Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2016 15:53:36 -0500
From: CJ Abello <cjabello1997@gmail.com>
Subject: Autumn: Chapter 16 Wreck on the Highway

CJ: Autumn: Chapter 16: Wreck on the Highway

This is a work of fiction set in the real world. Certain living individuals
make appearances in the story; all other characters and the events in which
they all participate are the creation of the author. Any resemblance of the
fictional characters to actual individuals is purely coincidental.



Friday, 18 October 2013

"Look, bruh! It's Cap's truck. I didn't know he was picking you up." Harley
looked at CJ with a slight worry on his face. His friend had told him and
Thiago of the fight he'd had with Brett after the weekend in Chicago, but
nothing else had been mentioned in the past couple of days. "Are you
talking to him? You really shouldn't fight, CJ. Cap's a good guy."

"I ain't saying he isn't. I'm just pissed at him." CJ scrunched up his face
trying to decide what to do. "Come on. You can say hello and then I guess
I'll get in the truck. He had to leave work early to be here at this
hour. Least I can do is ride home with him."

Brett, wearing his uniform, leaned against the passenger side of the Ford.
His ankles and arms crossed with a soft smile on his face, his head
continuously moved as if scanning his surroundings. As the two boys
approached, he straightened up, pushed his sunglasses to the top of his
head, and broadened his grin.

"Hiya, Cap!"

"Hi, guys. Harley, good to see you. When are you coming over to hang out
again?"

"CJ invited me and Thiago to come spend next weekend with you. We've got to
be up early on Saturday, so it'll be easy if we're together. Maybe we can
play some hoops in the back? Or we could go to the university and swim
some. It's too cold to use the pool at our house. Hey, how come you don't
have one? There's room--"

"It all sounds good, bud. Whatever you guys want." Brett turned his gaze
towards CJ, a little hesitation visible in his eyes. "Hey, big guy. I hope
you don't mind me stopping by unannounced. I thought... I thought we could
go for a ride and maybe spend a little time together? I'll make sure you
make it to the dojo on schedule."

"Yeah, that's okay." CJ put his fist out for Harley to bump. "I'll text you
tonight when I get home from practice. Thiago said we'd be finished by
nine."

"Cool. Talk to you tonight," said Harley, dropping his skateboard on the
street. "Later, Cap!"

"Do you mind if we take a little ride?" asked Brett looking at CJ. "I'd
like to talk to you for a bit.  We'll have time to stop at home for you to
change first."

"Sure."

"I don't think it'll take too long to say what I need to say. We'll just go
home by way of Virginia."  Once they'd both adjusted their seat belts,
Brett turned on the ignition. "Look, CJ. I apologize for being an ass. I
was upset at you, even though I really don't have an issue with you getting
laid. But I was even more pissed at your cousins who I thought had let you
go off with a stranger. I was wrong. You were honest with us as we asked
you to be and I reacted badly.  Neither your dad, nor I want you to
change."

"Okay."

"Cesar and I are new at being parents. I fucked it up, and it'll happen
again. Although I'll try hard not to repeat the same mistake. I'm
constantly worrying I'll do something wrong, and I go ahead and do the
worst thing possible. I blew up at you without justification. As my
obviously smarter half pointed out, any chance we may have had to express
any sort of dissatisfaction with what happened I torpedoed."

"Yup."

"You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?"

"Nope."

"Asshole." Brett felt a slight lessening in the tension between the two of
them. CJ was toying with him; a good sign their rift was on the way to
healing. The Marine had driven towards the Lincoln Memorial, crossed the
Potomac on the Arlington Memorial Bridge, and headed south before turning
around and getting on the Jefferson Davis Highway. "Can we stop at the Iwo
Jima for a few? I promise you won't get arrested."

"Ha, ha. Funny guy."

"Finally! More than one word." Brett slipped the truck into a parking spot
behind the grove on the side of the monument. "Look, CJ. You and your dad
are the most important people in the world to me. I'll say it once again: I
was wrong. I can't promise I won't snap at some other point in the future,
but I swear I'll try real hard not to."

"It hurt, Papa. I was already rejected and thrown out of my house once this
year." The boy looked out the window of the truck, his eyes moist. He
fought to keep the quiver out of his voice, trying to contain the emotions
the memories brought. "I've been feeling real good about how it all turned
out. And then you blow up on me for being honest. For telling you what I
did in Chicago. I don't want to sneak around doing stuff behind your back."

"Oh come here, baby." Brett reached over and pulled a sobbing CJ as close
to him as he could while still wearing their seat belts. "No crying please,
or you'll have me bawling too. I love you so damn much, and I get so scared
for you sometimes. I need to realize I don't have to be.  You're smart,
definitely smarter than I was in this case. And you can defend yourself
pretty well.  Please, please forgive me. I'll do my best not to be a jerk
again. If I do, call me out just like you did on Monday. Okay?


Saturday, 19 October 2013

CJ went for an early morning run by himself. His dads planned on playing
rugby in the afternoon, and decided to sleep in a bit later this
Saturday. With the temperature in the upper fifties, the boy zipped up his
red, American Giant hoodie all the way to his neck. He tried to keep his
hands tucked inside the sleeves. What most Washington residents considered
a crisp morning, felt downright chilly to the boy from Miami. He had not
yet acclimated to the colder weather. When he returned to the Georgetown
townhouse, he was feeling warmer because of the exertion. He had even begun
to sweat, in spite of the lower temperature.

"Damn it's cold." He walked in through the back door and straight into the
kitchen. "Hey, Uncle Matt."

"Don't be a wuss, CJ. It's gorgeous outside. It ain't cold. Just a little
cool." Matt Calhoun had come over while the teenager was out running, and
was sitting at the breakfast bar with a steaming mug in front of him. "What
you gonna do when we dip below freezing, Bubba?"

"Stay indoors!" CJ opened one of the cabinets by the window, grabbed a
glass, and filled it up with water at the sink. "Maybe I'll get used to it,
but it ain't gonna happen real soon."

"You wanna shower, or do you want to visit for a bit first?" asked Cesar
while pulling items from the refrigerator. "We're having french toast for
breakfast. Papa's upstairs getting dressed and we can wait for you to clean
up if you want."

"Nah, I'll shower later on. After I get done raking up all the damn
leaves." Yard maintenance was a chore CJ was responsible for. "Can we get
rid of all the trees? Definitely not used to Mother Nature killing off the
foliage all at the same time."

"No, we can't," said Brett walking down the stairs. "You said you didn't
want to use the blower 'cause it wasn't environmentally friendly. Nobody's
forcing you to rake everything up. That's what men created machines for."

"Forget it, Papa. We need to stop wasting so much energy around here. Why
do you think I asked for the extra blankets for my bed? They'll keep me
warm enough not to run the heater real high."

"You kids are gonna have to work hard to slow down all the bad things the
older crowd has done to the environment," said Doc handing his mug to Brett
indicating he wanted a refill. "And speaking of kids, Bubba, I wanna talk
to you about Chipper. He's the reason I invited myself over this morning."

"Yeah! The Dads told me he's gonna move down here to live with you--way
cool! I can't wait to meet him!"

"It ain't a done deal, but we're working on it. I may need some help from
you if it does happen."

"Sure, Uncle Matt. Anything you want, just ask."

"Okay. Tell me about Walls."

"Ummm. You want Chipper to go there?" The excitement in CJ's voice was
palpable. "That would be sick!"

"I assume that means it would be okay with you?" asked Doc, chuckling.

"Hell yeah! Walls' the best school in the district. It's ranked the highest
in all the reports. Not real big on sports, but full of smart kids." CJ's
enthusiasm when talking about his school was met with smiles from the three
adults. "You have to fill out an application, have good grades, and go
through an interview. I know Mrs. Edwards fooled around with the rules for
me. She told me all I had to do was complete the application 'cause she'd
already reserved a spot just waiting for me to fill it out. I'll talk to
her about Chipper!"

"She did more than that, CJ," said Cesar while dipping slices of brioche in
egg batter. "She did ask us for your grades at the previous school. We sent
her a copy of the transcripts your Mom gave us."

"And when we received the results of the tests you took here in Washington,
for the classes you didn't complete in Miami, we shared those with her
also." Brett pulled the beanie CJ was wearing from his head and ruffled his
hair. "What? Did you think it was all by magic?"

X X X

"Hi, babe. So good to see you. I miss you so much." Dragon wrapped his arms
around King as soon as the shorter man walked in the door of their
apartment.

"Hello, Dev. Nice to see you too. Thank you for agreeing to meet me for
lunch." Since their return from Montreal, the two men had talked on the
phone daily, but this was the first time they had seen each other in a
week.

"I'll do anything you want, Rash. I want you back."

"That's nice to hear, Devon. The past week's been tough. I can't seem to
figure out what I want.  But last weekend made me realize the way I've been
leading my life has to change. Haven't been able to decide on how though."

"You tell me what I have to do. I'll go along with anything just so we can
be together."

"Yeah, see, that's not bloody right. You can't promise you'll do anything
'cause I have no idea what that might be. And you may not like what it
turns out to entail. I won't be an idiot and tell you how you have to lead
your life." Rashid knew of too many relationships which failed when one
person tried to change the other one. "Maybe when I decide what I want, you
can see if it also works for you."

"And what are we going to do until then? Are you just going to move out?
You can't stay at a hotel permanently. And I really can't afford this place
on my own."

"You won't have to worry about the finances. I'll cover my share of the
costs until we both decide what's going to happen. In the meantime, I've
asked for an extended leave from work.  I'm flying home to London tomorrow
to visit my family. I'll be back in a month and we'll sit down and talk
then."



Sunday, 20 October 2013

"You can have a beer if you want, CJ," Brett whispered into the boy's
ear. "The Aussies aren't as uptight when it comes to young people
drinking. We're technically on Australian soil while on the embassy
grounds. The laws are different. And you definitely look old enough dressed
the way you are anyway."

"Thanks, Papa." The teenager wore grey flannel pants, a white button down
shirt with a striped red and blue tie, and a blue blazer. "Club soda's good
right now. Maybe later?"

"You do look very grown up, buddy." Cesar smiled at his son. "The preppy
look suits you well."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Follow me, mate," said JP to Tom, signaling with his hands for the other
guys to walk with him also. They were in the lobby of the chancery at the
Embassy of Australia in Washington, D.C., located on Embassy Row at Scott
Circle. "I want to introduce you to my boss."

"The ambassador?" asked CJ.

"Yeah." The Aussie walked up to a short, good looking woman. "Rene‚, if
I could have a moment?"

"Ahhh, John Paul, this looks pretty good so far." The woman's eyes twinkled
as she smiled at Pope. "Tom, so nice to see you recovered."

"Thank you, ma'am. It feels good to be back to normal," replied Detective
Tom Kennedy. "JP and I are grateful for all you did for us after my
incident."

"It was our pleasure. You're as much a part of our family as John Paul
is. On a happier note, I understand you're going on holiday to Oz over
Christmas. Your first visit?"

"Yes, ma'am. And looking forward to it. Although a bit anxious about
meeting the entire Smith family. Madame Ambassador, these are our friends
who'll be going with us. Cesar Abello, Captain Brett Davenport, and their
son Cesar Abello, Jr."

"Gentlemen. I hope you have a wonderful experience during on your
trip. Will this be your first time traveling to my homeland also?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Madame Ambassador," said Cesar, shaking the
diplomat's hand.  "And yes, it'll be the first time for all three of us."

"We're all looking forward to seeing some of the places JP's been telling
us about," added Brett.  "And CJ gets to celebrate his sixteenth birthday
down under. It'll make the visit much more special."

"Well, I hope you all have a wonderful time. If you'll excuse me, I have to
play my part and greet our other visitors. It was a pleasure visiting with
all of you."

"G'day, mates. All rested up?" CJ watched JP move a few steps away and
approach a group of five men. He'd told them they were one of the Aussie
entertainment acts--Buck and The Furballs--who would be performing during
the upcoming week. In his capacity as the Australian Embassy's Press
Attach‚, Pope had been one of the coordinators of the trade exhibit
being kicked off at this evening's reception and helped arrange for the
band to travel to the United States.

"Yes we did, Mr. Smith. On behalf of all of us, I'd like to thank you once
again for this opportunity." The man shaking JP's hand wore jeans, a silky
looking white top and a black leather jacket. Short brown hair crowned his
head, covered most of his face, and spilled over the neckline of his shirt.

"Come on, Wayne, I asked you all to call me JP. We're going to be spending
a lot of time together this week. We can do away with the formalities." As
the rest of the men in the group spoke with other attendees, JP turned
towards Tom, CJ, and his dads, motioning them over.  "Hey, I want you to
meet my husband Tom, our friends Cesar and Brett, and their son CJ. How
about you introduce the band to them?"

"G'day. Nice to meet you all. I hope you come listen to us at some point
this week. I'm the band's drummer. As soon as my mates join us, you'll meet
them all." The Aussie muso shook hands all around ending up with CJ. "Since
you're the youngest in the crowd you'll have to tell us where you and your
uni mates hang out. We're playing every day around lunch, plan on doing
some sightseeing in the afternoons, and would love to visit a couple of
good pubs for dinner and a beer a couple of nights."

"Ummm. I can give you some ideas on sightseeing, but not on bars. I'm not
old enough to drink." CJ once again found himself in the situation of
looking older than he was.

"How old are you?"

"I'm fifteen. Some of my dads' friends might be better at giving you
ideas. There's one great college place by our house called The Tombs you
might like, though." CJ found himself alone with the guy, as his parents
and the other adults wandered off to talk to the other band members. "But I
can definitely help you with the sightseeing."

"I thought you were older, mate. I have a son a bit over half your age,
he's almost ten. I hope he still looks young when he becomes a
teenager. Otherwise I'll be in trouble. So are you going to stop by and
hear us perform this week?"

"The dads prolly won't let me come listen to you play during the week
because of school. But I'll be at Rogo's on Saturday. I know you're doing a
show there that night."

By the end of the evening, CJ had convinced his fathers to let him play
tour guide one day after school. They also agreed to join the band for
dinner one night. The boy gorged on prawns on the barbie, tiny lamb chops,
cold smoked emu, bits of rare kangaroo, and all sorts of other good Aussie
grub. He'd also finally accepted the beer Brett had told him he could have,
but didn't much like the taste of the Victoria Bitter Wayne
suggested. After a couple of sips, he got rid of it, replacing it with a
glass of wine instead.



Friday, 25 October 2013

"I'm glad you and your dad worked out your problem." Thiago and CJ were
watching Harley take his turn against the Zombies in Call of Duty. Brett
and Cesar had taken the boys to The Tombs for dinner earlier; the boys were
spending the night in Georgetown. Once home, the three teens changed into
shorts and t-shirts--a drab olive one with Marines printed on it for CJ--
and had flopped down on his bed to play their favorite game.

"I was pissed off when we got into the fight. It took me a few days to
chill."

"Homey, your dads are the coolest guys I've ever met. You're a lucky
fucker."

"Yeah, I know."

"Fuck!" exclaimed Harley as he put the controller down. "I'm done with this
game, can't do anything right tonight. Hey, when are we getting up? I told
Jose-Maria I'd text him. I don't think he was too happy he wasn't invited
to spend the night. All he's talked about for the past few weeks is the
dinner you invited him to. And meeting JLo. Bro that had to be a blast! I
can't believe she asked you to dance with--"

"I think the guy likes you, CJ," interrupted Thiago.

"Who? Harley?"

"Of course I like him! CJ's my bud."

"No, you dorks! I mean Jose-Maria!" chuckled Thiago. "I think he has the
hots for you, homie.  And he ain't the only one."

"What? Who?" asked CJ. "What do you mean?"

"CJ, the guy talks about you all the time. He tries to sit next to you
whenever we all get together. He spends most lunches staring at you."
Thiago smiled as he ticked off each comment. "I'm pretty sure he has a
crush on you."

"Nah, we're just friends." CJ's dismissive tone held a hint of
doubt. "Plus, he's a senior!"

"Bruh, that's got nothing to do with it!" said Harley. "I agree with
Thiago, he has a crush on you.  When he asked me what time I was getting
there tomorrow, I told him it was up to you and your dads. That I was
spending the night and one of them would be dropping us off. He wanted to
know if I'd stayed over before, what we'd done the last time, and what we
were planning on doing tonight. When I told him about the boat and
Thiago--"

"Hey! What the hell did you bring me up for?" asked Thiago giving his
friend a shove. "I don't need him being jealous of me. He knows I'm
straight anyway."

"You guys better be wrong. I like him as a friend but that's it." CJ's face
was scrunched up. What his buddies were telling him made him wonder if
there was any truth in their comments. "Plus I don't want a boyfriend. Hell
that could be a pain. If Papa got pissed because I got laid in Chicago--"

"WHAT?"



Saturday, 26 October 2013

"CJ!" Jose-Maria's greeting, and Thiago's slight nudge, made CJ cringe just
a bit. He was starting to believe maybe there was something to what he'd
been told last night about the Venezuelan guy.

"Hey, guys." CJ put his fist out for several students from his school to
bump. They were huddling together, hands in pockets, heads tucked inside
hats or sweatshirt hoods. "Damn, it's cold."

"Wuss!" said one of the guys. "We're already at forty degrees. It'll prolly
warm up some more before the walk starts. You need to get used to the
weather, My... ah... me..."

"It's gonna take me a long time! Good morning, Mr. Rupple. Hi, Yousef." The
boy put his hand out for his English teacher and the man's partner to
shake, quickly replacing it back inside the pocket of his Walls'
hoodie. The students were all dressed somewhat alike, with a school shirt
or jacket as their topmost layer. Members of the GSA, and those of a few
other school organizations, were taking part in AIDS Walk Washington as a
group.

"Hi, CJ. Great to see you again," said Yousef. "Your friend told us how
great you looked in your tux. And I heard you met Jennifer Lopez and danced
with her. That must have been exciting. Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah, I did. But I was sooo embarrassed. At least she was real nice about
it. She even sent me an email later. Nice lady."

"See what happens when you dress right?" asked Yousef. "I mailed you and
your dads an invitation to a special event in a couple of weeks. We're
having a big sale on overcoats. If you haven't bought one yet, you may want
to come by the store that night. We'll have refreshments and some food."

"Wow, never been to a party in a store before."

"We do them a few times a year for special customers. Forgive me, I'm being
rude. CJ, this is our friend Gray Young." Yousef put his arm around a man
significantly taller than him who looked to be in his mid to late
twenties. "Gray, this is CJ Abello. He's one of Jimmy's students, and my
favorite customer."

"Hey, CJ. Favorite customer, eh? Wish I could shop there more often, but
construction work doesn't pay that much." Gray chuckled, making CJ think
the man wasn't too worried he couldn't afford Neiman Marcus prices.

"Hi," replied CJ. "I'm not sure why I would be his favorite customer. The
only thing I've ever--"

"CJ! Buddy! Where the hell have you been hiding?" asked a smiling Chatri as
he approached his friend with Helen hanging on to her fianc‚.

"Hi, Chatri. Sorry, bud. But you've disappeared just as much. I think we've
both been busy." CJ gave his friend a hug and then did the same with the
girl, kissing her on the cheek. "It's good to see you, Helen. This is a
nice surprise."

"It definitely is," replied the young woman. "I'm glad the boss convinced
us to join him. You know Dr. Harding, right?"

"Of course!" said CJ. "I haven't seen you since Uncle Tom was in the
hospital, Doctor."

"Hey! None of this doctor crap. You should know better. Call me Prescott,
or better yet, Pres."  The muscular, short man shook CJ's hand, and nodded
his head acknowledging the rest of the group gathered around the young
man. "Hey guys, this is my friend Dash."

"Hi," said the man standing next to Pres. About the same size as CJ, his
brown hair hung down to his shoulders underneath the knit cap he wore.

"Damn, Miami. We leave you alone for a minute and you're the center of
attention once again."  Thiago put his arm around his friend's shoulder, a
smirk on his face. "You just moved to the damn place and you already know
half of Washington."

"Miami?" asked Gray as he pulled a hunter green handkerchief out of the
back right pocket of his jeans and wiped his nose.

"A stupid nickname some of these bozos gave me," replied CJ. "Okay, let me
see if I can introduce everybody..."

X X X

Rogo's already had a large, happy crowd when CJ walked in with his dads and
his two buddies.  "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. And I'm
in the mood for the garlic and blue cheese burger!"

"Ewww!" Thiago made a face and took a step away from his friend. "I'm glad
I'm sleeping with Harley and not you. I hope you're not planning on kissing
anyone. That shit sounds like the perfect combination for dragon breath."

"I sure as hell ain't planning on kissing you, bud. Who knows what fugly
girl those lips have kissed before."

"Oh, like your lips--"

"Hey! There's Mr. R, Yousef and their friend Gray. I'm glad they listened
to you and decided to show up, CJ. Mr. R's cool for being a teacher. Isn't
that your doctor friend with them? And the guy he was with this morning?
Bro, that doctor's such a muscle head. He's so short but look how his
shirt's stretched over his shoulders. The guy must live at the gym. Does
he--"

"Shut up, Harley!" Tom's bark and subsequent laugh made the boy stop. "Get
over here, Pony."  The cop was motioning the group over to the large table
in front of the window, which was their usual spot as of late.

"Awww, come on, guys. Please don't call me that."

"Yeah, Tom. Stop picking on the poor kid." JP raised his mug in salute to
the new arrivals.  "You're just jealous his tally-whacker's longer than
yours." Chuckles accompanied Harley's pained groan.

"Hi, guys." Cesar said, shaking JP's hand as the boys grabbed chairs and
sat down. "Bet you're glad this week's over. I saw the trade exhibit got a
nice little write-up in the Post."

"Too right, mate. It went well, but I had to put in a lot of hours this
week. I'm so ready to have a few pints. Tom's the designated driver
tonight, so I don't have to limit myself."

"CJ, who did you say those two guys with your teacher were?" asked
Brett. "The ones we don't know."

"The real tall one's a friend of Mr. Rupple and Yousef. His name's Gray. We
met him this morning at the walk. I think he said he works in
construction." CJ looked to Thiago for confirmation who nodded his
head. "The other guy, the one with the longer hair, was there with
Dr. Harding."

"Really? Considering how close the tall boy and Pres are standing I would
have thought those two were the ones who were old friends. You think
there's room for a flea to squeeze between the two of them?" Brett put his
hands up in an apologetic gesture somewhat negated by the smirk on his
face. "Don't look at me like that, guys. I just call them as I see them."

"CJ, why don't you go over there and ask the five of them to join us?"
Cesar motioned for Tom to stand up. "Help me pull that other table closer,
Potus. Then we can all fit comfortably."

"Mates, do you realize this is the first time Rogo's had a show like this?
At least since we've been coming here."

"What do you mean, Mr. Smith?" Thiago received a slight slap to the back of
the head from the smiling Aussie.

"Told you before, mate, it's JP. None of this Mr. Smith shit. Anyway, Danno
books some sort of entertainment a couple of times a month. But it's
usually just a singer with a guitar. Or something like that. Buck and The
Furballs is the first large group I've seen him hire."

"Was that because of you, Uncle Pope?" Harley apparently had no problem
following the man's instructions to use his first name or nickname.

"Hey! What's this Uncle Pope crap?" asked CJ, laughing. "I'm not sure I
wanna share my uncles with you."

"Bloody hell! You leave him alone too. Why's everyone always picking on
poor Harley?"

"He's easy?" Thiago's serious expression lasted for a fraction of a second
before he broke up laughing.

Prescott and the other men had been standing around greeting those at the
table and he placed a hand on the Harley's shoulder, slightly turning the
kid to face him. "You need me to kick someone's butt for you, boy?"

"Nah. Thanks, Pres. I'll get them all back later." Harley had spent time
talking with the doctor during the walk, they appeared to have created a
quick bond.

"Dasan, how'd you end up with this motley crew?" asked Tom when the man
accompanying Pres sat next to him.

"I was the listing agent on the place Prescott bought soon after he opened
his practice. I was looking for a physician at the time..." He shrugged his
shoulders in a gesture of inevitability.

"The stars aligned at the right moment. So you're still a realtor, mate?"

"Yep. Here, let me give you my card. If you decide you want to buy
something, I'd love to work with any friend of Dr. Harding."

"Tom and I may want to talk to you. We own a place in Alexandria which has
attracted some unsolicited attention. We may want to talk to you about
it. I don't feel comfortable dealing with someone who approached us out of
nowhere."

"It'd be my pleasure, JP. Old Town has some charming properties--"

"We're not in Old Town," interrupted Tom. "Our place is newer
construction. Got lucky during the real estate crash and been there going
on three years. Good size, on the river with a large dock."

"You own a place with a dock on the Potomac?" The realtor's excitement was
easy to hear in his voice. "No wonder you're getting unsolicited
calls. You're sitting on a gold mine."

"Okay, enough business chat," said Cesar. "We came out tonight to enjoy the
music. And eat."

"Harley, when the order gets here, please try not to inhale your food
before we're all able to have our first bite." Brett's kidding made the boy
pout.

"Awww, Cap. Why are you gonna give me a hard time too?"

CJ looked at his friend with affection before smirking. "I think it's just
a natural reaction to you, bud."

X X X

It was almost 2:00 a.m. when the boys and CJ's dads returned to
Georgetown. "I hope those three plan on sleeping in this morning," said
Cesar, turning off the water and grabbing a towel to dry himself.

"I think we're getting old, Babe." Brett rinsed his mouth after replacing
the toothbrush in its holder. "The band guys are going at it hot and heavy
with Devon, Trip, and Danno right now. I'm sure the sling in his playroom
is swinging."

"Yeah, well. To each their own. I never saw the attraction in the group sex
thing."

"Me either. The one wild party I went to while at Berkley was enough to
last me a lifetime. I'm entirely happy with you naked in our bed."

"Speaking of their little gathering... Wayne was real quick to stop his
band mates when they wanted CJ to join them. Our boy's looks keep making
guys think he's older."

"Did you notice Harley's expression when that was going on? The kid had no
idea until Thiago whispered in his ear. The expression on Pony's face was
priceless."

"I can't believe you and Tom kept calling him that. You guys kept
embarrassing him!"

"Couldn't help myself. Thiago was right. Harley's just easy to pick
on. It's hard not to. The same way we can't stop from looking at a wreck on
the highway."


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Copyright 2015 CJ Abello
Edited by: Mann Ramblings

I'd enjoy hearing what you think. Please email me at: cjabello1997@gmail.com

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