How To Save A Life

by Andria Large

  +

  Just as I pull on a pair of gym shorts, the doorbell rings. I grab my towel and rub it over my soaking wet hair as I make my way downstairs to answer the door. I always take a shower after work; I just feel grimy afterwards. The doorbell rings again as I hit the landing at the bottom of the stairs.

  “I’m coming!” I call.

  I yank open the door without looking out the window to see who it is. Standing there is my mom and dad. I haven’t spoken to them since the day they told me that I should send Spencer to rehab to take care of his “gayness.” I drape the towel over my shoulder as I look back and forth between them. My dad looks irritated and has his can’t-be-bothered face on. My mom actually looks kind of haggard. She’s got bags under her eyes, and I swear she looks like she has a lot more wrinkles on her face than from the last time I saw her.

  “Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?” I ask, my tone giving away my surprise.

  “Can we come in?” my mom asks. She’s wringing her hands together, which is a sure sign that she’s nervous.

  I step to the side and open the door wider to let them in. I shut the door behind them and cross my arms over my chest, waiting for one of them to say something.

  “Do you think we could sit down and talk?” My mother’s voice trembles slightly, and I can tell that she’s on the verge of crying.

  I motion with my head for them to follow me into the kitchen. I toss my towel over the banister then start for the kitchen. In silence, we all file in, my parents sitting down at the table, while I go to the counter to turn on the coffee maker. I pull down three mugs from the cabinet above it before turning and leaning my ass against the counter.

  “What do you want to talk about?” I ask dryly. If they think they are going to give me shit about Spencer again, then they have another thing coming.

  “We miss you, Ezra. I can’t stand this silence between us. We’ve never gone this long without speaking to each other,” my mother says, her bottom lip quivering.

  “Yeah, well, when you tell me to send my son to a rehab to try and make him not gay, that tends to put a bad taste in my mouth.” I shrug. “Didn’t think there was anything to talk to you about.”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say, Ezra. I'm trying to understand where this is coming from. I feel like he's too young to really know that's he gay."

  I close my eyes and pull in a deep breath, trying to stay calm.

  “He’s not too young, Myra,” my dad grumbles. “He knows damn well who he’s attracted to. It’s not that hard to figure out who gives you a hard-on when you’re fourteen.”

  My mother gasps in horror at my father, and I try my best not to burst out laughing. My dad always did have a way with words.

  “Does it really matter either way?” I ask them. “He’s still your grandson. So he likes boys instead of girls, who cares? It’s not affecting you in any way, and you shouldn’t treat him any different because of who he’s attracted to.”

  I turn my back to them to make the coffee and give them a minute to let my words sink in some. I hear the front door open and close; assuming it’s Spencer returning from therapy, I don’t even bother turning around.

  “Hey, babe. Spencer is hanging out at the rec for a little bit with some of the other boys. They wanted to play b-ball. I told him I’d let you know,” Ferris’ voice says, getting closer to the kitchen as he speaks.

  I whip around and open my mouth to shut him up, but I’m not quick enough.

  “Thought we could fool around a bit since he’s not here…oh, shiiiit,” Ferris says as he steps through the doorway of the kitchen, his voice trailing off when he sees my parents sitting at the table.

  When I glance over at my parents, my mother’s wide eyes flick back and forth between Ferris and me. My father looks downright confused. I’m frozen with my mouth hanging open, not knowing what to say. I wasn’t trying to expose this side of me to my parents yet. I wanted them to be comfortable with Spencer’s sexuality before I went and threw mine at them.

  “What the hell does he mean he thought you could ‘fool around’ since Spencer isn’t here?” my dad grunts.

  Ferris winces and sends me an apologetic look. It’s not his fault, though. He didn’t know my parents were here.

  “Ezra?" my mom asks a bit more calmly.

  “Fuck.” I sigh in defeat and hang my head for a moment to gather my thoughts.

  I really never expected this day to come because I always thought I’d still be with Justine. That’s not possible anymore because she’s gone. It’s time to face the music and stand up for myself and my son, consequences be damned.

  When I lift my head, I roll my shoulders back, and walk the few paces it takes to get to Ferris. I take his hand, much to his surprise, and lead him further into the kitchen. I stand in front of my parents, my fingers laced in his, and tell them exactly what Ferris meant.

  “Ferris is my boyfriend. We’ve been together for two months now,” I tell them, my voice steady and confident.

  “Boyfriend?!” my dad chokes out, completely bewildered. “But…but you were married to a woman! You’re straight!”

  “No, I’m not straight, and I have never been straight. I’m bi. I like both men and women, but I tend to favor men a little more. I married Justine because I was afraid to be who I really was. Do not for one second think that I didn’t love her, because I did, and still do. But this…” I motion between Ferris and myself with my free hand. “This is who I really am.”

  Ferris brings his other hand up to hang onto my forearm. He gives it a squeeze, letting me know he’s got my back. Damn, I love him.

  “It’s your fault that Spencer is the way he is then!” my father blurts out.

  I blink at him in shock. I was not expecting him to say anything like that. The hurt is next to take root, sitting like a ton of bricks on my chest.

  “He’s seeing this and thinking that it’s normal and is trying to be like you!” he accuses angrily.

  “Whoa, Mr. Whitmore, you’ve got that all wrong. Spencer doesn’t even know about us yet, so we have nothing to do with him being gay. He figured that out all on his own,” Ferris says, his calm tone, belying the anger I know he’s feeling. “He told Ezra he was gay before we even met.”

  I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. This is a nightmare. I glance at my mother to find her watching me warily, but she doesn't look angry or upset, which I guess is a good thing.

  “Listen, everything I just said about Spencer, about not caring who he’s with, and not treating him any different applies to me, too. If you can’t accept that this is the way we are, then you’re not going to be welcome in our lives. I love you both, but I need to be true to my son and to myself. Ferris makes me happy, and he loves Spencer.”

  I lift my chin up and square my shoulders. I will not back down. It’s obvious my father isn’t taking this well, but my mom really hasn’t said much. My father shakes his head then turns his gaze to me, his disappointment and disapproval extremely clear. My mother, on the other hand, stands then steps up to Ferris and me. I tense, waiting for her to say the words that I’ve always feared.

  “Ezra, you are absolutely right. I can see now how wrong the way I treated Spencer was. He is my grandson and I love him with everything I am, no matter what. You’re a good father, Ezra. I’m proud of you, Honey. And I know Justine would want you to be happy.”

  I frown in confusion as I watch my mom stick out her hand to Ferris.

  “Myra Whitmore,” she says, introducing herself to Ferris.

  Ferris has to let me go to shake her hand. He smiles and introduces himself in return. “Ferris Jenkins.”

  +

  FERRIS

  I flop down on the couch and wait as Ezra walks his parents to the door. He tried to talk to his father some more, but I don't think anything is getting through to the man; he is being very bullheaded about this. Maybe Myra can talk to him and get him to soften up a bit. Ezra did great, though. He stood up
for himself, and Spencer, and refused to back down.

  I hear the door close followed by Ezra walking into the living room and plopping down next to me, immediately dropping his head to my shoulder. I chuckle and pat his cheek.

  “You did good, babe. I’m proud of you,” I tell him.

  “I was scared out of my mind.”

  “I’m sure.”

  Ezra smooths his hand up my thigh, squeezing lightly when he gets to the top. “Thank you for having my back.”

  “I’ll always have your back, Ez.”

  He nods against my shoulder. “I know.”

  His hand moves further up, cupping my junk through my jeans. “Mmm, what are you doing?”

  “Showing you how grateful I am?”

  He moves his hand to the button of my jeans and flicks it open before slowly rolling down the zipper. My breathing hitches as he pulls down the waistband of my briefs, freeing my growing erection. He bends down and takes my semi-hard cock fully into his mouth. I hiss and tangle my hand into the dark hair at the back of his head. This is Ezra’s first time doing this for me, and so far, it feels incredible.

  My cock grows harder as he continues to suck me. I moan, rolling my hips in time with his bobbing head. Damn, this is not going to last long.

  “Ezra,” I gasp. “Oh, god.”

  He moans around my cock, which adds delicious vibrations to his already fantastic blowjob abilities. He brings his hand into the mix, wrapping his fist around the base of my shaft and pumping at a slightly quicker pace than what his mouth is doing.

  My breathing picks up as my orgasm builds. I drop my head to the back of the couch and moan loudly, his mouth feeling so fucking good. I yank the hem of my T-shirt over my head so that it’s behind my neck and out of the way. I look down to watch as my cock passes through those sexy lips over and over.

  “Ezra, I’m close,” I breathe.

  Ezra hums and doubles his efforts. I clutch his head with both hands as my mouth opens in a silent scream. My orgasm barrels through me, sending hot jets of come into my boyfriend’s mouth. He swallows it down like a champ, continuing to suck me until I’m writhing under him.

  The next thing I know, I’m laying on my back on the couch with Ezra on top of me. His mouth finds mine in a hungry kiss. His tongue drags against mine, forcing me to taste my release on his. Fuck, that’s hot! Ezra ruts against me, his jean clad cock somehow finding a way to poke me in the ass.

  We get so lost in each other that we don’t hear the front door open until it’s too late.

  “Dad?!” Spencer’s horrified exclamation has us both freezing in our tracks.

  Ezra’s wide eyes meet mine for all of a second before he turns to look over his shoulder. I quickly and covertly shove myself back into my pants and zip up. When I shift to the side to look past Ezra at Spencer, I find him gawking at us, his mouth hanging open, his eyes wide. His little blond-haired friend, Jesse, is standing next to him with a similar expression on his face. Finally, Spencer blinks, and that’s when the shit hits the fan.

  “What the hell is going on here?!” Spencer demands, his eyebrows cranking down as his anger rises.

  Ezra and I scramble apart, both of us standing up and straightening out our clothes.

  Jesse motions to me. “Don’t forget your shirt,” he says with a smirk.

  I curse and pull my shirt back over my head. I send Jesse a dirty look when I get it straightened out that has him fighting back a laugh.

  “Spencer, I can explain…” Ezra starts but Spencer isn’t having it.

  “Explain what?! That you’ve been hiding this from me?!” he squawks. He then turns his angry and hurt gaze on me. “And you, I trusted you! You told me you would tell me if you and my dad had something going on! You lied to me!”

  “Wait, when I said that, there wasn’t anything going on. This just happened two months ago,” I tell him.

  “TWO MONTHS?!” he roars.

  “Shit.” I sigh.

  “This has been going on for two months?! Were you ever going to tell me?!”

  “Yes! Yes, we were going to tell you tomorrow at dinner,” Ezra says, probably hoping that it would calm him down.

  “So this is why Ferris has been over more often? Not because you two are best friends, but because you’re together?”

  “Well…” Ezra winces. “…Yes.”

  “I can’t believe this,” Spencer mutters, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you hid this from me.”

  He then turns and walks out the front door, slamming it closed behind him. Jesse flinches then looks at Ezra. “I’ll go with him, make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

  “Thank you, Jesse.” Ezra sighs.

  Jesse goes after Spencer, leaving Ezra and me alone again. Ezra shoves his hands into his hair and starts pacing.

  “Ugghhh! That was not how it was supposed to go,” he groans.

  “That’s exactly how I thought it was going to go,” I scoff.

  Ezra glares at me.

  “What? I knew he was going to be pissed about it.” I shrug.

  “Yeah, but I didn’t think he’d blow up like that.”

  “I’m not surprised.”

  “You’re not helping,” he snaps, scrubbing his hands roughly over his face.

  I grab his shirt, stop his pacing, and pull him into my arms. I wrap mine around his waist, tilt my head back, and gaze up at him. “Hey, it’s gonna be fine. Let him cool off then we can talk to him.”

  Ezra takes a deep breath and nods. I pucker my lips and give him an expectant look. He snorts, fighting off a smile, but he leans down and gives me a peck on the lips.

  +

  EZRA

  Spencer texts me about an hour later asking if he can sleep over Jesse’s house. I agree, even with it being a school night, giving him the time and space that he apparently needs. I still can’t believe I was so careless, letting myself get carried away with Ferris right in the living room. God, if he would have walked in just minutes sooner, he would have seen me giving Ferris a blowjob. I shudder at the thought.

  Ferris pulls the covers back and climbs into my bed next to me after brushing his teeth in the bathroom with a spare toothbrush. He’s wearing just his black briefs that look sexy as hell with his tanned skin and toned body. He gives me a sultry grin that has my cock twitching to life.

  “I’m excited to get to sleep in your bed with you; it’s so nice and big and comfy.” Ferris sighs, snuggling up next to me, wrapping his arm around my stomach.

  “Yeah, it’s nice to finally share it with someone again,” I reply softly.

  Ferris hums, his mouth somehow finding my neck. As much as I’d love to get frisky again, I have other more pressing things on my mind.

  “Ferris?”

  “Hmm?”

  “There’s something I want to talk to you about,” I murmur, turning my body to face him, which forces him to stop kissing my neck.

  With an amused glint in his eyes, he props he’s cheek in his palm and waits for me to continue. “Okay. I’m all ears.”

  “Once everything with Spencer has settled down, I was thinking that maybe…” I swallow hard, trying to build up the courage to say what I have to say. What if he says no?

  Ferris’ thumb brushes along my bottom lip. “What were you thinking, babe?” he prompts.

  “I was thinking that…if you wanted…you could move in here with Spencer and me.”

  I hold my breath and wait for his response, praying with every fiber of my being that he won’t say no. A slow smile curls Ferris’ full lips and his eyes search mine.

  “Really?”

  I nod. “Really.”

  “I would love to,” Ferris replies without one ounce of hesitation.

  I’m pretty sure my grin will now be a permanent feature on my face. Ferris’ mouth crashes into mine as he shoves me onto my back and climbs on top of me. We spend the next hour celebrating this new chapter in our relationship.

  CHAPTER

 
; THIRTEEN+

  FERRIS

  The next morning, I wake with a yawn and stretch my body out. When I look over at Ezra, I find that he is still sound asleep with his lips parted and his face half buried in his pillow. His almost black hair is an absolute mess; a section of it is hanging down over the side of his face, while other pieces are sticking straight up. Damn, he’s gorgeous. And now, I’ll get to wake up to this handsome face every morning. The thought makes me giddy.

  I get out of bed as quietly as I can and pull my jeans on before making my way into the bathroom. After relieving my full bladder and brushing my teeth, I trudge downstairs to get some coffee. I stop short when I see Spencer sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal. Raking my hand through my hair, I move into the kitchen and toward the coffee maker.

  “Hey, Stretch,” I say, trying to sound cheerful.

  No reply. Well, this doesn’t look good.

  “Did you just get home from Jesse's?”

  Nothing. Shit.

  I drop a K-cup in the Keurig, and then grab a mug to set under the spout. After pressing the brew button, I glance over my shoulder at Spencer. His back is to me, so I can’t see his face to try and gauge what he’s thinking.

  “Spence, come on, man…” I sigh but am interrupted when Spencer noisily shoves out of his chair. He stomps over to the sink, which is right next to me, and sets his bowl and spoon in it. He then turns to me with his eyes flashing an angry ice blue that are so like his father’s.

  “Don’t talk to me,” he barks in my face before storming out of the kitchen.

  I turn to watch him leave then see Ezra walking toward the kitchen doorway, looking disheveled and still half asleep. Spencer blows by him, knocking into his dad’s shoulder as he does so. Ezra’s sleepy body spins, making his back bump into the wall next to him.

  “Hey!” Ezra snaps, glaring after Spencer. “You better watch it, pal!”

  Spencer stomps loudly to the front door, grabs his school bag, then storms out, slamming the door closed behind him. I hear Ezra growl as he turns back toward the kitchen and shuffles in.

  “What the hell was that about?” he grumbles, scratching his bare chest.