Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2005 18:25:38 -0800 (PST) From: David Raley <lugh_surehand@yahoo.com> Subject: Brady by the Beach-Chapter 1 Copyright 2005 Lugh Surehand. The characters and events in it come from my own head. Disclaimer: This story is a fictional account of a romance between two young boys. None of the events or the people described in this story are actually real. Any resemblance between the characters and real people is an amazing coicidence considering the whole story comes from my imagination. If you disapprove of this sort of story, don't read it. Otherwise, read the story, and I hope you enjoy yourself as much I did when I wrote it. Brady lifted the camera to his eye. He snapped a few obligatory shots of Brighton Pier. Those would satisfy his parents. He scanned the rest of the beach. Something or someone worthy of a photo would call attention to itself. Brady got an eye full of his brother going talking with a group of girls and quickly moved onto other subjects. A trio of chattering old ladies, a group of small children playing together, and a bunch of people hanging out by an ice cream parlor all seemed like a waste of a picture. The sight of a sandy-haired boy stretched out on a towel caught Brady's interest. Without taking his eye away from the camera lens, he took a few steps sideways for the sake of a better view. Click! The sandy-haired boy jumped up off his towel and began walking toward the water. He had on a pair of denim cutoffs. Brady adjusted the zoom lens. The camera seemed to gravitate toward the boy's lean, muscular boy. Click! The boy in denim cutoffs grabbed his crotch and adjusted himself as he stepped into the water. Click! The boy waded out in the water up to his knees. Click! The boy ran a hand through his hair and turned around. Click! The boy looked around the beach. A self assured grin spread across his face. Click! His baby blue eyes zeroed in on Brady and his camera. Click! The boy continued to grin and raised an eyebrow. Brady's trance shattered. He gritted his teeth and held his breath. The boy in denim cutoffs started walking in his direction. "Get some good pictures?" An invisible hand choked off Brady's voice box. His mouth formed a reply, but the words died on his tongue. The boy in the denim cutoffs thrust out his hand. "My name is Peter. Peter Thompson." Flames of embarrassment burned the sides of Brady's face. Why couldn't he speak! He'd never acted this shy around a stranger before. "Relax, mate. I'm not going to hurt you." Peter's expression turned sympathetic. He grabbed Brady's right hand and shook it. An electric sensation surged up Brady's arm! He tried to snatch his hand away, but Peter had a firm grip. "Relax," Peter said. "I just want to talk." Peter's touch made Brady's emotions storm off in every conceivable direction. The feelings both repulsed and attracted Brady. Just breathing became difficult. The contents of Brady's black speedo stirred to full attention. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck. "Do you want to get some ice cream?" Peter asked. "I...uh..." Peter's baby blue eyes seemed to sparkle. "Great. It will be my treat. Wait here." He let go of Brady's arm and rushed back to his towel. A strange feeling of regret crept over Brady. Without thinking, he lifted the camera once more and focused it on Peter's magnificent body. Click! Click! Click! After rummaging through his belongings, Peter raced over toward Brady again. Guilt made Brady lower the camera and try to hide it behind his back. "Is that a digital?" "Y-yes." The sparkle reappeared in Brady's baby blues. "Would you show me the pictures you took of me?" Brady tried to reply out loud. His voice refused to give life to his words. What's wrong with me? Brady thought. Instead, Brady nodded. He brought the camera out and turned it so Peter could see the digital display on the back of the camera. One by one, he showed Peter the photos. A wide grin spread across Peter's face. Only concentration kept Brady from falling over. "I like them. Do you think I could get a copy of those?" All the tension left Brady's body. He let out an audible sigh of relief. His voice finally returned. "Yes. I can print them off from my laptop, but it's back where I'm staying." Silence hung between the boys for a moment or two. The pair just stared at each other. The stirring in Brady's speedo bloomed into a full blown erection. Nervous tension started to creep back through his body. Peter looked down at Brady's erection and seemed mesmerized. Without really knowing why, Brady relaxed upon seeing Peter's reaction. "Wait here!" In a flash, Peter darted off in the direction of an ice cream stand. He disappeared into the queue around the stand. A few minutes later, Peter reappeared with a pair of ice cream cones. Their hands touched again when Brady accepted one of the cones. "You're a yank, I bet," Peter said. "Yes, I'm from Seattle." Brady started eating his ice cream cone to avoid saying anymore. Peter grabbed Brady's freehand and led him over to his towel. He sat down cross-legged and patted the spot next to him. After a moment's hesitation, Brady obliged. The pair sat so close Brady could feel the texture of Peter's denim cutoffs through the thin fabric of his speedo. They sat for a while just eating their ice cream. Several glances passed between them. Brady decided he liked sitting this close with Peter. He scooted over to make get rid of the last bit of space between them. Peter grinned when he noticed and adjusted the front of his cutoffs with his freehand. Brady finished off the last of his ice cream cone. "Are you on vacation too?" "I'm on me summer holidays, if that's what you mean, but I lie just up the hill from the beach," Peter said. He licked melted ice cream of his fingers and then rubbed his hands together. The sight off his tongue intensified Brady's excitement. "Can we go and get those photos now?" "You bet!" Brady jumped to his feet. While Peter gathered his belongings, Brady rushed over to where his brother enjoyed the company of four teenage girls. "Todd!" Brady's older brother, Todd, looked up and pushed his brown hair out of his eyes. Storm clouds darkened Todd's face when he noticed who had interrupted him. Any disruptions when he showed off for a girl made Todd nervous. "What do you want?" "I'm just getting my stuff so I can go back to the house." Todd tossed Brady his t-shirt, sandals, and his camera case in rapid succession. The t-shirt and sandals fell on the ground, but Brady snatched the camera case out of the air. He put his camera in the case before picking up the shirt and sandals. One of the girls, a brunette, flashed Todd a look for disapproval. "Who is he?" "This little troll is my brother." The brunette crossed her arms. "You shouldn't treat your little brother like that." Another of the girls, a skinny blond, gave an empty headed laugh. "You're brother is kind of cute, Todd." Chastened by their disapproval, Todd looked helpless. The urge to laugh nearly overwhelmed Brady, but the mirth never registered on his face. Instead, Brady put on his most sincere expression. "He doesn't usually act like this," Brady said. "He's just acting mean because I acted like a big jerk this morning." Helplessness mutated into grateful surprise. Brady had to work hard to keep a straight face. "Sorry about this morning," Brady said. "N-no problem," Todd said. You owe me for this Brady thought. After he put his t-shirt and sandals on, Brady rushed back over to Peter. A t-shirt now covered Peter's magnificent torso. The sight left Brady feeling disappointed. What's he look like naked? Brady thought. The thought came uninvited into his head. At first Brady felt embarrassed by the idea, but for some reason, he didn't think Peter would find the thought strange. Brady ran a hand through his black hair and tried to calm himself. "Ready to go?" Brady asked. Peter's smile made Brady feel weak in the knees. "Yeah, let's get going." Brady started walking toward the stairs that lead up to the street. Peter grabbed his hand and started to walk beside him. At first, Brady thought about shaking off Peter's grip, but he quickly rejected that idea. Peter's touch felt pleasant and warm. Am I falling in love?