Omorphi (75 page)

“Thanks, Michael. How’s it going?”

“Better now. How ’bout for you?”

Gav gave sort of a half shrug. “We’re workin’ it.”

“You guys going to be at practice today?”

“Yeah,” Noah answered. “How you doing, Christy?”

Christy gave a brief nod. “Good. Thank you for asking.”

Noah smiled. “Are you always so formal?”

Christy shook his head. “I should say like Michael, it’s all good.”

Gav cracked up. “That’s it, dude!”

“What is ‘dude’?”

“It’s like saying ‘man,’” Michael explained.

“Oh. I do not prefer this.”

Now it was Noah’s turn to crack up. “Okay, how about gay boy?”

“This is better.”

Michael chuckled. “C’mon. Let’s get something to eat.”

They returned to a ruckus. Flying food, loud jibes, and laughter surrounded them. “Whoa, man!” Michael yelled as a french fry smacked his cheek. He threw it back at Nicky.

“Knock it off, you guys,” Jake yelled. “We gotta eat here.”

Jerry threw one last pea, and the table erupted again. Within seconds, even Michael and Jake were embroiled in the fight. Christy simply watched as they made idiots of themselves. Michael saw his smirk and stalled before catapulting a carrot across the table with a spoon. “Sorry, babe.”

“I cannot believe you do this. Food is very important.”

Michael flinched. “Yeah, you’re right. Hey, everybody, knock it off!”

M
ICHAEL
headed onto the field for practice and was elated to have his number-one fan in the stands after a week without him. Déjà vu hit him, and a spate of deep love washed over him as he remembered the afternoon when he’d finally built up the courage to talk to Christy. Was it normal to fall so deeply in love so fast?
Like you really care, dude.
Michael mentally slapped the little voice in his head and whooped on the air as he trotted up the bleachers. “Hey, babe!”

Christy’s radiant smile was reminiscent of the first time Michael had seen him smile, and the afternoon sun glistened in his beautiful eyes. At that moment, Michael thought absolutely everything was right with the world. He sat down next to him and pecked his lips. “You’re gorgeous, you know that?”

Christy’s hoarse laugh was soft and shy, and it tickled Michael into a soft laugh as well.

“Why’s your voice hoarse again?”

“I gave a speech in public speaking class.”

“Really? Wow! That’s great!” He one-arm hugged Christy, and he giggled hoarsely again.

“It is. Nine months ago I was not certain I would ever speak again.”

Michael hugged him just a little tighter. “How’d it go?”

“The people applauded, so I think it’s good for the grade.”

“What’d you speak about?”

“Greece, about coming to this country, and I made a comparison and told of you.”

“Me? What do I have to do with it?”

“I told them how lucky they are to be gay here. It’s not very accepted in Greece. I told them of what it is like to be free to love you here. They asked questions, and I spoke Greek for them.”

Michael stroked a ringlet behind Christy’s ear. “I wish I’d been there. No one gave you a hassle?”

Christy shook his head. “Everyone knows I’m queer, and the questions were nice. They were very curious. They wanted to know things like what it is like to kiss another boy. This question is strange to me, so I told them it’s like kissing anyone you love. Then the questions were nosy, and the professor stopped them.”

Michael chuckled. “What’d they ask?”

“What made me gay? Do I look at other men and think they are hot even if they are not queer? What is the sex like?”

Michael cracked up. “Seriously?”

“Oh yes, they were very curious.”

“What did you say?”

“I told them the sex is very good, and the professor interrupted and stopped the questions.”

Michael was mortified and overjoyed all at the same time. “Oh my God, you didn’t!”

Christy laughed softly. “I did,
filos
.”

“Everyone’s going to stare at us like we’re freaks,” he said through another laugh.

Christy joined his laughter. “They already look at us as if we are the freaks.”

Michael cracked up again. “Yeah, they do.” He kissed the side of Christy’s head. “I’ll see you after practice.”

Michael walked onto the track only to come face to face with Tony and Rich. “Hey. Welcome back,” he greeted them.

“Hey, Michael.” Tony extended a hand, and Michael shook it. “We, ah, we just wanted to apologize to you for, um, everything. You know, maybe encouraging Jason a little.”

Michael looked from Tony to Rich and found zero sincerity in Rich’s eyes. “You, man? You apologize too?”

Rich glared at Michael. “Only because I have to.”

“Or what?”

“My parents will be pissed because they told the detective that I’d apologize to you.”

“Apology accepted from you, Tony, thanks. Rich, tell your parents I refused your apology and why.” Michael walked away.

“Fuckin’ queer!” Rich yelled after him.

Tony smacked his arm. “Shut up, man!”

“How can you stand it, Tony! He killed Jason!”

That stopped Michael in his tracks. He rounded on a heel and strode back to Rich. “What was that?”

“You fuckin’ drove him over the edge, Michael, and everybody knows it!”

Michael tucked his chin in surprise at the statement, and a crowd began to gather around them. “How’d I do that?”

“Fuck, Michael, everything was falling down around him! His mom turned into a lip-lickin’ lesbo, his brother was a fuckin’ butt pirate, his dad was a bastard, and you fucked him over!”

Michael shook his head in disgust, part over the epithets, and part over the blame. “I’m not seeing the light, man.”

“Don’t you get it, Michael? You were the only one who gave him half a chance! You’re the only one who believed in him! You’re all he had, and you messed with his head!”

Coach O’Malley joined them. “What’s going on, guys?”

Michael eyed Rich evenly. “Nothin’, Coach. Rich is voicing an opinion, that’s all.” Michael felt a small hand fill his and knew that Christy had joined them on the track.

“It’s not just my friggin’ opinion! You might as well have put that bullet in his head yourself!” Rich turned his angry glare on Christy. “God! You are so friggin’ sick!” he shouted before abruptly turning and striding across the field to the gym.

“Sorry,” Tony said quietly.

“It’s understandable, man. Jason was his best friend.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Let’s get back to practice,” Coach announced.

M
ICHAEL
came up for air like a drowning man. The first time he and Christy had been together, they had been fully clothed. Now, only sweat and heat filled the space between them, their bodies melding perfectly once again.

“Christy.” He breathed against the side of Christy’s neck and whispered, “I don’t want to hurt your leg.”

Christy shook his head against Michael’s shoulder and pressed his fingertips into Michael’s buttocks, arching against him and sliding smoothly against Michael’s body.

“Christy,” he growled against his neck.

Christy pressed against him again, urgent, insistent. Michael closed his eyes and swallowed hard. “You are so damn demanding.”

Christy laughed softly as he moved against Michael again, bringing Michael’s hand down to cup his rear. Michael ceded what little control he had left and lost himself in Christy’s love.
I am truly making love to my boyfriend.
The thought seared Michael’s heart with profound emotion, and he captured Christy’s mouth in a heart-stopping kiss as he filled the space between them with molten heat. Christy followed, and for another long, shiny, blissful moment, Michael was lost in more ecstasy than he imagined possible. Time slowed again, his thoughts blended, colors blurred in his mind’s eye and, unlike before, he now knew it was possible to touch the sun. Christy cupped his face in both hands and showered him with tender kisses.

He rested his head on the pillow, tried to relearn how to breathe, and thought, not for the first time, how truly amazing it was to be in love with Christy. Christy’s rising and falling chest slowed in time with his own, and Michael lifted his head and looked into Christy’s beautiful eyes. He brushed a damp curl from Christy’s sweaty cheek with a thumb. “You are incredible, Christophoros Tryphon Alexis Castle.”

Christy smiled a small smile. “With no clothes between us, I can feel every part of you and know that you are mine.”

Michael smiled down at him. “I’m all yours, baby.” Michael’s phone rang, and he let his forehead fall to the pillow and groaned. He thought at first to answer it but decided to ignore it. He wanted to savor the moment. He wanted this memory to be indelibly imprinted on his mind.

The phone rang again. “Crap,” he whispered into the pillow.

“It is probably your mother wanting to know if we are having sex.”

Michael laughed softly. “If she asks, I’m going to tell her the truth.” He rolled off Christy and dug through his jeans pockets until he found the phone. “Yeah?”

“You sound out of breath. Are you still at practice?”

“Hi, Mom. No, got done with practice an hour ago.”

“What are you doing?” Long beat. Michael could almost feel her eyes narrow on him over the phone. “Are you and Christy having sex?”

Michael ran a hand down Christy’s slim torso to end on his flat belly. “Yes. You interrupted us.” An eerie silence descended over the phone. “You still there, Mom?”

“Are you using protection?”

“KY.”
Dude!
the little voice in his head yelled.

“That’s not protection.”

“It makes things so much better, if you know what I mean.”
What is wrong with you?

“Michael!”

“We don’t need condoms for what we do.”

“Has Christy been tested?”

“Hang on. Christy, have you been tested for STDs and AIDS?”

Christy laughed softly. “Do not tease her, Michael. Tell her the truth.”

“He’s cool, Mom.”

“Cool?”

“He’s been tested. He’s fine.”

“What kind of sex are you having? Frot? Oral?”

Michael couldn’t help himself. “What kind of sex do you and Dad have?” The little voice groaned in his head.
You’re going to get yourself shot.

“Michael Macarthur Sattler the second!”

She’s cocking the shotgun now.
“We like frotting, we like oral, lots of groping, stroking, rubbing, massaging, the usual.”

“How about finger play?”

“What’s that?”

“You know exactly what I mean.”

“No, I don’t. Tell me or I’ll look it up on the net.”

“Do you enter each other with your fingers?”

“Sometimes.”

“No other anal penetration?”

“Not so far. I’ll send you a press release.”
Dude! Do you
want
to die?

“Dammit, Michael, I’m serious! Toys?”

Michael couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. “Toys? Oh yeah, lots of them. Erection, I mean, Erector sets, Tiddly Twinks, I mean, Winks, we always collect big after passing Go in Manopoly, I mean, Monopoly, and you can’t imagine what we can do with a pocket laser light show and sensory balls.”

Christy doubled over in silent laughter, and Bobbie finally started to laugh. “Why do I even bother?”

“Because you love me and you mean well, but don’t ask me about sex anymore. I hate it.”

“Your father is taking me to dinner this evening for our twentieth wedding anniversary. Can you fend for yourself?”

“Yeah, of course, happy anniversary. Where’s Dad taking you?”

“Zabroso. He knows I love the flamenco dancing and the beet and goat cheese appetizer.”

Michael glanced at Christy and had a sudden inkling that he’d like the flamenco dancing too. “Have a great time. I’ll text you when I get home.”

“Thank you, honey. Call if you need anything.”

“Bye, Mom.”

Christy was still laughing into the duvet when Michael hung up. He covered Christy with his body and brought him back against his chest as he rolled onto his side. “How’d I do?”

“It is one thing to tease, but you border on disrespect, Michael,” he said still laughing.

“She needs to learn not to ask questions she really doesn’t want the answers to.”

Christy rolled over to face him on the bed. “You make me smile.”

Michael touched Christy’s cheek with his fingertips, tracing the side of his face, his jawline, the outline of his lips. “You make me smile too.” Michael’s phone rang again, and he rolled his eyes. “What do you want to bet Mom called Jake?”

“Why?”

“My parents are going out to dinner for their anniversary. Mom wants me to get something to eat on my own.”

Christy laughed and shook his head. “I do not want this wager. I will lose.”

“Hi, Jake,” Michael answered without bothering to look at the phone.

“Hey, guess what?”

“Mom called you to ask you to make sure I got something to eat.”

“How’d you know?”

“I worked at it. Very hard. Where are you?”

“You’ll never guess who’s in town.”

“The King of Prussia. How the hell do I know?”

“Wrong. No wonder I love you, bro. You make me feel smart, powerful. Sophia.”

Michael was momentarily rendered speechless. “A little unusual, isn’t it?”

“Seems she and her
aunt
had a disagreement.”

“Oh shit,” he said softly.

“You got it. She wants to see Christy. But it gets even better.”

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s not nice to scare little gay boys? It’s inhumane.”

“General Sotíras is here. From Greece.”

Michael sat up quickly. “Why?”

“My dad told him about Christy’s paintings.”

“Why do I think this day just turned to sh—crap?”

“Always happens after great sex.”

Michael gaped at the phone. “Mom told you?”

“She may have mentioned it. How do you want to handle this?”

“I-I don’t know. What does…? What is…? Is there…? I don’t even know where to start, Jake.”