For clarity: In this story, Spaz is referred to as Gilbert Braun, and Hopkins is Edwin Hopkins.
Gilbert could sense a charge in the air coming from the Hopkins family, both parents and son.
It couldn't have been anxiety over having the Brauns join them for lunch—after all, the two families had come together multiple times in the last year, casually and formally, and as such were well acquainted. However, Gil had taken note of Edwin's reluctance to have him over once the summer break began. Instead, the boys spent time at the Braun household, or in town. Perhaps, Gil thought, the strange air of the Hopkins' was because of something they had been keeping secret, and were anxious that their guests would discover it.
With this in mind, he made it a point to avoid commenting. The last thing he wanted was to cause a stir or instigate a sudden rift between the families; anything that could put his relationship with Edwin at risk. Likewise, if his parents had noticed the Hopkins' odd vibes, they were hiding it just as diligently.
Despite the curious charge, Edwin did meet him in the front room with all his usual composure—hands in his pockets and smile wry—and greeted Gil with a smooth wink.
Upon passing the threshold of the dining room, Edwin leaned close and whispered, "Eat quick." Gil cast him a confused look, but received no explanation.
Lunch progressed as usual, with easy conversation between the parents and simple answers from the boys when invoked, but Gil noticed Edwin was clearing his plate slightly faster than normal. Trusting in his friend's plan, whatever it may be, Gil did the same.
As soon as they were finished, Edwin politely interrupted the rolling discussion between their fathers to request they be excused. His mother seemed all too happy to grant it, setting precedent for Gil's mother to do the same.
Edwin led the way down the hall.
At the end, Gilbert felt free to ask quietly, "What's going on?"
"It's a surprise," was the answer. "Close your eyes."
Although uncertain, Gilbert complied, and Edwin took him by the shoulders, steering him through a nearby room.
"Don't open your eyes until I say so."
"I promise."
Edwin knew he wasn't one to break a promise, but it was a near thing when Edwin reached around him to open a door. A warm breeze rushed them, with the scent of shorn grass in the air. It was the sudden switch from indoors to out that almost startled his eyes open, but he caught himself in time. His eyelids hardly twitched.
"Down a step," Edwin said, guiding him. Then Gil could feel the spring of grass beneath his shoes, hear the swish of it as they walked.
After a few feet Edwin brought him to a stop, his hands disappearing from Gil's shoulders. His presence rounded Gilbert's side.
"Alright, you can look."
Gil did so, and gasped.
He had seen the singular tree of the Hopkins' backyard through Edwin's bedroom window several times before, but since his last visit in the spring it had been transformed. A stout wooden tree-house now sat among its branches, plain but visibly strong.
"I've been working on it all Summer," said Edwin, shrugging nonchalantly.
Gil gaped at him. "You built this?" He knew Edwin had an interest in carpentry, but he'd only ever seen it manifest in coat racks and chairs. This was significantly bigger than any of his previous projects; at least the ones Gilbert knew of.
Again, Edwin shrugged. His mask of indifference tried to fool Gilbert, but he saw through it.
"It's remarkable, Eddie," he said.
The effect of his praise was immediate. Edwin's lips quirked up in the corners, a sign that he was pleased, and even a little proud.
"Can I see inside?" Gill asked, already stepping toward the ladder against tree trunk.
"That's sort of the point," Edwin said. He climbed up ahead of Gil, with the gentlemanly intention of lending a hand to the smaller boy at the top.
Gil could smell the shaved wood, but it was smooth to the touch beneath him. The room wasn't large, nor was it too tight a space. They couldn't stand taller than on their knees, but that didn't detract from its charm. Despite being perched in a tree, it immediately felt safe, and secret.
Edwin moved to the far wall, saying, "I'm gonna try to get a couple proper seats in here soon, before the new semester in the Fall. Maybe get a chest for games or something..."
"That would be great!" Gil grinned. "We could spend hours up here."
He noticed that there were flimsy plastic sheets over the three windows, clear enough to let in a fair amount of light, but clouded so nothing could be seen through it. They weren't fitted to the window, simply nailed to the wooden wall around it. It stood out as strangely sloppy, considering how much work was obviously put into the construction of everything else.
Seeing the focus of his attention, Edwin explained, "That's just until I can get the glass and blinds installed."
"Blinds? Why?"
A sly smile crossed Edwin's lips. "To make sure we can have some real privacy."
"Oh." Gil laughed through a ripple of shyness.
Edwin sat back against his wall. "I built this for us," he said more earnestly. "Just you and I. No one can tell us what to do up here."
In the corner beside Edwin was a medium-sized tin box. He opened it and removed a radio. Remaining inside was a pack of cigarettes, a small flask, and a box of tissues. Gil's brows raised.
Seeing this, Edwin shrugged and fiddled with the radio. "For when you're not here," he said simply. When he set the radio aside, Twilight Time was playing softly in the background.
Gil went back to admiring the structure around him. One wouldn't know it from his demeanor, but Edwin had a keen eye for detail. Gil could only imagine how the tree-house would look when completed.
"Hey," Edwin said, drawing Gil's eyes. "C'mere."
The flat roof insisted that Gil had to crawl to Edwin, making him blush. As he moved between Edwin's legs, the stockier boy hooked his hands around Gil's lower thighs and shifted him so he sat with his knees bracketing Edwin's hips.
"Hello," Edwin said.
Gil laughed. "Hi." He ran his fingers over the short fuzz that was Edwin's hair, relishing the sensation.
Gently grasping Gilbert's chin, Edwin drew him in for a kiss, which neither boy could resist smiling into.
One kiss grazed into the next, slowly, with them being mindful of Gil's braces. In the beginning, kissing with the braces had been difficult and embarrassing, and even a little painful a time or two, but through practice they learned to work around them. Anymore, they spent these intimate moments thinking about being tied up in each other, while those other cares were dealt with unconsciously.
Edwin pushed Gil's suit jacket off his shoulders, barely breaking the connection of their lips as they worked together to toss it aside. Now Gilbert could feel the heat of Edwin's hands through the thin white cotton of his shirt as they slid up his back, pressing him closer.
Gil wrapped his arms around Edwin's neck. He hugged tight as the kiss broke into chaste pecks on the lips before Edwin trailed them over Gil's cheek and down to his neck.
Humming in pleasure, Gil arched his neck to accommodate Edwin, but it was only a short time until he began to nudge Edwin's attention back to his lips.
"We can do anything here," Edwin whispered again between kisses. His hands tucked into the bend of Gil's knees, trying to pull him ever closer. "So many firsts."
Gil's heart skipped a beat, and he reluctantly pulled back. Not only was Edwin doing things to his heart, but his chest ached for air. His lungs were already irritated from the climb up the tree, so the intense kissing was doing him no favors.
When he broke the kiss, Edwin's lips tried to chase after until he became aware that the part was intentional.
"What is it, baby?" he asked, lips rosy.
Gil shook his head, panting lightly. "I'm okay," he tried to assure.
"Hey." Edwin urged him down by the nape so their foreheads knocked together. "Keep breathin'. There's no hurry."
Closing his eyes, Gil focused on calming his breathing. The song on the radio, which he had thoroughly forgotten about, had switched to Try Me. James Brown crooned quietly, and Gil's arms tightened around Ed.
"I love this place," he said, opening his eyes to find Edwin's there to meet him. He saw the skin at the corners wrinkle with Ed's answering smile.