Date: Mon, 03 Jun 2002 11:11:30 -0500
From: james smith <boyzheart@hotmail.com>
Subject: Steven - Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Please be advised that this material is intended for a mature
gay audience only.  If you are under age, or offended by Gay erotic
material you should probably read no further.

Should you choose to read on, I hope you enjoy this fictional story of a
young man's quest for love and acceptance. The boy in this story is real;
the events and settings are not.  I will be pleased to answer any questions
and welcome any comments.  Each will be considered and replied to as I have
opportunity to do so. Email me at boyzheart@hotmail.com

Greetings!

Sorry for the delay in writing.  I have had a very busy weekend, as you
know I try to keep a full schedule. But also there was the problem of not
wanting to talk about the issue i started in my last email ...  but I
really do want to talk about it ... it is just difficult for me.

I have found myself reliving these details at night time all over again
.. and that can be a bit depressing . .though one good side affect is that
I have spent less time thinking of my dear Jacob over the last several days
...*sigh*

So .. . how have you been?  I hope the weather is cooperating and you Are
getting plenty of sun time and beach time.  Is the shopping good? When I
travel, I love to visit the shops and markets off the beaten path.  I love
to immerse myself in a new culture and place to fully experience the wonder
of that part of the world.  I am actually quite an adventurer and so long
as I feel relatively safe in the environment. . I will go wherever the day
takes me.

I hope for many details when you return.

Now ... lemme see ... where was I ...

ahh ... Enter Andy on the scene ...

Steve was cute as a button.  Red hair, silky fine, big brown eyes, and
suppressed smile that he had to work to keep from springing all over his
face ... he was putting after all .. can't pout and smile all at the same
time ...  problem was his nature was that of a happy carefree boy.

He had sweet rosy lips, full and sensuous and a strong lithe body that
resembled a swimmers build, though he was short in stature.

When I first approached him secretly on a mission to befriend him I walked
up to him and extended my hand and introduced myself to him. He eyed me
warily and avoided my handshake and promptly kicked me in the shin!

It smarted a bit but no badly but I wasn't going to let the little devil
get away with that so I kicked him back on he shin!

He got wide eyed and was about to bust out screaming but I told him,
"Steven, if we're to be friends, you may hit me like a man all you feel
necessary, but I'll not be kicked in the shins by a silly boy who acts like
a girl."

He immediately busted out laughing and shook my hand and said, "Friends it
is then!" After which he slugged me in the shoulder! That was the start of
a nearly four-year relationship that grew sweeter and more intertwined with
each passing day. I took him to the video arcade that day. Nothing special,
just a few coins in my pocket, but instead of going off to sit and wait for
him to finish, I stood beside him and watched him play, taking in his
energy ... and cheered him on. He was hooked.

He believed I was different and that I may have been genuinely interested
in him.  That was not a plot or ploy on my part ... I was just doing what
came natural to me, involving myself in the things that are important to my
friends, no matter their age, or what the object of that interest.
 
Slowly, Steven began to trust me.  It wasn't long he began to open up and
talk about the hurting inside and the feeling of abandonment.  I got to the
core of his problem.  He was so terrified that if his own mother could
abandon him so easily, without apparent provocation ... what was he to do
if his father did the same thing?!  Where would he go?  What would become
of him?  How would he eat, or sleep, or be warm?  He was terrified of being
abandoned.

My heart broke for him.  I let him cry himself out on my shoulder.  I told
him I could make no promises for the other adults in his life, but that he
had a commitment from me that my friendship was not negotiable, and there
was no subscription price so there would be no cancellations .. he was
stuck with me for a friend so long as he ever needed me.

Over the next weeks and months he adopted me as his big brother and was
soon a second skin to me .. always with me.  When he wasn't at school or
forced to return home for dinner and bed time ... he was with me.  And all
this with his father's and step mother's approval.

They insisted on how remarkable his turn-around was ... it was just short of
amazing.  Gone was the sullen, depressed, angry mean spirited stepchild; he
was replaced by a vibrant, bubbly, happy, and pleasant fellow that soon
became the darling of the church, school, and family.  They all credited
the change on his new found friend - me.

I took him camping, fishing, swimming, to ball games, movies, water parks
... everything.  But his favorite activity remained video games, with me by
his side.  He insisted upon it .. when we went to the arcade, he got the
tokens, I got to watch.

I had a horse back then.  I told you of Poco.  I taught Steven to ride.  I
would pull him up into the saddle and he would be in front.  I would wrap
my arms around him and hold him while the powerful beast leapt forward into
the wind.  Steven's eyes were ablaze with excitement and pure bliss.  He
nestled himself into me and relished in the togetherness, the raw power of
the beast beneath us, and the wind in his face.

After the very first trip, I swung out of the saddle and reached up to help
him down.  He jumped form the horse into my arms and hugged me tightly
around the neck and wrapped his legs around my waist.  This was all so
overwhelming for me.  He kissed me on the cheek and whispered thanks.

I told him it was my pleasure and thanks were not necessary.  He leaned in
ad kissed me on the lips, slowly, softly, deliberately.  I was unable to
breathe or think.  The wetness of his kiss was on mine as he slowly pulled
back just enough to look me in the eyes and he said, "Andy, I love you."

Andy