We were leaving for Montana at ten, so, naturally, I woke up at five and couldn't go back to sleep. Jesus! Why? I knew I would sleep on the plane, but why was I so damn hyper that I couldn't sleep? When Tim and I had made love the night before, he commented about how good it was because I was excited. I was glad it was good for him, but I really didn't understand how being excited about a trip made me a better lover. Go figure. We were going to be gone for two weeks, so I made my last round of the crab traps that morning. I pulled those bad boys up out of the water to store for a couple of weeks, at least. At one of them, I threw the bait back into the water, and I saw a gigantic blue crab come up and grab it. They were getting wise to me, and I needed to break off crabbing for a few weeks because of that. You don't think dumb animals like crabs get wise to that sort of thing, but they do. Especially the older and bigger ones. When I went back to the house, Trixie was up. She wanted out, so I let her. She didn't know what a trip was, but she was fixing to take her a big one. She was such a good dog, you could take her anywhere. I couldn't remember if Chris was at our house before or after we got Trixie, but I think it was before. Anyway, they were going to love one another, and I knew it. From where we lived, air flight was always the same. Emerald Beach to Atlanta. Atlanta to the world. Only this time, it was Emerald Beach to Atlanta. Atlanta to Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City to Missoula. It took almost the whole damn day. But we finally got to Missoula, and Chris, his dad and step-mom, and his half-brother David were waiting for us. Chris was in his chair, of course, and I ran across the place to where they were. I snatched him out of that wheelchair in a second, and I was hugging on him big time. They all wanted a piece of him, too, so I passed him on to Kevin. Kevin passed him on to Rick. We passed him around. We were all crying. Just bawling our eyes out because we had him again. "Stop it," he said. "This is an ice cream moment. We need to go eat ice cream." It was definitely an ice cream moment for all of us. We went to a Baskin-Robbins place, and we loaded up. It was ritual. It was spiritual. But it was also very damn good. Chris fed himself, and he got it all over his face, his chest, and his lap, but he seemed to be doing better at it. More steady or something. "Open up," Jus said. He had a big spoonful of ice cream ready for Chris's mouth. "I don't want you to feed me, Justin," Chris said. "I know you don't, but we're going to be here all night while you feed yourself," Jus said. Chris laughed. "You've got my number, don't you," Chris said. "Yes, I do," Jus said. "I'm feeding you this ice cream if I have to hold your nose and make you swallow it." Chris laughed, but he let Justin feed him. The mother's name was Betty, and the dad's name was Ralph. They were really, really nice, too. David was fifteen, and he was a good looking kid. Chris had already turned seventeen, so he was my age, sort of, and David was Brian's age. Ralph was the dad of both of them, but I could tell Betty treated Chris, and took care of him, too, just like she had given birth to him. They all loved Trixie, and that was a good thing, too, because she was going to stay at their house. They didn't have enough room for all of us, so we were going to sleep at a hotel. We were going to be camping a good many nights, though, so Trixie would spend most of her time with us. Just like I knew she would be, Trixie was crazy about Chris, and he was crazy about her, too. Before we got Chris changed out of his ice cream clothes, she started licking at a stain right on his lap. Nobody saw it but me, but ole Chris started boning up, as anybody would. "Stop it," I said to Trixie, kinda sharp. She backed off. Chris got this hurt look on his face, like he was all disappointed or something. I started laughing at him, and he laughed hard, too. "You're a bad little fucker, aren't you," I said to him. That only made him laugh more. "What's so funny," David asked. "The dog was licking me, and she gave me a hard-on," Chris said. David looked at me, and I could tell he was embarrassed. "Don't be embarrassed, Bubba. We don't have any secrets from one another, do we, Kyle?" "Not anymore," I said. David laughed, but I could tell he was still a little embarrassed. "Y'all call each other 'Bubba,'" I asked. "Yeah. He's the one who started it," David said. "That's what we say, too," I said. "I know. He thinks you guys are gods or something," David said. "If you guys do it or say it, then he does, too." "They are," Chris said. "You'll see." We had rented an extra-big van so that all ten of us, eleven counting Trixie, could go places together. Betty wasn't going to go camping with us, though. We decided to do a little sight-seeing in Missoula that night while it was still light. We drove around, Ralph driving. He took us to the University, and it was really nice. We drove around some downtown, too, and then we went to Caras Park down by the river. It was pretty, and they had this big ole carousel thing. "Do you all want to ride the flying horses," Kevin asked. "I do." "Flying horses," Justin asked. "Why do you call it that? The sign clearly says 'carousel.'" "That's what we call them in New Orleans," Kev said. "Y'all got a different name for everything, don't you," Justin asked. He teased Kevin a lot about the way he talked. "Not everything. You'd still be called 'asshole' there," Kev said. "Ouch. You got me last on that one, for sure," Justin said. "I never saw it coming, shithead." "We started playing that game, too, since Chris came to live with us," David said. "It's fun, ain't it," Jus said. David pulled me aside. "You guys just cuss like that in front of them," he asked, meaning Kevin and Rick. "Pretty much," I said. "Are your parents offended, because we can cool it if they are." "No. Not at all. Chris and I and our dad do, too. Mom doesn't, though. But she doesn't mind," he said. "What about words like 'fuck,'" I asked. I didn't think a lady would like a word like that. My mom didn't. "We don't say that one. I mean, we do, but not in front of her," he said. "Okay. Thanks for the heads up," I said. I told the rest of them, and they said they'd be good. Brian almost never cussed, anyway. We hadn't really talked about it, but I was hoping Chris and David, or just Chris, at least, could stay with us at the hotel. There were two double beds in our room, and I figured we could get a roll-away for those two. "Kevin, we want Chris and David to stay with us at the hotel," I said. Chris overheard me, and he grinned his crooked little grin. "Do they want to," Kevin asked. "Hell, yeah," Chris said. "Of course we want to, Kevin." "You didn't even ask your brother," Kevin said. "I know, but he'll want to," Chris said. "I'll ask your parents," Kevin said. He asked them, and they said it would be too much trouble taking care of Chris. I knew better than to put my two cents' worth in, but I sure wanted to argue about that little matter. Ole Dave came to the rescue. "They took care of him for almost three weeks at their house," he said. "Plus, I'll be there. Please!" He was begging. If Clay and I ever got into trouble with my daddy, it was for begging. He hates for a kid to do that worse than anything, and I'm pretty sure he'd pop me for it even now. It worked that time, though, and they finally said yes. We were all excited about that. "Kyle," Chris said to me real low, "I've gotta pee." "Well, go pee," I said. "I don't have to." He laughed. "Don't tease me, Bubba," he said. "Come on. Let's go," I said. I found a restroom, and I wheeled him in. The only way for him to pee was to sit on the toilet. He needed help getting his pants down and getting on the toilet. I undid his belt and the button and zipper on his pants, and he surprised the shit out of me by pulling them down himself. When he was at our house, he was super stiff and couldn't bend much at all. He was bending pretty good now. "What the hell happened? You're not stiff anymore," I said. "It goes down if you don't play with it," he said, just as serious as you please. At first I didn't know what he was talking about, but then it dawned on me. "Not your dick, asshole. Your joints or muscles or whatever." That little sucker was laughing his behind off. "Okay, you got me last. So what happened?" "I started taking therapy all the time," he said. "The doctor here thinks I'll get a lot more flexible and stronger, if I keep up the therapy." His left arm and hand were always better than his right, and his left leg and foot weren't twisted like the right one, either. He couldn't do much with the left, but that's the hand he ate with. "Watch what I can do," he said. He had finished peeing, and he reached down between his legs and grabbed his dick. He started shaking it off. My eyes probably got like saucers when I saw that. "Do you want to see what else I can do with it," he asked, his voice full of devilment. I laughed. "No! I don't want to see you do that." I paused. "I'm glad you can do it, though." He grinned. "I think it's growing, too," he said. "I want a big one like you've got." He was teasing the hell out of me, and I was loving it. "You didn't used to be so bad," I said. "I was. You just forgot," he said. "Come to think of it, you were a hellion," I said. Mr. Uhle stuck his head in the restroom. "Is everything all right, guys," he asked. "Yes, sir, everything's fine," I said. "We'll be right there." "Okay. Just checking," he said and left. "Come on. Let's get out of here," I said. I did up his clothes, put him back in his chair, and we took off. "I really noticed a difference in his flexibility," I said to his parents and the others. "He's in therapy with some really excellent therapists, and his doctor has high hopes that he'll get much better than he is. He's even talking about maybe crutches before too long," Ralph said. "And maybe some surgery to straighten out that right foot so he can wear a brace." "Oh, man," we all more or less said. "He may even lose his status as the CP poster boy," Ralph said. "By the way, Kyle, those pictures were wonderful, and what you did with the money was even more wonderful. Thank you." "I'm going to get plenty more on this trip. We'll have like this before and after line up. Then he can be the poster boy for physical therapy," I said. "Does the therapy hurt, Chris," Tim asked. "Hell, yeah, it hurts," Chris said. "It wears me out, too, but it's worth it when I hear stuff like what Kyle said." "Chris!" his mom said, sounding sort of shocked. "If you're worried about the language, don't be," Kevin said. "I know. I don't know why I reacted that way. I hear it all the time from my three guys," she said, "and that was unusually mild, actually." We all laughed.
I was very nervous about meeting Chris's friends from Florida. He had said they were really nice and all, but they knew him. They didn't know me. I always felt awkward and shy around new people, especially new guys near my age, and I didn't know what to expect. About two minutes after they landed, though, I saw how much they loved my brother, and they were all just as nice to me as they could be. By the time Kevin asked about us staying at the hotel with them, I felt like they were my friends, too, and I really wanted to stay with them. Chris had told me that they were all gay, and I didn't know what to expect about that, either. I mean, I know not all gay guys are swishy and all, but that had me a little nervous, too. I had never talked to anybody about it, not even to Chris, but I thought there might be a chance I was gay. It took me a long time to put that idea together in my head, and I still wasn't ready to admit, even to myself, that I was. It worried me a lot, not knowing. Maybe I'd have a chance to talk to them about what it's like being gay. When Chris came to live with us, I went from being an only child all my life to having an older brother who had a disability. Chris had spent time with us during summers before his mom died, but we really didn't see that much of one another. I always loved him, though, and I always thought of him as a very good friend. A lot of people are afraid of him because they think if they do anything at all with him they'll hurt him. But he's as tough as I am, or tougher. I could see that those Florida boys weren't one bit afraid of him, and they were passing him back and forth in the airport like he was indestructible. I mean, it is possible to hurt him, of course, just like it's possible to hurt anybody, but he and I roughhouse a good bit, and he can give just as good as he can take. Chris needs help with bathroom stuff. I mean, he can't get on and off the pot by himself, and he can't really bathe himself very well yet, either. Since he started therapy, though, he's gotten more independent. He tries to pull himself onto the toilet, but somebody has to be there to make sure he doesn't fall off. He told me about something that happened in Florida when he started laughing so hard at something Justin said that he actually fell off. Evidently, he let loose a load of shit while Justin had him in his arms, and it got all over Justin. I asked him if Justin was mad at him, and he said he wasn't. He didn't used to be able to wipe himself, but he does that now, using paper in his left hand. I always check him, though, just to make sure he's clean, if I happen to be the one taking care of that. I don't know if my mom and dad check him, but I do. He's getting better, but it's slow. Taking a bath with Chris is pretty much fun. I know my dad bathes him without getting in with him, but I don't. What's the point of not getting in? We have an over-sized tub, and the two of us fit in it just right. I've learned from bathing him that there's nothing wrong with his "guy equipment," that's for sure. It's only about an inch-and-a-half long when it's soft, but hard that boy is as big as me. I don't have to actually wash him because he can pretty much do that on his own. I have to help him get in position so he can get all parts of himself, though. We have a little seat type of thing that we put across the tub for him to sit on. I have to help him get onto that, and then I have to help him get back in the water to rinse off. I guess some people might think the stuff I do for him is pretty gross, but it really isn't. When I had to wipe his butt, that wasn't too good, but his occupational therapist has taught him how to do that, or has given him enough coordination that he can do it. Right after my parents gave permission for us to stay at the hotel, Kyle called the place and asked for a roll-away bed for us to sleep on. They said they were pretty tired from their trip, so we went to the hotel kind of early. I figured we'd be up a long time talking, and that was okay with me. "Dave, the thing is, the five of us have been brothers for a while now, and you just became our brother tonight," Kyle said. "Are you cool with the idea of having us as your brothers?" "Yeah, I'm very cool with it," I said. "Sort of flattered, even." "Well, how can Chris be our brother without you being our brother, too," he asked. I couldn't dispute his logic, even if I had wanted to. "Here's the deal, Dave. No embarrassment among brothers, okay? I mean, we see each other naked all the time, just like brothers do, and nobody's shy about it. If we get hard, we get hard. Period. It's normal and natural, and we can't do anything about it, anyway. This little fucker right here is as horny as a two-peckered goat, so you've probably seen it already." He was referring to Chris, and I laughed a little. "See? I knew it. And he's deceptive as hell. He ain't a shower, but he's a major grower," Kyle said. It took me a second to process that, but I laughed when I figured out what he was talking about. "I'm sort of a grower myself, Kyle," I said. "Some were built to show; some were built to grow. Only the good Lord knows why that is. The only thing I ask is, just don't be embarrassed around us, okay?" I already liked him, but I started liking him even more when he said that. "Okay, let's put up ones," he said. I didn't know what he was talking about, but they all started taking out money. They started putting one dollar bills on the bed. "You got any money," Kyle asked Chris. Kyle was just as nice as he could be, but he talked kind of gruff sometimes. I knew it was part of how he teased people, but it kind of scared me a little bit when he did that. "I'm not giving you my money," Chris said. "Don't make me have to frisk your ass, Chris. I'll do a full body-cavity search in a heartbeat," Kyle said. "What do you need money for," Chris asked. "We're buying you a hooker," Kyle said. "Give him my wallet, Dave," Chris sort of shouted, and they laughed their asses off. "It's just ones, Chris, and it's for soft drinks and snacks from the vending machines," Brian said. "Shit! No hooker," Chris said. They all laughed again. Kyle and Justin looked at each other with knowing looks. "We ought to," Justin said. Kyle nodded and smiled. "I know," he said. "We've got enough ones here. Let's go get some snacks, Jus." The two of them left the room. "What's going on here," Chris asked. "You heard as much as we did," Tim said. "They went to get some cokes and snacks. I'm sure Kyle brought a bottle of liquor. He always does on trips, and he and Jus have a drink or two." "It's been a long time since I've had a drink," Chris said. "My first and last one was at Kevin and Rick's house." "You've had a whole drink," I asked Chris. "Yeah. So what? Haven't you?" "No. Not yet. But I think I'm going to," I said. They laughed, but I was serious. I wanted to try that. "They put the booze in coke, and it doesn't taste bad," Chris said. "Dave, I even smoked a cigarette. Or at least part of one. Justin and Kyle both smoke, and Justin let me smoke part of his, once." "Really!!???" He was blowing my mind. I thought of my brother as this weak little cripple or something, but that boy had done more stuff than I had. And, unless I had completely misread Kyle and Justin, he was going to get laid, too. If not that night, then real soon. I guess it was right that the older one got laid before the younger one, but I never even thought that would be a possibility for him. I wasn't jealous of that, exactly, but . . . yeah, hell, I was. I wanted to get laid, too, but they weren't going to fix me up. I was going to have to do it on my own. "Open up," Kyle said, pretty gruff. Tim opened the door, and they brought in two arm loads each of stuff for us. There must have been fifteen or twenty dollars worth of drinks and snacks. Kyle got the ice bucket and darted out again to fill it up. He was back in a minute. "Who wants a drink," Kyle asked. It turned out Tim and Brian just wanted cokes, but the rest of us wanted real drinks. Kyle came out from the bathroom in a minute with four red plastic cups with whiskey drinks in them. He handed them out, and he handed me a black Sharpie marker. "Write your name on your cup so you don't lose it," he said. "That's going to be yours the whole trip." I wrote my name on mine and passed it on. They all did the same. Tim and Brian were drinking their cokes right out of the can, so they didn't need the pen. Justin lit a cigarette and passed the pack to Kyle. He lit one, too. "Anybody else," Justin asked. "Yeah, let me have one," I said. I had watched Justin and Kyle real carefully to know how to do it. I put the cigarette in my lips and fired up the lighter. I did it awkwardly, though. "Have you ever smoked before, Dave," Justin asked. "No," I said, a little embarrassed at my innocence. "Just light it and suck in just a little smoke. After you do that, inhale through your mouth, and then blow out the smoke. Like this." He demonstrated. I did it like I thought he showed me, and I coughed big time. They laughed, but I didn't have the sense they were really laughing at me. "You took in too much. Just a little tiny bit until you get used to it," he said. I tried it again like he said, and I didn't cough that time. After a couple more hits, I got pretty lightheaded. "This is making my head spin," I said. "You're doing it too fast, man. Just take it slow," Kyle said. I was really glad I was sitting down because I got an erection. It was probably a combination of smoking and drinking and being with those boys that did it to me. Or maybe it was just one of those that just happened. I didn't know. They didn't pay any attention to me, though, and that was fine with me. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting comfortable," Justin said. He stripped down to pure skin, and the rest of them did the same thing. I didn't know where to look. I mean, I didn't want to stare, but, God, I wanted to see them so bad. "I want to get comfortable, too," Chris said. "Hold your horses. I'm getting to you," Kyle said. Again, he said that gruff, but he sure didn't mean it gruff. I didn't understand that. Tim and Brian talked really nice, but Justin and Kyle talked really harsh, especially to each other. They would say stuff, and then they would hug or punch each other or show some other sign of affection. I guess it was just their way. Chris talked to them that way, too, and I knew he loved those boys more than anything, and they obviously loved him. But they were also really polite, which didn't fit at all with the gruff way they talked to one another. I think that must have been some kind of culture thing, or something. Kyle went to work on Chris's clothes after he got undressed. All four of the Florida boys had little tattoos low on their stomachs, and Kyle and Tim had little gold hoops through their nipples. I wanted to get a closer look at all of that, but I was afraid to stare. "Look at this," Kyle said, lifting Chris's left leg really high. "Can you believe this shit? Do y'all remember how stiff he used to be?" My brother's dick and asshole were totally on display to the whole room, and nobody seemed to care, least of all him. "It's the physical therapy I'm taking," he said. "I take occupational therapy and speech therapy, too." "You're talking a lot clearer, too," Kyle said. "What's that all about?" "Speech therapy," he said, but he said it garbled on purpose. They caught on and laughed their asses off. "Do you like Trixie," Brian asked. "Yeah, Bri," Chris said. "She is so sweet. Can she do some tricks?" "He taught her a bunch of tricks, Chris," Justin said. I knew he was Brian's boyfriend, and it was pretty obvious in the way he said that. He didn't say that one bit gruff, either. "She knows a few," Brian said. "Do you even know you have a new brother," Kyle asked. "You mean Alex? Yeah, I know about him. Kyle, you're not the only one with an email address, you know?" "Your days are numbered, Bubba," Kyle said. "I'm getting your ass one of these days." "So where is Alex," Chris asked. "He's home working," Justin said. "Kyle made the arrangements for this trip before we met him, and he doesn't know you, anyhow. Plus, he couldn't afford it." "Couldn't afford it? Kevin and Rick didn't pay for this trip," Chris asked. "Nope. They paid for themselves, but we all paid our own way, Bubba," Justin said. Chris got big tears in his eyes. "You all paid your own way," he asked. "That's right, 'cause we all wanted to spend some time with you," Kyle said. "We all chipped in for Trixie. I was going to pay for her, but they all wanted to pay, too." He was bawling, but I knew he was happy about it. "Kyle, sing," Justin said. "Blame it all on my roots, "I showed up in boots, "And ruined your black-tie affair . . . Kyle had a great voice, and the rest of us joined in, following him. He even knew the famous "third verse," which Garth Brooks only does in live concerts. Kyle kept the singing pretty low because it was getting late and we had neighbors. That song was one of my all-time favorites, and it was the perfect way to end the night. I loved those Florida boys.
The flights out to Montana were good, but we did hit a little turbulence along the way. Kyle was sound asleep, of course, so he never even noticed. "I hope Trixie's all right," Brian said, after a pretty good little bump. "Yeah, me, too. Kyle said dogs fly all the time, though, so they must have her someplace safe," I said. When we picked up Trix after we got to Montana, she didn't look any the worse for wear, that's for sure. They had shipped her in a crate, and she sort of stumbled a little bit when we let her out of it. That only lasted a few seconds, though, and then she was fine. Seeing Chris in the airport was something I was going to remember for the rest of my life. The place wasn't even as big as the airport in Emerald Beach, so he and his family were right there at the gate waiting for us when the plane landed. Kyle grabbed him up out of his wheelchair and hugged the stuffing out of him. Then he started passing Chris around. We were so happy, and he was, too. Chris's brother David was a real nice kid. Good looking as hell, too. Dark hair, dark eyes, a little smaller than Brian, five six or seven, probably. Chris and Dave were going to stay at the hotel with us, and I was looking forward to that. When we were getting up money for cokes and snacks in the hotel room, Kyle made some smartass comment about collecting money for a hooker for Chris. Everybody laughed when Chris pretended to be real eager. Or maybe he wasn't pretending. Who knew? We figured he was straight, and we knew he was horny. Then I got to thinking. What were the chances of him ever getting laid on his own? Probably slim to none. He was a cute kid and all, and I loved him to death, but he had about as much sex appeal as a cold, wet sponge, or one of those crabs Kyle was always catching. Not only that, but when was he ever going to be in a hotel unsupervised by his parents? I mean he probably would be as a grown-up sometime, but a seventeen-year-old boy needed it bad, and he wasn't any different from anybody else when it came to sex. "You know what I'd really like to do," I asked Kyle when we went after the snacks. "What's that, sweetie," he said in the voice he thought sounded gay but that really just sounded stupid. "Cut it out, Kyle. I'm trying to be serious, okay?" "All right. Calm down. Sorry, dude." I laughed when he said that. I just couldn't stay mad at Kyle, no matter what. "What would you really like to do," Kyle asked. "I'd like to get a hooker for Chris," I said. "You're serious, aren't you," he said. "Hell, yeah, I'm serious. You know he's dying, man," I said. He put the stuff he had in his hands on the floor, and he put both of his hands on my shoulders. "Bubba, I want Chris to get laid, too, but . . . " "But what?" "Jus, every time I hear the word 'prostitute' or 'hooker' or anything like that, I see you in that motel room where we found you." "It's not the same thing, Kyle," I said. "How do you know, Bubba?" Kyle was being very kind and gentle, and it really touched me that he felt the way he did. "I guess you really don't know," I said. "I doubt anybody knew about me." "Let's don't do the hooker thing, okay," he said. "I was only teasing, anyway." "I know you were teasing, but it got me thinking," I said. "The fact of the matter is, I'll bet there are girls here who would do it as a mercy fuck," he said. "I just don't happen to know any of them." "I doubt he could even do it, anyway," I said. "Oh, sure he could. I mean, couldn't you figure out a way for him to fuck you?" "Yeah, but . . . " "No, it's the same thing. Her on top, him on bottom. He could do it," Kyle said. "Yeah, I guess. I hadn't really thought about the how-to of it," I said. "You know what? You and I are going to have to be some major flirts on this trip. With girls, I mean," he said. "What are you talking about," I asked. "Justin, you know as well as I do that you and I could get laid every day by a different girl. If we weren't queer, that is," he said. "Minor detail." Kyle laughed. "Seriously. You know what I'm saying." "Yeah, I do," I said. "So what do we do? Seduce 'em and then turn 'em loose on Chris?" "Basically, yeah," he said. "If they want it bad enough, he'll be good enough." "Kyle, you're about the most devious person I ever knew," I said. "I know," he said, grinning his ass off. God, that boy was cute enough. "So when do we start," I asked. "Tomorrow. We probably ought to say something to Tim and Brian, though. We don't want their feelings to get hurt," he said. "This is going to be a hell of a trip. It's the GCL trip." "GCL?" "Get Chris Laid," I said, and he and I laughed our asses off. There were a couple of young guys passing in the hall just then, and I was sure they heard what I said. They both laughed and said "good luck." "See, everybody wants it for him," Kyle said.
Kyle and Justin both woke up earlier than anybody else on our first full day in Montana. They wanted Brian and me to go down to breakfast before the others woke up, and Brian and I did what they asked. While we were eating, and afterward, too, they told us about their scheme to get Chris laid. I knew they were doing it out of love for Chris, and I knew it was just going to be an act. Still, I didn't know how I would feel seeing Kyle flirt with girls. I mean, I had seen him doing that before, and it hadn't really bothered me because I knew he wasn't going after sex, but still. "Tim, we're not going to do this unless you and Brian are 100% behind us, Babe," Kyle said. "Let's see how it goes today, and then let's evaluate it," I said. "Timmy, you know this isn't going to be about us, don't you?" "Of course I know that, Kyle. Do you think I'm stupid?" I said that a lot more harshly than I intended to. "That's it. We're not doing it," Kyle said. "Kyle, man," I said. "I didn't mean that to sound like it did." "But that's how you feel, isn't it," he asked. "Kyle, I don't know how I feel. I'm just afraid . . . " "Afraid what, Tim? That I don't love you? That you don't mean everything to me? That I wouldn't stop living if you weren't with me?" "I know all of that, Kyle. I know you love me. I'm feeling awful right now. I know you'd only be doing it for Chris, and I want him to be happy, too, but this isn't making me happy, Babe." "And that's enough of a reason for us not to do it," Kyle said. When I looked into his eyes, I saw the big tears ready to come out. I knew in the very marrow of my bones that Kyle Goodson was all mine forever, and I felt like a dumbass jerk for feeling the way I did. I couldn't help it, though. "I feel the same way Tim does," Brian said. "Well, I guess it's going to be ole Rosy Palm for Chris for a while yet," Justin said. We all laughed. After breakfast we went back to our room. Chris and Dave were still asleep, but we were all supposed to meet up in an hour. Kyle went over to the roll-away and kicked it. "Get your drunk asses out of bed, you sorry sons-a-bitches," he said. Chris woke up laughing, or he might really have already been awake. David looked like he was shocked, and he looked like he was scared to death of Kyle. Kyle noticed. "I'm sorry, Dave. I didn't mean to scare you, man. I'm harmless, believe me," Kyle said. "That's not what that boy said when you broke his arm," Chris said. "You really broke a guy's arm," Dave asked. "Yeah, but I should have drowned his ass. Nobody drops in on me surfing. Nobody!" Poor David didn't know what to think. He had a look on his face that was somewhere between awe and terror. "I'll protect you, little brother," Chris said. Kyle was standing on David's side of the bed, and he leaped on it, grabbing both of them up in a big hug. He and Chris were laughing hard, but poor Dave didn't know what was going on. Kyle put his mouth on Chris's stomach and gave him a raspberry. Then he did the same thing to David, and then Dave finally laughed. Dave and Chris both had erections, and Kyle had succeeded in pulling the sheets off them, exposing them to the world. We all understood, of course, but Dave was a little embarrassed by his. Kyle sniffed at Chris and said, "You need a bath in the worst way. You're nasty. And what's all this shit on your face? Did you even bring a razor?" "No, I didn't bring one. I'm growing a beard," Chris said. "Not today," Kyle said. "Trixie'll lick it off you. You can use my razor." "He and I can take a bath together," Dave said. "I can shave him." "Okay, Bubba. Do we need to wait up here, or can we meet you downstairs?" "You can meet us downstairs. I can take care of him. You're not really a monster, are you?" "Not at all, dude," Kyle said. Kyle leaned over and kissed Dave on his forehead. Dave smiled nicely, and I knew Kyle had won him over. |