Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2008 22:49:41 -0700 (PDT)
From: T Storm <melonpie@verizon.net>
Subject: No More Loneliness, Chapter 13

Disclaimer: This is a slow love story and not a fast fuck one. If this
isn't to your liking, please don't bother reading. This story contains
sexual acts between consenting adult males. If it offends you, then X
out. Any comments or questions, email me and I'll try to respond promptly.

Author's Note: Sorry for the huge delay in posting. Been busy lately. I
haven't written the conclusion yet, but I do believe in finishing a story
no matter what. Maybe I'll be inspired in the upcoming weeks for a good
conclusion. Until then here's the latest update. Also, a huge thanks to
Allen for emailing me and informing me that this story isn't *that*
disgustingly sappy and sweet.


CHAPTER 13

"Valentine's cookies!" I exclaimed excitedly as Kyle showed up with a
container of heart shaped sugar cookies with red frosting. I licked my lips
and rubbed my hands as I eagerly reached for one.

"Don't I get a kiss first?" he asked snatching the container away.

I grinned and reached up on my tip toes and kissed him briefly, rubbing my
nose against his. I giggled. "I love you," I sighed.

"Because I bake so much?"

"Yes."

He laughed and walked to my kitchen.

"I'll get the milk," I said eagerly. "God, Kyle, you are so amazing."

"You are too cute," he chuckled. "I love it when you say that," he said
softly and I turned to him, catching his eyes on me.

"Well, I love saying it," I murmured moving closer, to which he enveloped
me in his arms. "I'll never stop saying it."

"Good," he whispered, his lips meeting mine. I smiled before returning the
kiss, my tongue slipping easily into his mouth. His mouth was so warm and
so sweet tasting as we leisurely rolled our tongues together, massaging,
licking, sucking, our lips becoming raw. Our breathing grew ragged and my
fingers clutched his hair tightly. He grunted and pulled back.

"Hair puller," he breathed. "Kind of ironic, considering you hate anyone
touching your hair."

"Shut up, I'm trying to kiss you," I said pulling his head forward once
again, planting my lips firmly on top of his. Kyle rubbed my back and when
we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard, resting our foreheads
together.

I took his hand and nudged him into a chair. Then I plopped onto his
lap. He smiled when I grabbed the container of cookie and grabbed
one. Taking a huge bite, I offered the cookie to him, which he also bit
into.

We smile at one another and made googly eyes.

Yeah, Valentine's Day was a cheesy day, but I didn't care, as long as I had
someone to love.

Which I finally did.

"What do you feel like doing tonight?" he asked.

"Stay here all night?" I suggested.

"Really?" he grinned.

I nudged him playfully. "Gutter brains."

"Can't blame a guy for trying," he shrugged.

"You really want to stay in? I don't mind. We could, uh, rest in bed," I
said trailing a finger down his chest.

He grabbed my hand and kissed my palm gently. "I was kidding. We can go out
and do the fun stuff later," he raised his brows up and down.

I laughed and kissed his nose. "I love how you compromise."

"I love compromising with you," he said nuzzling my neck.

"What would we do tonight? Outside of the house, I mean?" I asked.

"Usual. Dinner, movie? Coffee? Not much in our boring little towns," Kyle
said squeezing me in his arms.

"I know. We need to move," I said hugging his neck.

Kyle snorted. "Where?"

"I don't know. I thought it'd be cool to live in another country," I
stated. "Maybe England? London, specifically. Canada? Montreal. Or
Paris. Ooh, crepes! But I'd butcher the language and they'd throw stones at
me, probably. Germany? Blonds? Blue eyes."

"Since when do you like blonds?" Kyle asked looking at me.

I shrugged. "Never had a specific preference. I just wanted someone to
connect with, regardless of what they looked like. But I don't know- blonds
could be fun. The natural ones."

"Yeah, no way a blond is getting their hands on you," he said running his
hands lightly down my sides. I squealed and bucked in his lap. "Tickle,
tickle!"

"Stop!" I shrieked.

"Eat another cookie," Kyle said stuffing a cookie into my mouth. I narrowed
my eyes at him and bit into it.

"I wonder what Corey and Jackson are doing," I said with my mouth full.

Kyle smiled as he brushed crumbs off his shirt. "Besides the obvious?"

"Besides the obvious," I smirked.

"Corey probably will do something fancy. Rich boy," Kyle muttered.

"Well, lucky for you that you got a low-maintenance dude, and Corey got a
high maintenance dude. And don't call me high maintenance because of my
hair!" I mocked scolded, pointing a finger in his face.

Kyle laughed loudly. "I admit, you do appreciate the little things and
that's my type of guy. I couldn't stand someone as demanding and bossy as
Jackson. I definitely got the better end of the deal."

"Aw, you sweet talker," I joked. "I don't blame Corey for wanting to please
Jackson. He's that type of person, so charismatic and fun, that you want to
do things for him," I explained. "I'm that way and so are a lot of other
people with him. It's just something about him, you know?"

"I guess," Kyle shrugged. "He's nice and funny sometimes, but also hard to
take."

"That's Jackson in a nutshell," I said.

"Corey actually told me what he was doing, although not in details. A nice
dinner. And some sort of expensive gift. He and I are really different,"
Kyle went on. "We're like twins who are identical, but with different
personalities. But like you said, we got matched with the right guys. I
bring you cookies, chocolates, and flowers and you're happy as a log."

"I'd think Jackson would appreciate that also," I mused. "He does think
what you do for me is sweet, but then again, he gets bored a lot faster,
and well, he needs something to catch his attention."

"Anyway," I shook my head. "Enough about them! About us."

"Yeah?" Kyle asked with a smile.

"Want to have a little kid day?" I asked with a big grin.

"What do you have in mind?" he asked.

"Don't laugh," I warned.

"Uh-oh," he said with a smile.

I laughed. "Want to go to Chucky Cheese?"

His eyes widened. "What?"

"It would be fun! Play some games, pizza, junk food. Then go home and get
busy!" I exclaimed rolling my hips towards him. "Rolling under the sheets,"
I winked.

Kyle laughed. "Oh yeah, you are easy to please."

"What? That doesn't sound fun? It's pizza!"

He pinched my nose and I tried to pull away but he tugged me
forward. "You're so cute. Yes, let's do that."

"Really?"

"Yeah, most people are going to do romantic things and it might be
empty. And I always love regressing. We can have a lot of fun and then have
some serious alone time tonight," he said kissing my nose. "It sounds
perfect and something you and I would do."

"Definitely. That's the mood of our dates. Laid back, low key, and super
duper fun!" I cheered.

He nudged me off his nap. "Let's go. The sooner we have fun, the sooner we
can have some private, one on one, fun," he said mischievously, pulling me
towards the door.

"Wait!" I ran back and grabbed a cookie, paused, then grabbed two
more. "For the road," I shrugged when I saw him shaking his head in
amusement at me.

I took his hand. "Let's go have fun and celebrate Valentine's Day. Love
you."

"Love you more."

*********

"My ass is sore," I said squirming in my seat.

Jackson snorted and nearly choked on his soda. He wiped his nose and mouth
and looked at me. "What?"

"What, yours isn't?" I asked.

He winked. "If mine is sore, so is Corey's."

"Enough," I said.

"You started it," Jackson shot back. He eyed me. "How was your V-Day?"

"It was fun. We went to Chucky Cheese."

His eyes widened. "Chucky Cheese? Seriously? Pizza and air hockey?"

"Yeah!" I practically yelled. "Mad fun!"

He rolled his eyes.

"We had a really good time, although I ate a lot, so my stomach hurt. But
we worked it off at night. After being such little kids, we were suddenly
extremely horny, so we went at it three times. I was knocked out after that
and crashed through my first class this morning."

Jackson laughed. "Right on, man. What a way to end the evening."

"What was your night like?" I asked.

"Peter Lugers for dinner. He got me an iPhone. Went back to his place, did
our business," Jackson said nonchalantly, but the goofy smile betrayed his
giddiness. Jackson was always trying to play it cool.

"An iPhone? Really?"

"I never said I wanted it," he said defensively. "I gawked at a commercial
and he got it for me. What can I do about it?"

"I'm sure you tried to turn down the gift," I rolled my eyes.

"Are you crazy? I always wanted one of those, but you know I can't afford
one, nor can my family," he said loudly. "I'm damn lucky to land a loaded
boyfriend and whom I actually love. It's better than putting out for some
old fucker with a shriveled up dick, or a sugar momma with sagging tits
down to her knee caps."

I made a face at his choice of words. "Gross."

"You're telling me. Thank God for Corey," he said. "I do feel bad when he
spends so much money and I clearly can't give it back, but he's really
generous and never holds it over me. You know, some rich people try to
control you or belittle you with their money, but Corey is genuine, so I
don't feel bad. You know, I have to work for my money because of the tight
budget in my household, and I can't stand rich boys, but Corey is
different," Jackson went on in a dreamy tone.

"Look at the dork in love."

"Shut your hole," Jackson said swatting my arm as a slight blush tinted his
dark features.

"Totally. My ass is so sore it will need at least three days of rest," I
said with a straight face. "I need to moisturize it; it's chapped or
something. It's itching."

Jackson spewed his soda over the table.

I grinned.

**********

"Bye Professor Taggart," a girl with long blond hair giggled on her way
out. She winked as she flipped her hair. "Have a good day!"

Girls.

He smiled, waving in a friendly manner. I smothered a grin, thinking that
poor girl was barking up the wrong tree. He caught my eye and smiled.

"Noticed that, huh?" he asked.

"Well, she was blatant," I smirked.

"I get that all the time."

"You poor thing," I mocked.

"Yeah, it's a tough life I lead," he laughed. "How was your weekend?" he
asked.

"Good."

"Any fun Valentine's Day plans?" he asked. "This is my first one I spent
alone in a long while."

"Oh, I had a good time. We went to Chucky Cheese," I grinned.

"Really?"

"Hell yeah," I said. "I wanted pizza and childish games."

"I thought no girl would ever put up with that. Then again, what do I know
about girls? I've been gay for as long as I can remember," Prof. Taggart
joked.

I contemplated if I should tell him I was gay; it wasn't a big deal, he was
gay too. But it was weird inserting it into the conversation.

"Well, my boyfriend enjoyed it," I smiled. Ok, it wasn't that hard to work
my gayness into the conversation.

Professor Taggart's eyebrows shot up. "Really?" he sounded surprised. "For
some reason, I didn't get that vibe from you. Or any."

I grinned. "My best friend used to joke that he was afraid I was asexual or
something, so I can understand how it might be hard to figure me out. I
sort of stick to myself. Or I pitied myself or whatever, until Kyle came
along."

"I guess Kyle is your partner?"

I nodded enthusiastically at the word partner. "Celebrated our one year
last month. It was wonderful," I said thinking back to the hot tub and the
hot sex and the champagne. Oh and the strawberries.

"Sounds nice," Professor Taggart said in a faraway tone. "I miss that
feeling. Being in love."

"Maybe you'll have it again," I said softly.

"I swear, it gets harder to meet guys or people as you get older," he said
a bit sadly. "In college, it seems so easy."

"Not really," I argued. "I didn't make too many friends in college, but
that's because I'm very quiet. I had my best friend from childhood and a
few guys I met through a gay support group. Kyle was a total fluke. It was
my birthday weekend and my best friend and I were having a joint party- our
birthdays are a week apart," I explained. Professor Taggart looked at me in
amusement. "Anyway, I got so bored with the party because they were all
Jackson's friends. Jackson's my best friend. And I left the party, driving
to the nearest bar, and got smashed. Apparently I met some guy and went for
a walk with him, and then couldn't get home myself, so he took me to his
house. He was a complete gentleman. I officially met him the next morning,
and that's when he asked me out," I finished.

He laughed. "Wow! That was quite a story."

"It's all true. It was weird how we met, but Kyle and I just clicked. It
was just there, that spark, you know?" I asked.

"I haven't been on a date in the longest time," Professor Taggart
sighed. "I'm not a fan of clubbing and I don't know where to meet quality
men."

I pondered over it. "Me neither. Ever tried online dating? And stating you
want a relationship only? You might get a lot of shit, but maybe somewhere
in between you'll find someone great. I mean, you'll never know unless you
put yourself out there."

"True," he nodded. He smiled. "Thanks for the pep talk Mason. I'm your
professor and you're advising me!"

I laughed. "Hey, I'm young, not stupid. I'm wise beyond my years."

"Thanks," he sighed. "I appreciate it. Hey, want to get coffee sometime?
Give me more of your words of wisdom."

I grinned. "I'd love to! Do I get writing tips as well?"

"Sure, but not that you need it," he smiled. "You're a remarkably good
writer."

I blushed slightly and looked down. "Um, thanks."

"You should explore writing. Do you have a genuine interest in it?" he
asked curiously.

"Not really," I said honestly. "I'm a future engineer, remember? Numbers
and codes," I smiled.

"What a shame. You really do have some sort of gift," he said, as if
disappointed.

I shrugged. "Sorry."

He smiled. "It's ok. I'm just a sucker for writers or trying to nurture
writers." He shrugged helplessly. "It's just how I am."

"You're a cool guy, don't change," I said smiling. "As pushy and dorky as
you may be."

"Ooh, tough words," he mocked. "Just remember who grades your paper," he
said menacingly, baring his teeth in a comical manner.

I burst out laughing. "Man, you can't even threaten!"

Professor Taggart sighed and hung his head. "I'm hopeless."

"Sad state of affairs," I said in a mock grave tone, shaking my head.

"I know, I know."

Professor Taggart was going to be a great friend.

**********

"How `bout that guy?" I asked, discreetly nodding my head in the direction
of a cute guy who had just purchased his latte and was grabbing some
napkins.

He was tall and thin, wearing nice dark jeans, and a tight black sweater
that looked good on his lean, thin frame. Average height, he had the
attractive appearance of a guy who worked out, but was also intelligent,
with his wavy hair and trendy glasses.

After lecture, Professor wished me a good day, and on a whim, I asked if he
wanted to join me for coffee. The weather was remarkably warm that time of
year in early March. It wasn't hot or anything, but the wind was calm, it
was sunny, and the air smelled fresh. It was my favorite type of weather. I
was in dire need of a huge iced coffee drink. I wanted some good company
and some good conversation.

Professor Taggart readily agreed.

"First things first- no more Professor Taggart outside of class. It's
Matt," he said.

I laughed. "Fair enough. You call me Mr. Lee outside of class."

He chuckled. "Oh yeah? Is that how we're doing it now?"

I shrugged. "Nah, Mace sounds better. Let's go with Mace."

"I agree. Mace is a cool nickname. I just get Matt," he said sipping his
tea.

"Well, if it were up to me, I'd just be Mason. My best friend started the
trend of Mace and it's stuck with me for so long. Only my family sticks
with Mason," I explained. "Besides, Mace does sound cooler, like edgy,
although I'm hardly edgy or dangerous," I said pointing at myself. "I'm a
typical Asian guy, with spiky hair."

"Asian guys are super cute," Matt winked. "You're like a gay man's
fantasy."

I laughed loudly. "Umm, some guys like really buff muscular dudes. My
boyfriend is buff, but not gross bodybuilder type. But since he likes me
back, I guess the whole pale, hairless, youthful look is attractive."

"Definitely. So smooth, so delicate, just beautiful," Matt sighed.

"So if you don't mind me asking, why did you and your ex break up?" I asked
hesitantly, not wanting to intrude in his personal life. But I felt fairly
comfortable with him and had a feeling he wouldn't mind my curious
questioning.

"Oh, we were together for such a long time, and we just grew apart," Matt
sighed. "It does happen, and although I knew it, I wasn't admitting it to
myself. We had a huge fight, and I was really upset about it. Like, he
seemed so ok with it. Like, I know he was sad, but he was so accepting. He
realized that we were growing apart and I wasn't who I was back then, but
for me," he sighed heavily once again, "I was still holding on to the past,
loving him in the past, you know?"

I smiled. "Yeah, I can understand."

"It's just that, well, I thought it was going to be forever. I really,
really did. Actually, I'm still not completely over it. Have you ever had
complete faith in something, and when it let you down, you just seemed to
lose everything?" he asked, hurt apparent in his green eyes.

I didn't know what to say and I just looked at him.

"We were together for twelve years."

I whistled. "Wow, that's a long time. How old are you?" I blurted out
curiously. "Oh sorry, the questions just seem to fly out of my mouth."

"It's ok," he said with a small smile. "We met in college. When I was
20. He was 22. That makes me 32."

I nodded. "When did you two break up?" I asked softly.

"Oh god," he whispered. "Over a year. A year and a half, soon. A month and
seven days to be precise."

I raised my brow. "I know you're not over him," I said gently. "but
counting the days and remembering every detail, it doesn't exactly help
you."

"I know, I know, but I can't get him out of my head."

"You just need to go out and do different things," I urged. "Force yourself
and over time you wouldn't have to keep forcing yourself, you know? Take on
a new sport, meet new friends, try that online dating?"

"I can't."

"You're a whiner," I snorted. "Just do it!"

"I just feel so alone," Matt finally whispered.

"Do you have any friends to go out with?" I ventured.

"The thing is, our friends are all mutual and I kind of dropped them
because it became too painful to hear about his life. He's dating someone
new," Matt said sadly. "My parents live in another country, moving there
for their retirement. We're on good terms, but with work, I can't take off
for too long, unless I wait for vacation breaks. I have no siblings. I'm
all alone."

"You're not all alone. You have me," I said sincerely. "I'm your friend."

He didn't say anything.

"Matt."

He looked up.

"Really, I'm your friend. We should meet for coffee more often. And start
doing other things, like checking out Jackson's capoeira practices. Or eat
at funky restaurants," I said excitedly.

Matt laughed. "You're too funny. What's capoeira?"

"It's Jackson's one true love," I rolled my eyes. "He's the president this
year and he oversees everything, so he's super busy. But it's a Brazilian
martial arts and it's a lot of break dancing used to fight. Kind of fun. I
get free access to everything since I know high people," I grinned.

"Ooh, lucky you," he joked.

"Seriously Matt, let's hang out more. Everyone needs a friend," I said
seriously. "Loneliness is a terrible thing. It's a sad thing. It can ruin
you. Don't let it. Let's hang out and have fun," I put my hand on his arm.

Looking at my arm, he slowly traveled up to my face. Staring into my eyes,
he nodded.

"Ok. Thanks Mace, thanks."

"Anytime," I smiled sipping the remainder of my coffee quickly. Then I
flinched.

"What's wrong?" Matt asked with alarm.

"Brain freeze!"

Matt began laughing loudly, snorting.

"It's not funny!"

"Alter your definition of funny!" he shot back, crowing.

I frowned and rubbed my forehead. "Dick," I whispered.

"I still grade your papers," he laughed, tears forming.

"Mr. Dick," I corrected. "I have manners," I pointed out, sticking my
tongue out at him.

He laughed further.

**********

"You know, hanging out with you, we really don't do anything, but it's
really fun anyway," Matt mused as he walked beside me while, munching on a
donut from the large supermarket.  Technically, we really weren't doing
anything but walking in the large shopping mall complex center. You know,
the center with a bunch of stores all together? Well, this particular one
was great, with a large, newly renovated grocery store, a pizza joint, a
Best Buy, some little shops like a card store, a Staples, a liquor store, a
Starbucks, and a Boston Market. There were also some Chinese restaurants
and buffets.

Literally, it was the perfect place.

First, I hit up the grocery store and picked up some fruit, chips, soda,
and mini bagels on sale. I loved making peanut butter bagel sandwiches for
school and eating on the go. Then Matt got the munchies, so he bought a
donut and now we were walking around, trying to figure out what do. In the
meantime we just talked leisurely.

"So is this what you normally do when you hangout?" he asked curiously.

"Is that a nice way of asking if I'm always this lame?" I joked.

"No!" he exclaimed.

"Chill man, I was just joking," I grinned. "But honestly, yeah, I am a bit
boring. Jackson gets annoyed with me sometimes because I'm like a wet
blanket when it comes to parties. For our joint 21st I was a bit grumpy,
but in my defense, it was all his friends! Sometimes he's so bossy and just
doesn't listen to what I want."

"Which is?"

"A nice quiet dinner with my good friends," I said simply. "I'm a simple
guy. I was never in that frat party, booze scene. I rarely drink and the
only time I got shit faced was for my birthday celebration. Anyway,
nowadays, my dates with Kyle are laid back, quiet, boring if you will," I
admitted. "But that's what works for us. Kyle's just like me, so we fit
together."

"What do you do?" he asked curiously.

"A lot of the times, Kyle cooks for me and I have dinner at his house. He's
an amazing cook which is why I would never ever leave him," I laughed. "Or
we have movie marathons at my house and buy a bunch of snacks, since I
can't cook for my life. For Valentine's Day we went to Chucky Cheese
instead of a fancy restaurant and gifts. We'd rather just spend time
together, you know? That's more important."

"That's good," Matt agreed. "You two are connected and stay connected. A
lot of dates have no meaning. Like hitting up a movie, you never really get
to talk, so what's the freaking point?"

"Exactly," I said. I tugged on his sleeve. "Let's check out the liquor
store."

"I thought you didn't drink?"

"Doesn't mean I can't look. And besides, I'm interested in making mixed
drinks," I said. "They taste good."

"I love the girly drinks. The fruity ones," he grinned impishly. "I'm so
gay."

I laughed loudly. "Nothing wrong with that. It takes a real man to admit
something like that."

"Thanks!"

Entering the liquor store, we started perusing the aisles. "What should I
get?" I wondered aloud, looking at all the colorful bottles but not knowing
what the hell they were or how they tasted.

I scratched my head.

"Clueless?" Mark asked innocently.

"Shut up," I said. "Yeah, a raging drunk who knows their liquor. Super
cool!" I mocked.

He laughed.

"Ooh, Smirnoff!" I said looking at the six pack case. "These are really
good. The Mojitos and Apple ones are pretty good," I said eyeing them.

"Those are weak," he said.

"Whatever," I said pouting. "I'll take them. It's good enough for me. I'm
not good at holding my liquor." I picked up a case in each hand.

"No kidding?" Matt asked in fake surprise.

"I will choose to ignore that comment," I said striding ahead with my head
held high. He laughed behind me. "Ooh, mini vodka bottles," I said
excitedly at the register. "Look, in different flavors," I pointed out to
Matt. "Oh, they're so cute," I squealed quietly to myself, so as to not
look like a total ass in front of the kids manning the registers.

"You're something else," Matt muttered smiling to himself.

I added them to my pile. "They're too cute not to buy," I whispered to Matt
as I handed over my ID and credit card.

He snorted behind his hand but I was too busy paying for my purchase to do
anything about it.

"You're not planning on drinking all of this tonight are you?" the guy
asked as he placed my alcohol in a plastic bag.

I laughed. "No, no. I'll, um, space it out."

"He's lying. He's gonna go home and have a pity party," Matt said poking
his head from behind me.

"I smell an alkie," the guy quipped.

"I am not," I said. "Don't listen to him; he's an ass," I explained
indicating Matt. "Thanks," I smiled grabbing my stuff.

Matt laughed. "What's next?"

"Hungry?" I asked. "Want to grab a bite? We have the options of pizza or
Chinese food or even chicken with fixings."

"Fixings?"

"Mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, the yummy classics," I explained.

"Tough choice," Matt nodded. "What you feeling?"

"A combination of all of them!" I cried out.

"Umm."

"Let's go with pizza. They also have other food there, like pastas and
chicken and salads and subs. So I can get a lot. Oh by the way, you don't
know me that well, but I eat a lot and it's scary," I warned.

He laughed. "I can take it."

"Good," I said switching directions for the pizza place. "I'm
starving. Let's bounce."

**********

Jackson carefully threw the ball at Eric, who angled his glove to catch
it. He hopped and grinned when he just barely caught it.

I smiled and held up my glove waiting for Eric to throw it back to me. I
watched as his entire body shifted to throw it and it didn't get much of an
arc, but I lunged to catch it.

"Yay!" Eric cheered and I laughed.

"So how was your week?" Jackson asked as I passed him the ball. "I haven't
seen you in so long and we need to catch up."

"Afraid that my Dad might have gotten some new furniture?" I
snickered. "And you're afraid we're miles apart in terms of communication."

"Shut your hole! Don't mock me!" he said. "I like to be updated with your
life. Got a problem with that?" he demanded. "Now," he paused
dramatically. "Did your Dad really get new furniture? What kind? What
color? Where in the house?"

I giggled. "No." I aimed the ball carefully at Eric. "I hung out with my
professor last night."

"Huh?" Jackson wasn't looking at Eric and he jumped when he felt the ball
hit his foot. "Eric!"

"Sorry!" he chirped.

Jackson picked up the ball and looked at me. "Time out Eric, ok?"

Eric pouted. "Why?" he whined.

"Go get a popsicle, Eric," Jackson ordered.

That cheered the child up. Throwing his glove to the ground, he started
running into the house.

"Why were you hanging with your professor?" he asked.

"He's a really nice guy and we got to talking about writing and
relationships and he was really lonely. So I said we should hang out."

"How old is he?"

"34."

Jackson whistled.

"We're just friends."

"Yeah, but most students don't hang out with their professors," he pointed
out. "What does Kyle think about this?"

"I'm allowed to have friends," I said feeling annoyed. "We weren't doing
anything."

"Is he straight?"

I paused. "He's gay. That's how we got to talking, about his ex and how
he's not over him."

"Ooh, a guy on the rebound. Not cool. He will so be hitting on you,
man. End this shit now," Jackson advised.

I shook my head. "No way, he's a good friend. Everyone needs a friend."

"You're too into helping people. This could backfire once he starts putting
the moves on you. He's lonely, you two have fun together and click, he'll
start liking you. It's only natural."

"I told him I have a serious boyfriend," I said.

"That's good," Jackson admitted, "But he won't see it that way. He'll like
you and think you two are meant for each other. You and Kyle have a great
thing going and you shouldn't let anything jeopardize it."

"Matt won't. He's really nice."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Jackson said looking worried and
bothered. "I wouldn't be comfortable with Corey being friends with his
older professor. Is he good looking?"

"Yeah, he's attractive."

"Bad sign. Only be friends with toads."

"Jackson!"

"I'm serious! Good-looking people can rarely have a platonic relationship."

"You don't know what you're talking about; if there are no feelings there,
then it doesn't matter how good-looking both people are," I argued. "Like I
don't have the hots for Corey and Kyle doesn't worry about me and you."

"That's different," Jackson said. "You and me, we're like brothers, so
that'd be plain disgusting. And we're very different people. And Corey,
well, you love Kyle, so why would you ever go after Corey?"

"Exactly."

"No, not exactly," Jackson said sighing. "With you and your teacher man,
you're fair game. You haven't had a long history with one another where
you're purely platonic friends or whatever. It would be pretty easy for him
to like you, I'm guessing. Being alone and needing a connection, as soon as
he finds a connection with you, he'll start wanting to be with you. Even if
you don't reciprocate-"

"I won't! I love Kyle," I insisted.

"Ok, even when you don't reciprocate," he went on. "It will create waves
for you and Kyle and I don't want that to happen. You and him, jeez, you
two are sickeningly cute together and perfect for one another and I think
it's meant to last. I just don't want any extra shit or drama."

"I appreciate you looking out for me, but I'm fine really. I can handle
myself. I'm not always a big baby," I said.

"I didn't say you were," Jackson said, "But you're so innocent and genuine
and you know, it works against you in some situations."

"I'll handle it," I stated confidently.

"Fair enough," Jackson said. "Eric! Come back and play with us!"

"Yay!" Eric cheered running back out with two popsicles in his mouth. When
one fell out of his mouth, he looked at the grass. "Oh no." Then the other
ice pop fell out. "Oh poop!"