Dreamspinner Press Years One & Two Greatest Hits

by J. M. Colail

  Mom and Alycia were excited, but mostly because I got a 20 percent discount that extended to family. I couldn’t wait to call Wesley. I hadn’t told him anything about the interview because I wanted to surprise him if I got the job.

  I changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and heard a knock at the door. By the time I came out of my room, Wesley was sitting on the sofa, chatting with Mom and Alycia. I was surprised to see him; on his days off, he usually slept ’til noon.

  “Hey, Tor!” Wesley greeted enthusiastically.

  I was a little put off; Mom and Alycia must have already told him about my job. “Hi. So, they already told you?”

  “Told me what?” he asked.

  Mom and Alycia shook their heads and a smile returned to my face. “Then, guess what? I got a job!”

  “You did? That’s great! Where at?”

  “World Store, like you said.”

  “All right! Let’s celebrate! Go pack your bags; we’re going on a trip!”

  I stared at Wesley blankly. Mom and Alycia were grinning from ear-to-ear and nodding their heads.

  “What?” I asked, looking back at Wesley.

  “Haven’t you figured out why I’ve been nagging you about keeping these next three days free? Man, you are such an airhead sometimes. Don’t you remember? You said you wanted to go to the beach, so we’re going.”

  “R-really?” I asked. A smile dawned on my face and Wesley nodded his head. I looked at Mom, who was smiling impishly. “Is it all right? Can I go?”

  “Yup. Wes gave me all the details,” she said.

  “C’mon, let’s go pack,” Wesley said, taking my hand and leading me back to my room.

  I packed an overnight bag in a hurry, grabbing clothes randomly, getting my toothbrush, toothpaste, and hairbrush. I was ready in about fifteen minutes. Mom gave me some money to take and began to ask if I had everything, like she had a checklist in her head. When she was satisfied that I had everything I needed, she gave me a hug and kissed me good-bye.

  “Okay, now, be safe and have fun. Give me a call when you get there, just so I know you guys are okay. Oh, but I’ll be at work. Well, call anyway and leave a message if Alycia’s not here, okay?” Mom rambled, kissing me again. “And drive safely!”

  WE DROVE for about five hours before we got to a quaint, little town that had an old Main Street, huge oak trees, and bed-and-breakfasts all over the place. We arrived at our motel close to the water and I could smell the sea in the air. It was a beautiful day already and it just kept getting better.

  “Hi. I have a reservation under Carroll,” Wesley said to the desk clerk.

  The young man typed at the computer and then smiled and nodded. “Yes, we have you right here. A single with a king and a smoking room,” he announced, then glanced at me. He typed something more and then smiled again. “If you prefer, we have a room with two singles available,” he offered, looking back at Wesley.

  “No, that’s all right,” Wesley answered. He took one of the mints from a bowl on the counter, pushed it out of the wrapper, and popped it into his mouth.

  “It’s the same rate,” the clerk added, glancing at the computer.

  “Nah, one bed is fine.” Wesley grinned and leaned against the counter.

  “Wesley!” I said quietly, my cheeks flaring. I looked at the clerk and then back to Wesley.

  “What? You don’t wanna sleep with me?” Wesley asked calmly, still grinning. He looked at my bright red cheeks and laughed loudly. My body tensed and I stared at the floor.

  “All right, you’re all set. Here are your key cards. You’re in room 216 at the back of the building. Thank you very much and enjoy your stay,” the clerk said, pushing two cards across the counter. Wesley thanked him and we went back to the car.

  “I can’t believe you said that!” I shouted when we got in the car.

  “Oh, c’mon! What’s the big deal? We’re gonna be here for three days. We don’t know anyone and we’ll never see them again. So, let them think what they wanna think,” he said, driving around to the back of the building. We pulled into a parking spot and began to take our stuff from the trunk.

  He was right. We didn’t know anybody here and we’d never see them again. It would be nice to be able to act like lovers. I was on a trip with my boyfriend and I decided I wasn’t going to worry about what other people thought.

  “Is that everything?” I asked, setting my bag down on the large bed. I looked around the room; it was decorated in an ugly teal and pink paisley and I chuckled at the horrible décor. “I can’t believe we’re really here,” I said, turning to Wesley who locked the door.

  “I know. It’s amazing, isn’t it? Gimme sex.”

  “Huh? C’mon, Wesley,” I said, but he hooked his hand in the top of my shorts and pulled me toward him. He unbuttoned my pants and I stopped his hands.

  “Uh-uh. Take your pants off,” he said, shaking his head. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and pulled at my zipper.

  “Wesley, we just got here,” I said, though I wasn’t resisting anymore. He took his lips from my neck and pouted at me.

  “C’mon. I’ve been so good this whole week,” he pleaded, touching my cheek with his fingertips. He smiled boyishly and I stepped into him, clutching the back of his shirt in my hands.

  “I know, you have been,” I said quietly and kissed him.

  Wesley wrapped his arms around me and his hands roamed down to my backside. He kissed me deeply and my knees felt weak. He slid his hands under my shirt and pulled it up, kissing me until the cloth forced our lips apart. He dropped the T-shirt on the floor and started walking me backward to the bed. I sat down on the edge and Wesley pulled his shirt over his head. I took a deep breath as I looked at him. There was something about the way he took his shirt off that I always found unbelievably sexy.

  Wesley dropped to his knees in front of me and yanked my shorts and boxers off. He slowly slid his hands up my thighs and my body tingled from his touch. When his fingers reached me, I was already responding to him, and he gently stroked back and forth. My legs began to shake and he bent his head down, leading his tongue from tip to base. I squeezed my eyes shut and spread my legs further apart when Wesley took me in his mouth. My sensitivity heightened and I moaned his name quietly, bringing my hand to my mouth to keep quiet. Wesley sucked harder and I lost time and space in the experience.

  Wesley straightened up on his knees and kissed me, rejuvenating the passion and bringing me back to reality. I reached down, unbuttoned his shorts, and slid my hand inside his boxers, frigging him gently. He stepped out of his pants and I scooted back on the bed, pulling him down on top of me. He rested on my stomach, between my legs, and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and nibbled on his ear.

  “Fuck me, Wesley.”

  Wesley pulled back and looked into my eyes with a grin at the corner of his mouth. “I love it when you talk dirty with that cute, innocent face.”

  He leaned back and pulled my backside up, my thighs resting on his. He leaned over and took a tube of lotion from the side pocket of my bag. He dribbled some on his hands and some directly on me. He positioned himself and pressed into me, gently yet persistently. My body reacted, accepting him, and soon he was deep inside and I felt every molecule respond to his presence. He moved slowly and grasped onto me, staring into my eyes as he made love to me. His movements became deeper and I bit my finger to keep from screaming.

  “Go ahead. Be as loud as you want,” Wesley urged, taking my hand from my mouth. He smiled then gritted his teeth as his thrusts became stronger.

  “Ahh! Oh, God!” I cried, finally letting my voice free. “Please… Wesley!”

  Wesley leaned down and kissed me, then with a final thrust, came inside me until I was overflowing. My life was drained from my body but I wrapped my arms around him and held him as close as I could. I stared at the ceiling and a smile came across my lips. I was on a romantic getaway with my boyfriend and I couldn’t be happier.


  WESLEY HAD thought of everything. He brought a blanket, beach towels, a radio that used batteries, and a cooler that we filled with ice from the motel. We stopped at a deli and bought sandwiches and cans of soda for later. The sun was out and the sky was cloudless. It was a perfect day.

  The beach was really crowded when we got there. It was a little disappointing that there were so many people, but it was the Fourth of July weekend after all. We found a little spot between two groups of girls around our age. Wesley laid out the blanket and then took his shirt off while the girls ogled him obscenely. It made me proud that they thought he was cute, but it made me a little uneasy too.

  I sat down on the blanket and took off my sandals. Wesley stretched his arms over his head and I looked up at him. There was a small, red mark on his stomach, above and to the left of his belly button. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks as I realized exactly what it was. I told Wesley to sit down and I whispered to him about the mark. He looked down and laughed, but it was a little too high up for his swim trunks to cover it.

  “You were just marking your territory,” he said and laughed. He pulled at my T-shirt and I stopped his hands quickly. “C’mon, I’ll put some suntan lotion on you.”

  “That’s okay, I can do it myself,” I said, shyly pulling my shirt over my head. I noticed that the girls didn’t look at me like they looked at Wesley.

  “C’mon, I’ll just do your back. And your inner thighs,” he whispered, squeezing some lotion into his hand.

  I shot him a look, but turned my back to him. He gently rubbed the sunscreen on my back and I had to concentrate to keep my body calm. Wesley then handed me the lotion and turned around.

  The water was cold even though it was such a hot day and it felt really good. Wesley and I swam far from shore until our feet didn’t touch the sand anymore. We floated on our backs and splashed each other and then back on the shore we jumped over incoming waves like little kids. We had so much fun: running into the water to cool off, looking for seashells. We even built a sandcastle. We ate our lunch and then I went and got us some ice cream as a treat.

  “Hey, if you wanted ice cream, you should’ve told me. I would’ve went and got us some,” he said, licking at the soft serve that was quickly melting.

  “I wanted to do it,” I said, leaning back on one hand. I knew Wesley meant well, but at times, I felt like he forgot that I was a boy too. I didn’t want to be taken care of all the time; I wanted to take care of him too. I had already decided that I was buying dinner tonight, even though Wesley would argue with me about it. But that didn’t feel quite right either. It was money that Mom gave me. I wanted to take him out for a night with money that I earned. Then, I felt, we might be equals.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked, brushing my chin then licking the ice cream off his finger.

  “Wesley! Don’t do that here!” I said, looking around. Some of the girls on the blanket next to us saw the whole thing. I blushed down to my toes.

  “Then don’t stare off into space like that,” he teased.

  It was getting late and a lot of people had packed up their things and gone home. The sun was still above the horizon and I wanted to watch it set over the water, but I was getting really hungry. At last, we decided there would be plenty of other chances for us to see the sunset over the water. We went back to our room to change, then went to a little Chinese restaurant for a late dinner.

  We stayed up late into the night even though we were both exhausted from such a full day at the beach. It was the last night of our trip and Wesley was suddenly very ambitious. He didn’t feel like just staying in bed. I couldn’t keep up with his unending supply of energy until I got a second wind around midnight. I thought my legs were going to give out while we were in the shower, but Wesley supported me until we both came. After that, we decided it was definitely time to sleep.

  We woke about ten minutes before checkout time. We gathered our things together and hurried to the front desk. We left so fast that I didn’t even have time to be embarrassed about the evidence of our weekend together that we left behind.

  Chapter 18

  I DECIDED to surprise Wesley by coming over instead of just calling and I walked over to his house around three o’clock. It was a hot day but the sun was shining and there was a nice breeze from the north. When I turned down his street, I saw him out front starting the lawn mower. He smiled and waved when he saw me and cut the engine.

  “Hey! What are you doing here?” he asked, meeting me halfway.

  “I just thought I’d stop by,” I told him, smiling timidly. It had been a couple of weeks since our trip to the beach and the time we spent together was limited now. I was working four days a week at World Store and our days off were usually spent doing chores. Not to mention, the time we had alone was virtually nonexistent and my body ached for the freedom we enjoyed while on our trip.

  “I was gonna call you after I finished cutting the grass. I gotta do it today or my mom’ll kill me,” he complained.

  “That’s one of the nice things about living in an apartment,” I teased.

  “Yeah, yeah. Hey, if you don’t wanna wait around for me to finish the lawn, I can come by after,” he offered, wiping sweat from his brow.

  “That’s okay. I’ll keep you company.” I didn’t mind waiting for Wesley. I didn’t mind watching him mow the lawn either.

  Wesley looked at me and took hold of my wrist. Even though there was no one on the street, I shook my head. Wesley led me back to the detached garage and kissed me. I closed my eyes and accepted him; this was what my body was yearning for.

  A car pulled into the driveway and underneath the shine of the windshield, I could see Mrs. Carroll. I stepped back from Wesley as he turned and faced the car. Mrs. Carroll got out and stared at us with wide eyes that soon narrowed in anger.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she shouted, slamming the car door.

  Wesley looked at her with surprise and I turned my eyes to the ground. My stomach tightened and I had a hard time catching my breath.

  “I said, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, stopping in front of Wesley and glancing at me.

  “Mom, calm down,” Wesley said. His voice was surprisingly steady.

  “I will not calm down! I didn’t raise you to be like this!” Her face was hard and she gritted her teeth. She took a step forward and glared at me. “You. Get out of here! Don’t you ever come near my son again!”

  Wesley stepped in front of me. “Don’t talk to him like that,” he said firmly. He looked down and took a deep breath. His voice wavered for a moment as he looked back up to his mother’s angry face. “Mom, I’m gay.”

  “Don’t say that! Don’t you ever say that!” she shouted. Then she looked at me. “This is all your fault! If it weren’t for you….”

  “I told you, don’t talk to him like that,” Wesley warned. He lifted his hands, palms up, trying to explain. “Mom, I’m gay. It has nothing to do with you.”

  “Get out! You leave my son alone!” she yelled.

  “Mom. I’m in love with him. Why can’t you just be happy for me?”

  Mrs. Carroll’s eyes widened and she slapped Wesley across the face in one fluid motion. She was breathing heavily and her nostrils flared. She stared at the ground, her eyes darting back and forth, as she shook her hand limply. Wesley touched his cheek tenderly and stared at his mother, and then he took my hand and pulled me past her without a glance in her direction. He walked fast and pulled me along with him. My arm hurt at my shoulder but I tried to keep up. “Fucking… goddamn it,” he seethed under his breath.

  We turned the corner onto the main street and Wesley still kept his pace. We passed several storefronts before he slowed down to a normal walk. He was still holding my hand.

  “Fuck! I’m sorry,” he said. “I knew my dad would flip, but I thought my mom would be different. I’m so sorry.” I squeezed his hand and Wesley glanced at me. He had tears in his eyes and then he laughed
pathetically. “Heh, you can’t choose your family, can you? But, just so you know, I choose you,” he said, looking forward again. “No matter what, I choose you.”

  I stopped, letting his hand slip from mine. I looked at the ground and took a deep breath.

  “What? What’s wrong?” Wesley asked, stopping and turning to face me.

  “You… you said… that you were in love with me.”

  Wesley’s eyes widened and he looked to the side. He blushed and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

  I walked up to him, looking into his eyes, and kissed him, in front of everyone on the street. It didn’t matter. He was in love with me.

  “What… what are you doing? People can see us.”

  “I don’t care. I’m in love with you too.”

  Wesley stared into my eyes and then laughed with a sense of relief. I was glad to see his smile. “You just turned the worst day of my life into the best day ever.”

  I looked around and noticed people staring at us. My face turned red and I looked at the ground. Of course they were staring; two boys were kissing in the middle of the street at three o’clock in the afternoon. My posture shrank with embarrassment and I couldn’t bear to look at Wesley. I felt his fingers lace with mine and I knew he had a defiant smile on his face.

  “Mommy? Those two men were kissing,” a little girl said. She was staring at us and I felt my heart sink. I tried to pull my hand from Wesley’s, but he held tight.

  The mother looked down at her daughter and smiled. “That’s what two people do when they love each other,” she explained. She smiled warmly at us as they passed us on the sidewalk.

  My heart instantly felt lighter and I gripped Wesley’s hand tighter. It was exactly what I needed to hear at that time. This insurmountable barrier I erected between me and “normalness” didn’t seem as large or as forbidding anymore.