Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 17:05:52 -0700
From: R B <castoryteller@hotmail.com>
Subject: Summers End Chpter 2

This story is a work of FICTION. The events described are my own invention.
Any similarities to actual events or persons are strictly coincidental. The
author retains the copyright, and any other rights, to this original story.
You may not publish it or any part of it without my explicit authorization.

This story contains depictions of consensual sexual acts between teenage
males.  It is intended for mature audiences only.  If you find this type of
material offensive or if you are under the legal age to read said material;
please stop reading now.

Comments are always welcome at: castoryteller@hotmail.com

Summers End
Chapter 2

Thomas

The transition from boarding school to life at Summers End always takes
some getting used too.  One reason the pampered princes and princesses of
the wealthy are sent to boarding school is to learn to be independent.
You're expected to keep your room clean, get your laundry done, eat your
meals at the appointed time and most importantly, take responsibility for
your schedule and attend classes.  At Summers End everything was done for
me.

I'm not sure exactly which of the servants was responsible for listening
for my shower to start running but once it did they sprang into action.
Down in the kitchen Cook began preparing my breakfast.  Upstairs Mr. Carson
laid out my clothes then informed Mrs. Lodge she could expect me downstairs
momentarily.

When I woke the first morning home I stretched then threw open the window
to let the fresh air fill the room.  Nothing is better than the smell of
the air after a summer storm and last night's rain seemed to polish the
whole island.  I enjoyed the view for a moment and then headed for the
bathroom.  I let the water run so it would heat up while I stripped off my
pajamas, then I climbed under the spray and felt all the tension in my body
fade away.  Nothing is as refreshing as a morning shower but after 20
minutes my skin started to prune so I toweled off and headed back to my
room.

At the foot of my bed I found three neatly folded polo shirts in navy,
black and grey.  I had a choice between khaki chinos or shorts, fresh
underpants, two pairs of deck shoes and two belts, one leather, one canvas.
There weren't any socks because one should never wear socks with deck
shoes.  I selected the black polo, khaki shorts, leather belt and the
matching deck shoes to go over my white undershirt and grey boxer-briefs.
I made sure my hair was neatly combed, brushed away any wrinkles from my
shirt and trotted down the stairs.

I heard voices coming from the study and assumed Mrs. Lodge was chatting
with our summer guests.  I wasn't thrilled about the prospect of
entertaining some kid I didn't know all summer but Mrs. Lodge already
reminded me of my responsibilities as a host the night before and I didn't
want to disappoint her.  I reluctantly headed for the study to get the
introductions over with.

I entered the study and was momentarily thunderstruck.  He was the cutest
boy I'd ever seen.  He was tall and thin with hair so blond it was almost
white.  His eyes were like liquid sapphires and his skin like fresh cream.
He was dressed similarly to me in a lite yellow polo and faded red shorts.
The colors accented him perfectly and really brought out his eyes.  The
only fault I could find was with the flip-flops on his slender feet.  I'm
sure Mrs. Lodge pursed her lips disapprovingly when she saw them.

"Ah, Thomas, there you are," said Mrs. Lodge.

I couldn't take my eyes off him.  I didn't want to stare but I couldn't
help myself.

"Thomas?"

His haircut was kind of retro.  Most boys our age don't wear flat-tops, at
least not by choice.  The cut suggested military school.

"Boy, have you gone mute?"

"Huh?" I responded as the familiar name snapped me out of my trance.
"Er...I beg your pardon Mrs. Lodge. My mind was preoccupied."

"Indeed," said Mrs. Lodge suspiciously.  "At any rate, please say hello to
our guests, Mrs. Carstirs and her son Alec.  This is my ward, Thomas
Dufrain."

"How do you do Mrs. Carstairs, welcome to Summers End," I smiled and shook
her hand like a proper little gentleman, then shook Alec's and gave him a
casual, "Hi," while I tried to avoid further embarrassment by not blushing.

"Hey," Alec grinned.

"Senator Lodge has told me so much about you," said Mrs. Carstairs.

"Really?"

"He speaks very highly of you.  I'm sure you and Alec will have a lot of
fun together this summer," she smiled.

"Yeah," I replied nervously.  I glanced at Alec and he continued to flash
his sly grin.

I was saved from further conversation when Carson stuck his head into the
room.

"Breakfast is served Madame," he announced.

"Thank you Carson," said Mrs. Lodge, as she took my arm.  Then she turned
and whispered to me as I escorted her to the dining room.  "Are you quite
alright boy?  I thought you'd been struck dumb."

"My apologies, Mrs. Lodge. I was just distracted."

"I'm counting on you to be a good host and show young Alec a good time."

"Yes ma'am," I replied and heard Alec snicker behind me.

"And see if you can do something about those shoes.  You know how I abhor
any footwear that makes noise," Mrs. Lodge winked at me.

"Yes ma'am," I smiled and pulled out her chair before taking my own.



Alec

The prospects for this summer improved the moment Thomas Dufrain walked
through the door.  I thought for sure I'd be spending my vacation with some
goofy prep-school bed wetter but I couldn't have been more wrong.  His
short conservative hair was a rich chocolate brown and his emerald eyes
sparkled when the light hit them.  He was about my height and looked like
he had a decent body but his posture suggested he was so tight if he backed
into a wall he might suck out a brick.  You could see his formality was the
result of Old Lady Lodge but I figured he'd relax a little once I got him
alone.

The best part is I could tell he was into me.  The stare he gave me was one
I've seen before, he thinks I'm cute.  I'm not trying to be arrogant or
anything but you know what it's like when you meet someone for the first
time and they give you that look?  Desire was oozing out of the poor kid's
pores but I wasn't about to take it easy on him.  I shot him a knowing
grin.  I wanted him to know he'd been caught, wanted him to know I knew
what was in his heart and I was rewarded when he blushed awkwardly.

Then the butler came in and spoiled the moment by announcing breakfast was
ready.  This place is a trip.  It all goes back to Mrs. Lodge, everything
about her seemed formal and it rubbed off on her house, her staff and even
Thomas.  I thought it was cute how he politely escorted her to the table
but you could tell by the way they spoke he was at least somewhat
intimidated by her.  I picked that up from the servants when we arrived
last night too.  It didn't take much to realize that around this place,
everything went Mrs. Lodge's way all the time.  That only made me more
eager to get Thomas alone and I shot him another grin when I caught his eye
as we sat down.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to receive you last night," said Mrs. Lodge,
drawing my attention to the conversation unfolding around me.

"Oh that's quite alright.  We arrived rather late," said mom.  I could tell
Mrs. Lodge was already having an effect on her.  Mom's never so "on," this
early in the morning.

"I trust my staff tended to your needs?"

"Yes ma'am, we were quite well taken care of," mom smiled.  "You have a
lovely home and we're so pleased you've opened it to us, aren't we Alec."

"Yeah sure.  This is a great old place," I replied.  The old lady eyeballed
me for a second but dismissed me with a nod when I gave her my best smile.
By then the butler was back and began setting plates in front of us.

I pulled the lid of my plate and grabbed a piece of bacon and then noticed
how quiet it was.  Everyone, even mom, was staring at me.

"What?  Do I need to blow my nose or something?" I asked.

Mom face-palmed, Thomas's eyes widened and Mrs. Lodge shot me a look so
disapproving I thought her face was going to melt.  No one said anything.
I still didn't understand what I'd done wrong and then the butler pulled
the lid from the old ladies plate and placed a linen napkin over her lap.
He moved to Thomas next and then mom.  Only after mom had been served did
Thomas pick up his fork. That's when I realized the problem, I'd run smack
dab into the wall of "good manners."  At Summers End one does not simply
dig in when food is placed in front of him, one waits until the ladies of
the house have been served.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I blushed.

"You'll find we have a certain way of doing things here, young man," said
Mrs. Lodge, though not unkindly. "Thomas will help you with that, won't you
boy?"

"Yes ma'am," said Thomas.  I've only known him for five minutes but that
robotic, preprogrammed "yes ma'am," is already making him sound like a
broken record.

Once that was over with, mom and Mrs. Lodge talked about the book she's
working on and discussed where she could set up for the summer.  The old
lady graciously offered her the use of the study we'd met in but I was only
half listening.  I caught Thomas stealing furtive glances at me and I
smiled every time I caught him.  God that kid is cute when he blushes!

"I'm going to get started as soon as breakfast is finished.  What are you
boy's going to do today?" said mom.

All eyes turned to Thomas who was busy biting into a piece of melon.

"Yeah Thomas, what do you have planned for us?" I smiled wickedly.

"Uh, well, I go for a bike ride every morning.  I thought you could come
with me and I could show you the island."

"That sounds nice.  Doesn't that sound nice, Alec?" said mom.  I could tell
she was worried I was going to be bored but it actually sounded fun.  As an
added bonus I'd get to see what Thomas was like away from this place and
out from under the old ladies watchful eye.

"Sure, I can't wait," I grinned.

"Right, well, I'll just go wash up and we can head out," said Thomas.



Thomas

"Ok, get a hold of yourself," I told my reflection in my bathroom mirror as
cool water dripped from my face.  "He's a cute guy.  So what?  You know
lots of cute guys.  They've never made you act like a blithering idiot
before!"

The truth of the matter is I was unprepared for Alec Carstairs.  Sure, I
did know a lot of cute guys, hell, I lived with one at Choate but there was
something about the way Alec looked at me.  I noticed it when he caught me
staring and all he did was smile and grin.  I have no experience when it
comes to flirting but I swear, the way he looked at me, I think he liked
that I was staring at him.  Not for the first time I cursed my difficulty
reading people.  Part of me thought Alec might be into me but the logical
side of my brain said I was dreaming.  It's not like I'd know what to do if
he liked me anyway.  I couldn't picture Mrs. Lodge being very accommodating
if I suddenly announced I was gay.  I don't think she'd chuck me out on the
streets but the truth is I really didn't know what might happen.

When breakfast was over I was glad to get away from Alec for a few minutes
to clear my head.  Once I washed my face and calmed down a little I
realized that he was on my turf.  I had the home court advantage and it was
time I made use of it so as not to spend the summer blushing at him like
some kind of horny cheerleader.  I was ready to march downstairs and face
him when I stepped out of the bathroom and was immediately unnerved by the
sight of Alec sitting on my bed with his long legs stretched out and
crossed at the ankle as if they were on display just for me.

"Uh, hi," I waved awkwardly.  "I thought we'd meet downstairs?"

"Well, my room is just down the hall and I saw your door was open.  I
didn't think you'd mind.  You don't mind, do you Thomas?" said Alec as he
leaned back on my bed.

"No, it's ok."

"Cool," Alec smiled his toothpaste commercial smile.  "This is a great
room."

"Thanks," I smiled back.

"Who's the baseball fan though?" asked Alec as he gestured to the wall
decorated with my Red Socks World Series pennants and a large painting of
Fenway Park.

"Um, me," I replied.  It was my room, who else's stuff would it be?

"You like baseball?" said Alec, somewhat taken aback.

"Sure, I play shortstop on my school team."

"Really?  I figured you for golf or maybe tennis."

"Are you trying to tell me you think I'm uptight?"

"You?  No, not at all," he grinned sarcastically.

"Thanks for the subtlety," I rolled my eyes.

"Don't mention it," Alec grinned.  "I'm a baseball fan too.  Maybe we could
play catch sometime."

"Yeah that would be great," I admitted.  Usually the only people I got to
play catch with during the summer were James the chauffer or Henry when he
visited from Washington.  "Hey if you're a baseball fan you've gotta see
this."

I walked over to my desk and picked up a small glass case then handed it
over to Alec.  I watched him for a second and then his eyes widened.

"Is that..." he started.

"Babe Ruth's signature?  Yeap," I smiled proudly.

"That's like a $15,000 dollar autograph," Alec exclaimed.  "Where did you
get it?"

"Christmas present from Henry."

"Henry?  You mean Senator Lodge?"

"Yeah, he's a big baseball fan.  None of his nephews are really into it so
he and I talk sometimes."

"That's cool."

"He played in college, taught me how to throw a wicked fastball."

"Cool," Alec nodded.

"Well, we better get going.  There's a lot to see."

"You're the host, after you," Alec smiled.

I led Alec downstairs and into the kitchen.  I use that exit when I go bike
riding because it leads to the garage.  James always has my bike waiting
for me.

"Good morning Cook," I smiled as Mrs. Louis or Cook, as she prefers to be
called, sauntered over with a plastic baggy full of bacon. "Dinner was
excellent last night."

"Oh I'm so glad you enjoyed it Honey, happy birthday," she smiled brightly.

"Thanks," I blushed.

"Yesterday was your birthday?" asked Alec.

"Yes."

"Happy birthday," he smiled.

"Thanks," I blushed again.

"Who's your friend?" asked Cook though she already knew.  No one came into
the house, especially a long term guest, without the staff being fully
briefed.

"This is Alec, the boy staying with us for the summer," I explained.

"Nice to meet you Alec," Cook shook his hand and gave him a grandmotherly
smile.

"Thanks, breakfast was great," he smiled at her.

"Oh I'm glad you liked it Honey.  You make yourself at home here.  Help
yourself to anything in my fridge you like," said Cook.

"Thanks, I will."

"So, you boy's going ridding?" asked Cook.

"Yes, I thought I'd show Alec the island."

"Alright, well here are your supplies," said Cook, handing me the baggy
full of bacon. "You boys have a good time now."

Cook is a short woman almost as wide as she is tall.  She's always got a
smile on her face and I think her happy outlook on life seeps into the food
she serves.  Every meal she's ever made me tastes like it was prepared with
love.  She gave me a big birthday hug, pinched Alec's cheek and sent us on
our way.

"So how old are you?" asked Alec as we trooped out the back door.

"Fifteen."

"Sweet, me to!  My birthday was a week ago," said Alec.

"Well then, happy birthday," I smiled.

I was finally starting to relax a little.  Alec seemed somewhat awestruck
by his surroundings, the surroundings I considered part of my everyday
routine.  Now that it was his turn at being slightly uncomfortable he
didn't grin at me so much when he caught me looking at him.

As expected, James had a pair of bikes waiting for us.  He handed us each a
helmet and sent us on our way.

"Hey what's the bag of bacon for anyway?" asked Alec.

"You'll see," I smiled and then peddled down the driveway.