Chapter 19 - Summer After Senior Year
Double D’s parents came to his graduation. It was nice to see them and
all, but he was so used to being without them that it was strange having
them around. They met his boyfriend by accident. Before he could
stutter out a vague introduction, the boyfriend stepped forward, shook
his parents’ hands, and said, “It’s wonderful to finally meet you. I’m
Jason, Eddward’s boyfriend.”
His parent’s glanced briefly at each other and away again. They were
polite, engaging even, and it was over. Double D had officially come
out to his parents without saying a word.
Jason drove him home to Peach Creek, and his public boyfriend of seven
months got to see his childhood neighborhood. He didn’t notice if
Kevin’s car was in the driveway or not.
It was, and Kevin was even standing at his mail box, shuffling through
magazines and envelopes when Jason’s green Land Rover pulled up to
Double D’s house. His first instinct was to run into the house, lest he
risk an awkward confrontation with the dork, but he couldn’t. He was
oddly frozen by the sight of Double D being helped out of the car by
someone.
So, the dork had made a friend. Good.
But when the friend slipped an arm around Double D’s waist as they
walked to the front door, something heavy and scalding lodged into
Kevin’s chest and sat on his sternum.
The dork had a new boyfriend . . . a real one who didn’t look the least
bit worried about the cul-de-sac knowing they were gay together. The
sniveling dweeb had a fucking boyfriend who was tall and lean with a
head of dark-blond hair and a Flogging Molly t-shirt and wide
sunglasses. Un-fucking-acceptable.
Double D and his boy toy had gone into the house long before Kevin
snapped back to his senses and stormed home as well.
XXX
Three weeks later, Kevin happened upon Eddy at the mall.
“Yo, dork!”
Eddy actually looked up, like he’d been trained to respond to the name.
“What?”
“You know Double D’s got a boyfriend?”
“So?”
Kevin frowned at the casual response. “Like . . . a boyfriend.”
“Yeah, so? I already know he’s gay.”
He said it as though it meant nothing! Like it was no big deal! “Yeah,
he’s gay!”
It seemed Eddy was getting impatient because he flipped open his cell
phone to glance at the time. “If you’re waiting for me to freak out,
too bad. It was totally obvious growing up.”
“Well . . . okay, so, if he’d been a manly guy, it would have been
weird?”
“Sure, obviously, but whatever. Like it was weird finding out you were
gay--”
“I’m not gay!” he snorted immediately.
Eddy wove a hand at him. “Whatever. You two dated, though.”
“We fucked.”
“I don’t care what you did!”
“So it doesn’t bug you he’s gay.”
“I’m a modern guy. And it’s none of my business, so long as he’s not
fucking me.”
Eddy had grown up, and it pained Kevin to realize it. He wasn’t as
desperate, wasn’t as loud-mouthed. Damn him. Still frowning, now more
confused than ever, Kevin scrubbed his hands over his face. “Yeah.
Whatever, loser.”
“Later, dork,” Eddy scoffed and headed for the food court, leaving Kevin
to stare after him.
XXX
Nazz’s husband was so effeminate; Kevin didn’t know how the relationship
could possibly work. He had brown, curly hair, a dimpled smile, and
soft hands. But Nazz seemed content with him. The happy couple kissed
and held each other’s hands and smiled at their new baby as though they
were thoroughly pleased with their lives. It didn’t make a damn bit of
sense! Kevin could have chewed the man up and spit him out, beat him in
every masculine endeavor there was, but this guy was straight while
Kevin had a pulsing obsession with the boy across the street.
Half way through the night, he could barely bring himself to look at the
brunette woman he’d brought along as his date. At the end of the
evening, he took her home and never saw her again.
XXX
The night before his parents left on their second honeymoon, Kevin told
them that he’d been having a fling with the neighbor boy. They assumed
he meant Jimmy. When he clarified that it was actually Eddward, the
talkative genius, they felt better. He didn’t get any of the screaming
or crying or jabs at his masculinity he had expected. They made a
comment about grandchildren, but that was that.
Deflated and thoroughly confused by their lack of reaction, he took a
two week vacation with a bunch of his college buddies to the west coast.
He didn’t sleep with any greased up sorority girls, though he tried.
It was the worst vacation ever, because all he could think about was
getting home, going back to Peach Creek where his dork was hopefully
missing him as much as he was being missed.
XXX
One lazy Friday morning, Kevin went out to get his mail. He looked
across the street at Double D’s house for a while, wondering if he could
come out. He didn’t.
But the boyfriend did.
“Hey!”
Kevin growled under his breath and made sure his sunglasses hid eyes
appropriately. The blond punk had already spotted him. It would have
been cowardly to run back into his house where he could curse the
bastard in private. Best to confront the problem head on.
It was only natural to hate the guy, wasn’t it? He hated him for being
an open fruit with blond hair and that stupid smile. He was in a pair
of jeans, bare chested and bare footed, when he came across the street
to greet Kevin. His left nipple had a silver rod through it.
“I’m Jason.”
Cool and calm, Kevin shook his hand, squeezing a bit harder than
necessary. “Kevin.” He wondered of the dork had ever mentioned him.
“You lived here long?”
Obviously not. “Most of my life.”
Jason’s smile got wider, though he had to squint against the morning
sun. “You must’ve gone to school with Eddward, then.”
“Who?” Is that what he called himself now? Eddward? It sounded too
grown up for him. “Double D?”
The punk boyfriend laughed. “Is that a nickname?”
“Sorta. Yeah.”
“It’s cute.” Kevin felt his fists clench when Jason glanced over his
shoulder to Double D’s house, like there was something inside he was
anxious to get back to.
“Yeah, whatever, man.”
“Were you and Eddward friends?” Jason asked before Kevin could excuse
himself.
“Yeah. We dated for a couple years.”
Finally, that dopey smile faded and the punk boyfriend looked confused.
Kevin was a little more than amazed that it had been so easy to admit.
It was casually said and not embarrassing at all. In fact, he was
pleased with the way it had the punk boyfriend wondering.
“He never mentioned he dated anyone else.”
Kevin smiled, feeling smug. “Well, he did.”
“Wow.” He ran a hand through his hair. Then he smiled as well. “He’s
fucking adorable, huh?”
Apparently, the boyfriend didn’t have a possessive streak the way Kevin
did.
“Anyway. I should get back to him. He doesn’t like waking up alone.”
“Are you two serious?” Kevin asked abruptly, unsure of where it had come
from.
“I think so. I’m trying to get him to move in with me when he goes up
north.”
Fighting to keep calm, Kevin cocked his head. “North?”
“He got into grad school up there.”
“Where?”
Jason told him. The burning pressure in his chest returned when Kevin
remembered that Double D had applied to the same school at the end of
last year, so they could be close and stay together.
“You’re moving up there, too?” Kevin asked.
“Yeah. I can look for a job anywhere.”
“Then you two are serious.”
“All the way. Nice meeting you, man.”
Kevin watched him gather Double D’s mail and go back into the house,
Double D’s immaculately kept house where everything was labeled and the
baseboards sparkled. That had been Kevin’s house in previous summers.
Did the punk boyfriend watch Double D wander the house in an apron, a
shot-vac in one hand and window cleaner in the other? Damn him if he
did. Kevin would kill him himself.