Homecoming Hearts Series Collection

by HJ Welch

  The water ran over his cock, making it deliciously slippery. With all the stress of the band break-up and the move and the show he hadn’t jerked off in weeks. But now he was hard as a rock, the memory of Elion’s lips fresh in his mind.

  He steadied himself with one hand against the tiles and let his head drop back, moaning. All the tension from his body meant he was coiled like a spring. This wouldn’t take long. His eyes closed, he pictured Elion smiling as he jerked him off, kissing his neck and begging him to come for him.

  Blake rubbed one of his nipples between his finger and thumb, tightening the sensitive nub and sending sparks across his skin. He gasped against the water as his orgasm built. ‘I want you,’ he imagined Elion whispering to him.

  That was all it took to push him over the edge. He almost choked as he spilled against the tiles, the water washing away the evidence almost immediately. He took several ragged breaths while the dizziness dissipated.

  He blinked as he got his breath back and his cock softened in his hand. “Whoa,” he murmured. The water suddenly seemed very loud in his ears. He hadn’t come that fast or that hard in years.

  He didn’t particularly remember finishing up his shower or rinsing the suds from his hair. All his thoughts were wrapped up in what he’d just done.

  Had he crossed a line?

  No, it was just an idle fantasy. He’d thought of far more depraved things like that in the past. But never about someone specific, someone he knew. The stars of his spank bank were always generic and faceless.

  There was no denying how thinking of Elion had turned him on though. So what did that mean?

  As if reading his mind, when he wrapped himself in a towel and checked his phone, he discovered a message from Joey.

  ‘Is there something you want to tell me?’

  “Fuck,” said Blake out loud. He hit the call button without pause.

  “I take that as a yes,” Joey chuckled from down the other end of the line. It was good to hear his voice. Blake sat on the end of his bed and smiled to himself.

  “Hey man. Sorry, I should have called earlier.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” There was a pause. “So, um. You have a boyfriend?”

  Blake chewed his bottom lip. Shit. Was Joey jealous?

  “I’m not jealous,” he said unprompted. Blake laughed in relief. “I guess, I just thought you might have mentioned something. Before.”

  Blake tapped his foot. His hair was still wet and a few droplets were running down his skin. The ticklish sensation of the water reminded him of what he’d just done in the shower.

  “There wasn’t anything to mention,” he said with a sigh. “It’s all fake, dude. It’s just for the show.”

  Joey was silent so long Blake almost said hello to check. “Really? Cuz, it doesn’t look fake.”

  Blake scrubbed his face. “It’s amazing what they do it editing. In a terrible way.”

  “How did you meet him?”

  Blake explained how they’d been to high school together then reconnected at the coffee house. He became aware that he’d laid back against his pillows. Confessing to his gay best friend about Elion relaxed him, not stressed him further. Huh.

  “I think we’re friends for real though,” he concluded. “At least I hope so.”

  More silence from Joey. That was unusual. Normally he would jump all over something as salacious as this.

  Blake exhaled heavily and rubbed his eyes. “Do you hate me?”

  “What? No!” Joey cried. “Why would you think that?”

  Wasn’t it obvious? “Because being queer is a reality for you,” he said. “And this is just exploiting it for ratings.”

  “Blake,” Joey said slowly. “Have you considered that you might actually be bi or something?”

  Blake opened his mouth, the ‘of course not’ ready to go. But the memory of his breath-taking orgasm just now held the words hostage.

  “Would it really be that bad?” Joey asked. His voice was small and that jump-started Blake’s brain again.

  “Absolutely not,” he said. “No, I’m not ashamed or whatever you’re thinking. I just…I don’t think that’s me.” He didn’t sound convinced, even to his own ears. He flexed his feet up, stretching his calves out. “I mean, wouldn’t I have realized by now if I was bi? I’m twenty-three.”

  He practically heard Joey shrug. “Maybe. Maybe not. If you like this guy, would it really hurt to give it a shot?”

  That was Joey talk for ‘do it, you moron.’

  “I’m not promising anything,” he said. “But, let’s just say I’ll keep my mind open. Okay?”

  Joey hummed gleefully.

  They talked a little more about how he was getting on in L.A. Joey put on a brave front, but Blake could tell he was struggling. He dreaded to think what might happen if he had to go home. But that was a problem for another day. If Joey wanted to focus on matchmaking Blake with his already fake-boyfriend, he’d let him.

  “Don’t leave it so long to call next time, alright?” Joey insisted as they brought the conversation to a close. Blake promised he wouldn’t.

  He sat on his bed for some time after that, until his hair had practically dried by itself. Did he really have feelings for Elion? He certainly liked him a lot.

  He decided he would keep his promise to Joey. For the meantime, they could continue hanging out and playing things up for the camera.

  And if something more came from that…he’d do his best not to shy away from it.

  13

  Elion

  No matter how many times he told himself it was all a scam, Elion kept finding himself daydreaming about the kiss the day before.

  It would be one thing if it had been awkward and sloppy, or stiff and dry. But it had been perfect. Blake’s mouth had been soft and supple under his, responding with just the right pressure. His body had felt warm against Elion’s hands. If the damn cameras hadn’t have been there he would have one hundred percent slipped them under Blake’s t-shirt to run over those deliciously hard abs.

  The best part though was that Blake hadn’t jerked away or slugged him. If anything, he had leaned into it, pushing them closer together. If Elion was honest with himself, it was the best kiss he had had in a long time.

  He wouldn’t push Blake on the straight or bi issue unless he brought it up. But it was hard to deny that there hadn’t been heat to that kiss.

  “Oh my God,” said Devon with a fake gasp. “It’s Elion Rodriguez!”

  Elion shook his head. “What?”

  “You’re burning the milk, superstar,” she said with a wink. He yanked it out and cursed. “So. You’re like famous now?”

  He scoffed. “No,” he said firmly. He meant it. “It’s like a two-minute thing. They’ll all forget they ever heard of me in a week’s time.”

  Although he couldn’t deny that his Twitter had blown up at a terrifying rate. He’d turned off the notifications and only checked it every now and again since the first episode of Feet of Flames had aired.

  Sure, there were some great messages on there from what he’d glimpsed. But there were also an awful lot of people telling him he was going to burn in hell for being a sodomite. Not to mention the ‘enthusiastic’ Below Zero fans. It didn’t matter if they were screaming about how Elion had corrupted Blake or screaming about how the two of them were cute enough to make them barf. There always seemed to be screaming and Elion could only take so much of it.

  “This will be, like, one of those stories I can tell my kids about the time Daddy did something really stupid.”

  Devon snorted behind her hand. Elion raised an eyebrow at her. “You said Daddy.”

  “Oh grow the fuck up,” Elion shot back. He was laughing though as he slung a cup lid at her like a Frisbee.

  She rubbed her nose and folded her arms. “That’s cool, isn’t it?” She shrugged at him, then started wiping the perfectly clean counter down. “That you can talk about having kids. Like, that’s a thing that you can do.�
��

  Elion was stunned by the sincerity. Apparently, so was Devon. He felt a rush of warmth. Yeah, it was amazing. He loved the idea of being a dad someday. In fact, he was pretty set on it.

  Rather than say any of that however, he lightly flicked Devon’s ass with a dish cloth. “Everything about me is cool,” he said.

  “Well, you’ve certainly made the big time,” Devon teased. “At least now you’re screwing a popstar.”

  “He’s a dancer,” said Elion automatically. “And we’re not screwing. Yet. Believe it or not, I can be a gentleman.”

  That wasn’t really the truth. Realistically, he’d probably never get that chance with Blake. But it made him feel better to pretend out loud that that was where they were heading.

  “I’m glad to hear it,” said someone from the counter.

  For a second, Elion’s blood ran cold. But then he saw it was Blake’s sister Jodi and he grinned in relief.

  “Naw girl, when I bone your bro, you’ll definitely be the first to know.”

  She stuck her fingers in her ears. “La la la!” she said loudly.

  The brown-haired guy next to her sniggered. He was older than her but they were both wearing Panthers t-shirts. He didn’t look the most athletic of men, but not all ball players were buff. He caught Elion looking at him and stuck his hand out with a smile.

  “Hey dude, long time no see.”

  Elion drew a complete blank. He didn’t want to be rude, but he couldn’t have picked this guy out from a crowd if there was a thousand bucks on the line. If he had to guess from the shirt, Elion would hazard that they’d gone to school together. But if they’d been in the same year he really couldn’t say.

  He suddenly felt very honored that in the same situation, Blake had remembered him.

  The guy registered his lack of recognition before Elion could save it. “Rob Matherson,” he said. He withdrew his hand with a slight scowl. But then it was gone. “We had Advanced Chem together?”

  “Oh sorry man,” Elion said shaking his head but also chuckling, hoping to save face. “That explains it. I’ve purged that whole class from my mind.” That was sort of true. He’d not minded science as a whole, but the teacher had been a real dick.

  “Tell me about it,” Rob agreed.

  Now he remembered. Robert Matherson Sr. was the softball coach – Jodi’s coach. Rob was only the assistant because his dad gave him the job. He wondered what Jodi was doing hanging around with him.

  Now he looked closer though, she was slightly turned away from him. The arm closest to him was crossed protectively over her body. His instinct told him this wasn’t a date and he was glad.

  As if proving Elion’s point, Rob nudged Jodi with his elbow, and she rolled her eyes.

  “So Jodes here was just telling me all about how Blake’s come back. Isn’t that crazy?”

  Elion flicked his eyebrow. “Yeah, Jodes, super crazy.”

  She hid her smirk behind her fist.

  “I mean, it was obvious he was gonna be famous, right?” Rob laughed to himself. “Homecoming King and all that. And now he’s with you.” He shook his head. “That’s crazier than running off to be in a boy band.”

  “Not really,” said Elion with a small frown. “I am pretty awesome.”

  Jodi and Devon laughed. But Rob threw up his hands. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean that – like – I meant like it’s just so cool he’s come home. It’s great for the town.” He cleared his throat. “And, you know, I fully support you people and everything.”

  “Aww, thank you so much,” said Elion through his best smile. “So, what can I get you folks?”

  “A flat white and a cappuccino,” said Rob.

  Jodi shook her head. “Oh, no, I’ll get my own.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Rob retorted. He pulled his wallet out and handed over a credit card.

  Elion took it and awkwardly placed it by the till. “Okay. I’ll just leave that there…for now. Hang on.”

  He hastily started throwing the coffees together. But Rob was obviously star struck and propped himself on the counter.

  “So, you and Blake, huh?”

  Elion couldn’t help but feel a small bit of camaraderie with him. After all, they had both gotten stuck in this uninspiring town when everyone else had gone on to bigger and better things.

  “Me and Blake,” he agreed with incredulity.

  Rob chuckled. “You know, I thought he was with that girl Lola Jenkins in Senior year?”

  Elion was so proud of himself. He didn’t even flinch. “Oh, no, this was after she left for college,” he said. “It wasn’t really even a thing, just a…test run. This feels like the real beginning.”

  God help him, he was getting lost in his own lie. But he absolutely didn’t want to have anyone think Blake was a cheater. Or Lola, even though he barely remembered her. Blake and his ex were good people.

  “Was it a secret?”

  “Rob,” said Jodi. She’d checked out and was on her phone, but she looked up at him for that. “Stop interrogating Elion. He doesn’t have to answer that.”

  She offered him an apologetic look, but Elion didn’t mind replying.

  “Yeah, of course it was a secret,” he said resolutely. “Other kids are generally shitheads to queer kids. Blake was just discovering himself, he didn’t need that.”

  He still didn’t need that. Fuck, even if he really was bisexual, what on Earth would it be like to try and figure that out in the public eye? Elion could make a good guess judging from the vitriol on social media.

  “Well,” said Rob as Elion handed him his coffees to-go. “I guess it’s lucky that he had you. That he’s got you,” he amended with an awkward laugh.

  Devon had finished serving her customer and came to stand by Elion with her arms folded. “Thanks so much for stopping by,” she said fluttering her eyelashes.

  Without looking up from her phone, Jodi grabbed her cappuccino from Rob’s hand. “Thanks guys,” she said, saluting with her drink as her thumb flew over the keypad. She reminded Elion of his mother in that moment, glued to the screen and her cyber friends. He smiled.

  “It was so great seeing you again,” Rob enthused. “Hey, tell Blake I said hi, yeah? It would be cool to see you both around.”

  Elion made some non-committal noises and waved them both out the door.

  “Well that was quite desperate,” said Devon, popping the last ‘t’.

  Elion swatted her again with the dish rag. “Don’t be mean. Nothing happens around here. You can’t blame him for getting excited over a celebrity.”

  “You?” she asked with a wicked smile.

  He glowered. “You know I mean Blake. He’s…special.”

  “Uh-huh.” She’d picked up her lollipop again from the dish where she’d rested it. Now she sucked on it like the picture of corrupted innocence.

  “Will you cut that out,” Elion said irritably.

  He wasn’t really irked at her though. He was pissed because Blake was special.

  And unless there was some miracle, Elion was never really going to have him.

  Maybe it was time to create a miracle then?

  14

  Blake

  “What is this?”

  Blake flinched as the iPad slapped down on the kitchen counter in front of him. Such as his life was, it wasn’t overly unusual to see himself as the subject of a magazine article. However, seeing him kissing Elion was anything but run of the mill.

  It wasn’t any kind of a secret. The cameras had been rolling and it had aired in that week’s episode. But Blake’s hands still shook as he reached down and picked up the tablet.

  “This,” said Jodi brightly in response to their dad’s question. “Is lunch. That meal you normally have between breakfast and dinner?”

  Blake’s dad scowled at her. It was a Sunday, so he was in casual wear, but he still had a way of carrying himself that meant nobody forgot he was a lawyer. Jodi didn’t seem fazed though as she picked at the quinoa salad
their mom had made her and Blake.

  “I’m not kidding around,” said their dad sternly. He jabbed his finger at the iPad.

  “Oh it’s fine, Richard,” said their mom from the other end of the island counter.

  She was happily opening up fan mail Blake’s agent had forwarded over. In the age of social media, Blake still found it fascinating that people actually bothered to send mail. But they did. He had no interest in looking through it, but his mom loved it, so he let her handle it.

  It wasn’t that he was ungrateful for his fans. It was just a bit much sometimes. She would make sure he saw anything important. Also, she wanted to make absolutely sure she didn’t miss any letters addressed to her.

  “Seth said it was ratings gold,” she carried on about the kiss. Naturally, that was what she cared about the most.

  Blake’s dad shook his head. “So you don’t care that your son is being made to look like a fool?”

  “How is being bisexual looking like a fool?” Blake snapped. Only afterwards did he realize what he’d done.

  His father slid his eyes back over to him. “But you’re not bisexual.”

  “But he could be,” Jodi joined in. She was blatantly feeding Watson the carrot from her salad, but their mom was too engrossed in the fan mail to protest. “And then it’s just a kiss, right?”

  “You know very well it’s not just a kiss,” their dad retorted. He was still standing, looking over the rest of them on their stools. “People feel very strongly about this sort of thing.”

  “You mean they’re homophobic,” said Blake. He wanted to add that he didn’t give a good God damn what bigoted assholes thought of him, but he didn’t want to push his dad that far.

  He shook his head. “They’re entitled to their opinions.”

  Jodi snorted. “They aren’t opinions. They’re hate speech.”

  Blake’s dad curled his hand into a fist. “None of that matters,” he said coldly. “It’s bad for our reputation.”