“Let’s just say my father wanted to make sure I was taken care of and leave it at that.” Cam’s face waned.
Immediately recognizing he had hit a nerve; Logan switched the subject back to the job at hand. “You want to help me break down the bed?”
“Yeah,” Channing replied with downcast eyes.
Cam moved to the dresser and began pulling out the drawers, the silence in the room deafening. Bending down and gripping one of the bottom drawers, he glanced back at Channing and Logan. “I’m sorry, guys. I didn’t mean to bring everyone down.”
“I’m sorry for asking that, dude. I wasn’t thinking.” Logan apologized as he wrestled the fitted sheet from the mattress.
“No. It’s okay,” Cam stood up, holding a drawer full of underwear and socks. “In fact, I have a little surprise for you.”
“Oh, yeah.” Logan grimaced as the fitted sheet snapped off and hit him in the face.
“Next summer after graduation, you and I are traveling across Europe. First-class all the way, baby!” Cam pumped his fist. “Yeah!”
“No way!” Logan yelled, his eyes so big Cam thought they were about to pop out of his head.
“Yep. You and I have talked about it for a year, and it’s gonna happen. One last summer before we’re off to college.” Cam nodded.
“Dude!” Logan sprinted towards Cam, grabbing him in a bear hug. “You’re the best friend a guy could have.”
Cam laughed and put his arms around Logan as they jumped around excitedly. Channing couldn’t help but feel severe disappointment that he wouldn’t be joining them.
“That’s so cool! You guys are gonna have a blast!” He tried to hide the sting from the fact he wouldn't be able to go even if he were invited. After all, they would be legal adults and, he’d still be a fourteen-year-old kid. It was the first time since the night of his regression that he’d wished Tommy had given him the correct dosage that would have made him seventeen as well.
Cam looked at Channing. “I’m sorry, dude, I’d invite you too, but—"
“I know. It’s okay.” Channing shrugged, “I’m too young. Besides, Corb would never forgive me if I ran off and left him alone for the summer.” He faked a smile.
“I tell ya’, man. Me, you, Logan, and hell…even Corbin. We’re going to have a road trip, guys only, before graduation.”
“That sounds cool, man.” Channing smiled, happy that his son thought enough of him and Corbin to want to go on a road trip with them.
“I’m excited to visit Sweden.” Cam moved towards the door and glanced at Logan. “You and I are gonna score with some Swedish chicks with huge tits.” He laughed as he exited the room to carry the drawer into the adjacent room.
Channing looked at Logan and shook his head. “You got to tell him, man.”
“I know.” Logan sighed. “I’m waiting for the right time.”
After clearing the room, stripping the wallpaper, and putting down drop cloths, the three boys mulled around the now empty bedroom, talking about the next steps.
Cam looked down at the painting supplies lying on the floor. “Where’s the tape to cover the trim?”
“I must have forgotten it. It’s in the garage.” Channing answered as he reached down to pull off a scrap of the flowery wallpaper stuck to the bottom of his shoe. Grimacing, he shoved it in the black garbage bag lying on the floor next to him.
“Cool. I’ll go get it.” Cam stood up, brushed the flakey pieces of wallpaper from his ripped jeans, and left the room, leaving Logan and Channing alone.
Logan leaned on the window ledge, picked up his cup of ice water, and took a sip. He watched Cam leave the room, then turned his eyes to Channing, and gave him a flirtatious wink. Channing grinned and focused on Logan’s partially exposed chest. All day the view had been driving him wild, especially when Logan would reach up and pull down the pieces of paper near the ceiling, exposing his hairy armpits and chest.
Logan followed his eyes and decided to play around. He reached into his cup and pulled out an ice cube. Throwing back his head, he started rubbing the melting cube around his neck and over his chest seductively.
“Soooo hot.” He moaned.
“Would you stop it?” Channing stuck his fingers in the pan of primer and flicked it at him, splattering paint on Logan’s chest. “You’re a prick tease.”
“Why, Mr. Burkhart?” He spoke like a Southern Belle. “I do believe you spilled a dab of paint me.”
Logan gave him a seductive gaze and sauntered up to him.
“Stop it, you goofball.” Channing laughed and crossed his index fingers to ward him off. “Cam could walk in.”
Logan grabbed Channing around the waist and pulled him against his body and stared down at him with a look of desire. Channing stopped laughing as he stood eye to chest with the hot muscular jock. Logan leaned down and pressed his lips against Channing’s. Channing relaxed and let Logan take control.
“Hey, guys,” Cam’s voice came from the doorway, “I found this brown masking tape.” Cam stopped. The tape roll dropped from his hand. “What the fuck?”
Channing jerked away, and Logan gasped, both turning to a completely stunned Cam.
Logan stammered. “I…I…” The words wouldn’t come out.
Cam’s face contorted in anger as he turned and stormed out of the room. Logan turned to Channing, giving him a pained expression before rushing after his best friend.
“Cam! Wait!” Logan yelled as he hit the hallway.
Catching Cam in the kitchen, Logan grabbed him by the shoulder. A surprised Kathy jerked her head up from the pan she was focused on scrubbing.
“Please, man,” Logan begged. “Listen.”
Cam jerked around his confusion evident on his face. “You’re gay too?”
Logan, who wasn’t expecting to be confronted directly about his sexuality, could only nod.
“Unbelievable!” Cam shook his head, turned, and marched out the backdoor.
Kathy and Logan stared at each other in silence before Logan jumped at the sound of the slamming door.
Hearing all of the commotion, Tommy and Corbin hurried into the kitchen from the garage.
“What’s the hell is going on in here?” Tommy asked as Logan rushed towards the backdoor.
Kathy turned to him. “Cam just learned the truth about Logan.” She paused. “And I don’t think it’s going well.”
“Fuck.” Tommy shook his head.
Corbin, who had removed the flannel shirt and wore only overalls, came up beside him. “I’ll go see what’s going on.” Corbin tore off to Channing’s room.
Closing the patio door behind him, Logan ran to catch up with Cam, who looked as if he was heading towards the garden shed. Finally stopping at yard swing, Cam sat down. In all three years he had been best friends with Logan, he never once suspected he was gay. His mind went back to the night after the home game against Kennedy High the previous year when they went cruising in the desert with two chicks they had met after the game. Cam sat in the front with the blonde one and Logan in the back with the brunette. Parking at ‘The Point,’ he recalled the sounds of sex coming from the back seat. He knew Logan had no problem getting it on with a chick then. Was he faking it? So many confusing thoughts flooded his brain.
Logan caught up to him and bent over, out of breath. “Cam, please dude, hear me out.
Cam looked at him. “That chick from Kennedy last year. You certainly weren’t gay when you were fucking her in the back seat of my truck, or were you faking it?”
Logan hesitated for a moment. “No, man. I wasn’t.” He paused, his eyes shifting. “It was my first time.” He sighed, knowing he’d been lying to his best friend for a long time.
“What? You said you had fucked Makala Poinsett, Bailey Smith,” Cam started counting off on his fingers, “Gretchen Rodgers. Were you lying?”
Logan hung his head. “Yeah. That girl Allison, she was my first, and only girl, I’ve ever had sex with. I thought if I finally did it wi
th a girl, this whole gay thing would go away, and I’d want to be with women, but it didn’t. In fact, it made me realize I wasn’t attracted to them.”
“Dude. Why didn’t you tell me? I thought we were best friends?” Cam shook his head.
“Because,” He looked down, “I was afraid you would think it would be too weird to be best friends with a gay dude.”
“Jesus, Loge, I thought you knew me better than that,” Cam shook his head, “have you ever known me to be a homophobe?”
“No.” Logan looked down at him. “It’s just hard to talk about. I mean, we’re football jocks. We’re the most popular guys in the school. I mean, we’re supposed to date cheerleaders.”
“Dude.” Cam’s sighed sympathetically. “I don’t care if you’re gay. You should know that. Look at Channing in there.” He pointed towards the house. “He one of my best friends, too. I’ve known he was gay for months. Have you ever seen me treat him any differently than any of my other friends?”
“I know. I was wrong not to tell you. Hell, dude, I’ve only accepted it myself since I met Chan.” Logan admitted.
“Yeah, man.” Cam looked towards the house. “You and Chan?” He put his hands to his head and gestured as if his head was exploding.
“I know.” Logan sat down in the swing next to Cam.
Cam turned towards him. “Dude. He’s so young.”
“I know,” Logan shrugged, “he’s fourteen, but he seems a lot older. And he’s cute, quirky, smart, and got a great sense of humor. And,” He said a little embarrassed. “I kinda have this thing for twinks.”
“What the hell is a ‘twink?’” Cam gave him a confused look.
Logan laughed. “A twink is a little guy that’s smooth—"
Cam interrupted. “Nope, forget I asked.”
Logan chuckled. “I understand, dude. Are you sure you’re okay with this, Cam?”
“Dude.” Cam put his arm around him and patted him on the shoulder. “It doesn’t change anything.”
Logan smiled. “Thanks, man.”
About that time, Channing and Corbin walked up.
“Hey, guys. Is everything okay?” Channing asked, even though he saw Cam’s arm around Logan’s shoulders.
“So, apparently, all my best buds are into dudes.” Cam joked as he looked towards Corbin. “Is there something you want to announce, too, Corb?”
Corbin crossed his arms and gave him a come-hither look. “Has anyone ever told you that you have the most beautiful blue eyes?”
“Ah. Hell. Not you, too?” Cam rolled his eyes.
Corbin held up his arms and waved his hands at him. “Joking, dude. I’m joking. I’m one-hundred percent straight.”
“No guy is one-hundred percent straight.” Channing pulled his head back and lowered his brow at him. “Or did you forget about that night in the tent when we went camping with your dad a few weeks ago?”
“Nothing happened.” Corbin gasped and looked at Cam and Logan, his eyes bulging. “He’s lying.”
“Am I Corby?” Channing wiggled his eyebrows and tried to keep a straight face, but burst out laughing.
“Shut up!” Corbin shoved him with a laugh. “You’re an asshole.”
Cam waited impatiently in the Corvette for Logan and Channing to say “goodbye” to each other, which had already taken at least ten minutes. Cam looked to the porch as they continued sucking face. He honked the horn. Logan never broke the kiss but just held up his index finger, indicating he needed just one more second of paradise.
“Damn.” Cam cursed under his breath as he stared. “Wish I could find a girl I that liked to kiss like that.”
Channing finally broke from the long goodbye kiss and smiled. “Thanks for helping with my room.”
“You’re welcome.” Logan smiled down at him. “It looks cool.”
“Yeah. Dad and Corb did a great job on the shelves.” Channing pictured the floor to ceiling bookcases that now lined the entire length of one wall of his room. “Corb’s staying over tonight to help me get all the boxes unpacked in the morning. So…um…Logan, are we official now?”
“Do you want to be?” Logan asked.
“Yes,” Channing answered quickly.
“Then, we’re official.” Logan grinned.
Logan leaned down for another kiss when Cam laid down on the horn, interrupting their moment.
Logan chuckled and raised his head. “I better go before he leaves me.”
“Yeah.” Channing laughed, feeling as though he was on top of the world.
“I’ll text you when I get home.” Logan put his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders and glanced at the living room window, spotting a curious Corbin peeping out.
Channing followed his eyes and scowled at his best friend, who jerked back, ruffling the curtains.
“Okay.” Channing turned back around and smiled. “Bye.”
“Bye.” Logan leaned down and gave him one last kiss before joyfully bounding towards Cam’s car.
Later that night, Channing sat up in bed, leaning against the headboard, watching a re-run of Ghost Adventures, the flickering of the television lighting up the otherwise dark room. Corbin lay on the other side of him, face up and mouth open, snoring loudly. Channing glanced down at him with frustration before reaching over and shoving him on the shoulder.
“Turn over!”
Grumbling, the sleeping Corbin rolled over on his side and faced the opposite direction. The snoring stopped. Channing stared at his best friend and chuckled, remembering the first time Corbin slept over and the way he insisted on sleeping fully clothed on the hard floor rather than share a full-size bed with his gay friend. After two hours of flopping around on his uncomfortable make-shift pallet, he climbed into the bed with Channing, making a barrier down the middle with every pillow he could gather. That was two months ago. Now Corbin had absolutely no qualms about sharing a barrier-free bed with his gay best friend clad only in his underwear.
Channing glanced up at the big shirtless poster of Shawn Mendes on his wall that Corbin had bought him for his new teen boy room, knowing he was a fan. It hit him just how great of a life he had now. He had great parents, the best friend a guy could ask for, a hot boyfriend, and a son who thought of him as one of his best buddies. He grabbed the remote from his nightstand and flipped off the TV. Snuggling down with his pillow, Channing looked up and smiled.
“Thank you, God.” He whispered before closing his eyes.
Chapter Eleven
Weeks flew by, and Channing continued to leave his old life behind. The night after Cam found out the truth about his best friend’s sexuality, Logan came out to his parents. For a few weeks, his father couldn’t accept it; after all, his father was the stereotypical male jock and had always thought his son would follow in his footsteps. He wanted Logan to play college football, marry a beauty queen, get a good job, and raise a family. Channing became Logan’s shoulder to cry on, and as a result of it, their feelings for one another grew. Eventually, Mr. Greenwood came around, deciding he’d rather accept his gay son than lose his only child forever. It didn’t mean that he embraced his son’s sexuality. It became one of those “out-of-sight, out-of-mind” situations.
Logan never told his father of his and Channing’s relationship, and as far as Logan’s parents were concerned, they were fine not knowing anything about their son’s gay lifestyle, choosing to pretend that everything was perfectly normal. Logan had decided for the time being not to push the issue since they were still adjusting, but he knew at some point in the future it would have to be addressed.
On the other hand, Logan’s teammates accepted him without question, including his relationship with Channing. He even joined the LGBTQ Club after wanting to for over a year, and proudly wore his rainbow bracelet like Channing.
The crisp November evening made perfect jacket weather. The sepia-colored leaves fell from the tree next to Logan’s truck, landing onto his windshield. Logan, sitting in his truck with the windows rolled down, wa
tched as the occasional breeze sent them sailing from their resting spot just below the wipers and into the air, the rustling sound filling the night sky as he waited on his boyfriend. The corners of Logan’s mouth lifted immediately when he saw his incredibly handsome boyfriend bounding towards him, eager for his first kiss of the evening.
“Hey, handsome.” Channing greeted Logan before running around the truck and hopping in.
“Hey, babe.” Logan checked out his boyfriend, who was wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a blue Nike hoodie. They leaned into each other for a quick kiss on the lips. “Whatcha been up to today?”
Channing fastened his seatbelt and laughed. “Dad and I went Christmas shopping.”
“Shopping on Black Friday? Now that sounds fun.” Logan’s voice was laced with sarcasm as he started the truck.
“Oh, yeah, it was.” Channing laughed. “I haven’t seen Dad curse that much in years.”
He thought about the time Brandon and Tommy waited until Christmas Eve to buy presents for their wives when the mall was packed and the shelves empty.
“Well, Dad and I watched football all day.” Logan pulled into the street.
“That sounds fun.” Channing returned the sarcasm.
“I can’t believe you don’t like watching football.”
“Just because I enjoy playing it, doesn’t mean I enjoy watching it,” Channing stated. “It’s boring as hell.”
“Well, I’d rather been doing something with you and Cam today, but I wanted to spend some time with Dad. I mean, it’s the only time in the past three weeks that it hasn’t been weird with him.” He put on his turn signal. “At least we still have a bond over football.”
“I’m glad to hear that, babe.” Channing reached over and rubbed Logan’s leg.
Glancing out the truck window at the Christmas lights that had started lighting up the neighborhood houses, Channing changed the subject. “So, what we doing tonight?”
“It’s a surprise.” Logan turned towards him and wiggled his eyebrows.
“Cool!” Channing yelped. “I love your surprises.”
American Dreamer Page 24