Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2013 05:41:22 -0800 (PST)
From: Kyle Bryson <bryson.kyle@yahoo.com>
Subject: One Step At A Time - 13

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Disclaimer: The following story may contain scenes of unprotected sex.
Always use caution when engaging in ANY sexual activity with a new or
unknown partner. Be honest with yourself... you might not know the other
person as well as you think and it just isn't worth the risk. Thanks for
reading and feel free to contact me with your comments at
bryson.kyle@yahoo.com

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Friday rolled around and Ryan's phone call woke me.  He sounded excited.

"Will you be ready in an hour?"

I looked at the clock - 6:30.  "Ry, I hope this is worth it," I groaned
into the phone.  My voice was raspy.

"It's absolutely worth it... and - yes - I know tomorrow is your birthday
even though you tried to keep it from me.  I want you to have a good time
this weekend and I want as much time with you as I can get... so get your
fine ass out of bed and get ready."  He hung up on me.  Good grief he
sounded excited.

I showered and shaved my face, but I'd been skipping the body shaving for
almost 10 days - ever since Ryan mentioned that he wanted me with hair.  He
noticed the body stubble when we had sex last Sunday, but this week had
been crazy and, with his little stunt a few days ago, we had not been
together all week.  I looked at myself in the mirror... my pubic bush was
coming in nicely and it made me horny for him.  If he wanted me to himself
this whole weekend he was definitely going to get pounded.

I had my packed bag on the floor and was slipping-on my leather flip-flops
when I heard him use his key to the front door.  My bedroom door was
cracked open, so he pushed his way in.

"Hey," he said.

"Hello," I said smiling.  "We have big weekend plans or what?"

A huge grin was plastered on his face.  "Oh yeah... big plans.".  He came
up to kiss me, but I held him back - my arms on his chest blocking him from
coming closer.

"What gives with you this week?"  I asked as he put his hands on my waist.

"I know.  I'm sorry," he said.  "I'll make it up to you this weekend, ok?"
He locked my eyes with his and I could tell he was being sincere.

I nodded, brought my arms down and let him kiss me and his hand made it
down to my crotch and my dick started to swell.  We kissed for a few
minutes - tongues, lips and teeth - enjoying the feel and taste of each
other.

"I promise I'll take care of this later, too," he said pulling back from
our kiss - his hand still rubbing my cock.  I nodded and we headed out.

<><><><>


We drove through downtown like we were going to the hospital, but as we
turned onto Brorein and then Bayshore I was confused about where he could
be taking me.  I tried to relax by scanning the beautiful houses
overlooking the water, until we slowed to make a turn.  Ryan turned onto a
side street and immediately turned into a driveway that curved along the
side of the house.  The curved driveway would allow for at least 10 cars.
He looked like he was about to jump out of his skin.

Pulling the keys out of the ignition, he grabbed my hand.  "Do you trust
me?"

I hesitated, but only for effect. "Yes," I said.

He reached behind his seat and produced a black mask and handed it to me.
I mocked him with my eyebrows at him as I put it on.  We all know that
blindfolds force you to concentrate on your other senses, and that was
happening with me - the sound of him leaving the car and his footsteps as
he approached my door... the brush of the hairs on his arm against my
arm.... the smell of his body as he reached across me to release the seat
belt... the taste of mint on his lips as he kissed me... the feel of his
hand in mine as he helped me out of the car.

"Hold on," he said, putting my arm around his waist and wrapping his arm
around my shoulders.  We were walking hip-to-hip toward the gate leading
into the backyard.  Ryan walked slowly as I tried to match his steps.  I
could hear water flowing into a pool to my right and knew the house was on
my left.

After instructions to "step up" and "turn this way" we made it to the door.

"Can I take this off yet?" I asked, moving my hands to my face.

"Not yet.  Almost."

The door opened and the scent hit me first-thing.  A scent so familiar that
I smiled and started laughing... and so did she.

"You smelled my perfume, didn't you?" My mom asked as I removed my
blindfold.

I nodded as she came to me and hugged me.  Then my dad hugged me and told
me they'd been planning this weekend for well over a month.

"Ryan has been so helpful.  This weekend would be incomplete without his
assistance," my mom said as she hugged him.

"So, you've met?" I asked, looking at him.

Ryan nodded.  "Your parents came in last night and I met them here, but
we've been talking on the phone all week.  I'm sorry, babe," he said,
caressing my face, then kissing me.  "This is why I've been so distant this
week.  I've been your mother's errand boy."  We all laughed.

"So, formal introductions - Mom, Dad - this is 'Ryan,'" I said.  "Ryan, my
parents 'Craig' and 'Annette'."

"Craig.  Annette.  Nice to meet you... AGAIN," he said, laughing.

"Well, I guess there IS something planned for my birthday after all," I
said.

I learned that one of my father's investors has houses along Bayshore that
he purchased and renovated.  When my father mentioned doing something for
my birthday, this man offered to let us use them for the weekend.  "There
are several houses in a row," my Dad said, "so your friends can stay the
night or through the weekend - especially after drinking."

I looked at Ryan.  "You and I are staying next door.  There's another house
two houses down, but the party will be here tonight - out back," he said.

I turned to look at the backyard and was amazed at the work that had been
done.  A gazebo to the right was decorated with lights and lanterns, then
Chinese lanterns were attached from the gazebo to different places around
the backyard.  There were tables set-up for seating - and for food - I
assumed... and it was a HUGE backyard for this area of Tampa.  I was
certain this property encompassed half a block.

I turned back to my parents and hugged them again.  "Thank you for this."

<><><><>


Ryan and I went back to the car to get our things and walked to the house
next door.  "This is our home away from home for the next couple of days,"
he said as he opened the front door.

The house was beautiful.  I guessed the structure was probably 100 years
old, but the inside and outside had been carefully restored and remodeled.
To the left of the entry were a set of leaded-glass doors opening to a
two-story library.  The room wasn't massive, but with the ebony wood and
dark leather furniture it was impressive.  Ryan led the way as I followed
him upstairs.  We rounded a corner, walked down a long hallway and entered
a bedroom that was bigger than the combined kitchen and living room in the
house where I currently lived.

I took a deep breath and scanned the room.  The walls were painted pale
yellow contrasting with the ceiling which was off-white.  Small touches of
color were spread among the room, but - taking it all in - I immediately
felt at peace.  A king-sized bed sat in the middle of the main wall with
openings on both sides leading to the bathroom.  A large antique armoire
was to my left with a pocket door that probably led to a closet.  The room
opened into an octagonal sitting area which jutted-out away from the room.
Within this octagon was a small couch, two chairs and a table with a lamp.
Finally, on the outside wall across from the bed were two sets of french
doors that opened to the balcony.

We dropped our bags and Ryan immediately went to the French doors and
stepped out onto the patio.  I followed.  We were now looking out at the
back of the house.  The pool was below us and the Hillsborough Bay
opened-up beyond the yard.

"Nice, huh?"  He was beaming.

"It's great," I said.  It was serene at this time of the morning.

He turned to an ice chest on the ground, grabbed two bottles of beer and
handed me one.  "'It's Noon somewhere,'" he said, mimicking the Jimmy
Buffett song.  I looked at my watch... it was almost 9 am.

"You want to start THIS early?" I asked him.

He shrugged, opened a bottle and handed it to me, then opened a bottle for
himself.  He 'clinked' my bottle and immediately started chugging his beer.

"Whoa there, cowboy," I said.  "Aren't we going for a ride later?"  I
laughed as I took a long drink of the ice cold beer.

The sun was in my face, the breeze was coming off the Bay and Ryan was here
next to me.  I was feeling good about life right now.  I closed my eyes and
turned my face into the sun, then felt his hand on my crotch.

"How about we make 'later' earlier?" he asked.  He kissed me and grabbed my
hand as we laughed, went inside, made-out and got off.

<><><><>


Returning next door after our quick get-off session and shower, I learned
that the weekend was planned with room for "minor adjustments only,"
according to my mother.

The party would start at 3 pm, but most of my friends were going to show-up
after work or classes ended for them.  According to my mother a lot of
people were on the RSVP list.  Being an expert party planner, she had
developed a formula to determine how many additional people would show-up
based on the number who had responded.  Her guess was that over 100 people
would be here tonight.

A few of my father's work associates would arrive early, and wouldn't stay,
I assumed.  Food was being catered, of course, and the caterers were set to
arrive at any minute.  Ryan told me he had invited his friends and asked if
that was ok with me.  His friends were my friends and we needed to start
mixing them if we could, so I was fine with it.  His parents were also set
to show-up sometime over the weekend.

Tomorrow would be a boating day, "as soon as everyone is up and awake," my
father added.  They'd rented a few boats and were planning to go to one of
the nearby islands for the day - cookouts, football, water, beer, sun,
tits, dicks - fuck, I was going to be on overload.  Then, we'd head back to
the house for more partying tomorrow night.  The weekend would end with a
nice big Sunday brunch and everyone who was still standing would head back
to where they started.

"The boys should be here within the next hour," my father said looking at
his watch... it was 10:45.  Ryan and I were working on our second beer
each.  My dad started his first when we came in with our cold beers, after
receiving a scolding look from my mother, of course.

"The boys will be sleeping here with us," my mother chimed-in.  "And
there's room for at least a dozen others here in this house.  About a dozen
can sleep next door and I'm sure another 10 or so in the house you're in."
She was drinking coffee and took a sip.  I suspected there might be a bit
of Bailey's floating in there... just for flavor, of course.

"We have a few hours to kill," Dad said.  "Want to lay by the pool and
talk?"  He looked at me first, but the question was posed to both of us.

"We just had a shower," I said - then stopped myself because I hadn't
thought that one through.  I could feel myself blushing starting at my
neck.

"Good grief," my mother said.  "Marc, we're fine with what you do!"  She
laughed, but I felt a little embarrassed.  And then, as soon as I realized
it, I let it go... deciding that I would just own it.

"Yes," Ryan piped in, answering my father's question. The look of surprise
on my father's face was priceless and it hit me later that Ryan had made a
decision for us as a couple.  So, sitting and talking, Ryan made a great
impression on my father as they talked financial matters, politics and
generally chased rabbit trails.  I allowed Ryan to shine and was glad to
witness this moment with him and my father.

The boys and my sister arrived at Noon and I finally got to introduce them
to Ryan.  It was funny to see the interaction and reactions from my
brothers.  My sister, who was allowed to bring a friend for the weekend,
made her way upstairs to play and left us out by the pool.  When my parents
went inside 'to make sure things are ready,' I knew they were leaving us so
the boys could get to know Ryan.

Chris was the first to start asking the questions.

"So, Ryan, how long you been gay?" Chris asked - first question, right out
of the box.  I was surprised, but didn't have time to say anything because
Ryan quickly responded.  "How long have you been straight?"

They both started laughing and the ice was broken.  It was definitely like
a game of '20 Questions,' except they were all asking questions of each
other.  Ryan was asking questions about their lives, sports, school, girls.
Brody was more animated than I'd seen him in a while, but it wasn't until
he mentioned that a friend at school had just come out that his questions
and interest made more sense.  It was interesting to hear Ryan tell about
how he'd always known he was gay and about how difficult it can be for
someone who is "coming out" in high school.  He encouraged my brothers to
reach-out to the gay guys, if they were comfortable.

"You have a small opportunity to make a huge impact in someone's life,"
Ryan said.  "If you're nice to him - yeah - he might get the idea that
you're interested, but that's because he's probably used to being shunned -
or worse - especially by the jocks."

I excused myself as Ryan was talking and went inside for a minute to hear
Brody speaking up.  They were deep into the conversation now.

"... and what if he wants to do something with me?" Brody finished.  He was
obviously talking about his friend who just came-out.

"You've known this guy since you were kids?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah - like, first grade," Brody answered.

"I'd say don't sweat that stuff.  He needs a friend and ally right now.
That's the most important thing.  Show your support for him, and - Brody,
you could be saving his life!"

I had gone inside to get beer for all of us, so I handed the open bottles
around.  I don't encourage underage drinking - and my brothers mostly
abstain from alcohol because of sports, but - if there was ever a time for
drinking with my brothers it was now.

"What do you mean?" Brody asked.

"Bro, guys commit suicide over this kind of thing," Chris said after taking
a huge gulp of beer.

"I know people who've tried it," Ryan said.

We all drank from our beers and the mood was somber.  There was a long
pause as we all drank from our bottles.

"Can I say two things?"  I asked.  They all nodded.  "First - I'd like to
drink to someone who dealt with this and lived a great life... 'To Joey,'"
I said.  We all clinked beer bottles and each took a drink.  "Now,
second... it's my birthday weekend and we're not going to talk about sad
shit any more," I said.  "Brody - do the right thing and make sure you're a
stand-up friend to that kid, ok?"  It sounded much more stern than I
intended and Brody looked at me like I was the big brother giving him an
order to follow, but I'd made my point and was ready to move on with the
day.

He nodded.  "I will.  I really will."  He pulled his cell phone out and got
up.  "I'm gonna' call him right now."  He walked away with the phone to his
ear.

Chris, Ryan and I all smiled at each other.  Unintended consequences and
side-effects of our life decisions.  This was a positive consequence.

So we sat and talked more - about life and school and girls.  Ryan asked
them a lot more questions and I wondered if he was really that interested
in them or if it was psychology at work.  I caught myself over-thinking the
whole thing, so I let it go and enjoyed the time.  An hour passed and we
all decided that we'd like to clean-up before everyone started arriving.

Back in our room, I asked, "Are your friends gonna make it?"

"Yeah, I think so.  I gave them the address and info.  They should show up
tonight, but I told Ed I'd follow-up with him, so I'll call him now."

I got into the shower for a quick wash-off and noticed him watching me
while he was on the phone.  I decided to make a show of it for him and made
sure he could see my cock, chest and armpits as I was washing.  By the time
I turned around to let him see me washing my ass, my cock was rock-hard, so
the show was good for me, too.  Ryan was off the phone and was pulling his
bathing suit down the next time I looked out at him.

I left the water running for him and started to step out as he stepped in.
He kissed me long and hard as we switched places - he was now under the
water and I was just out of the spray, but still standing in the shower.
He stepped into me and didn't say anything... no words, just lots of tongue
with the tip of his finger rubbing my cock-head the entire time.  He pulled
himself from my face, stepped away and grabbed the body wash.

"Tease," I said, smacking him on the ass.

"Perv," he answered.  I nodded and watched as he put-on a shower show for
me.  At the end, we both jacked ourselves into the shower stream and down
the drain.  Other than porn, that was the first time I'd ever seen a guy
jack himself.

<><><><>


Things were in full swing when we walked next door at 3:15.  I thought my
mom would be running around, but she had a party planner there doing all
the work (I should have known) and it seemed like he was doing a great job
since my mother was sitting outside with my father.  It was hot, but the
fans and fan-misters were working to keep the backyard cooler.

"You want a beer, babe?" Ryan asked me.

"Yeah, but put it in a cup.  I'm not legal until tomorrow and I don't want
to get anyone in trouble."

"Marc, it'll be fine.  You're not getting a cup," he sneered as he walked
off.  'Bossy older men,' I thought and laughed.

I'd been fighting hunger, but now that the was food spread out I couldn't
resist.  I got wings, a cuban sandwich and chips and fixed the same plate
for Ryan.  No one else had shown-up to the party yet, so we stood at a high
top table and talked, ate and drank our beers.  For a few minutes I was in
my own world with him... laughing and talking like we always do, totally
oblivious to our surroundings.  He made me laugh hard several times and, as
I took a swig of beer to clear my throat, I caught my parents looking at
us.  Ryan saw me look and turned around as they smiled and waved at us.  I
knew they were sizing us up... looking at the interaction, the non-verbal
communication and the forming relationship between us and the thought made
me smile again.

Just as we finished eating, I heard car doors shut our front.  There were
signs directing people to the back gate and the first people to arrive were
Taylor and his boyfriend, Tank.  My mother had obviously invited them and
as soon as they arrived, Taylor was the celebrity.  I spent a few minutes
with them, but the next guys to walk in were my buddies from the wrestling
team and things got busy from then on.

My father's friends and business associates arrived early and didn't stay
long, each arriving within minutes of the other.  I spent a few minutes
with them, and thanked them for their gifts, but I was certainly dressed
for my pool party and none of them wanted to keep me for long.

As darkness came in the humidity stayed high.  Everyone - men and women -
started removing their shirts and some were in the pool.  None of the women
were naked, but a few hadn't worn bathing suits, so they were in their bras
and most of those bras left NOTHING to the imagination - which was a huge
turn-on.  Of course, Chris and Brody were on high alert thinking they were
going to get laid and, from the looks of things they had good reason to be
optimistic.  Both were getting plenty of attention from the women.  It
wasn't my place to put salt in anyone's game, but I talked to them both to
confirm that they had condoms (they did) and reminded them that the house
next door was where I was staying and they were welcome to use one of the
spare rooms if needed.  After all, I'm the big bro and I need to do my
part.

My roommates showed up early and Cam and I had a few minutes to talk and
bullshit before it got busy.  I'd gotten so busy that I felt I was
neglecting him - and I apologized for it - but he said it was bound to
happen and that it only made sense with all I had going on.  Still, I
planned to make an effort to spend more time with someone who has always
been my best friend.

As the hours passed, more and more people showed up until there were well
over 100 college guys and girls milling around.  The entire wrestling team
showed up along with some of their girlfriends.  Our head coach and a few
assistant coaches were there, too.  There were people from the University
Singers and my vocal coach stopped by to drop-off a present and to wish me
a happy birthday.  I've always been nice to everyone and social, but I
didn't realize there were this many people who'd want to come out for my
birthday.  A few guys from Joe's showed up, too - Lance, being one of them
- but they all played it cool.  I could tell Lance was flirting with me
several times - and Ryan saw it, one time for sure - but nothing happened
that would have been over the top.

In the process of the night, people started to realize that something was
going on with me and Ryan.  I didn't make an announcement, but people saw
us together and, as I became more relaxed - and had more beer - we showed
more open affection for each other.  Kissing him or grabbing him already
felt like second nature to me, so it wasn't a far stretch that it would
become public.  I stayed busy milling-around the party, but some people
were avoiding me.  I chalked it up to paranoia, but it seemed real.

Blaine and Derek drove together and were moving around the party on their
own and together, but I caught them looking at each other from across the
pool several times.  Everyone knew they were roommates, but I was the only
one who knew they were a couple.  I'd already decided they would stay in
the house with me and Ryan and, when I told them, they were excited to hear
about it.

Around 11, I noticed a large group of the wrestling guys talking near the
kegs, so I made my way over.  Derek was in the group talking, but I didn't
see Blaine until he joined a few minutes later.  They were on opposite
sides of the circle from each other and it seemed odd to me that they
weren't standing near each other.  They were exchanging weird looks and I
finally noticed Derek nod his head.  At that point, Blaine interrupted
everything and said he wanted the floor to speak.  As the team captain, he
did this regularly, so it was no big deal, and considering that this was a
birthday party it made even more sense that he'd want to say something.

Blaine drained his beer and Derek moved around the outside of the circle
toward him.  We were in an odd formation - not really a circle, more like
an oval - but when Derek got to Blaine he took his empty cup and went to
refill it for him.  It was such a fluid, seamless movement for them and I
looked to see who else might have picked-up on that interaction, but it
seemed that I was the only one who paid attention.  When Derek handed him
his fresh beer, Blaine started talking - with Derek now standing at his
side.  There were 4 or 5 guys between me and Blaine on one side and about
25 of us in this oddly-shaped circle..

"Marc," he said as he looked at me, "you've been with our team a short
time, but already you're part of the family."  I looked around and there
were nods and smiles directed my way.  "As the head of our little family
right here, I want to say that I'm proud to have you on our team," - 'here,
here' - "I'm proud to call you my friend," - 'yeah' - "but, most of all,
I'm proud to call you my brother."  A few guys cheered, but everyone seemed
to nod and be in agreement.  I looked into Blaine's face with his
glazed-over eyes and could tell he was a little drunk and in a great
mood... but not slurring his words or wobbling.

He continued, "Marc, right here - in front of everyone - I want to say that
I support you and Ryan.  I want you to be happy bro, and if that makes you
happy then it makes me happy for you."  I stayed focused on his face and
smiled at him, but I could tell a couple of guys got nervous at that
statement because there was shifting and moving around going on.  Then,
from the corner of my eye, I saw Coach come into the circle opposite
Blaine.

"And, Marc - I don't want to take away from your birthday, but... can I
make an announcement?"  I knew what he meant and I nodded.  Then, looking
at Coach, he asked, "Coach.  Is that ok with you?"

We all looked to Coach Daws who also nodded.

Blaine took a deep breath.  He looked at the ground, looked back up at the
guys in the circle then grabbed Derek's hand.  "Guys, I'm gay."

"And so am I," Derek said.

"And we're dating," Blaine finished.

It was rapid-fire... the way they completed each other's sentences and
thoughts and I know it was taking a few minutes for everything to sink in
because it immediately got quiet in the circle.  TOO quiet, actually, and
people outside of the circle were looking to see what was up.  I got
nervous expecting some sort of big reaction, though I don't know why I
would have.  It seemed like minutes, but was probably 5 seconds, before
Shave spoke up, "Big fucking deal!" he said smiling and laughing.  "Can we
get back to the party now?"  The guys laughed.  I mean, REALLY laughed, and
- wow - it seemed to be ok.

As the group broke up, I went to Blaine and Derek and told them how proud I
was of them.  They both hugged me and then several other guys from the team
came over to talk to all of us and a couple of hugs went around.  Coach
Daws came over and said he was proud of them for being honest.  It was
weird being in this new "gay" group, but we were still among friends and it
seemed genuine to me.  Well, as genuine as it can be with a bunch of
drinking college guys.

<><><><>


I mingled a little after that announcement, but - with all the people - I
was starting to feel a little overwhelmed.  I felt like I needed a few
minutes to myself, so I found a quiet, dark place at the back of the
property under some trees and sat on the bench back there.

"You knew it would be like this," I said to myself out loud, resting my
head in my hands.  The sweat was dripping off my forehead onto the ground.

"Knew WHAT would be like this?"  I jumped as my dad emerged around the
tree.

"Fuck, you scared me!" I said, jumping back, my heart racing.

"Sorry, Sport.  I saw you head back here and figured I would check on you.
You ok?"  He sat down next to me and put his hand on my back.  "Ugh," he
said feeling the sweat, then wiping his hand on his shorts.

I laughed.  "Yeah - it's a little warm out here."

"Well, you're dancing around like... well, I don't know what to call it,
but you're burning some calories for sure," he finished.

"No doubt," I said.

"So... you ok?" he asked again.

I nodded and took a drink of my beer.  "Yeah - the party is great.  Just
needed to take a little break, that's all."

"Marc...Sport...this is ME you're talking to here."

I didn't think he could really see my face here in the dark, but he knew me
well enough that he didn't have to read my expressions.  I took a deep
breath and let it out slowly, willing the tension to leave with it.

I nodded again.  "I'm good... just getting tired of answering questions
about me and Ryan... and, my brain is tired of dealing with it all."  I put
my hand on his arm.  "This is perfect - I mean - I get to tell and show
everyone at once, but it certainly caught a lot of people off guard.  And
did you see that girl slap me earlier?"

"What?!  No.  Who?  When?"

"Some girl I fucked last year.  She's like, 'I didn't know you were a fag
or I wouldn't have let you touch me'."

"Damn.  What did you do?"  My dad asked taking a drink of whatever was in
his plastic cup. He knows I'm a gentleman, but when I'm provoked the gloves
come off.

I shrugged.  "I reminded her that she begged me to fuck her and told her
she was such a shitty lay that the only ones who would want her were the
desperate gay ones."

We laughed.  "Ouch - you said that?"

"Yeah, I did," I said, then throwing my arms up in defense, "well, the
bitch hit me.  She's lucky I didn't push her skank ass into the pool!"

"You'll have to point her out when we go back out there."

"Nah.  She's gone.  Her friend saw her hit me and took her drunk ass home,"
I said, now more relaxed.

"Speaking of that... you don't seem drunk at all," my dad said.  "What the
hell kind of 21st birthday is this if you don't throw up tonight?"

"I think I've only had 4 or 5 beers all day."  I looked at my watch.  It
was 12:08.  "Hey, it's officially my birthday."

He looked at his watch.  "So it is."  He stood up and I joined him.  "Well,
let me be the first to tell you 'happy birthday' ON your birthday."  My dad
then wrapped me into a big hug like only a dad can and it was a great
feeling.  This time, he didn't seem to care about the sweat.

<><><><>


The party started thinning out around 2:30, mostly because my mom started
quizzing people an hour earlier to find-out if they were driving or
staying.  If they were staying, they could keep drinking, but driving home?
"Here's your bottle of water," she would say.  It helped that she hired an
off-duty deputy to man the gate.

At around 3:00, I was approached by Kiki, a girl from the Singers, and by a
guy who was obviously her boyfriend.  He was dressed casually in a t-shirt,
board shorts and flip flops and had a classic surfer-dude look about him -
6'1", muscular and lean, sun-bleached curly hair, glowing tanned skin and
an 'I Love The World' attitude plastered on his face.

"Killer party, dude," he said, clinking beers with me.

"Yeah - my parents are good at this stuff," I answered.

Kiki said, "I guess your brothers aren't gay," then motioned to Brody who
was making-out with Amaris, a gorgeous Honduran chick from one of my
classes.

"No, they're not, but I'm not really gay either," I replied.

Her boyfriend snorted.  "Yeah, try saying THAT with a dick in your mouth,"
he said, then took a drink of his beer.

I took a step closer to him.  "Yeah? You should try saying that with my
fist in yours!"  I tossed my beer bottle into the grass and was ready to
kick his ass when someone approached me from behind.

"Everything ok, boys?" The officer asked, his hand now on my shoulder.

"Yes sir," the other guy said taking a couple of steps back.  I still
didn't know his name.  "Look... I didn't mean any offense," he said turning
back to me - the officer still standing next to me.  "I'm sorry - it was
just a joke that didn't come out right."  He paused, then put his hand out.
"Bro's?"

I shook his hand, but I was still pumped up and could feel it in my eyes.
"Sure," I said.  "It's ok."  We dropped hands.  "So, what's your name,
anyway?"

"Brett," he answered, sounding a little nervous now.  "And, seriously - I
didn't mean anything by that.  It just didn't come out right."  Kiki was
looking up at him smiling, obviously proud that he was apologizing.  Seeing
her look at him like that calmed me right down.

"It's all good," I answered him.  "It's kinda' new for me, so.. I mean,
this is the first time people have found out about it... and it really only
happened about a month ago with Ryan..."

"A month?" he seemed surprised.  "Like - you've only been with dudes for a
month?"

"He was always with girls before," Kiki chimed in.

"Not 'dudes.'  One dude - Ryan... and I still like chicks, Brett - LOVE
them, in fact... and if Kiki weren't here, I could throw-down the nasty
talk with you, but I won't do that to you, Kiki," I said looking at her.

She smiled and thanked me.  The officer walked away, picking up my beer
bottle from the grass on his way.

"I met Ryan and we just clicked," I told them both.  "Nothing I planned or
even thought could happen, but I'm just going with it."

"Well, seeing you guys I would never guess you're gay," Brett said.

I paused.  "I'm not even sure how to respond to that," I said, "and I know
you're not trying to be offensive or anything," I continued and he stopped
trying to talk.  "But, y'know, we judge people too fast, I think... and I'm
as guilty as the next guy... but people are just people.  You like who you
like.  You never know what else you'll like until you try it.  I hated
tomatoes until I tried my grandmother's baked tomatoes with Italian
breading and Parmesan cheese."  They both smiled.  "I know, it's a dumb
example, but it makes sense to me."

"Yeah.  I get what you're saying.  I do... and - again - I'm sorry it came
out that way," Brett said, putting his hand out again.  I shook it.

"You want another beer, babe?" Kiki asked him.

"Yeah - Marc, you want one, too?"

I nodded and Kiki went to get the beers leaving me standing with Brett in
the grass.  We were the only two standing on the side of the pool by the
backyard.  It seemed like everyone else was by the gazebo, in the pool or
inside.

Brett came to stand beside me as Kiki walked away.  We were both looking
toward the back of the house now.  She got to the house, turned, and held
up her fingers in a 'be right back' gesture, then went inside.

"How long you known Kiki?" he asked.

"Only a few months," I said.  "I really don't know her very well," I added.

He shifted his body to look at me.  His tone was softer and quieter when he
started talking this time.  "Look, I'm bi, too... no one knows and I don't
know how to deal with it," he said.  His breathing was shallow and out of
sync and there was definite stress in his voice.  Out of the corner of my
eye, I saw the sheriff's deputy watching us, waiting to react, so I held my
hand up to him to let him know it was fine.  Brett didn't lose focus and
kept looking at me the whole time.  "Is it easy being out like you are?
And should I mess around with guys?" he asked.  "I feel kinda' lost."

His reaction earlier made sense now.  I took a deep breath, not really sure
where this was going.  "It's like my dad says," I started, "'if it's easy
then it's probably not worth having.'  But, look - Brett - let's get
together and talk sometime, ok?  I'd be glad to talk with you about this
because it seems like you're really stressed... and I've been there, and it
is stressful."  I saw Kiki milling-around in the house, talking to a few
friends but knew she would be heading back to us at any time.  "I don't
know your situation, what you're going through or any of that, but it's a
hell of a lot easier just being yourself, you know?"

Brett nodded, then put his hand on the small of my back and held it there.
A jolt of something like electricity went through me.  I could smell him
and the rest of my senses seemed to be on high alert at that point.  With
his fingers he lifted the back of my shirt and made contact with my skin, a
couple of fingers slipping into the waistband of my board shorts.  I
immediately started looking around for Ryan, but didn't see him.  I needed
to step away from this guy - another guy that was overloading me like this
- but my body wasn't reacting fast enough.  We stayed like that just
looking into the back of the house and I felt his fingers move along the
muscle at the lower part of my back.  I was about to stop him, but as soon
as he saw Kiki step out of the house he removed his hand and took a step to
the side.  Kiki went into the cooler to get the beers and looked our way
again as she opened them.  Brett smiled and waved and I smiled too.

"You're a really good-looking guy," he said softly.

"You too," I responded under my breath.

We continued to watch Kiki and I wondered if Brett would say something
else.  He stayed silent and as she approached he moved to her and gave her
a big kiss.  "Well, looks like you two boys made-up," she said.

Brett nodded that surfer-boy nod - his entire upper body and shoulders
moving back and forth, the curls of his hair swaying with the movement of
his body.  "Yeah, I think me and my bro right here will hang-out sometime
soon and get to talk.  Right dude?"

"Sure," I answered, and we clinked beer bottles again.  I wasn't sure what
I was feeling any longer.

We chatted a few more minutes and then I saw Ryan come out of the house
heading toward us.  I felt my face light-up involuntarily, and - in that
moment - it was like the invisible tendrils of my body were reaching out to
him as if I were a vine and he were the sun.  He reached me and put his
arms around my waist while my arms went around his shoulders.

"Where have you been?" I asked going in for a kiss, finding his tongue and
feeling his body heat mix with mine.

"Was inside with 'the boys.'  There's a big Wii tournament going and Chris
is tearing it up," he answered.  'The boys' was a reference to the guys who
were at his house the night I went there... the night he rimmed my ass in
his bathroom... the night that contributed to changing my entire life...

I hugged him closer to me, leaned into his neck and took a deep whiff
through my nose, releasing it through my mouth allowing his scent to fill
my head.  I saw a bead of sweat run down his neck from his hairline and, as
he flinched unconsciously I stuck my tongue to his neck, tasting his sweat,
tasting his skin then brought my lips to his neck.

"Ohgod," he said, halfway between a whisper and a plea.

"I've missed you," I murmured in his ear.  I was horny and ready to be with
him.  But, in the back of my mind, I was aware that Brett was still
standing there watching and I knew some of this display with Ryan was a
show for Brett.  I was hoping Brett was getting turned-on by it.  I
whispered in his ear again.  "I need a birthday present from you... in the
form of skin and flesh and sweat and..."

"So, we'll leave you two guys alone," Kiki interrupted from behind me as
she started to walk away.

I turned around.  "I'm sorry," I said.  "I missed my guy."  Kiki stopped
and smiled, but Brett hadn't started following her yet and when I looked at
his face I caught him staring at my crotch.  I could feel that my cock was
chubbed and showing a more than normal.  "Let's go inside and see where
everyone is staying," I suggested, so we walked into the house.

<><><><>


By the time Ryan and I took a quick shower it was almost 4:30 am.  The
boats were leaving for the island at 10:30, so we had to get to sleep.

I closed my eyes smiling with Ryan's naked body pressed against mine.  We
were both hard, but ready for bed and the next thing I knew I was waking-up
with Ryan's head on my chest, his arm wrapped around my waist and his leg
thrown over mine.  He remembered to bring the humidifier and the gentle hum
blocked out the sound of his breathing, but his breathing was deep and
even, so he was still asleep.  I craned my neck to look at the clock, and
even though it was only 8:30 I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep.
I closed my eyes and focused on Ryan's breathing.  I wanted to stroke his
hair and rub my naked skin against his. His throbbing cock was pressed
against my hip and it felt good.  I had a raging piss hard-on that I was
trying to ignore, but the longer I lay there the urge to pee kept getting
stronger.  And, you know how it is... it increases exponentially with each
second.  I knew I had to get up to piss.

I decided to gently slide myself out from under his body, but I quickly
found I would have to be rough about it and I just didn't want to wake him
that way.  I raised my outside leg, planted my opposite arm and rolled him
over using a Turkish get-up type of move.  Thank God for core strength.  He
woke slightly, but I grabbed his pillow, tucked it under his head and he
went right back to sleep.

I brushed my teeth and figured I would head downstairs for breakfast... but
as I stood there I caught myself.  My mother would have all kinds of
breakfast foods next door - that's just the way she operated - and I was
really hungry, so I decided to go next door.  I remembered that today was
my birthday and smiled at myself in the mirror.  "Happy 21st," I said to
quietly, then did a fist bump with my mirror self.  I wanted Ryan to get
his sleep, but I wanted to get ready and go eat more than I wanted him to
sleep, so I opted for a quick shower.  I wasn't two minutes in when Ryan
came into the bathroom.

"You weren't going to get me up?" he asked.  His piss hard-on was still
throbbing.

I looked at his cock.  "Looks like you have no problem getting up."  He
smiled and joined me in the shower.

"Happy birthday - again," he said joining me under the spray.  His hard
cock was pressing into my groin and I could feel mine rising.  He kissed me
and I could tell he had also brushed his teeth.

"Mmm.  Minty," I said, smiling.

"You too," he smiled back.

He moved into the water and I moved out, getting the soap for him and
telling him my plan to get breakfast.  I watched his cock slowing go down
as he got ready to pee in the shower.  I turned to get him the shampoo and
felt warm water hitting my leg, but when I turned around, he was pissing on
me!

"You mother-fucker," I said, laughing, then getting back into the water to
rinse off.

"Hey... I'm just marking my spot," he said laughing and shrugging.

"Fine," I said, deciding I wouldn't wash it off.  It WAS hot to think of
his piss being on me all day.

We got dressed and headed next door for breakfast.  It seemed like we had
at least 40 people going to the beach.

We got to the island around 11:30 and everyone helped carry things from the
boats to the shore.  We had awnings and beach chairs, rafts and noodles,
coolers and frizbees and more stuff than we needed, I was sure.  My mother
hadn't allowed any glass bottles on the boats or on the island, but she
brought special coozies that were perfect for the cans, Chilling The Most -
they were called, and they kept the drinks ice cold, though I wasn't
planning to let my beer get warm anyway.

Through the course of the day I found out Brody fucked Amaris and stayed
the night with her in our house.  Chris also slept at our house and had
obviously been with a leggy blonde I hadn't met.  It looked like the boys
were having fun and that's what mattered to me.  We ended up with almost 50
on shore and had a vollyeball net set-up, played football further down the
shore, moved back and forth into the water and generally had a great time.
What I appreciated most is that Ryan didn't feel like he needed to be by my
side the whole time - and I didn't need to be by his side.  We did play on
the same team in volleyball and assisted each other really well.  He didn't
know all the rules of football, but when I was assigned to guard him, he
was able to slip past me for a touchdown.  He accused me of not trying hard
enough so he could score, but he got around me fairly and I told him that
was the full truth.  I'm still not sure if he believed me.

Food was available through the day, but I drank far more than I ate.  When
we left at 7, I was feeling the alcohol, and by the time we headed back to
the main house for the "beach party after party" I felt dehydrated.  I
self-imposed a 2-4-1 limit on myself... two bottles of water for every beer
or drink.  When I was running to the bathroom more than I was partying, I
decided I'd had enough water and stayed with beer.

Things wound-down around 2 and my mother reminded everyone that no one
should leave without breakfast or without seeing her.  So, the next
morning, about 30 of us gathered at the main house for breakfast.  It was a
mostly male crowd with only about 10 women, so it seemed rowdy until my
father got everyone to calm down.

As it turned out, my mother had one more surprise up her sleeve.  She had
swag bags for everyone!  Each bag had a gift certificate for 'Felicitous
Coffee,' this great coffee house on 51st Street not far from the campus; a
Jawbone UP; a t-shirt with a logo for my birthday (with "Marc's 21st"
carefully designed into the logo); and the Chilling The Most beer holder
from the beach.  Leave it to my mother to come up with something this
creative - over the top?  Yeah, but knowing my mother, this was
conservatively underplayed.

By Noon it was time for clean-up.  I was helping get things into the small
dumpster that had been delivered that morning when the party planner
approached me.  I'd seen him throughout the weekend at various times, but
he'd always been busy and I tried to stay out of his way.

"It's 'Marc,' right?" he asked approaching me putting his hand out.

"Yeah," I shook his hand.  "I've been meaning to thank you for doing such a
great job AND for working with my mom the way you did.  I'm sure she was a
handful."  I laughed.

"She was great... had a lot of ideas, threw them my way then let me run
with the whole thing," he answered.

"Well, the weekend was great," I said.

"I'm sorry... my name's 'Tyde,'" he said.

"Like, the detergent?" I asked before I could stop the words from coming
out of my mouth.

He laughed.  "Yeah - like that, except with a 'y' not an 'i'.  Most people
just call me 'Ty,' but I prefer 'Tyde.'"

"Well, nice to meet you, Tyde."  The sun was beating hard on us out by the
dumpster - and I was feeling on sun-overload after the day on the beach -
but I was intrigued by this new guy.  "You look young to have an event
company."

"Well, thanks for saying that, but I'll be 40 next month."  He shrugged.
"I graduated college with a business degree, wanted to go into business for
myself, so I started this.  I usually operate only one or two events a
month on my own, but I have five other people working for me.  We handle
about 15 to 20 events a month - more if they're smaller ones.  But this
definitely wasn't small," he chuckled.

"No - my mother doesn't do a small event."

"So, a 21st birthday AND a coming-out party, huh?" Tyde said.  I didn't
know what to say.  "I mean, I've heard a lot of people talking about you
and what's going on with your life.  Seems like you have a lot of people
who really care about you, so you've picked the right people to be your
friends."

I got his business card and thanked him again as we walked back the house.
I was definitely intrigued by the guy, Tyde... and started thinking about
all the guys I'd met this weekend.  I didn't know where these connections
would lead me, but Tyde's comment made me think.  I was appreciative for my
friends, for their acceptance of me and for them enjoying the weekend with
me - and I was ready to start giving something back.

<><><><>

Author's note:

I realize that a lot of us have issues with our parents.  I, fortunately,
did not and am grateful to have had a good, honest relationship with both
of my parents.  If there is anything within your power to bridge the gap or
mend the fence with your parents, I'd encourage you to do it.  Or, if you
have a good relationship, but haven't talked in a while, please contact
them.  Life is so damn short.  Unfortunately, I lost my father a few years
ago.  I miss him a ton and even though you know your parents will "go on
before you," it's not something you can prepare for.

Writing the scene with Marc and his dad, while not incredibly touching, is
not unlike something that could have happened with me and my father.  He
cared for me that much and it didn't matter who I am or what I wanted to
be, he would ALWAYS support me because I was HIS SON.  So, make an extra
effort to reach-out to the people who give meaning to your life - parents,
siblings, friends, old college friends... whomever.  You just never know
what YOUR contact could do to change that person's day, week or life.  And
you never know what it could do to change yours.

Thanks again for reading and writing.  I appreciate the comments.