“Nope, haven’t talked about it.”
“I’ll give Mrs. Williams a call.”
“Cool, Mom.”
“Get back to your homework. Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes.”
“Will do.”
Liam jogged back up the stairs and immediately clicked on Cody’s name on Skype. His face came into view a minute later.
“Hey, what’s up? You’re early.”
Liam gave him a sly smile. “Not calling for that. Wanted to give you a heads-up. My mom is inviting your family over for Thanksgiving.”
“That’d be cool. Your mom is nice.”
“Not planning on going home for the big meal?”
“Not since we’ll be moving in about six, seven weeks.”
Liam’s chest began to tighten, his heart hurt.
“You okay?” Cody shifted closer to the screen. “We can still video chat, you know.”
“I need your touch.”
“And I need yours. Maybe for spring break I can come down to visit.”
“Oh that’d go over well. You downstairs on the couch, me up here.”
“We always have our spot.”
Liam rubbed his hand over his face. “That’s not going to do it. I want you, completely and I don’t want to watch my actions around you. It’s hard enough at school. I’m tired of pretending. And dammit, why do you have to make it so obvious with Hannah?”
“Huh?”
“She’s all over you and—” Liam shrugged. “You look like you’re enjoying it.”
“We agreed to be all het at school.”
“Easier for you I guess.”
“Perhaps. I do like girls too.”
Liam looked away, his eyes stinging a little.
“Hey, just because I like everyone doesn’t diminish how I feel about you. I’m not interested in Hannah, but I can fake it. It does the ego a bit of good to be flirted with, you know.”
“But do you have to enjoy it so much?”
“Do you have to look so jealous? We agreed—”
“I know what we agreed!” Liam tapped his fingers on his desk. “Sorry. This sucks. Just really sucks. I wish I could go with you, be all out and stuff.”
“Maybe you come up to visit me for spring break.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Liam heard his mom calling from downstairs. “Dinner’s ready, gotta go. Let my mom call yours, don’t mention it to her.”
“Okay. See you in a few hours.”
Liam nodded and disconnected the chat.
THANKSGIVING DAY arrived, and Liam was a little nervous about the family gathering. He and Cody talked about Liam’s family’s habit of offering grace at the table. Cody reassured him it wasn’t going to be a problem. His parents were cool with following whatever traditions were held in any household. Liam loved Cody and his parents even more for their easygoing and accepting nature.
The dinner itself was perfect, golden-brown turkey, mashed potatoes, all the trimmings. Cody’s mom had baked a pumpkin pie and had brought some mixed fruit. The only thing that would have made it more perfect would be for he and Cody to hold hands and kiss, just like each of their parents did. After dinner the dads settled in to watch football; the moms gathered around the kitchen talking and sipped coffee while Kelly colored in a coloring book. Cody gestured for Liam to join him outside. They headed to the backyard and into the little patch of woods. Once out of sight of the house, Cody grabbed Liam behind a tree and ravished his mouth.
Liam pushed him away. “Are you crazy?”
Cody crowded him, their bodies millimeters from touching. “No one can see us.”
“But we’re exposed, out in the open. It’s not like we’re in the middle of nowhere. People walk through here all the time.”
“And with all the dried leaves on the ground, we’ll hear them long before they can see anything.” Cody clamped his mouth on Liam’s.
Liam gave in, his heart pounding, partly from the kiss, partly from the excitement of possibly getting caught. It was heady. He pulled back slightly and grabbed Cody’s lapels. “If it wasn’t twenty-eight degrees out here, I think I’d tear your clothes off now.”
“Think we can ask to go on a drive later?” Cody nuzzled Liam’s neck.
Liam shook his head. “Do you know how gay that would sound?”
“We are gay.”
Liam rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“So how about we plan a hike? It’s not too cold for a hike, is it?”
“I don’t know. Too late to go today, though.”
“Well, we do have tomorrow off. It’s supposed to be a high of thirty-eight, that’s fairly warm if we’re going to be hiking.” He put the word hiking in air quotes.
“I’ll ask. We’d better get back.”
“Tonight?”
“Tonight.” Liam gave him a smile. Their “tonight” to each other meant more than a video session. It was their shorthand for “I love you.”
IT WAS a perfect day for a hike, and Liam’s parents were more than happy to let him out into the sunshine to get some exercise. If they only knew the exercise he was going to get. Yeah, he’d be burning off all the calories from the previous day and then some.
With a promise to be back before dark, he and Cody headed out to their previous camping spot. While Liam couldn’t sneak the tent out with him, Cody was able to bring a couple of sleeping bags and blankets.
The park was empty, way past camping season. There wasn’t even a guard at the front entrance, just a note on the door of the shack stating to call 911 if there was an emergency and that the guard would be back on duty April first. The sun was high in the sky by the time they laid out their bags at the site they’d used before. Liam grabbed Cody down to the ground. It was a bit too cold to strip all the way, but they were able to expose enough to get the job done.
“Thought about this moment since you mentioned it yesterday.” Liam lay over Cody’s chest.
“Same here.”
Liam propped himself up on his elbows. “Did you want to—”
“Not here. I want to be completely naked and damn, it’s so cold, I’m going to need a bit longer to go again. My balls are freezing.”
Liam reached over and tucked the blanket around them. “Yeah, I agree. And the ground’s a bit lumpy. Wish I could have at least snuck out the air mattress.”
“We’re running out of time.”
Cody hugged Liam tighter. “We’ll figure something out.”
“Will we?”
“I was thinking, you need to start visiting colleges. Maybe you could come up, and we could go scout a couple together. We could spend the night in the city.”
“I don’t know if my parents would go for that.”
“Why not? It’s not beyond the realm of possibility. You are going to college, right?”
“As long as I keep my grades up. They’ve been slipping a little.”
“Yeah, and I know why.”
Liam drew circles around Cody’s nipples. “You are addictive.”
“You are horny.”
“Always. Isn’t that typical of guys our age?”
“Very.”
Liam licked the nipple he’d been toying with, causing Cody to shudder. “I don’t want to get old.”
“Where’d that come from?”
“Those stupid TV commercials. Having to take a pill to get it up. Gross.”
“Well maybe we won’t turn into guys who need it.”
Liam turned to look Cody in the eyes. “Are we going to grow old together?”
Cody tilted his head. “I’d like to.”
Happiness and fear filled Liam in equal measure. “You don’t think we’ll grow tired of each other?”
“If we do, we can experiment.”
“Experiment?”
“I’m quite sure I will never be able to get enough of you. But as long as we both agree, we never lie about it, and we always come back to each other, we could have a threesome. That is, if we eve
r come across anyone we’d want to experiment with. Right now, I’d be good just experimenting with you, if we ever got the chance.”
The thought of a threesome turned Liam’s stomach. “What kind of experimenting?”
“I’d love to tie you up with silk scarves and have my way with you.”
Liam wasn’t sure he liked that idea, but he trusted Cody. And it was better than a threesome. “We could try that.”
“Maybe if we can get that college trip off the ground.”
“I’ll work on my parents. Maybe that could be our spring break?”
“Let’s plan on it.” Cody shifted. “Move a little. I’m lying on a twig or something.”
Liam shuffled over a couple of inches. Cody reached between them.
“Looks like you’re ready to go again.”
Liam smiled. “That bondage talk warmed me up.”
After a couple more hours of making out, they cleaned themselves off with some baby wipes that Cody had brought and packed up the sleeping bags and blankets. Cody dropped Liam off just as the sun was setting.
Cody leaned out the window. “Tonight?”
“Definitely tonight.”
Chapter Twelve
LIAM STARED at himself in the mirror. He’d filled out a little over the past few months, his arms and chest much more defined. He ran his fingers through his chest hair and yep, there was definitely more there since the summer. He gently cupped his cock and balls, not enough to stimulate however. He didn’t have time for a quickie before they left for the banquet hall. His hand slid over to the markings on his inner thigh. Some had scarred over, others were fresh. Again, he didn’t dawdle too much as he didn’t want to start something he couldn’t finish.
He and Cody hadn’t had much time to spend together since that day after Thanksgiving; both made a pact to study away from each other to make sure their GPAs didn’t suffer. There would be no college visits if Liam didn’t get good grades for at least a partial scholarship. Liam pulled on his boxers, then pulled his suit out of the closet. It was a little tight; he hadn’t worn it since bulking up a bit. He knew the moment his mother saw him, she’d insist he go get a new one. He absolutely hated clothes shopping. If he could live in t-shirts and jeans, he would.
A few moments later he was dressed and downstairs waiting by the door. His parents came down and they headed off the few blocks to the banquet hall. The ride gave Liam time to think about, who else, Cody.
Cody had been flirting with Hannah constantly, giving a good charade in school. He’d even gone off to the diner without him, to be with Hannah. Cody swore they did nothing but a couple of kisses, mostly closed mouth. He confided in Liam that he could tell she wanted more, but he was able to keep it fairly platonic. Didn’t help Liam’s jealousy, though. Monica had pretty much given up, implying to Liam that she thought Liam was hot for Hannah, for all the times he’d stare at her. Liam didn’t correct her. She was partly right.
He knew Hannah would be at the banquet as it was honoring the cheerleaders too. Even with Cody’s reassurances, it was a constant battle to keep the green-eyed monster in check.
As he entered the banquet hall, he was shocked at how well his teammates cleaned up. Even Jacob, who he’d never seen in anything but sweats. Cody took Liam’s breath away, posing for pictures with his parents and some of his teammates. He was absolutely stunning, his hair tied back, his black suit fitting him to a T. Hannah sidled up next to him, placing her hand on his chest. Cody’s arm went around her waist and the photographer made it a couple’s photo. Liam clenched his fists. That should be him and Cody there, in the couple’s picture.
Coach tapped a water glass. “All right everyone, take your seats. Time to dig in.”
Liam sat next to Jacob, really wanting to sit next to Cody instead, but the players were split up into their respective teams; Cody was on the offense and Liam was on specialty. He looked over to the offensive team table, only to see Hannah hugging Cody from behind, one of her hands slipping under his shirt in between the buttons. Liam ripped the flimsy cloth napkin he had in his hand.
“Dude, you okay?”
Liam turned to Jacob. “What?”
“You just murdered that napkin. You okay?”
Liam looked down at the shreds of napkin in his lap. “Yeah, sorry. Just preoccupied.”
“Well, I’d hate to see you all focused, then.” Jacob followed Liam’s line of sight. “Ah, I see. Hannah.”
Liam nodded. Let Jacob think that way. What he wouldn’t give for his knife right now. He needed to channel his anger in a big way. He tried to take some deep breaths and think positive thoughts, but then Hannah kissed Cody’s cheek before she took her own seat. The only thing that kept him from leaping up was a waiter placing his food in front of him.
The food had absolutely no taste even though the event was being catered by the best restaurant in town. Liam seethed as he forced himself to take bite after bite, trying to look normal. Once they were served dessert, Liam could focus his attention on Coach, who stood up to give a speech.
After thanking all the parents, boosters, alumni, fans, and of course, the team for working so hard, Coach gave out the awards for the season. To no surprise, Cody got the award for most yards received. At least Hannah wasn’t up there with him as Coach presented the award. Liam wondered if he’d be able to snag a copy of the picture of Cody with Coach and the award. It was an awesome achievement for a transfer student.
Awards presented and speeches given, it was time for the dancing and mingling. Liam stood off in the corner, his eyes never wavering from Cody and Hannah as they danced. At first, Liam could deal. Cody was keeping it very cool, keeping distance from her as they danced, almost at arm’s length. But as the night went on, Hannah was making her moves, slowly bridging the distance between them until she was tucked up next to him. The last straw was Hannah, her hand on his chest, her lips on his for long moments as they slow danced, and Cody seemed very into it.
Liam lost all control. He stormed the dance floor and pulled Hannah from Cody. His fist made contact with Cody’s face, nearly knocking him over. The next punch was to his gut, but Liam wasn’t able to get in a third as Cody recovered and landed a blow on Liam’s jaw. Liam tackled Cody, knocking them both onto a table.
“What the hell, Hartley?” Liam could hear Jacob’s voice, but there was no way in hell he was going to stop now. The need for dominance, for claiming what was his, washed over him. He was hard, his balls aching.
Cody threw Liam off and stood up. Liam again tackled him; this time they slammed against the wall. Liam had Cody by the lapels and Liam’s eyes found Cody’s. The world disappeared for a moment as Liam planted one on Cody’s lips. There was resistance at first, but soon Cody opened up to him and the taste of blood and sweat and rubber chicken flooded Liam’s mouth. Cody’s arms went limp, then wrapped around Liam, as Liam’s hold on Cody’s lapels loosened and he cupped Cody’s face.
Liam could have stayed in that position, grinding his groin against Cody’s as they sucked face, if it wasn’t for the deathly quiet that surrounded him. His senses came back online and he let Cody go. He looked around and saw everyone staring, surprise, astonishment on most of their faces. He wiped his lip with the back of his hand. His eyes bored into Cody. “You’re mine.” He turned on his heel and walked out of the hall.
He walked straight home, his heart beating faster with each step. He had no idea what to expect when he got there. Would his parents kick him out? Would they even let him in the door? Would his dad try to hit him? He shook his head, as if to expel all the negative thoughts. He’d just ruined his life. There was no way he could go back to school.
Home was dark when he got there. His parents must’ve stayed behind to clean up. He knew he’d made a mess with his tantrum. And damn, he’d done a number on Cody. He didn’t know how he’d gotten so out of control. He quickly got some ice for his lip and headed upstairs. He locked himself in his room. About thirty minutes later, he heard th
e front door open and close. He steeled himself to hear his father’s voice for him to come down there. But none came. Some shuffling, cabinets opening, murmuring. He couldn’t make anything out. Footsteps up the stairs made his heart race, but they led to his parents’ bedroom, not his. Now all was quiet.
LIAM STEELED himself for breakfast the next morning. He hadn’t slept at all wondering what his parents were going to do once they were all in the same room. He knew he had to face the music. He shrugged on a t-shirt and pair of sweats and headed downstairs.
His parents were at the kitchen table, drinking coffee. No breakfast was on the stove, no cereal boxes out on the table. He shuffled in and sat down.
“Liam.” Steven’s voice was unemotional.
“Dad, Mom.”
“That was quite a spectacle last night.”
Liam looked off to the side, not able to look at either one of his parents.
“You want to explain yourself?”
Liam took a deep breath. “I’m gay.”
Sarah let out a sob and hid her face with her hands.
“Son—”
“Dad, I’m gay. I like guys. I don’t find girls appealing.”
“That goes against everything we believe in.”
“No, it goes against everything you believe in. I believe in love. I love Cody. He loves me. Love can’t be wrong.”
“Homosexuality is a wrong life choice.” Sarah’s voice cracked as she grasped Liam’s hand.
“It’s not a choice, Mom. I didn’t choose this. Why would I choose something that would make people hate me?”
Sarah blinked a couple of times, letting go of Liam’s hand. She got up. “I say we get some breakfast and talk about this later.” She looked out the window. “Would you mind starting on raking the lawn after we eat? Looks like the maple has given up the last of its leaves.”
Liam gave each of his parents one last glance and got up to get his jacket. Nothing like menial labor to help ignore a problem. At least he wasn’t being kicked out.
The rest of the day everyone overlooked the elephant in the room and talked about the weather, football stats, the need to paint the porch in the spring… anything other than Liam and his coming out.
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