Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2005 23:15:46 EST
From: DomLuka@aol.com
Subject: The Log Way Ch. 17

If you are offended by male/male relationships, or male/male sexual
relationships, then you shouldn't be here in the first place. If this
conduct is illegal in your area, you must EXIT NOW.

This story is not to be copied or posted elsewhere without permission
from the author.

If you are interested in a story about gay teenage males, then please
take your time and enjoy. Feedback/comments/suggestions and even
complaints are welcome at DomLuka@aol.com

Chapter seventeen: Dealing

I followed Aiden through his front door as he flicked the light switch.
As soon as the door was closed he pinned me to it, pressing his entire
body against mine as he kissed me, locking the door at the same time.

I went with it, wrapping my arms around his waist and parting my lips,
inviting him in. Aiden slowly pressed his tongue forward, against mine,
before pulling back, nipping at my bottom lip.

I smiled at the playful look on his face and laced my fingers with his as
he took my hand and pulled me further into his apartment, leading me to
his room where he silently closed the door after me. I wondered if he was
used to being quiet at home, because of his mom.

"Did you take the pictures in your living room?" I asked. I was referring
to the black and whites that seemed to line the walls in the other room.
I had been meaning to ask since the last time I had been in his home.

"No. Those were my dad's." he replied, turning to face me as he lifted
the bottom of my shirt. I dutifully lifted my arms so he could remove it,
and tried to speak through the fabric as it came over my head.

"Um, I'm just curious, but if your mom hates your dad so much..."

"Why does she still have his photos up?" Aiden finished for me, dropping
my shirt on the ground and looking me in the eye as he began to unbutton
his own shirt. "Well, first, I wouldn't say that she hates him. But
those pictures are the only things of his that she keeps around the
house. I never did understand why she keeps them. Only, that's the one
nice thing that my mom ever says about my dad anymore; that he was a
great photographer. She says that I have his eye for things."

Aiden smiled to himself and for a moment his fingers paused on a button
half way down his shirt. I reached out and took over for him, my fingers
fumbling with the buttons as he let his hands drop to his sides.

"I don't know anything about photography." I said, "But I like you're
pictures. It seems like everything you see is beautiful."

Aiden gave me a pointed look and smirked.

"It doesn't hurt when I'm looking at something that is beautiful." He
remarked. And damn it, he had me blushing again. I bit back the
ridiculous smile trying to make its way onto my face as I finished
unbuttoning his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders.

"Those pictures in the living room are the only things of my dad's that
my mom can stand to look at anymore." Aiden continued. "It's the same
thing with Asher. She won't even put up old pictures that he's in. I
guess looking at me is enough to remind her..." He looked sadly towards
the old family portrait on his wall. "That's the only one I can put up
without her throwing a fit. She doesn't even look at it when she comes
in here, though. But, I do have a few things that were my dad's...and
Asher's. I just don't take them out very often, you know?"

I nodded as he reached for the string on the sweatpants I was wearing and
began to untie it, and absently I reached to unbuttoned his jeans.

"Yeah." I replied "I have these boxes under my bed. It's like,
everything from my old life is in them. I haven't even opened some of
them since I've been here. I think, in some ways, I'm afraid that if I
do, I'll have to go back there..."

"Would that really be so bad?" Aiden asked as he took a step back,
kicking off his shoes and pushing down his pants and his boxers in one
quick motion. I watched as his semi-hard erection bobbed up towards his
stomach before he stood straight again and came towards me. "I mean, I
know that things were bad, with your parents. But, wasn't there
something in your old life that was good? I mean, there had to have been,
right?"

"I do have good memories." I admitted as he hooked his fingers in my
pants and pulled me up against him. My arms automatically wrapped around
his back and my hands slid down to his ass. "I guess it was just that, it
all ended badly. Really, badly. Sometimes it's hard to remember the
good, remembering how it all ended."

"Do you think you'll wanna tell me about it sometime?" Aiden asked as
his fingers slowly worked their way under the sides of my sweatpants and
he started to push them down, lower on my hips. "I mean, not tonight or
anything, I know were already dealing with a lot..."

I smiled. I was so used to being afraid of people who wanted to learn
more about me. But with Aiden, it felt good that he was interested, even
if that meant he was also interested in the worst parts of my past. And
it felt good to know that I had the same interests in him.

I leaned forward and just barely brushed my lips against his before
pulling back again.

"Yeah." I said, "I'll tell you about it. Maybe you can tell me about
Asher too."

Aiden grinned and I placed my hands over his as he pushed my pants down,
over my ass and as soon as I stepped out of them he wrapped his arms
around me and pulled me up against his chest. I sank against him, resting
my head against his shoulder and closing my eyes. It had been such a long
day, and now I just wanted the comfort of being close to him.

"I'd like that." Aiden sighed, "I wonder about you, you know?"

I opened my eyes and pulled back to look at him. I'm sure I looked
confused. Aiden just smiled at me, taking my hand and leading me towards
the bed, where he pulled back the covers. I climbed in first, just like I
always did when we were in my bed, and when he turned off the light and
climbed in, I wrapped my arms around him, facing him as I trapped one of
his legs between my thighs and he lightly pressed his forehead against
mine, so we could see the shine of each other's eyes in the dark.

"You never talk about who you were before you came here." Aiden
explained. "I mean, I know some of it. But you don't really talk about
it unless you have to...you said that there was someone special back home.
Do you miss him?"

"Hmm." Dan. He meant Dan. I had told Aiden that I'd tell him about Dan
sometime. I just didn't expect it to be now. But, it wasn't as if Aiden
knew that Dan was a sad memory for me. He was just trying to learn more
about me. The least I could do was answer his questions. "I miss him." I
admitted, and found myself pulling Aiden closer as I said it. "Dan was
special. He was the first person I ever came out to. For a long time, he
was the only one who I could talk to."

Aiden's hand was on my back. His fingers were rubbing in small circles
and it was incredibly relaxing. Such small gestures seemed to put me at
ease, and I found that instead of thinking of Dan as a sad story from my
past, I was looking at it as a past experience that I was sharing with my
boyfriend.

"Were you in love with him?" Aiden asked, almost cautiously.

"No." I replied, "I did love him, but not like that. To be honest, I'm
not even sure what we were to each other... I'm not very proud of the way
that I treated him, Aiden... I used him. At the time, I didn't realize
that I was doing it, and I wasn't trying to be malicious. But, he was
the only one I had to go to...he was the only one who knew the real me. I
was even using girls as a cover when we were together. I didn't even
stop to think about how that made him feel."

"It couldn't have been easy on you either." Aiden said, "You had to
hide, right?"

"Yeah." I sighed, "But I was still wrong, for treating him the way I did.
I knew he had more feelings for me than I did for him. I just didn't
want to admit it."

For some reason I expected Aiden to move away from me. I mean, after all,
if I was an asshole to Dan, why wouldn't Aiden have the right to believe
that I could be the same way with him? It was bad enough that he was
being outed at school and I was still hiding, instead of standing with
him. At least, I felt guilty about that.

But, Aiden didn't move away. Instead, I felt his lips brush against my
cheek and I closed my eyes, grateful for the affection.

"Can I ask you something, Owen?"

"Sure." I mumbled. I was beginning to feel tired, and the sound of his
breathing and his chest heaving against mine was slowly lulling me to
sleep.

"Do you remember when we were in the shower last night?"

I opened my eyes and grinned at him.

"Are you kidding?" I laughed. Just thinking about being in the shower
with Aiden again had me pressing my half inflated cock against his thigh.

"Okay," Aiden smirked. "That's not what I meant...do you remember when I
tried to touch you?" he slid his hand down my back and rested it on my
butt, just to make his point, "You sort of...jumped."

I frowned, unsure of how to respond. I was still a little embarrassed
about that.

"Look, Aiden, I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay Owen. I was just curious, that's all. I mean, did something
happen between you and this guy...Dan? I mean, you seemed kinda, freaked
out."

"I was freaked out." I admitted, "But not because...I mean, nothing like
that happened with Dan. He never touched me...there. No one has. Ever."

"So you're a virgin?"

"No!" I stated. Why is it that when you're a seventeen-year-old boy,
being called a virgin, sounds like an insult? "I'm not. We had sex, but
I did him. He didn't do me. He never even touched me like that. I mean,
we only did it once, but..."

Aiden's laughter interrupted me, and before I could ask what the hell
was so damn funny he leaned closer and kissed me on the lips. It was just
soft, and slow, nothing lustful about it, just a sweet gesture that
silenced me, and my ramblings.

"I was just curious." Aiden replied when he pulled back. "And if you're
not ready for something like that..."

"Wait...I mean, it scares me." I admitted, "But with you, I want to try
new things, you know?"

"What new things?" he asked innocently, all the while moving his hand
over my ass, cupping the back of my thigh and shifting his leg between my
thighs, purposely pressing up against my cock.

I responded by cupping the back of his head and guiding his lips to mine.
But, I wasn't trying to assault him with a heated make out session that
would turn into something more. I had a feeling that there would be
plenty of those in our near future. Right now we were both exhausted,
perhaps both physically from our jobs, but more so emotionally from the
trials of what our everyday lives had been lately. And right now, I just
wanted to let him know how I felt with him. Content.

I kissed him just as gently as he had kissed me only moments before,
trapping his bottom lip with mine and flicking my tongue out only lightly
to trace the crevice of his mouth. He opened just as tentatively, and our
tongues met for a small taste of each other before our lips pressed
together again in a more lingering touch. I moved my hand down to cup his
neck and my fingers mimicked the small movements that his made on the
back of my thigh.

"This is new to me." I whispered, "Just being with you, like this. I've
never had anything like this before."

I wasn't sure if I was explaining myself very well, but maybe what I was
feeling couldn't be explained in words. Something told me that Aiden
understood though; they way he snuggled in closer, relaxing against me
and closing his eyes.

This closeness I shared with Aiden, was definitely not something I had
had before. The only thing I could compare it to were two separate
aspects of my past, the first being Nicky; my best friend, the one who
was there for me despite not knowing everything about me. We had laughed
together, formed our bond in friendship and had a respectful
understanding of each other.

And the second had, of course, been Dan. Our relationship had been mostly
of a sexual nature. I never learned his favorite color or the names of
the people he spent most of his time in school with, but despite that,
there was a bond between us. Dan had understood me. The real me. He
shared my troubles and understood my fears.

I had all of these things with Aiden. I can't say that he was a
replacement for two of the most substantial relationships in my life,
because that wouldn't be fair. Aiden was something completely different.
But he did provide me with all of those things. More even.

Being with Aiden was like feeling whole, or at least, he felt whole to
me. There was always something missing with both Dan and Nicky, and I
don't think I ever really understood it until Aiden Knightly walked into
my life, or until I came charging into his, depending on how you want to
look at it.

But, despite all of our recent troubles and the uncertainty of what the
next weeks would bring, I was happy now. And, even if it was only a
temporarily feeling, in that moment just lying there with Aiden, I
decided that it was time to stop worrying about the future and to start
enjoying what little comfort I had in the present.

At least, I could try, until the next crisis came along. And let's face
it, when you're a teenager, there is a potential crisis in just about
everything.

........................

"Shit." I heard Aiden curse under his breath.

He was getting frustrated, and it was frustrating me. Aiden had always
been so laid back. He was the one who claimed that he wasn't concerned
about the consequences of being outed. But, now, I was seeing the same
thing that I saw in him the night before when he was talking to Tony,
Jake, Leo and Ben. He was hurting and he was afraid. Everything was
changing for him, and it was changing fast.

It was my second day spending lunch with Aiden, but today was different.
Today, more people walked away when they saw him coming with his camera.
There weren't the usual smiles flashed his way. Now people were avoiding
his eyes. And he hated it. I could tell he hated it. I hated it too.

I hated the defeated look in his eyes that had gradually appeared over
the last hour. He wasn't even lifting up his camera anymore. It was just
hanging around his neck, untouched. Too many people had already turned
away from him, or held up a backpack or a book so that he couldn't take
they're picture. And the childish displays were pissing me off.

To make things worse, Janie had been nearby all through lunch, with the
same group of girls as before. I would say that she was following us, but
then I'd sound paranoid. But, she did turn up around every corner to
throw self-satisfied looks our way. Mostly Aiden's way. Looks that said,
I did this to you and I'm damn proud of it. And her laugher after
whispering to her friends was sickening. I hated that bitch, and I think
Aiden was starting to.

The way he looked at Janie had changed. He no longer seemed sad when he
saw her, the way he did yesterday. I'm sure that he was still mourning
the loss of a friendship that had meant a great deal to him. But now, he
looked at her like he'd never seen her before. But beneath that, there
was disgust. Aiden looked disgusted with Janie. It was the same look of
disgust I had seen in Adam's eyes. Only this time, I think that the
disgust was warranted.

We had just run into Janie again, which is probably why Aiden was
mumbling under his breath. We had walked to the other side of the
courtyard after I suggested that he might be able to get pictures there.
I hated the way that his beloved camera was just dangling untouched
around his neck, and I thought that if he could just get a few shots,
then maybe he would see that not everything had to be so bad. Maybe I'd
see it too.

But there Janie was again. Probably waiting around to watch as Aiden was
rejected by even more of his piers. When Aiden saw her, he didn't even
try to keep going, he just turned around and I was left to follow him.

"Aiden." I called.

"Why is she doing this?" he called back, frustrated. "Wasn't it enough
that she had to tell everyone that I'm a queer?" He had said that last
part rather loudly. It was like a damned announcement, actually. And I'm
sorry, but I didn't like it. I looked around like a deer in the
headlights at the people who had stopped to look, hoping that they
didn't think that he meant me too.

My own feelings made me feel like a coward. But I couldn't help it. It
was enough that Adam had spoken to Phil Clayton about me. And I was
lucky, that so far, no one had really put much effort into spreading the
incident in the hall. If anything, they were talking about how Phil
started a fight with Ryan.

If anything was being said about me, then I didn't know about it. Aiden
was getting the brunt of things. The claim that he was gay had more
bearing because it was coming from Janie, the one person who everyone
knew, knew Aiden better than anyone. Not to mention the fact that he had
just announced it to everyone who had bothered to listen.

"Aiden..." I started again.

The sound of Janie's laughter, like nails piercing my brain, interrupted
again. But, before I could look back to see what her problem was this
time, Aiden took me by surprise as he whirled around and lifted his
camera. I realized that he was photographing Janie, with another one of
those self-satisfied expressions on her face.

Janie seemed as surprised at the sudden click of the camera as I was. Why
was he taking a picture of her? I sort of wanted him to explain to me
that he planned to sell the picture as a warning label for toxic waste.

"Shouldn't you be taking pictures of other boys or something?" Janie
laughed, "I mean, I didn't think that women interested you, Aiden."

Did she just refer to herself as a woman? I could think of a few other
words more suitable to label Janie with.

Shit. She was coming our way now, and worse, Aiden was walking over to
meet her. Once again I was left to follow, and I wasn't sure I liked
where Aiden was leading me as he stopped about ten steps away from Janie.
People were watching again, as I looked around, wishing that we were all
invisible.

"I wanted a picture of you." Aiden replied quietly.

"You did?" Janie smirked, but there was something in her voice that said
she was interested to know more.

"Yeah." Aiden nodded.

I watched him, watching her. He seemed calm, peaceful again. But I
couldn't read him. I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Why?" Janie asked, sounding almost hopeful. It was revolting. "Are you
going to keep it? I mean, I thought you were a fag, Aiden. Did you change
your mind?"

I wanted to laugh in her face. At least, I wished that Aiden would do it.
But instead, he just slowly shook his head, completely indifferent to the
fact that there were witnesses everywhere.

"No." he replied, looking at his camera fondly, holding it in both hands.
"That's not something I can change about myself. I wanted this picture
for the yearbook." He looked up pointedly at Janie again, but spoke so
only she and anyone really close could hear. "So everyone can see how
ugly you are right now."

I wanted to smile at the way that Janie's face dropped, but really,
there wasn't anything funny about it. Because Aiden was hurting. This
time when he turned around and walked away, I didn't follow behind him.
I walked with him.

"What would you know faggot?" Janie screamed after him, obviously too
simpleminded to realize that he hadn't been attacking her physical
beauty - not that she had any that I was willing to admit to.

We just kept walking, and when I realized that Aiden was walking nowhere
in particular, he was just numbly wandering, I placed my hand on his
shoulder, drawing him to look at me.

"Hey, come on." I said, nodding towards the school.

Aiden silently let me take the lead and I took him inside, where it was
quiet. We sat at the bottom of the wide stairway, leading to the second
floor, sitting so that our knees brushed together as we listened to the
silence of the halls, every once in a while hearing the echoes of other
students that would come and then fade away again.

"I'm sorry, Aiden." I said, not that it helped any.

"I knew it was going to happen." Aiden frowned, "I just didn't think
that it would happen so fast. Do you see the way people are looking at
me, Owen?"

"Hey," I insisted, placing a hand on his back, "Maybe it's not so bad.
It could blow over once people get used to the idea."

Aiden cut me a look that made flinch. But, I couldn't blame him for
being annoyed with me. I didn't exactly believe my own words, and coming
from a guy too afraid to come out, they probably didn't mean much.

"Sorry." I sighed, "I know. I have no right to try to make you feel
better, because I'm not the one going through this."

"No. You're just trying to help." Aiden shook his head. "I'm the one
who keeps saying that I can deal with this. It's just harder than I
thought it would be. Anyways, maybe you're right. Maybe when people get
sick of talking about it, it'll blow over. I mean, at least no one's
been violent yet. It's just been dirty looks and a few people talking
shit, right?"

I just watched him as he tried to convince himself that his situation
wasn't terrible. I wished there was something that I could do or say to
convince him that everything wasn't so bad. But, how could I convince
him if I didn't believe that myself? I thought Aiden's situation
sucked. And it pissed me off. He was such a good person, and I hated that
not everyone could see that, and I hated how people who did see it
before, suddenly looked at him like he was from another planet.

Aiden abruptly stood up and I followed, still watching him as he turned
around to face me, one of those forced smiles on his face.

"Bell's gonna ring in a few minutes." He said, "I'm going to head for
class...are you meeting Ryan?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "But I don't have to today. If you want I can stick
around here."

"No, go." He smirked. "You could probably use the break. I'll see you
later?"

I nodded and reached up to touch his shoulder as he brushed by me. Aiden
paused for a second, under my hand, before he kept going, and I couldn't
help wishing that we'd stayed in bed this morning. Last night and this
morning had been happy, comfortable. Now I just wanted to get back to
that.

The rest of the day went on too slowly, as far as I was concerned. Going
to Ryan's house was only a small distraction. When we got back to school
I couldn't find Aiden before my next class started. I was disappointed,
wanting to know how he was doing.

I noticed some things during my next few classes. People were still
talking about Aiden. It was probably because he was so known around the
school, with his camera, and since people knew him, they felt the need to
talk. But, most of the talk seemed like curiosity. Some people claimed
that they knew it all along, while others questioned whether or not it
was true.

As for me, I got a few strange looks, but no one really said anything
about me. Actually, a few people included me in their conversations about
Aiden, trying to get information. I didn't tell them anything, of
course. I figured that if they wanted to know something they should have
the guts to ask him on their own.

But, I have to admit that I was relieved when no one in my classes seemed
to say anything malicious or threatening about Aiden. Of course, I was
also concerned how Janie's rumors- true or not- had spread so fast. I
was sure that a few `wrong people' knew by now. I was practically
waiting for Dennis Gordon to try something with Aiden. Actually, I was
surprised that I hadn't seen Dennis yet, after Adam's little talk with
Phil Clayton. I figured that a rumor like that would have been the
perfect excuse for him to start a fight with me. Again.

But when I did see Dennis between classes he actually walked away. And he
saw me too. I know he did because he stopped and stared before he walked
away. Not that I was complaining, the last thing I wanted was trouble
with Dennis. I just didn't understand why he wasn't trying to start
trouble. It seemed out of character for Dennis. But, then again, the way
that Adam tried to hurt me by going to Phil Clayton was completely out of
character for him. I guess people can always surprise you.

I didn't see Aiden again until after school, and it was only long enough
for him to tell me that he was going straight to work, so Leo was going
to take him. I didn't have to work today. So, needless to say, I was
disappointed. I offered to drive Aiden to work myself, but since Leo was
already going that way, Aiden insisted that he ride with him.

I didn't argue, but as I went home by myself I wished that I would have.

...............

I shoved the last book for the evening back into my backpack, relieved
that I was finished catching up on homework. It had been a good
distraction, but one that caused a headache.

I shoved my backpack off my bed and rolled onto my back as I glanced at
the clock. I still had about three hours to wait before Aiden got off
work. I wondered if my next distraction should be a nap. I could probably
use one.

"Owen?" I glanced through my opened bedroom door and saw Chris coming
down the hall.

"Hey," I yawned, sitting up on my bed, "What are you doing here? Isn't
it a little early for you to be home?"

"I'm not going in tonight." Chris shrugged, "Actually, Tony's watching
the club tonight. I think he's trying to find ways to spend more time
with Jake."

"I wonder what Aiden would think if I got a job at the grocery store." I
pondered.

"So I guess that means Aiden's working tonight?" Chris laughed.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Then come on." He said, turning and walking back down the hall.

"Huh?"

"Come on." Chris called again, "We're going out."

I shrugged to myself and then followed Chris. At least going with him
would help pass the time. Besides, I hadn't exactly spent much time with
Chris lately. He was always working at the club and the only time I ever
saw him was occasionally in the morning when he'd get up and see me off
to school.

"Where are we going?" I asked as I joined him in the living room.

"Well, I'm not sure about you, but I'm starving and have no intention
of cooking tonight, so unless you're going to do it, I say we go out."

"We go out." I voted.

"Hey, if we go somewhere quick we can catch a movie too." Chris
suggested, "That way we'll still be back with plenty of time for you to
go pick up Aiden when he gets off work."

"Oh, Leo's picking him up." I replied.

"Why?" Chris asked, "don't you want to?"

"Yeah, but Leo always picks him up."

Chris rolled his eyes at me and I watched as he went to pick up the
phone, and after dialing a number he brought it to his ear, looking
somewhat impatient until someone answered.

"Leo? Hey. Uh-huh. Look, don't pick up Aiden tonight, Owen wants to do
it. Uh-huh. Yeah. Uh-huh. All right. No problem." Chris hung up the phone
and looked at me again, "You're picking up Aiden. Leo says to get Ryan
too."

"Fine." I laughed, "You know I could have made that call myself."

"You never would have thought to." Chris smirked as he slapped my back
and gave me a small shove towards the door.

"That's because he wouldn't let me drive him to work." I replied, "I
figured that he wouldn't want me to pick him up, either."

"You don't have to ask his permission, Owen. He's your boyfriend,
right? I've seen the way he looks when he's around you. I don't think
he'll mind a surprise visit."

I smiled at that. Chris was probably right. And it got me thinking. I
wanted to do something nice for Aiden. With everything going on between
his mom and Janie he probably needed a break anyways, maybe if I took him
out it would get his mind off things.

"Hey Chris? Would you and Tony be okay with it, if I went away for a
weekend? I wouldn't miss any school and I wouldn't be getting into any
trouble..."

Chris stopped short of opening the front door and turned to look at me.

"Go?" he repeated, looking a little worried. "What do you mean? You're
not thinking of...I mean you're not planning any visits back home, are
you?"

"What? Home? No! I wouldn't go back there, Chris, this is my home now."

"Hey," he smiled, "Sorry. I was just wondering. Tony and I talked about
that a while ago. We figured that sooner or later you might want to go
back there."

"Why?" I asked incredulously.

"Because we did." Chris sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"About a year after we left." Chris shrugged. "Tony and I were both
homesick. We missed mom and dad. We missed you... I think it was around
Christmas. We called home to see if mom and dad would be willing to
try...you know, work things out maybe. I think Tony was really hoping that
a year would have been long enough for them to accept having a gay son."

"What happened?" I asked, even if the answer was obvious.

"I called." Chris frowned, "I got to talk to mom for about fifteen
minutes. She actually sounded happy to hear from me...but then dad got on
and said that he'd love to have me back home."

"But not Tony."

Chris shook his head.

"No. Not Tony."

"Do you...ever regret it?" I asked hesitantly. "I mean, they were our
parents. And they were willing to accept you... do you ever think..."

"No." Chris stated. "Maybe at one point they were our parents, but I'd
never turn my back on two brothers just to make them happy, Owen. Back
then I refused to do it because Tony was more my family than they ever
were. Now, you and Tony are my family. Not them...but, that doesn't mean
that I still don't wonder about them. Tony thinks about them a lot too.
Maybe you haven't reached that point yet, where you wonder about going
back...Tony and I just wanted you to be prepared if you ever do reach that
point."

"I won't." I said confidently. "There's nothing there for me to go back
to anyways. They already made that clear. I don't need to go back to
double check."

Chris gave my shoulder a squeeze and shot me a sympathetic look. We both
knew that I had it harder there than Tony or Chris ever did, specifically
towards the end.

"Let's go to dinner." Chris smiled.

I nodded and he opened the door, but before we could even step out we had
to stop before we plowed right into the unexpected visitor about to knock
on our door.

"Oh. Hi Adam." Chris said, "Owen and I were just about to go grab
something to eat. You wanna come?"

"No, he doesn't." I answered quickly.

Adam looked just as surprised to see us as I did to see him. And Chris
didn't seem surprised at all with the hostility in my voice. He knew
that Adam and I were fighting. Tony had told him. But Chris probably
didn't know about Adam's little talk with Phil Clayton, otherwise my
brother probably wouldn't have been so quick to be friendly.

"Um...I didn't realize you were busy." Adam replied, looking nervously
back and forth between us. "Um...Owen, I was hoping we could talk, but..."

"Did you walk here?" Chris asked, and then without waiting for an answer,
"Owen, why don't you give Adam a ride home? We can meet at the
restaurant. We'll go for Italian, I think."

"There's a bus stop down the street." I replied coldly.

"Excuse us, for a sec, huh Adam?" Chris said, pulling me back inside and
closing the door.

"I'm not going anywhere with him, Chris." I stated, "You don't know
what he did."

"Maybe he's here to apologize." Chris suggested.

"The last time he apologized he ended up trying out me to Dennis
Gordon's best friend." I retorted. "I have nothing to say to Adam."

"I think you have plenty to say." Chris replied, "That's why I think you
should try and talk to him."

"Chris..."

"No one's forcing you."

"That's funny, because it feels like you are!" I retorted.

"I'm just making a suggestion." Chris smirked. "So, are you going to
point Adam in the direction of the bus stop, or are you going to give him
a ride home?"

I really didn't want to talk to Adam. The last few times I talked to him
hadn't turned out so well. I didn't care to repeat another conversation
that would leave me pissed off and depressed.

But Ryan had talked to Adam yesterday. Maybe he talked some sense into
him. Maybe we could still work things out.

Damn it. I was giving Adam the benefit of the doubt again. I needed to
stop doing that. The little fucker didn't deserve it after what he did.
But, despite that, as I walked past Adam I looked back at Chris and said,
"See you there." And then I headed for my truck, leaving Adam to follow.

When we were both seated in my truck, I couldn't get it started fast
enough. I just wanted to get Adam home and away from me. I probably
should have just sent him to the bus stop.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" he said after a moment.

"No, Adam, it's not okay."

"I know you're angry, Owen..."

"Understatement." I snapped.

"Okay, can I at least explain?"

"What's there to explain?" I demanded, "You went to Phil fucking
Clayton!"

"And I'm sorry! I know that was wrong, I was just so angry..."

"Would you still be sorry if what you told Phil was true?" I demanded.
"Would you be here apologizing if you knew for a fact that I was fucking
around with Aiden Knightly?"

"But your not."

"That's not the fucking point Adam! What you did was just so...so...fuck!
You're a fucking asshole, you know that?"

"Yes. Okay? I was. There's no excuse for what I told Phil. I was angry,
Owen. I didn't understand how..."

"If I hear you say anything remotely close to faggot one more time I
swear I'll throw you out of my truck and run you over." I snapped.

I really hadn't expected to get this angry. But damn it, I was. I was
tired of trying to be nice and understanding. The truth was, I didn't
understand people who thought the way that Adam did and I was tired of
trying.

"I don't understand being gay." He said carefully, "and I didn't
understand how you could keep hanging out with Aiden knowing that...that
he likes you! It's just so disgusting. What if he tries something, Owen?
Do you really want that?"

"What, like you think he'll try to hump my leg or something?" I
sarcastically remarked.

"I don't know!" Adam sounded exasperated. "I'm just saying I don't
understand it, okay? Ryan told me some stuff yesterday that...I don't
know. I have some stuff to think about. I'm not saying that I'm okay
with que-gays, Owen, because I'm not. But, I am sorry that I talked to
Phil about you."

"Fine, you're sorry." I frowned, "It changes nothing between us, though.
We can't be friends. Not right now."

"I know." he sighed.

The next five minutes were filled with a deafening silence, before I
pulled up in front of Adam's house. I was grateful that Janie wasn't
there this time, and believe me, I checked before I stopped. If I'd seen
her, Adam would have been forced to jump out of a moving vehicle. But,
once I did stop he just sat there for a minute, looking out the window.

"Everything Ryan told me, is just so different from what I've been
taught." Adam said quietly, causing me to look over at him. "I just need
time to think, you know? This kinda stuff...it's just hard. I don't
understand it, Owen."

"I don't see what there is to understand." I replied. "There are people
out there who are different than you, Adam. Either you accept them or you
don't."

He gave a small nod and then turned to look at me again.

"I know we can't be friends...not right now, after what I did...and I have
some thinking to do. But, do you think maybe...can we talk again, Owen?"

"We'll see." I muttered, not really sure what Adam and I would ever have
to talk about after this.

"Owen?" Adam called, just before he closed the passenger door, "I really
am sorry."

"I believe you."

..........................

"It wouldn't kill you to chew your food before you inhale it, you know."
Chris laughed as I gulped down another huge bite of lasagna.

"Sorry," I smiled, lifting my napkin to wipe my mouth, "I'm starving. I
skipped lunch today and never ate after working out with Ryan."

"Why'd you skip lunch?"

"Aiden wasn't hungry." I shrugged, "It was sort of a long day at school.
Janie's been running her mouth and Aiden's officially been outed. He's
having a tougher time with it than he wants to admit."

"How are you doing with that?" Chris asked.

"I don't know." I frowned, "It's frustrating, Chris. Aiden kept saying
that he could handle this, but today was really hard on him. You know,
people would turn away or get pissed when he tried to take their picture
for the yearbook. I mean, shit. Do they think they'll catch something
through the camera lens? It's bullshit. I just wish that there was
something I could do to make it easier on him...I keep feeling like I
should come out too. At least that way he wouldn't be going through it
alone."

"Hmm. You're feeling guilty for being afraid?"

I nodded.

"I'm the last person who can give you advice about coming out." Chris
said, "But doesn't Tony always say that coming out should be about you,
and no one else?"

"I guess." I nodded, "But I care about Aiden. And I hate feeling guilty."

"I don't think Aiden would want you to feel guilty, Owen. Have you
talked to him about it?"

"No." I sighed.

"You should. It might help."

"He's going through the same thing that I did." I said. "With Anna. It
doesn't seem fair, Chris, that I get to have Aiden and keep my secrets
while he has to deal with this shit and then tell people that we're just
friends."

"I guess it doesn't seem fair." Chris nodded, "But I can't tell you
what to do here, Owe. I think you should talk to Aiden, though. And just
don't rush into anything. You might be with us now, but there are still
some things we can't protect you from."

"I know." I nodded. And I did know. Just like I knew that I couldn't
protect Aiden from what he was going through.

"So, where do you plan on going?" Chris asked after a minute.

"Huh?"

"You said you wanted to go away for a weekend." Chris smiled, "Tony and I
took a few weekends when we were your age. Good times. I figure since
you're not planning to go back home, you've got something fun in mind."

"Oh, yeah." I smiled, "Actually I was thinking that I'd take Aiden
somewhere. I think he could use a break...I just want to do something nice
for him."

"Did you have something in mind?"

"Yeah." I smiled, "I do."

..................

"Stop kissing!" Ryan groaned out in a childish drawl.

Aiden and I pulled apart and glanced back to where Ryan was cramped in
the back seat of my truck before I pulled away from the grocery store and
started to drive.

"You're worse than Ben and Leo." Ryan pouted, "I'm starting to feel
like a third wheel."

"Sorry." I laughed.

"Don't worry about him." Aiden remarked, "He's just jealous."

"Damn straight." Ryan concurred. "I want to kiss someone too."

"Kiss whoever you want," I replied, "As long as you keep your mouth away
from Aiden's. Those lips are spoken for."

Aiden grinned at me as I watched Ryan's eyes widen through the rear view
mirror. He took a few minutes, looking back and forth between the backs
of mine and Aiden's heads.

"Damn it Knightly! You told him about that?" Ryan suddenly demanded.

"And I totally agree with you Ryan, Aiden's a great kisser." I laughed.

Ryan shoved the back of my seat and then glared at Aiden, but he wasn't
angry, there was laughter in his eyes and his left dimple was showing.

"I can't believe you told him about that." Ryan shook his head.

"Owen was curious about you." Aiden shrugged.

"Oh?" Ryan smirked at me.

"Only because Aiden once mentioned the two of you sleeping in the same
bed." I replied.

"Sleeping." Aiden reiterated quickly.

"Oh, yeah." Ryan grinned, "I remember those sleepovers. Damn, we should
do something like that again sometime, just stay up all night like we
used to. Of course, you're invited too, Owen."

"Gee, thanks." I smirked.

"Seriously though." Ryan insisted, "We used to have a lot of fun. Maybe
we should get together this weekend or the next."

"Nope." I stated, "Not next weekend."

"You're working again?" Aiden asked.

"No." I smiled, "Actually, I thought we could go somewhere."

"Where?" Aiden asked.

"It's a surprise."

"Oh?" Aiden laughed, "So you're not gonna tell me?"

"Um, nope."

"You know I'll find out." Aiden insisted, "Who do you think you'll have
to ask for directions when you get lost?"

"Hey!" I laughed.

"You're seriously going somewhere next weekend?" Ryan asked.

"If Aiden wants to." I replied. Aiden just smiled at me.

"Well shit." Ryan sighed, "I guess that means this weekend it is. You
guys come over."

"I think we're a little old for sleepovers." Aiden remarked.

"We'll party then. Think about it." Ryan grinned as we pulled up in
front of his house. "See you guys tomorrow?"

"Bye." I waved as Aiden got out and pulled up the seat for Ryan. I
watched as Ryan gave Aiden a goodbye hug, and whisper something into my
boyfriend's ear that made him laugh, before Ryan waved to me and moved
towards his house.

I watched Aiden buckle up before I started to drive again, and as we
traveled down the dark street I glanced over him with a smile and took
his hand when it was offered to me.

"Were you serious?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"About going away next weekend."

"Yeah. If you want to. I thought it could be fun."

"And you won't tell me where?" he laughed.

"Hey, you got to plan the last date," I reminded him with mock annoyance,
"And, you didn't even bother to tell me that I was on it."

Aiden laughed and brought my hand to his mouth, kissing my knuckles.

"Fine," he smirked, "Don't tell me...it'll be kinda fun, not knowing."

"Good." I smiled. I was glad that the idea of getting away was appealing
to Aiden, and I hoped that the idea of a small trip might take his mind
off everything else, because although he was smiling now, I knew what he
was thinking about. He was thinking about tomorrow, and what would happen
at school, and who else might shun him now that Janie had gotten her way.

"So what did you do today?" Aiden asked, interrupting my thoughts, and my
smile faded as I wondered whether or not I wanted to tell him about
talking to Adam again.

..........................

Aiden laughed as I turned my head and kissed his neck. We were right back
where we had started that morning. In his bed. Only, now we were fully
clothed and the light was on as we lay there, with our arms around each
other and our legs intertwined.

And, I had told Aiden about Adam after all. Only, what could have been a
serious conversation about my ex friend who had betrayed me, had taken an
unexpected turn. At some point, while I was venting my frustrations and
repeating most of the conversation I had had with Adam, word for word,
Aiden had started laughing.

"You told him that you'd throw him out of your truck and run him over?"
Aiden asked, and then sarcastically added, "I'm sure that was real
effective."

I tickled his side when he started laughing him again, causing him to
squirm until he was more on his side, facing me as I wrapped my arm more
tightly around him and quickly kissed the tip of his nose.

"It's not funny." I insisted, "I was just really mad."

"Hump your leg?" Aiden smirked, repeating another part of what I had told
him as he suggestively thrust his hips against my thigh, which was
trapped between his legs.

I gave in and laughed with him for a second before I moved my hand to the
back of his head and pulled him forward. Aiden's whole body seemed to
move with my hand and he rolled until I moved onto my back and he came
over me, one of his knees still planted between my thighs as he lowered
his mouth openly, sealing it over mine and thrusting his tongue between
my lips.

I moved my hands over his jean-clad ass, down into his back pockets and
squeezed, pulling him down, more firmly against me, and grinding his cock
against my hip. I could feel his organ hardening against me as he closed
his eyes and moaned against my mouth, and when I slid my hands up to his
lower back, he continued to press against me.

I slid my fingers up his shirt, grazing his sides with just the tips as I
pushed the material up, letting it bunch together under his arms as he
trembled against the feather light touches of my fingers. I moved over
his chest, letting my thumbs circle his nipples and flick over the
hardening little beads and Aiden kissed me harder, humming his approval
against my mouth.

I wrapped my arm around his back and pulled his chest against mine as I
turned him onto his back and Aiden moved with me, tilting his head back
as I pulled away from his lips and kissed down his chin, over his throat.
I moved my tongue over the spot between his shoulder and his neck and
suckled the skin there, as I slid my hand over his chest and rubbed his
flat stomach. Aiden arched his body upwards, his hand moving to cup the
back of my head, grabbing my hair and holding me against his neck,
wanting more contact. But I kept my touches light, enjoying the way that
he squirmed and the way that his hip would brush against my inflating
member every time he arched up.

I took hold of the shirt, bunched under his arms and began to push it up.
Aiden lifted his arms, assisting me and jumping when my thumbs moved
through the soft, dark hair under his arms, and while I pushed the shirt
over his arms I lowered my head and placed a wet kiss in the center of
his chest, and then kissed my way to his nipple, flicking my tongue
against it before closing my lips over the tip and sucking it into my
mouth.

Aiden's chest arched up as I settled my body alongside him, closing my
teeth over his nipple as I slid one hand back down his side, sending a
chill through him as my fingers made their way over his naval and came to
the button of his jeans.

I listened to his small gasps and moans as I gently chewed his nipple and
unfastened his pants, carefully lowering the zipper down over his ample
bulge.

I moved my mouth to his other nipple and gave it the same treatment as
the first, while I pushed my hand under the elastic band of his boxers
and cupped his erection, fondling his balls with my fingers.

Aiden arched up into my hand and his chest began to rise and fall with
deeper breaths. I released his nipple from my teeth and lightly blew over
the reddened nub as I removed my hand from his pants and began to push
his shirt up again, over his head, and when his arms dropped back down he
wrapped them around my neck and pulled me to him, dropping a kiss on my
lips before pushing me back by the shoulders and looking up at me.

"Stay here tonight?" he asked.

I smiled and then shifted to pull off my shirt as a response. He didn't
even have to ask. I had no intention of leaving him tonight. And, if I
did go home, I'd probably insist that he come with me. I didn't like
the idea of Aiden being alone. Especially right now. It was probably a
good thing that his mom was gone for the time being, but I could imagine
that he'd get lonely at night, being alone in his apartment.

"I'm not going anywhere." I replied as his hands began to move over my
bare back. "But hey, why don't you come stay with us again? You're mom
will be back in another week and a half, and you don't know how that's
going to work out yet..."

"I can't just move in with you guys, Owen." Aiden frowned.

"Sure you can." I smirked, "We're sleeping in the same bed every night
anyways. There's not much of a difference. Besides, I kinda like the
idea of being able to take advantage of you anytime I want."

"Take advantage of me?" Aiden laughed, grabbing my wrists and suddenly
dragging them over my head, as he turned, moving over me and pinning me
on my back.

I began to kick, laughing as his fingers assaulted my ribs and I moved my
arms down, trying to block him as he tickled me. I stopped laughing when
his hands moved down and unfastened my jeans as his mouth dropped down
over my neck, kissing me.

I sat up on my elbows and kicked my shoes off and lifted my hips as Aiden
pulled off my pants and my boxers. He even took the time to peel off my
socks before he shucked the rest of his clothing and then moved down onto
the bed again, his knees landing on either side of my thighs, straddling
me.

I reached for him, my eyes on his erect cock as it swayed against his
abdomen, swollen and hard as a bead of pre-come leaked from the head, but
Aiden grabbed my wrists and pinned them against the mattress.

I lifted my head to meet him as his mouth moved over mine and I thrust my
tongue up, between his lips, feeling his press back against it as a
strand of his hair fell from it's tie and tickled my face.

Aiden broke away from my lips as he released my right arm and held my
left up, and his mouth closed over my left nipple, sucking it into his
mouth as I gasped and my chest arched towards him. He pulled the hardened
little bead between his teeth, flicking his tongue over it as I writhed
beneath him, grabbing his hair with my free hand and holding him to my
chest until he freed my nipple and kissed his way to the next one.

I pulled my left wrist away from his grip and slid my hands down his
back, cupping the cheeks of his ass, kneading with my fingers as his
mouth moved over my stomach, his wet kisses and warm breath sending a
chill through me.

I sat up, watching intently as he reached my cock and his lips teasingly
closed around the head as he peered up at me from under thick eyelashes,
watching my reaction as he slowly slid down my shaft, swirling his tongue
against me as he sank lower. I let out a small moan when I felt his
throat tightening around the head of my erection and his nostrils sucked
in a breath against my pubic hair.

I could feel my breathing becoming deeper, just watching him was so hot.
He lifted his mouth off my cock until only the head remained in his mouth
and he swirled his tongue around it, flicking against my slit before he
quickly went down again, drawing another gasp from me as I let myself
fall back against the bed, arching my hips up towards him, thrusting my
erect member up into his mouth as I closed my hands over his head,
dislodging the tie holding his hair back and tangling my fingers in the
long, soft strands.

"Aiden," I breathed, "come here."

That was about as many words as I was able to get out at the moment, the
way his mouth was assaulting my erection, sending a jolt through me and
causing my entire body to break out in a cold sweat.

I was glad when Aiden didn't wait for further instructions. He released
my cock and turned his body until I was able to reach one of his knees
and guide it over my head so that he was straddling my face, his cock,
hard in front of my eyes, pointing towards my chin.

I sucked in a breath as Aiden closed his mouth over my erection again and
I felt him tremble as I rubbed my hands over the back of his thighs, up
to his ass. I dipped my fingers into his cleft, prying him apart as I
pulled his hips down towards me. I tilted my head back and parted my
lips; opening wide, and I used my tongue to guide the head of his
erection into my mouth.

His tip of his cock was barely past my lips before Aiden suddenly thrust
downwards and I was forced to swallow or have a hole drilled down my
throat. I definitely wasn't expecting it, and when I choked Aiden
started to pull back, but I gripped his ass and held him where he was as
I adjusted.

It didn't take long for me to relax as Aiden continued to swallow my
cock, pushing his tongue against it as he fondled my balls, dipping his
finger back against my perineum and causing me to arch upwards.

I loosened my grip on him and I began to trace his crack with my fingers,
tilting my head back as Aiden thrust in and of my mouth. I found his
hole, and circled with my index finger, pressing against the tiny knot of
rough skin teasingly, until Aiden's thrusts became deeper and his hips
began to wriggle above me. He moaned against my cock, the vibrations
causing me to arch up again while he pushed further into my throat.

I brought my index finger to my mouth, forcing it in, alongside his shaft
as I wriggled it against my cheek, soaking up my saliva before I moved
back to his ass, tracing a wet trail down his cleft and pressing against
his sphincter.

Aiden pushed back against me and I felt his hole twitch. When he thrust
down again I held his cock in my mouth, sucking as hard as I could, and
pressed my index finger against his enterance, surprised at the
resistance as I worked my way in.

For a moment I wondered if I should stop, but the way that Aiden tried to
push back against my finger, despite the resistance, was like and
invitation, so after pressing in to my first knuckle I pushed in further,
feeling his body clamp down as I wriggled my digit inside him, loosening
him up and searching for his prostate. I knew I found it when Aiden's
body suddenly arched up and my cock dropped from his mouth. He groaned as
I thrust my finger in, repeatedly seeking out the same spot as he bucked
back.

I felt Aiden's fingers wrap around my cock as he tried to regain some
composure, but before he could guide me back into his mouth I wrapped an
arm around his back, pulling him down and holding his rigid member in my
mouth, the head of his erection pressing against my throat as I pushed my
middle finger against his hole, working it in against my index finger,
stretching him wider and then thrusting in with long strokes.

Aiden pushed back, whimpering as his head dropped and he rested his
forearms on my thighs, his back arched and his ass lifted, back against
my invading digits. I had to lift my head to reach his cock, sucking the
head into my mouth before I licked down his shaft and suckled his balls.

I felt Aiden shifting again and then I gasped, as my own throbbing member
was welcomed back into his warm, wet, mouth. He took me down to the hilt,
burying his nose against my balls as his finger moved back against my
perineum.

I noticed that he was brushing against my hole, and I was angry with
myself for becoming tense over it. I had told him that I wanted to try
new things with him, but my body seemed to have a natural reaction to
that type of contact. He only circled my sphincter though, lightly
brushing over it but never applying any real pressure. I was able to
relax quickly and just enjoy the sensations swarming from my ass to my
cock.

I began to thrust upwards into Aiden's mouth as I continued to work him.
He hummed his approval against my cock, sending another vibrating jolt
through me that had me arching off the bed as I took his erection back
into my mouth.

The moment the head of Aiden's cock slipped between my lips I felt his
body tense and clamp around my fingers as he spent himself in my mouth,
and it only took a few more moments of his mouth around me before I
followed suit.

Aiden released a small whimper as I withdrew my fingers from his entrance
and then I let my head fall back on the mattress, recovering from my own
orgasm as he turned his body to straddle my hips again.

I opened my arms and closed them around him as he sank down against me,
burying his face against my neck and tilting his head to place gentle
kisses against my jaw. I turned my head to kiss him, accepting his tongue
into my mouth and turning us onto our sides, where Aiden grabbed one side
of the blanket and pulled it over us, and then we almost immediately
drifted off to sleep.

...............

The next days at school confirmed that the word about Aiden had spread.
He was back to putting on a brave face, but now during lunch we actually
sat down and ate, instead of Aiden dragging me off to take pictures. I
enjoyed the time with him, but on Thursday when he stored his camera in
his locker and came to lunch without it, I was beginning to worry.

"It's hard to take pictures when people run away from the camera...or the
photographer." He said when I asked him about it.

"Aiden..." I wanted to tell him that things would get better, that he
shouldn't have to stop doing what he loved the most because of a school
full of childish assholes.

"Please, Owen, can we not talk about it?" he asked, and then he smiled
and changed the subject, "You still want to go away next weekend, right?"

"Yes," I smirked, "and no, I'm not telling you where. But you are
bringing your camera. Maybe you can't take your pictures here, but..."
Aiden had turned his head and had stopped listening to me. Something else
had caught his attention, and I just hoped that it wasn't Janie again.
"Aiden?"

"Huh? Oh. Sorry Owen." He smiled sheepishly as he turned back to me.
"I'll bring the camera if you want me to."

"What's up?" I asked, looking in the direction that he had been looking
in.

"Nothing." He shrugged, "I was just wondering about the new kid, that's
all."

"New kid?" my eyebrows flew up, "Should I be jealous?"

"No." he laughed, kicking me under the table, "Besides, didn't you
mention that my lips are private property, last night with Ryan?
Wouldn't want to argue with that."

"Okay." I smiled, even though I definitely was jealous. I didn't like
the idea of Aiden showing interest in other guys. "So what's the deal
with the new kid?"

"He's over there." Aiden pointed.

I had to look twice before I realized that the kid I was looking at was
the same kid that Aiden was talking about. He definitely wasn't the type
I would have guessed that Aiden would be interested in, and my ego went
right back to being confident again.

The kid that Aiden was referring to was a thin, short little thing with
thick glasses and an asthma inhaler, which he was using at the moment.
Not that he wasn't cute. Actually, with his curly blonde hair and big
blue eyes there was an attractive charm about him. But, in today's
society, the kid was still a geek.

"I helped him out earlier today." Aiden explained, "Dennis was giving him
a hard time. I felt sorry for the guy, I swear when I got there he was
about to piss his pants."

To be honest, I wasn't that surprised. This kid was a walking bully
magnet, and shamefully, in another life I could have just as easily been
the one to take a crack at him. But, this new kid was forgotten as soon
as it registered that Aiden said that he had encountered Dennis Gordon.

"What about you?" I asked, "Did Dennis give you any trouble? I mean, now
that everyone's talking..."

"Dennis was the same as always." Aiden shrugged. "Called me faggot, but
nothing new about that."

"Do you think he's heard yet?" I asked.

"I think everyone's heard." Aiden frowned, "But Dennis didn't mention
anything. I think he was just pissed that I took away his entertainment."
He glanced over his shoulder at the new kid again, "He had Reilly really
scared."

"Reilly?" I repeated.

"Yeah, that's his name. Reilly Chesley."

"Hmm." I hummed. I wasn't really interested in Reilly Chesley. I was
interested in Aiden and his safety when it came to Dennis Gordon. "So you
don't think Dennis is going to try anything? With you, I mean."

Aiden looked up and smiled at me.

"Stop worrying, Owen. I've been blackballed, but I don't think
anyone's going to try anything. Not even Dennis. Besides," he smirked
"Dennis is too busy trying to throw his fists at you to bother with me."

I smiled back at Aiden. I knew he was kidding, but there was some truth
in what he said. And, to be honest, I'd rather Dennis Gordon come after
me than Aiden. Not that I didn't think that Aiden couldn't handle him.
He obviously had, just earlier today. But, the thought of anyone trying
to hurt Aiden was enough to piss me off, and if Dennis was going to fuck
with me instead of Aiden, that was just fine with me.

"So, about this trip," Aiden said, changing the subject again, "If you
aren't going to tell me where we're going, are you at least going to
tell me what to pack? If we're leaving town I should at least know what
to wear."

"And who said you'd need to wear anything at all?" I grinned lecherously
at him, earning me another kick under the table.

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