Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 23:47:31 +0000
From: Eric Shaw <volleyboy26@hotmail.com>
Subject: A Beautiful Run: Chapter 6

A few minutes before 7 o'clock I sat waiting on the stairs for Eric. Earlier
in the evening I fell asleep to the radio, taking a much needed rest,
helping to reorganize my thoughts. I suppose the last few days have been
hardly ordinary and I hadn't been left alone with my feelings since it all
began. At times it just seemed impossible to try and make sense of it all,
considering my feelings for Eric excited me to the core and had been doing
so since ninth grade. I was made even more irrational upon learning of the
mutuality of our affection. My dreams became reality and along with that
realization I knew that our relationship was no longer boundless like the
one I created in my mind. However, reality also presented the opportunity to
finally be with Eric in ways I couldn't imagine, which took precedence over
all. When letting go of the 'Eric' I created in my fantasies for the past
few years, I was allowed to begin my real life with him on a clear slate.
Discovering Eric for himself was an encouraging thought, and exhilarating to
say the least.
"Pick up the phone, kiddo!" my father cried, breaking me out of another
moment of intense thought. I walked to the kitchen, picking up the call.
- "Hello"
- "What are you wearing?" A voice asked. I knew at once it was Eric.
- "Just a pair of shoes"
- "We'll you're overdressed if I have any say in this"
- "Maybe I'll switch to the flip-flops then?!" We both laughed.
- "I'm just calling to let you know that I'm right on schedule"
- "And so am I"
- "Good"
- "So I'll just meet you outside so you don't have to get out"
- "Don't bother! A gentleman always walks to the front door. And I take it
on good authority that this special lady is worth the walk." Eric always
said the right things. At that point I could no longer think of anything
smart to say, as I felt my knees weaken with every passing word. I could
merely blush and blurt out a snigger reducing me to nothing more than a
schoolgirl.  People around me had always known me to be controlled, and
unlike anyone else Eric had the ability to break down those walls and leave
me vulnerable. At first I was a bit frightened by the thought, but later
began to appreciate it. Was it so terrible to know someone so intimately?
There may be a hidden blessing in being so helpless around Eric in that
there were no walls to divide us. He could give me his unconditional love
and I was more open to accept it.
Hanging up the phone I walked toward the front door and sat once again on
the stairs. I found strength in the thought that I would be by Eric's side.
A few moments ago I was overwhelmed with thought and since then he made
things clear.
I heard footsteps outside the door and couldn't stop myself from opening it.
I saw Eric taking a deep breath whilst adjusting the leg of his trousers
over his shoe. I startled him as he was not yet prepared to greet me. The
sight was a comforting one at least. I didn't need to ask to know that Eric
also felt this vulnerability, and the thought that the boy I loved for so
long was influenced by me was a marvelous realization. I made Eric nervous,
as he did me. We smiled. He started at my feet and began to look up where we
eventually met eyes. I was wearing a dark pair of jeans, a
red t-shirt and studded belt.
"You are just the cutest thing!" Eric said, biting his lip in restraint. "If
your parents we're home right now." He trailed off. I shook my head in
disapproval. Eric placed his hand on my hip and gave it a squeeze. "You
better bring a sweatshirt it's a bit chilly outside. What about the white
hoodie?" He suggested. "But how do you know I have." I asked. ".don't be so
sure you're just another face at school. I take notice when it comes to you,
always have." He finished. I ran upstairs and got the sweater and we left
the house.
Eric opened my door before we entered his car. I pounced, nearly taking the
life out of him. I pinned Eric to the seat and locked him in a kiss. After a
few moments, the embrace was mutual as our tongues became intertwined.
Against either of our wishes I remembered the fact that we hadn't left the
driveway and parking was hardly a discrete activity.
"Thank you" I said.
"For what, Con?"
"These past few days have been completely unbelievable. I've never felt this
way about anybody, and it's just like.there's a whole new part of me that I
never knew existed."
"This may sound completely silly, but I used to run to make me happy and now
I run for you. It feels like you're the reason I wake up in the morning.and
it's like.I live for you." Eric said. His words were poetry and I was his
muse. He grasped my hand and brought it to his lips. "I can't claim you like
some prize to be won, but indeed you are quite the treasure. Instead, I am
yours forever" He added.

I leaned toward him and kissed his tender cheek. Resting my head on his
strong shoulder Eric lay his arm around my neck and I was enveloped in his
warmth.
	* * *

Before I realized, he parked the car in front of Will's dorm and turned off
the ignition. We looked at one another with anxious faces and got out of the
car beginning to walk towards the doors. We made our way up a flight of
stairs and passed a few doors before arriving at Will's. Eric knocked a few
times before we entered. The room was larger than I had imagined, every inch
covered by some sort of poster or clipping. Whether it was his interest in
British football or Miles Davis, every side of Will was captured in print
along his walls. Our entrance interrupted the reading he was doing, no doubt
for one of his classes. After closer inspection it was a textbook of
introductory art history. "There you are, I was starting to worry" Will
said. He motioned to some paper bags on his dresser. He pulled out a few
soft drinks from a mini-fridge as Eric began to unload paper plates and some
Japanese takeout from the bags. We engaged in some small talk as we began to
eat, when Eric became more open with the discussion. "Hey Will, you didn't
tell me how you knew about.me and the whole." He said inbetween bites. I
began to squirm when Will took notice and assured me not to worry. "It was
probably in eighth grade when I found a picture of my friend, Josh in your
desk. I thought nothing of it until I held it up to the light and saw the
smudged imprint of your lips over his." He replied. At that point, Will and
I began to laugh wildly as Eric wore a look upon his face of utter
embarrassment. Once the roaring subsided, I felt their heavy eyes upon me.
"And how did you know that Connor was." Will asked after what felt like an
innumerable amount of time in awkward silence. "I honestly didn't." Eric
replied. "I just took the chance." I was completely dumbfounded at the
response. I didn't consider myself a `queen' and I knew that I kept my
sexuality low key but it was still surprising. Eric completely exposed his
feelings and opened himself up to the possibility of public scrutiny and
torment, simply to be with me. I wrapped my arms around Eric causing him to
fall backward as I lay on top. I kissed him all over his face and finally on
the mouth. He pulled my body into his and held me close. Both realizing that
our embrace could very well discomfort Will, as he was right there, we
recomposed ourselves and got up from off the floor. Resting his head on his
hand and tapping his temple with his finger, Will was utterly disappointed.
"Thanks for the visual!" He said with a stern look, but soon bursting into
another fit of laughter. The rest of the evening went quite well as Eric and
I became more comfortable around Will and him more at ease with our
affection. Time passed much quicker than we had realized, and I found myself
saying goodbye to Will before I even knew it.
* * *
"We have our first race on friday, and I was hoping..."
"Of course, I'll be cheering for you and that little tush of yours the
entire time." I said, pinching the side of his rear as he drove.
"Oh...no...we have a tournament on friday. If we do well, it could be the
entire day." My heart sank. Eric had been nothing but supportive since we
met and this was the perfect time to return it, but I couldn't be there for
him. I apologized with a squeeze of the hand and a kiss on the cheek. "I'll
be there in spirit" I said. "And I with you." He replied, stroking the
bracelet on my hand that he had given me. He continued to do so for a few
moments as though immersed in thought, while he eyes concentrated on the
road. Soon thereafter, Eric pulled a box from out of

his arm rest. He placed it in my hands. "I wanted to find the right time
tonight to give you this...and it's nothing, but..." Before he could finish
I silenced him with a
stare. The moment was intense as our eyes met. I thanked him, telling him
that it was unnecessary whilst he refused the idea and explained how
important it was for him to show how deeply he cared. This conversation
happening without so much as a word. We simply stared into the other's eyes
and read how they felt. Eric helped me realize the length of time one has
known someone does not determine the strength of their relationship, in fact
a person may know someone for all eternity, yet still know nothing of who
they are. Though meeting a few days before, Eric knew much more about who I
was than most, including myself.
I held the small, blue box in my hands and watched it for a second in
anticipation. I pulled the sides apart and opened it fully. There was a
small silver charm, oval in shape. It was attached to thick, black string.
It was beautiful in its simplicity. Before I could ask what the charm meant,
he leaned over and took the necklace into his hand. I hadn't realized it was
a locket until he gently pulled apart the sides and handed it back to me.
Bringing it closer to sight to find that the charm framed a picture of Eric
and
I. Completely overwhelmed by emotion I wrapped my arms around him and began
to kiss his neck. His sweet smell drove me wild as I tasted his smooth skin
on my lips. Moving my head over, I licked under his chin when my hand felt
something around his neck. I pulled down the collar of his shirt and saw the
same necklace he had just given me. Eric guided my head up towards his. "So
we are now together, even when apart." He said. His gesture took on new
meaning and I guided his hands on the wheel toward the side of the road.
There he pulled over. I pushed his body against the window, diving toward
him, locking him in a kiss. My hands started
at his chest as I tweeked his nipples and  rubbed his stomach. His body
shuddered, letting out a deep breath. My hands slowly moved downward,
placing them on the front of his jeans. Still sharing our embrace, I undid
the button and lowered the zipper. I felt into the front of his shorts when
I broke our kiss and moved my head toward my hands. I could feel Eric's
heart begin to race and breathing become more intense. He placed his strong
hands over my head and we began to move together in a rhythmic pace. My hand
slid under his shirt and held his tight stomach as it contracted. Eric soon
broke our movement and let out a groan. We stayed in our positions for a
short while, composing ourselves until he pulled me up and kissed me deeply,
our tongues involved in a heated dance.
We drove home hand-in-hand Before leaving the car, Eric tied the necklace,
sealing the knot with a soft kiss on my neck.