Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:07:12 +0000
From: Bobby Chester <thebobbyfish@gmail.com>
Subject: Jamie Lawrence, Chapter Twenty

Jamie Lawrence - Chapter Twenty

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Jamie Lawrence - Chapter Twenty

  "Okay. Just breathe normally. No, I said normally." Shane demonstrated by
taking a few long, shallow breaths.

  "I know how to breath. I've only been doing it for sixteen years!"
returned Jamie. He was lying on his back in the pool, floating on the
surface with Shane's hand delicately supporting his weight by the small of
his back.

  "Seventeen. Birthday on Monday, remember?"

  "Ach, don't remind me."

  Shane kissed Jamie's bare stomach, wet with chlorinated water, and
returned to their purpose. "Okay. That's better. Now, keep doing it."

  Shane had already tried three times to move his hand away from Jamie's
back, and all three times, Jamie had panicked and nearly gone under the
water.

  "There you go," said Shane softly. Jamie closed his eyes and just
floated, feeling only one of Shane's fingers on his back. Just that one
finger was enough to reassure Jamie that Shane had him. "Soon I'll have you
coming down off the high board."

  "Fat chance."

  Shane chuckled warmly. "Are you ready to start paddling your feet?"

  "I guess."

  Shane spent the next fifteen minutes coaching Jamie into a slow
backstroke, all the while, his hand never strayed more than an inch from
the small of Jamie's back.

  Finally, Jamie had had enough. "That's it. Steam room." Shane smiled and
let Jamie clamber onto his back like a squirrel before he walked over to
the ladder.

  They shared a locker since they only had their shorts and their room
key. They donned a pair of fluffy towels and headed into the steam room.

  As it was coming on toward lunchtime, the steam room was empty. The room
was a series of three graduated tiers, offering space for around ten people
at any one time. Jamie led Shane up to the top tier and each placed their
towel on the seat before sitting on it.

  They sat together, their hands on each other's thighs, and kissed for a
few minutes. They were just beginning to hit their stride when the door
opened slowly and two men of around sixty walked in.

  The first one in had a shock of black hair that would have fallen to his
shoulders had it not been drawn back in a ponytail. He had spotted the boys
the moment he had come in. He flashed them a grin when they pulled apart
and flung their towels over their erections.

  "Don't stop on our account." He took the other man's hand. He was
somewhat balding and was developing a belly. The two kissed briefly before
taking a seat across the room from the boys. "We don't mind at all."

  Jamie was fighting to keep from blushing. "It's okay."

  The man with the black hair smiled. "No shame in-" He made a wanking
gesture. "your boyfriend. As long as he IS your boyfriend." He looked
fondly at his partner.

  "Walter, that was one time, and it was in 1984." The balding man did not
seem defensive about it.

  "I know, honey." Walter smiled and leaned in to kiss his partner.

  Jamie cleared his throat, his throat clammy from the steam. "So, how long
have you two been together?"

  "Yesterday was our fortieth anniversary. Norman brought me here as a
gift." Walter kissed Norman's hand as he spoke. "How about you two?"

  "Nine weeks," said Jamie. "Though, come to think of it;" Jamie
stopped. "Oh my God. I didn't even realise. Thursday was our two month
anniversary!"

  Norman grinned. "Now THAT is worth celebrating."

  "It is." Walter looked at Jamie and Shane for a moment. "Tell you what,
why don't you boys join us for dinner tonight? Our treat."

  "Oh, we couldn't! That's too much," said Jamie, his ill-feeling over
accepting the spa weekend resurfacing.

  "Hush now. We insist," said Norman. "Meet us on the mezzanine at
eight. Now," he said, and both of them rose to their feet. "Why don't you
put your hunk of a boyfriend out of his misery?" He looked pointedly at
Shane's towel which was tenting alarmingly.

  Jamie buried his face in his hands. "See you later then!"

  Walter and Norman left hand in hand, chuckling heartily.

  The door had barely closed when Shane whipped his towel away. "You heard
the man!"

               -----------------------------------------------

  "Right, you. Get in the shower." Jamie pulled on his shirt and started
checking his hair.

  "Ooh, I love it when you get all bossy." Shane pulled Jamie in so that
their groins pressed together. "I REALLY like it." He looked at the door to
their room, then at Jamie's Ann Summers' bag. "Do you think we've time for
a go with the..." He made a quick motion with his hand.

  Jamie caught his drift. He checked the clock quickly. It would have to be
quick. "So, you like me bossy do you?" Shane nodded.

  Jamie put on his best authoritarian voice. "Take off all your clothes and
get on the bed. You're not to move until I tell you."

  Jamie went into his bag of tricks and pulled out the small dildo. He
slapped on some lubricant and turned back to Shane whose dick had already
swollen to its full mass and was bobbing against his perfect stomach.

  "Do you want the handcuffs again?"

  "Um, no. We don't have time."

  Jamie walked over to Shane, whose face was stretched out in a huge grin,
and knelt between his legs. He slurped Shane's dick into his mouth and
massaged it with his tongue. The moment he tasted pre-cum, he knew Shane
was primed and pulled off.

  Jamie touched the slippery tip of the dildo to Shane's pucker and applied
pressure. It slid an inch or so into Shane and Shane tensed up. Jamie
paused and waited.

  "You okay, sweetie?"

  Shane took a couple of deep breaths and, with his eyes still tightly
closed, nodded. Jamie pressed on. It was easier than the first time as
Shane was not resisting quite as much.

  Once Jamie had the full length of it in, he started to gently run it in
out out, trying to stimulate both the nerves around Shane's rosebud, and
the prostate hidden inside him. Jamie knew he had found the prostate when
Shane's back arched slightly and he let out a small gasp. "Oh! Right
there!" he said, his breathing getting heavier.

  Shane was moaning and trying to move into Jamie's hand to take more into
himself, though there was no more to be had. 'Perhaps I should have used
the bigger one', mused Jamie.

  Jamie's jeans were starting to get tighter so he knelt up, unzipped
himself and let his semi erect dick loose. Its new found freedom drove it
upwards and before long, Jamie's seven inch dick was begging for some
attention.

  Jamie sucked one of Shane's balls into his mouth and swirled it around
with his tongue. Shane started to whimper, a sure sign that his orgasm was
approaching. Jamie kissed his way up Shane's dick, halting momentarily on
the sensitive under of the head.

  Shane started to breathe in shallow gulps of air as Jamie slid his lips
over the head and took his dick to the back of his mouth. It galled Jamie
that Shane could take all of him, while he couldn't take all of Shane in
his little mouth.

  Jamie had never been busier. One hand around a dildo, the other servicing
his own dick, and his mouth full to the brim with his boyfriend's.

  Shane's stomach muscles tensed up and he almost bellowed "I'm
cu-ummi-ing!"

  Shane groaned as each of the four blasts coated the back of Jamie's
throat. Jamie swallowed and swallowed while the taste of Shane's cum drove
him over the edge and his hips bucked.

  He rested his head on Shane's stomach while his orgasm coursed through
his extremities, muffling his little grunts in Shane's skin.

  Neither boy moved for a minute. Shane continued to breath heavily while
his dick bobbed lower and lower until it lay shrivelled by Jamie's
cheek. Jamie gave it a cheeky kiss before he inched the dildo out of
Shane. With a small grunt from Shane, it fell free.

  Shane sat up, glassy eyed and smiling weakly. He simply looked into
Jamie's eyes for a moment or two.

  "Come on; shower." Jamie led his dazed boyfriend into the bathroom and
settled him into the shower. While he did that, Jamie washed the dildo
thoroughly and returned it to his bag of tricks.

               -----------------------------------------------

  Norman and Walter headed down to the mezzanine to meet the two lovely
young lads they had met earlier. Unfortunately, they hadn't given their
names.

  They exited the lift and scanned around. What they saw made them
smile. The boys were standing together. the taller one was leaning against
the railing of the mezzanine, cradling the small one protectively in his
arms. Both had their eyes closed.

  Norman nudged Walter. "Remember when we were like that?" he asked,
romance in his eyes.

  "The early throes of passion. The gooey looks." Walter laughed
quietly. "Nobody could stand to be around us for the first year!"

  "I almost hate to interrupt them."

  Walter paused. "Shall we give them another minute then?"

  Norman nodded, cast one more glance at the boys and led Walter into the
bar.

               -----------------------------------------------

  Jamie was seriously considering never moving from this spot. It was very
nice in his cosy little corner of the world, cradled in Shane's embrace.

  It was Shane's stomach that finally made the decision. It made a noise
reminiscent of a grizzly bear and Jamie giggled.

  "Come along, you. Best feed the beast."

  Jamie could feel Shane's reluctance to release him, communicated through
his arms. It was a feeling Jamie shared. They headed towards the bar and
saw Walter and Norman coming out.

  "Ah, I see you managed to detach yourselves. We thought we were going to
have to get a crowbar." Walter grinned at them. "We didn't catch your names
earlier."

  "Oh. I'm Jamie, and this is Shane."

  "Nice to officially meet you. I'm Walter, and this is my husband,
Norman."

  There were handshakes all around and Norman led them into the
restaurant. "So how old are you lads?" he asked once they had been seated
by a window overlooking the pool.

  "I'm sixteen, but my Little Love here turns seventeen on Monday." Shane
kissed Jamie's cheek.

  "Oh, how wonderful! Even more to celebrate then. Waitress, darling. I
think we'd like a bottle of champers, and four glasses."

  The waitress eyed Jamie and Shane warily, but seemed to decide they were
eighteen and shrugged. "Of course. Any starters?" Everyone placed their
orders and the night began.

  Norman and Walter did most of the talking, chatting their way through the
last fourty years. During their forty year relationship, Norman and Walter
had done it all. They had travelled all across Asia, saw the seven Wonders
of the World, amongst other things. Finally, when they had had their fill
of travel, they had set about their careers.

  Walter started his own interior design company which catered mostly to
new businesses. Norman had become a teacher in a special needs school.

  "That was so rewarding, and it inspired us to want to foster children. We
started five years ago, and so far we've had six children through our
doors." He chuckled softly. "They're always teenagers, and they're usually
stunned when they see us for the first time. They never expect two men."

  There was a slight look of sadness in Walter's eyes. "I wish we hadn't
waited so long to do it. We wanted to adopt, but we were already in our
mid-fifties. It wouldn't have been fair to the kid to grow up with parents
old enough to be grandparents."

  "What about you boys? Are you planning on the whole 2.5 children, two car
garage and pension plan?" Norman smiled, a glint in his eye. "Of course,
now there's surrogacy."

  Jamie nodded. "We've only been together a couple of month's but, we have
talked about it. We both want kiddies, don't we sweetie?"

  "Yeah. Boy and a girl would be perfect." Shane stuffed a forkful of fish
into his mouth and chewed noisily, for which Jamie elbowed him in the ribs.

  "If we have a boy, you're teaching him to play football," Jamie warned,
waving a forkful of spinach at Shane. "Come to think of it, you can teach
the girl as well. Gender equality and all that jazz."

  "As long as you have the birds and bees talk with both of them. How
awkward is that conversation?!"

  Walter laughed. "We've done it six times now. We're used to it. I must
say though, having the talk with Daniel, Sean and Paul was fun. Two men
who've never so much as looked at a woman giving sex advice to straight
boys."

  "Ooh, I'd never considered that!" said Jamie, suddenly alarmed. It was a
fair few years away, but he was still worrying about how to parent as a gay
man.

  "Parenting is easier than you'd think," Norman reassured him. "Granted,
it's hard, but it's not insurmountable. And it's no different for gay
couples."

  When dessert came, Walter offered round the last of the champagne. "Trust
me, forty years goes by in a flash," he was saying. "The trick to staying
together is to be ready to forgive. Forty years is a long time for someone
to try to be perfect."

  "Aye," said Norman. "Eventually one of you screws up, and the other one
will need to forgive if you're going to stand a chance. You learn your
lesson pretty damn fast though."

  Jamie and Shane swapped desserts halfway through and Norman and Walter
smiled again. "Christ, it's like looking at us, forty years ago!" said
Walter.

  Shane chuckled. "By that token, we're looking at ourselves forty years
from now."

  Norman and Walter shared a tender kiss. "Let's hope you're right," said
Walter, looking lovingly into Norman's eyes.

               -----------------------------------------------

  Upstairs, Jamie and Shane sat on the balcony of their room in bathrobes
and nothing else.

  "Norman and Walter were amazing, weren't they?" asked Shane.

  "Role models if ever I saw them."

  "But, can we not wait until we're in our fifties to start a family? I'd
like to be able to push our kids on the swings without worrying about
breaking my hip."

  Jamie giggled. "They're not that old. But I take your point. Shall we
say...when we're thirty five?"

  "Twenty five," countered Shane.

  "Thirty two."

  "Twenty eight."

  Jamie giggled. "Thirty, done and done."

  Shane kissed him. "Thirty it is. Of course, we have to be married
first. I ain't having no kids out of wedlock. What would my parents think?"
Shane put on a shocked expression.

  "Okay, but you have to wear the dress."

               -----------------------------------------------

  The following morning, Shane could be found doubled over in laughter. He
couldn't help it; Jamie looked ridiculous. He wasn't helping his case any
by trying to tell Shane off.

  "Jamie, babe; your face is GREEN!" He dropped to his knees, losing the
fight with his giggle fit.

  Jamie stamped his little foot. "If you want me to do what I did last
night ever again, you'll stop laughing at me."

  That worked.

  "Sorry, babe. You've got to admit though, you look like a bloody
Martian."

  "I'm not going to a spa and not getting a spa facial. It's a cornerstone
of the whole experience."

  "Well, while you're 'cornerstoning', I'll be in the steam room."

  Shane made his way into the locker room and found that he had a missed
call from Callum. He hit redial.

  "Hey Cal, what's up?"

  'Nuffin'.' The boy sounded miserable.

  "Okay, seriously. What's the matter?"

  Shane heard a sigh. 'Darius is on holiday. His parents dragged him off
right after our kiss, and I haven't seen him since.'

  Shane chuckled. "And you're missing your new beau?"

  Callum made a sound of disgust. 'Shane, no one says "Beau" any more.'

  "I do, and I'm someone. Listen Cal; It's not like you can do anything
about Darius being on holiday, so just buck up and think about what you're
going to do with him when he gets back. That should pass a few hours."

  'I guess,' said Callum, still sounding dejected. 'When are you and Jamie
coming back? I miss you guys too.'

  "We miss you too, kiddo. We'll be back this afternoon."

  'Okay. See you then. Bye.'

  "Bye, kiddo."

  Shane put his phone away. He hadn't even considered what this weekend
would be like for Callum before he had accepted the spa weekend from his
Mum. Now he wanted nothing more than to get back to his little cousin.

               -----------------------------------------------

  "Wh-what are you doing?" asked Oliver, pulling his lips away from
Matty's.

  "Sorry. I just got carried away."

  Matty and Oliver had been kissing for over fifteen minutes, and Matty's
jeans were uncomfortably tight. In his enjoyment of Oliver's lips, he had
broken Oliver's rule. 'Don't touch the hoodie.'

  "I know it's frustrating but..."

  "But what? All I want to do is hold you, skin to skin, like any other
boyfriend would want to."

  Oliver dropped his head.

  "Why won't you take it off?!" Matty was getting angrier now. He wasn't
sex mad. It just felt like Oliver was using the hoodie, and the memory of
his brother to keep Matty at a distance.

   And then Matty saw the look on Oliver's face. He looked like he was on
the verge of tears, and Matty panicked.

  "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He hugged Oliver to his chest. "I'm sorry. I
didn't mean to yell. If you don't want to take it off, then don't."

  "No. You're right." Oliver leaned up. Rather than unzipping the hoodie,
he rolled back his left sleeve to reveal four lateral scars spaced an inch
apart.

  Matty gasped. "Oh, Oliver!" He pulled Oliver back into his chest and
cradled him there.

  "It was right after Ronnie. I haven't done it for months though," Oliver
assured Matty. "That's part of why I wear the hoodie all the time; to hide
these."

  Matty continued to hold onto Oliver, stroking his hair and kissing his
forehead. After a while, Oliver sighed contentedly. "I like it here."

               -----------------------------------------------

  Jamie's facial had just finished and he was getting ready to go back up
to the room when his phone buzzed, scaring the life out of him as it always
did.

  "Hellooooo?" he asked.

  'Hey Titch.' It was Matty.

  "Hey sweetie. What's up? You sound miserable."

  Matty sighed. 'It's Oliver. I can't seem to get anywhere with him. He
won't even take off that God-damn hoodie.'

  Jamie sensed that Matty was holding something back, but he knew better
than to pry. It wasn't polite. "Well," said Jamie. "If I've learned
anything about psychology from my mother, I would say that Oliver has trust
issues, and maybe even body issues." He stopped and thought. "Hmm; Matty,
me and Shane have been experimenting with bondage-"

  'Ew, I really didn't want to know that.'

  "Shush and listen. One of the points of it is that the submissive partner
has all power, because if they say stop, you HAVE to stop."

  'Oliver will never let me tie him up.'

  Jamie laughed. "I'm not suggested you do any bondage. Try getting him to
let you give him a back rub, just so that he can get used to your hands on
his skin. It might help him trust you a bit more."

  'Huh," said Matty, sounding slightly impressed. 'That might work.'

  "Just make sure you reassure him a lot, and WHATEVER you do, do NOT try
to go faster than he can. You'll scare him off."

  'Thanks, Titch. See you on tomorrow!'

  "Bye, hun."

               -----------------------------------------------

  Matty returned to Oliver's house and, at Bella's specific request, didn't
knock. She had said that he was 'practically family'.

  Matty gave her a quick 'hello' before he returned to Oliver's room. "They
didn't have any cheese and onion, so I got you four cheese."

  "Thanks."

  Matty's heart was in his mouth. He wanted to try what Jamie had
suggested, but he didn't know how to bring it up without sounding pushy.

  "Um, Oliver?" An idea occurred to him in that moment. "Jamie told me that
you give great massages. I was wondering...'cause I've got a twinge in my
neck..." He let his voice trail off, to make the idea partly Oliver's.

  Oliver popped a crisp into his mouth and chewed on it, looking
thoughtful. Matty thought for a moment that he had figured him out. "Okay."
Matty's heart skipped a beat.

  "Cool. Um, shirt on or off?"

               -----------------------------------------------

  Oliver gulped slightly. "Uh, sh-shirt off, I guess." Though it made him
incredibly nervous, he had enjoyed exploring Matty's chest the day before
and was eager to have another go.

  Matty lifted his shirt over his head. When it came free, his hair flopped
down, making him look mussed and rather roguish.

  "Ah," Oliver hesitated, drinking in the sight of Matty's nipples and
toned stomach. "L-lie on your f-front."

  Matty did as instructed, turning his head sideways as he rested it on the
pillow.

  Oliver carefully moved his hands up Matty's spine, careful not to apply
too much pressure. He worked slowly over the skin, feeling it's silky
smooth texture with the palm of his hands. Matty sighed happily.

  Oliver straddled Matty's bottom and slid his hands back down to his waist
before moving them out to his sides and sliding up to his under
arms. Matty's skin quivered and Matty let out a soft moan.

  Oliver moved his hands up to the area of complaint. As he delicately
probed Matty's neck, he had to smile; there was absolutely nothing wrong
with it. Oliver had had his suspicions when Matty had proposed the massage,
but he allowed Matty his deceit.

  While he was playing across Matty's back, listening to Matty purring,
Oliver was eyeing the sleeves of Ronnie's hoodie.

  He wore it for two reasons. The first was his desperate desire to be
enveloped in his memory of Ronnie. But this used to be Ronnie's
bedroom. Surely that was memory enough. Outside the house, the hoodie would
be needed, but here, alone with Matty...

  The second reason was the need to hide his scars. The shame he felt at
having them there was as keen today as the day he put down his blade. But
Matty knew now. Did he really need to go on hiding them, here in the safety
of Ronnie's room?

  He felt like he was already halfway toward a decision, but as he drew
closer to it, his heart rate picked up. 'I need to do it,' he though over
and over again. 'I need to do it!'

  Before he gave himself chance to back out, he leaned up, unzipped the
hoodie and slipped it off. He clambered off Matty and hung it on the back
of his chair, hesitating slightly as he relinquished it.

  He turned back toward Matty slowly, almost as if taking his eyes off the
hoodie was causing him physical pain. He locked eyes with Matty who was now
lying on his side, smiling wide. "You look great."

               -----------------------------------------------

  Jamie and Shane headed into the Carter home, noticing that Dawn and
Gerry's cars were both missing. "Are we early?" asked Shane.

  Jamie glanced at his watch as Shane unlocked the door. "Yeah. A bit."

  Shane threw the door inwards and carried both his and Jamie's bags
inside. "Hello?!" he called out.

  There was an immediate reaction. Callum came barrelling down the stairs,
in nothing but a pair of bright orange boxers. He almost tripped over three
times on his way and dived from the bottom step into Shane's arms.

  "Woah, Cal. We were only gone for forty-eight hours."

  "I know, but I was stuck here with stupid grown-ups."

  Jamie giggled, which was a mistake as it reminded Callum of his
presence. Callum jumped off Shane and picked Jamie up off the ground,
planting a chaste kiss on Jamie's lips. "God I've missed you two."

  Jamie twined his fingers in Callum's hair as he let the younger boy hold
him up. Though Callum was all but naked, Jamie felt no awkwardness. "We
missed you too sweetie. Now, go get dressed. Have you eaten?"

  Callum shook his head against Jamie's chin.

  "Where are the others?" asked Shane.

  "Uncle Gerry's at the Duck and...something or other. My Mum and Auntie Di
are at Jamie's with Beth."

  "Oh," said Jamie. "That'll be about my surprise party then."

  Shane looked startled. "Wh-what are you t-talking about?"

  Jamie patted Shane's cheek affectionately. "You're a terrible liar,
baby. I've known for days. Don't worry; I'll still act surprised."

  "Can Darius come?" asked Callum.

  "Of course. I've been dying to officially meet him."

               -----------------------------------------------

  Gerry walked into the Lawrence home, pushing his wife in her
wheelchair. She was still being unreasonable about the chair, but she had
agreed to use it to come to Jamie's surprise party.

  After fighting to get Diane over threshold, Gerry wheeled her into the
lounge where Beth could be found pinning an excessively large 'Happy
Birthday' banner over the French doors.

  "Hi Liz," said Gerry.

  "Hey Lizzie, love." Diane seemed about to jump out the chair to greet her
old friend, and Gerry felt the need to hold her shoulder to keep her from
doing it. There was something about getting these two women together that
brought out a childish glee in both of them. It was nice to see that side
of his wife again, but he fervently wished that she would behave herself
until her casts came off.

  "Hey Carters," beamed Beth. "Everyone else will be here in a minute, and
Jamie won't be far behind."

  "Where's Johnny?" asked Gerry. The man had essentially become Gerry's
best friend, with the exception of his wife.

  At the mention of Johnny's name, Beth tensed up and she pinched the
bridge of her nose. All she said was "Guess."

  Gerry processed that single word. There was only one thing she could
mean. "Surely not today!"

  Beth chuckled, but there was no humour in that laugh. "Why should his
son's birthday be any different to any other?"

  Gerry could feel his blood pressure rising. He had started to feel rather
protective of little Jamie. In many ways, he reminded him of a young Tom;
before he had become a dirty fucking faggot. He was a kind hearted,
friendly boy with not a bad word for anyone. He was a good student, and had
respect for elders. He was a perfect teenager.

  And to know that his own father was sitting in a dingy little pub
somewhere, drinking himself into a blind stupor, instead of waiting to wish
his son 'Happy Birthday' cut Gerry to the quick.

  Gerry too pinched the bridge of his nose. "No. No, that's just not on."
He pulled out his car keys. "I won't be long."

  He hurried out to his Mercedes and was peeling along the road at a little
over the speed limit before he even started to think about what he was
going to say to Johnny, though he had a pretty good idea what tone of voice
he would be using.

  As Gerry pulled into the car park of the Duck on the Water, he reflected
on all the nights he had spent here over the last month. He had truly
though that he was making headway with Johnny. Johnny wasn't drinking
nearly as much as he used to during the day. Sometimes he even seemed
lucid.

  'And now this?' thought Gerry with disgust.

  He tramped his way inside the pathetic excuse for a public house, wafting
the smoky air away from his face as he headed toward the bar. Sure enough,
there was Johnny, hunched over on the bar, cradling an empty pint glass.

  "Richard? You're not to serve him another drop." Gerry's no nonsense tone
made the big barman put his hands up as a sign of surrender. "Johnny, you
cretin. Wake the fuck up."

  Ponderously, Johnny's head rose. He looked blearily at Gerry for a
moment. "Gerry! Good to see ya, mate!"

  Gerry looked at Johnny with ill disguised contempt. "Isn't there
somewhere you're supposed to be?"

  "Ach, don't tax a drunk man's mind."

  "I'll do worse than tax it in a minute. Get your lager soaked arse off
that stool and go say Happy Birthday to your fucking son!"

  "Ah, you're right. Jimmy's thirteen today!"

  "No, you pathetic lout. He's seventeen. Get in the fucking car!"

  After a completely silent car ride, in which Johnny's head drooped
constantly, the two men arrived back at the Lawrence home. The party was
already starting up as Gerry pulled into the driveway and slammed his door
behind himself.

  He didn't even bother to check if Johnny was coming before he hurried
inside the house. He spotted Jamie immediately. He was talking animatedly
with a leggy blonde who was hanging off a red-headed young man. "Jamie!"
shouted Gerry.

  "Gerry!" Jamie happily bounded over to Gerry and hugged him.

  "Happy Birthday, son." Gerry returned the hug.

  Right then, Johnny came tumbling through the door, almost falling flat on
his face as he did. Suddenly, Gerry wished he hadn't brought the man
back. He could so easily embarrass Jamie in front of his friends.

  Johnny smiled crookedly at his son. "Happy Birthday, little'un."

  What happened next broke Gerry's heart. It was only a small thing, but
powerful nonetheless.

  Jamie stepped back, away from his father. "Thanks, Dad." There was no
genuine gratitude in it; it was a mere polite response.

  "Um, Jamie?" said Gerry. "Would you mind grabbing me a cola?"

  Jamie smiled widely at Gerry and bounded off.

  Gerry turned to Johnny. "I thought you stood a chance, but you're wasting
your son's childhood. He's only got one year of it left. Are you going to
spend it drunk? Forget every good memory you have of him? Embarrass him so
badly that he never wants to acknowledge you?" Johnny looked after Jamie
and moved to follow, but Gerry stopped him. "Not while you're drunk,
Johnny. Go to bed, sober up, and then FIX THIS."

  Gerry watched Johnny go up the stairs, a definite slump to his
shoulders. He fervently hoped that this was just the kick Johnny needed to
convince him to get clean.

               -----------------------------------------------

  Jamie circulated the party for a little over an hour, trying to make sure
he spoke to everyone. 'Everyone' included his extended family; aunts and
uncles he never saw and family friends from way back when. The main reason
he was trying to speak to everyone was to tell those who knew he was gay to
keep it under their hats, considering that Gerry was there.

  The most important guest for Jamie was his grandmother. She had bugged
the nurses at the home until they finally agreed to let her come out for
Jamie's birthday.

  Jamie sat with her for a long time. They were both so slight that they
were able to share a single armchair. She nattered away about the good old
days until Beth loudly announced "Okay, time for presents!"

  Shane, who had not left Jamie's side all night, followed him into the
kitchen where a huge mound of presents had been piled onto the breakfast
bar. Jamie started with all the family presents which amounted to the usual
sort of gifts. Books, store vouchers and money stuffed into birthday cards.

  When he pulled out a lavishly decorated parcel, Matty and Oliver stepped
forward. "That's from us." Jamie felt bad for Matty and Oliver as he had
had to ask them not to be too affectionate with one another, lest it cast
any doubt on himself and Shane. He'd be so glad when it was all out in the
open.

  He also felt bad about ripping into the perfect wrapping, which he
guessed was down to Oliver. Still, he tore away until he had revealed a
brand new pair of expensive looking headphones and a £50 gift card to
buy music on the internet.

  "I was going to buy you CDs, but Oliver pointed out that no one uses them
any more."

  "Thank you, guys. They're perfect."

  "Top of the range, too," said Matty proudly.

  Jamie hugged them both at once, wondering why every one of his friends
had to be so much taller than he was.

  He quickly moved onto the next gift from Darren and Kyle. At first, he
was a little chagrined as it appeared to just be a t-shirt. It simply said
'I'm more confused than a cow on Astro-turf'. It was a moment before he
spotted a post-it clinging to the label which said 'Your real present is in
my car! Kyle xx'

  Jamie smiled, thinking he knew the general category their gift would fall
into. He hugged them and moved on to Shane's gift which turned out to be a
box set of Game of Thrones*. Shane leaned down and gave him a hug, and as
he did, he surreptitiously whispered "There's more to come. I love you."

  Jamie felt a slight stir in his crotch. He had a fair idea of what the
rest of his present would include.

               -----------------------------------------------

  One too many Cokes later, Gerry was dying for a slash. He slipped up the
stairs, dodging a lazy cat halfway up and headed into the toilet. He saw to
his needs and vacated the room. He was about to head down the stairs, but
he thought he heard something coming from one of the bedrooms.

  As a lawyer, Gerry was naturally curious, and he simply had to know what
was going on. He peeked in to what he assumed must have been Jamie's
bedroom.

  What he saw froze him in place. Callum was standing in the middle of the
room with his shirt unbuttoned while somebody slowly kissed down his
chest. Ordinarily, not such a bad thing, except that it was another boy
doing the kissing!

  When Callum noticed Gerry there, his eyes went wide. "Uncle Gerry!"

  "You disgusting little..." Gerry trailed off. He stormed into the room,
grabbed Callum's neck and pulled him violently in the direction of the
stairs.

  "Mr Carter!" shouted the boy who had been kissing Callum's chest. "Stop,
you're hurting him!"

  Callum was crying now while he tried to stop his hands shaking long
enough to button up his shirt.

  Gerry dragged him unceremoniously down the stairs. "Dawn. You'll never
believe this," he said, his voice filled with disgust.

               -----------------------------------------------

  Jamie was trying to figure out what he was looking at.

  Gerry firmly holding Callum's neck. Callum crying with his shirt only
half done up. Darius wild-eyed behind them. There was only one conclusion
to be drawn.

  Callum was looking pleadingly at Jamie.

  "Gerry. Maybe this isn't the best time," said Jamie, stepping into the
hallway, no more than a few feet from Gerry.

  "Sorry, Jamie. I know this is your birthday party, but this little queer,
and his queer little boyfriend here-" He edged his head in Darius's
direction. Darius looked almost green.

  "Gerry, stop using that word in this house."

  "Excuse me?"

  "I said stop calling Callum a queer. And fucking let go of him!" Jamie
grabbed Callum's hand and pulled him towards himself. Callum stumbled into
Jamie. "Darius, you come over here too." Jamie put his hand out to the
young man who walked past Gerry shakily.

  "What's this? You're okay with these little fags using YOUR bedroom for
their...their..."

  "Funnily enough, yes I am." Jamie handed Callum off to
Darius. "Considering that I'm a little queer too!"

  Gerry looked completely taken aback; in fact, he physically stepped back.

  "But you're...you're so..."

  "Normal?" asked Jamie pointedly. "Yeah. I know." Matty and Oliver stepped
forward, now hand in hand, and Jamie was glad of the support. "Oh, and
Matty here is in l-o-v-e; love with Oliver. Matty plays football and lifts
weights. Not exactly what you had in mind, was it?"

  "Um, Jamie?" said Matty. "I haven't actually told Oliver that I was in
love with him yet."

  "Oh shit!" said Jamie, clapping his hands over his mouth. "Sorry!"

  "It's alright, Matty. I already guessed," said Oliver, planting a quick
kiss on Matty's cheek. "I love you too."

  Those who weren't stunned by the scene unfolding before them 'aww'ed at
this.

  "See?" asked Jamie of Gerry. "No different."

  Gerry looked angry again. "Shane! Help your mother out to the car."

  Shane seemed rooted to the spot. Jamie suspected that his inability to
move has something to do with an inability to decide which side he should
choose.

  "NOW!" shouted Gerry.

  Shane remained frozen. Jamie willed him to do the right thing. He tried
to communicate how much he needed him right now. Shane turned around and
wheeled his mother out to the car.

  Jamie's heart broke inside his chest.

  "Dawn. Are you coming?" asked Gerry.

  Dawn had been standing in the corner of the hallway completely
frozen. There were tears falling freely from her eyes, which were darting
between Callum and Gerry.

  Beth stepped forward. "Dawn, your son needs you right now. You're both
welcome here."

  Dawn blinked a few times and then nodded at Beth.

  Beth turned to Gerry. "Sorry, Gerry. I think I want you out of my house
now."

  Gerry looked as though he was going to say something else, but he stormed
out, slamming the front door behind him.

  As soon as the door was closed, Callum flew back into Jamie's
arms. "Thank you for standing up for me," he cried.

  From the kitchen doorway, Beth started clapping. "You're a marvellous
young man, Jamie, and I couldn't be prouder of you."

  "Here here!" shouted Aggie.

  "Super-Titch!" announced Matty.

  Callum was laughing now, and Jamie plastered a grin on his face. The
problem was, he didn't feel like smiling.

  Shane was gone, and he could only wonder what that would mean for the two
of them.

               -----------------------------------------------

  The party continued for another hour or so, though Dawn and Callum
disappeared up the stairs almost as soon as Gerry had left. Jamie sat with
Darius, trying to calm the poor lad down.

  Sam and Luke had already left as Luke needed to work in the
morning. Jamie's extended family had begun to disperse, and his Nanna was
sleeping in the guest room. Darren and Kyle, finally able to be themselves
in Gerry's absence, were slow dancing in the dining room and Matty and
Oliver were holding each other on a nearby couch.

  With such vivid reminders of couplehood, Jamie felt Shane's absence most
keenly. Shane hadn't even called or texted. All Jamie wanted to do now was
curl up in bed and cry himself to sleep. but he wouldn't do that until
everybody had gone.

  Dawn and Callum came down the stairs. Both had clearly been crying,
though they looked happy. Callum came and took Darius by the hand before
leading him back to Dawn. Jamie couldn't hear what was said, but the hug
she dragged Darius into was a fair indication of the sentiments.

  This saddened Jamie further. Why couldn't Gerry be more like Dawn, Beth,
Diane and Aggie? Perhaps because he was a man? A father? Was it fear or
just ignorance?

  When the party finally started to wind down, Jamie could feel his
strength waning. Matty and Oliver gave him hugs and then mounted Matty's
motorcycle. Oliver seemed remarkably comfortable on it; or perhaps he was
just happy to be holding onto Matty so tight.

  Darren and Kyle were next to leave. Kyle seemed reluctant to hand over
Jamie's 'real' birthday present. It turned out to be a sensual massage kit,
designed to be part of sex-play.

  Jamie thanked them both exuberantly before they jumped into Kyle's Punto
and peeled away. Beth drove Darius home, much to Callum's dismay.

  And then it was time for bed. Beth would be bunking with her mother for
the night so that Dawn could take her bed. Callum would be downstairs on
the pull-out couch.

  Jamie climbed into his bed in nothing but boxers and ran his head over
the empty space in the bed next to him. Feeling the cold sheets broke the
dam and Jamie started to cry.

  He ran his hand under his pillow and felt something there. Confused, he
pulled it out to see an envelope with his own name written on it in Shane's
untidy scrawl.

  Jamie pulled out a little letter and a brochure.

		My Little Love,
			Happy Birthday to the most wonderful person
		I could ever have hoped to meet.
			I couldn't give you this present downstairs
		'cause I would have had a hard time explaining buying
		a 'friend' such an expensive gift. I know you'll love
		this, 'cause you're eyes light up whenever I talk about
		Olivia.
			I love you so much, you perfect little man.

				Yours forever
				    Shane
					xxxx

  Jamie eyed the brochure and smiled. Five horse-riding lessons at the
Heaton Park school of riding.

  He put the brochure back under his pillow and stared at the letter Shane
had written him. He read the words 'Yours forever' over and over until he
fell asleep.

               -----------------------------------------------

  Somewhere in the middle of the night, Callum started awake. He had been
dreaming, and it had been pleasant. Darius was kissing him gently, playing
with his earlobes, just like he liked. He was unbuttoning Callum's shirt
while they battled tongues.

  He started to kiss his way down to Callum's nipples when he mutated
slowly into Uncle Gerry.

  The look on his face reminded Callum of the way his father used to look
at him; like he was something to be scraped from the bottom of a shoe.

  Gerry called him a dirty faggot before dragging him by the neck to the
top of the stairs. 'This is what happens to dirty faggots.'

  And Gerry had pushed him down the stairs.

  As Callum fell, he jumped up from the pull-out couch. He was crying
softly and breathing heavily. He had kicked off his blanket during the
night, leaving his lean, thirteen year old body exposed to the cold air and
he was shivering.

  He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to crawl in bed with Shane, but
Shane was at home. He did the only thing he could do. He climbed in bed
with Jamie, cuddling up to his near-naked form and marvelling at how soft
Jamie skin was.

  Had he not found Darius, he might have considered getting up to no good.

*****************************************************************************

*Game of Thrones is the property of George R R Martin and the Home Box
Office Network.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Chapter Twenty One will be along soon! Any
comments, questions, or even suggestions are welcome. Please feel free to
email me with your thoughts at thebobbyfish@gmail.com. Your emails are all
very welcome, and I will try to answer ever single one of them!