Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:56:20 -0500
From: Jade <phantomscorpio77@gmail.com>
Subject: If You Could Read My Mind 19

Copyright © 2010 by Jaden Lane, All Rights Reserved.  No part of this book
may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
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This story is a work of fiction.  Any resemblances to any person, place, or
written works are purely coincidental.  It may contain consensual sex
between young men.  Do not read if you find that objectionable or if it is
illegal for you to view this content for whatever the reason.


>>).:.(<<


If You Could Read My Mind


>>).:.(<<


Armed with a can of tuna, Neville sits in a patio chair on the loading dock
to the diner.  Turning to Bailey who's armed with an oversized beach towel
and keeping him company on his cat hunt, he asks, "Tell me again why we're
flying out late on Christmas day now?"

Bailey smiles, "I don't know.  What I don't like is why they changed the
flight to Toronto and not the one to Houston too.  But on the upside, you
have to come with us to my grandparents now, or else you're going to spend
all of Christmas day on a bus or plane, or in terminals waiting for one or
the other."

Neville comments, "Strangely it couldn't have worked out better for you if
you planned it.  I'll be honest; I don't feel comfortable sleeping in a
hotel bed with you, in the same room with Brooke and Megan in the next
bed!"

"Why?"

"Uh, let me think.  I'll be in the same bed as my former boyfriend, who I'm
already sleeping with again, but not as boyfriends.  Weird.  His sister,
who happens to 0be the mother of my son, will be in the next bed.  The
other time I went to bed in the same room with her, it was just after I saw
more of a girl than I ever, ever wanted to.  And then to top it off, her
bi-sexual girlfriend will be in bed with her.  And in a bassinette between
these beds will be their son, my son, your nephew.  That's like, wrong on
so many levels."

"Welcome to our life!  We are wrong, on so many levels.  So what makes you
say we're not boyfriends?"

"Are we boyfriends again?"

"You sleep on Josh's floor once a week.  You sleep in my bed with me at
least once a week.  Do the math!"

"Uh, sometimes you have to spell these things out to me.  I always hoped
that's where we were going again, but I really didn't know because we never
talk about it.  So we are boyfriends?"

"Y.  E.  S."

"Okay, good!"

"Well, now that we have part of that settled, just think, Christmas could
be worse.  We could have to share a room with my parents," Bailey says.
After a adding an exaggerated shudder for effect, he points out, "You're
fraidy-cat is coming back again.  This side of the dumpster.  See him?"

Setting a dish on the ground, Neville backs away and crouches in waiting.
Hiding that he's nervous about Bailey's holiday plans, he focuses on the
cat, "It's the tuna; he definitely wants some.  At a certain point hunger's
hard to ignore, even if you have to come close to a predator to get it.
Look how thin he is.  I'm amazed he's still alive."

Sitting still in his seat where that the cat has to pass him to get to the
food, Bailey dangles his cigarette from his lips and whispers, "Shhh!
Let's get him this time so I can go to bed already!"

"Come here buddy, c'mon.  That's right, you know me buddy, c'mon.  Nev-Nev
has some tuna for you.  I'm going to give you a nice warm and dry home like
your brothers have.  There you go, eat the tuna, that's a boy.  Now!"

Bailey is almost too distracted by Neville using the nickname Nev-Nev on
himself, knowing that it's a name Josh calls Neville when they playfully
banter and bicker.  He wishes it was his pet name and not Josh's.

"Got him!" Bailey exclaims as he pins the cat to the ground with the
stretched out towel, "Quick, pick him up!"

"Thanks for your help Bailey," Neville says moments later as he zips up his
book bag with an incredibly light and angry cat trapped inside it.

"Why do you want another one anyway?  I thought you had a cat already,
Mr. Tickles or something?"

"Mr. Whiskers decided to shack up with the family I stay with instead.
He's got a good life now, but I miss him."

"Well give this guy more love then!  Max and Felix are so spoiled already
they'll never want to leave us."

Neville bites his tongue, "Yeah.  Thanks for the advice.  I'll try that.  I
better get going, he's pretty stressed out."

"See ya tomorrow, Babe," Bailey says, heading inside after nearly two hours
of trying to trap the cat with Neville.

Neville hurries down the alley in the wrong direction, taking the long way
around the block so that he can sneak up to the far side of the building
and not be spotted if Bailey has a before-bed cigarette in his pyjamas on
his fire escape.  He reflects, `Yeah, see you tomorrow, Sweetie.  I love
you!  And just for the record, Mr. Whiskers got lots of love from me and
would never have left me either.  But you guys took him and now he's Max.

Wow, you're really going berserk!  Calm down kitty, we're almost there!
What should I name you?  It has to end in an `x' like your brothers.  Rex?
Lex?  What was that guy's name in Dead Poet's Society?  Knox?  Nah.  Boston
Red Sox?  That's it!  Mr. Sox, quiet buddy, you're almost home.

You've got ten days with me, then we'll have to bribe Josh to come feed you
for a week, and then we'll have the rest of your life or my life together.
At least you're proof to Josh that I'll be coming home from Houston.  I
hope you can learn to trust me; I don't want to see you starve and freeze
to death like you nearly must have this winter.'

>>).:.(<<

As soon as the hotel room door closes behind them Megan turns on the boys,
"Okay, ground rules for this room; if you have a penis it stays in your
pants.  No messing the beds, Brooke and I have to sleep in one of them
tomorrow night.  Now then, Pancakes can't breastfeed so we're taking Eli to
my parents for the night.  We'll meet you back here by 8 and all go over to
Nan and Papa's.  You dum-dums better be clothed and ready to go by then.
Deal?"

Bailey readily agrees, "Deal!"

As Brooke and Megan leave with Eli, Neville winces, "There's 35 dollars
wasted on pyjamas."

"You bought Christmas pyjamas?"

"Yeah.  I didn't want to walk around in just underwear in front of the
girls.  I splurged on a nice pair of jogging pants that are long enough for
me and a waffle-knit top."

Bailey jumps on the chance to get Neville to bed early, "Well, then how
about you hop into those, I'll get into mine, and we can lounge around and
watch whatever Christmas special is on."

Neville readily agrees; the day has been long.  He's been put on the spot
more times than he could count, and he's posed in even more pictures than
that.  His social abilities have been stretched beyond his small limits for
the day.  He relishes the chance to get comfortable and fall asleep on
Bailey while they watch whatever Bailey finally stops at on the television.
That's exactly what he does when Bailey finally settles on Miracle on 34th
Street.

Waking half an hour later with the lights still on, Neville notes that
Gremlins are now on and Bailey is asleep with his hand in the fly of his
pyjamas, Neville laughs at his own thought, `Apparently he took Megan quite
literally!'

His laughter startles Bailey awake, who promptly tries to cover up what he
was doing.  Neville takes it easy on Bailey at first, "I guess this is a
Christmas movie, trying to warn us against the temptations of
commercialism?"

Bailey's recovered, thinking Neville missed the fact that he fell asleep
with his hand down his pants, "What?"

Realizing his comment was over Bailey's head, he instead says, "Nothing.
Hey, have you ever seen the second Gremlins?  We used to kill ourselves
laughing at it.  I don't know if they were trying to make a serious movie
or a total schlock-fest.  Either way, it's classic!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!  Of course, so is getting caught with your hand in your pants.
Don't let me stop you though.  I never thought they were that cute.
Actually, I preferred Spike and his attitude.  But hey, if Gizmo's you
thing..."

"I turned it to this because I didn't want to jack off to Miracle, thank
you.  And this at least made enough noise that I hoped you wouldn't hear
me.  Then I fell asleep before I, you know."

"Where do you get such childish pyjamas with footballs and soccer balls and
basketballs and baseballs?  And why do they have a functional fly?  I
figure it'd be stitched shut so you don't fall out."

"The Gap.  And they're totally for older teens and young men!  Sports
themes are their thing this year."

"Really?  I guess I'm just out of touch.  So you going to finish off or are
you too embarrassed?"

"Will you do it with me?  All the family stresses me out and I need to rub
out a quick one."

After some thought Neville decides a Christmas Eve masturbation might make
him less irritable the next day, "Okay, but let's be quick.  It's getting
close to midnight and I want to be praying by then."

"You want to come over here?"

"No.  Just do it like that, with your pyjamas on.  Turn so I can see?  Pull
your business all out front through the fly.  There, that's good," Neville
commands.

"Pull your pants down so I can see too?"

"Just a sec.  I better hop on your bed," Neville says as he grabs a towel
from the bathroom, "I don't want the stuff getting anywhere Eli might touch
tomorrow night."

"Do you want to do each other?"

"Not tonight.  We're going to have to figure out what we're doing, but it's
Christmas.  Let's not ruin things?"

"Yeah, works for me.  But can you let me know when you're about to shoot?
Maybe point your stick in my fly for me?  I feel dirty telling you, but
that time when I slept with your stuff between my legs made me feel so
close to you.  Can you do that for me for Christmas?"

"Uh, I guess."

"Any special requests for you?"

"Nope, just keep that fly free, it's been a while."

"You know you wouldn't get wet spots in your pants if you did this more
often?  Every time you get hard you leak because you never release any."

"I don't know, is that your medical opinion or your horny opinion?  Get up,
open your fly.  You point it where you want it, I'm ready."

As Neville releases inside Bailey's pyjamas, Bailey fists himself furiously
and shoots his load all over the lower half of Neville's Henley, which he
has to remove.  Bailey rubs what little of his seed made it through the
shirt all over Neville's faint abs while falling asleep.  Neville covers
Bailey up and then silently says his prayers.  Knowing Bailey will freak
out if he wakes in the dark, Neville turns the lights off but leaves the
bathroom light on and the door wide open.  Unsure of himself, he gets into
bed with Bailey afterwards and falls asleep.

>>).:.(<<

Christmas morning starts with waking to Eli in a Christmas sleeper that
Neville bought.  He and Bailey both oversleep, but Brooke and Megan are in
forgiving moods.  By 9 in the morning everyone is gathered around the
senior Mr. and Mrs. Regan's tree and exchanging gifts.  The day keeps
everyone busy with phone calls, drop-ins and short visits.  Neville is
happy to sit on the sidelines and tend to Eli much of the morning and early
afternoon, bringing him around to show when Brooke calls him to.

After a great first Christmas with Eli and a huge dinner, Neville is
anxious to get to the airport with Bailey for their 6:30 flight to Toronto.
Neville breathes a sigh of relief when he and Bailey join the crowds inside
the airport.  He may be crowded now, but he finally doesn't feel smothered.

As they reach the front of the check-in line Bailey is nervous.  While he
doesn't have a fear of flying, he's not a fan of it either.  This has his
heart rate elevated, but it's not the only thing he's worried about.  The
whole business with Neville's documentation has him nearly jumping out of
his skin like a scared cat.  He's curious if the passport is real or a
fake.  If it's real, how did Neville get it, if it's a fake, will they get
caught?  If it is a fake and they get caught, how screwed are they?  As
worried as he is, the one thing he doesn't do is ask Neville for any of the
answers.  By contrast, as he subconsciously reaches for Neville's hand
repeatedly, he can see that Neville is the most calm he's been in days.

When they are finally called up to the check-in counter, a smile from the
airplane check-in attendant alerts him to the fact that the attendant is
watching him hold on to Neville's hand.  Quickly letting go and blushing,
he's immediately put at ease by the attendant, "Merry Christmas boys!
Don't worry; if I was all nervous about flying I'd grab hold of that big
stud's hand too!"

"I wasn't.  I was just..."

Neville cuts in, "What he's trying to say is that we're just friends.  I'm
lucky for even that.  Anyway, Merry Christmas to you too.  Here's our
tickets, Houston by way of Toronto."

The attendant smiles at Neville, "Well Elijah, ask for an exit aisle when
you check in for boarding each time.  Long legs like yours get extra room
to fit into those rows.  Just a friendly helper from another friend."

The next four hours seem like an eternity to Neville.  The actual flight is
only two hours and ten minutes, but to Neville it seems like they just flew
across the continent to Alaska.  Bailey just won't let it go, "You flirted
with the guy so we could get better seats!"

Finally in the U.S. terminal in Toronto close to midnight, Neville's had
it, "Bailey let it go.  All I did was let you hold my hand in the terminal
and even told the guy I'm lucky you're even still friends with me!"

"I know, sorry," Bailey finally concedes, but still doesn't want to tell
Neville that the passport business is what's really worrying him.

Neville doesn't understand Bailey's sudden change of mind, "Good, 'cause
right now I don't feel so lucky for the friendship.  I never hit on him.
The leg room helped a lot though!"

They find a lounge area in the terminal to sit down, and realize they have
nearly 10 hours before they fly to Houston.  The first couple hours go
slowly as they make a game of sitting in every lounge area the airport
provides.  Finally finding seats that are comfortable, Bailey starts many
crosswords and word searches, before tiring of then and going onto the next
page in his puzzle book.  Neville tries to read a hardcover edition of
`Winter's Heart' by Robert Jordan that Mrs. MacLeod lent him.

Both are too tired and yet too wired to focus on anything for too long, as
time slowly ticks by.  After many games, from tic-tac-toe to I-spy, with
four hours before boarding the next plane they get up and head to the
U.S. customs line.  An hour later they've cleared the security check and
Bailey breathes a lot easier as they find the waiting area for their
flight.

They circle the waiting area and find a spot to sit.  Both pretend they're
not interested in a guy their own age waiting by himself as Neville leads
them to seats diagonal from him.

Neville's the first to comment.  Hearing ABBA escape from the guy's ear
buds when they passed him, twenty minutes later he mistakenly points out,
"You know there's a bogey at ten o'clock, right?"

"Bogey?"

"Nevermind."

Bailey gasps, "What, you think he's gay?  Don't tell me you think he's hot
too!  You do, don't deny it!  Figures!"

"And you don't?  I saw you rape him with your eyes!  Look at him, he is
hot.  Like a taller Josh but cuter."

Bailey gives in, "Fine, his face is hot, but I still don't see what it is
with muscles that you all like."

"He's hardly built, he just has a nice solid body.  I forgot, you like the
emaciated look.  Thankfully I was literally nearly starving to death when
we met or you'd probably not have given me a second glance!"

"What can I say?  I like my boys real skinny.  Look at him, no way he's
gay."

"We'll see."

Bailey slips his hand into Neville's back pocket, "Here's ten dollars, why
don't you get up and go grab me a bag of dill pickle chips and a 7 up or
sprite?  I'll see if he watches you and then I'll go talk to him."

Neville has to lean forward so that Bailey can get his hand back.  As he
stretches to hide this, he grunts, "Fine."

When he gets back Neville asks, "So?"

Bailey lies, "You're wrong.  He didn't even look up."

Neville argues, "What?  I was staring right at him, we locked eyes.  He
shrugged and then he waived, almost like the Queen waives by turning her
wrist.  I didn't imagine that, you couldn't have missed it.  I nodded back
to him.  You didn't go talk to him did you?"

After Neville takes a small sip of the pop he hands it to Bailey.  Bailey
takes a good chug and then pretends to give the bottle a blow job for
Neville's amusement.  Handing back the bottle to Neville he insinuates,
"Bet you'd like to do that to him."

Neville doesn't take the bait, he's staring into the glass window that's
acting like a mirror in the pre-dawn.  In the reflection of the glass his
eyes are fixed directly on the guy's eyes.

"Check it out, he's totally watching us.  Watch this," Neville says to
Bailey as he picks up the bag of chips, intentionally making noise with it,
"See?  He doesn't have to turn and look because he's using the reflection
in the windows to watch us.  He's totally into boy watching like we are."

Bailey takes the bag of chips and opens it, speaking with a mouth full of
chips, "Even in a hoodie you can just tell he's a stupid skinny bitch with
nice shoulders and arm, and no doubt a nice chest over his stupid `V'
shaped torso and ripped abs.  You want to bed him."

Neville rolls his eyes, "No.  I don't even know him.  There's only one
person in sight that I want to do that to.  And I love the way you look."

Bailey reaches his arm under the coats draped over their chairs and slips
his hand back into Neville's back pocket and massages the inside of his
cheek, "You're just saying that because you want me to put something else
in here."

"Well yeah.  But it's the same thing I was whispering in your ear ten
months ago, eleven months ago, seven months ago.  I just wish I hadn't
screwed things up because, now, then, five years from now; if I had my way
you would be my first and only."

Bailey tries to stifle a yawn.  Realizing that he's been snippy he
qualifies it, "Sorry, that's not directed at you."

"I know.  I'm tired too.  I'm going to ask that guy if he can watch our
stuff while we catch some rest."

"No, don't," Bailey protests a little too late.

Neville is already up and stretching again.  He straightens out his clothes
as he walks over to the guy who keeps making eye contact with him, and
clears his throat, "Hey."

"Hay's for horses, doncha know?" The guy replies, his piercing eyes full of
self-confidence look into back into Neville's.  He seems to sense he's
unnerved Neville so he smiles, "Hey back atcha."

Neville is suddenly questioning why he was so bold.  He tries to sound
casual, making sure not to stammer with an uh, "Are you on the flight to
Houston too?"

Neville's sure he sees amusement cross the eyes and curl the lips a little
on the guy he's approached.  The stranger's response is kind enough and
punctuated with a nod of his head, "Yep, headed to Houston and warm
weather."

Neville knows this isn't him.  He doesn't know how to ask what he wants, so
he tries to talk as if he were Bailey as he focuses on the John Saul novel
the stranger is reading rather than continue eye contact, "Sweet.  Um, my
friend and I have been up for like, forever.  We caught the last flight out
last night and we've been here for almost seven hours now and we're dead
tired.  Is there any chance we could maybe ask you to just keep an eye on
our stuff while we try to catch some shut-eye?"

Neville watches the reaction closely, thankful that the guy still seems
amused and not put off as he answers, "Uh, yeah, sure."

Fully pretending to be Bailey now, Neville smiles and rambles, "Oh
sweetness.  Thanks dude!  Uh, I'm Bailey by the way and he's Neville.  I
mean Eli, legally he's Eli but his name is Neville.  In case you have to
wake us for the plane or someone asks if we're with you or something."

Still seated with ear buds in his ears, the stranger nods and in a
different voice and accent than Neville expects, offers his own name,
"Duncan."

Neville feels incredibly stupid as he heads back to Bailey, `How did he
know I gave him the wrong names?  He has to know I lied because he totally
changed his voice and his accent, like he was imitating me when he gave me
his name.  Oh well, he said yes.  Maybe it's just my mind playing tricks?
These last few days have been exhausting.  No Nev, you know that's not it.
You're used to running off of little sleep; and not restful sleep at that.
Duncan definitely changed his tune, even if he has a poker face that didn't
show it.'

Getting back to Bailey, he winces, "He said yes.  One thing though, I told
him I was you, and you were me.  I don't know why, I just panicked."

Bailey's worries come crashing back as they gather their luggage and try to
get cozy on the floor, leaning against the windows to sleep, `Why would Nev
lie about our names?  Is he going to get arrested when we try to board the
plane?  Why am I so worried?  He got his passport somehow.  It must be
legit because they did check it and he wasn't arrested or denied.'

Both boys watch Duncan take off his hoodie.  They look to each other when
Duncan takes a quick sniff of the hoodie and smiles.  Duncan then slides
the short sleeve of his shirt up to reveal a tattoo.  They watch as Duncan
puts a finger to it, covering up one colour and then the one below it until
Bailey realizes it's coloured in like a rainbow flag.  He jabs Neville,
"Told you!"

"Told me what?"

"He's one of us.  That's a rainbow flag."

"You the one that said he wasn't.  I told you he was," Neville quietly
argues.

"Whatever.  No.  No, I don't want to argue in public.  Not with people
around," Bailey huffs.

Neville's happy that Bailey is acting jealous, it gives him hope that they
may be back together.  Still, he's upset because he's certain he hasn't
flirted with anyone, "Are you done being mad at me, 'cause I can't go to
sleep without you forgiving me first."

Bailey scans the airport and quickly reaches towards Neville for a kiss.
It's electric, quite literally as they get a shock from each other, from
resting against the cold window and Neville sliding his feet along the
office-floor style carpeting.  Smiling, they both make themselves
comfortable and fall asleep until Duncan swats their feet to wake them,
"The flight crew's arriving."

At the boarding gate Bailey tries to quietly flirt with the male flight
attendant, "I'm a Friend of Dorothy, he's a Friend of Dorothy, and we'd
really like our Friend of Dorothy that we just met to sit beside us.  Will
puppy-dog eyes work or should I mention how breath-taking your smile is?"

The flight attendant manages to not burst out laughing.  The lady flight
attendant beside him looks apologetically at Duncan and then points to
Neville, "Well he is the tallest in the line today.  Perhaps switching you
to an exit row is wise."

They chat briefly with Duncan until the plane reaches cruising altitude and
he falls asleep on them.  By the time Bailey thinks about joining the Mile
High Club Neville is asleep too.

>>).:.(<<

After exiting the plane Neville and Bailey lose track of Duncan as they
follow the line to the baggage pick up.  They stand back when they get to
the conveyor, content to wait, and spot Duncan again.  When Duncan explains
that he's meeting up with an internet friend that is thinking about moving
to Vancouver and going to university with him, both Neville and Bailey's
ears perk up.  Neville wants to go to university in a big city, and Bailey
just wants to get away from home.  They end up punching Duncan's mobile
number into the Regan family's cell phone with a promise to call him this
evening once they are settled into their hotel with the hotel information,
and a loose plan to get together for dinner one night.

An airline limousine takes them to their high-rise hotel in downtown
Houston where they have a 42nd floor room.  When they walk into the room
Bailey drops his luggage and sprawls out on a bed.  It's not his intent,
but moments later he's fast asleep.  Neville pulls out a portable CD player
that he got for Christmas and puts in a disc of songs that Bailey burned
for him.  It's his first time listening to the disc, and he's surprised by
the songs on it.  Every one of the 8 songs on it is a song he'd told Bailey
he likes, starting off with `Every Time I See Your Picture' by Luba.
Curling up in a hotel chair, Neville hardly gets into his book when he sets
it aside and falls asleep sitting up.

Waking to go to the washroom several hours later, around what would be
dinner time, Bailey wakes Neville too as he returns, "You can't be
comfortable like that.  You look all twisted like a pretzel."

"It's not that bad.  It's how I sleep.  I like to curl into the tightest
ball I can and stay warm," Neville defends.

"C'mere.  Let's go to bed, get some sleep.  We can hit that 24 hour
McDonalds on the corner for food later and then figure out what we're going
to do tomorrow," Bailey says, pausing when he gets his sweater over his
head.

Neville grabs Bailey and stops him from freeing himself of the sweater.
"Or we could do this instead," Neville suggests.  With Bailey's head stuck
in the sweater Neville pushes him onto a bed and starts feeling his body.

"Or we could do this," Bailey agrees and kicks off his shoes.

Piece by piece they slowly undress each other while kissing all over until
they are down to their underwear.  Neville stops the kissing, "Bailey, I
need you to love me again.  It's all I've ever wanted.  If these come off,
we go all the way.  I need you to understand how much I love you.  I need
you in me.  If you don't want that too, stop me now, please?"

Bailey reaches down and wraps his hand around the part of Neville that is
sticking out above his stretched out waistline, "You got it."

Neville waits in anticipation for what's coming next as Bailey draws out
the suspense.  He cracks a huge smile when his briefs get tugged down.
When Bailey pulls out a strip of condoms later, Neville trumps him with a
full box of his own and a tube of lube.

When Bailey is comfortably root deep in Neville, he stops and lets it all
go.  Going on his assumption that Neville is homeless, against the
instruction of his father, Bailey starts prying into Neville, "Nev, I've
told you my story.  My whole story."

On all fours, Neville realizes now that Bailey is in him, he has no control
left at the moment.  He grabs an extra pillow from the head of the bed and
adds it to the pile beneath him.  He still tries to take control.
Thrusting his hips back towards Baileys he counters, "I suppose you want my
story too?  Well it's still classified."

Steadying Neville's hips, Bailey presses on, "I know you're homeless.  Josh
does too, only he knows where you and your cat hide out and I don't.  Look,
I don't want to make you change anything.  You're doing better than I could
ever hope to.  If it helps, I really think I'm completely and helplessly
falling back in love with you."

"There's so much you don't know about me," Neville says, shaking his head.

"Then tell me," Bailey nearly shouts in exasperation.

Neville raises his voice in return, "It's not that easy, you won't
understand!"

"Try me.  Maybe the truth will set you free," Bailey offers in a gentle
voice full of hurt.

Neville cracks, "Ugh, whatever.  Fine."

Bailey voice is still meek, "You're really going to share?"

"No.  I don't know.  I guess.  Promise me you'll still talk to me
afterwards?  After what I tell you and after you make me yours?  Promise me
it won't change anything," Neville pleads.

Without pause Bailey answers, "I promise."

"Fine.  You know I was born Elijah Harold Johnson.  I'm from Halifax.  The
day my dad found out I'm gay he plotted to murder me.  I think Mom more
than half agreed with him about not wanting me in their house if I'm gay,
but didn't agree with murder.  When my dad went to bed she woke me up and
gave me the heads up.  The very night they found out, she gave me some
money and I ran away.  The end.  Now let's never discuss that again.

I'm holding you to your promise not to tell on me because if you don't
promise, I'm not going back home.  That would change things and you just
said you don't want to make me change anything.  I'm managing just fine so
please respect me enough to trust me on this.  I'm eighteen now so they
won't put me in a home, but they can put me in jail for trespassing if you
tell on me.  If you don't tell on me no one will know otherwise.  I may not
have a real sweet set-up, but it works.  Now what was that bit about
falling back in love, cause I never fell out of love with you...and uh, are
you going to start moving those hips, Jackass?"

"Where do you live?"

"I can't tell you that."

"So for three years now you've just squatted here and there?"

"Yeah, there have been a couple really good places.  This is starting to
get really uncomfortable Bailey."

"I wasn't going to hate-fuck you, because I don't hate you.  I love you,
but I just can't make love to you either."

"So what, now that you've finally put it in me we're stopping?"

"I don't want to shoot yet.  The first time I orgasm in a guy I want to be
sure it's love, and I'm not sure."

"So you were definitely in love with me the last time?"

"What last time?"

"Before your birthday you humped me while I was sleeping and you ended by
shoving your dick into me.  Just in case I didn't feel it, I also had to
deal with your jizz inside me the next day.  But it was an accident and you
didn't mean for it to happen."

"Oh, you know about that?"

Pulling off of Bailey and rolling over to his back, Neville reveals, "Yeah,
and because I love you I never said anything about you raping me.  But
you're right, things are feeling funny now so I think we're done trying for
now.  For what it's worth, if we never do this again, I'm glad you were the
first person to put your dick in me."

"I'm sorry Nev.  All of a sudden I'm just not so sure of this anymore,"
Bailey says as he removes his condom.

Neville recoils, "You promised me it wouldn't change anything and now you
won't even fuck me after I just told you everything important there is to
tell you!  You want to know why I have trust issues?  Because my own dad
was going to kill me.  Because I finally give myself over to you now and
you stick your dick into me and then tell me I'm no good!  God damn it
all!"

Bailey thinks about it for a second, seeing Neville's point of view.  He
spreads Neville's legs and kneels between them, his softening erection
pressed tightly into the crevice between Neville's cheeks, "Oh shut up!
Just listen to me Nev, for fuck's sake!  I want it to be you!  I want you
to be my first, and I do love you, asshole!  But you just made my heart
bleed for you and I feel so bad for everything you've gone through and how
I treated you when if I just opened my eyes, I would have seen.  The first
time we do it, I want it to be purely love, and not pity.  Just now I feel
so bad for you and for how I've treated you, even though you are the one
that slept with my sister when we were dating."

"Uh, okay.  Sorry I jumped to conclusions."

Bailey wraps Neville in a hug, "I get it.  It's how you're wired.  You
tried to tell me that once or twice.  I'm finally getting you."

After a long naked cuddle session Bailey's grumbling stomach ends the
intimacy.  Neville suggests, "How about we see about that food?"

The boys dress and ride the elevator in quiet contentment.  Now all secrets
are off the table other than where Neville lives.

Looking at the menu Neville frowns, "They don't have pizza's here."

"They dropped those like two years ago!  Where have you been?"

"Uh, you honestly want to know?  When I was new to our school and still
cared about making friends, Josh's friends tricked me into thinking that if
I got served by Kelsey at McDonalds that I wouldn't have to pay.  They told
me she does it for her friends and the told her I was a friend.  Well that
was a set-up and payback because I'd stolen Josh's hat.  You know; my
Boston Bruins ball cap?  Well, I got banned from there ever since.  They
still had pizza's then."

"Oh, wow.  Sorry.  Do you want to go somewhere else?"

"Everything is too much hassle, I just want to get you something to eat and
let's go back to the hotel."

"What do you want?"

Looking at the price of the featured Californian salad with chicken strips
Neville says, "Nothing.  I'm not hungry."

"You have to be!  We slept through the meal on the second plane."

"I ate a lot at your grandparents yesterday."

"You ate like a bird!  You're seriously not hungry?"

"No, I learned to go days between real food.  That salad looks good,
but..."

"What?"

"look at the price!"

"Forget the price.  I'm buying.  Is that what you want?  Do you want a
cheeseburger or something too for when you do get hungry?"

"No thanks.  The salad's good, thanks.  I'll pop it in the fridge in the
room for when I do get hungry."

Walking back to the hotel Neville asks, "Uh, so back in the summer, how'd
you know it was me?"

"I know Brooke.  She loves you to pieces.  I'd want you to father my kid
too, so it just made sense.  You're coming back, I'm not letting you
abandon your kid like you've been abandoned."

"You're a worry-wart like Josh!  Don't stress out on me again, I swear to
God I'm planning on making the flight back!  All I can think of half the
time is Eli.  And Josh won't take care of Mr. Sox forever."

Immediately upon returning to their hotel room Neville strips and puts on
his sleeping pants and top.  Seeing Neville's fully naked skinny body,
Bailey only eats one of his burgers and puts the other one in the fridge
along with Neville's salad.  He tosses his remaining fries in the garbage
and turns off the lights, leaving the bathroom light on and the door closed
over.

When daylight warms the room up enough it wakes the boys.  At some point
Neville had woken enough to shed his top, allowing Bailey to marvel at his
lean stomach that seems to flex with every breath.  Knowing Bailey is
watching, Neville gets up, tugs on his obvious morning wood and heads to
the bathroom.  He's tempted to play in the shower, but decides against it,
emerging from the bathroom in a fog of steam with a towel wrapped around
his waist and beads of water still on his torso.

Spotting Bailey on the bed with the box of condoms and lube, his hard
member escaping the fly of his pyjamas, Neville beams, "Good.  We're
thinking the same thing.  I'm all nice and clean for you to do with as you
please!"

Turned on by the look of Bailey with his dopey bed-head and pyjamas,
Neville piles some pillows and doesn't let Bailey undress as he bends over
the pile.  When Bailey comes down, Neville undresses him, leaving the
condom for last.  Round two involves a lot more kissing.  Penetration is
easier so Neville takes Bailey laying on his back.  They vary positions
between Bailey standing and Neville slightly hanging off the bed, to
Neville being curled tightly with his knees touching the headboard beside
his head.  After lounging around, round three sees Neville standing and
being bent over the bed, finishing with him flat on the bed and Bailey
sprawled over him.  Realizing how strong the room smells, and seeing the
bed sheets soaked through in areas with teenage perspiration, they head to
the shower.  While not producing an orgasm for either, a fourth condom sees
use in the shower.

By the time they are dressed and each plop down into an oversized plush
chair back in the room, they realize they were at each other for over six
hours.  Both are week in the legs.

Looking at the bed they've messed, Bailey comments, "I guess no
housekeeping today."

"Oh no, she opened the door and announced herself the first time, and only
opened the door the second time."

"How'd I miss that?"

"You were busy playing slapy-slapy with my ass.  Man, am I sore!  My hips
have never been worked like that before!  It was amazing, and you were
awesome!  I swear, if you managed to finish a fourth time in the shower
there, I was going to call a porn company and tell them they have a new
star!"

"You're pretty amazing yourself!  My legs are all wobbly now.  Aside from
bruised hips, how do you feel?"

"Definitely a little sore all over down there.  And uh, it's tender when
the boxers rub.  Otherwise, I feel really awesome.  Damn, that was
amazing!"

When Bailey goes to the fridge for his leftover burger Neville stops him,
"Maybe we should call your parents and let them know we got here alright?
And we promised to call Duncan last night and didn't."

"Okay, yeah.  We should call home.  Do you really want to call Duncan?
He's here visiting a friend and we don't really know him."

"Yeah, I want to call him.  I don't like him, don't worry!  I do think it
would be good to talk to him about Vancouver and see what he knows about
the universities there.  And like he said, if we end up there for school,
at least we'd know someone.  I don't want to be in the closet when we go to
university."

"You really want to go to school together, don't you?"

"Yeah!  I'll have to dump my cat on your family or Josh, but I want to go
to either Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver.  The further the better if
possible, although I'll be away from Eli.  I want to take criminology and
psychology or whatever else it takes to be a social worker.  I want to get
involved in whatever city we go to and help kids like me.  Street kids.
Gay kids.  Abused kids.  And I want you there every step of the way.  I
love you."

"Okay, let's make the calls."

>>).:.(<<

Neville and Bailey make arrangements to meet with Duncan and his friend at
a restaurant not far from their hotel.  When they arrive they're met by
Duncan out front in the waiting area.  Duncan introduces them to his friend
Jon, and Jon's boyfriend Paul.

Once they're seated Jon is happy that they get a fun server that he used to
enjoy working with.  When they place their food and drink orders everyone
gets on Neville's case.  Instead of soup and salad with water, he's talked
into a chicken and rib combo.  He argues to be allowed to at least get
vegetables instead of fries.

When the server asks if he wants to change his drink order too, he caves,
"Can I get a virgin sunrise please?"

"And that would be?"

"A tequila sunrise, no tequila."

"A virgin sunrise?  I think there's a name for that."

"Yeah but that's what my boss calls it at work when I forget the tequila in
hers.  We don't need to be referencing the actress that played little
orphan Annie, do we now?  It sounds more acceptable if we stick to virgin
sunrise."

"That's a new one!  A virgin sunrise it is!"

After dinner Paul leaves to get his daughter Belinda from his sitter.
Bailey and Neville are both floored that Neville isn't the only gay
teenager with a child.  Neville and Bailey invite Duncan and Jon over to
their hotel room.  Cognitive of the frenzied sex state the room was left
in, Neville has the guests wait for Bailey to finish a cigarette first
while he goes ahead to straighten up.

In the hotel room they start a movie but never pay any attention to it.
They're four guys from three different corners of the continent, but fall
into easy conversation.  Jon keeps getting phone calls which he's very
cryptic about.  At first Neville thinks it's drug related because he and
Duncan both admit to smoking weed.  When Bailey surprises him by confessing
to smoking up occasionally, Neville just assumes Jon is trying to get some,
especially when he takes the phone into the bathroom.

Instead, when Jon comes out of the bathroom and sends Duncan to the soda
machine down the hall, he talks so quick that it's hard for Bailey and
Neville to understand him with his accent, "Kay guys; Paul was bored and
went online.  He can get us some really cheap tickets to see the Dallas
Stars play his L.A. Kings for tomorrow.  Are you guys interested?  I don't
know what you have planned.  It's a bit of a drive and my mom's boyfriend
would be chaperoning us.  He's cool, he's the high school football coach
and my vice-principal.  He's totally an upstanding guy.  He's why I'm too
afraid to even smoke a joint anywhere anymore because he'll know and give
me a veiled lecture.  He's built like a pro wrestler and seems all mean at
first, but he's a great guy and a totally cool, and he's known I'm gay for
years and has my back.  You guys paid for dinner so this is on us.  We
thought it would be fun.  I know you guys are only here for a week and
probably have a ton of things you want to do, but we really like hanging
out with you guys and being able to just be ourselves and not worry about
being gay for once!"

Neville answers for them, "Yeah, awesome!  Going to a game with you guys
would be really amazing!"

The road trip to Dallas is filled with every question possible thrown at
Duncan about Vancouver and the universities there.  Along the way Jon
manages to plug a CD adapter into the cassette deck and play the CD Bailey
made for Neville.  Starting with acoustic guitars on the way to Dallas,
over the course of the week, just for fun Duncan and Paul mess around with
a handful of songs for Neville.  Tracy Chapman's `Fast Car', John Denver's
`Country Roads', Don McLean's `American Pie' and Gordon Lightfoot's `If You
Could Read My Mind'.

Aside from the New Year's Eve concert and a few hockey games that Paul cons
Duncan into playing with him, Bailey and Neville spend almost their whole
week with their new friends.  Bailey isn't keen on guitar music, especially
acoustic guitars, but he sees how much Neville comes alive when music,
especially folk music he knows, is the focus.

By the time they head to the airport for their flight to Montreal and then
another to Charlottetown, they've set up hotmail and instant messenger
accounts to stay in touch with Jon, Paul, and Duncan.  With the exception
of Neville, phone numbers and addresses are exchanged.  Jon has burned a
handful of mixed CD's for Neville and downloaded all the songs from the CD
Bailey made.

Other than Brooke, Megan and Bailey, the only friend Neville has is Josh,
and it's taken over two years for that to flourish into a true friendship.
Even though he's part of the curling club at school, while Bailey has
acquaintances, he is pretty much a loner beyond Josh, Neville and his
family.  In less than a week they have developed stronger friendships with
the other three they met in Houston than in their time living in
Charlottetown.  With Duncan alone living in Vancouver, they are sold on the
idea of going to university there next year.  If Jon and Paul end up there
too, they'll be elated.  When Duncan sees them to their gate while waiting
for his direct flight back to Vancouver, Both Bailey and Neville hug him
and promise they'll see him in the fall.

[to be continued]

Dear Readers:

The past month and some has been hectic!  So...I haven't had the time to
put into writing at all.  I had finished writing this story in early
October and I am posting it as I get a chance to revise and edit it. Even
with that said, the best I can promise is some time before the end of the
year for the last chapter.  I am over-due to be getting back to Part 2 of
another story that I had promised to resume late summer / early autumn; In
the Shadows of Our Lives, also in the high school section.  Likewise with
that one, I am aiming to get one chapter up before the end of the year,
depending on my work schedules.  Part 2 of that story which I have named
Wild is the Wind, revolves around Jon and Paul from Houston, who Bailey and
Neville met in this chapter.  Nev and Bailey's visit will show up in that
story, by Chapter 5.  I am going to keep Part 2 of that story short because
Part 3 will shift to college with them, as well as Nev and Bailey, joining
Duncan and his boyfriend Benji in Vancouver.  That's what I'm really
looking forward to!  My goal is to be posting the college adventures of
these guys by summer 2011!

Always love to hear from you, please let me know what you think @
phantomscorpio77@gmail.com or stop by to see how things are going with the
next chapter and other writing @ www.myspace.com/phantomscorpio77.  I am
so, so sorry for not getting back to many of you lately who have written
over the past few chapters. I promise I will, and I greatly appreciate that
you take the time to write!

Cheers,

Jade