It had been a difficult night for me. I continued to think of Helen, Phalen's mother, of my parents, and of my sexual past. If that wasn't enough I also worried about how much I was worrying. When I finally did fall asleep I was awakened by a nightmare. Helen was yelling at me and Larry was holding me down. It was a rough night, indeed. The bedclothes were a mess, the result of my tossing and turning. I was tangled in the sheets, which probably had resulted in my nightmare of being held down.

I struggled free of the twisted sheets and turned over, intending to snuggle up next to Phalen for some comfort, but realized that he wasn't in bed. He must have been gone for some time, because the sheets were cool to the touch.

I sat up, looked out the window and shook my head, still trying to shake off the effects of my nightmare. The sky was pink with the first hint of morning, the sound of distant birdsong hung in the still air. The clock read 5:30. . . . Something was definitely wrong. Where was he?

Phalen loathed mornings. He wouldn't be up this early without a good reason. Perhaps he was more troubled by his mother's behavior than I had thought.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, a little unsteadily, the result of a near-sleepless night and the after-effects of the vivid dreams. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes in an attempt to clear my head a little before going in search of Phalen.

The brick floor was cold under foot as I looked into the bathroom. It was empty. I hadn't expected to find him there, but it was the nearest room that I could check.

The rest of the house was as dark and empty as the bathroom. As I passed the front door, I noticed the house alarm had been turned off. The blinking light indicated one of the doors to the patio was open.

'Why would he be outside?' I wondered, heading toward the backyard. Passing the kitchen, I smelled coffee and was reassured. Now that I knew he was well enough to have a cup of coffee, I wondered why he was up so early. Even though we were still on vacation, I had never known Phalen to get up before 7:30 at the earliest. If given the opportunity, he would probably play all night and sleep all day.

I approached the open door and looked outside. Phalen was sitting on one of the chairs, his feet up on the seat of another. His hand rested on the table, holding the coffee mug. He appeared to be awake, but was staring, unmoving, into space, oblivious to his surroundings.

I left the house, making a small amount of noise to alert him to my presence. He didn't turn his head or make any move to let me know he knew I was there. 'Stranger and stranger,' I thought. I had become accustomed to the smiling, joking side of Phalen. This behavior was totally unexpected. He almost seemed to be in a trance.

I moved a chair and sat, facing him, hoping to receive some form of recognition. Still no reaction. His eyes were open, but his face lacked any expression.

"Phalen," I said quietly, wanting to reach out to him, but worried what reaction an unexpected touch might illicit. "Are you okay?"

He turned to face me, apparently seeing me for the first time and shook his head, looking utterly miserable. He had been crying. The tears were still wet on his cheeks and on his chest.

I took one of his hands and moved my chair closer, "Hey, lover, what's wrong? Tell me what's going on."

He took a shuddering breath and tried to begin, then held out his arms to me, drawing me close, and buried his face in my shoulder. "Mom's gone," he said, beginning to sob.

"Gone?"

He sniffed and nodded. "I . . . I called Dad last night after you were asleep. I asked him what was going on between him and Mom. I had to know, Jeff. I wasn't going to be able to sleep until I found out. At first he pretended that he didn't know what I was talking about, but after a few moments he gave up and told me Mom had decided, on the spur of the moment, to visit her mother. According to Dad, she wanted to get away by herself for a few days.

"He didn't seem right, Jeff. Something's going on. After I spoke with Dad, I called Grandmother so I could ask Mom what was happening. Grandmother said Mom wasn't there. She wasn't aware Mom was planning on driving up to see her. Now, she's worried, too.

"After I spoke with Grandmother, I knew that I couldn't go to sleep, and would only bother you if I came back to bed, so I came out here to think."

"Phalen, you've been out here since then?"

He nodded, sniffed, and rubbed his eyes, suddenly aware of the pink sky. "It's almost morning?" He turned to me. "I didn't intend to sit out here all night." He turned away, chewing on his lower lip.

"Why didn't you let me know you were worried? I would have stayed with you. Maybe we could have figured something out." I brushed a finger over one his tear-stained cheeks. "Lover, things are rarely as awful as they seem. You probably imagined all sorts of things, sitting out here in the dark all by yourself."

"I didn't want you to see me cry, Jeff." He took another halting breath and wiped his eyes. "I'm feeling one of those insecurity things we talked about yesterday. I didn't want you to know. I feel like a kid. I'm acting like a big baby. I'm grown-up. I shouldn't be acting like this!" He sniffed again.

"Phalen, I don't care if you're crying. If you feel bad you've got to let me know. I don't know what I can do, other than give you my support and hold you, but you can't face things alone. We can try and figure out what to do together." I paused a moment, struck by my own words, wondering why I couldn't follow my own advice. I continued, trying to let my thoughts not color my voice, "Besides, I enjoy holding you, and I know I always think things seem better when you're holding me."

"Look who's giving me advice to not face things alone," he said, trying to smile. I had only known him a couple days, and was still surprised at how perceptive he could be. "You should take your own advice, Jeff. You don't sit outside in the dark, but you don't let me in either.

"You don't think I'm acting like a little kid? . . . I . . . I don't want . . . want you to think I'm just a kid. Guys aren't supposed to cry like this, are they?" he asked, his voice rising.

"You're not acting like a kid, Phalen. You're worried about your mother. There's nothing wrong with you."

"Even you, Jeff, with the way you feel about your mother? Would you cry if you thought something happened to her?"

I thought a moment, then had to admit, "Yeah, probably even me. Phalen, my mother and I have never been close. I hope one day that may change, but sure, I would worry if I thought something had happened to her.

"Phalen, your mother will be back. There's a logical explanation for her not being at your grandmother's. I'm sure of it."

"He lied to me, Jeff! Dad lied to me! I'm angry with him. He's never told me a lie." Phalen's mood suddenly changed, anger flashing in his dark blue eyes. "I knew something was wrong the other day, when we were talking to them out on the driveway. I knew something was going on. They were on their best behavior because you were there, but Mom was angry about something. I'm pretty good at reading people, especially Dad and Mom." He paused, a thought suddenly striking him. "I wonder if I've done something wrong. You think?" There was another sudden change in mood, his mother, now the focus of his anger.

"She gets like this sometimes for no reason. She stomps around making Dad and me miserable. Then Dad apologizes and things are better for a while. Dad's always buying flowers or something. I don't think she appreciates what he does for her though. You know, Jeff, if she were a guy she'd be just like Jake! Isn't that an awful thing to say about your own mother?

"She can be awful sometimes. No one likes being around her when she's mad. But Jeff, she's my mom. Even so, sometimes I don't like the way she behaves. I told her once, how I felt, and she said there were times she didn't like the way I behaved either, so we were even! I apologized for what I said, but it didn't help. She ignored me for a few days till she found another focus for her anger. She's always been like that. If she were someone I'd just met, I wouldn't like her, but she's my mom, Jeff. She and Dad and you are all I've got!" he said, in a plaintive voice.

"Phalen." I held both of his hands. "If I treated you like she does would you let me? Just 'cause she's your mother doesn't mean she has a right to treat you and your father like you describe."

Phalen bowed his head. "You're right, I know. I don't know why Dad puts up with her behavior. She just pushes him around, and he lets her! I've always hated how she treats him, and she's done it for as long as I can remember." He shook his head. "I think, if I was Dad, I'd have had a talk with her and told her she needed to shape up or ship out." The corners of Phalen's mouth twitched upward, imagining his father confronting his mother, and her reaction.

He stared past my shoulder for a few moments, lost in thought. "She can't be mad at me. I haven't been around her to do anything wrong. She and Dad must be having a disagreement. Dad never argues though, only Mom. She can have an argument even when no one else is in the room. I hate that about her. I don't want her to be mad at me, Jeff. I hate it when someone's angry with me. I . . . I guess I must be like Dad. I'll do whatever I can to smooth things out.

"She's never left before," he said, looking at me. His lips were quivering in an attempt to not start crying again. "She's not an easy woman to be around Jeff, but she's my mother. I can't help feeling this way."

"Phalen . . . "

"Dad lied!" Phalen shouted in another abrupt change of mood. "He goddamn fucking lied to me!"

"Phalen . . . please."

"Please what?" Phalen backed away, the anger in his eyes turned on me. I hated to think what it would feel like to face this man's wrath. "What's going on that he had to lie to me?" He took me in his arms again, and wept, his mood swinging from anger to the fear of a child, separated from his mother. Phalen's view of his father as the perfect man had just been shattered.

The realization that my father was only human had come to me when I was still a child. I remember crying too when I realized that he could not, or would not, protect me. By now, I was accustomed to thinking of my father as a human being. This was a new experience for Phalen. Until now, Larry had been perfect. Now he was merely human. Phalen needed time to come to grips with the new perceptions.

"Phalen," I said, rubbing his back, "listen to me for a moment. You don't know that your father lied. Your mother may have told him she was going to her mother's and she changed her mind. Rather than sit out here, why don't you call your mother on her cell and ask her what's going on? Also, give your father a chance. Don't condemn him without speaking with him first. He deserves that."

There was a long pause. Finally, he sniffed, removing his head from my shoulder and rubbing at his eyes, once again a small boy in a man's body. It was all I could do not to smile at the image. "I guess you're right," he said, trying to stop crying and succeeding only in starting to hiccough. "I'm just mixed up, Jeff. I don't like feeling this way. I didn't even think . . . think of calling her cell number, I'm probably . . . probably being stupid."

"Don't say that. You may be right about your father, but you need some more information before you make any judgments. Ask him about those things you think are going on. You know that he's a good guy. He'll tell it like it is."

"You think?" he said, in a small voice.

"Sometimes, yes I do," I joked.

"Listen to him," Phalen said, looking up to the sky. "I'm falling apart and he's joking."

"That sounds more like my boyfriend."

"Am I . . . am I your . . . boyfriend?" he hiccoughed.

"Of course you are, sexy man. I don't get up at the crack of dawn and let just anybody cry all over me. I only do that for my favorite man."

"Oh Jeff," he said, holding me tight. "I told you I cried easily. I just never . . . never figured I'd give you a demonstration so soon. Thank you for talking some sense into me. I think you're the best."

"C'mon, let's go inside and take a shower and get you a hot cup of coffee. When you're feeling better you can make a couple phone calls, okay?"

"You just want to see me naked," he playfully groused, rubbing his eyes again and sniffing.

"I always want to see you naked, hot man. But I don't have to coax you into a shower to do that. I'm looking at your naked body right now."

He looked down at himself, acting surprised at what he saw. "Oh, I guess you're right. . . . I forgot. Well, I think you're sexy too."

"Who said anything about sexy?"

He slapped me on the back. "Oh Jeff, you're getting me confused."

"Good, it makes me feel better. I'm the one who's normally confused."

He quirked his eyebrows. "I guess I do need some more coffee. I don't understand what you're talking about."

"First, you need to stand up," I said, standing, then offering him a hand and pulling him to his feet. "Then you need a good-morning kiss. I've gone an awful long time without kissing those gorgeous lips. You know, now that I see you close up, you are kinda sexy," I teased. "Someone told me you were a good kisser. I want to find out for myself," I teased, holding him close and kissing him gently.

When we broke our kiss, I shook my head.

"What's wrong?"

"I think I'm going to have to try that kissing thing some more. I couldn't really tell how good you are after just one try. Maybe you aren't in your best form right now . . . you think?"

"Jeff, you're crazy, you know that?"

"And you're pretty wonderful too," I said, holding his hand as we walked inside.

"You know?" he asked, looking over his shoulder as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "We're always telling each other how great we are. You'd think neither of us believed it of ourselves."

"It doesn't matter whether we believe it or not, Phalen. It's always nice to hear someone say you're special, don't you think? The moment I saw you, I thought 'special.' Well actually, first I thought 'handsome', 'great-smile', 'beautiful eyes', and 'round butt, yum.' Then I thought 'special.' It must be tough for you to have to live with being all those things and be special too. We all have our burdens to bear, I guess. Yours is pretty onerous, I admit."

"Onerous? Are you trying to impress me with big words?" he asked, making a face at the first taste of coffee. "I think I'd better leave the coffee-making to you. This stuff could be categorized as hazardous waste." He shook his head and poured the dark liquid down the drain.

"Hey, I just learned that word yesterday. I was dying to use it on you. You know something?"

"No, what?"

"You're smiling again, and I didn't even have to tickle you."

"I'm just smiling at how hard you're working at trying to make me laugh." He backed away. "And you had better not tickle me. I thought you learned your lesson the last time you tickled me."

"Oh yeah. That was a brand new rug too!" I teased, moving quickly to avoid a swat, as we headed toward the bathroom.

"Now, since you're already naked, get in the shower." I opened the shower door and turned on the water full-force.

"Aren't you coming in too?"

"Sure I am. Tell me when the water's warm. Now, let's get this show on the road," I said, giving his butt a smack.

"Wait till your asked!" Phalen giggled as he moved quickly to avoid another swat. "Remember what happened the last time you spanked me?"

"No, but maybe you could show me sometime."

"Oh yeah, I remember now. I was only dreaming that you spanked me! I can be a pretty bad boy, you know," he called, from behind the glass shower door. He was standing with his back to the shower spray, letting the water course over his tilted head.

"I know, but I think we can wait until a little later to relieve your sexual urges. We've got other things to deal with this morning." He shook his head, and turned so that his butt faced me, and pressed it against the glass enclosure as he giggled.

"You want to be spanked?" I called. "You're even more kinky than I thought." I found I liked the idea of giving Phalen's bare butt a swat or two. 'That butt is pure muscle,' I thought.

"You always want me to wait!" Phalen called. "Am I going to have to wait till I'm nineteen before I can get relief? And I am not kinky. I just want to try everything before I settle on what I really like. You just want me to wait for everything."

I shuddered, instantly losing my erection at what I took to be his reference to having to wait for anal sex. That may not have been what he was thinking, but my reaction was instantaneous, nevertheless. "Phalen, you're almost nineteen now."

"That means I have to wait, huh? You know something?" he said, shouting over the sound of the water-spray.

"No, what?"

"One day soon, when we've got this thing with Mom straightened out, I would like for us to go someplace and spend a couple days doing nothing but making love. . . . I don't mean having sex. I mean making love. I want to feel your hands on me with no fears of being interrupted by the phone or Dad or anyone else. Just us. I want to kiss you, and hold you. I want to show you how much I care for you. Too many things are hanging over our heads right now for us to be able to get away, though. Let's see if we can get all of those things cleared up and out in the open soon, so we can go someplace where no one knows us and make love like we both want."

"Ummm. That sounds nice," I shouted back, finishing my shave. "I'd like to go right now."

"First though, I have to handle my problem with Dad and Mom. And, I need to finish my shower."

I laughed. "You haven't even started. You've been too busy talking."

"Then I'll let you finish," I shouted. "I need to do something before I get in. Why don't you just enjoy the water and wait for me. I'll be back in a couple minutes? I'm going out to pick up a paper."

He nodded and continued to let the hot water relax him.

I threw on a pair of shorts, and ran over to Larry's barefooted. I rang the bell a couple times before he answered, bleary-eyed, looking just like Phalen in the morning. I didn't have time to tease him about the resemblance, though.

"Jeff! Is everything okay?"

"No, Larry, it's not. I need to come in," I said, walking past him into the house. "Phalen's in the shower, so I have to be quick."

"What's going on?"

"Larry, Phalen thinks you lied to him about Helen going to her mother's."

Larry's expression turned grim before he nodded for me to continue.

"He's mad as hell, Larry, but mostly he's hurt, thinking that you lied to him. He called his grandmother late last night and she didn't know where Helen was. Phalen's been on the patio crying all night. I just discovered him a short while ago and convinced him to shower and shave before calling anyone. I don't know if you misled Phalen or not, but I wanted you to know he's hurting right now and may lash out at you. I better go. I'm going to take your paper," I told him, running out onto his lawn. "That's why I was supposed to be going out."

"Jeff, thanks for the heads-up," he called, as I snatched the paper up from the dew-wet lawn.

"Don't hurt him, Larry. Neither he nor I would like that," I called, as I trotted back to the house.

Phalen was just stepping out of the shower when I came back inside.

"Well, there's no use reading this morning's newspaper," I said, as Phalen dried himself. "I swear! I bet if we read a newspaper from fifty years ago the news would be the same! Only the names have changed."

I folded the newspaper, setting it down and looked up. "I'm glad you're finally out," I teased. "If you had stayed in there any longer you'd have shriveled up." I made a point of looking at his penis. "On second thought, if that's shriveled, I'd hate to think what it was like before you got into the shower!"

"Thanks, Jeff," he said, beginning to lather his face.

"For what?"

"For trying to cheer me up. You're the best."

"No, Phalen, you are. I hate to see you so sad. We'll get this all sorted out, you'll see. . . . Want some breakfast?"

He nodded and began shaving, neither of us commenting on me not taking a shower, as expected.

I was preparing something to eat when Phalen wandered out to the kitchen and sat down. He was idly spinning a knife in a circle on the table when his cell rang. He jumped up and grabbed the cell from the counter in one motion.

"It's Mom!" he said, as he opened the phone.

"Mom, are you okay? . . . I called Grandmother and she said she didn't know where you were. Dad said you'd gone for a visit, but it's tax time. Mom, I was worried," he said, as he began crying. "Are you coming back? Did you leave, 'cause of me? Did I do something wrong?"

I stood behind him and held him loosely, giving him my support no matter what she said.

I listened to the one-sided conversation and tried to guess if Larry had prompted Helen's call. I had only met Phalen's mother once, and already I didn't like her. I hoped she was telling her son what he needed to hear, though, after hearing Phalen's description of her behavior while he was growing up, I found it difficult to believe she would. I knew I wasn't being fair to her, but I didn't care. At the moment all I wanted was for Phalen to feel better. I didn't care how it happened; I just didn't want him to be so upset.

"Okay, Mom, I will. You do the same, okay? . . . I love you Mom," he said, closing the phone. We stood there for a few moments longer.

"I feel like shit," he grumbled, sitting down at the table and putting his head down.

"Phalen, what did she say? Tell me. . . . Are you feeling better?"

"I don't know what I feel! I talked to her, but she didn't tell me anything. All I know is that she's alive. That's it! I talked to her for five friggin' minutes and didn't learn a damn thing!"

He stood up and began pacing back and forth in the dining room. "What is she thinking?" He turned to face me, his hands held out to his sides. "I'm sitting here worried out of my mind, and she tells me everything is okay. . . . Well, I've got news for her! Everything is not fucking okay. I am mad," he shouted, waving his arms. "I'm mad at Mom! I'm mad at Dad! I'm so mad I could . . . I could . . . I could, spit."

"Phalen . . ."

"Jeff, you be quiet. Let me scream for a few minutes, okay? What does she think she's doing running off like that and not letting me know what's going on?"

Suddenly he stopped shouting, sat down and looked at me with a stricken expression before he began to laugh.

I watched the play of emotions he was experiencing. I was totally confused, so I said nothing.

"Do you know what's so funny?" he asked, continuing to laugh.

I shook my head, completely confused.

"I sound like her. . . . Oh, I guess that's not funny, is it?"

"You mean she does this kind of thing often? . . . Waving of the arms and everything?"

"Well, sometimes, but I mean I'm behaving like she's not old enough to go off on her own without telling me where she's going, and why. Jeff, I thought she wasn't coming back, that she was leaving me. It was like I had done something wrong and she didn't love me any more."

"Phalen, I still don't know if we've had good news or bad news. You're on some kind of emotional roller coaster and I can't keep up. Tell me what's going on."

"That's it!" he groused, springing to his feet and beginning to pace. "I don't know. . . . She says she left for Grandmother's but hasn't gotten there yet. . . . She says she loves me, to be a good boy, listen to Dad, wash behind my ears, eat a good breakfast, sit up straight and don't run with scissors."

"Phalen, she didn't say those things!"

"Not the scissors part. I made that one up, but you get the idea. She's treating me like a child that's too young to understand what's on her mind."

"Do you know when she'll be coming home?"

"No."

"Why she left so suddenly?"

"Nope. I don't know a fucking thing! Damn, I'm mad again."

"Why, Phalen? You got what you wanted. Why be mad? You know your Dad didn't lie to you. That's important. He did not lie to you. You learned your mother is okay and is headed to your grandmother's house, and you heard her say she loves you. I think you've done pretty damn well, and it's not even seven o'clock in the morning. Normally you haven't staggered into the bathroom to pee yet. So don't bitch. Things are going well!" . . . I didn't know what else to say, but I needed an ending. I thought quickly. "So there!"

"So there?" he laughed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you can't figure it out, I'm not telling," I said, walking past him to continue my breakfast preparations. "Just don't be mad. You've no right."

"Okay, Big Man," he said, standing up, walking over to me, and giving me a hug. "Thank you for helping me today and for running over to Dad's to let him know I was angry. That was sweet . . . I guess."

"How'd you know?"

"You brought home his evening paper, and you were reading it upside down, giving me all that stuff about the news being the same today as fifty years ago. I bet you made that up on the spot, huh?"

"Upside down?"

He nodded, his lips twitching in suppressed humor. "What did you tell him?"

"That he better not hurt you, or he'd have hell to pay."

"That definitely is sweet, Jeff. Thank you for caring so much."

"Phalen, I do."

"And I love you too, Big Man. . . . Do we have anything planned for today? If not, could we hang out here? I'd like to cuddle after I eat breakfast. Now that we've solved your problems, I can finally eat something. I'm still a growing boy, you know."

"My problems!" I shouted, giving his bare butt a swat as he got up to get himself a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

"Hey watch it!" He jumped as I flicked a dish towel at his bare butt. "You're dealing with a fragile personality here. These insecurity things sneak up on a guy, and wham, you start imagining things are worse than they really are, and besides, I think I might enjoy getting spanked sometime. So unless you're prepared to finish what you start, don't swat at me."

"Tell me. Are you okay with your mother now?"

He lowered his cup and swallowed. "No, not really. Something's going on with her and Dad, and that's bound to affect me. They have their lives to live, but I don't want to think that they won't always be there for me if I need them. . . . Selfish, huh?"

"Phalen, you don't know what's going on yet. You said so yourself. So don't jump to conclusions, okay? Maybe you should talk to your father about it. What do you say?

"In fact, maybe today would be a good day to move your stuff. School's going to start soon and we can get you set up in the spare room. When you're done eating, why don't you give your father a call and work things out? I'm going to swim. I need to do it before it gets too hot."

I left Phalen sitting at the dining table finishing his breakfast, and began working out. I looked up once and he was talking on the phone, pacing and waving an arm while he talked. I loved the way he was so animated. He couldn't speak without describing things with his hands, or making expansive gestures with his arms. He made love the same way, with his entire body.

I hoped he was speaking with his father. I couldn't believe that Larry would do anything to hurt his son, but I could believe he was experiencing some confused feelings. The way he looked at Phalen yesterday and the way he played with himself when he thought no one was watching had to mean something was going on. 'Maybe that was the root of the problem with Helen,' I thought.

Phalen was sitting in the shade when I finished my workout. He threw me a towel as soon as I got out of the pool.

"I've been busy," he said.

"Oh?"

"I talked to Dad. Things are okay between us, but we both agree that we need to talk. I'm not really sure what we're going to talk about, though. I told him I want you with me when we do. He's cool with that. I also told him that you've asked me to move in with you and that I've accepted. He seemed pleased and asked if I needed help moving my junk.

"Jeff, I've never had a strained conversation with Dad before today. I don't like the feeling. Dad and I have always been best friends. He's not acting like the same man I know. Maybe it's not only me that's hurting, you think? Dad has not been really happy for a long time. The first time I saw him laugh in years, was last night when we were telling jokes. He seemed surprised at how much fun he was having. I want him to be happy. I wonder what it'll take."

"It's best not to speculate. Let's wait until he tells us, otherwise we're wasting our time. Maybe he doesn't even know what it'll take to make him happy. Anything else happen while I was swimming?"

"Yes, Kerin called to say hi. Both he and Thian are okay. He's looking forward to getting my birds and bees jokes. He wanted to know if I'd like to work out with him at the varsity weight room on campus, since I'm gonna be on the baseball team n' all. He said he'd show me around. I told him I'd get back to him. . . . Would you mind?"

"Not at all. I think it's great that he asked you. I'm no good with weights, and I wouldn't be allowed into the varsity weight room anyway. Only big-time jocks like you guys are allowed. Don't get any more beefy though. I like you just the way you are, Mr. Stud."

"Now, you're either going to have to cover yourself up or let me suck you off," he said. "The Big Man doesn't stand around naked without getting me excited."

I just wagged my dick at him. "I can't, lover, I'm rubbed raw!"

"You said I was getting better! If I was biting you, you should have told me! Here, lemme see how raw you are," he said, as he lunged at me, knocking me over backwards onto the chaise. He spread my legs and I watched him prepare to examine me with a mock-serious expression on his face.

"Yep, not good . . . for sure," he said, shaking his head. "I prescribe no sex for at least a week. Looks like you've been using it way too much. We don't want it to fall off or anything, now do we?" He rested his chin on his hand and sagely shook his head. "First though, we gotta drain it. It can't be good for it to be all swollen like this." With that, he began running his fingers lightly underneath, making me shudder.

He got onto his knees between my spread legs and began licking the inside of one thigh, then the other, finally lapping at my testicles. He took each one into his mouth, massaging it with his tongue, then licked up the length of my penis, causing me to shudder. When he finally began sucking on me, I could tell he was being extra careful not to touch me with his teeth. Both of us had much to learn about all aspects of gay sex. I was glad that we both lacked experience so we could learn together.

The first time he ran his fingers over my hole, I tensed slightly but was able to control my response. After all, he had touched me there before. I didn't have anything to fear from him. Besides, I found I was looking forward to him touching my hole. I knew that Phalen's asshole ranked right behind his nipples in sensitivity. My nipples were about as sensitive as my elbows, but each time he brushed against my pucker I would writhe and moan with pleasure.

By then I was gripping the sides of the lounge and Phalen was beginning to concentrate his attention on the head of my dick. When he did that I knew that he didn't want to swallow but wanted to play with the cum.

His tongue continued to rub the underside of my penis while holding it unmoving in his mouth. At the same time he ran a finger over my perineum, then around and over my hole, causing me to arch my back and groan with pleasure.

The sounds of his moans urged me on. I was whimpering with the sensations of my approaching orgasm. Finally, I couldn't take any more stimulation. I grabbed onto the arms of the chair, arched my back, gave one final groan of pleasure, and began unloading into Phalen's mouth.

I looked down at him as he finally released my penis, and almost laughed. He was making a valiant effort to keep his lips tightly sealed, but jiz was leaking out of both sides of his mouth and was running down his chin. It dribbled onto my stomach and chest as he crawled over me to share my load. When he reached my mouth, he lowered his body onto mine.

I knew what he wanted me to do, so I opened my mouth wide, allowing him to slowly drool my cum from his mouth into mine. He then brought his lips to mine and we kissed, trading my cum back and forth. The sloppy kisses which I loved, left his face, as well as mine, smeared with a sticky coating. Finally, he pulled away, a white strand still connecting us, and smiled. He used his finger to gather up the juice and brought it to his mouth, licking his finger clean.

"Okay, now swallow!" he ordered. "I want to watch you swallow your own juice."

I followed his orders, smiling at his wide-eyed expression as I swallowed what little was left after our extended exchange of bodily fluids. "Next time I want to shoot onto your chest hair," he grinned, running a finger through my clipped hair. "I want to smear it around, then give your chest a tongue-bath," he added, quietly as he lay on top of me for another sloppy kiss. "Cum is so much fun to play with, huh?"

As we were making out, I reached back and began to play with him, wanting to prolong the morning's love making.

"Can't, Jeff," he said as he moved my hand away from his penis. "Dad'll be here any minute. He's gonna help us move my stuff, remember?"

"But Phalen, we're naked!" I exclaimed, scrambling to my feet, and wiping the drying sperm from my face. I threw him the towel to do the same with his. "We can't let your father think we don't do anything but have sex! We haven't even begun to tackle all my junk that needs to be unpacked!"

"So, who cares if you're naked . . . you're a nudist, remember? And besides, Dad's seen everything you've got. Well, almost everything," he amended. "Same is true for me. He's seen it all. We can't surprise him."

"Wanna bet? I imagine seeing us swapping my jiz as we kissed might be too much, even for him!" I threw back, heading inside to get some clothes, careful not to slip on the polished brick floor.

"Why? I thought getting all sticky was hot," he said, as he walked into the house, following me. "Like, way cool. I'd like to do that with Dad watching. Wouldn't that be hot?"

"You're a pervert," I laughed. "Next, you're going to tell me you want to have sex with your father."

"What would be wrong with that?"

I turned to him, one leg in my jock. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"I guess," he answered, casually pulling on a pair of tissue-thin running shorts. "I mean, we're both adults and no one would be forcing anyone to do anything, so why not? He's a sexy man, Jeff, in case you've been keeping your eyes closed. . . . I wonder why he's so much taller than me?"

"And bigger too," I teased.

"How would you know?" he asked, tugging a bright yellow t-shirt over his head before running his fingers through his hair, coaxing it back into place. "You've been looking, haven't you? . . . Well tell me. Wouldn't it be hot?"

"Hot, what?"

"You know, to do it in front of him . . . or maybe with him. I can get hard just imagining it."

"Phalen, you can get hard when someone says good morning. That's because you're a pervert. You want to have sex in front of everyone. First it was Thian and Kerin, now it's your dad. What's next, a sex ed class?

"Now class," I said, imitating a schoolteacher, "Mr. Weston wants to demonstrate the finer points of gay sex for you. He needs a volunteer. Anybody up for it?"

"No, crazy. I don't want to do anything unless you're there."

"So I can watch you?"

"No, Jeff, so we can demonstrate. I don't want to have sex in front of a bunch of giggling girls, though."

"And you think your dad or Kerin and Thian wouldn't giggle?"

"What at? And don't tell me my size. First you tell me I'm too big to handle. Now you're suggesting I'm too small. Make up your mind! Besides, Dad wouldn't giggle. Now, before you have another smart remark to make, I'm going outside."

"Bye, stud," I called after him. He waved, but didn't turn around. As he walked out to the patio and flopped onto the same chaise we'd so recently used for our lovemaking, the doorbell rang.

"Hey, Larry," I said, answering the door. "How's it going?"

"Fine, how about here? Phalen doing okay?" He asked, in a low voice.

"Doing better, but he still thinks something's going on. He's out in the back. Do you think you can find your way?" I teased, gesturing toward the living room still full of boxes and furniture.

"Why don't you guide me? You guys aren't making much progress in here, are you?"

"No, we haven't worked on anything today. We've been dealing with Phalen's concerns. Should I bring the tissues?"

"No, I don't think so. Phalen will be fine," Larry said, looking around. "You're positive he's outside?"

I nodded, wondering at Larry's flick of a glance around the living room.

"Jeff, Phalen has a fear of being abandoned. It has a legitimate cause," he said in a low voice.

I didn't say anything. I figured if Larry needed to talk I'd let him.

"When Phalen was three, his mother and I separated. Phalen was left with my parents, by court order. After a couple months, Helen and I decided to try and work out our differences and stay together because of him. We've worked on doing that for the past fifteen years. Lately, it's been getting tougher to do . . . for both of us.

"Jeff, living with Helen has not been easy for either Phalen or myself. She can be a difficult woman for me to be around. We're so different. That's why we originally split up, and it's the cause of the problems we're facing now. She wasn't like this when we were first married. At least I don't remember her behaving like she does now. After Phalen was born, things began to go downhill. She said, one time, that she didn't want to share me with anyone. I don't know if that's why she acts like she does, or if she just enjoys being angry. I'm getting too tired to worry about it anymore.

"At the time we separated, we thought Phalen was too young to remember having to stay with his grandmother. Soon after getting back together though, both Helen and I realized we were wrong in our assumptions. He not only remembered us not being there, he was terrified of it happening again. Since then, he has always hated being alone.

"It may surprise you, Jeff, but Phalen doesn't give his affections easily. I can see that you don't believe me, but it's true. He's afraid that if he starts to feel something for someone, he might be hurt. That's one of the reasons I was so surprised when I found that the two of you had had sex just a couple hours after you met. I wasn't shocked because Phalen was gay, but because he had reached out to someone so quickly. . . . Well, I must admit the gay part was a bit of a surprise too," he added, grinning.

"I don't want to hurt Phalen, but he needs to face the fact that his mother and I no longer must stay together." He looked up and apparently noticed Phalen coming inside because his voice changed.

"Are you sure you're going to have room for all of his things?"

"Hi, Dad," Phalen said, coming up to him and giving him a hug. "I apologize for this morning."

Larry looked puzzled by Phalen's apology.

"I didn't realize I took your evening paper," I said, explaining. "Mr. Observant figured out that I must have been to see you while he was still in the shower."

"Oh. That still doesn't explain why you're apologizing."

"I was mad, Dad. I was angry because I thought you had lied to me about Mom going to Grandmother's. I couldn't believe you would do that to me. You've never lied to me before."

Larry placed his hands on his son's shoulders. "Phalen, . . . look at me, son. I will never tell you a lie. That may mean that sometimes you may have to hear things you don't like, but you can handle anything, I'm sure of it. If you have a question to ask me, just ask. I'll tell you the truth. If you're not sure you can handle the answer, it may be better to not ask. Agreed?"

Phalen nodded.

"Now, do you have anything to ask me?" Larry said.

Phalen thought a moment, then shook his head. "Not yet, I guess. But, thanks for letting me know that I can."

"Okay, now cheer up. Today's moving day!"

"This whole week has been moving day," he smiled. "We move things from that side of the room to this side, then we move them back. Then Jeff can't seem to keep his hands off of me." He pretended to fend off a blow.

"I bet you love it," Larry teased.

"I'm learning to. I never knew there were so many ways to have sex!"

"Phalen, I don't need the whole story," Larry said.

"Why not? It's a lot more interesting than that birds and bees story you told me when I was seven. . . . Yuck!" he shuddered comically.

"Actually, it can be kind of fun," his father teased.

"No thanks. Jeff is way more fun. I'll take him any day."

I was thankful father and son were once again joking. Considering how the day had started, their laughter was a good sign.

"Well, I hate to break up this Sex Ed talk," I said, "but we've got moving to do. The sooner we get started, the sooner it'll end."

We spent a good portion of the day moving Phalen's things from his old house and setting up an office for him in the spare bedroom.

As we were working, my computer-geek friend, Steve, showed up, pleased to see we had managed to clear out my office and that the room now contained only the furniture it was supposed have in it. He hauled in all of my computer equipment and began hooking things up. All I could think was, 'more boxes!' I hoped Steve was going to take them with him when he left. We already had a stack of cardboard, shoulder-high in the garage, waiting for the recycling people to pick up.

I watched as Steve began connecting each piece of equipment. It was going to be nice to be working on something larger than my laptop. I was going to feel like I was in computer Nirvana, working in this new room.

When Steve saw us moving furniture into the spare room, setting up an office for Phalen, he just smiled and gave him a thumbs-up sign, causing Phalen to laugh. "Told you it wouldn't be long before Jeff had to find room for you, didn't I? I'm really happy for you guys. You're good together. I knew you would be moving in the second I met you, Phalen. You guys are meant for each other.

"Oh, oh, I have to tell the wife!" he grinned, as he fished in his equipment bag for his cell. "She thought it would take a couple more weeks! We had a bet."

"Are we the subject of discussion at family dinners?" I laughed, watching him continue to search for his phone.

"Well, kinda. Oh man, Kathy'll be so pleased, Jeff. She's always thought you were really cool and we were both hoping that the right guy'd come along real quick. And what do you know? He did!" He laughed, slapping Phalen on the back, then taking his cell to the courtyard to call his wife.

"Yeah, well don't you go taking credit for it," Phalen yelled after him. "If anyone did it, it was my Dad!"

Steve stopped dead in his tracks, moving the phone away from his ear. "Your Dad?"

Phalen just nodded.

"Way cool, man! . . . Awesome! Wait till Kathy hears!"

Larry caught only the last part of Steve's comments as he came in carrying Phalen's Mac.

"What am I supposed to have done that he's going to tell someone named Kathy about?" he said, setting the computer down.

"Nothing really. Steve thinks he's a match maker, but I told him how you got Jeff and me together . . . not him." Larry bowed his head and scratched the back of his neck, looking abashed. Phalen finally burst out laughing. "What . . . you think I couldn't figure it out? Dad, when you had all that stuff waiting for me at the front door, I figured something was going on. But when you handed me the beer and told me there was no hurry to get home, that clinched it. So, don't look so shocked! You should give lessons to Steve! I'll bet he never tried your technique before.

Phalen turned to me. "Look, Jeff, he's actually blushing! You really did believe I wouldn't figure it out . . . didn't you?"

"Since you asked, Phalen, no, I didn't set you up with Jeff, though I'm very glad things have worked out as they have, because I've never seen you so happy. I gave you the beers because I thought maybe the two of you would need to relax a little bit before you could get to know each other. I never figured that pepperoni pizza would do just as well as a beer!"

"Well, if I hadn't had the beer I probably would never have started wrestling. But, who knows, maybe I would have. After all, Jeff is just so damn sexy, don't you think?"

"Phalen . . ." I gave him a punch on the shoulder, "what a funny thing to ask your dad."

"Well, I think it's an okay question. You are sexy, especially the pits, though the butt and . . ." he cleared his throat . . . "other parts, aren't too bad either."

"Phalen . . . "

"I think it's an okay question too," Larry interrupted. "Don't always assume I'm going to be embarrassed when you guys talk about sex. I can handle it. . . . And to answer Phalen's question, I think that you're both pretty sexy. I was afraid I was going to get hard yesterday, just looking at you guys. You're definitely hot . . . both of you."

"Dad!"

"Dad, what? Do you think I can't get it up any more Phalen, or that I'm too old to be interested in sex? You'd be wrong on both counts."

"Wow, I've never heard you talk like this."

"It's about time you did. Your old man isn't so old that he doesn't like to get his rocks off."

I wondered where this conversation was headed.

"Dad, have you ever had sex with a guy?" Phalen had decided to test Larry's claim that he would never lie to his son.

Now I knew where the conversation was headed.

"No, I've never had gay sex," Larry answered, perching on a large, unopened box and slowly swinging one leg. "But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy getting off as much as you guys." He paused. "Or, come to think of it, wondering how much I might enjoy getting together with another guy." He grinned at Phalen's surprised reaction. "Now, unless we're going to have a circle jerk, we'd better change the subject."

I looked at Phalen. He got a calculating look in his eyes and opened his mouth to say something.

"Phalen!"

"Okay." He made an, 'I'll behave,' motion with a hand, giving his father an ingenuous smile.

Larry looked at me. "I probably don't want to know."

"Right." I nodded once.

"Pits?" Larry murmured, giving his son a questioning look.

"Yeah, his arm pits. Yum," Phalen grinned, licking his lips.

I covered my face. "Geez, Phalen, is nothing private?"

"Sure, I don't talk about the really cool stuff."

"Good," Larry interrupted, before the talk could go any further. "Jeff, I've never heard you mention your parents. What do they think of your new place?" he asked, trying to change the subject to something neutral. He could not have known that the subject of my parents was anything but a neutral subject.

I noticed Phalen looking at me. Whenever he looked at me like that I felt as if he were reading my thoughts, and would describe them to me in detail later.

"Larry, I'm not really very close to my parents, especially my mother. I've been closer to my father since I left home, than when I was living with him. He thinks the place is great. He tells me he's been showing the pics I've sent, to the guys at work.

"Dad and Mom are really distant. I sometimes felt they were living in a different universe than my brother and me. I always had the physical things I needed, like books and stuff, but I never had much emotional support from either of them. I envy the easy relationship you and Phalen have. My dad and I could never speak with each other like you guys do. You know, I feel lucky to be included in the partnership you both have. I find it's much easier to talk to you than my own father. Maybe it's because you really listen to me."

"Did you speak Finnish when you were living at home, Jeff?" Phalen asked, perching on the box next to his father. "It seems like such a difficult language, especially compared with the Spanish I've had to take in school."

"It's not difficult if you grow up with it. I learned both English and Finnish at the same time. My parents had this strange routine where Dad would always speak Finnish and Mom would always speak English, but my brother and I had to respond to a Finnish conversation in English and vice versa.

"It was funny. Sometimes at school, I would automatically respond in English when a teacher would ask me a question. Of course, the teachers were speaking Finnish. I've always thought in both languages, a difficult thing to do let me tell you. Sometimes, even now, I say things in Finnish without thinking."

"Jeff, what's 'minä rakastan sinuä, Phalen' mean?"

Larry looked at Phalen like he had sprouted horns. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Jeff says it to me all the time, but he won't tell me what it means. I think he's calling me names." He looked at me and noticed that I was uncomfortable. "You aren't calling me names, are you?"

"No."

"Then tell me what it means."

"Are you sure? I was planning on telling you, but not like this."

"You mean because Dad's here?"

"I can leave," Larry offered, "but I'm curious, too."

"Go ahead, Jeff. What's it mean?"

I took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. "It means 'I love you, Phalen'."

The room was perfectly quiet for a few moments, then Phalen jumped up, threw his arms around me, and began to cry.

Phalen's outburst was brief, and I continued to hold him, rubbing his back, until he quieted down. Larry sat quietly, watching us. I wondered what was going through his mind, but had enough on my own at the moment, to worry about what he was thinking, too much.

I looked up when Larry cleared his throat. "You guys have a flair for the dramatic," he grinned, wiping his eyes with his knuckles, just like his son. "I must say that whenever I'm over here, I feel like I've stepped into one of those television soap operas. An adult soap opera, that is. I never know what the next day's show will bring."

"Phalen, are you all right?" I asked, rubbing his back as I held him close to me. He nodded but didn't say anything. He was holding me tightly with his back to his father. Larry couldn't see that his son had begun licking my neck.

After a few moments Phalen said, "I've got another question, Jeff." By the sound of his voice I knew this was going to be good.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what it is," I said. "But go ahead."

"How do you say 'I'm horny'?"

"That's my cue to leave," Larry laughed, springing to his feet and giving Phalen a pat on the back. He stopped for a second and squeezed my shoulder. He smiled, a smile as big as Phalen's, and winked.

"Do you really love me, Jeff?" Phalen asked as his father closed the door. "You're not just saying that to make me happy, are you?"

"Like your father said earlier, handsome, I will never lie to you."

"But you said that to me the night we met. How could you love me then?"

"Phalen, I didn't really know then. I said it as much for myself, as for you. I wanted to wait until there was absolutely no doubt. I intended to have a big celebration and to give you the ring I bought for you. I wanted it to be special for both of us, but especially for you. I hope this happens only once for either of us."

"It has been special, Jeff. But a dinner or something sounds good. I would have made a big scene if you'd done this in a restaurant, you know? I'd rather make a scene at home.

"You're giving me a ring too? You are so sweet. I thought I was the only romantic around here. Does that mean we're going to get married?"

"No, we can't do that. Every time you look at it though, you'll know how I feel about you."

"I don't have anything to give you, Jeff. I feel bad."

"Hell, Phalen, how could you have known what I was planning? Besides, all I want from you is for you to be happy and to always be as wonderful as you are right now."

"You'll love me when I'm old and gray, Jeff? When I get sick or something?"

"Yes, Phalen. When you're old and gray, I will love you as much as I do today, and if you're sick too. It doesn't matter. I'm in this for the long haul. We're both going to be old and gray one day, you know, and I know that I personally will be just as charming as I am today. That's one thing about a winning personality. It never diminishes with age. Don't you agree?" I asked, pleased with my attempt at humor.

"Listen to you! Who said you had a winning personality? I imagine your hairy chest will always be with you . . . but personality?"

"You want a ring, Phalen?"

"Oh, now I remember who mentioned the personality thing. I did!" changing tack in the middle of a sentence. "I must have been talking in my sleep or something . . . you think?"

"You're crazy, Phalen. You know that?"

"I'm not crazy, Jeff. I'm trying to get through an emotional moment. It's how I cope with things. You're getting a crash course in Phalen's insecurities today."

"Ahem . . . "

"Steve! . . . I forgot you were still here!" I jumped, brushing my hands against my shorts, caught in one of my own emotional moments. "Have you finished Phalen's office yet?"

"I finished quite a while ago, but you guys were being so beautiful I couldn't interrupt. Sorry to listen in, but you need to pay attention to who's in your house before you carry on like that."

"That's what Dad said when he walked in on us having sex, because Jeff left the front door open, huh Jeff?"

"Your father! You guys certainly don't keep anything private, do you?"

"Yes we do."

"Phalen . . . "

"All the good stuff. Steve," Phalen teased, unwilling to be quiet. "Jeff is an animal in bed. I bet you didn't know that."

"Phalen . . . "

"Really? Kathy's always thought he would be," Steve laughed, winking at me.

"Steve! Kathy never said anything like that. Everyone's always talking about me!"

"Sure, Jeff, 'cause you're so easy to tease." Steve continued to be amused at my expense.

"You mean easy." Phalen grinned.

"Phalen . . . "

"That too?" Steve responded, his smile widening. "He seems so mild-mannered. . . . A wild man, huh? The quiet ones always are. At least, that's what I've always heard," Steve finished, with a broad smile.

"What's that make you then, Phalen?" I asked. "You're certainly not quiet."

"Tell him that you're loveable, Phalen," Steve suggested.

"You think so?" Phalen asked, innocently. In the short time I'd known him, I already recognized a lead-in for a joke of some sort.

"Watch it, Steve," I warned. "You'll be over your head faster than you know what hit you. That's what happened to me. I ordered a pizza for dinner, and before I could blink, he had wrestled me to the ground and pinned me to the pizza."

"Pizza was that bad, huh?" Steve asked, in all seriousness. "Tell me guys; is gay love always like this; wrestling and all? Kathy and I never do stuff like that."

"It's the only way I can get what I want." Phalen chuckled.

"Ok guys, time out, or whatever people say in a situation like this. I'm feeling like a straight man again, Phalen."

"Straight? You, Jeff?" Steve resumed his laughing.

"Cut it out! Maybe I should step outside and let you guys enjoy each other's company. You sure do seem to be having fun at my expense."

"Jeff, if you went outside, who'd we have to tease? Well guys, I had better go. I have to go tell Kathy all about this. Bye. Gotta get home. You guys are so cool."

---

A number of readers have written asking for the correct pronunciation of the character's names. They are:

Phalen (FAY-lin)

Kerin (KEAR-in)

Thian (THE, as in Theater (THE-in)

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to comment on this story. I love to hear from you and appreciate your input. If you'd like pics of how I envision the characters, please ask. Thanks for reading.