Brian and Carey

by Colin Sherman

  Between them, they had more than enough songs on their phones to last the trip down and back once they got out of radio range for their area. At first, they talked excitedly about what they would do when they got to Aunt Dina’s house. Carey couldn’t wait to show Brian the beach and take him on a boat ride on the waterway. Dina had suggested they bring bikes to get around rather than drive. There were a lot of places to go, and parking wasn’t always easy to find, especially during tourist season.

  A little more than three hours into their trip, Brian saw a sign for a restaurant chain.

  “Are you getting hungry?” he asked Carey.

  “Yeah. You?”

  “Starving. I didn’t eat this morning.”

  Carey shook his head. “Let’s get past D.C. first. This traffic is terrible. It shouldn’t be much longer, though.”

  Feeling like grown-ups, the boys sat in the restaurant, poring over the menu. Their waitress was an older woman who carried trays like a pro. She brought over a pot of coffee when she took their order.

  “What can I get you, boys? Coffee?”

  “Please,” Carey replied. He hadn’t slept well the night before in anticipation of the trip, and the lack of sleep was catching up to him.

  “Me too,” Brian answered. Normally, he didn’t drink it. “I’ll drive after breakfast,” he offered at Carey’s raised eyebrow.

  The waitress poured the coffee and waited to see if they were ready to order. Carey opted for a traditional pancake plate with eggs and bacon on the side. Brian, who typically tried to eat more protein to keep his lithe body muscular, went with an omelet with sausage and cheese. He splurged with a side of grits.

  “How much longer do we have to go?” Brian asked while they waited for food.

  “About another five hours. D.C. Took a little longer than I thought. But we should be home free until we get closer to Aunt Dina and Uncle Rob’s.”

  “How, um, how are they gonna be about us?”

  Carey shrugged. “I told you, they’re cool. They never had kids, so they have dogs. Aunt Dina always treated me more like an adult, even when I was younger. They’re not going to be weird. I don’t think.”

  “I guess we should sort of cool it, below that Mason-Dixon line,” Brian chuckled.

  “Maybe,” Carey frowned. He made a mental note to ask his aunt if they should act as though they’re only friends while down there. Suddenly, the trip wasn’t quite as fun as it started out.

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Brian said. “We’ll just have to keep it private and save our cuddling for the couch.”

  Then Carey remembered a place he and Michelle used to go when they were younger. Obviously, it wasn’t romantic being there with his sister, but it definitely had potential with Brian.

  “What?” Brian asked. “What are you smiling about?”

  “I just thought of a place we can go. There’s a long pier that people fish off. Michelle and I used to go at dusk to fish. Not too often because it costs money, though. There weren’t as many people around as there were at sunrise. Even fewer at night.”

  “Hm, a long pier at night on the beach. Sounds like the beginning of a scary movie,” Brian laughed.

  “Are you afraid of the water?”

  “Nope. I’m afraid of what’s in the water.”

  Carey laughed. “You’ve seen too many Shark Week stories. There’s never been anything like that at Wrightsville, that I know of. Besides, I was hoping we could go surfing.”

  “You surf?” Brian asked.

  “Well, I wouldn’t put it that way. I’ve tried it. I wasn’t very good at it when I was fifteen. I bet you’d be great, with your sense of balance.”

  “Sounds fun.”

  They finished their breakfast and got back on the road, losing only about forty-five minutes. While Carey napped, Brian drove for the next three hours, taking them close to Raleigh. He pulled into a gas station, even though they’d filled up a hundred miles back. But they needed to stretch their legs and switch driving again.

  The long drive and renewed hunger made them a little punchy and they giggled as they perused the aisles of the convenience store at the station. They picked up some water bottles, chips, beef jerky and candy. Forgetting himself, Carey put his arm around Brian’s waist while they decided what flavor chips to get.

  They walked to the cash register and put their items on the counter.

  “I have to go to the bathroom,” Brian said, taking money out of his pocket.

  “I gotta go too,” Carey said.

  “One at a time,” the clerk said. He was not smiling.

  “Excuse me?” Carey asked.

  “I said you can’t go in there together.”

  The boys glanced at each other.

  “We weren’t planning to,” Brian answered. He handed Carey some cash and walked to the back of the store.

  Uncomfortably, Carey stood at the counter while the man rang up their purchases. He gave Carey several looks as he did. Carey paid and the man bagged up their goodies. Meanwhile, Brian had come back.

  “Your turn,” he said. Carey walked away.

  As Brian picked up the bag, the man gave him a look up and down.

  “People around here don’t take a shine to that kind of carrying on. Best you keep it to yourselves.”

  Even though he appeared to not condone their relationship, the man didn’t seem angry or disgusted either. Brian nodded.

  “Thanks. We will.”

  When Carey came out of the bathroom, Brian was no longer in the store. He found Brian already in the passenger seat of the car with the doors locked. Carey knocked on the window.

  “What are you doing?” he asked as he got in the car.

  “There were some big guys out here.” He shrugged. “I got nervous I guess, after the way that guy was looking at us. He told me we should keep it to ourselves.”

  “He must have seen me put my arm around you. It was only for a second. You all right?”

  “Yeah. Those guys didn’t even do anything. I was just being paranoid,” Brian gave a small smile.

  “Maybe not. I hope it’s not like that down at Aunt Dina’s.”

  ◆◆◆

  Carey continued to drive until they reached his aunt and uncle’s house. Brian had taken a nap earlier but was alert and marveling at the sights as they drove into the small town. He could see the marshes the closer they got to the shore. The houses were packed fairly tightly together, with very few large lawns. But he figured people were living there for the water, not a lawn.

  They drove down the road that would eventually become the causeway that led right to the water. It was only 4:30, but Aunt Dina said she would be home by four.

  Carey grinned. “I didn’t realize how excited I was to see my aunt and uncle. I’m a little nervous,” he admitted.

  “This is great. I didn’t know they lived this close to the beach,” Brian said as they pulled into a short driveway leading to a closed garage under a two-story house. He noticed that there was virtually no lawn to speak of at the front or on the sides.

  “Wait ‘til you see the back,” Carey said. “They have a little patio with a pier and a boat slip. It’s even got a little sandy beach.”

  “They have their own boat? I thought we were going to rent one.”

  “Yeah. At least they did last time I was here.”

  A woman came out of the house waving.

  “Carey!” she called out.

  He got out of the car and held out his arms. “Aunt Dina!”

  They hugged for a moment then she pulled back to look at him.

  “Oh my God, I think you’re taller than Rob now,” she said. “How was your drive?”

  “Fine. We didn’t hit too much traffic.” He motioned for Brian to walk around the car to them. “Aunt Dina, this is Brian.”

  He held out his hand. “Thank you so much for having me here.”

  “You’re welcome. It’s nice to see you again,” she smiled. “I think it’s been
several years.”

  Brian nodded.

  “Well, get your stuff and come on in.”

  The boys grabbed their duffels and followed Dina into the house. Two Jack Russell terriers jumped up and barked at them. Both boys dropped their things to pet them.

  “Down,” Dina reprimanded. The dogs barked a bit more, then began to chase one another through the house.

  “How about a drink?” Dina offered. “Coke? Iced tea?”

  “Coke,” Carey answered, while Brian asked for tea.

  While he drank the tea, Brian observed Dina and Carey as they sat at the breakfast bar and caught up. He didn’t think she looked much like Carey’s mom. But they had the same general coloring, like Carey. Her hair was lighter blonde and longer. Brian guessed that she was younger, but he wasn’t sure. She was definitely more animated in her mannerisms. Carey had told him that she worked in a real estate office, but she seemed more creative than that.

  “So . . . Mom, um, told you . . .”

  “About you two? Yeah.” She took a sip of her tea. “She filled me in on the house rules, same as if you had a girl here.”

  Carey blushed. “What about the people around here?” he asked.

  “What about them?”

  “Would it be better if we didn’t act like boyfriends? A guy in a convenience store suggested we keep it to ourselves.”

  “You do whatever is comfortable for you,” she told him. She shrugged. “Some people wouldn’t like it, but most don’t care. I guess it’s the same here as anywhere else.”

  Carey nodded.

  “Do you want to walk to the beach before dinner?” Dina asked.

  “Yeah,” Brian said enthusiastically.

  Dina got up and put her glass in the sink.

  “I’ll show you your rooms.”

  She led them up the stairs. There was a room immediately to the left across from a bathroom. “Brian, this one’s yours. And the bathroom you’ll share.” She continued down the hall. Past the bathroom on the right was another bedroom. “Carey’s room,” she said. Across from his room was a linen closet where she showed them the towels, both bath and beach.

  At the end was the master bedroom. She let them in to see the view.

  “Oh, wow,” Brian gasped. “I can’t believe you get to see this every day.”

  “Yeah, it is pretty awesome. Sorry your views are mostly the house next door. But you can see this from the living room and the patio.”

  “I know where I’ll be spending all my time,” Brian joked. He walked back to his room and put his bag on the bed. He’d unpack later.

  Dina put leashes on the dogs and took Brian and Carey down to the beach. The boys took their shoes off and waded in the water a little while Dina jogged down the beach with the dogs, Harold and Maude. Carey stood at the water’s edge staring out at the water, while Brian picked up a few shells and put them in his pocket.

  There were still plenty of beach goers, even though it was dinner time for most people. But it wasn’t too crowded. Carey was curious to see what it would be like when they came back at prime swim time.

  “It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah. Hey, is that the pier you were talking about?” Brian pointed down the beach.

  “Uh huh. Maybe we can go there tomorrow night. I don’t think I’m up for it tonight.” Carey yawned. “Now that the trip is over, and I can relax, I’m really tired.”

  “Me too.” Brian reached up to touch the hair blowing in Carey’s eyes. “Your hair’s getting long.”

  “I know. I should have gotten it cut before we came.”

  “Nah, I like it.”

  A few minutes later, Dina and the dogs were on the way back from their run.

  “Hey guys, what do you want to do for dinner? We could go to Dockside for seafood or another place if you’re in the mood for burgers. We could actually walk to either.”

  Carey and Brian both shrugged.

  “Rob should be home soon,” Dina said. “We’ll let him choose.”

  They ended up going for burgers at a local restaurant and also picked up some chocolate and plain croissants, cinnamon raisin bread and cheese pockets for the morning.

  Though it was Friday night, Carey and Brian both fell asleep on the couch while they all watched a movie. When Dina shook him slightly to wake him, Carey gave her a sheepish look, realizing that he and Brian had cuddled close together.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled. “Brian, wake up.” He nudged him.

  Dina smiled. “It’s all right. Why don’t you go on upstairs. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “What time is it?” Carey yawned.

  “Ten thirty-eight,” Dina laughed. “Go on, you’ve had a long day. Get a good night’s sleep. You can try surfing tomorrow.”

  The sleepy boys went to their respective rooms and almost immediately fell back asleep.

  ◆◆◆

  Carey yawned and stretched in his bed. When he opened his eyes, he realized isn’t wasn’t his bed. Smiling, he stretched again, thinking of how that day was the first of a whole week of fun with his aunt, uncle, and Brian.

  The room was barely illuminated by daylight. The sun was on the verge of rising, and Carey wanted to see it from the beach. He looked down and saw that he had slept in his clothes. Shrugging to himself, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth quickly.

  Without knocking, Carey tiptoed into Brian’s room. He was still sleeping soundly.

  “Brian,” Carey whispered. “Wake up.”

  He nudged the other boy’s shoulder.

  “Wake up,” he said a little louder.

  Brian stirred and opened one eye. “What?”

  “Come on. The sun is about to rise. Let’s go to the beach to watch.”

  Yawning, Brian sat up. Slowly, he closed his eyes again.

  “Don’t go back to sleep,” Carey whined. He pulled on Brian’s arm. “Go splash water on your face or something to wake up. Hurry, we’re going to miss it.”

  “We’ve got a whole week of sunrises to see,” Brian grumbled as he shuffled to the bathroom.

  He did as Carey asked, then ran his tongue over his teeth.

  “Blech.” He stuck out his tongue. Grabbing his toothbrush, he gave his teeth a quick brushing, planning to do a more thorough job later.

  As quietly as possible, they left the house and walked toward the beach. They began to jog a bit when they realized the sun had already started to break the horizon. By the time they reached the water, a third of the sun was visible, lighting up the sky with pinks, purples, and a little orange. They stood, taking in the sight.

  Carey glanced around. Only a jogger and a man walking his dog were nearby. He could see that in the distance, several people were fishing off the pier, but they wouldn’t be able to see him and Brian clearly.

  He took Brian’s hand. Brian smiled, but didn’t turn to him. Instead, he kept his gaze out at the ocean. Carey watched him, rather than the sunrise, though it was his idea in the first place. His boyfriend looked beautiful with the colored light on his olive skin, and the breeze tossing his golden-brown curls about.

  Carey was aware of just how pale he was at that moment. Everything about him was pale–his skin, his hair, his eyes. He seemed to be the opposite of Brian, and he always hated it. Then Brian looked at him.

  “Thanks for waking me up. This was worth it,” he smiled.

  Carey leaned forward and kissed Brian. Nothing scandalous, but he felt daring there on a public beach. He reminded himself that there weren’t very many people out, so it wasn’t really that daring after all.

  They walked along the water’s edge, talking about plans for the next week, and looking for shells. Brian found a few he liked and put them in his pocket along with the ones he’d found the day before.

  “You should bring a bucket next time,” Carey suggested. “What are you going to do with those?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll give them to Grace. She likes to do crafty things.”
>
  “Yeah, maybe I should collect some for Michelle. I told her I’d bring her back a souvenir.”

  Brian bent down and picked up a pink, mostly intact shell.

  “Here. Your first shell.” He handed it to Carey.

  As they walked back to Dina’s house, they were quiet, simply enjoying each other’s company. The sun had fully risen, warming the air. It was going to be a perfect beach day.

  Strolling onto the driveway, Carey spotted a girl in a wet suit, carrying a surfboard in the next driveway over.

  “Jen?” he called.

  The girl looked at him, squinting from the sun in her eyes. Then she smiled brightly.

  “Carey? Oh my God, is that you?” Jen walked to the boys. “Dina didn’t tell me your family was coming.”

  “It’s just me.” He glanced at Brian. “This is my friend Brian. Brian, this is Jen. She lives next door.”

  They shook hands, then she looked back to Carey.

  “Wow, you sure have grown up,” she said.

  “You too,” he nodded. “I guess we haven’t seen each other in a couple of years.”

  “Yeah, I think we were about fourteen last time your family came down.”

  He nodded in agreement. “You going surfing?” He rolled his eyes at his obvious question.

  “Yeah. How about you?” she asked.

  “Not since I was fourteen. I’m probably not any better now than I was then,” he laughed.

  “I could help,” she offered.

  “Great.”

  “How about you?” Jen asked Brian.

  “I’ve never even been on a surfboard. But I’m willing to try,” he answered.

  “It’s best in the morning here, but I can show you this afternoon. Or maybe tomorrow morning.”

  “Tomorrow morning sounds good,” Carey said. “We want to get up early anyway.”

  “Great. Then I’ll see you later.” Jen waved as she walked away, headed for the beach.

  Carey watched her go. “I almost didn’t recognize her.”