by Anna Martin
Fucking each other took time and infinite care and a patience they didn’t have most nights. Pain was a constant threat when they went all the way, no matter who was on top. So sloppy blowjobs, grinding on each other, and mutual hand-jobs were actually preferred to penetrative sex. On his own, Jared was still experimenting with his fingers, the image of the boy he’d found online almost burned into his retinas. He wanted that. Adam was helping.
That night, Jared lay back on a pile of pillows with his arms above his head and let Adam do pretty much whatever he wanted to Jared’s lower half. It was slick and hot and wet and twisting; fingers and tongues, and slow, easy kisses in between.
Adam pressed one finger, then two into Jared’s ass, slick lube making the pressure good in all the right ways. He petted and stroked and teased the raised nub of Jared’s prostate, drawing out the pleasure until Jared was a keening, begging, sobbing mess. Then he sucked just the head of Jared’s cock into his mouth and flicked his tongue over the most sensitive spot, and Jared twisted the sheets in his hands and howled as he came.
That night they clung to each other in sleep, holding their relationship together with strong arms and insistently gripping fingers.
Juliette Hemlock was pure class.
She greeted Jared by clasping his hands in both of hers and kissing his cheeks, once on each side. Despite a transatlantic flight and very few hours’ sleep, she was calm and beautiful and fresh-faced, wearing grey cotton slacks and a tailored, peach-colored blouse.
“Mom,” Adam said, and launched himself into his mother’s arms.
“Oh, sweet boy,” she murmured. Jared stepped back, feeling this moment was too intimate to intrude on.
Adam had woken much earlier than usual and tumbled out of bed, waking Jared as he went to the bathroom. While he was gone, Jared forced himself into wakefulness, checking the clock and groaning a little when he saw it wasn’t yet eight in the morning. Still, he dragged himself out of bed and pulled on long pajama pants (his own; he’d broken the habit of wearing Adam’s too-short ones) and a long sleeved T-shirt. The last thing he wanted was to meet his boyfriend’s mom with an air of “we had sex last night” hanging around him.
“You can smell the coffee too?” Adam asked, appearing from the bathroom rumple-headed. “She brought it back with her. I’d recognize that French roast anywhere.”
Jared grinned and passed him to use the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face to wake himself up. He was nervous, for sure, especially when he was meeting Adam’s mom so early in the morning. Even though she knew about their relationship, there was a difference between knowing and having it thrown in her face.
He needn’t have worried.
After kissing her son’s hair and squeezing him tightly for a few moments, Juliette let him go and returned to where she was fixing breakfast.
“Please, have a seat,” she said to Jared. “Make yourself at home. I’m so happy to meet you at last. Adam’s been telling me all about you now for months.”
“Mom,” Adam said with a pained expression.
Jared grinned and took a seat at the island, watching Juliette preparing fruit at the same counter Chris had made them pancakes after the party. That seemed like forever ago now. When they were both settled, Adam leaned in and kissed Jared’s shoulder. It was like he was saying “we don’t have to hide here.” That was nice.
“How was the flight?” Jared asked.
“Oh, I’m used to it now,” she said airily. “Flying is awful, really, but I splurge and get a flight that has those lovely pod beds so I can sleep the hours away. It’s the time difference that really gets me. I’ll be terribly jet-lagged for a few days. Darling, could you fix some coffee for us please?”
She directed the question to Adam, who slid to the floor and selected huge mugs for the coffee, making his mother’s first, then his and Jared’s.
When Juliette was done, she served big plates of waffles and fresh fruit: strawberries and blueberries and melon, all neatly prepared and arranged on the plate. She sat opposite them at the island and, like this, Jared could see how closely Adam resembled his mother.
They both had the same light brown hair and fair complexion, and though Adam’s eyes were smoky gray, his mother’s were soft green. Their bone structure was the same: high cheekbones and a full bottom lip that seemed prone to pouting more than smiling.
Juliette smiled a lot more than her son and waved her fine silverware around demonstratively as she ate, laughing when Adam related gossip from New Harbor that Jared neither listened to nor understood.
“Is that charming Frenchman still taking you out?” Adam asked when he was done with his breakfast, pushing the plate away. “Guillem?”
Juliette blushed a little and tried to wave his question away. “Oh, forget him.”
“You clearly haven’t. He was nice, Mom.”
“He still is,” she said, relenting. “He’s very charming and wants me to move to Paris permanently.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him,” she said, then paused to wipe her lips on a napkin and push her plate away too, “that I have another man in my life, and although he is doing remarkably well on his own, I couldn’t possibly consider a permanent move anywhere until he is safely tucked away at college. I’m going to come home, darling.”
Adam raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Really?”
“Yes. I’ve been gone longer than I intended. I never meant to abandon you, and the project is in its final stages. They can cope without me.”
“But you love Paris,” Adam said.
Under the counter, Jared knocked his knee against Adam’s in what he hoped was familiar reassurance. Adam knocked his knee back.
“And Paris isn’t going anywhere. Plus, I’ve heard all sorts of tales of mischief that you’ve been up to while I’ve been away. You clearly still need your mother around.”
“Mom,” Adam whined again. She grinned.
“I’ve arranged to go for cocktails with Ms. Saunders so we can fully catch each other up on what’s been going on around here.”
“You know Hadley?” Jared said, interrupting.
“Of course, dear,” Juliette said with a perfectly cat-like grin. “She’s a fellow New Harbor rebel. How could I not know her?”
“I’ve got a feeling this won’t end well for us,” Jared stage-whispered to Adam, making Juliette laugh.
“You two make a lovely couple,” she told them. “I do hope things work out for you.”
Jared watched with amusement as Adam’s cheeks flooded with color.
One of the first things Adam’s mom did when she came home was to dismiss the housekeeping. Even without the familiar sounds of movement through the house, it seemed warmer somehow, more full of life as Juliette took charge of her home once again.
Adam and Jared disappeared after breakfast to change, and Jared took a few moments to thoroughly kiss his boyfriend before pocketing the keys to his truck.
“I’ll see you soon,” he said, kissing Adam again for good measure.
“You don’t have to leave.”
“I know. But you haven’t seen your mom in ages, and you should spend some time with her. It’ll be good for the both of you.”
“Love you,” Adam murmured. They were still unfamiliar words, rarely spoken.
“Love you too. See you later.”
Later turned out to be much later. Although Adam called late that night to talk for a few minutes before they went to bed, they didn’t catch up with each other again until Tuesday in school. Juliette had yanked her son out of school on Monday, calling the administration team and telling them she was taking him to the doctor for reasons she wouldn’t discuss. Adam sent Jared a text and said they spent the whole day shopping in Seattle, then drove out to the coast for dinner.
Tuesday nights meant extra study sessions, so he didn’t get to see Adam that evening, and by Wednesday he was starting to feel a strange sort of jealousy towards his boyfriend�
�s mother for taking him away.
“Mom invited you and Hadley to dinner on Friday night,” Adam said as they walked the hallways of Harbor Academy on Thursday. “Hadley has already accepted, so you might as well.”
Jared laughed once. “Yeah, okay. Do I need to dress up?”
“If you want,” Adam said with a shrug. “I think it’s only the four of us, so you don’t need to go overboard.”
“Okay,” he said and kissed Adam’s temple before splitting off to go to his class.
Juliette had said the dinner party would be a quiet evening for parents, guardians, and young lovers to get to know each other a little better. Jared had wondered how on earth the compassionate, funny woman was Adam’s mother. She seemed far too sensible to have birthed such an erratic son.
Still, there was no denying the two of them were lovers. Hadley certainly knew, so he didn’t have a ready excuse to get out of the big family dinner. Also, Adam didn’t seem opposed to the idea, so Jared decided to go with it.
They had gone their own ways after school on Friday, parting with only a brief kiss and a “see you later.” Jared wondered if he could ask Adam what he should wear, then decided he would almost certainly be made fun of if he did, so he wasn’t going to bother.
After finishing his homework for the weekend, Jared dragged himself into the shower and stood under the hot spray for as long as possible. He ran his hand over his jaw, decided he could get away with not shaving again, and went back to his room to stand in front of his open closet and pout at what was there.
He still had the white striped shirt from the white party which was nice, but Adam had seen him in it. Plus, white and the danger of spilling things made him wary. In the end, with the clock ticking down, he pulled out a dark red button-down Oxford shirt his grandma had bought him for Christmas and paired it with dark jeans. He used unscented deodorant, a habit he’d picked up when living in dorms with other teenage boys. The last thing he wanted was to smell like a teenage boy.
Instead, he slicked a tiny amount of expensive cologne on his throat and styled his hair with something he’d found in Adam’s bathroom. The small black pot contained a goo that was perfect for mussing his hair, and he’d used it for a few days before deciding to invest in his own. After one trip to three different drugstores and a supermarket, he gave in and called Adam to ask where he’d got it. Adam had laughed down the phone, then said it was only available online. He gave Jared the website, and they hadn’t mentioned it again, although Adam had taken to rubbing his cheek over Jared’s head, and Jared thought he liked the smell of it.
Sneakers were too casual and shoes too much like what he wore to school, so Jared pulled on his boots, thinking Chris would approve, and grinned to himself.
“Jared!” Hadley called up the stairs. “Are you ready? We’re going to be late.”
“Coming,” he called back, and checked his reflection in the full-length mirror before grabbing his phone and wallet—habit, now—and jogging lightly down the stairs.
“You look nice,” Hadley said, a grin in her voice.
“Thanks. So do you.”
She was wearing a black fitted dress—classic and classy—and sapphire and diamond studs at her ears. It was casual enough to be appropriate for a family dinner. Her long hair tumbled down her back, and Jared was oddly relieved. If she’d tied it up in some elaborate style, it would be even weirder somehow.
“I’ll drive,” Hadley said. “I thought you might want to stay over tonight.”
Jared nodded once and tried not to blush. He locked up while Hadley got her red, sporty BMW out of the garage and met her outside.
“How are things with Adam, then?” she asked as they pulled on to the road.
“Good.”
“Oh, come on, Jared. Give me the juice.”
He laughed at that. “We’re really good. You were right, you know,” he added on impulse.
“Oh?”
“He was worth waiting for.”
Hadley’s eyes didn’t stray from the road, but a genuine smile crept at the corners of her mouth. A few moments later, the Hemlocks’ drive came into view, and Jared pointed it out so she didn’t miss the turning. It was a good excuse to stop talking about sex, and Jared grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
“Wow,” Hadley said as she pulled up outside the house. “This place is gorgeous.”
“Juliette designed the whole place. She’s an architect.”
“I’ll make sure to compliment her on it, then.”
They climbed out of the car, and the heavy front door opened as they were still walking up to it. Adam had gone with the jeans and a shirt combination too, which relieved Jared, who smiled at him.
“Hi,” Adam said and gestured them inside. “Mom’s in the kitchen. She said to go on down.”
“Oh, I’ll find the way,” Hadley said. “Don’t mind me. Would you take my jacket, Adam?”
“Yes, of course. Sorry,” he said and Jared grinned at his sudden turn of charm.
She gave them both a knowing smile and strode off in the direction of the stairs on extremely high heels.
“She decided to have the sex talk with me on the way over,” Jared said, appreciating the grin that spread over Adam’s face.
“My mom did the same thing last night.”
Jared laughed and took advantage of the opportunity, leaning in to brush his lips very lightly over Adam’s. Adam reached up and cupped Jared’s cheek, then parted his lips, taking the kiss just one millimeter further before pulling away.
“Let me put this somewhere safe,” he said, lifting Hadley’s jacket in explanation. Jared nodded and watched Adam tuck it away in the little security control room. They walked down to the kitchen with their hands loosely entwined. They had nothing to hide, here.
Dinner was fun. It was somewhere after the main course and before dessert that Jared realized he hadn’t laughed this much in a long time. Juliette had prepared the whole meal herself, all four courses, and was clearly delighted to have the opportunity to show off her French-inspired cooking.
The four of them sat around one end of the huge dining table where Jared and Adam had eaten the first meal Adam ever cooked, and Juliette’s eyes shone with humor while Jared recounted the story to her.
“I’ve been trying to get that boy to cook something… anything for years now,” she said. “You must have different tactics from me.”
“I’m sure he does,” Hadley murmured under her breath, making heat rise in Jared’s cheeks.
“No!” Adam exclaimed, slapping his hand down on the table hard. “No. You don’t get to make that dirty. It was one of the nicest, sweetest things anyone’s ever done for me. It’s not a sexy thing, it’s an eating thing.”
Juliette laughed and reached over to touch her son’s cheek. “Do I need to cut you off?”
“No, you need to top me up,” he said petulantly, pushing his wine glass toward her.
She grinned at him obligingly and did as he asked.
“You’re very calm about them drinking,” Hadley said, twisting the stem of her glass of Bordeaux with delicate fingers.
“It’s a French thing,” Adam said in explanation. “Kids over there start drinking wine with dinner from when they’re about eight. It’s not a big deal.”
Juliette looked like she was going to argue, then acquiesced. “We create a drinking culture in this country,” she said lightly. “By making alcohol something taboo, it’s what teenagers gravitate to when they want to rebel. In Europe drinking isn’t such a big deal. In England you can buy wine or beer for a sixteen-year-old in a restaurant if it’s to go with a meal. I like the attitude there a lot better.” She glanced at the clock. “Who wants dessert?”
“Um, me,” Adam said with a grin.
“Hadley, could you help me please?”
The two women pushed back from the table and went to the kitchen on stocking feet, the ridiculous heels abandoned.
“I think I love your mother,” J
ared whispered conspiratorially. “Can she adopt me please?”
“No, because that would make you my brother, and that would be weird.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
They were sitting next to each other, meaning for the past few hours they had been playing footsie under the table, resting hands on knees or thighs, stealing kisses when no one was looking.
Jared was pleasantly buzzed. Not drunk like he got at parties, but full of a warm, fuzzy feeling that came from good wine and amazing food. He leaned over on impulse and caught Adam’s mouth with his own, tasting and teasing and taking the full, plump bottom lip into his mouth.
He was about to slide his tongue between Adam’s parted lips when an emphatic throat-clearing forced them apart.
“Sorry,” Jared said, pulling away and blushing more.
Juliette winked and set a glass dish in front of him.
“Is this tiramisu?” Adam asked, immediately poking at the layered, creamy dessert.
“Yes.”
He grinned widely. “Thanks, Mom.”
After dinner they moved into the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher together, the four of them, like a family rather than as guests. Then, instead of moving to the living room for coffee, they drank it sitting on the tall stools around the island in the kitchen, sharing a huge plate of sugar cookies that no one was really hungry for.
Jared was surprised at how easy it was. The conversation between Hadley and Juliette was fun and friendly, and they teased him and Adam good-naturedly. It was almost midnight by the time Hadley called a cab, saying she’d pick up the car tomorrow, and leaving Jared at the Hemlock house with an exaggerated wink.
“I’m going to bed,” Juliette said with a sigh as she shut the front door and locked up. “That was a lovely evening, but I’m exhausted.”
“I think we’re going to go up too,” Adam said, looking to Jared for confirmation.
