dodger, Connor, and  Chubby exchange greetings. Connor starts to ask
Vinnie something, but stops  because Mr. Dicker's comes over, "Hi, guys. Sorry
to interrupt, but I need to  borrow Dodger and Rob. Come on over and say
hello to your relatives, boys."  They both roll their eyes and groan, but
follow their dad. Now Connor asks  what he started to ask a minute ago, "Vinnie,
how many shots did we do at that  bad ass stoner's place?" Vinnie comes over
and they huddle laughing about  their exploits last night as Seth slides
over grinning at me. Chubby joins  Cory, Connor, and Vinnie. I'm smiling, so
happy to see Cory and Connor  socializing so easily. That wasn't how it used
to be. This is great to see.  To me, Seth quietly says, "I didn't think I'd
get a chance to talk to  you, Dylan. Rob has you monopolized." I grin at
him, "Always time for you,  Seth." He looks down, muttering, "I've missed you
way more than I thought I  would." I grin, "Missed you too, Seth." He
blushers, muttering, "Seeing you  five or six days a week all summer I got to
taking it for granted, now I  don't." He stares at me, sucking on his lips and
blushing some more. I squeeze  the back of his neck, wanting to change the
drift of this conversation,  so I ask, "How are you managing a full time job, a
part time one, and  online college courses?" He says, "Okay, but do you
think...?"


to be continued...     Donny  Mumford   thinat20@yahoo.com




=============================================


I have had two books published that are available on  Amazon. Actually one
book and one short story. The short story is  titled "Concealed Agony - Gay
Romance" (and I didn't pick that title.)  Read the short story first. And
the book is named "Oliver's Wildwood  Vacation" They are both about 'Oliver'.
You can easily find  them by searching for 'Donny Mumford' at the Amazon
web site.


And I would appreciate it if you would  provide a comment at the site for
the stories as well.

Thanks.

Donny Mumford


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