by Hawke Oakley
“No, like, he really likes you,” she insisted. “He could’ve just let me sit in economy, but he wants to prove his worth. He wants to show you he’s in this for the long haul.”
“Come on,” I snorted. “He’s just being polite.”
“The guy’s naturally about as polite as a telephone pole. I’m telling you, he’s a keeper. I can hear the wedding bells already.”
My face went hot. I picked up my bag. “Goodbye, Molly.”
“Say hi to my brother-in-law for me!” she called.
Once everything was packed and the cab was called, we drove to the airport – Molly conveniently put her luggage in shotgun and insisted on sitting in the back seat with us. She had a knowing smirk on her face as I sat, with her and Riley on either side of me. Her eyes were on Riley and I’s intertwined hands.
“Cut it out,” I muttered at her. “You’re embarrassing us.”
“I don’t really mind,” Riley added.
“See?” Molly said. “You’re the only one who’s embarrassed.”
I grunted and sank in my seat, wishing to just be at the airport already. Riley’s gift of first class seats allowed him to pick our seating arrangement beforehand, and thankfully Molly was sitting off somewhere away from us.
Riley tipped the cab guy and we checked in our luggage. I hated the waiting area. It was grey and stuffy and smelled like ancient dust. Not to mention there were way too many people for my liking. It was a relief when we finally boarded the plane. I sighed and flopped down into the soft cushiony leather. The seat was enormous and actually comfortable, unlike every economy plane seat I’d ever sat in. I would have to give Riley a… special thank you when we landed.
We took off, and I started skimming pages in the book I’d brought. Riley had the window seat – he had offered it to me, but I embarrassingly had to admit I had a fear of heights, so I was glad to let him have it. He was looking out the window now, his chin resting on his palm. We were still relatively low to the Earth, and I could see the far off cities becoming smaller and smaller.
“Hey,” I asked.
“Hmm?”
I leaned on the armrest in between us. “How come you didn’t get one of those private dorm rooms if you could afford one? Not only that, but you ended up in one of the crappy old buildings.”
“Oh,” he said with a pause. “My parents wanted me to.”
“Your parents wanted you to have a nice room so you said no?” I asked with a small laugh.
“Yeah,” he said simply.
My laugh fell. “Oh.”
He sighed. “It’s not that… I don’t like them or anything. I know it must sound like that.”
“No, it doesn’t,” I said, touching his arm softly.
“I just… need to start living by my own rules, and I figured college would be a good time to start,” he mumbled against his palm.
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
“Besides,” he said. “If I didn’t reject them and live in a crappy dorm, I never would have met you.”
Heat rushed into my face and I couldn’t help but grin. “That’s true.”
He flipped his free hand upside down, silently asking for mine. I placed my palm on his and he intertwined our fingers. Thankfully Molly wasn’t around to gush.
I leaned my head on his shoulder and risked a peek outside the window. We were inside the clouds now, the entire sky vast and blue. I almost forgot we were in the air. It was like an entirely different world.
“I read these books as a kid,” I said. Riley hummed in acknowledgment, waiting for me to continue. “They were about these flying horses. I thought it was the coolest thing ever.”
“Well, if they were real, that would be pretty cool, actually,” Riley said.
I chuckled. “Yeah. Everyone at school would make fun of me, though, because they were girly or whatever. I mean, I don’t care now, because who gives a shit, but it pissed me off so much back then.”
I couldn’t see his face from my angle, but I could definitely hear the smirk in his voice. “Did you beat up the ones who made fun of you?”
I thought about it for a moment. “I did, actually.”
Riley laughed. “Has that always been your response to everything?”
“Pretty much,” I said. “I was always smaller than the other guys, and you know how assholey kids can be. I got in trouble a lot, even though I was never the one who started it.”
“But you threw the first punch.”
“Well, yeah.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s what they mean by who started it.”
“Well, I wasn’t gonna sit there and let some nose-picker named Colin call my pegasus books gay,” I said. “I have some pride, you know.” I felt Riley wince slightly, and I sat up. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, it’s… I’m just thinking about what a shitty kid I was,” he mumbled. “I was probably the same as that Colin kid, back then. Hell, even until recently.”
I still remembered our fight in the cafeteria vividly, and the piercing sting of his words.
“I’m just sorry about all of that, I guess,” he said.
“Thank you.” I squeezed his hand in mine. “Being young sucks, man. Think about how many of those kids who called other kids gay ended up being, well, gay. Like you.”
Riley’s eyes fell, and the afternoon sun from outside the window glinted on his eyelashes, making them look golden in his profile. I wanted to lean over and kiss him.
“This is all so new to me,” he murmured. “It’s like… you have this entire mindset of who you are, and what that entails. What people want you to be. What they see when they look at you.”
I nodded. As he spoke, I stroked the back of his hand with my thumb.
“And then all of a sudden, some guy named Aaron shows up and flips your whole fuckin’ world upside down, and you realize how much of it is total bullshit. You know?”
I grinned. “Yeah. I know.”
Riley looked away, staring out the window again. He was quiet for a while. “You know, I was crazy jealous of you for a long time.”
“Me?” I squeaked. “Why?”
“You had everything I didn’t have,” he mumbled. “A sister who cares about you. Real friends. A good personality.”
“Hey,” I said, cutting him off. “Don’t talk about yourself like that.”
“It’s true,” he said. “I acted like an asshole – I was an asshole – so nobody wanted to hang out with me.”
“But you were with people all the time,” I said. “I always saw you with Connor or Zack, or those other guys.”
He grimaced. “We were acquaintances, sure, but that was just them being nice. Hell, I think Connor would be friends with a rock if you put one in the same room as him.” His face fell again. “See? Even when he’s not around, I’m an ass towards him.”
I sighed and continued stroking his hand. “Maybe you need to just think before you say stuff. Like, take a moment to ask yourself if what you say will hurt other people. And for the record, I agree with you about Connor befriending a rock.”
He laughed a little. “Thanks.”
“Seriously, that guy has way too much charisma, it should be illegal.”
Riley smirked. “Why don’t you go out with him, then?”
I put on my best stereotypical gay lisp. “Um, because I’m a taken man, honey.”
That made Riley laugh for real, like music to my ears.
Chapter Eighteen
We finally touched down and I was ready to kiss the soil, even though the plane ride was only a couple hours long. Being in the air felt unnatural. I wanted the Earth beneath my feet at all times.
“Thank God,” I muttered, hauling my luggage to the pick-up area.
“Here, let me.” Riley took the handle of my suitcase before I could even protest. I didn’t complain. Let him show off with his muscles. Besides, his back and shoulder muscles looked damn good in that shirt while pulling two suitcases at once.
; I sighed. “Thanks, babe.”
I didn’t even bother offering to take Molly’s luggage before she could easily bench press me. And probably Riley at the same time.
“Did you tell mom and dad what time the plane was landing?” I asked her.
“Yeah. They should be here by now.”
“Did you tell them about Riley?”
She cocked her eyebrows. “I told them you were bringing someone. I didn't specify what he was.” She looked at me seriously. “You know I’ll tell them, if you want me to.”
I swallowed hard, considering it. “No,” I said finally. “I can’t keep depending on you to do stuff for me like that all the time. I’ll tell them myself.”
She nodded. “Okay. Just know I’ll raise hell if they give you any shit.”
“Oh, absolutely.”
“Is that them?” Riley’s voice pulled us out of our conversation. I saw the van parked on the curb, with mom waving at us.
“That’s them,” I said. I rushed over to give her a hug while Riley hauled the luggage to the car. Despite everything going on, I realized I missed her a lot.
When I was done, Molly went next before throwing her suitcase into the trunk. She took both Riley and I’s also, despite his protests of trying to help. She cut him off with a glare, and he quieted down, coming to stand awkwardly by my side instead.
“This must be your friend,” Mom said, examining Riley. He straightened up under her gaze, looking stiff, and I almost laughed.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said seriously.
“Oh, none of that,” she said, waving him off. “Just call me Marsha.”
Riley stretched out his hand to shake hers. “Riley.”
She shook it, grinning at his formality. “Well, hop in the van, Riley.”
“Right.”
The van was roomy enough for all of us to sit separately, and Molly took the mid-seat to chat up Mom and Dad, letting Riley and I sit relatively comfortably in the back with the luggage rattling behind us. He had let go of my hand since we left the plane, and while I didn’t make any move to get it back, I was itching for it. And a lot of other things, too.
“So, your parents pleased that you’re spending your break in the middle of nowhere instead of at home?” Dad asked loudly to Riley.
“They, uh, kind of made a fuss about it, actually,” he admitted.
“What?” I asked, suddenly feeling bad for him.
“Yeah. I mean, it’s fine now, they were just kind of expecting me to go home. They’ll get over it.”
“Well, I can give your mum a call to make sure she knows where you are, at least,” Mom said. “I know how it is to be a fussy parent.”
“You can say that again,” I said with a smirk. She gave me the finger.
“That would be wonderful of you, ma’am,” Riley said. He was fidgeting awkwardly with his hands. I could tell he was still a little bit on edge and feeling out of place.
“Call me ma’am one more time and I’ll stop this car in the middle of the road, little man,” she said. Molly and I burst into laughter. Riley’s face went red.
“Yes, ma’ – I mean, Marsha.”
“Alright, everyone out,” Mom called. Riley went to go help with the luggage, and Molly let him this time, knowing as much as I did that he wanted to appear like the perfect to-be-announced boyfriend, even though she had to look away when he practically dropped hers on his own feet.
“Sure you're okay?” I asked him.
He bit his lip. “Just. Fine.”
I tried not to laugh at him, instead patting his shoulder sympathetically. I stayed by his side the entire trudge from the gravel driveway to the house.
“Sorry about the walk,” I said.
“It’s okay,” he said, huffing. “Although it’s certainly not what I was expecting.”
“What were you expecting?” I asked.
“You know, cement. A suburb.” He paused, wiping the sweat off his brow as he scanned the almost empty horizon, dotted by a few other houses on properties far away. “Your mom really wasn’t kidding about the middle of nowhere.”
“Nope.”
Once our stuff was inside (I helped carry the luggage up the stairs because I couldn't bear to see Riley suffer any more), we flopped down in the living room. I took a deep drag of the familiar scent of home. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it until now.
“Hey, uh,” Riley began. “I know it’s dark now, but will you show me around later?”
“Sure,” I said. “There’s not much to see, though, unless you love dirt.”
“Oh, boys, before you settle down,” Dad called suddenly. “Would you go take this out to the barn?”
He tossed something at me too fast, but Riley caught it before it hit me in the face. It was a tin can of cat food.
“Since when we have a cat?” I asked.
Mom sighed. “Someone dropped it off in the middle of the night a couple weeks ago, and I’m pretty sure she’s pregnant. I couldn’t bear to take her to the shelter, so she’s been living in the barn loft.”
“I guess it’s warm enough for her in there,” I said.
“I can’t believe people would do that,” Riley grunted.
“What? Abandon an animal out here?” Molly said. Riley nodded, his brows knitted together in anger. “It happens a lot, unfortunately. People see the barn and assume they can just dump off living creatures here.”
“That’s awful,” he muttered.
“It is,” I agreed. “But she’s alive and well, so we should focus on that.” I touched his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go see her.”
He nodded and got out of his seat, following me out the back door. I caught the smirk on Molly’s face before we left.
“It’s… dark,” Riley said.
“Yeah.”
“Like, really dark. I can see so many stars.”
I paused, following his gaze as he stared back at the black sky. “Yeah. It’s different than the city, huh?”
He nodded in awe.
“In the summer we get shooting stars sometimes,” I said. “Sooo, maybe you should come around then and see.”
He grinned at me. “Is that an invitation?”
“Maybe.”
I led him to the barn and flicked on the old light switch, watching it flicker lazily to life. The floor was covered in loose hay and dust. Riley followed me inside.
“Is… this it?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, there’s no animals here,” he said quietly. He looked embarrassed that he had brought it up now. “Sorry, I guess I thought you still had – some.”
“Oh.” I rapped my knuckles absentmindedly on one of the old wooden beams. “Yeah, no. It’s been a while since anything lived in here. Except the cat, I guess.”
I led him to the old ramp that led to the loft, then paused. “Hang on a sec.”
I leapt down, skidded to the old tack closet and grabbed a pair of heavy-duty gloves. I tossed a pair to Riley who stared at them in confusion.
“What are these for?” he asked.
“Hay gloves,” I said. “You’re gonna need them. Oh, yeah. I hope you’re not allergic to hay.”
“No idea.” Riley shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out.”
We crawled up the ramp, using our hands to steady us and at the top of it I hopped onto the loft platform. All the old hay was stored here. Dust and loose debris floated around in the air from the sudden movement. Riley grunted as he came up beside me and dusted himself off. I turned to him seriously.
“You’re gonna have to get on your knees,” I said. Riley’s jaw dropped and he blushed furiously as I burst into laughter. “God, I was waiting to say that. You should see the look on your face.”
He watched me as I crawled on top of a square bale, on gloved hands and knees. “See?”
“Oh,” he said hoarsely. “I thought you really wanted me to blow you inside the barn.”
I blushed. “I mean, I’m not sayi
ng no if you want to, but…”
He cocked an eyebrow and shot me a nasty grin. “I want to.”
I couldn’t believe he was serious. “Are you sure? The barn’s not exactly the sexiest place in the world.”
“I don’t care,” Riley said, his voice suddenly gruff. He put his arms on either side of me, like a cage. My heart rate sped up. “I only care about you. And you’re sexy as fuck right now.”
I swallowed hard. Before I could say anything else, he pressed his mouth to mine, sucking the air out of my lungs. I melted against his lips, whimpering with need. Heat suddenly exploded below my stomach, a tight tense knot of pleasure. We had barely done anything but I was already half-hard, and I knew Riley probably was too. I moaned and leaned back, letting him hover possessively over me. I loved when he took control.
I fell back onto the bale with a soft grunt, my legs dangling over the edge. He grinded his hips against mine, making me moan into his mouth. I was dizzy from lack of air and all the blood in my body was rushing to my dick. I felt his, too, hard and straining against his jeans just like mine were.
“God, you are so – ” He paused, biting my lower lip and making me whimper. “Fucking hot.”
He bucked his hips and I had to force myself not to cry out. The friction of him grinding against me was too much.
“I’m gonna cum my pants if you don’t stop,” I said breathlessly.
“Fuck. Same.”
We pulled apart with a wet smack and he scrambled to undo my zipper, carelessly yanking down my jeans. Although it was warmer in the barn, cool night air suddenly hit my legs and I grew aware of how hot my body was.
Through my briefs, Riley mouthed my cock with his teeth and I let out an awful keening sound.
“God, ffffucking – “
He breathed, hot, on my cock and I was ready to lose my mind. “Don’t tease me anymore, I can’t stand it.”
He smirked. “Fine, babe.”
He pulled my waistband down, threw off his gloves, and started stroking me. I whined and writhed, bucking my hips forward.
“You don’t have any patience, do you?” he asked. I felt his breath ghost across my cock as he spoke and I shuddered.