Wes and Toren (32 page)

“Well, you still have a card,” Alycia said, smirking at me.

“Oh,” Wesley answered simply and picked up the forgotten card under some paper. He glanced at his name and the lopsided smiley face on the envelope and grinned at me. He pulled the card out and a sheet folded in quarters fell into his lap. He looked down and then read what I had written: “We can have it delivered any time. Merry Christmas! I love you! Love, Tor.” He mouthed the word “delivered” with a confused look and opened the folded sheet of paper on his lap. His eyes grew big and Wes & Toren

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his jaw dropped. “You gotta be kidding me,” he mumbled, staring at the paper. “Are you for real?” he asked, tearing his eyes away to look at me for just a moment. “I can’t believe it! This is awesome!”

“It has the charcoal/gas option and a side-burner,” I said, beaming excitedly. I knew Wesley wanted a grill, but his hints were subtle.

“Thank you!” Wesley cried, toppling me over on the floor and hugging me so tightly that I couldn’t breathe.

Mom and Alycia laughed and after Wesley calmed down a bit, I opened my last gift. Pulling off the solid green paper, I stared at the cell phone box on my lap in astonishment. I looked over the features: phone, camera, Internet. It was one of those phones that had everything.

“This…is so cool!” I stuttered excitedly and Wesley smiled proudly.

“Now you don’t have to use pay phones and I can talk to you whenever I want.”

“I love it! It’s so cute too!”

“Lemme see,” Alycia said, pulling the box away from me. “Oh wow! This thing has everything!”

“Well, it’s not as cool as a grill, but….”

“No, it’s better! I love it. Thank you,” I said, touching Wesley’s hand with a smile.

We cleaned up the living room, stuffing crumpled wrapping paper into a trash bag and putting our gifts into neat little piles. Alycia set the trash bag by the front door and I headed into the kitchen.

“All right, what do you want for breakfast?” I asked.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Tor. I bought some coffee cake and bagels,” Mom said, sitting back down on the sofa and sipping her coffee.

“Even better,” I said, and began to prepare breakfast.

We sat around and leisurely ate while talking about our presents and retelling old Christmas stories. We eventually got dressed in the early afternoon and broke out the Scrabble board, another family 242

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tradition since Dad left. It had been six years since he’d left and five years since we moved. I thought holidays would be difficult and sad because we didn’t have any family nearby. But Alycia and I loved spending the holidays with Mom, just the three of us. Now we had Wesley to share these special times with and I couldn’t keep myself from smiling.

Wesley complained the whole time we played Scrabble because he was in last place. He said he wasn’t very good, but he did well—

considering he was facing three serious Scrabble players. In the middle of the second game, the telephone rang and Alycia jumped to get it. She answered with a jaunty “Merry Christmas!” and we eavesdropped and continued playing while she talked to Dad. When it was her turn again, we waited as she told Dad about Jeremy, school, work, and the presents she got. Then she handed the phone to me with a happy grin. I talked to Dad while Scrabble continued, telling him about school and work and the gifts I received. It was nice to hear Dad’s voice. Since I had been with Wesley, I realized how important family was. The bitter feelings I held toward him were beginning to dissolve and I began to feel proud that he was my father.

“Oh, come on! That’s not even a word!” Alycia shouted, startling me.

“Yes it is!” Wesley answered, equally loud.

“Wow, sounds lively over there,” Dad commented with a chuckle.

“Yeah, right! Pabst? What’s it mean?” Alycia demanded.

“Um, yeah. Just another vicious game of Scrabble,” I said with a laugh.

“It’s a brand of beer!” Wesley answered, folding his arms on his chest defiantly.

“Is someone else there? I thought I heard another voice,” Dad asked.

“Proper names don’t count!” Alycia stated authoritatively.

“Ah, um…,” I mumbled, hesitating and looking at the floor.

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“Says who?” Wesley demanded.

“I see. So your mom finally found herself a boyfriend, huh?” Dad asked.

“Me and the rule book!” Alycia countered.

“Um, he’s not Mom’s boyfriend. He’s actually, um,
my
boyfriend,”

I murmured, feeling my cheeks burn.

“Oh.
Oh
. Is that so?” Dad said. Somehow, I knew he was smiling.

“Good for you, Tor. So tell me about him. What’s his name?”

“Wesley,” I answered, blushing even deeper. Mom, Alycia, and Wesley were staring at me with wide eyes. I felt my ears get hot and I looked away quickly.

“Oh, your roommate?” Dad asked, thinking for a moment. “Were you seeing each other before you moved in together?”

“Yeah.”

“Sounds pretty serious. Good for you, Toren. You’ll have to e-mail me a picture of the two of you.”

“Yeah, I will. Definitely,” I answered with a smile. I could feel everyone still staring at me and I turned my back to them.

“You sound really happy. And that makes me happy. So, e-mail me and tell me all about him, okay?”

“Yeah, I sure will. You wanna talk to Mom?”

“Yeah, put her on. Merry Christmas. I love you, Tor, and I’ll be waiting for your e-mail!”

“Merry Christmas, Dad. I love you too,” I answered and handed the phone to Mom.

“Did you just tell Dad?” Alycia asked eagerly, nearly tackling me.

“Yeah. I guess so,” I said, glancing shyly at Wesley. He smiled warmly and gave me a tight hug and I felt really happy. Everyone who was important to me now knew about Wesley and me. It was a good feeling, a liberating feeling.

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Alycia threw her hands up in celebration and grinned from ear to ear. “Good for you, big brother! Nothing says Merry Christmas like ‘Hi, Dad! I’m gay!’ ”

WE spent the rest of the day playing games, talking, and laughing. We ate a delicious dinner and then watched
A Christmas Story
, the last of our family traditions. Wesley and I got home around 9:30, our arms full of boxes and bags.

“Don’t forget to put the leftovers in the fridge,” I said, dropping my load on the sofa.

“Yeah, yeah,” he answered and I heard the refrigerator door open and close. “So, you ready for bed?” he asked, sticking his hands deep in his pockets.

“Nah. I’m not really sleepy yet,” I answered, stacking up clothes boxes to take into the bedroom.

“Who said anything about sleeping?” he asked with his notorious grin. He laced his hands around my back and kissed me softly.

“All right, let’s go,” I agreed and licked his lips before leading him into the bedroom.

I sat Wesley down on the edge of the bed and he wrapped his arms around my waist as I took his face in my hands and kissed him. His hands dropped to my backside and I knelt down in front of him. He leaned back on his hands while I unzipped his pants. He was beginning to respond and I stroked the shaft and lowered my mouth to his tightening balls. Following the vein underneath with my tongue, I slipped the head between my lips, circling the slit with the tip of my tongue. I sucked hard and felt Wesley’s body tremble when I swallowed him as far as I was able.

“Damn. I can’t believe you actually got me a grill. That is just so cool! I’m so excited!” he breathed, closing his eyes.

I hesitated, and then pulled my lips away. “I’m sorry. Am I boring you?” I asked with a hint of a grin. “You’re more excited about a grill,” I said, flicking the tip with a moist finger, “than you are about me?”

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“What? No. Not at all. I’m always hot for you,” he said grinningly and gestured toward his lap as an invitation to continue.

I laughed and kissed the head where I had just flicked my finger.

Grabbing hold of his balls and dropping my mouth, I began again where I had left off. Wesley moaned, but it didn’t sound like genuine excitement.

“Ooh…charcoal/gas option…yeah,” he murmured with a slight smirk.

“What? That’s it!” I teased, standing up and pushing him back on the bed. I straddled his thighs and unzipped my pants.

“I was kidding!” he laughed, though he closely watched my hands.

“Just for that, you have to make me cum before you’re allowed to.”

“And how is that any different from any other time?” he smirked, reaching forward and kneading the tip in his palm.

He was right. I always went before him, except for the times when he was really horny or when we came together. Suddenly, Wesley sat up and pushed me down onto the bed on my back. He took hold of my jeans, yanked them down around my ankles, and parted my knees. He smiled as though a grand meal was set before him and he frigged me feverishly while he licked and sucked my balls into his warm mouth. My body felt slightly numb for a moment and then it felt like every erogenous zone on my body was suddenly linked and searing with pleasure. I catered to his every whim, pushing myself deeper into his mouth as he slipped a finger inside me. Already, I felt like I could cum, and with a great deal of restraint and conviction, I lifted Wesley’s chin and he looked at me quizzically.

“I want us to go together.”

“But you said I had to….”

“Oh, just get inside me!” I shouted desperately. My cheeks flared when I realized what I said and Wesley stared at me with wide eyes.

“God, you are just too cute,” he said with a smile dawning on his face.

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He pulled my jeans off and lifted my legs over his shoulders. He positioned himself with one hand and stared in my eyes as he pressed forward. My body accepted him eagerly and I gripped the corners of the pillow in my hands as he began to thrust. He closed one eye and clenched his teeth as he felt my muscles tighten around him, then he pushed forward again and I rocked against his passionate motions. He voiced a guttural moan and I knew he was close, and so was I. I whimpered his name, he grunted mine, and then we climaxed in unison, draining our bodies in a deluge of passion.

Atop me, Wesley heaved in air and I gasped for breath, joyfully crushed beneath him. After we caught our breaths, Wesley kissed me lightly and laid his head down on my chest.

“I can’t believe you got me a grill.”

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“HAPPY New Year, Toren!” Jeanine called as I pulled on my coat.

“Wait a sec, I’m heading up,” she added, stuffing a roll of quarters into her World Store apron.

We walked to the front of the store where she resumed her place behind the register, cracking open the quarters and dumping them in the till. She asked if I had anything planned and I told her that Wesley and I were invited to a party hosted by a friend of Kate’s and Lissa’s.

“Well, I’ll see you next year,” I said with a wave and stepped into the cold, evening air. It was a little past six o’clock and I debated whether or not I should stop and pick up something for dinner. The bus was running late, so I decided against it, and went home.

Wesley was sitting on the sofa with his feet on the coffee table, holding a beer on his stomach. “Hey, babe. How was work?”

“It was okay, but slow,” I answered, taking off my coat and draping it over a chair at the kitchen table. “How about you?”

“The same. I only had two jobs today and they were both oil changes,” he said, taking a drink and patting the cushion beside him.

I shook my head and went back to the kitchen. “Don’t forget, we have that party tonight,” I called from in front of the refrigerator. I popped the top on a can of soda and went back to the living room.

“Oh, yeah,” Wesley answered drearily and tried to hide his obvious yawn. He dropped his head back on the sofa and sighed quietly.

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“Don’t you wanna go?” I asked.

“No, it’s okay. We can go,” he answered, staring at the ceiling with teary eyes from his yawn.

“That’s not what I asked,” I said with a smirk. “Do
you
want to go?”

“Not really,” he answered with a coy smile.

I sat down next to him and put my feet up. “Honestly, I don’t really wanna go either,” I said, resting the soda on my belly. “I’d rather just stay home with you. But, you gotta call Kate and tell her we’re not going.”

Wesley looked at me blankly. “Kiss me,” he said firmly. I leaned over and softly touched his lips. “Okay, get me the phone.” I hopped up and retrieved the phone for him. “Oh, and we have to go shopping.”

“For what?” I asked.

“Meat.”

“Excuse me?”

“Meat,” he said again. “’Cause I’m gonna make you the best dinner you ever had,” he explained with a grin.

“Okay. Then I’m gonna go change and we can go,” I said with a smile, then wiggled my butt at him before heading into the bedroom. I listened to him make excuses to Kate while I slipped on a long-sleeve shirt and blue jeans and folded my white work shirt and khaki pants.

Then we got our coats and went to the grocery store.

We stood in front of the meat counter for about twenty minutes while Wesley debated over the perfect selection. Hamburgers were too casual, salmon steaks were too expensive, and he couldn’t decide between pork chops, sirloin steaks, or strip steaks until the clerk at the counter recommended the strip. Then we picked up some fresh broccoli, red potatoes, and a bake-at-home French baguette.