Brian and Carey

by Colin Sherman

  “Why don’t you have a boyfriend?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “Don’t have time. I take some pretty intense classes at school. And during the summer, I work, and I volunteer at the summer camp in Cape Fear a few days a week. I’ve actually never had a boyfriend.”

  “Really? But you’re cute,” Brian said.

  She shrugged. “I guess the guys around here don’t really think so.”

  Brian waved his hand dismissively. “Straight guys. Pft. What do they know?”

  Carey and Jen laughed. She stood and stretched.

  “I’m beat. I’m gonna go.”

  “Rob is taking me fishing tomorrow morning, if you want to go,” Carey offered.

  “Or you could come shopping with me and Dina,” Brian smirked.

  “Thanks, but I’m at the summer camp tomorrow. Maybe I’ll see you Saturday.”

  “We’re leaving Saturday,” Carey told her.

  “Oh. Well, then maybe I’ll stop by tomorrow night to say goodbye.”

  “You better,” Brian said, and hugged her.

  Jen left, and the boys were alone.

  “I love that song,” Brian commented.

  Nodding, Carey agreed. “Me too.”

  Brian sat down on the floor next to Carey and rested his head on his shoulder. “This is the best vacation ever,” he sighed.

  “Yeah. But it’s almost over.”

  Tilting his head up, Brian grinned. “We’re all alone.”

  Carey turned his head and captured Brian’s mouth with his own. The kiss quickly escalated as they slowly lowered to the floor, Brian lying on top of Carey. Neither could help pushing his hips into the other’s.

  “How long do you think your aunt and uncle will be walking the dogs?” Brian breathed.

  “Not long enough,” Carey chuckled.

  “I wish we could go up to your room.”

  “I promised we wouldn’t.”

  Brian leaned up and off, getting up to go to the chair-and-a-half.

  “What are we going to do when we get back home?”

  Carey sighed and joined Brian. He shrugged. “I have band camp next week. And you start your summer session of dance, don’t you?”

  “No. I mean, I do, but that’s not what I meant. How are we going to . . . be alone?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I really want to do that again.”

  Carey laughed. “What have I turned you into? You were so shy about it at first.”

  “That was before I knew . . .” Brian trailed off and blushed.

  “Knew what?” questioned Carey.

  “Nothing. I just really liked being so close to you.”

  “I loved it.” Carey nuzzled his neck.

  The door opened, and Harold ran up to them, panting. Brian reached down and pet him.

  Rob stretched his arms high over his head. “Well, we’ve got to get up pretty early if we’re going to get some good fishing in.”

  “What time are we leaving?” Carey asked.

  “How about six? Early, but not too early.”

  “Okay. I guess I should go to bed too.” Carey turned to Brian. “You going up?”

  “In a little bit. Mind if I fool around with your guitar?”

  “No, go ahead. Um, goodnight.” Carey wanted to say goodnight to Brian in private. He wanted to kiss him. He really wanted to sneak him into his room again, but he wouldn’t dare risk being caught again.

  “Night.” Brian said.

  “Goodnight boys,” Dina said. “Be quiet in the morning. I don’t need to get up early,” she laughed.

  Carey and Rob, along with the dogs went upstairs, leaving Brian and Dina alone. Brian sat on the floor picking at the strings of the guitar, yet not playing anything in particular.

  “Do you play too?’ she asked.

  “Not really. I never had the time to learn. Too busy dancing and singing. Carey’s shown me a few things though.”

  “The two of you are very close,” Dina commented.

  He nodded, still picking out notes and occasionally strumming.

  “You’ve known each other since Kindergarten, but just started going out recently, right?”

  “Yeah. He came out to me, like, a week before that.”

  Dina smiled. “Then I guess once he did, you were able to tell him how you felt about him.”

  “Actually, I always tried not to think of him that way. He was the one who had a crush on me for a while.”

  Dina frowned. “Oh, I thought it would have been the other way around.”

  He stopped strumming.

  “But I really like him,” Brian smiled. “I never thought we’d ever be more than friends. But now that we are, I really like him.”

  “I think he really likes you, too,” Dina grinned.

  “I know,” he answered shyly. “This has been the best vacation ever. Thank you so much.”

  “It’s been nice having you here. The two of you are welcome anytime.”

  As Brian tinkered on the guitar, his mind wandered to the following summer. He would gladly forgo senior week at the Jersey shore with a group of friends in order to visit Dina and Rob with Carey. By then, they’d both be eighteen. Adults.

  Chapter 18

  “Uncle Rob, I think I got a big one!” Carey yelled. “It’s really pulling on the line.”

  “Slack off a little. You don’t want it to break the line.”

  Rob put his own pole in its holder and moved over to Carey.

  “What do I do?” Carey asked.

  “Ease off, then reel in a bit. Just a little at a time. You want the fish to think it can get away, so it won’t struggle as much. That way, when you get it close to the boat, you can quick reel it in.”

  “Okay. Tell me if I do something wrong.”

  Carey let out the line then slowly reeled in some of the line.

  “It’s not pulling as much,” he said.

  “Good. Reel in a little more.” Carey did as he was told, while Rob leaned over the side of the boat to see if he could get a look at the fish.

  “Keep pulling. You got it, Carey.”

  “It’s pulling hard,” Carey grimaced as he held on tightly to the pole.

  “Maybe I can get a net down there,” Rob told him. “He’s almost up.”

  Between the pair of them, they finally brought the fish in. It was a king mackerel that Rob estimated to be between thirteen and fifteen pounds. They took it back home for Dina to cook.

  ◆◆◆

  “It’s not really my favorite,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I’ll have to look up some recipes.”

  “Just fry it up with some panko,” Rob suggested.

  “That’s your solution to everything, isn’t it,” Dina chuckled. “When in doubt, fry it in breadcrumbs.”

  “What’s wrong with that?” Rob shrugged.

  Brian and Carey also shrugged. “Sounds good,” Carey said.

  Rolling her eyes, Dina put the cleaned fish fillets in the fridge for later.

  “So, what did you guys do today?” Carey asked Brian.

  “We went to the Mayfaire Town Center. I got you something. Well, I got us something.”

  Brian excitedly jumped off his stool and bounded up the stairs. Carey gave a quizzical glance to Dina, who simply smiled at him.

  “And what did you get, honey?” Rob asked Dina.

  “Just a couple of shirts and some new make-up.” She laughed, “Brian helped me pick it out.”

  When Brian came down the stairs, he was slightly out of breath from running.

  “Here,” he said, holding out a bag to Carey.

  Carey took the bag and reached inside. He pulled out a bracelet. Actually, it was two bracelets held together.

  “They’re friendship bands,” Brian explained. “One for you and one for me.”

  Carey examined the black braided leather bracelets. In the center of each was a silver toned plate engraved with the word forever. A small charm hung down from the corner, reading
BFF.

  “Too corny?’ Brian asked. “I can take them back.” He held out his hand.

  “No. I love it,” Carey said, blushing. Despite being self-conscious in front of Dina and Rob, he leaned forward and kissed Brian. “Thank you.”

  They stared at one another for a moment before Carey looked down again at the bracelets.

  “Do you have a pair of scissors Dina?”

  “Sure,” she said. “They’re so cute,” she whispered to Rob as she walked past him to get the scissors.

  Carey cut the bands apart and tied one onto Brian’s wrist. Then Brian did the same for him. They each grinned as they admired their new jewelry.

  Throughout the rest of the day, Carey glanced down at his wrist often. He liked the look of his gift, but it was more about what it represented. He wondered if the bracelets held the same significance for Brian as they did for him. He ran a finger over the engraving.

  Forever.

  ◆◆◆

  Saturday morning came far too quickly for Carey. He and Brian had loaded up the car and were ready for the trip back home. They stood out in the driveway, saying their goodbyes to Dina, Rob, and Jen.

  “I’m so glad you came over last night,” Carey said, hugging his friend. “It was fun.”

  Jen hugged him back. “I wouldn’t have missed eating the first fish you ever caught.”

  “It wasn’t the first one,” Carey protested. “But it was the first one big enough to eat.”

  “I hope you and Brian will come down again next summer before we all go off to college,” she smiled. “If you do, I’ll make sure I take time off to hang out.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “You boys are definitely welcome to come down next year,” Dina said, pulling Carey into a hug.

  “Okay,” he replied.

  Rob shook Brian’s hand and wished him a safe trip, then did the same to Carey. They all waved from their places as the boys pulled out of the driveway.

  The trip home was uneventful, and quiet.

  “Are you okay?” Carey asked Brian. He originally thought Brian was sleeping, but realized he was gazing out the window.

  “Yeah, why?” Brian returned.

  “You’re awfully quiet. You’ve barely talked and we’re already coming up on Virginia.”

  Brian turned in his seat. “Sorry, just thinking.”

  After a long pause, Carey asked, “About?”

  “Next year. What’s going to happen when we go to college? I mean, Dina said it all worked out for her and Rob. But . . .” he trailed off.

  “I don’t know,” Carey answered.

  “Oh.” Brian sounded disappointed.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. I just thought maybe you were going to say something like, we’ll always be friends no matter what.”

  Carey smiled. “I didn’t think I needed to. We will always be friends. Who knows? Maybe we’ll pick schools not too far from each other. And there will be summers and holidays. And we can talk online–”

  “Okay, okay,” Brian laughed. “You’ve convinced me.” He paused for a moment, then seemed back to his usual carefree manner. “When we get back home, we’ve got to start thinking about getting our college auditions together.”

  “Yeah,” Carey agreed. “Some of the applications are complicated. Only a couple of schools will let me send a video audition. How about you?”

  Brian shook his head. “I have to audition in person for mine. I want to try to go as early as possible, so I have to plan out when I’m going.”

  They chatted about they’re plans and stopped for lunch right outside Richmond, Virginia. Back on the road, Brian drove while Carey napped. Before he knew it, they were pulling into the Reid’s driveway. The vacation was officially over.

  ◆◆◆

  “So, how was it?” Robin asked as she sat at Carey’s kitchen table. She had come over the next morning to catch up. “I missed you guys.”

  “It was great. My aunt and uncle are so nice. They took us out to dinner, and fishing, and to the beach. It was great.”

  Robin smiled. “And?”

  “And what?”

  “You have a look like there’s more to tell.”

  Carey couldn’t hide his grin. He leaned closer to whisper.

  “You can’t tell anyone . . . but, I snuck Brian into my room one night.”

  “Oh my god! You didn’t.”

  “Shhh. No, we didn’t. But we did sleep together all night.” He sighed. “It was perfect. But now that we’re home, I feel like we have to censor ourselves again.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When we were down there, we sat on the couch and cuddled together every night. We kissed in front of Aunt Dina and Uncle Rob. They didn’t mind.” He glanced around quickly. “I don’t think we can do that in front of my dad.”

  “You’ve been going out for, like, three months. Don’t you think your dad is used to it by now?”

  Carey shrugged. “I don’t know if he’ll ever really be used to it.”

  “Why? He let you go on vacation with Brian.”

  “I know, but he still looks uncomfortable when Brian is over. My mom says he’s fine with it.”

  “But you don’t believe her?”

  “It’s not that I don’t believe her. It’s more like, she wants everything to be fine so she’s trying to convince herself. And me.”

  They were silent for a moment or two.

  “So, what did you do while we were gone?” Carey asked.

  Robin blushed a bit and smiled. “I, um . . .”

  “What?” he prodded.

  “Well, Josh actually called me. And, we went out a couple of times.”

  “You did? I told you he was a great guy. Do you like him?” he asked enthusiastically.

  Robin nodded. “We had a good time. It’s nothing serious,” she waved a hand. “But we had fun.”

  “Cool.” Carey was pleased to see Robin finally getting the attention she deserved. Maybe Carey himself wasn’t right for her, but he knew she was special. “We could double date sometime.”

  “Maybe. So, what do you have going on the rest of the summer?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “Band camp starts next week. And Brian starts his summer dance class. But that’s only twice a week. We were thinking about getting jobs. I’m so tired of borrowing money from my parents,” Carey lamented.

  “Yeah, me too. Birthday money only lasts so long,” Robin laughed.

  “But at least you babysit.”

  “I haven’t had many sitting jobs since summer started. Too many families are taking vacations these days. Hopefully, it’ll pick up.”

  “I’m going to apply to Burger Town or Swifty Mart. But with my band schedule, I don’t know who’ll hire me.”

  Though it had only been a week, the pair spent hours catching up on what they missed. The next day, band camp began, as well as Brian’s dance classes. Carey was almost too exhausted after the first few days to get together with Brian. But Brian insisted on coming over, even if it was simply to play an hour of video games or watch a movie. Carey had to admit that he didn’t really mind, considering they had spent all day, every day together in North Carolina, and he missed that.

  By Friday, Carey was so worn out that he fell asleep on Brian while watching television with him in the basement. When his father walked down the stairs, Brian quickly tried to push him off.

  “What’s going on?” Mr. Reid asked loudly, startling Carey awake.

  “Huh?”

  Brian scooted out from under Carey’s shoulder and moved to the far end of the couch.

  “You’re not supposed to be down here alone,” Malcolm said.

  “The door was open, wasn’t it?” Carey asked sleepily. One of the rules they had all agreed on was that the door to any room the boys were in alone had to be left open. The same would apply to Michelle when she had a boyfriend.

  “Yes,” Malcolm said reluctantly. “But you were all . . .�
� He gestured with his hands twisting in the air in frustration, trying to come up with the right words. “Lying on top of each other.”

  “I fell asleep.” Carey sat up and rubbed his eyes. He didn’t even have the energy to be concerned about what his dad thought. “We sat on the couch together down at Aunt Dina’s. What’s the big deal?”

  “You know what the big deal is. I don’t want to catch you two doing something you’re not supposed to if I want to come into the basement for something.”

  Carey sighed. “So, we’re not allowed to hug?” He asked sarcastically.

  “Don’t take that tone with me.”

  “Dad, Brian is my boyfriend. We hug, and kiss.”

  Malcolm wrinkled his nose, almost imperceptibly.

  “And we cuddle on the couch. We’re not doing anything we’re not supposed to do. We’re doing what boyfriends do.”

  “What’s going on?” Carey’s mom called down the stairs, hearing the boisterous conversation.

  “Nothing Jeannie.”

  “You sure?”

  Carey stared at his father, silently daring him to bring his mom into the conversation.

  “Yes, everything’s fine,” Malcolm called up. He turned to Carey, glancing at Brian briefly. “Okay,” he finally said.

  Once he had fully awakened and realized how he spoke to his father, Carey sat nervously.

  “Okay, as in . . . you’re okay with us lying on the couch together?”

  “Just make sure that’s all you’re doing,” Malcolm muttered and went up the stairs.

  Brian’s eyes were as large as they had been down at Aunt Dina’s house when they’d been caught in Carey’s bed.

  Carey couldn’t help laughing. “It’s all right, you don’t have to look so scared.”

  “I never know what to do when your dad is around,” Brian admitted.

  “I know. But, he seems to be coming around. At least a little bit,” Carey said optimistically.

  “Does he really think we’re just constantly trying to have sex?”

  “Aren’t we?” Carey teased. Brian shoved his shoulder.

  “It’s late. I should probably go,” Brian said. “Hey, I forgot to tell you. I have an interview at the movie theater tomorrow. If I get the job, maybe I’ll get discount tickets.”

  “Cool. I haven’t heard from anywhere yet,” Carey lamented. “Let me know how your interview goes.”