“Don't be,” I said. “That's parents for you.” I held my arms out to him and he came towards me with a small smile. I pulled him down onto the couch and he snuggled into me.
“I can't believe he called,” Kody groused. “It's like he doesn't trust me or something.”
“Maybe it's me he doesn't trust,” I said with a snicker.
“It's not like I'm some dumb little kid.”
“Well, you are kind of little.”
He punched me in the arm.
“Hey, watch it with that thing. I've seen your fists of fury in action.” That got a giggle out of him. “Calm down, Kody. So your dad called to check up on you. What's the big deal? It just shows how much he loves you. I mean, you're the oldest right?”
“Yeah,” he admitted slowly, as if he knew where I was going and he didn't like it. He wasn't ready to give up on his pout just yet.
“So, this is the first time your dad has gone through all this. It can't be easy having you leave and move across the country. He probably misses you, and he probably feels like he's missing out on important things in your life.”
He sighed. “I guess you're right.”
“Of course I am. You'll quickly learn that I'm always right.” He rolled his eyes. “Hey! Don't roll your eyes at me, Mister!” I started tickling him and soon had him squirming and laughing hysterically.
“Okay!” he cried breathlessly. “Okay, you win! I give up.”
I stopped tickling him and sat back, watching him gasp out a few residual giggles.
He sat up. “How about dessert now? I'm hungry.”
“You should be. You didn't eat much before you tossed it all in the floor.”
He stuck out his tongue at me.
“Don't stick that thing out unless you plan on using it,” I warned.
“Oh, I plan on using it.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah.” He slowly started to lean in towards me, lowering his eyelids and licking his lips seductively. My heart started racing and I leaned in towards him, eager to pick up where we'd left off earlier. Just before our lips met, he suddenly licked the tip of my nose and jumped up. “Come on, I'm hungry.”
* * *
I didn't get back to my dorm until fairly late that evening. After Kody and I left his apartment, we found a little ice cream shop. We got a large chocolate fudge sundae to share and fed it to each other. After that, we went back to his apartment and made out for a while. It was heavenly. I would have stayed the night if he'd asked, but I sensed he wasn't quite ready for that yet. Eventually, I knew I'd better leave before things went farther. I didn't want him to regret anything about this evening when he thought back about it later. So I'd reluctantly pulled away and told him I needed to go because I had some work to do for class the next morning. We made as far as the door where the kiss good night got a little out of hand, and it was another five minutes before I actually left.
I used the walk back to my room to cool down and think about what had happened between us. We'd certainly gotten the first kiss out of the way. Not to mention numbers two through ninety-nine. Even when we weren't kissing, though, we'd had a real connection. We could talk to each other about real things, but we could tease each other too. I knew I'd have to tell him my whole story soon—just not yet.
I unlocked my door and started into my room when I was stopped in my tracks at the sound of grunting and a bed squeaking. I stifled a moan and hastily backed out of the room. Just what I needed to walk in and see: Foster screwing his girlfriend, white ass in the air. I shuddered and desperately tried to clear that image from my mind. I decided to go down and see what Erin was up to.
I knocked on her door and waited. I could hear sounds of movement from inside, but there was no answer. I sighed and walked away. She was probably busy with Carlos. Everybody was getting some but me. Well, it was probably a safe bet that Roy was alone, but I didn't even know where his room was. He was always in mine.
I decided to head down to the Coop and see what was going on down there. Someone had come up with the bright idea of naming the campus hangout after a chicken coop. The sign by the door showed a proud rooster standing guard in front of his henhouse, but thankfully, they'd drawn the line at decorating. The restaurant looked like any other campus diner, with red-upholstered booths and a scattering of round tables. They have a small menu of mostly junk food type items, but nobody really goes there for the food. I stepped in and scanned the assembled students. It was fairly crowded for this late on a Sunday night. I heard a donkey bray of a laugh and turned to see a flash of bright red hair. What was Erin doing there?
I made my way across the room to stand at her elbow. She was talking animatedly to a dark-haired girl I'd never seen before. It took Erin a few seconds to notice me, and when she did, she let out an ear-piercing squeal.
“Jake! I'm so glad to see you! I've been dying to hear about your date. I tried staking out your room but your charming roommate came back with his skanky girlfriend, and they looked like they might be a while so I gave up and came here.”
“Yeah, well, I walked in on Foster and his skanky girlfriend, as you put it, while they were, uh, engaged in activity. I made a speedy exit. Actually, I went to your room, and I could have sworn I heard someone moving around in there. I figured you and Carlos were, uh, busy as well.”
She laughed. “I wish. Carlos is in my room alright, and he's busy, but not with me. Busy puking his guts up is more like it.” I made a face. “Yeah, tell me about it. I stayed for a while and tried to be the supportive maternal type, but let's face it, that's not me. Finally, I told him to stay as long as he needed to but I just couldn't hang around anymore listening to him vomit and wiping his forehead. Nurse Nightingale I'm not.”
“Can't say I'd want you for my nurse.”
She laughed. “Oh, Jake, this is Chrissy. She's an RA in Cayuga. Chrissy this is my friend Jake.”
We exchanged pleasantries, and then Chrissy said she needed to go.
“I hope I didn't chase her off,” I said after she'd left.
Erin rolled her eyes. “If you did I should thank you. She's so god-awful boring. I mean, get a personality already.”
“You have enough personality for the both of you.”
“True. So...tell me everything. What was it like? What was he wearing? What did he cook for you? Was it any good? I love a man who can cook. Did you guys do it?”
“Slow down! I can only answer one question at a time. Kody was wearing jeans and shirt.”
“Oh come on, you gotta give me more than that.”
“Okay,” I giggled. “He was wearing these jeans that just hugged him everywhere and this sexy tight black button-up shirt, but the best part was that his underwear has my name on them.”
“What?”
“Yeah, it's some brand, Jake and Company or something like that. It was wild.”
“And just how did you discover that fact?” she asked suggestively.
“Not the way you're thinking. See, while we were eating...”
“Oh! What did he cook?”
“Something French, chicken with this sauce, it was really good but I don't remember the name, if he even mentioned it. Anyway, as I was saying, while we were eating, he stood up to get me something to drink, and somehow, the tablecloth snagged on his belt—or it was tucked into his pants, I don't know. Either way, he yanked the whole thing off the table and all the food hit the floor.”
“Oh no!”
“Oh yes. I thought he was going to start crying right there. I felt so bad for him. He was trying to clean it up, so I went to help him, and I somehow slipped and fell on top of him. We were both covered in food, so we had to change. I saw his underwear then, but just the band.”
“You changed together but you only saw the band of his underwear?”
“We didn't change together. I changed at Nick's apartment.”
“How disappointing. Other than that little mishap, how was it?”
“It wa
s really amazing. Erin, he's so incredible. When I got there, it was so cute. He had the lights all turned down low and candles lit on the table. It was obvious he'd worked so hard, and he was so nervous. But then we got talking and he relaxed. It was just so...wow.”
Erin giggled. “It sounds like somebody has got it bad.”
“I do.”
“So, did you guys get it on?”
“No, actually we didn't.”
“Oh God, please tell me you at least kissed him.”
“We did do that.”
“Whew. You were about to shatter all my stereotypes about guys in general, and gay guys in particular. I mean, I can only handle so much virtuousness. Is he a good kisser?”
“The best.”
“Aww. How cute. Hyperbole. And after only your second date.”
“Shut up. I really like him, Erin. And that scares the shit out of me.”
“Okay, that's the second time you've said something like that. Why are you so scared? You're sweet, smart, funny, and God knows you're cute as hell, so what do you have to be scared of?”
“My past.”
“Right. So you were like a government assassin? You chopped the heads off babies? You kill and eat your mates? What could be so bad?”
I was filled with indecision. I wanted to tell her, but at the same time, I was afraid of her reaction too. I took a deep breath and decided to take the plunge. “I used to do drugs and drink...a lot.”
“Oh no!” she gasped in mock horror. “I don't know if I can ever speak to you again!”
“That's not all. While I was addicted to drugs, I got involved with a man, an older man. He was very powerful, a drug dealer, or a drug smuggler to be more exact. He provided me drugs...in exchange for...”
“Oh, Jake,” she said softly. “I'm so sorry. I didn't know...”
“It gets worse. Not only was I pretty much a whore, but I was a whore to this guy who was a very bad person. He hurt people, a lot of people. He was a murderer, and I don't just mean in the drug-dealer sense. I mean he actually killed people. Then it came back to bite him in the ass. He was murdered while I was at his house. I don't remember anything since I was busy overdosing at the time. I was found unconscious with a gun in my hand and a dead body in the room with me. Naturally, I was suspect numero uno.”
“Oh my God!”
“I'd probably be in jail except for my best friend, Killian. He's a private investigator and he found the real killer. I owe him my life, several times over by now. So there you have it, my story in a nutshell, minus all the sordid details. I was a whore and a druggie.”
“But...you overcame all that! Jake, you should be proud of who you are, not ashamed for what you did in your past. I mean, you don't do drugs anymore, right?”
“No, I don't even drink. I've been clean for about a year.”
“See! You're a survivor, a fighter! You conquered demons that kill most people.”
I blinked away a sudden onslaught of tears. “I guess I never thought about it like that.”
“I think you should trust Kody enough to tell him the truth.”
“But he's so pure and innocent!”
“And I'm not?” she said with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, I didn't want to say anything, but...”
She swatted at me playfully. “Trust him, Jake. You can't keep something like that hidden. It's a part of who you are. If he cares about you as much as I think he does, he won't care about your past, only the man you are today. Keeping it a secret could do more harm in the long run than just being honest.”
“I know you're right. I'm just so scared.”
“Tell him.”
“I will, when the time is right.”
She smiled and slipped out of her seat and slid into my side of the booth to give me a hug. “Thank you for trusting me with the truth,” she whispered into my ear.
I held her close and squeezed my eyes shut in silent gratitude. I was so glad to have made such a good friend here.
“Well, well,” a caustic voice snarled, interrupting our moment. I turned to find a very angry Becca standing next to our booth, eyes narrowed and hands on her hips. “Why don't you introduce me to your girlfriend, Jake?”
I rolled my eyes. This chick was really getting on my nerves. I started to tell her that Erin was just a friend, but then I realized that I didn't owe her any explanations. “This is Erin,” I said simply.
“I see,” she spat. “So you're only gay when you want to get rid of somebody, is that it? I knew you weren't gay when you fed me that load of crap. Nobody who looks like you could be gay.”
“And you're an expert on what gay people look like?”
“Oh please. I can't believe you'd rather be with this red-headed Amazon freak than me.”
Up till now, Erin had been following our exchange with mild amusement, but now she drew herself up straight and narrowed her eyes menacingly. “Excuse me?”
“Was I talking to you?”
“When you talk to my man, you talk to me,” Erin responded acidly as she placed her arm possessively around my shoulders. I was tempted to let this cat-fight play out, but pretty much everyone in the Coop was now watching, and I thought I'd better put an end to things before they got out of hand.
“Becca, Erin isn't my girlfriend,” I said as I shrugged out from under Erin's arm. “She's my friend. I am gay, and I have a boyfriend.” At least, I hoped I did. “But even if Erin was my girlfriend it wouldn't be any of your business. I wouldn't date you even if I was straight and you were the last girl on campus. I have standards.”
Becca's mouth dropped open in shock as Erin snorted and scattered applause broke out around the room.
“So, if you'll excuse us,” I continued, “we were in the middle of a private conversation before you so rudely interrupted.”
“Oh! I...you...son of a bitch!” she sputtered. “You little fag! I'll....I'll...”
“Thank you for proving my point. Buh-bye.” I waved and deliberately turned my back to her.
“You're gonna be sorry, Jake. I'll make you sorry.”
I glanced over my shoulder with studied casualness. “I'm already sorry—sorry we ever met.”
“Oh!” She spun on her heel and stormed away.
I started laughing as soon as she was out of sight. “Damn, that felt good,” I said between giggles.
“Bravo!” Erin said with a grin. “I'm impressed. Remind me never to get on your bad side.”
I chucked her gently under the chin and winked. “You could never get on my bad side, kiddo.”
She laughed. “Lord, aren't we full of ourselves? Don't get too cocky. You know what they say about a woman scorned.”
I shrugged dismissively. “Becca? I'm not worried about her.”
“Don't say I didn't warn you.”
If only I'd listened to her advice.
Chapter 14
Breaking Masks
Josh Aterovis and Dave Dabeagle
© 2004
"Kody"
Morning sunlight streamed through the curtains and across my face. Specifically, over my eyes, and the eyelids weren't doing a great job of blocking the light and letting me go back to sleep. I groaned. Jesus, I need thicker curtains. An insistent rapping came from the living room and I pulled my pillow over my face. If possible, the rapping got worse. I rolled out of bed and stomped to the front door and to the source of my irritation. I then had a thought. What if it was Jake? I couldn't open the door looking like this!
I darted back to the bathroom and quickly dampened my hair, running a comb through it while the rapping grew more intense. I squirted toothpaste on the brush and made a few quick swipes before rinsing. I couldn't give him dragon breath for his first kiss of the day.
I headed back for the door, realized I was clad only in boxer-briefs, and decided to go with it. Who knows, maybe I can make his jaw drop again. I opened the door to find a smiling Nick, with two cups of coffee.
“Damn, I am bringin
g you coffee more often!”
“Christ, Nick—I thought you were Jake!” I said, turning away from him as I felt the hot flush of embarrassment spread across my face like a wildfire. I headed to my bedroom for pants.
“I don't care if you call me Phyllis so long as you answer the door like that. Want to be my houseboy?”
Breaking Masks Page 20
