Author: Jay Argent
Category: LGBT
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Chapter 15
Alex hit the steering wheel with his fist and checked the time on his cell phone. His math class had begun already, but after the chat with Rick and Eric, he knew that he just couldn’t be there. He started the engine and drove to the mall.
After buying everything he needed, he drove back home. He wasn’t thinking clearly and didn’t realize that coming home was a mistake until he got there. As soon as he opened the front door, he saw his father in the hall. They looked at each other.
“Why aren’t you at school?” Paul Wesley asked. Shit. Alex was too startled at finding his father at home to come up with an excuse. He just stared, speechless.
“I’m not feeling well,” he said finally.
It was partially true but not exactly the reason he had skipped his classes. His father scanned Alex for hints of whether he was telling the truth. Finally, he just nodded.
“Let’s make some chicken soup,” his father said. “I’m hungry, and it might make you feel better.” Alex followed him to the kitchen. They collected all the ingredients, and Alex started to fry the chicken in a pan.
“How is it going with Sofia? I haven’t seen her here for a while,” his father asked casually while pouring coconut milk into the boiling water.
“We broke up,” Alex said sadly.
“Oh … well, teen romances seldom last forever.” His father sounded like he was talking from experience. “Is that why you don’t feel well?” he asked.
“No, that’s an old story,” Alex replied and lowered the heat to make sure the chicken didn’t burn.
They got the soup ready, and Alex set the table. He didn’t want to talk about his separation with Sofia or his disagreements with Rick and Eric, so they ate in silence. Unfortunately, as soon as his father had spooned the last bit of his soup into his mouth, he decided to continue talking.
“Have you heard anything about the scholarship?” he asked.
Alex didn’t feel comfortable telling his father that he was unlikely to get one. “No, not yet,” he said.
“Okay. I’m sure they will inform you soon.”
The more they talked, the more Alex felt that there were things in his life that he didn’t want to share with his parents. It was a heavy feeling, and he knew that, sooner or later, his father would find out about the scholarship. After the events of that morning, he wasn’t even sure that he wanted to continue on the swim team, which would be another major disappointment for his father.
Alex walked to his room, feeling much worse than he had before eating the magic healing soup. He picked up his history book and tried to do some homework but found it impossible to concentrate. Soon he gave up and put the book back into his bag. He turned on the TV and watched some stupid early-afternoon soap operas.
At three-thirty, he texted his coach, saying that he was sick and wouldn’t be participating in swim training today. Coach Hanson didn’t reply, which wasn’t unusual for him. Alex was sure that Rick and Eric would interpret his absence as a clear sign that he had made his choice.
His mother came home at half-past six, and they ate dinner. The meal was something she had grabbed on her way home. It was okay, but Alex’s mind was somewhere else. Somehow, he managed to get through dinner without too much drama.
Afterward, Alex tried again to do some homework, this time with slightly more success. He couldn’t help thinking about how grateful he was to Liam for helping him with school. Maybe he could still get an academic scholarship if he didn’t get an athletic one.
Alex woke up just before ten the following morning. His parents had eaten breakfast a couple of hours ago and left to go shopping at the Buonas mall. Alex didn’t expect them to come home until the evening since his mother had left him some lasagna in the fridge for lunch.
It was a silent morning, and Alex decided to make the most out of it. After going for a jog, he played some video games and started to watch the third Lord of the Rings movie on DVD. It was one of his favorites, and he lay casually on the sofa with a big glass of Coke and a bowl of microwave popcorn.
Suddenly he jumped up and looked at the clock on his cell phone. It was almost four. He was late for Liam’s birthday party. Within a minute, he had turned off the television, changed into better clothes, and jumped into his car. “How could I be so stupid?” he asked himself. Luckily, it was a rather short drive to Liam’s house.
Liam’s mother answered the door, not looking particularly happy, but she smiled quickly and let Alex in. The door to Liam’s bedroom was closed, and Alex opened it carefully and stepped in. Liam glanced at him. His eyes were red, and his face was wet from tears.
“I thought that you didn’t want to come,” Liam said in a voice barely louder than a whisper.
“I’m really sorry. I was watching a movie and didn’t realize the time. It’s all my fault,” Alex said.
Alex sat on the bed next to Liam and hugged the tearful boy. Gently, he put Liam’s head against his chest and let him cry.
“You’re my best friend. Of course I want to come to your birthday party,” Alex said when Liam’s sobbing started to fade away. Liam stopped crying but remained against Alex and rested his head on his shoulder.
They sat in silence and watched the movie that was playing on the TV. Alex wondered frantically whether he should say something but decided to let Liam fully calm down first. He had apparently been very upset.
Fifteen minutes later, Alex became aware of Liam taking his head away from his shoulder and leaning away from him.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to come on to you,” Liam said, embarrassed. The intimate position he had taken against Alex made him ashamed. Alex pulled him back and wrapped his arm around him.
“I don’t mind you sitting there. Besides, it’s your birthday,” Alex said.
“Well, if I have your permission,” Liam said and lowered his head back to Alex’s shoulder. They kept watching the movie in total silence. Neither of them felt the need to speak. Everything was okay again.
The hand that Alex had wrapped around Liam was on Liam’s thigh. Liam turned and glanced at Alex, embarrassed. Even though it was dark, Alex could see that he was blushing.
“Please don’t be scared, but I have to adjust it a little bit,” Liam said.
“Adjust what?” Alex teased him.
“Well … you know,” Liam replied, and his face got even redder. He adjusted his crotch quickly.
“I guess I have to do it, too,” Alex said casually and put his hand inside his jeans. Liam glanced at the bulge in Alex’s jeans and raised his eyes to Alex’s face. He looked so confused that Alex almost laughed.
“I guess it likes you,” Alex said shyly. “Actually, I am sure it likes you, and I like you, too. I mean, I like you in that way,” he added, pointing to his jeans. Liam started to smile, and it was the widest smile that Alex had ever seen on that face.
A half-naked Taylor Lautner was running on TV, but Liam didn’t see it. He was far too focused on Alex, his beautiful eyes and hair, not to mention his hot body. He didn’t know what to do or what to say. He wasn’t even sure what he had just heard Alex say or what it meant.
“You mean that…?” Liam started to ask. A large part of him was hopeful. The other part was afraid that he had misunderstood and that his world would collapse at any second. It didn’t. Alex nodded.
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot over the last couple of weeks or so. And I think that I play on the same team as you,” Alex said. “At least, it feels good to be with you. It never felt like this with Sofia,” he added. He tightened the hold of his arm that was wrapped around Liam.
“Wow,” Liam said quietly. He repeated it a couple of times and looked at Alex again, still unsure of what to do or say. Alex was watching him and obviously had something in mind. Liam raised his eyebrows and gave him a questioning look, hoping to encourage him.
“Would you like to be with me? I mean, would you like to be my boyfriend?” Alex asked quietly. He blushed. �
�I mean, I understand if you don’t want to,” he added quickly. He was about to continue when Liam raised his hand to stop him from speaking.
“Yes,” Liam said and gazed into Alex’s eyes. “I have wanted to be your boyfriend since the moment we met,” he said, keeping their eye contact.
Alex moved his head closer to Liam and hesitated for a moment. Then they kissed. It might have been, technically, a clumsy kiss, but Liam felt it in his whole body. “Wow.”
For a long time, the boys sat side by side on Liam’s bed, Liam resting his head on Alex’s shoulder. He felt happier than ever before in his young life. The handsome jock had just kissed him and wanted to be his boyfriend. If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up.
“Um … just one more thing,” Alex said and looked uneasy. “Is it okay if we keep this just between us?”
“That’s okay,” Liam said, and he felt how Alex’s body relaxed. “I guess Rick and Eric will make sure that the whole school knows about me soon. But they don’t have to know about us.”
Alex sighed. “It’s not fair to put only you in the spotlight. I feel like a coward,” he admitted and looked away. Liam hugged him and stroked his hair. He was surprised at how vulnerable the big jock felt in his hands.
“I don’t mind. Let’s not worry about it now,” Liam said. “As long as I have you, I can cope with whatever crap they give me,” he added confidently.
They kissed again. “Happy birthday to my super cute boyfriend,” Alex whispered in Liam’s ear.
Epilogue
Alex woke up in his bed on Sunday morning. He smiled. He had a boyfriend, which felt exciting and scary. And, most importantly, it felt right. He had never felt the same about Sofia, and now he understood why. I’m gay, Alex thought, and the finality of the statement made gooseflesh prickle his skin.
He couldn’t stop thinking about Liam. His face was so cute when he was thinking hard about something, and his smile was something that Alex could have gazed at for hours and hours. Liam was also small and skinny, which made him beautiful in Alex’s eyes.
Alex knew that he had a lot of unfinished business with Rick and Eric. Going to school on Monday morning wouldn’t be easy, especially for Liam, but Alex had promised to protect him. The boys would no longer welcome him on the swim team.
He knew that he had to talk about the scholarship with his parents. He had put off the topic for too long because he felt that he would disappoint his father, who had high hopes for his athletic career.
But all that would be another story. Today, Alex just wanted to be happy and in love with Liam. Nothing could feel better than that.
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Jay Argent
About the Author
Jay Argent is a novelist in his thirties who lives a peaceful life with his husband. His favorite hobbies are music, movies, and romantic novels. He obtained a degree in engineering in 2001 and built a successful career in a management consulting firm. Using his own high school and college experiences as inspiration, he is now pursuing his true passion of writing.
For the convenience of readers, all Jay Argent’s novels are copy-edited and proofread by a team of professionals before they are published. If you have any feedback, you can contact him by email at [email protected]. He very much looks forward to hearing from you.
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