Hello dear readers,
I went for a bit of slash in this little tale... ;-)
I'll leave it at that. I appreciate your comments.

Note: Contains coarse language, sexual content.

Prologue
November 2004

Bobby pressed the phone against his chest and looked over at Angel, "Where the fuck is Jack? Jack! Phone!" he yelled. Jack clung to the towel draped around his waist and ran down the stairs. Bobby handed him the phone and sat back down on the couch.

"Hello?"

"Jack, it's me," came the familiar voice on the other end of the line.

"I know.." he walked into the kitchen and leaned against the counter; Bobby and Angel were no longer within earshot.

"So how's it going?" Jack asked, lowering his voice a notch.

"I miss you. It sucks to sleep alone.. you know how I get.."

Jack blushed. "I know."

"How're ya holding up? You doin' okay?"

"I'm okay, I guess. But it sucks, it really does. It's just so weird that …that she's not here, ya know?"

"I know. Listen, I got one more gig and then I'll be off for a while. I can fly over there and keep ya company if you want.."

"I'd like that, but not right now. We got some shit to take care of around here. So maybe around Christmas?"

"Sure ... Did you tell them?"

He peeked into the living room momentarily. Bobby was looking in his direction with a questioning look on his face.

"No, I can't. I mean, now's not the time.." A pregnant silence ensued for a brief moment. "I'll call ya later. I better go get dressed. Gotta leave the house in a bit."

"Okay ... Love you ..."

"Me too.."

He hung up the phone and was quietly heading for the stairs when Bobby stopped him. "Whoa there, princess! Who was you talking to on the phone?"

"No one." He mumbled, and dashed up the stairs to his room.

A Grave Secret

Detroit, Summer 2002

Jack didn't think his brothers would understand if he told them what had happened. In fact, he didn't think he'd ever live it down if he did. If he ever thought that the "fairy" jokes and "cock" references were plentiful now, he'd have to be prepared to be buried under an avalanche of similar remarks if they ever found out …

----

He had begun hanging out with Theo, a high school senior who belonged to the same Music Club he attended from time to time. Theo was a long-haired, pot-smoking, live-and-let-live hippie wannabe. He was a smart kid but he wasn't studious. He was more interested in starting a punk rock band of his own, and playing bass drums and his acoustic guitars. They sometimes spent their lunch breaks together, as well as several after-school hours some days, talking music or discussing what they would do with all the money they'd earn as famous rock stars someday. They became fast friends.

One summer afternoon a few months after they'd met, Theo came over to the Mercer's to spend the afternoon with Jack. They binged on potato chips; emptied a few cans of soda; smoked a joint; wrote lyrics to a song they promised themselves they would release someday; played idle tunes on their guitars and finally fell asleep, draped carelessly on Jack's bed.

Jack was unsure about the length of time they'd been asleep but when he woke up, Theo was lying next to him, crammed in close. His first instinct was to leap out of bed and put some distance between them … but he didn't, he wasn't sure why; he later blamed it on his groggy state. Theo was wide awake and looking straight at him. Jack could feel his heart beat faster when he realized what Theo was doing … Theo's big green eyes were heavy with desire and the hand buried in his own shorts began to move faster and faster …
Jack watched as Theo masturbated right there on the bed next to him, never taking his eyes off Jack's face. He was not sure why he just lay there and watched but one thing was for sure: he was getting so hard watching Theo's hand slide up and down in his shorts like that. Theo must've realized it too because he stopped stroking himself and sat up on the bed, eyeing the bulge in Jack's pants. Before Jack could think of escaping, Theo had straddled his hips and unzipped his fly. Holy fuck!

He would've gotten up and escaped and never looked back if he wasn't so fucking turned on; he would've screamed if he wasn't tongue-tied just now. Theo mumbled a 'Just relax, J..' and just when he thought his heart could not beat any faster, he felt a lick at the tip of his cock. He bit hard on his lip and squeezed out a strangled moan. He didn't dare look down at the head that began bobbing up and down below his waist. Oh fuck! He grabbed handfuls of the bedclothes and squeezed his eyes shut. Wait. Stop. What if someone walks in? What if Bobby walks in? What the fuck am I doing? Oh fuck this feels good. The thoughts danced around in his head, but all the sucking noises that Theo was making were driving him crazy; there was no way he could last another minute with that eager tongue lapping away down there. One sharp intake of breath and before he knew it, he was unloading a mouthful of jizz into Theo's warm, wet orifice.

He was still slowly coming back to his senses when a knock came on the bedroom door a few short moments later. "Jackie, can I come in?" his Ma called on the other side of the door. Shit!

"Er, I'm coming, Ma!" He zipped up his pants hastily and scrambled to his feet. Theo lay back on the bed, hands underneath his head, a devilish grin on his face. He made no efforts to hide the erection that still bulged in the front of his shorts. Fuck!

Jack opened the door slightly and managed a little smile.

"You okay Jackie? You look a little flushed..." She took his chin in her hand and looked at him closely.

"I'm good Ma. What's up?" he breathed, trying his hardest to keep a straight look on his face.

"Oh … Kimberly called a few minutes ago. Something about you two going on a date tonight?"

He'd completely forgotten about that. Shit!

"Okay Ma, I'll call her back in a little while.." He looked over his shoulder anxiously; Theo was now sitting up on the bed. Thank goodness.

"No need for that. She just arrived! She's downstairs now."

Double shit!

----

He didn't completely understand it himself, how could he explain it to anyone else? He still fancied women; he still got hard when he flipped through Bobby's PlayBoy magazines or when he made out with Kimberly. But ... after that summer afternoon with Theo, something in him changed. He didn't know what exactly it was, or how to describe it, or how to fix it but he knew he wanted more, even though the thought alone scared him shitless.

After Theo moved to Los Angeles with his family that autumn, they'd kept in touch; they talked on the phone every so often and emailed each other. They discussed their futures, their music and even the possibility of starting that band they'd dreamed about all those months ago, if Jack ever decided to move to Los Angeles. They talked about a lot of things but they never really discussed what happened between them that summer.

Jack decided there was no way he'd let anyone find out about this. No, this was one secret he'd have to take to the grave.

December 2004

It was a few days before Christmas. Angel and Sofi were out for the day; Daniela and Amelia were playing with their Uncle Bobby on the living room floor, while Jeremiah and Camille looked on in amusement. The doorbell rang. Every time Bobby heard that damned sound, he thought of Jackie. He walked over to the door and opened it. There was a young man standing there with bright green eyes, dark-blond dreadlocked hair, and a hesitant smile.

"Hi…Um, you must be J's big brother right?"

Bobby looked him up and down. "Yeah. Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Jack's …um, roommate from Cali, we –"

A look of recognition flashed in Bobby's eyes. "Oh, I remember you! You're that scrawny kid who used to play guitar with Jackie a few years ago, right?"

The young man nodded with a smile. "I just got into Detroit last night ... and I thought I'd surprise him… Is Jack home by any chance?" he asked expectantly.

Bobby lowered his head for a moment. "Better come in," he answered quietly.

(1450 words)