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Aaron & Slade

By: TrippyLuv



Author's note:

I thought it best to flesh out the story and characters by adding more detail to this chapter. Please leave feedback and thoughts. Thanks!

-TrippyLuv

**********

I hear the alarm blaring next to me and ignore it this time around.

My boyfriend nudges me. "Baby, turn it off."

"You turn it off," I mutter, throwing the blanket over my head.

Slade's warm body drapes across mine as he leans over to stop the alarm. He flops onto his back. "Aaron, if you keep hitting snooze, you're gonna be late for work. Get your ass up! If you wait too late you won't have time to shower."

Turning towards my boyfriend of two years, I snuggle in closer to him and kiss his neck. "You like it when I don't shower."

His face scrunches. "Usually, but not now, you're ripe."

"What if I call out? I don't want to go to work today anyway. This is the start of our summer vacation. Why should I start it going to work?"

"Because if I have to work today, you have to work today," he answers with sleepy laugh when I nuzzle his neck. "We have a lot of plans for this summer and it all costs money. Now get that cute ass of yours out of my bed and go to work."

"Fine, Jones, I'll go, but only if you give me a kiss." I pucker up waiting for him to lean in.

"No, I have morning breath."

"Me too. It's never stopped us before," I tell him, puckering up again.

Slade with a half-smile kisses me. He playfully nibbles my bottom lip. His lips travel greedily to my neck and ear. I return the favor and Slade moans his approval. I don't know how much time has passed but I reluctantly pull away from the deep kiss, which has my body on fire with desire. I can't let myself get lost in his kiss. Slade groans as I pull away to move from under him, and untangling our legs from the blanket. I turn on the light with a sad reluctance. Slade's garage apartment lights up. I turn in time to see him throw the blanket over his head. Looking at the time, I officially have no time for a shower so I wash up quickly. I run a brush through my shaggy, unruly mop of blond hair. My light brown eyes look a little red from lack of sleep.

"Are you coming over later?" Slade stands beside me placing his head on my shoulder.

"Yeah, but I'll go home first to shower considering I didn't take one because you distracted me this morning." I make a stupid face in the mirror making Slade laugh.

"Okay. I'm only working until three today, so I'll be here. You know Pa's gone fishing with Clay so they'll be gone all day, Kev will be off somewhere with Shell, and Mama has the other's out shopping and visiting Auntie Bernie in Norfolk."

"Too bad we don't have today off. We could've had some fun with everyone out the house," I say wrapping my arms around his waist. Slade rises on his toes, lock his arms around my neck, and kisses me lazily while his fingers skim through my hair. I whistle when we break apart. Damn, I love the way he kisses.

He smiles slyly. "I know it's not often my family is out of the house at the same time. We definitely could've had some fun."

Slade stares up at me and I nearly get lost in his sapphire-blue eyes. "I think I need to leave."

He nods. "I think you do too. I'll see you later, baby."

"Later, Jones."

With another kiss and swat to my ass, Slade ushers me out the door to greet the dewy morning. I'm off for another fun-filled day of selling/cutting lumber to inept homeowners.

**********

I think knew I was gay even at a young age but I didn't understand what it meant. However, the day Slade Jones transferred from Norfolk, VA to my small town high school in South Hill, VA was the turning point of my life. He walked into my classroom and I felt this instant connection to him. The feeling of everything I'd been waiting for and needed was standing right there before me but at fourteen how could I even begin to comprehend what I was feeling for another boy. I never thought anything would come from it because I thought for sure Slade was straight. The first two years of our friendship were the toughest because the more we hung out, the harder I fell for him, but I kept my feelings for him buried deep inside. I couldn't risk losing him because I wanted to cross the lines of our friendship. I had to be content with him being just my best friend in order to keep him a part of my life.

Everything changed when Slade kissed me while we were sitting outside cooling off on the bleachers at a school dance. It shocked him and me. Slade took off. I chased him down. He thought I was going to beat him up but I kissed him instead. From then on, we were Aaron & Slade though no one else knew.

It's hard being in a relationship period, but when you're both still in the closet, it makes it harder. We haven't talked about the prospect of coming out to our family and friends. I would rather not if I can help it. I can't break my parent's heart by telling them their only son is gay. Not after all they've done for me. Slade feels the same way but with this being our senior year, we do have to think about our future going forward.

Around others, we're pals, acting like straight teenage boys, talking about and dating girls. We made a pact never to cross the line with the girls with kissing being as far as we will go. We date enough to keep people from asking questions. Keeping up the pretense that we're both into girls is tiresome.

We, however, more than make up for it when we're together, because there are no worries and no pressure. We can be our corny selves. It's hard to get alone time with us both being athletes, students and working after school jobs. Slade has a large family. He's the oldest of six plus his parents. So sometimes, it's easier to hang out at my house when we have the time. We try hard to avoid discovery but there have been a few close-calls in our two years together.

I like who I am with Slade. He makes me feel like I can overcome anything. He pushes me to be better. I hope I do the same for him.

Slade's flirty and affectionate with me, and I with him. I love everything about our relationship but there is one major aspect I can't wait to change... our virgin status. It's hard sharing a bed with him knowing nothing is going to happen. I want Slade so much but I know he's not ready. He's shut me down each time I've tried. I ache to be with him and have had plenty of nights when it was just my hand and me. In the past three months, we celebrated his 18th birthday, and our two-year anniversary and still nothing. I'm not expecting much for my eighteenth coming up in a couple of months. So, I've taken a step back with the hope that Slade will let me know when he's ready. However, I'll wait for him because he's worth waiting for because I love him.

I don't just love him but I'm in love with him. I know he loves me though we've never said the words to each other. When I tell him, I want him to know it's coming from the deepest part of my soul. Most couples who've been dating for two years have already passed both of the precipices of sex and declaring their love, but we're not the typical relationship, and I tell him this all the time. It works for us and I don't care what anyone else might think.

********

Driving to work, I think back to how I might not have met Slade at all.

When I was 10 yrs. old, I had a routine checkup at the doctors; he discovered a lump in my neck. The chance of it being serious was something I couldn't grasp at my age. I knew three things: it could be nothing, I would have to take a pill for the rest of my life, or it was cancer. I would rather it have been nothing but it was Thyroid Cancer. I freaked out. All I knew was I didn't want to be bald.

After having my thyroidectomy, I didn't have to go through chemotherapy but I did have radioiodine therapy. It killed my taste buds. I could've had the hottest pepper known to man and I wouldn't have been able to taste it. My saving grace was the constant sucking on hard candies and drinking meal replacement shakes to balance out my diet.

I thought it was over. Then during a follow up, my doctor discovered cancer in my lymph nodes, and told me I would have to undergo chemotherapy. A few weeks after starting my protocol, I did lose my hair.

My little sister, Candace, never left my side. She watched over me like a hawk, helping Ma whenever she could. She read to me from her little books, watching television, or playing board games. Even when I was mean to her, Candace was there. She's one of the reasons why I couldn't give up even when I thought I should. She needed her big brother to be strong and to be there to watch out for her while she grew up.

Ma wouldn't allow me to wallow in self-pity. She made me study and do homework, when I was able to. I kept up with school because of her. Dad was there. He taught me so much. But what stuck out the most to me was, a man can cry and still be a man.

We got through my illness and I've been in remission for over five years. I passed my yearly check-up seven months ago and have nothing holding me back. My life is smooth sailing.

********

My work shift finally over. I drive home knowing without a doubt that my ass needs to take a shower. I can pop in spend about thirty minutes with the family before heading to Slade's place.

Upon closing the front door, Dad calls out, "Aaron, can you come to the kitchen?"

"Yes, sir."

Dad smiles when I enter the kitchen but there's something bothering him, which has me on the defense immediately. I'm hesitant to learn whatever it is he's about to say. Dad lets out a small breath of air. "I wanted to tell y'all together, but your mama and sister got it out of me, so now it's your turn to know too."

I stand on the opposite side of the counter and mimic his posture. "Uh-huh?"

"I got the promotion I wanted," he announces with a pensive smile.

"Awesome, Dad, I'm happy for you!" I walk over, giving him a huge hug and a pat on the back. I step back only to see the look back on his face. "What's with the look? Why aren't you dancing around? You've wanted this promotion for months."

"I know but you haven't heard the whole story. When I went for the promotion the job was based in Richmond, but now, it's in Boston."

"Boston's not that far, Dad. It's only about an hour away. It's not that big a deal."

"Aaron, not Boston, Virginia... Boston, Massachusetts," Dad stammers.

"You're moving to Massachusetts? For how long?"

Dad takes a few seconds before he replies, "Here's the thing, Aaron, we're all going to move to Boston."

My first thought rushed to Slade. I'm not leaving him. There's no way in hell!

"I don't wanna to go, Dad. This is my senior year. I'm co-captain of the baseball team. I'm eighteen. I can stay here without you," I state a little too loud.

"Watch the attitude, young man," Dad snaps.

"I'm sorry, sir," I reply looking him square in the eyes.

"You have no say in the matter, kiddo. I know you wanna stay, but while you are in school, your place is with your family. Besides, with your medical history, your mama will never allow you to be away from her. Yes, by the time we leave, you will be eighteen, and considered an adult, but you depend on your mama and me to provide for you."

"I haven't been sick in over five years, Dad. Ma's overreacting, I'm not gonna get sick again. The doctors said to go on living my life and I am. Why can't I stay with Uncle Bobby?"

"One, the doctors have said there is a very small chance that you could get sick again, even after the five-year mark. I know you're not gonna get sick again but there is always that chance. Second, your uncle isn't the best influence on you. He got you grounded for six months for that fiasco at the bar." Dad walks to the fridge and grabs a beer.

"You can't blame him for what happened. It was just as much my fault as it was his. How about Auntie Lottie, can I stay with her?" I ask following close behind him.

"She's not gonna take care of a teenager. She loves you but it's not happening."

"Dad-?"

"STOP! It's final. You're coming and I don't want to hear another word about it. Do you hear me?" Dad asks placing his hands flat on the counter.

Looking down, I say the only thing I can, "Yes, sir."

Dad walks over, "I'm sorry, kiddo. I really am. But you'll see this will be the best move for all of us."

"I doubt it," I mutter. How am I going to tell Slade that I'm moving?

"We don't leave until the last week of August. That's plenty of time for you to hang out with your friends and say, 'goodbye'. Go on. I have to talk with your mama," he says, opening the beer and walking to the living room.

This is really happening. I don't take my intended shower; I instead make my way to Slade.

********

It takes me all of fifteen minutes to reach his house.

I hear country music playing from Slade's garage apartment that his parents converted for him. Unfortunately, Slade's younger brother, Kevin, is here working on his truck for the umpteenth time. Therefore, we'll have to be care.

"When are you going to give up on that truck and get a new one," I yell over to him.

"I'll give this truck up when I can't get her to run no more. I love this truck," Kevin answers while rubbing the sides of it.

"I think you're the only one," I tell him laughing as he kisses the truck. "You've got problems."

 "Yeah, but this truck ain't one."

I chuckle and continue to Slade's room. I enter through the side door and find him lying on the bed. Slade is shirtless, wearing shorts, cross-legged and with his eyes closed. I close the door behind me. He sings softly along to the twangy tune.

I watch him, wondering how I got so lucky to find him only to leave him before summer's end. All I want to do is run my fingers through his short, brown hair and kiss him until the world makes sense again. He opens those beautiful blue eyes my way and smiles. Smiling back, I walk over and kiss him.

"Hey, baby," Slade whispers, framing my face in his hands and kisses me again.

I lean my forehead against his. "Hey, Jones."

"Why are you here so early?" Slade caresses my cheek. He sniffs. "I thought you were going to take a shower.

"I wanted to see you. I couldn't wait 'til later tonight." I bury my face in his neck. My emotions running high and I'm about to lose it. "I thought I could take my shower here instead."

Slade pulls away slightly. "Is my brother still outside?"

Exhaling slowly, I lay back against the headboard, "He's preoccupied with his truck. He needs to get a new one."

"Yeah, but I can't say anything because at least he has a piece of shit truck. I'm the oldest and I don't have wheels."

"We all know it's because your driving sucks ass. How many tries did it take before you passed?"

"Five but none of those fails were my fault," he says defensively. His brows furrow in that cute way when he's annoyed.

I try not to laugh. "You hit the curb, a mailbox, a parked car, and then you failed the written twice times, what makes you think none of those were your fault?"

"I'm Slade Jones, awesome driver that's why," he answers with a smile throwing his hands up.

"No, you're not, and that's why I won't let you drive my truck. You barely passed last time."

Slade rolls his eyes and scoffs, "You'll let me drive it before the end of the summer."

"Yeah, sure, by the end of the summer, that's not gonna happen." I smirk. My demeanor changes and Slade notices it immediately.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Slade slides his hand into mine linking our fingers together.

I hear the concern in his voice. "It's quiet. This is so weird." I run my thumb back and forth against his.

"Aaron, what's wrong?" Slade asks again.

I avoid looking at him. "Um, uh, my dad got the promotion today."

"That's a good thing, right?" He asks turning my head towards him.

With a shake of the head, I answer, "No. The promotion he got is relocating him to Massachusetts. We all have to go with him." Slade gasps as his eyebrows arch in surprise. I continue with the last bit of news. "We leave at the end of August."

Slade look at me and laughs. "I call, 'bullshit'. Ha! Ha! Ha! You're moving to Massachusetts. Babe, the next time you want to joke. Try something a little more believable."

The sad look in my eyes stops him cold. Right as he about to reach for me, there is a sudden knock at the door. I move to the other side of the bed before Kevin walks in.

"Hey, Slade, I got the truck working. I'm gonna go down to the creek with Shelly and I'll be back late. Tell mama for me, okay?" Kevin looks at the two of us. "What's wrong? You look like you just watched some sad chick flick," he asks stepping into the room.

"Aaron came over to tell me he's moving to Massachusetts in three months," Slade answers reaching for the remote for the radio and turning it off.

"That sucks man, sorry. It's not gonna be the same without you. You are like another brother to me."

The sincerity in his voice is palpable. "Thanks, man, I feel the same about you too."

"Shit, I gotta get Shelly. We've gotta have a guys' night before you leave, Aar. Live it up without the girlfriends around." He jokes.

"Sure, it sounds good to me."

"Aright, I'll see y'all later. Bye." Kevin states with a shrug and a slight smile. He walks out closing the door behind him.

Slade turns his attention back to me. "Aaron, I-I... do you have to go? Why can't you stay with Bobby?"

"Yeah, after the bar brawl, Dad wouldn't trust Uncle Bobby with supervising me make lemonade." I give him a half chuckle. "He made it clear that I had to go."

"What if we could talk him into letting you stay with my family?" Slade asks. The hope in his eyes is making this more unbearable.

The tears come to the surface. "It's not gonna happen. Ma wants me to go, too. What am I gonna do?"

"Baby, don't worry. We'll try to work something out. We won't let you leave without trying everything to keep you here." Slade takes my hand and kisses it.

Looking into eyes, I ask, "What's gonna happen with us? We should talk about what this means."

"Baby, right now, I can't sit here and see you like this. I hate it when you're sad." Slade smiles faintly. His eyes twinkle in the sunlight shining through the slits of the blinds with unshed tears.

A lone tear rolls down my cheek. Slade places his forehead against mine and tenderly wipes the tear away with the back of his hand. He gathers me in a huge embrace. Slade lays back with my head resting on his chests with my arm thrown across his waist and leg entwined with his. His heart thumps against my cheek and his fingers comb through my hair. I breathe in the light mix scent of his natural musky scent and the soap he'd washed with, and I can't hold back the tears. I bury my face into his chest. Slade holds me, rubs my back, and tries to soothe me with comforting words, as I cry.

"Aaron, it's okay. Don't cry, baby."

"I don't want to leave you," I say, barely able to get the words out.

Slade titters softly, "I don't want you to leave me either."

I don't know why but this causes me to laugh. We laugh for a minute. I hug him tight to me. Slade plants several kisses to my forehead, nose, and lips.

********

We talk softly about nothing in particular and not about the move. Slade is making me feel so much better by being present. He walks into his bathroom and starts up a hot shower for me. The shower relieves most of my tension. When I'm finished with the shower, I put on the clothes Slade has waiting for me. He pops a cheesy comedy on, and gives me a much needed shoulder massage. After the massage, we snuggle in close and I fall asleep in his arms.

The familiar sound of Miss April's truck horn honks loudly. It takes us a few seconds to realize we have but a few seconds to wake-up to go out and greet her. We quickly get ourselves together. We pause at the door. Slade kisses me passionately before pulling away. "With them back, I wouldn't be able to do that whenever I want. Ready?"


Aaron & Slade Ch. 02



Author's note:

I performed a little cleanup with some of the problems I was personally having with this chapter. I think this is easier to read than the previous chapter two I had posted here on Lit. The two main characters are 18 years old. I love feedback. You can leave it publicly or privately. Thanks!

-TrippyLuv

**********

It's been two months since I learned I was moving. Slade and I tried every angle to get me to stay, but none of those options panned out, even Miss April was a no-go. It's left me feeling defeated and miserable. The only bright spot, I gave my two weeks' notice to my job, giving me one full month of summer to enjoy with Slade.

The downside, my restlessness about the move has morphed into insomnia. I'm up late into the night. The only time I can sleep is when I'm with Slade. We've had countless secret sleepovers, which have helped me get the sleep I crave, though I have had some weird dreams that aide in keeping me up, as well.

We've only started to come to terms with my leaving about two weeks ago. The only thing left in limbo is our status as a couple. Do we date long distance? Or do we call it quits? I've already told Slade I don't want to breakup but he has yet to tell me what he wants. I'll casually ask him but he is quick to change the subject. Sometimes I feel stupid for admitting what I wanted before Slade told me what he wanted. I've given him the power to break my heart with three simple words, 'we should breakup'. Until Slade finally tells me what he wants, all I can do is speculate, which has my mind running a million different scenarios, and all of them end in heartbreak.

With the move imminent, I've tried to tell Slade that I love him only to lose my nerve in the end, because the way he looks at me gives me butterflies. I keep thinking when the time is right the words will come. Until it happens, I try to show him every other way hoping he will notice my love for him. We've been together for two years, love should be easy to express verbally, but I'm scared now. I waited too long to tell him. If I tell him now, Slade will probably think I'm trying to get him into bed, which couldn't be further from the truth.

I'm ready to shout it from the mountaintop, "I'M IN LOVE WITH SLADE MICHAEL JONES!"

I know exactly how I want to tell him and when, in two weeks on my birthday. It's an important milestone birthday. What better way is there to spend it than telling my boyfriend, 'I love you'?

********

Today is my eighteenth birthday. I wake up to a bright smile and a fluttering heart. Slade doesn't know about the small picnic I planned for us at our spot down at the dam.

For the time being, those plans are on hold because my parents are throwing me a huge barbeque. Most of the neighborhood is here along with my family and friends to celebrate and to say goodbye. I watch everyone from the sidelines. Dad's working the grill while laughing with his friends. Ma's making her rounds through the crowd making sure everyone is okay. Candace is laughing and pointing at boys with her friends. Groups of people are talking, dancing, and swimming in our above ground pool. I notice Slade's talking to a couple of our friends in the shade under the large tree. He winks and continues his conversation.

The loud music has me in a good mood. I walk over to my mom and pull her onto the dance floor. My mom laughs as I twirl her around. We settle into a groove and I'm enjoying myself until I see Slade out of the corner of my eye. For some reason it makes me sad and I go into brood mode.

"Are you okay, sweetie? You've been moody these past few days. Is it because you're an old man now?" Ma asks with a laugh. She gives me a soft tap on the chin.

I stick my tongue out at her. "I'm not old."

"You put that tongue away now, young man." Ma laughs but I see the concern in her eyes. "All kidding aside, you've been a little down in the dumps. What's up, sweetie?"

My mom has always been able to read me better than most. I thought I was doing a good job of disguising how upset I am about moving. I shrug not wanting to give myself away further. "I'm fine, Ma."

"Don't try to BS me, Aaron. What's wrong?"

Letting out a huge sigh, I answer, "I don't want to move and leave everyone is all." I don't say anything else. We continue to dance to the tunes blaring from the satellite system.

"You don't want to move because of everyone or is it Slade?" Ma asks pointedly.

Shocked, I lean in. "Slade? What are you talking about, Ma? Why wouldn't I want to leave Slade?"

Ma pulls me closer to her and whispers, "Because... I know about you and Slade."

I freeze. My heart beats faster than I'd ever felt it beat before and the pulse in my neck throbs achingly. She grabs my hands and gives them a firm squeeze. I continue to stare until I can finally respond, "Ma, what are you talking about?"

"Sweetie, keep dancing.' Ma holds me tight to her. "Aaron, you got nothing to worry about 'cause I came to terms with your sexuality some time ago."

I realize there's no way I can talk my way out of this. "How long have you known?" I barely get out the words. We continue to dance when the song changes to a slower tempo tune.

"For about a year, I saw the two of you together in your truck making out. You were completely oblivious to anyone who might be happening by."

The thought of my mother seeing us in an intimate moment is shocking. In my mind, I'm hoping she only saw us kiss and nothing else. I continue to stare at her unsure of how to react to her revelation.

"I didn't know how to handle seeing the two of you together. I was so disappointed. I wanted to barge in to put a stop to it, but I walked away instead. I knew if I had confronted you, I would've said something in the heat of the moment that I never would've been able to take back." Ma takes a pause before continue and sniffles. "I planned on confronting you later after I'd thought about what I was going to say, but I didn't go through with it. Do you know what stopped me?" Ma eyes glisten in the sunlight and she smiles.

I swallow hard and shake my head 'no' because words fail me in this instance.

"A couple of days later, I was going out to the freezer to get frozen pizzas for dinner. I heard you two out on the back porch. You were talking about something but I couldn't make out what you were saying. When I saw you kissing and holding hands, I was going to say something, but then I saw it. It stopped me dead in my tracks. You had this look in your eyes. A look your father has given me every single day since we've been together, love... you are in love with Slade. I knew then I couldn't confront you. I had to let go of whatever hang up I had because I had to work on accepting your sexuality."

"Accepting my sexuality?"

"Aaron you've gotta understand. The church taught me that homosexuality is wrong and immoral, so I had to work through all of my beliefs and pray. The internal struggle was not as bad as I thought it would be. My religion is important but my love for my family is stronger. I would choose any of you in a heartbeat."

The tears pool in my eyes. "What are you saying, Ma?"

"I'm saying, I want you to be happy, sweetie. I know what you look like when you are. What kind of mother would I be to take it from you? I couldn't tell you I knew. I always hoped you would come to me when you were ready. I'm sorry I took that moment away from you but I couldn't stand to see you sad anymore and unable to tell me why." She rubs my back and gives me a warm hug.

I nearly break down in her arms. "Is that really how you feel or are you telling me what you think you should say?"

"I've never lied to you and I won't start now. Sweetie, I love and accept you for who you are 100%"

I fight back a sob and look over at dad as he jokes with his friends. "Does he know?"

"No, but I'm sure when the time is right and you tell him, it won't be an issue," she tells me confidently.

I avoid her eyes. "I wasn't ever gonna tell you, Ma. How can I tell him?"

"Aaron, look at me. Look at me," she says firmly, lifting my chin up. Her warm, light brown eyes are full of love. "If you keep this part of yourself hidden from everyone who loves you, you'll be miserable. Your dad loves you and he wants what's best for you. Don't underestimate him?"

"What would be best for me is to stay here with Slade. I still don't understand why I can't stay. Every time I try to even talk to him, he shoots me down."

"Your dad'll never admit to it but he worries about you getting sick again. Do you know I find him some nights watching you and your sister sleep?"

I laugh. "He does, really? That's actually kinda creepy."

Ma smiles and says, "No, not really. When you become a parent, you'll end up doing anything to protect and watch over your children. We worry about you 'cause we could've lost you. You and Candy mean the world to us. We want to make sure you're both safe. We can't protect you from everything but we try to. No matter how old you kids get, we'll always want to do our best by you. If you can just think about this from our point of view, you're eighteen now, and going into your senior year of high school. You plan to go away for college. Sweetie, we only have you for a few more months to be a full-time family. I know Slade is everything to you, believe me I get it, but it is only for a few months. Do you think you can be apart from him long enough for us to have this time as a family?"

I never thought about the separation factor from my parents' point of view. I was only thinking of myself. I pondered her question a minute. Am I being selfish? Yes, I am. "Can I come back a few times at least?"

"I'm sure we can make some arrangements for you to come down over the school year. I love Slade. I think he's brought out the best in you," she says with a smile.

"Thanks, Ma." I lean in and give her a big hug. We dance to the rest of the song, and I walk her over to a bunch of seats to sit down. As I'm walking away, she gestures for me to come back.

"There's just one thing I'm concerned about...," she pauses, "are the two of you safe?"

I blush deeply at her unexpected question. "What, Ma? What are you asking me right now?"

"I'm checking to see if you're being careful, that's all."

I look around to see if anyone is paying attention to us. "Not that I feel comfortable talkin' to you about this but we haven't had sex yet. Are you happy?"

Ma pulls me in by my shirt and whispers, "I'm gonna say this once and only once. Oral sex is still sex so be careful and with actual sex be extra careful protect yourself and him. It's bad enough I have to worry about your health as it is." Ma gives my hair a slight ruffle.

"Ma, quit it." I walk away shaking my head.

My carefully guarded secret is no longer a secret. My mother has known for a year about Slade and me. I cringe at the thought of all the times she wondered what we were doing when we were together. I contemplate telling Slade in order to give him a heads up.

**********

Slade is talking with our friends, Randy and Josh. I hear the tail end of a story Josh is telling, "...you swallow that thang." They erupt in laughter.

I stand next to Randy. "What's so funny over here?"

"Josh was telling a joke he'd heard in some movie," Slade answers taking a sip of root beer.

"Happy birthday, man, I would've gotten you something but I lost my wallet," Randy says and gives me a slap on the back.

"Thanks Randy and considering you use that excuse every year when it comes to anyone's birthday, I'm not surprise," I tell him. Slade and Josh burst out in laughter.

"You are cheap, man. I remember when you gave Tammy the gift card; it had about $13 left on it out of $50. Then you go mad when she gave you the same card as a gift and nothing was on it when you tried to use it," Josh howls.

Randy puts his hand to his chest and groans. "Aw, man! That gift card was a mistake I gave her the wrong one. I'm not cheap. Can I help it if I lose my wallet all the time?"

"Yeah, sure," I reply rolling my eyes.

"You can't consider a wallet it lost if you leave it at home," Slade retorts. He looks at me, licks his lips, and gives me a subtle wink. What is he thinking doing that in front of them?

"That's not cool man," Randy comments, as he laughs.

"Whatever," I chuckle. "Jones, I gotta grab some more ice, man. I need help loading it into the truck. I volunteered you."

"Now? Your dad said the ribs were almost done," Slade replies pointing at the grill.

"Yeah, now, I'll tell him to save you half a slab for helping. The sooner we leave the quicker we get back. Let's go." I almost reach for his hand but shoot down the impulse. I give him a pleading look.

Slade rolls his eyes with a deep sigh and shrugs, "Fine, let's go. See you guys in a few minutes."

"Yup," Randy says. "Oh, can you get me some chewing tobacco? I'm runnin' low." He holds up a tin of the disgusting mixture.

"No, I'm not buying you tobacco. Not gonna have your mama yelling at me for getting you that shit." I shudder at the thought from the memory of the one and only time I'd tried chewing tobacco. I turned a pale green and vomited repeatedly on and off for hours. It's something I'd swore I'd never do again and I haven't. .

"Don't be such a goody-two-shoes," Randy laughs.

"You calling me names is not gonna work. Buy it yourself," I say walking away. I inform my dad about the ribs for Slade and head over to my truck. Slade is waiting. I'm not sure how he's going to react but he has the right to know that Ma knows about us. "I have something I have to tell you."

"What?" I must look like a crazy person because he says, "Baby, you're scaring me. What is it?"

"You have to promise not to freak out when I tell you because I'm freaking out enough for the both of us, okay?"

The slight irritation is evident in his voice when he says, "Aaron, just tell me what's wrong."

When we were further down the road, I blurt it out. "Ma told me she knows about us."

Slade gasps and coughs and he turns to me with pure panic in his eyes. "She knows about us? How?"

I pull to the side of the road. "Ma saw us making out a year ago. But here's the thing, she said she's okay about you and me. She sees how much I care about you." I take his hand but he pulls it away. I shouldn't have told him. I should've kept my big mouth shut.

"Shit. She hasn't told your dad has she?" Slade asks looking at me.

"Ma said he doesn't know but she thinks he'll be okay with it."

Slade puts his head down in his hands. "How can I look her in the eyes now? She's known about us for a year. A year, Aaron!"

"I didn't want to tell you but I thought you should know. Now that Ma knows..." I trail off waiting to hear anything from him.

Slade sits there silently before saying, "I don't know what you want me to say. I can't believe this is happening. Let's go get the damn ice and get through the rest of the party. I can't deal with this shit right now."

I mutter, "I lied about the ice. I needed to get you alone so I could tell you about Ma."

Slade turns to stare out the window. "Let's get the ice anyway, so we cover why we left in the first place."

We drive in silence. When I pull in front of the store, Slade refuses to look in my direction. I let the engine idle, as I run inside to grab a few large bags of ice, and head back to the truck. Slade helps to load but doesn't say a word to me. Now I know, I shouldn't have told him. We drive back to the party; he gets out the truck and walks off leaving me alone.

Slade ignores me for the next hour, walking away when he sees me approach, or pretending I'm not even there, when he can't walk away. Exasperated at the whole ordeal, I finally give up trying to reach out to him. I know he's upset but he's acting like a complete douchebag towards me for no reason.

Sometime later, Slade walks over to my mother, he pulls her off to the side, and they start talking. I watch the entire time with curious eyes, wondering what they're saying to each other. I see a lot of head and hand gestures. Then they hug. Ma places her hand on his cheek. She says something and he nods repeatedly with a smile on his face. Slade kisses her cheek and walks back to the party. I make it a point to let Slade see me walk into the house. I wait. A minute later, Slade walks in to find me sitting on the staircase.

"I'm sorry, I was a jackass towards you, Aaron," Slade says in a low whisper as he kneels in front of me.

I start playing with the varsity ring on my finger. "What were you talking about with Ma?"

"You and me," he answers.

I cross my arms around my knees, and hug them tight to me. "What about you and me?"

Slade rubs my forearms. "I asked her if she really was okay about us, and she said 'yes'. I told her that I really care about you, and wished you didn't have to leave. She explained to me the reason why she wants you to move with them."

I ignore the way his touch makes me feel. "Are you okay with her knowing?"

"Not really, but it's one less person we have to hide from," Slade says taking my hands in his and kisses them. "Baby, I'm so sorry for how I acted."

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs breaks into the moment. Slade snatches his hands back, stands up, and takes several steps back from me, as the front door opens. Candace and her friend, Michelle, walk in laughing about something.

Candace smiles over at us. "Hey, guys. We had to escape the heat and there are too many bodies in the pool. I guess you had the same idea." They disappear down the hallway towards the kitchen.

"We can talk about this later," I state gruffly. Slade tries to grab for me but I yank my arm out of reach and walk out the front door.

"Aaron?" Slade calls out but I continue down the stairs and to the party.

**********

"Everybody, y'all gather around. It's time for cake and gifts," Dad yells.

I stand by the designated cake table and wait for my tone-deaf family and friends to sing, 'Happy Birthday'. I'm not in the mood to act as if I'm happy, even with my favorite chocolate cake sitting in front of me. They finish singing. I pause to make a wish.

I wish for Slade and me to find our way

I blow out the candles and smile faintly, hoping my wish will come true.

I get a load of great gifts. Some gag gifts involving Boston but overall a good haul this year. I bring my gifts inside, placing them into open boxes to pack away. I sit at my window and stare at everyone in the yard. I see Slade sitting with his feet dangling in the pool. He's looks up and spots me. I have to keep myself occupied until the party is over. I back away from the window and head back down to the party.

I don't really have an appetite but I'm making a small plate for myself, when I hear someone clear their throat behind me. "Aaron, can we talk?" Slade asks trying to keep the sun out of his eyes.

Shaking my head 'no', I take a bite of chicken. "Slade, I don't want to talk to you right now."

Slade takes a step closer. He whispers, "Shit, Aaron, I said I was sorry. Baby, c'mon. Talk to me."

"Now you want to talk? When I wanted to, you acted like a complete jackass. I'll talk to you but not 'til after the party, Jones." Am I a jackass for doing what I'd just done? He apologized and I was an ass to him. I feel bad, as I walk over to Josh, and we talk about the baseball season so far.

The plans I have for tonight are on the backburner for the time being. I still love him but I can't tell him. It doesn't feel right.

*********

The party breaks up early. Before I know it, it's just me, my family and Slade left to cleanup. We finish a majority of the heavy moving and trash removal in about an hour. I go inside to use the bathroom. I come back out to find Slade with Candace at the pool; he has her giggling about something, "What's goin' on over here?" I ask, climbing the stairs.




Aaron & Slade Ch. 03



After my birthday, Slade overcompensated by smothering me. I love affection but this felt over the top and awkward. I finally had to tell him to chill out because I was uncomfortable. He's has yet to find his footing when he's around my mom but I told him to suck it up.

Slade brought up the idea for the two of us to get away for the weekend. We worked out a lie to tell our parents about a group of us going to the quarry for the weekend. When in reality the two of us are going to his family's lake cabin. We spent a lot of time up there the first summer his parents moved to South Hill. Slade knows his parent's won't go up here this year because his dad is working overnights now and can't get the time off. I'm looking forward to the isolation from the rest of the world. 

I thought I would have to beg my parents to let me go but they threw a curveball by saying 'yes'. My parents only stipulation was the group had to stay together and I had to check in a few times. 

I hate lying to them but I have to do, what I have to do, so I can spend uninterrupted time with my man. I would like to tell ma the truth, since she knows about us, but I think this might be too much for her. Yes, she accepts our relationship, but knowing I was spending the weekend with Slade alone, I didn't want her thinking about what we were doing. I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself.

********

I told Slade I would do the grocery shopping. There are can goods still up at the cabin but probably all expired by now. I have a carriage partially filled with enough food for our three-day weekend.

I fill the coolers and load them onto the truck. I went by Slade's earlier to pick up his things while he was at work. It's easier to have his bag already loaded onto the truck, so all I have to do is swing by to pick him up in the morning. 

I want to give Slade some time to sleep in. I know he's exhausted. Slade's manager only let him have the weekend off, if he worked two straight double shifts and promised to work the next four weekends. With Slade's time consumed with work, we haven't seen each other for more than an hour the last two days. 

When I have everything ready, I got to bed to get a decent amount of sleep for the drive up to the cabin. My phone's alarm awakens me at 5am and I reluctantly hop in the shower. I'm in and out in ten minutes. I'm sluggish and hungry. I have to eat so I head on downstairs to make breakfast.

I pop a couple of breakfast burritos in the microwave. I have about thirty minutes before I get Slade. The microwave buzzes and I grab the burritos. I eat both and nearly take the skin off the roof of my mouth in the process. I put two more burritos into the microwave. I'll heat them up for Slade right before I go. I get two bottles of orange juice from the fridge. I put one next to the microwave while I chug the other.

I look over the driving instructions on how to get to the cabin one more time. With twenty minutes left, I set the time on the microwave, and it comes to life. I put the directions back into my pocket and head up to my parent's room. 

I knock before entering. I walk over to ma's side and lightly shake her awake, "Ma, I'm leaving now. I'll see you Monday morning."

"Okay, sweetie. Don't forget to call to let us know y'all got there in one piece," she says through half opened eyes. "Love you."

"I love you, too." I give her a kiss on the forehead and head out. I reach the bottom step and the microwave goes off, perfect timing. I wrap the burritos in foil to keep them hot and grab the orange juice.

I open the front door, excited about what today would bring for us. The morning dew covers the yard and my truck, and the birds' chirp loudly welcoming the new day. The sunrise is peeking through the trees with a slight cool breeze. Now, I wished I'd dried my hair better.

I place Slade's burritos and juice, in the passenger seat and start the truck. I decide to let the engine warm up a bit before I take off. I connect my phone to the car charger and dial Slade. It rings four times before he answers.

"Yeah," he answers sleepily.

"I'm on my way. Are you awake?" I smile as I picture the sleepy face I know all too well.

"Yup, all dressed and ready to go," he says through a yawn.

"See you in a little bit."

"Alright." I hear him yawn again before he hangs up.

It doesn't take long for me to reach Slade's house. From the quick talk that we had on the phone, I know I'm going to have to go in and grab him because he's gone back to sleep. I quietly walk into his room. I find Slade sprawled out on the bed, fully dressed, and snoring. I chuckle to myself. He only snored when he was truly tired.

I lay next to him; rub his chest and gently shake him, "Jones? Hey, Jones? Come on, we gotta go." Slade stirs a bit but settles back down. It's time to try a different tactic. I turn his head towards me and I kiss him. At first, there's no response, but then he starts to kiss me back. I love the way I feel when he kisses me. I get tingly all over. Slade hands grip my hair pulling me deeper into the kiss.

I pull back before we can go further. "Now that's a good way to wake up," he chuckles quietly against my lips.

"I couldn't get you up I had to try something," I lean in nuzzling his neck and he lets out a husky laugh when I plant little kisses up to his ear. Slade throws his arms around me and hugs me tight. He lets me go and kisses my forehead. If we could, I would not want to get off the bed but we have to. I reluctantly sit back to look down at him. "Come on we gotta get on the road." I roll off the bed to pull him to his feet. Slade grabs a bag by the side of his bed, and we head out to my truck.

"You boys have fun at the quarry," Miss April calls out from the porch. I jump nearly a foot when I hear her voice come out of nowhere. She scared the hell out of me.

"Yes, ma'am. We will," I wave to her before clutching my hand to my chest to ease the thumping of my heart. Slade jogs over to his mom to give her a hug.

I hear Slade say, "Bye, Mama. I'll call when we get there and on our way back. Save me some of that fried chicken you're gonna make Sunday night," he kisses her on the cheek and walks over to the truck.

"Alright, bye, have fun." She waves and walks back into the house.

"She scared the hell outta me." I tell him when he opens the passenger door.

"She does tend to pop up outta thin air," he says putting his bag in first, and then he notices the foil and juice, "These for me?"

"Yeah, a couple a breakfast burritos and juice," I answer with a smile. 

He picks them up and climbs into the truck. "Thanks, babe," he says with a smile. I smile back and give him a wink. I put the truck in gear and pull off. He runs his hand through my hair to the back of my neck. "Your hair I still a little wet. Here use this." Slade goes into his bag, pulls out a towel, and hands it to me.

"Take the wheel," I tell him as I grab the towel and rub it through my hair. "Better?"

Slade runs his hand through my hair again. "Better," he smiles.

"Okay. You should eat those before they get cold."

Slade woofs the burritos down and gulps the orange juice in a few swallows. He burps loudly and starts smacking his lips, "It always tastes better going down then up."

I laugh. "Dude, you're so gross."

"You're just mad because you can't burp like me."

"Yeah, l lay awake at night cursing you because you can burp louder than me," I reply dramatically.

"So, you admit it." Slade playfully pokes me in the shoulder.

"I admit nothing. What time did you get home from the restaurant?" I look over at him.

"Not until almost one in the morning. Soon as I got home, I showered and got dressed."

"That was smart. Well, you don't have to worry about work for the next three days. Why don't you go back to sleep? I know you're tired. I'll wake you when we get there," I tell him.

"No, it's a long drive. I'll keep you company. Oh, I got your birthday gift. It finally got here. I thought you'd leave without it. It's all wrapped and ready for you to open." 

"Can I open it now?" I ask him intrigued, as to the gift I've waited to open for a week. 

"No, not yet."

"But you'll get to soon."

"Do I at least get a hint to what it is?" I ask with a smile.

"No. I want you to be completely in the dark. I want to see the look on your face when you open it," he says with a loud yawn. "I think you're really gonna love it, Aaron." He takes my hand into his own, linking our fingers together. I raise his hand to my mouth giving it a kiss.

We have a bit more small talk but we mostly drive in silence. I turn the radio on and hum along to the music. Slade eventually nods off. He turns into The Leaning Tower of Pisa, inch by inch. His head lands on my shoulder and I maneuver to make it more comfortable for the both of us. We drive this way for part of the drive before he ends up snuggling up to the passenger side door.

********

We arrive at the cabin two hours later.

It's large and dark brown with a red brick chimney along the outside. There's a grey stone pathway leading to the front door. The dock is about a hundred feet from the cabin, and about 15 feet long. There is a wooden raft out in the middle of the lake. It's a place where we can lounge out in the sun if we choose to go out there. This area is remote so I know we'll have privacy, if we choose to walk around nude. The boat covered and stored up on a platform a few feet from the water.

I nudge Slade awake. He sits there for a minute to let his eyes adjust. I get out the truck and stretch. It was no longer cool outside. The temperature is about 20 degrees warmer since we'd left South Hill.

Slade walks to the side of the cabin to flip the lever on the breaker box. It takes time but I hear the generator come to life and breathe a deep sigh of relief. Walking into the cabin, the air is uncomfortable, stuffy, and dry. We open the windows to get rid of the musty smell. I turn the temperature on the fridge to its highest setting.

We move everything inside, put away all the dry food, uncover the furniture, and make the bed in the master bedroom. After thirty minutes, I close the windows and turn on the AC while Slade grabs a cola from the cooler and takes a huge gulp, "Baby, do you wanna drink?" he asks, opening his bottle.

"Nah, thanks, I'm not thirsty." Slade shrugs, walks over to the couch, and sits down. Exhausted, I slump down on the couch next to him. I put my head on his shoulder and let out a loud yawn. "Damn, I gotta call my mom."

"Me, too," Slade replies trying to take his phone from his back pocket as I reach for mine.

I stand up to go outside. I barely have a bar but I'm able to get my call through finally. "Hey, Ma. We got here in one piece. Reception is kinda crappy but I'll try to call you as often as I can, okay?"

"That's okay. Go and have fun. Tell Slade and everyone, I said, 'hi'. And try not to kill yourselves. I'd hated to have to bring you back to life only to kill you all over again for putting me through heartache. Oh, I gotta run. Your father won't stop honking. I'll talk to you later."

I can't help but laugh because I know if everything she said were an option that she would live up to her words. "Okay. I'll talk to you later. Love ya, bye."

"Love ya, too, sweetie."

I hang up taking a deep breath of Virginia fresh air. I walk back into the cabin to rejoin Slade who has already finished his phone call. I plop down on the couch beside him with a grunt.

"We should've gone into bedroom," Slade says with a tired whine looking over towards the master bedroom. He places his head on my shoulder and snuggles in closer. Neither of us moves and before long, I hear him snoring softly in my ear.

"Jones?" I shake him awake. He jerks his eyes open. Without saying anything, I grab his hand and walk to the master bedroom. We strip down to our underwear before getting under the cover. I'm on my back with Slade's head on my shoulder. He lazily rubs my chest; it doesn't take long for me to fall asleep though not peacefully.

My dreams plagued with visions of Slade disappearing from my life. It's hard to get comfortable. I roll onto my side pulling Slade in closer to me. I can feel his breath on my skin, his hands press against my chest helping to ease my restlessness, only then am I able to sleep. I wake up a bit later to find Slade's not in bed.

Groggily, I call out to him, "Jones?" I clear my throat and call out for him again, "Jones?"

"I'm out here, Aaron," he replies.

I slip my jeans back on and step out of the room. Slade's in the kitchen wearing damp swim trunks and sneakers. His skin is glistening. He has a towel draped across his left shoulder and looking sexy as hell.

I take a much-needed stretch. "Why didn't you wake me? I would've gone swimming with you." 

Slade walks over giving me a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. "Hi! Nice to see you too," he says with a smile.

"I'm sorry. Hi," I tell him with a peck to the lips. "Why didn't you wake me?"

Slade rolls his eyes, walks over to the cooler, and pulls out a bottle of water. "I could hardly get any sleep because you were tossing and turning for almost an hour. I was finally able to sleep and woke up about 30 minutes ago. Besides, it's not that big a deal, we have the whole weekend to go swimming together." He takes a long sip of water. Almost as if a second thought, he asks, "What were you dreaming about anyway? You kept muttering in your sleep but I couldn't make out what you were saying."

"I don't remember," I answer a little too quickly. I change the topic just as quick. "Hey, we can go swimming now if you want." 

Slade stares at me. I know that he knows what I'm trying to do. He watches me closely, and after a few seconds, he shrugs and shakes his head. "Go get your shorts on. I'll finish putting this stuff away," he states with a heavy sigh. Damn! I know that look. He's disappointed. Without another word, Slade turns his attention back to the cooler. 

I begin to curse myself out quietly in my head walking back to the room. 

I have all these insecurities about us breaking up because of some stupid misunderstanding. I think my dreams are a manifestation of this. But I don't want to plant the seeds of doubt in Slade's head by telling him what I've been going through even though he has a right to know. I've been having dreams like this since my birthday. The closer we get to our inevitable separation the more I have them. But I try to shake the negative thoughts from my head as often as I can. I have to believe that we are the exception to the rule and that nothing will tear us apart. 

Back in the room I sort through my bag to find the shorts I want to wear. I slip them on before using the bathroom and back to the kitchen where I left Slade. I watch him arranging the shelves in the fridge. He doesn't hear or see me reenter the kitchen.

I'm behind Slade but he doesn't notice until my arms wrap around him. He's startled briefly but relaxes when he realizes that it's only me and breathes a sigh of relief. We slowly sway back and forth. Slade's hands glide over my forearms before intertwining our fingers.

"I'm sorry," I whisper in his ear. "I lied when I told you I didn't remember the dream. I do remember but I don't want to talk about it, okay?" 

"I knew you were holding out on me." He turns his head to look up at me. "Aaron, you can talk to me about anything, you know that."

I nod. "I know I can. And I will tell you about the dream, eventually, but not now, okay?"

Slade gives me a small smile of acknowledgment. 

To ease the tension I can still sense between us, I place random kisses over the back of his head, neck and shoulders. Slade laughs when I blow hard on his neck. He tries to move away but I hold him tighter. I do it again and he laughs harder; his entire body shakes as a result. "Aaron, stop, that tickles. Stop!"

I laugh. "This is fun. I can't help it." 

"Yeah you can. Stop before I make you stop." Slade hands are grasping at my hands trying to pry my fingers apart. He's strong and I almost lose my grip. 

Smirking, I ask, "How do you think you're gonna do that, if I do this?" 

Knowing Slade's weak spots, I lick the back of his neck. I let my lips and breath linger on his wet skin. A deep moan rumbles from him and he stops trying to wiggle free. Slade's head falls back against my shoulder. I release the tight hold I have on him to let my hands skim over his nipples. They harden under the light caress. He throws an arm back around my neck pulling me down to him. Slade's lips brush lightly against mine before moving to my neck and chin. I close my eyes. The smell of the lake water mingled in with his natural spicy scent has me aroused. I let Slade know the effect he has on me by holding him tighter against me. He groans arching back into me. 

"Baby, I've missed you the past couple of days," he whispers huskily.

I rest my chin on his shoulder. I feel Slade's lips press firmly against my temple and I smile at the tenderness of his lips. Slade turns so he's facing me. He locks his arms tight around my waist. My hands stroke his shoulders down his biceps before moving to the small of his back.

"I missed you too. I hated being away from you for that long." 

Slade skims his thumb over my bottom lip. I want to tell him my true feelings but I'm still too afraid. There's no doubt in my mind that the man in my arms loves me as much as I love him but I can't bring myself to say the words.

I give him a peck on the lips. We begin to rock back and forth with our foreheads pressed lightly together. 

We stare into each other's eyes taking the other in. His fingers graze over the nape of my neck which sends a little shiver through me. Slade makes his move. He starts with several soft, little pecks before the kiss deepens and turns downright dirty. Two days of built-up longing for each other are in this kiss. Our tongues massage urgently against one another. Slade playfully nips and sucks hard on my bottom lip. He can feel him smile in response when I hiss from the mix of pleasure and pain. Slade's hands have a firm grip in my hair which he uses to guide me in the direction he wants me. I love it when he takes control like this. His hands claw down my back and inside my shorts grabbing onto my ass. I mewl at the feel of his strong hands on me. I gravelly whisper his name against his lips. 

I'm not exactly sure how I end up on the couch with Slade straddling me but I'm not going to complain. The way he's undulating on top of me has me barely breathing. I aggressively grip his ass to pull him in closer while timing the rocking of my hips in time with his. Slade's mouth breaks from mine with a soft gasp. He leans back to look at me. His bottom lip tucked between his teeth. There's so much going on behind his beautiful blue eyes.

"What's wrong?" I cup the sides of his face as he stares down at me.

"I just-I-I-I... nothing, nothing's wrong, baby. Don't worry about it." Slade smiles sheepishly and starts kissing me again. This time it's more reserved and timid. He's holding back now and I know it's a cue that nothing will come from this make-out session. Slade's hands rest lightly at my neck. I maneuver so we're now lying down on the couch holding one another. Slade has my head cradled protectively, as if he doesn't want me to go anywhere. I nuzzle in closer to his neck. I breathe him in. I already know what he smells like but I can't help doing it every time we're together.

"I want to stay this way with you forever?" He whispers in my ear. I wrap my arms around him and we cuddle, when my stomach starts to rumble loudly. Slade laughs. "I guess your stomach objects to staying like this forever.

I blush but laugh along with him. "Let's have a picnic down by the water." I suggest tilting my head to look at him.




Aaron & Slade Ch. 04



This chapter was hard for me to write. I'd written it nearly two years ago and was never happy with the final product. I'd never written a gay sex scene and it showed. It lacked the heat and the passion. I never thought I would or could get there as a writer. But feedback from a Lit member about another story of mine helped me with the reediting of this chapter. I hope I was able to be visual, which was what I lacked in the original version. This chapter is more in depth and more character driven. You see more of how Aaron and Slade interact with each other. I wanted to show Aaron and Slade's playfulness, adoration, love and concern for one another. I think I was able to do just that with this chapter version.

If you like this chapter, or you don't like this chapter, please leave helpful feedback and critiques telling me why. Because whether you know it or not, your thoughts and concerns are invaluable in areas I might've overlooked. 

I hope you enjoy! Thank you!

-TrippyLuv

**********

Time stops. I blink a few times. This can't possibly be real.

Sticking my finger in my ear and jiggle it, I say, "I might have water in my ears 'cause I think heard you say something that's completely impossible." 

Slade laughs and grabs my finger from my ear. "Smartass, you know you heard me." He kisses me. "Aaron. You. Me. Right. Now. I'm ready."

Each kiss he places on my lips down my neck is pure heaven. But I have to make sure this is something he really wants. 

With my mind wondering and losing myself in Slade's touch, I snap back and pull away. "Whoa, Slade! You don't have to do this. I'd never want you to do something you weren't ready to do, especially if it's because I'm moving."

"Aaron, I'm not doing this because you're moving. I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't a factor but I came to this decision a while ago. Baby, I'm ready. I know you've been ready for a long time now. There's nothing left to talk about." 

Slade takes my hands in his and leans in but I hold him back.

"Jones, but I think we do need to talk."

With a defeated sigh, Slade moves away from me to the other end of the couch. The hurt evident in his eyes as he looks down at the floor, and he mutters, "I guess I said 'no' one too many times, huh? You don't want to spend the night with me, do you?"

In an instant, I'm by his side and forcing him to look at me. I kiss him quickly before saying, "Slade, I don't ever want you to think that I don't want to be with you. Believe me. I want nothing more than to spend every night of my life with you. I just need to make sure you're doing this for the right reasons. I don't want to wake up tomorrow and see regret written all over your face because we made love when you weren't ready."

"Aaron, I've thought long and hard about this a lot. I know without a doubt that I'm ready."

Sitting here in front of Slade, I'm extremely nervous. The moment I've longed for is finally here and I'm ruining it. Sex never crossed my mind for this weekend and here it is on the front line unexpectedly. God, I want him more than I've ever wanted anything in my entire life. I want Slade to know how much I want him and only him. 

However, the only things I know about sex are what I've picked up from watching porn and reading erotic stories online, and neither of these helpful to me for my first time. I did some research last year, but after Slade denied me the second to last time, I stopped reading up on it. Now, I wish I hadn't because I've forgotten everything I've read.

"We still need to talk."

Confused, he asks, "Baby, what's there to talk about?"

Searching my brain for the right words to express myself, I take his hands in mine. "I know there's a lot to do but I don't know what. I don't want to hurt you."

Slade clears his throat, leans against the back of the couch, and rests his cheek on his fist, licking his lips. "It's gonna hurt from what I've read. But everyone says it feels good after the discomfort goes away. Plus, I've taken some extra precautions."

My eyebrows furrow. "What does 'extra precautions' mean? Who's everyone?"

Slade takes a deep breath. "I read first time stories from other guy's. All of them said it hurt but it didn't last long. The precautions mean that there's less risk for 'accidents' to occur. When you were asleep while I was cooking, I took advantage of an opportunity to keep up with some of those precautions. So you have nothing to worry about, okay? Everything is fine."

Thrown by his revelation, I look him in the eyes. "How long have you had this planned?"

Slade's eyes drop to my hands but he looks back at me. "Since a week before your birthday."

Shaking my head in disbelief, I exclaim, "What? No, you haven't!"

He nods, "Yeah, I was gonna to tell you the night of your party, but it didn't go quite as I planned. Here I was ready to surprise you with our first time on your birthday. But instead, I nearly lost you because I was a complete douche bag. That's the reason why I wanted to walk home. I had to clear my head and come up with a way to make it up to you, even though you had no idea what I'd planned. It took a lot of willpower to keep me from throwing myself at you this past week. But I wanted our first time to be special. Which is why I suggested coming up here. I wanted you all to myself... uninterrupted." Slade kisses the corners of my mouth.

His advances have no hidden meaning, Slade becomes bolder as he playfully kisses and sucks on my neck.

"Jones, hold up. Wait!"

Kissing me on the cheek, he says impatiently, "Aaron, stop stalling!"

Pulling away from him reluctantly, I hold his shoulders firmly, and my words are a raspy whisper, "I know you've planned this and you say that you're ready, but if we start and you change your mind again, I honestly don't think I could handle it."

Slade's blue eyes intense as they stare back into my light brown eyes unwavering. Raking my hands through my hair, I put my head down on his shoulder and he kisses my ear. One hand rests at my neck while the other hand's fingers interlace with mine. For once, he's not the hesitant one. My heart begins to race because this chance could pass me.

Slade moves his hands to my thighs squeezing them firmly. "Aaron, look at me," he whispers in my ear. I slowly raise my head. "Every time we were together, and it got too real for me, I'd stop you, and you've never once questioned why. You knew I wasn't ready without me having to say a word. Why are you questioning me now when I'm telling you that I want this and that I want you?" 

The one question that keeps coming to mind these last few seconds: Why am I questioning him?

I'm unbelievably nervous. My heart is beating its way out of my chest. This is what I've wanted for almost two years, I'm going to lose my virginity to the person I love most in this world. Slade draws closer to me, and he's steadfast in his mission.

"Aaron, baby, I'm ready. If you don't want this to happen, then you're gonna have to stop it," Slade says before kissing me. 

All my inhibitions are out the window the instant his lips touch mine. Grabbing the back of his neck, I ferociously attack his lips, and he kisses back with the same intensity. The kiss deepens. Our tongues dance in an intimate tango to see who'll surrender to the other. His prodding tongue is forceful but soft. Slade nibbles on my bottom lip and tenderly sucks on it. Like putty in his hands, I'm pliable. I surrender to him completely.

My hands wrap up in his shirt; pulling him in closer to me, his body presses mine against the arm of the couch, the lumpy cushion uncomfortable against my lower back, his hands sliding up to my shoulders. Slade starts his sensual assault on my ear to my neck and over to my other ear taking playful nips along the way. I can't help moaning softly. 

The rain slows. It drums in tune to "All in My Lover's Eyes" by The Isley Brothers playing softly in the background. The thunder subsides with the occasional rumble and the lightning is all but gone.

I hold him close to me, breathing in the faint smell of his soap and body spray. He pants and whimpers lightly when my fingers brush against his nipples. Craving for more skin contact, I pull his shirt over his head and nibble on his left brown nub. Slade exhales a low, long breath when I move to the right. His lips linger close enough to my ear to touch but not quite. His breath sends little shots of electricity coursing through my body.

Slade hastily removes my t-shirt. He kisses his way down my chest back up to my awaiting lips. I adjust my position allowing Slade to stretch his body out over mine. My hands rest on his firm, round ass as we continue to make out on the couch. There's light touching but nothing too serious. However, that doesn't last long. Moments later, I'm sitting up with Slade straddling my lap, rocking his hips, and panting heavily in my ear. His arms snake around my neck pulling me in closer.

Tilting my head back, Slade uses just enough force to make me groan out of pleasure, breathlessly he says, "I think we should go to the bedroom now." 

There's everything in his eyes: anxiety, love, lust, and desire. Standing up, Slade pulls me to my feet, and reaches for the condom that has fallen to the floor. He places it in my hand and entwines our fingers before placing a kiss to the back of my hand. Leaning down, I brush our lips together. With a motion of his head towards the bedroom, Slade leads me slowly to the back of the cabin. 

There's a sway in our steps, as I turn to walk backwards, and stumble slightly over Slade's foot. The lights flicker but neither of us acknowledges it. We kiss and paw at each other only stopping when we fall on the bed in a laughing heap. 

Backing away from him, I stand at the foot of the bed; Slade sits up placing his hands on my waist, as he kisses my stomach. His hands travel down inside my shorts, kneading my ass firmly before he pushes my shorts down until they fall to the ground, and I step out of them. Slade places his forehead against my chest and I kiss the top of his head. He plants little kisses on my inflamed cock. It twitches its approval from the feel of his lips. 

Slade smiles up at me before lying back, allowing me to pull his shorts off him. His beautiful large, pink cock springs from its confines and has me chomping at the bit. Climbing onto the bed, I straddle him, and give little kisses up his stomach to his neck. Slade slowly begins backing up, only stopping when his head hits the pillow, and settles back against it. I smile down at him. Slade nods, as if to say, 'yes, keep going'.

Working my way down Slade's muscular body, I concentrate on his hot zones, and get an immediate reaction, when he arches into me. Chuckling softly to myself, I rub his taut, sensitive nipples. Slade writhes beneath me. His body is hard but his skin soft against my slightly calloused hands. 

Slade kisses my neck while I stroke his hefty erection. I lick down the wispy line of hair from his belly button, down to his thick, pink shaft. The pearly drops of pre-cum begin to ooze openly from its confinement. The salty and sweet familiar taste is soothing to my nerves. The curly dark brown hairs of his neatly groomed bush, tickle at the tip of my nose. Slade's grip in my hair tightens as he slowly begins to fuck my mouth. Holding back a little, I pull away, and lap the underside of his length as if it was an ice cream cone.

Arching his back, Slade moans, "Oh, yeah! Aaron, your mouth feels so good, baby."

I reluctantly move away to lay next to him but continue stroking him. Our teeth clash in a fiery kiss. Slade groans, thrusting his hips faster than my slow, deliberate strokes. In an unexpected move, he growls deeply, grips my shoulders, and forcefully rolls me over onto my back. He plants rushed kisses all over my face, neck, and ears. Unable to touch him because he has a firm hold on my wrists, the only thing I can do is lie here and writhe under his aggressive attention. 

"It's my turn now," Slade says, kissing down my chest to my navel, which he attacks with vigor. I can't control the loud moans that emanate from deep within. The tingling sensation results in my cock jerking repeatedly against my stomach. Looking down, I see him hover above my painfully engorged erection. The anticipation heightened only by Slade's slow movements. I collapse against the pillow when the warmth of his mouth envelops me.

Slade's pressing all the right buttons. I don't think I can take anymore. A thought only enhanced when he sucks on my dick as if he's trying to get a thick shake through a small straw. He rolls my balls lightly in contrast to his hard sucking. His deep throating has me crying out for more with each swallow he makes. My urging does not go denied. My throbbing member is at its brink but Slade pulls back. Frustrated, I try to push my cock back into his mouth but he only kisses the tip and smiles. 

Looking up at me, he releases my wrists and sits atop me. His hands roam over my chest playfully while he rolls his hips. Thrusting against him, Slade gasps when I grab his waist, grinding our hips together harder and harder. Slade moans deeply, throwing his head back. Reaching up and clasping the back of his neck, I pull him down to look into his gorgeous blue eyes. Our mutual undulating continues with my heavy pants becoming more frequent. A grin forms on his lips because he knows he has me where he wants me.

Without a word, Slade stops moving, leans over the edge of the bed, and produces a small bottle of lube from his backpack with extra condoms placing them on the nightstand. 

Amused, I ask, "Do you really think we'll need all those?"

He smiles with a shrug and kisses me on the cheek. "It doesn't hurt to be prepared." 

Slade places the bottle of lube in my hand. 

Thrown, I ask, "What do I do?"

The panic in my eyes makes Slade laugh. "You go to get me ready to take that monster between your legs. Here," he says, taking the lube from my hand, "put some on me and on your finger, but go slow!"

My thoughts are running rampant as I kneel in front of him. Slade spreads his legs further. Kissing and biting his inner thighs, I give his ass several smacks. His tight, brown beautiful hole dances in front of me in anticipation. I lean in to lap hungrily at him. Slade tries to move away but I pull him back. My enthusiastic assault has Slade muttering incoherently. He starts to massage the top of my head leisurely, and moans his approval when my tongue probes deeper into him. 

"Fuck yeah, Aaron, baby, oh...," Slade begins but doesn't finish when I begin stroking his cock as I eat him out. His hands roam randomly over his torso before he hugs his midsection tight. At this moment, I slowly push my finger inside him while I massage his taint deftly making him cry out softly.

Immediately, I ask, "Do you want me to stop?"

Slade shakes his head. "No. Don't. I just... damn that burns," he replies with a whisper. His once hard cock is deflating from the discomfort. I do all I can do to help him relax. 

After a couple of minutes, Slade relaxes enough to allow me to push my finger in deeper.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Not really. Move your finger around, and I'll let you know when I'm ready for another one," Slade says softly. I do as he says, moving my finger to help loosen and relax him. It's not long before I hear him say, "Baby, yeah, just like that. Go ahead and put another one in." Slade moans, grabbing hold of himself and starts jerking off.

Cautiously, I insert my second finger. Slade moans and undulates his hips to meet my thrust while cooing for me to go harder and faster. Not waiting for Slade to tell me, I insert my third finger, and he moans louder. He grips the sheets tight in his hands when I push my fingers in as deep as they can go. Slade's head shoots up from the pillow with gasp before falling back against it. "Ooooohhhhh, right there. Do that again!" I do it again and his body begins to vibrate uncontrollably. 

"Oh, god. Your ass is so tight," I mewl at the grip he has on my fingers. "Wait until my cock's inside you."

Slade grips my head, and pulls me to him for a kiss. He massages the back of my neck, and he pleads, "Baby, please. I don't want to wait anymore. Take me."

I nod, grabbing the condom he gave me from the foot of the bed. My hands tremble as I try to rip open the foil. Slade soothingly grips my hands in his and they steady. He helps to rip it open and sheaths the latex on me himself. My bulging member bounces excitedly.

We stare into each other's eyes. The world ceases to exist. It's only him and me. 

"Are you ready?"

Slade nods, pushing my hair from my eyes, and says, "Yeah, I'm ready." 

Kissing him tenderly, I whisper against his lips, "Breathe. Don't forget to breathe." It was more for me than him but he nods. Positioning myself, I slowly push forward, and our eyes never leave each other. The look on his face makes my heart skip a beat. His eyes are full of love but also filled with a touch of anxiety. "Try relaxing and push out, okay? It might help."

After a few attempts, Slade grimaces when I push through into his inner sanctum. Taking a large breath, he shuts his eyes, and squeezes the hell out the tip of my cock. Slade's breath is quick and shallow as he digs his nails into my thighs. I caress the sides of his face in the hope of taking his mind off the invasion while we kiss.

I, myself, try to relax. The grip he has on me is something I've never before experienced. I could come right now from the feeling alone but I don't. My natural instinct to move, suppressed by not wanting to hurt Slade. He's trusting me and I won't let him down.

Whispering against his lips, I say, "I love you so much." 

He smiles sweetly. "You know, I'll never get tired of hearing you say that. I love you, too."

Burying my face in his neck, I place light kisses on his neck. He strokes my back gently. I'm not sure when it happened but I realize I'm inching deeper. There's no hesitation as I slowly embed myself inside him. His hands rest against my chest with his legs over my shoulders. My long, slow thrusts have both of our moans filling the room. Looking down entranced at how his ass surrounds my dick, I almost falter but regain my composure. 

With his mouth agape, Slade exclaims, "Shit! Oh, my god."

Scared, I ask, "What? Am I hurting you?"

In an instant, Slade says, "No, don't stop. Don't stop. That feels really good." 

I push deeper into him making my eyes cross. Picking up the pace, I grunt and shudder. Taking him in hand, I stroke him in time with my thrusts until his cock slaps hard against his stomach. I slam into him hard, he trembles beneath me, and his eyes roll to the back of his head. 

Slade's hips gyrate seductively. His head turns to the side exposing his neck. Watching the erratic pulse beat in his neck, I lean down to suck hard and bite down. Slade cries out gripping my biceps tight. Releasing his legs from my shoulders, Slade wraps them around my waist, and we continue on our journey of lovemaking.

To have him beneath me and to have him feel the way he feels it takes this to another level. Leaning forward, I kiss him deeply. He unwraps his legs, grabs my ass, pulling his lips from mine, he cries out, "Faster. Harder. Oh, my god, baby, yes, yes." He buries his hands in my hair forcing my head down to his neck.

Hearing his cries of pleasure sends a new wave of confidence through me.

I go faster and harder, but soon my slower pace is back. Slade responds more. His soft grunts and sighs are music to my ears. He presses his forehead against mine while kissing the tip of my nose. 

Stroking the sides of his face, I ask, "Do you want to try being on top?"

"Hmm-hmm," he mewls.

Slade sighs when I slowly pull out of him. We kiss before I lay on my back. Slade lets out of few breaths before he positions himself over me. Not knowing what I should do next, I let Slade take control. He cautiously impales himself on my swollen member and lets out a long groan. There's no movement except for him leaning down to kiss me fully and desperately. An involuntary thrust on my part causes Slade to sit up and throw his head back with a deep whimper. Watching his hands roam over his body while he rocks his hips faster and faster is tantalizing. I can't keep my eyes off him. 




Aaron & Slade Ch. 05



This reedited chapter deals with the boy's deciding if they should come out to their parents. I hope I was able to catch the emotional turmoil that accompanies the feelings, which come along with making such a difficult decision. 

Please leave comments and feedback. I love reading everyone's thoughts and concerns. 

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I work insane hours now but I'll try my best to get the chapters reedited and posted. 

-TrippyLuv 

********** 

The abject fear grows steadily within me the closer we get back to South Hill making my heart pound faster with each passing mile. Holding Slade's hand the whole drive is the only thing keeping me sane. He's the reason why I haven't driven us in the opposite direction and hightailed it across the state line never to look back. But I know we have to face the consequences of us lying about this weekend. 

My only hope is for God to answer one of my million silent prayers. 

I have thought about every worst-case scenario with each one leading back to my dad's complete disappoint in me. I can handle my dad being mad but disappointment is a whole other ballgame. 

Deciding to get a feel for what's going on at the house, I press 'call' on my phone, and wait for Candace to answer. She picks up after the third ring. "Aar, what the hell?" Candace whispers into the phone. 

Nervously drumming my fingers against the steering wheel, I say, "Don't worry about it, Can. Where's Ma? Has she calmed down since I last spoke to her?" 

"Well, she's cussing up a storm if that's any indication to how she's doing. She's pacing the house like a crazy woman. She goes upstairs then comes downstairs and heads for the living room. Without furniture in there, she's done at least 5,000 laps already. Aar, you should know that... uh, Daddy's been out back smoking," Candace says nervously. "He's gone through almost half a pack already." 

Dad smoking is a bad sign. He only smokes when he's upset. The last time he smoked was nearly three years ago, when his younger brother and my favorite uncle, Uncle James, passed away suddenly. Now, he's smoking because of me, and I hate I've put him in that frame of mind. 

Sighing heavily, I say, "Damn. Okay. I'm close just over an hour away. Do me a favor. Try to keep me posted. I need to know what's going on before I get there. Can you do that for me?" 

"Yeah, sure, no problem." There's a long pause before Candace clears her throat and says, "I love you, big bro. You know you can tell me anything, don't you?" 

"I love you, too, squirt. But I can't tell you this, not right now, okay? I have too much goin' on." 

Through the phone, I can hear Ma calling out for Candace to come to the kitchen. 

"I gotta go. I'll see you when you get here," Candace says abruptly hanging up. 

Placing my phone between my legs, I look over at Slade who's watching me. He strokes my hand lazily with his thumb. I bring our hands to my mouth kissing the back of his hand as he smiles at me. 

"Are you okay, Jones?" 

"I have no idea what to say when I see my parents." 

"Play it by ear. Only thing they know is we were at the cabin but nothing else. Let them do all the talking. This will give us the advantage. Hopefully, we can get out of it with as little damage as possible." 

Slade snorts loudly before saying, "Aaron, come on. Do you think that's honestly going to work? Your mom knows about us and has probably connected the dots by now. What if she's already told your dad what's going on?" 

Shaking my head, I reply, "She wouldn't tell him. Plus, even if she had, he would've tried to call me." 

At least, I think he would've tried to call me. Maybe he does know and that's why he's smoking up a storm. 

"Okay, let's say she didn't tell him. This means she's covering for us. Do you really want her to keep lying to him about something this big? He might get mad at her for not telling him when she had the chance." 

Slade's question throws me. I've never thought about the situation that I was putting my mother in. I shrug and answer, "No, I don't her to keep covering for me. But she won't say anything because it's not her secret to tell, so I know she'll keep it to herself." 

Seconds go by before Slade says, "You're not gonna like what I'm about to say, but, I think we should tell them about us." 

Caught off guard, I jerk the wheel nearly hitting the car on my left. I rip my hand from Slade's in order to get control of my truck. Horns blare all around me. The driver I almost hit sticks his hand out the passenger window to flip me off while cursing profusely. I ignore him as I slowly maneuver to the side of the road. 

Turning to face Slade, I see the wide-eyed panic across his face as he white knuckles the door handle. He glances over at me and asks, "You okay?" 

My voice cracks, "Yeah, I'm fine. You?" 

He laughs nervously. "Yup. My heart's pounding. I think I may have peed a little though." 

There's more curtness in my voice than I anticipated when I say, "Do you know how you can avoid situations like this in the future? Try not to give the driver a heart attack by blurting out life altering decisions while he's driving down a busy highway." 

Slade's head snaps towards me and with a curtness, which matches my own, he says, "Whoa! You need to dial the attitude back there, buddy." 

"Listen. I'm sorry, okay?" I offer half-heartedly and rolling my eyes. 

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Slade seethes, his face getting redder the more upset he becomes. "You went from loving boyfriend to jerk at the drop of a hat." 

Feeling bad for how I reacted, I grab his hand and apologize. "Slade, look, I really am sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you the way I did but you throw me a curveball. I wasn't expecting you to blurt out we should tell everyone about us." 

Slade doesn't respond right away. He stares straight ahead out the window before he replies. "Believe me it wasn't something I came to lightly. It's all I've been thinking about for the past two hours. I'm just as surprised as you are with wanting to tell them. But if you really think about it too, you'll see we don't have another option." 

"We have other options," I state desperately. 

Slade sighs and shakes his head. "They already know we were together at the cabin. You're mom knows we're dating. We can't lie anymore. She'll see right through anything we say. It makes no sense to keep on lying. They're gonna ask questions. Questions we can't answer without giving ourselves away. There's no getting out of it. We have to tell everyone else. And we have to tell them tonight." 

"Jones there's always a way out. I had a panic attack a few hours ago at the mere thought of my dad knowing. Now, you want me to tell him? Are you high or something? Why do we have to say anything about us? We can lie and tell them we brought a couple of girls up there." 

The hurt in Slade's eyes has me looking down at the steering wheel in shame. 

"You're willing to walk in there and lie about spending the night with some random girl after what we shared last night?" Slade asks pained. 

I move in front of him clasping the sides of his neck. I stare him deep in the eyes and say, "Slade, I was only throwing out a suggestion. I wasn't thinking. But neither are you. We can come up with something else to tell them other than outing ourselves. You freaked out on me last week when I told you my mom knew. What is the difference between now and then?" 

His face softens somewhat as his hands come up to cover mine. The melancholy smile he offers is plagued with unspoken emotion. "Your mom knowing was just the first step for me to get to where I am now. Aaron, we shared the most important part of ourselves with each other last night. And I can't ever go back to living my life hiding behind having a girlfriend. I won't go back to the secrets and lies. I'm done with the self-loathing of being who I am. I'm tired of lying about how much you mean to me in front of everyone. I want to be able to hold your hand and kiss you in public. I want everyone to know that you're my boyfriend and that we're in love. I'm not naïve. I know there are people out there who'll have a problem with us but they're not my concern. You and I are the only ones who matter here, not anyone else. Don't you want to be free of it all? Aren't you tired of lying about who you are?" 

I sit back as I contemplate his question. The eternal struggle in both of us is palpable. For the first time, we're truly talking about coming out to our families. I understand where Slade is coming from but telling my dad is not an option I'm up to facing. "Yeah, I'm tired, but I'm leaving next week. Why put ourselves through what could be the worst night of our lives? If we tell them tonight, we disrupt the delicate balance in our lives. Tell me, how can we support one another through coming out if we're in different states? Think about it." 

"Baby, I know how hard it's going to be for you to tell your dad, but don't forget, I have to tell mine, too. We both know what a hard-ass my dad can be. I don't want to tell him but I know I have to. Aaron, your dad, he's nothing like mine. I'm actually jealous of how close the two of you are, and that's how I know he'll be okay with you telling him about us," Slade says wiping the lone tear on his cheek before taking my hands in his. "My dad on the other hand, I have no idea how he's going to react. I've never heard him say anything homophobic so maybe we'll both get lucky on that front." 

Slade's tears flow freely down his cheeks. Moving in closer, I wipe them away with the back of my hand. I wrap my arms around him and hold on as tight as I can. We bury our faces in each other's neck. Quivering in his arms, I take deep breaths, and soon we begin to breathe as one. The tension in our bodies fades. 

Sniffling, Slade pulls back from me, and placing his forehead against mine. "Don't get me wrong. I keep going back and forth with telling them or not telling them. Part of me thinks it's the best decision but another part thinks maybe not so much. I want to be strong enough to stand up and say, 'this is me', but then I think, 'am I ready'?" He says somberly. 

I've always known that Slade was the stronger of us in certain aspects. He's taken risks when I've held back. I don't think we would even be together if he hadn't kissed me after the homecoming dance. Now, here he is showing the strength I wish I had in me. 

Going into an almost Zen-like state, I think about the two most important men who'll ever be a part of my life. They represent two very different kinds of love: 

My dad is the first man to love me. When I was sick, he sat with me in my hospital room. Holding me when I needed to be held. Dad gave me words of encouragement and the strength to help battle my cancer when I didn't think I had it in me. He raised me. Teaching me how to play catch, to fish, to shave but the most important thing, he taught me how to be a respectful man. I owe him everything. But should I sacrifice Slade in order to repay him for all his years of love and support. What does that say about how I perceive our relationship as father and son, if I can't tell my own father that I'm gay and in love with my boyfriend? 

Then there's Slade. I honestly don't know how I've lived in this world before without him. All I know now is my life will cease to exist without him in it. It's not enough that I'm in love with him but I genuinely like him, too. I want to make him happy for the rest of his life. Slade is my first thought in the morning and my last thought at night. He's the one I go to first with all of my problems without a second thought. He's there for me when I need him. He's finally at a place where he's ready to accept himself, and he wants me to be by his side. The despair I feel at losing him over not being there when he needs me the most makes me feel unworthy of his love. 

It seems as if hours go by, but in actuality, it's only been about a minute, when it hits me like a ton of bricks... I need to man-up and tell my dad. It's the only logical thing for me to do. 

An exasperated sigh cuts into my thoughts. I focus my eyes on Slade only to see the visible agitation across his face. With a raspy whisper, he says, "I can't live like this anymore, Aaron. I get where you're coming from with not wanting to tell your dad. But you have to understand why I have to... no, I need to tell my parent's 'cause if I don't, I'll be miserable. I don't want to be miserable anymore. If you keep choosing to make your dad happy instead of yourself, you'll end up being miserable, and you'll do it without me." Slade gets out the truck slamming the door behind him. 

Knowing Slade wants to be alone to cool down I stay in the truck watching him pace angrily. After about five minutes, he stops to lean his back against the door, his shoulders hunched as they shake visibly from his crying. 

I climb from the truck walking quickly over to him. I run my hand down his shoulders and arms to grip his hands in mine. Bending my knees so we're eye level, I say, "We've been together for over two years. Two years filled with lies, and hiding our relationship from our family and friends. I-I-I- don't wanna lose you when I have it in my power to keep it from happening. So, I'll do it. With you by my side, I'll tell my dad... toni-," My voice trails off replaced by quiet sobs. 

The warm Virginia air blows gently as we console each other by the side of the road. Slade pulls back; I kiss his forehead with a smile. 

Even with his face all splotchy and his red eyes, Slade's still the most gorgeous man on the planet. He's mine, and I'm his forever. He laughs quietly to himself and says, "I can't believe what a difference a week makes." 

"I only hope everyone will take their cues from Ma." 

"Me, too, but you'll see. Your family will have your back. You already know how your mom feels. Candace loves and adores you. Your dad feels the same." 

"Your brothers and sister think you are the best thing since sliced bread. Your mama loves you, too. No matter what happens tonight. I got your back. I love you, Slade Michael Jones." 

Slade's eyes twinkle in the moonlight, as he smiles up at me and says, "And I got your back. I love you, too, Aaron David Brooks." 

The touch of his lips against mine is sweet and gentle. Soon his hands wrap tightly into my shirt pulling me in closer to him. We stumble back against the truck. His teeth press against mine, I groan from the initial discomfort but soon I purr into his mouth from the little bites and nibbles to my bottom lip. His hands are under my shirt and grasping onto my back. His short nails scrape down my back repeatedly. My shirt is almost over my head when I regretfully stop Slade by pulling his hands away. The lust in his eyes is heavy. Slade continues to kiss along my neck down to my still exposed chest. 

Someone from a passing car yells out, "GET A ROOM!" 

Slade yells back, "JEALOUS?" 

Shaking my head and laughing, I pull my shirt back down, and say, "We gotta get back. They're expecting us soon." 

"What if I told you I wanted you to take me right here, right now?" Slade says, running his hand down the front of my shorts. 

Trying to step away from him, I only manage to move an inch before moving back, and whispering in his ear, "I'd say that you're trying to stall after finally getting me to agree to come out to my dad." 

Smiling mischievously, he says, "Shit. It was that obvious?" 

"Yeah, it was." 

As much as I want to take him right her and now, I fight against the urge. There are bigger things we have to worry about other than getting off. I curse under my breath walking to the driver's side and climbing into the truck. 

The adrenaline begins pumping hard through my veins. Navigating my way back onto the road, I stay in the slow lane until we can come up with a suitable plan for us to execute. "We need to talk about how we're going to do this. We're about forty-five minutes away. How do you want to do this? Should we tell them separately or together?" 

"We do it together as a united front. If we show them we're serious, maybe they'll understand," Slade says with a nervous chuckle. 

"Okay. Your place or mine?" 

"Mine. That way if they want to talk without us around we can hide out in my room." 

Laughing uneasily, I say, "Plus, it will be easier to tell people we're seeing each other, if they can faint on a couch instead of in an empty living room. I'll call Candace. She can have my parent's meet us at your place." 

My fingers tremble as I try to call my sister. "What's up, bro?" Candace answers quickly. 

"Squirt, can you tell Ma and Dad to meet me at Slade's?" 

"Why?" Candace asks. 

"Can you please give them the message? We should be at his house in half an hour." 

"Ok. I'll tell them." 

"Thank you." 

"No problemo." Candace clears her throat. "Aaron, I'm gonna ask you again, are you okay?" 

"I sure hope so, squirt." 

"Stop callin' me, 'squirt'." With that, she ends the call. 

Turning my attention back to the long road, I wonder if we've made the right decision. 

******** 

Due to traffic, we arrive at Slade's forty minutes later, and I see my parent's car parked in front of the house. My heart races in anticipation and fear. Neither of us moves from the truck. I can't seem to will my legs to move from their rooted spot. Slade leans in kissing me with everything he has in him. We both turn when we hear the front door open unceremoniously. Both sets of parents step out onto the porch. There's no turning back now. 

Slade turns to me and says, "We got this, Aaron. No matter what happens, I'm not going anywhere. One more time before we get out, I love you, baby." 

"I love you. Let's do it." 

We slowly step out the truck. I walk over to Slade's side. He grabs my hand linking our fingers together. He smiles warmly. We take a deep breath at the same time as we walk up to the house. 

Looking up and seeing my dad's face is enough to make me want to turn and run away. His mouth opens and closes as he stares down at me. He turns walking back into the house with Mr. Jones following close behind him. 

I turn my gaze to my mother who's smiling and it's encouraging, I choose to focus on her but I can see Miss April covering her mouth out the corner of my eye. Reaching the bottom of the steps, I let Slade lead me up the porch, and we each stop in front of our mothers. 

"Get in the house," Miss April gestures with her head. 

Walking past them and into the house, we hold onto each other for dear life. We're each other's life support, and if our hands disconnect, we flatline. 

Our fathers pace back and forth in the living room, the uncomfortable vibe is a lot to deal with in such a confined space. 

"What the hell is this?" Mr. Jones asks taking a step forward causing us to step back. 

Squaring his shoulders and holding his head high, Slade says, "Pa, I-I love him and he loves me. We want to be together." 

The look in Mr. Jones' eyes is rabid and scary. "What the hell do you mean, 'you want to be together'? You can't be together. It's wrong in every sense of the word. There's no way you love him. You have no idea what that word means," Mr. Jones fumes. 

"Terry, stop, please, can't you see you're scaring them?" Miss April tells him. 

Throwing his hands in the air, he leans his head against the mantle. He's curses loudly through his teeth. "This is not fucking happening. Men, you're men. This is not who you should be 'loving'. This is what women are put on this earth for, for a man to love her, not to be cast aside, so you can be with another man." Mr. Jones continues getting madder by the second. 

"Terry, please! Give them a chance to explain themselves," Ma shouts over his ranting. "Sit down, you two." 




Aaron & Slade Ch. 05



We move slowly over to the couch sitting on the edge. My heart races and I feel light-headed. This really happened. We came out as a couple to our parents. 

Miss April clears her throat, "How long has this been going on?" 

Looking at Slade, I answer for the both of us, "We've been together for two years." 

There are loud gasps heard from everyone but my mother. She stands there stoic not saying anything. I'm not expecting her to either. 

Dad's voice brings me back to the moment. He stares at me, I see no sign of disgust, but the disappointment is clear. "But you date girls, you can't seriously be telling us that you're gay, when you've had girlfriends." 

The pulse in my neck throbs faster and harder. I speak. "Yes, sir, that's what I'm telling you. Those girls were a cover to keep everyone from finding out about us." 

"Come on. This is just a passing phase. It's not like you're really serious about each other. It's not like you're having sex, right?" Dad asks hoping I would validate him, but instead, I look down avoiding his eyes. Not out of shame but because I can't watch the hope fade from his eyes. 

"Are you kidding me? You're fucking one another! This is priceless. We have degenerates for sons," Mr. Jones says with an incredulous tone looking over at my father. Dad sits there motionless taking in the information he's learned about his only son being gay. 

"Aaron, you told me you two hadn't had sex," Ma says taking a step towards us. Everyone stops to look at her. 

Dad stares at her in disbelief. "Dani, you knew about this and didn't say anything to me? Why didn't you tell me? When did you find out?" He walks over to her gripping her shoulders in his large hands. 

"I found out over a year ago, when I saw them in Aaron's truck making out. I was gonna confront them but I decided against it. I could see how much Aaron loved and cared for Slade. There's was no way I was going to rip them apart. For a year, I'd hoped he would come and tell us when he was ready but he didn't. Chris, it wasn't my place to tell you, as much as I may have wanted to." 

"I'm confused. How do you know about them not having sex if Aaron never told you? They're just telling us about them now," Miss April says aloud and accusingly. 

Ma takes a pause before answering. "I told Aaron, I knew about him and Slade at his birthday party. He was so sad, and before I could stop myself, I told him I knew. He needed someone to talk to, to understand why he was so sad about moving. I'm his mother. That's what I'm supposed to do." Turning to dad, she says, "I told him I'd come to terms with his sexuality and hoped you would too, when he finally came to the decision to tell you." 

Dad shakes his head at her before stepping away from her. Slade starts to shake. I grip his hand tighter, running my thumb along his hand to help soothe him, but it doesn't work. He continues to shake. 

"There's no way my son is some fucking queer," Mr. Jones interjects. He points to me. "You, the sooner you leave the better off Slade will be. He won't have you here to confuse him with your immorality." 

My eyes water but I don't let my tears escape. I won't let him think I'm weak by crying in front of him. 

"Stop it," Slade says loudly, cutting through the air like a knife. 

"This is wrong. You know it and I know it," Mr. Jones continues ignoring Slade's pleas. 

"Stop it, Pa." Slade stands up still holding my hand tight. "I love him and he loves me. This isn't his fault. He wasn't the one who started this, it was me." 

"Boy, don't try and cover for him! You're straight. You're just confused by this fag," Mr. Jones says looking down at me with pure venom in his eyes. My dad makes a move to get in-between us but Slade holds him back. Dad nods and steps back. 

"Pa, he's not a fag. And neither am I. I'm gay. I tried not to be for so long, but when I met Aaron, I knew what I'd been feeling was right. I love you, Pa. I love you, Mama. But I'm in love with him and nothing's gonna change that," Slade says smiling down at me. 

"Slade, I'm telling you, if you choose to lead this lifestyle, you are no longer welcomed in this house," Mr. Jones says in an eerie, quiet tone. 

Hearing enough from his dad, I stand up beside Slade, and say, "He's not choosing to live this lifestyle. It's who he is. I'm in love with your son, Mr. Jones. He's everything to me. I can't imagine my life without him. He's my best friend. He's my boyfriend. We want to be together." I look Mr. Jones straight in the eyes, unfaltering in the hope he'll see how serious we are about one another. Looking over at my dad, I say, "I won't give him up. Not for anyone." 

Mr. Jones takes a menacing step toward me but Dad blocks his path in an instant. 

"I'll drop you where you stand if you lay a finger on my son. Step... the... fuck... back, Terry. Now!" Dad says standing nose to nose with Mr. Jones. Knowing my dad is a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo, Mr. Jones steps back, shaking his head in disgust with his hands up in surrender. 

"I want to talk to you outside," Dad says motioning for me to follow him but I'm hesitant. 

Rubbing my forearm, Slade leans in and whispers, "It's okay, baby, go. Go on. Your dad wants to talk to you. Don't forget. He might be upset now but he loves you." 

Nodding, I step to walk away, but not before Slade leans in to kiss me on the cheek. He winks at me and releases my hand. Miss April starts crying. Slade walks over to her wrapping his arms around her, and whispers in her ear. 

I follow Dad towards the front door, he places a hand on my shoulder supportively, the way he has so many times before tonight, and I almost lose it. Maybe things aren't as bad as I made them out to be. We stand on the porch, and neither of us says anything. The silence is deafening. Dad sits on the top step while I stand beside him. 

"Aaron, I thought we were close. I thought we told each other everything. Why didn't you tell me you were gay?" Dad asks in a low voice, the hurt and betrayal in his words packs a punch. 

Sitting down next to him, I gather my thoughts. "Dad, I don't know. No, that's a lie, I do know. I didn't want you to look at me differently. I didn't want our relationship to change 'cause of this one thing. I thought you would think there was something wrong with me or that it was your fault." 

"So, all those times you were asking why you couldn't live here with relatives, it was because you wanted to be with Slade?" Dad asks looking at me. 

"Yes, sir, it was. I've never felt this way about anyone, Dad. I love him." 

Holding his head down, Dad says with an even and low voice, "Jesus, Aaron. I don't know what I'm supposed to do here. We were upset about you lying, because if something had happened to you, we wouldn't have known where you were." He continues on, "Then you walk in hand and hand with your best friend declaring your love for one another. What do you want me to say?" 

"Dad, I kept trying to hold off on telling you because I didn't want to see that look of disappointment on your face. Lying to you for the rest of my life to make you happy with me as a son was a thought I considered. But as much as I love and respect you, Dad. Slade would've broken up with me if I kept choosing you over him. I couldn't sacrifice my happiness to ensure yours." 

With an indignant scoff, Dad says, "What makes you think I would ever want you to sacrifice your happiness for me?" 

The tears are hard to hold back as the words spill from me. "I'm your only son. Your legacy. I know you dreamt of a wife and children for me. You can't tell me that you haven't. I was willing to give you all those things. I thought I had to be the straight son you deserved. I'd hidden my sexuality from you for eighteen year, what was the rest of my life in the scope of things?" 

"Aaron, that makes absolutely no sense to me. After what you've been through, of course I've dreamt of you standing in a church waiting to get married. I saw grandkids. But my major dream for you is being a happy, well-adjusted adult. You can't achieve that if you're livin' your life for me." 

We stop talking. I listen to the crickets off in the distance. 

Quietly, Dad asks, "Aaron, what changed? Why did y'all decide tell us tonight? It's not like this is going to keep us from leaving next week." 

Staring off into the distance, tearfully I ask, "Do you really want to know, Dad?" 

"Yes. I wanna know. Tell me." 

"We've been together for two years, and in that time we never verbally expressed our love for one another until last night. But what really changed between us is we made love for the first time last night. It's always felt right being with Slade and last night solidified those feelings. Dad, this is not a passing phase. This is as real as you and Ma." 

Turning his head from me, I hear him sniffling softly. The fact he's choked up about his breaks my heart. I decided to ask the only question that matters at this point. "Do you think you will ever accept the fact I'm gay?" 

"Aar, I honestly can't answer your question right now," Dad says looking over at me. He clasps a hand to my neck. "I want you to know that I love you, but right now, this is too much for me to handle. Tell your mother, I'll see you both back at the house. I've gotta go clear my head." 

I can feel my heart pounding in my throat. Shaking my head, I desperately tell him, "Dad, don't leave. What about Mr. Jones?" 

"He won't try anything else. Not with you," Dad says with a smile. 

"How do you know that?" 

His forehead bumps against mine. "Because you're my son. You can handle yourself, kiddo." 

With one last look, he places his hand on my shoulder, and gives it a squeeze. Dad's down the stairs and in the car before I can process the words he'd spoken to me only seconds before. I watch as the car disappears down the road. I wipe the tears rolling down my cheeks and head back into the house. Mr. Jones is nowhere in sight. Ma walks over. She pulls me into a tight embrace. I can hear Slade talking to his mother. 

"Mama, this is not your fault. Please stop saying it because it's not true." 

"It is true. I let you do whatever you wanted to do. If I'd tightened the reins, you wouldn't be telling me you're gay, and in love your best friend." 

"I've always been gay. You had nothing to do with that. You already know how awesome Aaron is. I don't have to pretend when I'm with him. I love him so much, Mama," Slade says crying softly. 

"I can't. I can't hear you talk like this." Miss April breaks away from him, stands up, walks out of the room, and up the stairs without another word. 

"Mama, I'm sorry," Slade calls after her. He looks broken as he cries on the couch. I'm by his side in a flash. He buries his face in my chest. 

Mr. Jones comes back downstairs. He looks at the three of us with a repulsion I never knew was possible causing me to recoil. "I want you out of my house. Now!" 

"Pa, please don't do this!" Slade begs twisting out of my arms. 

"As far as I'm concerned, you don't have a 'Pa' no more, not while you're fucking another man," Mr. Jones states cruelly. He walks to the front door flinging it open. "Your mother told me upstairs not to kick you out, so for her sake I won't. So from now on, you're a tenant. You pay rent, for your own food, and I don't want to hear anything else from you. Not until you've come to your senses and denounce this homosexual lifestyle you're leading." 

How can he be so cold to his own flesh and blood? 

The defeated look on Slade's face is something I wish I'd never seen. I can't make this better for him. He was the brave one by choosing to come out because he wanted his family to know how happy he was with me. Now, he's wiping away the tears of hurt and abandonment at the hands of his parent's because he loves me. I pray the man I love isn't lost to me forever. I beat myself up internally for not fighting hard enough against coming out. 

Slade wipes the tears from his face, he says solemnly, "Yes, sir." 

Ma stops him as he's about to walk past her. "Terry, don't do this. I know you're angry but Slade is still your son. I don't want you to say or do something that you won't be able to take back later. You'll end up losing him forever if you keep going down this road," Ma pleads. 

"This is wrong on every level, Danielle. You know it, and I know it. It's morally against everything the Bible has taught you, me, him, and him." Terry turns pointing angrily at both of us. His contorted disgusted gaze rests on Slade. "The second he chose to be gay, he lost his right to be my son. Close the door on your way out," he calls out over his shoulder as he stomps up the stairs. 

"It's okay, honey. Give them time to cool down," Ma says stroking Slade's shoulders. 

"Get your asses back in your room and mind your fucking business," Mr. Jones yells. The sounds of multiple doors slamming makes Slade cry out. 

"Aaron, I should've listened to you. I've wrecked my entire family," Slade says gasping for air. 

I do for him as he did for me hours ago. 

"Jones, you're okay. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere," I whisper in his ear before turning my attention to Ma. "Can you grab me a wet towel from the kitchen, please?" 

"Sure, I'll be right back." She sprints to the kitchen while I sit with Slade on the couch. 

I continue to whisper words of encouragement into his ear while rubbing his back. Ma returns with the wet towel. I carefully wipe his face and neck. Slade's breathing becomes normal after a couple more minutes. He holds on tighter to me. "Baby, get me out of here," he manages to whisper. Kissing his forehead, I stand up while pulling him with me. 

"Come on, honey. You can stay with us tonight. We don't have furniture but we can set you up in the living room with a sleeping bag," Ma says through a half laugh with tears in her eyes. She looks up at me and winks. 

I mouth 'thank you' to her and she nods. We walk out the house closing the door softly behind us. 

Ma looks around and asks, "Where's your father?" 

Chewing my bottom lip, I tell her, "Dad said he'd meet us back at the house. He had to go clear his head. Which means he's probably out smoking a carton of cigarettes instead of just a pack." 

Looking worried, she sighs heavily and replies, "Okay. I'm not worried. It's fine. Slade, go grab some clothes for a day or two. I hope by then your parents will have cooled down enough for you to talk to them. I'll leave a message in the morning to let them know you are with us. 

"I have clothes already in the truck. Can we go now?" Slade asks placing his head on my shoulder. 

"You should grab more just in case," Ma replies. 

"Give me a minute." Slade walks hurriedly to his room. 

"I can't believe this is happening," I sneer. "Ma, how can they treat him like this?" 

"I don't know, sweetie. In some weird way, I can understand where they're coming from because I was there myself. But they shouldn't have made Slade feel like there was something wrong with him when there's not. There's nothing wrong with either of you," Ma states matter-of-factly. 

"We should've kept our mouths shut. Dad left 'cause of me. Mr. Jones disowned Slade. This is not what I wanted to happen tonight." 

"No, you did what you thought was right. Don't ever apologize for that? Have faith. I do. Your dad's coming back. He loves you. Don't ever doubt that, okay? As for Slade, he needs you to be there for him. Try not to treat him with kid gloves. Just be there for him." 

"Okay, I'm ready." Slade announces walking over to us with clothes in hand. The walk to the truck is somber. Slade slides in next to me. We drive in complete silence back to my house. 

********** 

My heart drops when I don't see dad's car in front of the house. How long before he comes back home? As concerned as I am about dad not being here, Slade is my main concern. I can't worry about my dad and his feelings when the man I love is hurting. 

Moving like the walking dead, the three of us climb the steps, and through the front door. Candace is sitting on the stairs looking cheesed. She rolls her phone in her hands repeatedly. She glares at me, "What's going on? I got a text from Kevin. He said you two came out tonight. I wanna know what's going and I wanna know now." Candace stands up. Her eyes focus on mine as she walks towards me. 

Ma intervenes by standing in-between us. "Not right now, Candy. It's been a rough night. Slade's staying with us for a couple of days." Ma turns to me. "You two get set up in the living room. I'll call out for a few pizza because I don't feel like cooking. What toppings do y'all want?" 

"No, Mama, I wanna answer to my question. Aaron, is it true?" Candace asks as she moves around Ma to stand beside me. 

"I'll be right outside," I tell Slade. He nods and smiles sympathetically. I give his hand a reaffirming squeeze. Grabbing Candace's hand, I lead her out to the porch. She leans against the banister with her arms and legs crossed. She patiently waits for an answer to her question. I had so many opportunities to tell her and I never took advantage of them. I can only hope she'll forgive me for not being the one to tell her. 

Miffed, she asks, "So, are you going to stand there staring at the ground or are you going to answer me?" 

Holding up my hands, I answer her. "Yes, it's true. Slade and I came out tonight. We've been secretly datin' for two years." 

Candace shakes her head in disbelief. "I can understand you not telling Mama and Daddy but this is me. Why didn't you tell me?" 

Sitting down on the porch swing, I think about why I haven't told her, and my main reason was to protect her. "Can, I honestly didn't want to make your life harder than it's already been for you at school. Girls you thought were your friends made your life hell this past year. The teasing you've had to deal with since the boys started paying attention to you was unfair. I didn't want to add having a gay brother on top of it. As your older brother, I had to protect you. Are you mad at me?" 

Candace reaches out whacking the back of my head softly. "I'm not mad. I'm pissed off at you. I don't care about you being gay, you dumbass. But you should've been the one to tell me and not Kevin in a freaking text," Candace says annoyed. "I kept asking you if you had something to tell me." 

Candace stands up punching me hard twice in both shoulders. 

"Shit," I exclaim. "You don't have to punch so freaking hard." 

She plops down next to me on the swing. "Well, you deserve it, asshole. Don't you ever keep something this big from me ever again!" 

"I won't. At least, I'll try not to." I take a pause before turning to her and asking, "You can live with having a gay brother?" 

"I've lived with you this long. The only difference now is I know. You're still the same old pain in the ass older brother to me," Candace says smiling. 

"Wow, you sure do now how to make a guy feel good about himself. C'mere," I say as I wrap an arm around her shoulder. She leans in and hugs me. 

When she leans back, she's grinning like The Cheshire Cat. "Can I tell you something else?" she asks. 

Apprehensively, I nod. "Yeah." 

With a smirk, she bumps her shoulder against mine, and says, "I kinda suspected you were gay a few months back." 

My mouth drops open out of pure shock. "Bullshit. No, you didn't." 

"Calm down. It's not like I walked in on you or anything like that." 

"So how?" 

Candace smiles and says, "About five months ago for Slade's birthday, the two of you were getting dressed so you could go out. You came downstairs first. Then you turned around when you heard him coming, and you had this look on your face when you saw him. It was brief but I recognized it as a look I'd seen Mama give to Daddy. Do you remember it was after that day, when I started to ask you sporadic variations, if everything was okay with you?" 




Aaron & Slade Ch. 05



All I can do is smile in amazement at her. "Yeah, I do remember. You are too smart for your own good, squirt. Here I am thinking I was being covert when I was around Slade." 

"Well, you weren't. I can't believe the two of you have been dating. Here I am thinking your feelings were one-sided. How did I miss that? I'm usually way more intuitive," she says shaking her head again in disbelief. 

I laugh taking a good look at my sister. "Are we really okay?" 

"We're fine but keep me in the loop. You never know when I can give you some stellar advice," Candace says placing her hand on her chest. 

"What kind of advice are we talking about here?" I ask suspiciously. 

"Well, if I'd known about the two of you. I would've told you to get your friends to cover for you. Or you could've gotten me to cover for you. Instead, you did it your way and you got bopped 24 hours later. You would still be wherever you were if you had me on your side." 

I nod in agreement. "Maybe, or maybe it happened this way for a reason. I mean, everything is out in the open, but Slade's relationship with his parents is ruined. I don't think his dad will ever come around to accepting him." I replay the hurtful words that spewed from his mouth. I have it written all over my face. 

Concerned, she asks, "It was that bad?" 

"The things he said to Slade and to me. It was the first time someone called me a 'fag' and it hurt." 

Candace's eyes flash and her upper lip twitches. "He called you a what?" 

I try to calm her down. "That's not important. Forget I even told you that." 

"Uh, how about no? No one has the right to call you or anyone else for that matter such a disgusting word. I would've pounced on him if I'd been there. I've never liked Mr. Jones. He's a judgmental jackass. What about Miss April?" 

"Miss April seems like she might come around eventually but his dad disowned him." I sigh heavily thinking about dad. Looking at my sister, I can see the kindness and the love. I wonder how she'd feel when she learns dad hasn't come back home because of me. 

As if she were reading my mind, Candace asks, "Where's Daddy?" 

"He took off. I don't know if he's coming back tonight or any night for that matter. I might not have experienced the same severity as Slade, but if dad can't accept me, I don't know what I'm gonna do." 

"Daddy loves you. He'll come back tonight. Have faith, bro." Candace says with confidence. 

My eye water as I answer. "Faith is hard to have when you don't believe." 

"Then I'll have it for the both of us." Candace pats and rubs my shoulders. Her face scrunches as if she smells something bad but instead she says, "I have one last question though. You were days away without anyone knowing about the two of you. Why come out now?" 

"That seems to be the question of the night. It was both our decision but Slade's mostly. He had an epiphany on the drive back. He said he was ready to admit to his parents he was gay and in love." 

"He's in love with you?" Candace asks wide-eyed. 

"Yeah. Why wouldn't he be? I am a catch you know. It's not like I'm some buck-toothed space creature." 

She cackles loudly. "I didn't mean it like that and you know it. Are you in love with him?" 

"Oh, yeah, I am without doubt." 

"I'm happy for you, Aar." 

"Thanks, squirt. That means a lot to me. It feels good to no longer have that weight on my shoulders." 

"That's awesome. Don't call me, squirt." Candace hits me again. 

"Stop hitting me or I'll call the cops on ya." I expect a laugh from her but instead I get a pensive look. "What's wrong?" 

"I do have one concern for you though," she says seriously. 

"What?" 

"I'm worried you're gonna get hurt." 

"You're crazy. I'm not gonna get hurt," I tell her with all the confidence I can muster. 

"So you're going to have a long distance relationship? Have you talked about everything that goes along with having one? You remember what Auntie Marsha went through when she and Uncle Tommy did the long-distance thing. I just don't want the whole 'out of sight, out of mind' mentality to hurt you the way it did her." 

How could I admit to her that even though Slade and I want to have a long-distance relationship, I think there's some unknown force out there that's going to rip us apart? It could be anything and I won't see it coming. My nightmares of Slade disappearing from my life are a sign we won't work out after everything we've been through together. What if he meets someone else and decides I'm not worth being with anymore? I honestly don't think Slade would cheat on me, and it's just my imagination running wild. All I know is that I'll fight tooth and nail to be with him. 

Snapping back to reality, I assess. "I'd be lying if I said Auntie Marsha never crossed my mind a few times but I can't let it get to me. I'll end up taking something so small the way she did and making it more significant than it needs to be. We love each other too much to stray. Besides, we're going to talk and Skype. We know it'll be hard. We're going from seeing each other almost every day to only a few times over the next six months. My only regret is leaving him here alone with parent's who'd treat him the way they did tonight." 

Remembering the look on Slade's face as both his parent's walked away from him has me wiping away my tears with my shirt. My little sister tugs me to my feet. She lets me cry on her shoulder. 

Candace whispers in my ear, "Don't listen to me. I'm an idiot. I shouldn't have said anything, especially after the night that you've already had." 

Sniffling, I say, "These tears are not because of you. I'm just exhausted. The night is starting to catch up to me." 

"I love ya, Aaron." 

"I love you, too, squirt. C'mon, I need to get back to Slade. Ma's probably smothering him." 

We part. I wipe my face off one last time before we head inside to find Ma and Slade in the kitchen looking at the pizza menu. 

"Y'all alright?" Ma asks without looking up. 

Candace winks at me, and I say, "Yes, ma'am, we're good." 

"Good. What do y'all want on the pizzas?" 

"Pepperoni and mushrooms with extra cheese on one." Those are Slade's favorite toppings. Slade nods his head and Candace mutters her approval. 

"How about veggie?" Ma asks picking up the phone. 

"Okay with me. No olives with extra tomatoes," Candace states. She walks over to Slade placing her hand on his back. "Aaron told me what happened. I'm sorry your dad was so hard on you. No one should say the hurtful things he said to you both. I hope your parents come around." 

"Thanks, Candy. I hope so, too. Too bad not everybody thinks the way you do." 

"Oh, please! The world couldn't handle this much perfection." Candace says running her hands through her long blonde hair. Rolling my eyes, I shove her away from Slade making him laugh for the first time in a while. 

********** 

I watch Slade move about in a foggy haze. Unsure of what I should do, I never let Slade stray too far out of my sight. I try not to smother him but I want him to know I'm around if he needs me. We wash up while waiting for the pizzas to arrive. I grab the sleeping bags and set them up in the living room. I make sure to have the bags setup head to head because I don't want to disrespect my parent's in their home. 

When the pizzas arrive, the four of us devour them in a famished silence. After Ma finishes her last bite, she stretches while letting out a loud yawn. "Well, I'm tired. I think it's time to hit the hay." 

"I think we're all feeling the same way," I tell her, placing a hand on Slade's thigh, and he gives a wistful smile. 

Ma walks over to Slade. Grabbing the sides of his face, she tilts his head up to her and says, "You're gonna be fine. We'll figure this all out, okay?" 

"Thank you, Miss Dani," Slade whisper. Ma wraps him in a giant hug. 

I stop Ma and Candace when they start to clean up after themselves. "Don't worry about it. I'll clean up. Y'all can go on to bed." 

"That's fine with me. Night," Candace says dropping her plate. She hugs us all, and smiles thoughtfully as she heads upstairs. 

"Night," we answer in unison. 

"Goodnight. I'll see you two in the morning." Ma says giving me a hug and kiss to the forehead. She kisses Slade's cheek. 

"Night, Ma." 

G'Night, Miss Dani," Slade says standing and hugging her. 

Ma rubs and pats his back. She smiles at both of us before walking out the kitchen. 

With Slade's help, we clean the kitchen in a couple of minutes. We turn off all the lights except for the one over the stove and the one in the living room. 

"Which side do you want?" I ask looking down at the sleeping bags. 

"The closest one," Slade says sitting down with a groan. I pass him a pillow and he lays on his back with an exhausted sigh. I kneel down beside him placing a light kiss to his lips. 

"I'm so sorry. I wish things had gone differently tonight," I tell him sincerely. 

Sitting up, Slade looks confused but chuckles and says, "Why are you sorry? C'mon, Aaron, don't let me off the hook here. We both know what happened tonight is my fault. I should've listened to you. You said this could be 'the worse night of our lives', and you were right. I had to tell my parent's and look where it got me. My father disowned me. My mom can barely stand to look at me. Your dad's not home and that's because of me. Go ahead and say, what we both know you want to say, 'Slade, I hate you for forcing me to come out. You've ruined my family.' It's how you feel, right?" 

Slade's once hopeful blue eyes now hold despair and remorse. He stands and walks out the living room. I chase him down the long, dark hallway and through the dimly lit kitchen. 

I call out to him. "Jones, stop!" 

Slade unlocks the kitchen screen door and walks out before I can reach him. He's at the top of the stairs when I grab his hand yanking him back towards me. Spinning him around, I step in closer cupping the sides of his face. He squirms as I stare deeply into his distraught eyes. Slade bows his head but I lift it back up. He struggles harder against my firm grasp and manages to set himself free. 

Slade brushes past me. His voice cracks as he says, "Just leave me alone, Aaron." 

"Not gonna happen," I say as I block him from walking back into the house. Slade becomes fidgety under my watchful gaze. 

I take his hands in mine but he snatches them away causing me to flinch. Slade takes several back holding up his hands to keep me at a distance. His eyes fill with tears. He opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes out. Slade continues to back up until he hits the couch behind him stumbling back onto it. When he tries to stand up, I push him back and quickly straddle him. With all my weight pinning him down, he stops struggling. 

Slade's voice is thick with emotion as he cries. "Aaron, get off me." 

I fist my hands in his short, chocolate-brown hair before moving them to the nape of his neck. "No. Not until you listen to me." 

Shaking his head, Slade says, "Aaron there's nothing you can say will change the fact that I ruined your relationship with your dad tonight. I knew how worried you were about telling him but I forced you into it anyway because I was being selfish. So, where's the anger, huh? Why aren't you yelling at me? Why aren't you pummeling me? Come on." 

Slade glares at me, but when he sees only love and compassion in my eyes, he gets madder. "Sonofabitch, don't you dare! Don't look at me like you love me after what I did to you. Hurt me back. Hurt me the way I hurt you. I can take it. Let me have it. Do it!" He bellows. He hits me hard against my chest repeatedly. I have a tough time defending myself against the onslaught, but I get a good grip on wrists, and pin them to his chest. We both breathe heavy pants as we try to catch our breaths. Slade tries to buck me off his lap but I clamp my thighs against his to keep from falling. After a while when Slade realizes he can't move me, he stops. Defeated his head falls against the back of the couch with his chin quivering uncontrollably. 

"Are you going to let me talk now?" I ask desperately. Placing a hand over his heart, he intakes a sharp breath and holds it. I try to get him to look at me but he refuses. "You won't look at me, fine. I can say what I need to without you looking at me. I'm not angry with you. You didn't force me to come out tonight. You helped me see that it was the right thing to do and to accept the consequences of our decision. Yes, I'm upset and sad my dad walked away but I understand to some extent why he did. I want him to come home. We have a lot we have to talk about, but as much as I love my dad, he's not my priority, you are. That's why I chose you tonight over him, Jones. I will always choose you over everybody else." 

My tears flow lightly down my cheek and onto Slade's shirt. I wipe them away before raking my fingers through my hair. 

"Jones, you know how I feel about you. You're my best friend, my boyfriend, and I know without a doubt we're meant to be together. I walked through my life without a purpose but that all changed when I met you. For the first time I knew what I wanted in my life and that was to be yours. And I am, you've got me. I'm 100% yours. Even though I'm moving next week, I'm not going anywhere," I state breathlessly. "Do you hear me?" 

Slade sniffles as the tears cascade down his cheeks. I tilt his head towards me, and this time he looks me in the eyes. 

"I'll keep telling you until you get it into that thick skull of yours of how much I need you and love you. I love you. I love you," I repeat desperately through my tears. I wrap my arms around his neck in a fierce hug but his arms stay crossed between us. 

Eons go by before his arms encircle my waist. Slade buries his face in my neck. I hear him murmur, "You're the only one who loves me." I lessen the weight on his legs when I sit beside him but we're still holding on to each other. His soft cries become sporadic whimpers until he stops altogether. 

"I'm not the only one. Your brothers and sister love you. Even though she's only six, Juliet would protect you from a pack of wild dogs if she had to. Don't forget you're a part of my family and they love you too." 

"I'm never gonna be welcomed back into my own home, Aaron. How am I supposed to live there with him?" Slade asks his voice deep with melancholy. 

"I honestly don't know, Jones. I wish I had the answers for you." 

I see the deep rose color tinting the cheeks of his tanned skin when he tilts his head back to look at me. "I sorta had a mini-mental breakdown. I'm sorry." 

"After the night you've had, you don't have to apologize. Are you okay now?" 

Shaking his head 'no', Slade says, "Not really but I'll get there. Are you okay? I shouldn't have hit you the way I did. There's no excuse for that." 

I hold up my shirt to show him my chest. "Yeah. See? I'm fine. There's no permanent damage done." 

Slade grazes his hand over my stomach. He sniffles and says, "Aaron, uh-what you-uh- thank you for what you said. I thought you hated me for what happened tonight." 

"I could never hate you, Jones. You might get on my nerves every once in a while but those are few and far between." Slade laughs but the weariness is evident in his eyes and his face. "C'mon. It's been a long night. Let's go to bed. We can talk in the mornin'." 

********** 

"I can't fall asleep." Slade states grunting flipping over to his back. 

"Me neither," I reply. It's been nearly an hour since we've come back into the house. The adrenaline has yet to wane from either of us. 

"I know how we can fix this. Get your ass in here!" Slade says opening his sleeping bag. 

Without hesitation, I crawl over and slide into the bag with him. I barely fit but I don't care. We wrap our arms tight around each other and I rub his back. He sighs deeply and snuggles in closer. I'll deal with the consequences of us sleeping together later. 

"Tell me something funny, a joke, or story. I could use a laugh right now," Slade says. 

I prop myself up on an elbow to face him. "Do you want me to do the monkey dance?" I go to move but Slade holds on tight to me. 

"No, don't you dare move. Come up with something that doesn't involve you leaving my arms." 

'Ok, let me think of something funny." I search my mind and come up with a bad joke I know he'll like. "I've got one. Ready?" 

"Yeah. Go for it." 

"What did the green grape say to the purple grape?" I ask with a cock of my eyebrow. 

"I don't know." Slade replies shaking his head. 

"Breathe, idiot! BREATHE!" I give him a stupid grin. 

He starts laughing. "Corny." 

"No, that was pure comedy gold." 

"Tell me another one," he says leaning in closer to me. 

"Ok, um, ooh, why won't Tom Cruise shop at Sports Authority? 

"Why?" Slade asks apprehensively with a goofy look on his face. 

"Because he likes Dick's," I answer with a wide grin. 

Slade can't hold back his laughter and howls. He laughs so hard that he snorts loudly. "You're so stupid. Where the hell did you hear that one?" He asks through gasping breaths. 

"Some comedy special but I changed it up a bit," I answer. 

Slade's laughter starts to subside and he lays his head down on the pillow still smiling. He looks at me. His thumb moves across my jaw. I lean down to kiss him. A couple of pecks turns into a full on make-out session. Slade is the one to pull away. I rub my cheek against his. 

"I should get in my sleeping bag," I whisper in his ear, but before I can move, he clutches my waist. 

"No, baby, don't go," Slade says hoarsely. "Stay with me 'til I fall asleep. I promise to my keep my hands to myself." 

"Ok. I'll stay but only until you fall asleep. Don't try anything 'cause if you do I'll scream like a little girl at a One Direction concert." 

"You're such an idiot." Slade laughs and kisses me lightly. "Go to sleep." 

"Night, Jones." 

"Night, Brooks." 

I kiss him on the forehead. He turns around with his back against me. I continuously run my hand through his hair in the hopes it will help lull him into a restful sleep. Within twenty minutes, the rhythmic soft snore emanating from Slade is a welcomed sound. I don't go to my sleeping bag. I'm right where I need to be. 

Another hour passes and I'm the only one still awake. I have my eye on the door with the hope Dad will walk through at any moment. It's almost 2:30am and my hope is diminishing. 

All the adrenaline pumping through me earlier is virtually nonexistent now. My need to sleep overpowers my desire to watch over Slade. 

My eyelids grow heavier. 

******* 

I wake up with my arms still wrapped around Slade. I smile faintly kissing the back of his head. 

The sun is beginning to rise and the birds chirp annoyingly. I hear rummaging in the kitchen. Who in the hell is making noise this early in the morning? I regretfully slide my arms from around Slade and roll away from him. 

A quick glance out the window has me breathing a deep sigh of relief. Thank God. Dad's car is out front. 

I look at Slade who stretches out fully in the sleeping bag before curling up into a ball. I cover him up and head to the kitchen. I prepare myself. I wonder what he's going to say and do. 

"Mornin', Dad." He's leaning against the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee in hand. I protectively cross my arms across my chest and walk into the kitchen. 

"Mornin', Aaron. I see Slade slept here last night," Dad says taking a sip. 

"Ma told him he could stay. His dad laid into him after you left." I stand across from him. I can smell the cigarette smoke from where I stand. 

"I'm sorry I didn't stay but I had to get out of there. What did happen after I left?" He asks curiously. 




Aaron & Slade Ch. 06



Author's Note: 

A lot of heavy editing went into this chapter. It took a long time for me to rewrite practically the whole thing over but I'm happy with what I accomplished. I'm sorry for the long wait. Life sometimes gets in the way but I'm back in the saddle again. ;) 

-TrippyLuv. 

************** 

I watch Slade carefully as he stares out the truck window. We've been sitting here for three minutes in complete silence. It concerns me to see him withdrawn and unaware. If I can get him to talk to me, maybe it will help with the guilt he's feeling. 

We talked last night but Slade's proclamation that I should hate him still disturbs me. He's not to blame for last night. I am. I didn't try hard enough to talk him out of telling his parents. I didn't think about the ramifications for him because I focused my attention on not telling my dad. If it weren't for me, Slade would be home right now. He'd be in trouble but he'd still be home. I'm the reason why he's hurting. 

I reach for Slade's hand causing him to jump. Confusion spreads across his face as he looks around and asks, "We're still here?" 

Clearing my throat to loosen my nerves, I say, "Yeah, I wanted to talk to you first." 

Slade shakes his head. "Aaron, I don't want to talk about last night and waste my energy on them." 

"I want to talk about us. Jones, c'mon talk to me," I plead. 

Slade grips my hand tight. "Baby, please. I'm fine. Just drop it, okay?" 

"You know I can't do that. Last night, you blew up at me for saying, 'I'm sorry'. What if I say or do something else to upset you?" 

Slade closes his eyes, and says, "That was one time, Aaron. My emotions were running high. I took it out on you. I promise it won't happen again. Okay?" 

"How do you know? I had to sit on you. I don't wanna go through that again. Talk to me, please." 

With nervous laughter, Slade rolls his eyes. 

I reach out, grasping his thigh, and giving it a firm squeeze. "I know you don't want to but I think we should." 

Slade's laughter subsides replaced by a melancholy smile, he asks, "Why are you pushing this so hard?" 

"Because I love you too much to watch you twist in the wind, so, I'll do whatever's necessary to make sure you don't. If it means hounding you until you talk to me. I'm gonna do it," I say worried. 

My pleading eyes are too much. Slade clears his throat, exhaling a heavy sigh; he chews on his bottom lip as it quivers. He holds my hand tighter. I entwine our fingers. A look of resolve sets across his face. "Okay. Let's talk." Slade shifts to face me. "But after this, no more. Okay?" 

Nodding my acknowledgment, I reply, "Okay." 

"My parents are never gonna accept me or our relationship. They might kick me out," Slade says quietly. 

My brows furrow in confusion. "That's what you've been thinking about? They're not kicking you out," I conclude. 

Skepticism sets in Slade's eyes. "Mama may not want me gone but Pa does. If he's in her ear, she could agree to do whatever he wants. I don't know what I'm gonna do if that happens?" His sad eyes pierce deep in to my soul. 

Sliding closer to him, I run my free hand across Slade's cheek to his neck. His head falls to my shoulder. I press several light kiss to his ear, and I say, "Jones, don't think that way." 

"Baby, I can't help it. My family is broken 'cause of me." 

"It's broken because of me, Jones," I state mournfully. 

Slade's head snaps up. "No, it's not." 

I reply, "Yeah, it is." 

Slade clasps his hands over mine. "Aaron, it's not your fault." 

I brush my shaggy, blond locks from my eyes, and focus on Slade. "Think about it. If we'd stayed friends, if we hadn't fallen in love, and if we hadn't gone to the cabin, you wouldn't have decided to tell your parents you're gay. So, yeah, all of this is because of me," I say somberly. 

Slade's nose sweeps across mine. He kisses me before smiling gently. "Aaron, you're so smart, but that has to be the stupidest thing I've heard you say. I'm glad we didn't stay friends. I don't regret falling in love or going to the cabin. My parents' ignorance and my own stupidity are the reasons why I'm here." 

"Yeah, but if I'd tried harder, we could've come up with a lie to tell them," I say. "Things would be different." 

Slade shrugs while his head bobs side to side. 

Confused by the gesture, I ask, "Care to elaborate on that?" 

"I didn't listen to you when you were trying to be the voice of reason. You were right when you said I hadn't thought things through. The consequences never crossed my mind. I was thinking with my heart instead of my head. I was too far gone for you to talk sense into me," Slade continues; his face masked in seriousness. "I wronged you last night by forcing you into coming out." 

"No, you didn't force," I begin, but Slade presses a finger to my lips. The remorse is in his eyes. 

"Aaron, you said last night I didn't, but we both know I did. It was emotional blackmail. I knew it was wrong the second the words came out my mouth but by then it was too late to take them back. I put you in a situation you weren't expecting to have to handle. Dealing with my unhinged emotions while thinking about your relationship with your dad was unfair to you. I took your choice of telling your dad on your own terms away from you. I can never say, 'I'm sorry' enough to you." Slade leans in, cups my face, and looks me deep in the eyes. His voice cracks when he says, "Baby, I'm so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?" 

I cover his hands, holding on tight. "Jones, it's okay. There's nothing to forgive." 

Dejection flashes in his eyes, Slade wipes tears away. "No, it's not okay. You could've been hurt last night 'cause of me. When I saw the way Pa looked at you, it sent a chill down my spine. I was ready to jump in-between the two of you, if he'd reached out for you. I would've killed him with my bare hands." 

Chuckling quietly, I lean my forehead against his. "I would've done the same thing." 

We hold each other, whispering comfort back and forth, when Slade makes another surprising announcement. 

"I'm jealous of you," he says gently. 

"Jealous of me? Why?" I ask dumbfounded. 

"Because your family told you they still love you while mine refuse to talk to me. I tried calling them while you were in the shower, no one answered," Slade says pained. "Not even my own mother, the woman who carried me for nine months picked up the phone. All I want is for her to wrap me up in one of her gigantic hugs and tell me everything is going to be okay." 

"Slade...," I start but I have no idea what to say. 

"I'm done talking about this," Slade says definitively. 

. 

"Jones, I'm sorry." 

"I know you are, Aaron. I'm sorry, too." 

We sit in silence while Slade plays with our hands. I wanted him to talk and he did. 

The clearing of Slade's throat cuts into my thoughts. Calmly, Slade says, "Let's get outta here. We've killed enough time. Besides, you have some serious ass-kissing to do for making me talk about last night." 

I crack up. He looks confused, which only makes me laugh harder. Through my laughter, I tell him, "The ass-kissing is definitely something I can do. Anything else?" 

Slade joins in when he realizes why I'm laughing. My boyfriend's back, replacing the depressed and withdrawn version of Slade. "Anything?" He asks sliding closer; the warmth of his body is enticing. 

I look down when his hand strokes my thigh. I gulp and whisper, "Yup, just name it." 

Slade leans in closer, kissing from my neck up to my ear, and nibbles on my earlobe. His hand glides over my chest. He whispers, "I want you, baby." 

I choke out a gasp, and sputter. "What? Now? In the truck? Are you crazy? My parents are home!" 

Slade moans, grasping my cock, and licking my ear. "You heard me, baby. I want you to take me... right now... to Charlie's." He moves back to his side of the truck as his laughter reverberates around me. 

I sneer openly at him while adjusting myself. "That's not funny, Jones." 

"Yeah, it is. You should've seen your face. It was priceless. If only I had a picture so I could look at it whenever I need a good laugh." 

Sarcastically, I say, "You think you're so freaking hilarious, don't you?" 

"Oh, I know I am, baby," Slade oozes. When he sees the not too pleased look on my face, he reaches out and pinches my cheek. "Oh, c'mon. Don't be such a Gloomy Gus. It was a joke. A little payback, for making me talk about my feelings." 

"I'm gonna get you back. Just you wait," I growl. 

"Oh, I'm so scared," he says shaking his hands in mock terror. 

I smile and wink overtly at him, scanning him from head to toe. "You should be." 

Slade's voice deepens, "What do you think you're gonna do? You've gotta work hard to get this." His hand moves down his chest and stomach before grabbing himself. 

I scoff. "I won't have to work too hard. You'll give it to me," I tell him, my arrogance proudly on display. 

"What makes you think I'll just give it to you?" Slade counters. 

"Because you want me just as much as I want you," I state boldly. 

"Eh, maybe, but your odds are better, if we go to Charlie's," Slade says, leaning in and sucking on my neck. 

"You're such a tease. If I knew all it took to get you into bed was to feed you, I would've done it a long time ago," I say, grinning from ear to ear. Slade smiles and rolls his eyes. "Do you really want to go to Charlie's?" 

Slade nods. "Yeah, they're never busy on Sundays. We can be in and out in no time," he states. 

"I don't know. Remember what happened the last time we ate there?" I clutch my stomach tight. "I think I went through a whole bottle of the pink stuff." 

"But that only happened once. C'mon. I'm in the mood for the slaw bomb burger," Slade says, sounding like a child begging for a new toy. 

His giddiness is catchy, and I give in. "Okay, lunch is on me, and I'll even spring for extra fries and onion rings." 

Slade's eyes widen in mock surprise, and replies sarcastically, "Wait, extra fries and onion rings? Does this mean I have to put out because you spent big money on me?" 

"I think it does," I say laughing. 

"Okay," Slade sighs before smiling mischievously. 

************** 

We pull up to Charlie's a half-hour later. It's virtually empty. We grab a booth in the back sitting across from each other. Our server introduces herself as "Debbie". She takes our drink order and disappears. 

Slade grins and he says, "I want extra garlic on my burger." 

I lean forward to whisper, "If you want my lips anywhere near yours, nix the extra garlic, but then again that's entirely up to you." 

He laughs. "You're such a buzzkill." 

Debbie arrives with our drinks. "Okay, boys, what are you having?" 

I point to Slade. He recites his order. "I'll have the slaw bomb burger with fries: medium, 86 the cheese, extra pickles, extra tomato, with mayo and mustard on the side, an extra side of fries and onion rings." 

Debbie turns to me. "And what about you, honey?" 

Giving her a half-smile, I shake my head. "Nothing for me thanks." After she leaves, I say to him, "It's still weird to me how you'll eat cheese on everything else but not your burger." 

Slade smiles and shrugs. "I can't help it. It's been that way since I was a kid. I think the cheese ruins the burger." 

"It's the best part of the burger, you weirdo," I tease. 

Slade responds with a relaxed tone, "Maybe to you but not me, I like what like. And baby, you should happy you're on the list of things I like." 

Pouting, I ask, "Just like?" 

Slade shrugs and says, "It could be more than like, but you're starting to bug me." 

With a wide smile, I say, "I like you, too." 

A couple arrives sitting at the table across from us. We look at each other shaking our heads. Out of the whole restaurant, they sit there. We change the conversation to the upcoming NFL season. We get into our usual debate over the best quarterbacks. I might not like living in Boston, but I think Tom Brady is an unbelievable QB but Slade thinks Peyton Manning is better. 

"Hey, what time is it?" Slade asks, checking my watch. "We have plenty of time." 

"We have plenty of time for what?" I ask with a knowing smile. 

In a hushed tone, Slade replies, "To hang out, dirty mind. We can go see a movie. Or, we can go to the dam for a while." 

Before I can reply, Debbie appears with Slade's food. 

"Thank you, Debbie," Slade says, smiling when she places the plates in front of him. 

"You're welcome, honey. Let me know if y'all need something else," Debbie says before walking away. 

"That was super quick. Are you sure you wanna chance eating it?" I ask, looking at the greasy mess on the plate. 

"Um, yeah," Slade says, taking a huge bite of his burger. "About the movie, do you wanna go?" 

"I'm not really in the mood to pay $100 for a movie ticket. Plus, the closest multiplex takes us in the opposite direction. We'll have to double back. It's a waste of gas." 

Slade looks disappointed but he doesn't say anything else. He opens the ketchup, placing a large pool on the side of the plate, and dips in multiple fries before cramming them in his mouth. I sneak a few for myself. We have idle chitchat as he eats. It's not long before Slade takes the last bite of his burger, downs his drink, and follows it up with a deep, loud belch. I can't help laughing. The couple beside us looks over in disgust. 

Slade rubs his belly and smacks his lips. "Damn! That was freaking good." 

"You have absolutely no manners, Jones," I tell him, shaking my head in disbelief. 

"Whatever. I'm going to the bathroom," Slade says. He quietly calls out over my shoulder. "Debbie, we'll take the check now." 

"Sure thing," Debbie says. She jots something down and places the check on the table. "When you're ready to pay, take this up to the front cashier. Thank you for coming to Charlie's; we hope to see you again." 

"Thanks," Slade says quickly as he stands and heads to the bathroom. 

"Thanks, Debbie." 

After paying the check, I walk in the bathroom where Slade's washing his hands. 

"Are you ready?" He asks. 

"Just gotta hit the head first." 

Slade groans loudly and says. "I'm stuffed. I'm about to go into a food coma." He stands behind me, wrapping his arms around me. "Thanks for lunch, baby. I hardly touched breakfast." 

"I noticed." I look awkwardly towards the door. "You should step back before someone walks in." 

I grunt when Slade tweaks my nipples. He kisses the back of my neck. "Then hurry up and piss so we can get the hell outta here." 

Peeing quickly, I wash my hands and announce, "Done. I'm right behind ya." 

"Not yet but you will be," Slade throws over his shoulder with a laugh as he walks out. 

************** 

Slade and I sing badly to Garth Brooks blaring through the speakers. Out of nowhere, Slade exclaims. "Shit! I left it." Before I can ask, he turns to me and says, "My backpack." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah, I can't believe this," Slade says with a loud, exasperated groan. 

Reaching out, I run my hand through his mess, brown hair, down to his neck. "Jones, it's not that big a deal. We can stop and get what we need." 

"It sucks to waste money buying stuff we already have." 

"At least, we know we'll use it," I say encouragingly. 

Ten minutes later, I pull into a packed parking lot of the store closest to the motel. Slade and I walk in, grabbing a shopping basket. We make a beeline to the health section. Slade grabs everything we need. 

"We should get other things while we're here," I say, looking towards the food section. 

"Fine with me," Slade answers. 

As we're walking, Slade's sexual teasing is too much. He bends over in front of me, pretending to tie his sneaker, all the while moving his perfect ass back and forth. I push him into an empty aisle. "If you keep doing shit like that, we won't make it to the motel." He chuckles when I give his ass a hefty swat. 

In the refrigeration section, I grab a can of whipped cream. Slade gives me a crooked smile. "I like the direction you're going." 

"Strawberries or peaches," I ask whispering in his ear. 

"Peaches. We did strawberries last time," he replies huskily. 

I select a couple of ripe peaches. Slade grabs sports drinks and bottled water. 

As we're walking to the front, Slade grabs my available hand; he pulls me into an isolated corner hidden by a clothes rack, and kisses me. I drop the basket when I step in closer to him. My arms wrap tight around his waist while his arms lock around my neck. Our hips grind against each other as my lips trail lower. He squirms under the passionate care spent on the sensitive spot of his neck. Slade moans quietly. 

"Do you have any idea how much I want you?" I whisper. 

Slade grabs a hold of my crotch. I groan when he gives a slight tug and says, "Oh, baby, I think I do." With a couple of quick kisses, Slade pulls away. "You should go first, but leave the basket; I'll pay for everything." 

Looking around to make sure no one sees us I fix my appearance. "How do I look?" 

"Like you're gonna get laid," he says with a laugh. "I'll see you up front, okay?" 

I give him a departing kiss, and scurry away with an awkward gait. Each step has me wishing I could walk through the store naked. I think of disgusting, vile things to relieve the pressure in my shorts. It works but only to a degree. Standing in the front of the store covering my now semi-bulge with a large cup of soda is no easy feat. 

Slade's in line awaiting his turn. Our eyes lock. Everyone around me disappears. All this little detour has managed to do is heighten our situation. Unfortunately, Slade breaks the gaze when he steps up to the cashier. About two minutes later, he walks over carrying a few bags. We walk hastily to the truck. Slade pounces on me the second we close the doors. He kisses and pulls me down on top of him. 

Pulling away, I try to loosen his grip and say, "Someone can walk by and see us." 

"I don't care," he replies. My breath hitches when he puts his hand down my shorts but I pull his hand out reluctantly. 

"Yeah, you do. The motel is ten minutes away." 

"Fine. But let me do this first," he says, kissing me hard. 

************** 

It's hard driving while fighting off Slade's advances. I nearly lose control of the truck when his tongue swirls in my ear. He moves his focus to my neck. I keep my eyes on the road and curb my moans by biting my lower lip. 

The motel's sign and exit come into view, I breathe a sigh of relief and mutter, "Oh, thank God." 

Slade chuckles in my ear and asks, "What's wrong?" 

"You're nothing but trouble, Jones!" I whine playfully, "Nothing but trouble." 

I pull into the spot closest to the lobby door, and jump out before Slade has the opportunity to accost me further. 

Slade says quietly, "Hurry back." 

"I'll be back before you now it," I answer, as I close my door and head inside to check-in. I'm here before our official check-in time, so maybe they'll allow me since I'm already here. 

Much to my chagrin, a company-wide system malfunction makes a quick check-in impossible. I know it's not the fault of the female clerk, so I keep my irritations to myself. Slade and I text through the whole ordeal with us both feeling cheated. Nearly fifty minutes after arriving, my check-in is complete but my excitement has worn off. 

The clerk smiles warmly and says, "Again, I apologize for the inconvenience, Mr. Brooks. Sometimes situations like this are unforeseen, so as a courtesy, we're charging you for a single bed and one adult. At the time of your checkout, the price will reflect accordingly on your bill. In addition, we're offering you a complimentary two-night stay at any of our locations throughout the United States." 




Aaron & Slade Ch. 06



Touched by her generosity, I smile appreciatively. "Thank you, ma'am, that's very kind of you. But it's not necessary." 

"It's not a problem, Mr. Brooks," she says smiling brightly, looking past me out the door at Slade. "I remember what it's like to be young and in love. We've delayed you long enough. Okay. Your room is on the top floor. Go up and turn left, you'll be five doors down in room 19. The ice machine is a little further down on the right. If you need anything, call from the phone on the nightstand by pressing the front desk button. I hope you enjoy your stay." 

"I know I will. Thanks again." I depart with a respectful nod. Walking back out into the heat, Slade's outside the truck, drinking a bottle of water, which he hands to me. 

"We have room 19," I say, gesturing upstairs taking a sip. 

"Finally, I can't wait to get out of this heat," Slade proclaims, his irritation evident as he grabs the bags, and leads the way. Reaching the room, he steps aside so I can open the door. I fumble with the keycard but manage to get the door open on the second try. 

A blast of cool air greets us when I throw the door open. 

"Oh, yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Slade whoops. Dropping the bags on the table, he takes off his shirt, and stands in front of the AC. "That's so much better." 

Great! The AC's stealing my boyfriend's attention. I survey the room. It's colorful. The double bed looks comfortable with an HDTV mounted on the wall. There's a medium-sized, round table along the wall. The smell of disinfectant hangs in the air but it's not nauseating. I like the room. 

Slade moves away from the AC with a satisfied sigh. He starts emptying the bags. I wrap my arms around his shoulders; I place several kisses to the back of his head and neck. I move my arms to his waist. Slade kisses my temple and cheek before he tilts his head back, and we kiss, rocking from side to side. 

The weird feeling is back. Even with my eyes closed, the lightheadedness is intense. I falter but I cover by abruptly stepping away from Slade. I blurt out, "Jones, I'm gonna get some ice. I'll be right back." 

I grab the bucket off the table. 

"Hey!" Slade exclaims. "What's more important: getting ice or me?" 

I walk over, kiss his forehead, and say, "You, always you, but we need ice for everything we got. Besides, I hate drinking warm sports drinks, you know that." 

"Way to ruin the mood, Aaron," he says with mock anger. 

I counter with an annoying whine, "But I'll be back in a couple of minutes." 

Slade laughs softly. "Ok. Let me borrow your jackknife. I don't have mine, and I gotta cut these," he says, holding up the peaches. He gives me a soft peck to the cheek when I hand him the knife, he sits at the table to cut them. 

After closing the door behind me, I lean against it, wondering what's wrong with me. The feeling has passed, but I'm still aware of how it made me feel. It might be the stress of everything messing with me. I push away from the door and head to the ice chest. 

As I fill the bucket, I notice another bucket sitting on the chest, and fill that one, too. I walk back to the room cradling both buckets. Slade's laughter wafts through the air from four doors down. If I can hear him laugh, then what will others hear later? I hang the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door and shut it behind me. Slade's lying across the bed watching TV. 

Placing the buckets on the table, I say, "I can hear you outside. What the hell are you watching?" 

Slade turns to me. "Some show about stupid criminals. This guy got caught on the fence after he robbed the place, and called 911 to help get him free." Slade cackles, and goes back to watching the program. 

Rolling my eyes, I grab the cups of cut peaches and whipped cream stuffing them in one ice bucket. I move the bottled drinks to the bathroom. Plugging the sink, I place the bottles inside and dump the ice on top. Voila, we have a cooler. 

Closing the curtains and turning the AC up a little, I remove my shirt and shoes. I walk to the bed, and lying on top of Slade. When I kiss and nip at his ear, he lets out a throaty laugh while trying to knock me off him. He grabs at my arms to try to get me off balance. I twist out of his reach but he gets the advantage; I'm on my back before I know it with my wrists pinned above my head. I struggle against Slade's hold but not really wanting to get out of it. 

"C'mon, Aaron, you can do better than that can't you?" Slade asks with a smug grin as he sits atop me. 

"What makes you think I want to? I like this position. It reminds me of the other night," I say, mimicking his grin. 

Slade blushes heavily. I smile in triumph, but unexpectedly, he jerks my arms out to the side, knocking the smile from my face. His mouth hovers above mine, our breaths intermingle in a shared case of desire, but we have time to get there. It's time to have a little fun. I evade Slade's oncoming kiss, which makes him kiss my jaw. Again, he tries to kiss me but I turn my head. 

"Stop playing around and kiss me, jackass," he says smiling. 

Shaking my head, I say, "Jones, you can't call me names then expect me to kiss you, it don't work that way. I won't let you bully me into submission." 

"Don't make me hurt you, Brooks. On second thought...," Slade says, gripping my wrists tight with one hand while using the other to twist my nipple. 

"Fuck," I yelp. Bucking hard, I throw Slade off balance enough that he releases my wrists. I grab his waist, and playfully push him away, but he's quick; his legs are around me like lightning. We're laughing as I try to get free from his leg death grip. 

We continue our session of boyfriend wrestling until I can no longer take the sexual teasing. With Slade on his back, I leisurely kiss my way across his neck while several soft moans fill my ear, as his hands rake through my hair and down my back. Our hips undulate together in unison. Slade pushes up to a sitting position, which allows me to sit astride him, he wraps his arms around my waist, and methodically places kisses on my chest and stomach. His rough hands knead my back and ass. Wrapping my fingers in his chocolate-brown hair, I gently bend his head back, and the overhead light enhances the blue in his eyes. Caught off guard, I stare back mesmerized by their intensity. 

"I love you, Slade," I say, caressing his cheeks. 

"I love you, Aaron," he replies with a soft kiss to my chin. 

In this moment, I know we can no longer fight our amorous connection. I nestle myself between his legs when he lies back. I travel his neck with passionate, slow nibbles and licks; Slade turns his head to allow easier access. When I suck harder, my reward is a slow, undulating motion of his hips and panting moans. Slade grabs the sides of my head, pulling me up to claim my lips for himself. It's a deep, sensuous kiss with his arms locked around my neck. The kiss continues until I sit back to undo the button of Slade's shorts. Looking down, he smiles at me as I pull his shorts off, and I instantly salivate at the sight. 

Slade's wearing the yellow Andrew Christian jock I bought for him. When I saw it online, I knew his tanned skin would work as a nice backdrop to the yellow, but actually seeing him wear them, knocks the air right out of me. 

"What's wrong, baby? Cat got your tongue?" Slade asks with a nonchalant attitude. 

I stammer but no words form. Slade laughs. He moves from under me and stands by the side of the bed. 

"What do you think?" Slade asks, turning slowly in front of me. I get a full view of how unbelievably sexy my boyfriend looks. He's sexy in everything he wears but this is on a whole other level. Slade's bubble butt more pronounced when he stands to the side. The muscles in his ass and thighs flex as he turns to face me. His hefty, hard bulge barely contained within the mesh fabric. 

Somehow finding the words to speak, I say, "Jones, I thought you looked amazing in you regular jock but this is sexy." I continue ogling him, appreciating the sight before me. 

Slade smiles as I reach for him but he playfully swats my hand away. He steps in closer, and with a sensuous snap to the band of the jock, he says, "I was going to wear it for our first time but things didn't quite go as I planned, so, I'm wearing it for you now. It's too bad you're not wearing the red jock I got you for Christmas. But I guess I'll have to settle for you being naked." 

The wanton look in his eyes as he rips my shorts and underwear ups the ante. I sit on the edge of the bed, stroking my engorged thickness as I watch him in admiration. I beckon him with a slight jerk of the head. 

Slade leans in, kisses me softly, and whispers, "Lie back." 

I scoot back until my legs no longer hang off the bed. Slade climbs atop me and proceeds to lick and nip his way from ear to ear and down my stomach. The erotic devotion he spends on each nipple has me gasping. I look down to see the slight red marks along my body from where he bit or sucked. Moving further down, his tongue plunges in to my navel, every slow, deep pass make my hips jerk uncontrollably that Slade has to pin my hips down. Goosebumps rise on my skin in anticipation when he slides down. 

No longer able to wait to feel his mouth on me, I look down into his eyes and beg, "Keep going!" 

Slade's tongue moves in a languid motion around the pink, fleshy tip. His cheeks hollow as he draws me in his mouth. The swallowing motion while deep in his throat has me speaking in tongues. My shallow thrusts are in time with the bobbing of Slade's head. His in-depth attention to bringing me close but not close enough is taxing. I groan my disapproval when he pulls his mouth away. Before I can voice my objections, Slade's hands rub back and forth, up and down my cock as if he's trying to start a campfire. The warming sensation is powerful. 

I cover his hands with mine. "Jones, fuck, slow down," I moan with my eyes closed. "Don't wanna come." He laughs, and the bed sinks lower, when he climbs up to lie beside me. Slade's kisses to my neck mixed with his deliberate strokes have me mewling. 

Opening my eyes and using a little leverage, I flip us over. "You're turn, Jones." 

"Ooohhh," Slade teases. "Do you think you have what it takes to give it to me, baby?" 

"I guess we're about to find out, huh?" I tell him. Grabbing Slade's hips, I pull him close to me, and rock my hips against him. His heels press behind my thighs as his movements mirror mine. I hover above him, our eyes lock in a lust-filled gaze. 

A moan of satisfaction is heard when our lips touch but I'm not sure if it came from Slade or me. A dueling battle of tongues ensues. The back and forth with the biting and sucking of the other's lips sends a shiver through me; Slade's lips feather against mine and down my neck in one long, torturous move. My soft whimpers stifled when Slade's kissed swollen lips are back on mine. Slade arches his back as I roam the length of his neck several times. I spend ample time on my favorite spot making him squirm the way he made me. 

Deliberately, I trace down his muscular chest and belly with the tips of my fingers to my goal of the hard-on between his legs. His cock springs from behind the mesh fabric of the jock. I flick my tongue against underside of his girth, a gasp followed by a deep sigh are my reward. Moving further down, Slade's familiar scent only arouses me more. A light rub against his reddish puckered hole with my thumb makes him flinch briefly then moan. Continuing with the maneuver, I lick my way up his enflamed thickness. Slade's hands fist my hair as his hips undulate slowly. 

Breathless, he pleads, "Oh, yeah, take all of it, baby." 

And surprisingly, I do. He loosens his grip on my hair, falling back against the bed with pleasured groans. Several firm, quick puffs to the fleshy purple tip has him mumbling encouragement. Minutes go by, my mouth aches from his size, and I stroke him feverishly, smothering his loud moans with kisses. 

"Damn, baby, oh my god," he whimpers. Replacing my hand with my mouth pushes Slade over the edge. He whimpers, pumping erratically, and fills my mouth with his essence. Slade collapses on the bed after one final thrust. Moving up, I nuzzle his ear; giving him pecks to his neck while stroking him lazily. 

Slade reaches down pushing my hand from my cock. I tell him, "Nuh-huh, suck." He bends down. The warm of his mouth envelops around me like a vise. He makes love to my cock as if it's the only thing in the word. The careful attention he spends on driving me to the brink is body numbing. Slade's energetic, loud sucking along my soft whimpers fills the room with our sexual energy. "Jones, not gonna last much longer." 

I hold his hair tighter when Slade goes harder. My body shakes uncontrollably when he hums and presses hard against my taint. I'm a goner. Seconds later, I come cursing like a trucker. Toes curl. Eyes roll back. Professions of love flow freely. I'm spent. I lie there, unable to get the strength to move as I wait for my orgasm to subside. Relaxed, I lick my lips and smile. 

"I swear I love watching you come," Slade whispers, we kiss; tasting myself on his tongue is exciting. 

Exhausted, I say, "I know what you mean. You do this roll hip thing, it's the sexiest thing." Slade's cheek rests against mine. His stubble is making a comeback. He rubs my back before massaging my scalp with the tips of his fingers. 

When I go to turn, Slade shakes his head. "Don't move. I wanna hold you." He doesn't say anything as he continues his soothing touches down my back. It's not long before I'm out. I awaken to Slade spooned behind me with an arm and leg thrown casually across me, and I go back to sleep. 

The sounds of soft laughter reawaken me. I open my eyes to find Slade's head on my lap. I tug his ear. He looks up and smiles. "Hey, sleepyhead. Did you enjoy your nap?" 

Stretching with a yawn, I answer, "Yup. How long was I out?" 

"Not long, forty minutes," he answers. "Hey, I checked the guide, and Tropic Thunder comes on at 4:30." 

Through my sleepy haze, a bolt of energy hits me at the mention of my all-time favorite movie. "Oh, hell, yeah!" My empty stomach grumbles unexpectedly and Slade laughs. 

"You should've eaten when we were at Charlie's. Go grab some food before the movie comes on. You have forty-five minutes." I turn to see the peaches sitting in the ice bucket with the whipped cream. "Don't worry. We'll get to those," Slade says laughing with assurance. 

I throw on my clothes, nearly snagging myself in the zipper, and I sigh in relief. Heading for the door, I turn, and I ask, "Do you want me to bring you back anything?" 

'Where are you going?" 

"Mickey D's." 

"20 piece chicken nuggets with extra BBQ and extra sweet n sour sauce, and a large cherry cola no ice." 

"Alright, I'll be right back." 

"Okay, I'll guess I have to find a way to keep myself entertained while you're away," Slade says, as he takes off his jock, and grabs ahold of himself. 

I honestly don't know how we dated for two-years without having sex. I groan walking out the room. Slade's laughter taunts from the other side. 

I hit McDonald's but the drive-thru line is long. I check inside but those lines are long too, so I decide to stick it out in the drive-thru. About thirty minutes later, I have our food and already heading back. Starving, I scarf down one of my large fries and two cheeseburgers. I close the bag before I can attack the other fry and burgers. My thoughts shift to Slade and wonder what he's been up to since I left. I'm sure whatever it is, I'll find out soon enough. I pull back into the motel's parking lot. With the food and drinks in tow, I knock on the door for Slade to let me in. He answers in a towel. Before I step in the room, Slade snatches the food and is on the bed in a flash, leaving the fresh scent of soap lingering behind him. 

"You took a shower?" 

Nonchalant, he shrugs and says, "Yeah, I was feeling a little gritty." 

"Ok, let's watch the movie," I say, undressing and climbing on the bed. "My food please. Here's your drink." 

"Thanks, Aaron," he says, as we swap. 

"You're welcome." 

"Before it starts, no reciting the whole movie, you drive me crazy when you do that," he teases. 

"I drive you crazy? I want to strangle you every time we watch Spaceballs," I say trying not to laugh. 

The beginning of the movie breaks into our banter. Slade moves up the bed to sit by me. By the time the movie is over, my head rests on Slade's lap. We watch the next movie but I'm bored with it, I flip to my back, and Slade looks down and kisses my forehead. He leans over, grabs a peach slice, and feeds it to me. 

Chewing it slowly, I say, "Whoa, that's sweet." 

Slade says, "I should try some then." He takes another slice, rubs my lips with it before sliding it into my mouth. I bite into it as he leans down and kisses me. The mix of the peach and Slade's kiss has my mind in a tizzy. My arms slowly snake around his neck. When Slade break the kiss, he laughs and whispers, "You're definitely sweeter." 

I smile, placing a hand to his cheek, while Slade runs his thumb over my lips. Staring into each other's eyes, Slade moves until he's atop me. Another peach appears which he plays keep away with before eating himself. He leans in capturing my bottom lip with his teeth and bites playfully. 

"I think it's time we empty this can. You had your fun last time," Slade says, reaching for the whipped cream. After a few shakes, Slade places small dollops on my upper body, each one done with careful thought before he licks it off. My breath becomes ragged, the lower he goes. My cock twitches from the powerful, erotic laps of his tongue over my navel. My pleading whimpers and groans only egg him on. 

"Fuck," I exclaim. Slade looks up with his cocky smirk and winks. He continues with his seduction. "Oh, my god." 

My head falls to the bed. The whipped cream coats the length of my stiff member. He licks and sucks hungrily, reapplying several times. With a loud pop, my cock smacks against my stomach. His tongue flicks slowly along the underside of my sensitive member. Gently thrusting my hips and stroking the top of his head has me in heaven. 

In an instant, Slade's kissing me. I wrap my arms around him, and I say, "We joked earlier but I need to know you're okay." 

"Aaron, I know you're worried about me but I'm not fragile. You don't have to ask if I'm okay. If I weren't, I would've told you," he says snappish. 

I kiss the tip of his nose, and I say, "Yeah, I know." 

"Stop talking," he says, kissing me soundly, and our bodies gradually entwine like a pretzel. Both of us aware of the subtle touches the other responds to with each stroke of the hand. 

A couple minutes later, I roll from under him, and place lingering kisses to Slade's neck, shoulders, and down his back. Slade's tight, round ass clenches in anticipation. My lips brush against each voluptuous cheek, nipping, and feeling the warmth radiate from them. 

There's no need to prolong what we both want, I wrap my arms around the lower half of his body. The scent of soap cannot mask his intoxicating musk. Slade stills briefly and gasps when I flick my tongue against his beautiful hole. He pants heavily as the assault becomes eager and relentless. Pushing in closer only makes Slade wriggle and moan in ecstasy. 

"Oh god," he whimpers, when my tongue penetrates him. His cock dribbles his arousal onto the bed. I rub it along the head of his cock. My enthusiastic tongue in contrast to my slow stroke of his cock has him reaching back trying to push my head away, which only makes me go harder. "Fuck," he repeats as he grips the sheets. 

Slade's hips rock in slow circles and he moans heavily. I grab the lube adding only a little to my finger. There's resistance pushing my finger inside him but it's not long until I have three fingers conquering him with vigor; Slade rolls his hips in time to my thrusting fingers. The harder I go the more responsive he becomes. I slide my fingers from the tight grasp of his ass and I lay on top of him, kissing the back of his neck, and our hips move in time together. He pushes back with a throaty groan when my cock settles in between the round cheeks of his firm ass. I lean forward, and we kiss until we're breathless. 




Aaron & Slade Ch. 06



"Baby," Slade says the desire potent as he looks at me over his shoulder, "I want to feel every inch of you inside me." 

Crashing my lips to his, the nerves I felt our first time are nothing but a distant memory. Propping myself onto my knees, I grab his hips pulling him towards me. I sheath the condom on myself in a flash. Patiently and carefully, I push into Slade's tight, warm sanctum and relish how good it feels to be there again. He sighs while his head falls to the bed. Knowing he needs time to adjust, I resist the urge to move with every contraction of his ass. I caress his back lovingly to relax him. 

Soon, I thrust into him slowly. Wrapping one hand loosely around his throat, I draw him back; Slade closes his eyes and chews on his bottom lip. We work on an unhurried buildup, as our bodies become one. We grunt and moan in an almost perfect unison of desire. The pleasure coursing through me brings my primal instinct forth, and I drill into Slade harder and faster. A perspiration sheen develops on Slade's back. My own develops from our no longer cool room. My head falls to his shoulder, and I wrap my arms around him to pull him flat against my chest. 

"C'mon, give it to me. Fuck me, baby," Slade pleads breathlessly. I grip his waist tight and drive harder in to him. I do it again, Slade's eyes flutter, and he whimpers loudly, "Yes. Oh, fuck, that feels so good." 

Lost in how he feels, I fall forward, putting my full weight on Slade's back, which he supports with ease. I feel the muscles in his back flex as he keeps himself upright. 

"Oh, my god. You're so freaking tight," I murmur, moving off his back, and smacking his ass lightly several times, which makes him buck his hips. 

"I love the way you feel inside me, baby," Slade mewls. When I adjust, he releases a deep sigh, and says, "Right there, Aaron, don't stop." 

A hard, steady, even pounding has Slade's moans become louder and continual. When I slow down, he looks back, wraps an arm around my shoulder, and kisses me. I whisper, "Turn over." I lick the shell of his ear, making him tremble and tightens his hold on my hard shaft. 

Slade gasps when I pull out of him gingerly. He turns onto his back. We kiss and hold each other before he reaches down, guiding me back inside him. His mouth opens in a silent gasp as I slide in effortlessly. He wraps his legs and arms loosely around me as we rock together in the hopes of coming. Slade's continuous writhing has his turgid member, trapped between our sweaty bodies. 

Placing my forehead against his, and staring down into his gorgeous, hazy blue eyes, I say the corniest thing possible, "Hi." 

Slade laughs softly and says, "Hi." 

I push his knees up to his shoulders. The pace is once again animalistic. A couple sharp snap of my hips causes him to cry out. He continues to curse and shiver every time I manage to graze his prostate. Once I let his legs go, he grasps the sides of my body tight with his calves. He forcefully pulls me down into a mind melting kiss and sharp, bite to my neck. The stroke of his tongue over the sting makes me moan. 

The heady smell of sex fills the room. The only sounds are our moans, the slapping of skin on skin, and the rhythmic sounds of the bed squeaking under us. I reach for the whipped cream, placing some on his neck, Slade hands grip in my hair and arches up. His hands travel down my back and grip my ass tight. 

Nuzzling into his neck, I barely hear Slade's whisper, "I love you so much, baby." 

I whisper back, "I love you, too." 

Our lovemaking becomes desperate with the need to please each other. Slade rolls his hips to meet my frenzied thrusts, as he strokes his hefty erection. I match his pace trying to give us both the relief we both want for the other. Slade throws his head back and lets out several loud whines. 

"Mmm, I'm gonna come," Slade mewls, his body shudders, and his tight hole contracts repeatedly around my hard shaft as he shoots cum all over his chest. Slade falls back to the bed, rolling his hips against me. 

Beads of sweat drip from my face onto Slade's chest. He looks at me runs his tongue across his lips and rubs the mix of our fluids together over his chest. He mewls when I thrusts deep. My impending orgasm surges forth with one final thrust, I come in agonizing relief. I collapse atop Slade with harsh, deep moans. He wraps his arms and legs tight around me. By the time the spasms stop, Slade is lazily kissing my ear and neck, and moans when my softened cock slides out of him. 

I roll off him and gaze up at the ceiling. Reaching down, I grab his hand and entwine our fingers. 

"You okay, baby?" Slade asks as he rolls to his side, his other hand lies across my heart as it tries to steady itself. 

"Oh, yeah. Just thinking about how amazing it feels to be with you," I answer, turning to run my fingers through his hair. Releasing him, I take off the condom, tossing it in the trash before lying back with him. 

"It still pisses me off that I had us wait so long," Slade says to me. He places a kiss to my neck and I wince. "I think this last one was a little too enthusiastic. I'll be right back." 

Slade goes into the bathroom, coming back with several wet washcloths, and proceeds to wipe both of us down. He grabs ice cubes, applying them to his aggressive love bite. Normally, the feel of the cubes would've caused me to jump but I'm so hot that I have no objections. I settle back against the pillows. Slade stretches his cooling body on top of mine. Opening my legs, Slade settles himself in nicely. He reaches for the peaches, takes one out, and feeds it to me. 

"The peaches were definitely a good choice," Slade titters, taking another, placing partially in his mouth and leans forward. When I bite into it, the juice dribbles down my chin, and Slade licks the trail. 

We go to sleep after a small make out session. It's dark out when Slade stirs me awake with the arch of his ass. I'm half-hard, and if Slade wants to go another round, I'm game. I hold him tighter, grinding my hips hard against him, and he moans. He clenches his ass against my rapidly inflating member. 

I mutter in his ear, "I'm gonna come all over your back if you keep that up." The shrill ring of my phone cuts through the air. I try my best to ignore it but it's persistent. 

Grumpily, Slade says, "Answer it." 

With a groan, I rollover to answer the phone, and it's my mother, "Yes, ma'am?" 

"What time are you gonna be home, Aaron?" Ma asks. 

"I don't know. We wanted to hangout pretty late considering how much time we have left. Why?" I ask, not sure if I want to hear her reason for calling. I rub the sleep from my eyes. Checking the time, I see it's nearly 9pm, three hours before we planned to checkout. 

"Okay, we need to talk," she says solemn. 

"Can this wait 'til we get back?" I ask. Slade turns to me. I mouth, 'we gotta go.' He rolls his eyes, throwing the covers off, and heads for the bathroom. 

"Wherever you are, we need you to come back. This is important," Ma says with a mild desperation. 

"Ok, we'll be back ASAP," I tell her. 

After hanging up, my mind is going a hundred miles an hour. What's happened? I throw my clothes on, discarding the trash we created, and placing our items in the bags. 

Slade's still in the bathroom. I knock, but he doesn't answer, so I call out to him, "Jones, are you okay?" I panic when he doesn't answer, "Slade?" 

"I'm fine, Aaron," Slade calls out. 

Feeling like an idiot, I turn the doorknob, and walk in to find Slade sitting on the edge of the tub. I kneel in front of him and he smiles sadly. "You scared me." 

"I'm sorry, babe," Slade says. "I was sitting here and thinking. We both know why she called. They kicked me out." He wraps me up in a tight hug. 

"You'll be okay." I wonder if he really will be as I stroke his back. "We'll come up with something. C'mon. We have to get going." I pull him off the tub. A kiss to the forehead, and I lead him back into the room. He dresses quickly. We double check to make sure we have everything. Slade waits in the truck for me to check us out. 

Without the craziness of this afternoon, my checkout is easy. I receive my discount for the room, plus the additional two-night free voucher. Climbing in the truck, I hear The Band Perry playing somberly. I turn the station until it lands on Slade's favorite singer, Luke Bryan. His face lights up instantly. 

************** 

We pull up to the house by 10:30. Entering inside Dad calls to us from the back, "Can you come to the kitchen, please?" 

Slade takes my hand; we walk stiffly to the kitchen with his head up, Slade sits and asks, "Miss Dani, what's going on?" 

Ma begins, "We spoke to your mother. She informed us that you're not welcomed back at the house. Arrangements were made for you to stay with your Auntie Bernie back in Norfolk." 

"I told you," Slade says, his heart broken at the hands of his own mother. I wrap my arm around his shoulder as he cries. 

Ma continues her eyes watering, "I don't even know how I can tell you this next part." 

My voice cracks, "Ma, tell us." 

She looks to Dad for help. "Chris, I can't." 

Dad takes her hand and nods. "They also said, that uh... that uh, you're not allowed to have contact with your brothers or sister," he whispers. 

"What?" Slade asks dumbfounded. 

Ma takes his hands in hers. "I don't want you to worry, honey. We'll come up with something." 

I watch the love of my life break down in my mother's arms. 

Looking over at my dad, I see the empathy emanating from him. If he can feel this way towards Slade, why can't his own parents? It only pisses me off more. Why can't they love and treat him the way he deserves? I always thought of Miss April as being another mother but not anymore. She and that bastard of a husband of hers are about to get a piece of my mind. The anger bursts from deep within me. I stand up and run for the front door. 

Slade catches up to me, yanks me back, but I twist out of his hold. He calls out, "Aaron? Baby, stop!" 

"Sweetie, don't. They're not worth it," Ma yells, but I'm already in my truck before she's off the last step. 

"Aaron!" Dad yells running towards the truck. 

I peel away, kicking up the gravel in the driveway before he or Slade can reach me. 

They can't do this to him. I won't let them.



Aaron & Slade Ch. 07



Author's Note: 

The reedit for this chapter came quicker to me than I thought it would. There was a lot of down time at work this month, which allowed me to focus more on the boys. I actually finished last week but I have read and changed it so many times in post edit, I was driving myself crazy. I decided to go with this version. So, I hope you enjoy it. This chapter is more conversation driven. There are expressions of fears, doubts, and thoughts though not necessarily expressed to the person(s) who need to hear them. As always, if you'd like to leave feedback, you're welcomed to do so. I do try to respond to comments left either privately or publicly. 

-TrippyLuv 

********** 

Driving like a possessed, maniac to Slade's house, I find myself asking the same two questions over in my head: What in the hell am I doing? What good could possibly come from me confronting Slade's parents? 

The closer I get to his house, the calmer I become. Despite everything, Slade's family means a great deal to him; his parent's might be able to shut off their feelings towards him, but he couldn't about them. If I drive a bigger wedge between them, he may never forgive me. No, he will never forgive me. 

Then there's my dad. He always taught me, 'Be the bigger man. Take the high road, no matter what.' He's right. I can't stoop to his parent's level. If I do this then I'm in the wrong, too. 

The passing headlights blind me to the point my where my eyes cross. I slow down, pulling off to the side, grasping the steering wheel, I lay my head down to collect my thoughts. Unfortunately, the look on Slade's face as I took off is all I see, and it replays continuously in slow motion. Jesus, what have I done? I let me anger cloud my judgment again. I choke out a sob. 

A gentle rapping on my window startles me. Slade stands outside with tears streaking down his cheeks. His face relaxes but the pain in his eyes is haunting. I gesture for him to get into the truck. He waves to my parents who have pulled up behind me. Hastily, I wipe my face and nose as Slade climbs in slamming his door. I hear every shaky, controlled breath he takes. 

Feeling unworthy, I avoid looking him again in the eyes, and I ramble out my apology, "Jones, I'm sorry. There's no excuse. It was thoughtless, impulsive, stupid, and reckless the way I stormed out on you. I was so mad at them for hurting you again. All I saw was red but I didn't do it. I stopped." Nothing I say sounds right so I stop, and reach for his hand but he pulls away, crossing his arms across his stomach. 

In an even, crisp tone, Slade says, "My heart dropped when you took off the way you did. Aaron, you had me thinking the worst was about to happen to you." He roughly wipes his face, leaning forward, his hands formed in prayer against his chin, and each word gets louder and angrier, as he continues, "Even after I told you how I felt about the way Pa looked at you last night, you still ran off to confront him. Did you think once of what would happen to me if you'd been hurt or killed? Did you think about yourself? What the fuck, Aaron, oh, my god, things could've gone so fucking wrong tonight! That sonofabitch would've claimed self-defense because you went over there trying to play the goddamn hero. Now that I know you're okay, all I want to do is kick the shit out of you for making me feel like this. The whole ride, I honestly thought I was going to be too late...," 

Ma approaches before Slade can continue. I let the window down. She flicks her hair from her face, points at me, and yells, "Aaron, if you ever scare me like that again, you better start running because it's gonna take Jesus Christ himself to keep me from kicking your ass. Do you hear me?" 

The disappointment on both their faces has me feeling worse, but I answer, "Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry, Ma. I saw the way you and Dad struggled to tell Slade what his folks didn't have the guts to tell him themselves. I lost it." 

Ma looks to Slade. "I think I'll let your boyfriend handle this one for the both of us," Ma says with a sigh, "but you and I are gonna have our own little talk, capisce? 

I acknowledge with a nod, and Ma walks back to the car. I look at Slade who's become melancholy and quiet as I turn to follow my dad back to the house. 

Five minutes goes by, when a calmer but still upset Slade says, "Aaron, I understand why you did what you did but it doesn't make it okay, not by a long shot. I don't need a knight in shining armor to fight my battles. I don't need you to protect me. I'm not some helpless child who needs you to fight the monsters under the bed. You can't run off every times you think you need to be the big man." 

Taken aback, I defend myself. "I'm not trying to be any of those things but I do want to protect you. There's no reason why you shouldn't be around your family. Being gay isn't some contagious disease. Someone had to tell them they're wrong about you, Jones." 

Slade fumes, "Who are you to decide who does that? They're my family not yours. I told you I thought they'd kick me out and they did. You ran off anyway, scaring the shit out your parents and me for nothing. If you'd pulled back on your anger impulse, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now." 

Sighing heavily because I have no good defense, I reply, "You're right, I know. I overstepped. I'm sorry." 

"Damn, right, you fucking overstepped. And stop apologizing," he says annoyed. I place a hand on his thigh but he pulls away again. 

Surrendering, I say, "I am going to tell you 'I'm sorry' because it's the truth. Sorry for the way your parents are treating you. Sorry for so many things I can't change about our situation. I'm most sorry for making you scared for me. I'm sorry for everything." 

Slade looks out the window without saying another word. We pull up to the house. Mom looks back before walking inside but Dad remains behind. We sit in the truck in silence. Unable to stand it, I climb out and walk over to my dad, leaving Slade in the truck. 

Dad smiles faintly and says, "I keep forgetting how fast you are. Listen, you probably already heard it from your Mama and Slade but what you did was beyond stupid, and you could've been hurt." Dad gives my shoulder a firm squeeze before pulling me into a massive hug. He whispers, "I don't care how old or big you get, if you do something like that again, I'll tan your hide. Understood?" 

Dad doesn't make idle threats. I know he means it, and I answer accordingly, "Yes, sir, understood. You don't have to worry about me." 

"Kiddo, believe me, I understand wanting to protect those you love, but don't go half-cocked," he says hugging me again. I look over his shoulder at Slade. 

"I'll remember," I answer distracted. 

"See that you do," Dad says, winking before he walks inside. 

Awkwardly, I look at Slade and ask, "Wanna talk out back?" 

Slade passes me, disappearing in the house, and I follow him out to the porch. He sits on the railing, staring at me with such sadness that I can hardly breathe. I'm the reason for putting it there. Not his mother or his father but me, and all because I acted out of anger, I made him fear for my life. In shame, I walk over with my head hung, shoulders slumped, and hands in my pockets. 

He stares up at me, exhales gradually, and says, "The adrenaline is starting to wear off." 

Sniffling, I say, "Jones, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." 

"I know you didn't, Aaron," Slade breathes, "but you did. And I want to put this behind us, but it's gonna take some time, okay?" 

With my five-inch advantage in height over Slade, I feel only about a foot tall as I stand before him. Taking a step closer, I nod and say, "Okay." 

"I'll try not to hold this against you, just like you didn't hold our fight on your birthday against me," Slade announces. 

Fidgeting, I rock side to side, and say, "Slade, they're not the same thing. What I did was... you have more of a reason to be pissed at me. Can you ever forgive me?" 

Earnest, he replies, "This isn't a feeling I want to hold on to because I don't like how it makes me feel. It won't be easy for me to forget, it's all too real still. I know I can eventually forgive you but not right now." 

Dejected, I ask, "Do you want me to leave you alone? I can sleep in my room tonight." 

"No, you don't have to," Slade replies quietly. "I just want this night to be over." 

Going for broke, I reach for his hand, and he doesn't pull away this time. I place my other hand on his neck, letting my thumb graze across his cheek, and Slade lays his forehead on my chest, and moves his hands to my waist. When I wrap my arms around him, he stands locking his arms around me and he cries softly. I hold him tighter, and a few minutes later, he steps back and wipes his eyes with his hands. 

Wiping my face with my shirt, Slade leads me over to the couch, we plop down, and I clasp my hands between my legs while Slade has his resting on his thigh. "I wasn't thinking clearly," I start to retell him. "I had my blinders on. I didn't think I was putting my life in danger. All I could think about telling them how wrong they were to keep you from your family. Then, I started to think about how wrong it would be for me to go there because I didn't have the right. I didn't want you to hate me for making things worse for you to get back with your family, but instead you hate me for making you think I could've died." 

Shifting his position, Slade moves the hair from my eyes. There's a slight waver in his voice when he replies, "I don't hate you. I could never hate you." He grabs my hands; our fingers link, and he places a tentative kiss on my lips. 

Slade jerks slightly. Concerned, I wipe my face again and ask, "What wrong?" 

"Someone's calling me," Slade responds, taking his phone from his back pocket. He answers hesitantly, putting the call on speaker, and he says, "Hello?" 

"Slade, I'm sorry, I haven't called you, but Pop has us on lockdown. He took the landline and all of our cells to avoid your calls," Kevin says desperately. 

Shocked, Slade asks, "What? Whose phone are you using?" 

"Before Pop took mine, I text Shell to meet me in your room so I could use her phone because Pop's working overnight tonight." 

"So you're calling from Shell's phone. I guess this means she knows?" Slade asks upset. 

"Yeah, she knows but she promised not to tell anyone," Kevin confirms. "She had to know why it was so dire for her to meet me now at this time." 

"Hi, Slade, I swear. It's nobody's business," a little voice says in the background. 

"Thanks, Shelly, I appreciate it," Slade replies thoughtfully. 

"You've got to come back home," Kevin pleads. 

Slade clears his throat and says, "I can't, they kicked me out, Kev. They're sending me back to Norfolk." 

"Mama wants you home, but she's afraid of Pop. He said some things that made her come up with you living with Auntie Bernie," Kevin reveals. 

Shocked, Slade and I look at each other with open mouths. 

"Mama wants me home?" Slade asks with confused whisper. 

"Yeah, of course she does." Kevin states, as if Slade should've known that already. He continues his voice full of anxiety, "Man, you have no idea what it's been like since last night. Pop's been reading passages from The Bible. Jules hasn't left Mama's side. She keeps crying and asks when you're coming home. The others are too scared to make a sound. You can't leave us here with him, Slade." 

Slade shakes his head and says, "I don't wanna leave you guys, but by the way you're describing things, it might be better if I go back to Norfolk. Pa's never gonna accept me being gay. In his eyes, I'm a sinner. With me, being out of sight, out of mind, it might be better for all of you." Slade wipes his tears. 

"That's bullshit! You have every right to live with us. I don't look at you any differently, and neither does anyone else. Slade, you'll always be my big brother. I love you, man. We all love you," Kevin declares. 

"I love all of you, too," Slade replies, wiping his tears, and puts his head on my shoulder. 

"How are we going to get you back home?" Kevin asks. 

Slade sniffles, "I honestly don't know, man." 

"Do you wanna talk to Mama?" 

Slade sighs, "I don't know if I should." Both are quiet. Slade looks to me. All I can do is offer a slight nod. 

Desperate, Kevin says, "Pa should be gone in fifteen. So if you want to talk to her let me know now. I need to sneak back before he realizes I'm gone." 

Slade closes his eyes and mutters, lets out a long breath, and he replies, "Call me after he leaves. Then tell Mama I wanna talk." 

"Okay, no prob," Kevin replies happily. 

"Thanks for calling, Kev, you helped more than you could possibly know," Slade says, gripping my thigh. 

"We're family. We're supposed to stick together. I'll call you back ASAP. Bye." 

"Bye." 

The phone disconnects. Slade holds onto it before placing it on the arm of the couch. He stares at the ceiling of the porch, and his chin quivers, as he rehashes, "For 24-hours, one whole day, I thought my family didn't love or want me anymore because I'm gay. You said they loved me, but I think somewhere in my mind, I couldn't let myself believe it, and I was so wrong, especially about Mama. She wants me." 

I think about the blunder I almost made on his behalf. I really would've messed things up by going over there. Slade must've sensed my thoughts because he grasps my thigh tight, pulling me back into the moment. He shakes his head as if to say, "Don't think about it." 

I smile at him and say, "Jones, this is a good thing. You could be back with your family tomorrow." 

Slade smiles briefly but soon looks restless. "In about twenty minutes, I'll be on the phone with Mama, and I have no idea what I'm gonna say." 

Blinking multiple times, I say, "Tell her the truth. Tell her you want to come home because you love your family, and want to be with them." 

Slade shakes his head. "It won't be that easy. There's going to be an ultimatum. She'll want me to breakup with you, and as much as I want to go home, it's something I won't even consider." 

"Maybe, you should, if...she does bring it up...I want you to agree to it," I tell him, surprising us both. 

Slade sits up in an instant, and asks, "What? This isn't about what happened earlier, is it?" 

Closing my eyes, I shake my head and say, "No, it's not, but I want you to tell her you'll agree to breakup with me, if it allows you to go back home to be with your family." 

Slade forcefully states, "I'm not breaking up with you." 

Taking his hands in mine, I say, "Just hear me out. I won't be here for nine months. You're gonna need your family. We don't actually have to breakup but you'll tell her we did. This is your way back in." 

Anxious, Slade says, "I don't know. Pa scared her enough to want to send me to my aunt. If I do stay, he'll probably try to ship me off to one of the conversion therapy camps to make me 'straight and normal'. Or he'll do something else, I don't know." 

Hearing Slade struggle, I offer my opinion, "If you're worried about him, and don't feel safe, then maybe you should move back to Norfolk." 

Secretly, I'm hoping he'll choose Norfolk where he'll be out from under his father's thumb. Slade rests back against my shoulder. 

"What should I do?" Slade whispers. 

"Anything I tell you will come from a selfish place. You have to be the one to make this decision. Whether you choose South Hill or Norfolk, I'll support you, no matter what. I'm gonna give you some time alone, so you can get your thoughts together," I tell him softly. 

"No, I want you here," Slade says, grabbing my arm as I stand. 

"I know but you need to talk to her alone. I'll be at the pool when you're done." I give his hand a firm squeeze of support. 

"Thanks, Aaron." Slade says with a half-smile. 

I place a light kiss to his forehead, nose, and lips, and I tell him, "I've got your back, Jones." 

********** 

Quickly changing, I'm down at the pool but opt not to get in the water after taking the cover off. I look at my watch; it's almost 12:00am, when Ma appears out of nowhere, sitting across from me. 

She looks worried. "I heard you come out here. Are you okay?" 

Ma has a knack for being around when I need her the most, shaking my head, I answer, "No, ma'am, not really, can we talk?" 

Leaning in closer, she says, "Yeah, sure, what's going on?" 

"I wanted to apologize again to you for earlier. It was inexcusable. I hate I put you all through that. I hope you can accept my apology," I offer wholeheartedly but my weariness barely disguised. 

"Yeah, of course I can, but that's not what you want to talk about. What's going on?" Ma asks again, as she pats my knee. 

Looking into my mother's eyes opens the floodgate. I tell her only the vital parts of Slade and Kevin's conversation. By the time I'm done, Ma's mouth opens and closes but says nothing. 

Nodding, I say, "Yup, that's pretty much how we reacted too." 

"April better not screw this up. If she had any sense, she'd kick Terry's ass out for threatening her child, and not the other way around, but your boyfriend is a strong one," Ma says, looking towards the house before smiling at me. "Slade has been through the emotional wringer. It's a lot to deal with in such a short period time. He's still standing because he has you beside him." 

"Yeah, but I didn't help matters either," I mutter sourly. 

"No, no, you didn't but he'll forgive you," Ma predicts, "but it's gonna take time." 

Shrugging unconvinced, I say, "Slade said that too but time is something we don't have. One week is not enough time to work on earning back his trust. We've fought before but this one is different. Ma, this one feels like it could lead to me losing him. He thought I might die tonight. How do I come back from this?" I wrap my arms around my legs, and rest my cheek on my knee. 

Ma moves to my lounge chair, running her hands across my arms, and kisses the top of my head. Feeling her love and security calms my nerves. "Sweetie, I won't lie to you. Things are going to be harder for you from now on. I know how much Slade loves you. He was trying to hold himself together but I could see how much you running off upset him. I heard every prayer he muttered to God about keeping you safe. You have a long, winding road to travel to get back to where you two were before you took off. But if you keep talking to each other and be honest, there's nothing you two won't be able handle together, even getting past what happened tonight." 

"Ma, it's not just tonight that has me worried. I've been having these random dreams on and off. They're about Slade falling in love with someone else, or we break up because he's outgrown me, or Slade disappears altogether and I can never find him, or the distance is too much for him to handle and he breaks things off," I tell her my voice cracking. I lean back against the chair and search her eyes as I say, "What if these dreams are a prediction of some sort? What if we don't end up together after everything we've been through?" 

Ma sighs. "Have you told Slade about your dreams?" 

Shaking my head, I answer, "No, but he knows I have them." 

"Aaron, he has the right to know. All these dreams could mean are you're suffering from separation anxiety. The longest y'all have gone without seeing each other is a week since he moved here. This is a way your mind is processing everything. Did you stop to think that he might be feeling the same way?" 

Somber, I reply, "No, but it did take him a long time to decide if he wanted to keep our relationship going. Maybe he has his doubts about our future." 

Shaking her head, she says, "Don't do that. Don't go putting words into his mouth before you actually talk to him." She pauses, "Everything will work out, the way it's supposed to, if you have faith." 




Aaron & Slade Ch. 07



I laugh lightly, pulling her into hug, "Cliché, Ma, real cliché." 

"Well, it's true for every relationship that experiences a disruption. There will be times when you'll miss each other so much it'll hurt and you'll probably do something you regret. Your father and I went through a rough patch when we were missing each other, but we came out stronger in the end," Ma reveals. 

Shocked by her revelation, I release her and ask, "What happened?" 

Ma sighs, "Some skanky, butt troll tried to take your father from me when he was in graduate school. I know our situations aren't quite the same, but it worked out for us, and it'll work out for you. You and Slade are going to be fine but only if you're willing to put in the work it's going to take to stay together." 

"I'm definitely willing," I say, feeling better about my situation. Leave it to Ma to give it to me straight. "Have I told you that you're the best mom a son could ever have?" I kiss her cheek. 

"No, but it is good to hear. And you, you're the best son, even when you're lying, starting brawls at bars, and running off trying to confront your boyfriend's parents," Ma says with the rise of her brows. 

Blushing, I say, "You're never gonna let me live those down are you?" 

Ruffling my hair, and hugging me tight, she says, "Not as long as there's breath in this body, sweetie." 

"Thank, Ma. I'll talk to Slade about everything before the end of the week." 

"Make sure you do. Well, I'm off to bed. Let me know what happens with Slade. Love ya, sweetie." 

"Thank you for your help, Ma. I love you, too." 

********** 

"Aaron, wake up," Slade whispers in my ear as he lightly shakes my shoulder. 

I stretch out, focusing on him, I ask, "Are you okay? What happened with Miss April?" 

"C'mon, let's get inside the bugs are crazy tonight," he says, slapping his arm and flicking the bug he squashed. 

A glance at my watch, it's a little after 1:00am. I let out a huge yawn as Slade pulls me to my feet, and I say, "I need a little jolt." 

"How cold do you think the water is?" He asks before shoving hard, propelling me backwards into the water. The water is cold enough to shock the system. 

When I break the surface, I stammer, "You suck ass, Jones!" 

Slade laughs but it's not a real laugh. I swim to the edge, pulling myself out of the water. Slade hands me my towel; I wipe down, and sit with him on the lounge chair. 

"So, what happened?" I ask again cautiously. 

There's a long pause before he answers. "Well, I told her I loved her, the kids, even Pa, and that I wanted to come home. Mama said she loved me too but I couldn't come back home because she was protecting me, which is why she's sending me back to Norfolk. I asked her, if there was anything, I could do to change her mind," Slade says as he clears his throat. He holds my gaze. "She said I would have to renounce being gay and you in front of Pa, if I wanted to be welcomed back in the house. I thought about what you said but I couldn't do it and that's what I told her. She cried. I told her I couldn't deny who I am or how I feel about you because it would be a lie. And I refuse to keep living a lie. We went back and forth. She still doesn't understand, and I don't have it in me right now to make her." 

Slade's head hangs in defeat. I pull him in closer to me, and he releases a deep breath. 

"Aaron, I wanted to go home. I really did," he says softly, "but not at the expense of everyone else. So, no more family dinners, watching random reality TV shows, playing stupid board games, or hanging out in each other's rooms for me. I won't be there for Jules' seventh birthday. She's gonna forget about me." 

The bond between siblings is a powerful one when given the chance. Candace and mine made stronger through illness. Slade and Juliet's bond forged at birth when he helped to deliver her when he was eleven. From the second he held her, he was her protector. He would do anything for her even if it means ripping his own heart out by walking away. 

I lift his head towards me as I wipe his tears, I tell him, "No, she won't. There's no way, Kevin or anyone else will ever let Jules forget about you. You're gonna find a way to keep in touch somehow." 

"Not with Pa convinced I'll corrupt everyone in the house. Who knows how long this is gonna go on for. It could go on forever." Slade sighs. 

"You and Miss April will think of a way to let you see everyone." I pause before asking the hard question, "When is your aunt expecting you?" 

Shrugging, he answers, "Sometime next week I guess. I'll have to call her. I have so much to do on my end before I leave. Mama said she would handle the transfer for school. I'll pick up my things from the house on Tuesday. I have to tell my job I'm leaving. I hope they'll let me transfer, but if not then I have to quit and look for something else. What about the guys? What should I tell them about why I'm leaving?" 

Shit! I haven't even thought about Josh or Randy the last couple of days. I haven't been a very good friend to either of them these past couple of months' with my focus set to Slade. We hang out but I'm not always there mentally. Then using them in our lie this weekend was a douchebag move. I was wrong. I now I have to set it right as soon as possible. 

"We can decide what to tell them together," I tell him. 

"Sounds good to me," Slade responds. 

"Do you want me with you when you pick your things up from the house?" I ask hesitantly. 

"I don't think that's a good idea. Do you think your dad'll do it?" 

"Sure. Ask him tomorrow," I answer, trying to hide how hurt I am. 

"Aaron, if my mom wasn't going to be there, I would take you but I can't," Slade says, the regret obvious. "It would stress things out more than it needs to be." 

"No, I understand. Let my dad take you to get your things but let me drive you to Norfolk." 

"What? No way," he exclaims. 

"Why not? I'm fine with driving you. You can leave with us on Sunday," I state. 

"I can't. It'll take you two hours out of the way and y'all already have about a ten-hour drive ahead of you as it is. I can't ask you do that for me." 

"You didn't ask, I volunteered," I remind him. "It would be nice to see Miss Bernie again. It'll give me some peace of mind knowing you're settled. Plus, everyone will have a chance to say, 'see ya, later'. 

He's silent as he thinks over his options. "I'll agree but only if everyone else is okay with making the drive." 

Slade stares down at the pool. There's so much going on in his head. All of these conflicting emotions in battle with each other. I have no clue how to help him, so I ask, "Jones, what do you need from me? Right here, right now, and I'll try my best to give it to you. " 

"I need to sleep for the next twelve-hours," he says, looking me. "But what I really need is to work out all this aggression. If you have something to help with that, I'll gladly do it." 

What can I do to help with his aggression especially since I'm partially to blame? The light bulb goes off above my head. It's perfect! I stand and so does he. 

"Do you trust me?" I whisper, looking him in the eyes. 

"What the hell are you talking about, Aaron?" Slade asks apprehensively. 

I repeat, searching his eyes. "Do you trust me?" 

"Yes, I trust you, despite what you did a couple of hours ago," Slade says quietly. He apologizes when he sees me flinch. 

"It's okay. I'm not expecting things to go back to normal so soon. I want you to trust that I have your best interest at heart and wouldn't intentionally try to hurt you. I want you to trust me about tomorrow by not asking questions." 

"Okay," Slade says with a nod of the head. 

"You're right. These bugs are crazy. Let's go inside," I tell him. Slade helps me recover the pool and we walk towards the house. 

Once inside, I close the door and flick the locks. However, Slade's next action throws me, when he plants his hands on either side of me, pressing me up against the door, and kisses my back and shoulders. Then his arms wrap around my waist, he lays his head against my shoulder, and says, "Baby, I hate it when we fight." 

I cover his hands with mine and admit, "I hate it, too." 

Slade turns me around, and while holding my hands; he looks up at me and says, "You have to promise me that you won't make me worry about you like that ever again. The thought of losing you is too much." 

Seeing the hurt still in his eyes conveys how real this is for the both of us, and I say, "I promise I'll never have you worry about me ever again." I cross my heart, holding my hand in the air. Slade arms lock around my neck. Every breath he exhales makes my skin feel tingly all over. He steps in closer, my hug lifts him off the floor, and he wraps his legs around my waist. When he shifts, I grunt uncomfortably which makes Slade laugh. 

Adjusting himself so he can lean back a little, Slade asks, "Are you okay?" 

"You already know the answer to that," I mutter. "I'm gonna take a shower." Slade unwraps his legs and slides until his feet touch the floor. I retreat hastily up the stairs, listening to Slade's slight titter behind me. I take a long, cold shower to help ease the stiffness before moving on to a hot shower. 

Returning downstairs after my shower, Slade's on his stomach in his sleeping bag, playing a game on his phone and without looking, he says, "You have me curious about tomorrow. Why won't you tell me what we're doing?" 

"No questions, I mean it. You'll find out in a few hours. We need all the sleep we can get before we leave in the morning," I answer. 

"You suck! You know that right?" Slade says looking up at me. 

I reply, "I've never heard you complain about it before." 

"You're an asshole." Slade laughs as he turns onto his back, covering his eyes with his forearm. 

Turning off the light, I look down at him, and ask, "Do you still want me sleeping next to you?" 

Without hesitation, Slade opens his sleeping bag for me to get in with him. We face each other but say nothing. I can feel the lump in my throat form as I hold back the impulse to cry. Slade leans forward; his feathery kisses skim over my lips and down over the very visible love bite from earlier. We keep our affections to a minimum in the effort not to push things. 

"I love you, Slade," I whisper in his ear when he cuddles in closer to me. 

"I love you, too, Aaron," Slade replies. 

********** 

"We're working out that's your big surprise? Babe, you can do better than working out, can't you?" Slade says, sliding on his sneakers. 

"Hurry up," I urge. "We have to drive to Richmond." 

"Richmond? What the hell's in Richmond?" 

Smiling, I say, "You'll find out when we get there. All I will say is you'll love it." 

"Okay," he says giving up. I hold back my laughter watching him try to figure out what I have planned for this late morning. 

"Ready?" I walk to the front door. 

Slade gives me a shrug of surrender, shakes his head, and walks towards the front door. He stops and turns around. "Wait, what about breakfast?" 

"We don't have time. We can stop at a restaurant in Richmond," I suggest. 

"I can't wait that long to eat. I'm gonna grab something to tie me over. Do you want me to get you anything?" Slade walks to the kitchen. 

"I'll have whatever you have but no bananas," I call out and shudder. 

Slade laughs, shaking his head and he says, "I know you don't like bananas." He disappears and reappears a minute later with muffins, apples, and bottled waters in hand. "Alright, off to Richmond we go." 

********** 

"Are you gonna tell me now what you have planned?" Slade asks, as we walk out of the restaurant, rubbing his stomach, after scarfing down two large stacks of pancakes all by himself. 

Nodding, I say to him, "I guess can. What do you think would be the best way to get rid of all that anger you have?" 

Mischievous smile spreads across his face when he replies, "How about angry make-up sex? 

I nod. "Believe me, sex did cross my mind, but we're still new at it. I didn't want to ruin it, so, I had to think outside the box. We did other things before sex and I want to keep that part of our relationship going," I smile at him. 

"What did you come up with?" 

"I thought the best way for you to take out your aggression would be to take a boxing class. For an hour, you get to pound on a punching bag. We learn the basic techniques and so forth," I tell him, hopeful he'll see what an awesome idea it is. 

"Boxing?" Slade repeats and continues, "That actually sounds like fun." 

Happy that he likes my idea, I smile and say, "We might even get a chance to spar." 

Slade lights up at the thought and says, "I'm definitely gonna like this. You're going down." 

I pull out of the restaurant's parking lot, and head to my destination. "Really, you think so? How about we make a friendly wager then?" 

"What's the wager?" 

I think a moment before telling him, "If I win, I get a full-body massage, and you cook me whatever I want." 

Slade rolls his eyes. "Okay, if I win, you have to, uh, I don't know. What do I want you to do for me or to me?" 

I can't help but laugh, his humor is returning a bit. "You gotta come up with something before we get there." 

"Don't rush me, I'll come up with something," Slade says smugly. 

"If you say so, Jones," I announce, unimpressed by his boasting. 

"I know what I want." He laughs naughtily. 

God, I hate that laugh. "What?" 

"You as my love slave for one whole day," Slade says with a sly smile. 

"What?!" I exclaim. No way, I didn't hear him right. 

"Aaron, you said it yourself. We're still new to sex, so why not do some experimenting to find out what we like and don't like. Yesterday was good, I enjoyed myself, but I felt a little disconnected because of everything that happened. I guess I missed the intense connection we had during our first time. Don't get me wrong. I don't want every time we're together to be like our first because that's impossible, but I want the connection to be there between us. That's what this wager is about it allows us to focus on us. Whether it's making love or downright fucking, or we might not have sex at all, but for one full day, you're mine. Do you think you can hack it?" Slade asks, holding out his hand for me to shake. 

Thinking over his proposition, I know he's right. Plus, this is a huge step after last night. The fact he's even suggesting this has me wanting to throw the whole thing in his favor. However, as much as I would like to be his love slave, I hate losing even more, and if he wants it, he's gonna have to earn it. "You're not gonna win, so deal, bring it on," I state loudly, shaking his hand. 

"Don't worry, I'll bring it. You're goin' down, Brooks," Slade says holding up his fists. 

"I don't think so, Jones." 

********** 

Well, I lost. Slade took a clean shot knocking me on my ass. I laugh to cover up my embarrassment as I lay in the ring. 

"We're gonna get you checked out. Make sure you don't have a concussion because you look a little dazed," the disembodied voice above me says, as I try to focus. I soon recognize the voice as belonging to Bob, our instructor. 

"I'm fine," I announce, finally opening my eyes to find everyone looking down at me. 

"Yeah, well, let Doc here be the judge of that. He's all yours," Bob says, turning to the thin, balding man who has climbed in the ring. 

Doc is thorough. He asks every question that I've heard from playing football and baseball. I answer them, quickly and precisely. I tell him I feel fine other than the slight headache, which I had prior to being hit and my eye. 

"Okay, you don't appear to be concussed. Take extra-strength acetaminophen for the headache. Here's a cold pack for your eye, ten minutes on and ten minutes off until it's warm. Keep icing it other than that there's nothing you can do for it. Avoid contact sports. If your headache worsens and you become dizzy and/or nauseated, go to the hospital immediately. Understood?" The man says with more authority than I was expecting. 

"Yes, sir. Thanks, Doc," I say standing slowly to me feet. I don't feel weird which is good. The last thing I need is to end up in the hospital. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" Slade asks the worry evident. 

"I'm fine. A bit embarrassed but I'm fine." I gingerly apply the ice pack to my eye as I climb out the ring. 

"Let's go," Slade says, leading the way to the locker room. 

"That was one hell of a punch," I admit, sitting to face him on the bench in the isolated area by our locker. "I didn't see it coming." 

"I honestly don't know what came over me. Baby, I'm sorry," he whispers sincerely, scooting closer. 

"Don't be. I knew what I was doing when I got in to the ring with you. I knew it wouldn't take long for you to get in the punches you wanted to take last night and you did. I deserved every blow you landed. I'm just happy all I get is a black eye." 

Slade laughs. Leaning in, he plants a kiss to my cheek, and says, "Thank you. I have to admit I'm not as mad. I even feel more relaxed." 

Pointing to my eye and smiling, I say, "Then this was worth it." 

Slade plants a sweet, lingering kiss on me but remembers where we are. "Are you ready to go?" He asks grasping my thighs. 

"Yeah, but can you do me a favor? Can you drive back?" 

Shaken, he asks, "Are you serious?" 

"Yeah, I have no choice. I can't drive with one eye. My peripheral perception is thrown off." 

Soon, the shaken look is gone and he smirks, "I get to drive? I told you I'd get to drive your truck before the end of the summer." 

He roars loudly, and I cover my ears. "Headache. Bring it down a couple of notches, Jones. If my eye wasn't swelling, you wouldn't be driving my truck," I tell him undoubtedly. 

"Sorry, but you do know what else this means don't you? You're my love slave for one day. Baby, unpack your red jock, I intend to collect before the end of the week," Slade says gloating. 

"Whatever. I let you win," I tell him, as I pass him his things from our shared locker and my truck keys. 

"Sure you did. I won fair and square." Slade says, throwing multiple punches through the air before holding his fists up in victory. He bounds out the door with a renewed spring in his step. 

When I follow him out, Bob stops me and hands me an extra ice pack. "Hey, seems your friend has a lot of pent up anger. I saw it when he walked in. Tell him if he wants to stay out of trouble, he can come here anytime he wants, and we'll help him channel his anger the right way. Here give him my card." 

I look at the simple business card and nod. "I'll tell him. Thanks for this." I wave the extra ice pack. 

"No problem, kid!" 

I amble out the door. Slade is already in the driver's seat searching the radio stations for a decent song. 

Groaning, I climb in and say, "Damn." 

"What?" 

"The sun is bright. I need the pills for this headache," I mutter shielding my face from the sun. 

"We can stop at the store." Slade peeks at my eye and makes a face. 

"It's not that bad, is it?" 

"It's bad enough that I don't think we should see each other anymore. I should be seen with someone who isn't hideously deformed!" 

"Shut up. Fuck you." I give him a hard nudge. 

"Maybe later but right now, we need to get to the store and get you something for your headache," Slade says smiling at me. 

The business card Bob gave me if crumpled in my fist. I clear my throat. "Hey, Bob says he wants to help you channel your anger the right way. He thinks he can help you stay out of trouble. Here's his card." 

Slade takes the card but doesn't look at it as he shoves it in his pocket. "Getting that aggression out was fun, but boxing isn't for me. Besides, it's too far away." 




Aaron & Slade Ch. 07



"If it felt as good as you say, hold onto his card. He might be able to hook you up with a gym closer to your aunt's house. What could it hurt?" I ask, leaning back to look at Slade. 

"I'll hold onto it but I won't use it. Are you sure, you want me to drive?" He asks, running his hand down my cheek. 

I nod. "Practice makes perfect, as long as you don't kill us or my truck, you can drive however you want." 

"Cross your fingers," Slade says turning the key in the ignition. The truck jerks. "Shit, sorry, sorry, okay, here we go, I got it." The truck rolls. Slade cautiously pulls out of the parking lot and onto the main street. I close my eyes. 

We arrive at the store before I know it. "I'll go in and grab what you need. What else do you want besides the drugs?" Slade puts the truck into park. 

"I want butter toffee popcorn and sour worms." 

"Butter toffee popcorn and sour worms, are you kidding me?" 

"No, I'm not kidding. They're good. How does it look now?" I take the ice pack off my eye. 

"Looks like I need to start shopping around for a new boyfriend," he says with a serious look. "I'm gonna miss you, baby." 

"I really wish you'd stop doing that you're starting to give me a complex." I pout, as I sit up to look in the mirror. 

"Sorry, Aaron, I was kidding, I'll stop." Slade laughs, he leans in kisses me. "I'm going in. Try not to go to sleep or anything. You might not have a concussion but better safe than sorry." 

"I'm fine. Go get my butter toffee popcorn and sour worms." 

"Yes, your majesty. I'll be right back." Slade jogs into the store. 

"I don't think I look that bad," I say to myself. I change the station from the crappy song playing to the R&B station, playing The Manhattans, 'Shining Star', and I sing-along. 

Slade comes out five minutes later. "I got you everything. Here pop two pills now, I got you some water too." He places two pills and water in my hands. 

Tossing the pills back, I turn to him and smile. "Thanks. You're too good to me." 

"Yeah, I know." Slade puts the truck in drive. His confidence behind the wheel is becoming more evident. When he hits a red light, he turns to me, and smiles. I rest my hand on the back of his neck. He kisses my wrist. 

"Do you want some popcorn?" 

"You're gonna have to feed me 'cause you don't want me driving with one hand," he says, keeping his eyes focused on the road. 

"Check this out, I'm the one with the black eye and headache, but I'm the one feeding you. How does that work?" 

"Them's the breaks," Slade says with a shrug of his shoulders. 

I place a few kernels in his mouth. "When we get back to the house, you're gonna be the one feeding me." 

"We'll see about that. Dang these are good!" He says chewing loudly. 

We finish off the popcorn and sour worms. The closer we get back to South Hill, the more I'm not looking forward to my mother seeing my eye. She's going to flip her biscuit. I should've had Slade buy earplugs too.



Aaron & Slade



I wipe my mouth. "Yeah, I'm ready."

We step outside, shielding our eyes from the blinding sun, and walk over to greet his mom. Miss April is at the back of her SUV grabbing bags of food and clothing.

"Hey, guys. Slade, I grabbed you a couple more work shirts. Do you think you might need more than that?" Slade's little brothers and sister bound out of the car fighting as usual. "Will y'all shut up? You're driving me bonkers. Grab some bags and get in the house now."

Juliet, the baby of the family and only girl runs over to Slade, and he picks her up. "Slade, Slade, I missed you," the six-year-old squeaks. "Davy won't leave me 'lone. He pulled my hair all day. I tole him to stop but he didn't listen. You tell him to leave me 'lone." She wraps her little arms around his neck. Slade pats her back.

If looks could kill, Davy, at nine-years-old would be dead. Everyone knows not to mess with Juliet because Slade would hand their ass to them.

"Is that so?" Slade turns to his brother. "Did you pull Jules' hair after she told you to stop?"

Davy takes a step back and nods without speaking. Slade standing at 5'7" might not be tall still has an imposing nature due to him playing football most his life. He's intimidating when he wants to be. He and I are alike when it comes to our little sister. Don't fuck with her and there won't be any problems.

"Get your butt over here now and apologize to her before I make you regret it," Slade sneers. He sets Juliet down and crosses his arms. Davy steps forward and mumbles an apology. "Nah, do better than that. I don't think she heard you."

"I'm sorry, Jules. I won't pull your hair no more," the boy states louder.

Looking down at her, he asks, "Do you feel better, Jules?"

"Yes," she nods staring up at Slade. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Okay, it's over, no more fighting. Y'all do as Mama said. Grab some bags and get in the house. Jules, can you carry Mr. Waffles and a bag?" Slade asks holding the lightest bag out to her.

"Don't be silly. I'm a big girl now. I can do it," Juliet says boldly. She grabs her stuffed bunny and the bag from Slade's hand.

Without backtalk, the trio disappears into the house with bags in tow.

"I swear. The way you handle them, Slade, you're gonna make a wonderful father one day," Miss April says with a smile of admiration.

Slade blushes and looks at me.

"Anyway, back to the shirts. Do you want me to get you more?" She asks again.

"No ma'am. Should be fine with the ones you got me, but if I need more I'll go get me some," Slade replies, grabbing the groceries from her arms. "Oh, Kev, got his truck working and took Shelly down to the creek and he'll be back late."

"That kid acts like Shelly and his truck are the most important things in this world," she says shaking her head. She smiles at me. "Hey, Aaron."

"Hi, Miss April." I give her a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Aaron, are you okay, sweetie? You look a little flushed." She puts her hand to my forehead and cheeks.

"Not really, I came over to tell Slade that I'm moving before the end of summer. I guess I haven't recovered from the shock."

"Oh, no! Where are you moving?"

"Boston," I answer trying not to cry.

"You don't have to go do you?" Miss April asks with a low whine.

"Yeah, Dad made it quite clear there's no option but for me to go." I reach inside the SUV for the remaining bags.

"I don't know what Slade is gonna do without you. You two have been practically inseparable since we moved here. Do you wanna stay for supper? I'm making my famous baked mac n' cheese with hot dogs, it might cheer you up." I look at Slade and he nods 'yes'.

"Okay with me but I gotta check in with the folks," I tell her. We head into the house and help put the groceries away. I get the okay to stay. Slade and I go back to his room to watch a movie. About an hour later, Juliet grabs us for dinner.

Sitting at the dinner table, I look around at everyone. I've had dinner with Slade's family so many times over the last few years. I hate this could be one of the last times I have dinner with them. Most of the conversation is around my moving.

"Aaron, are you going to play baseball in Boston?" Miss April asks scooping food onto her plate.

"I don't know. I haven't thought that far in advance but I can tell you I won't be co-captain like I would've been here."

"That sucks, honey. But you try your best and I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Thanks, Miss April."

The conversation quickly turns to what movie everyone wants to watch. After dinner, we're hanging out in the family room when I realize how late it has gotten.

"I gotta get goin'. I have work tomorrow. I'll see y'all later." I stand from the couch.

Everybody says 'bye' and I head for the door.

"I'll walk you out, man. I wanna finish watching the movie from earlier anyway," Slade says as he stands and follows me to the door.

"Oh, Aaron, can you tell your mama to look for those extra mason jars? I plan on making preserves and I'm gonna need them," Miss April calls out from her seat.

"Yes, ma'am, I'll tell her." I answer before walking out the door and down the porch steps.

I hear Slade close the door behind me. The sounds of his feet on the gravel become louder as he reaches me.

"C'mere, so I can give you a proper goodbye," Slade whispers.

We go into his room and stand in the center. There's enough light from the moon to allow us to see each other. He smiles up at me. My eyes linger on his lips. Slade steps in and wraps his arms around my waist while lightly massaging my back. When he tilts his head back, I kiss him fully and longingly. Slade moans when I deepen the kiss. I hold him closer to me by grabbing his ass. This kiss makes the world seem to disappear by having Slade in my arms this way.

"Thank you for what you did earlier," I whisper in his ear when we break apart. "You made me forget about it for a while."

"Baby, you know I'd do anything for you." Slade's voice cracks a bit.

I close my eyes and hold him. A minute later, I reluctantly pull away from him. "I've got to get goin'."

"Want to do to the dam tomorrow night?" Slade holds my hands in his.

"Definitely," I answer kissing him on the forehead. "I'll call you when I get home, okay?"

Slade nods. I turn to walk away and feel the sting of Slade's heavy hand smacking my ass hard.

"You'll pay for that later, Jones." I laugh massaging my butt cheeks.

"Promise?" he asks coyly. I walk back to him and grab under his chin to make him look up at me.

"I promise." I lean down to kiss him but walk away instead.

"You're cold-blooded, baby," he says loud enough for me to hear him.

I laugh walking to my truck. If I keep having moments like this with Slade, I won't be able to leave him. What am I going to do?