This is still day 7 and the Davenport men have gone to the Heiner's house. We back up to where Luke and Jacob have left to go inside with Dr. Heiner and now Brandon is with Jon on the patio.
To keep this site free, donate at https://www.nifty.org/ Chapter 13
Brandon's POV
Dad tells Luke that Dr. Heiner wants to examine his arm. Luke invites Jacob to join them. Dad asks to use the restroom leaving just me and Jon on the porch. I get up, get a refill of lemonade and sit next to Jon.
"When we drove up, I noticed a really cool Chevelle, is that yours?" I try to start a conversation with him. I knew it wasn't a Chevelle, but I wanted more than a one word answer. I was pretty sure it was a Chevy Nova.
"Ha Ha!" He laughed. "That ain't no Chevelle, it's an Omega. Hell, you don't know your cars very well, do ya?"
"Oh sorry. I didn't mean Chevelle, I meant Chevy Nova. But what the heck is an Omega?" Now I was stumped. I really thought it was a Nova. At least I got him talking.
He sighs real loud so I could hear. He is looking at me like I'm a moron. "The Omega is made by Oldsmobile and Nova is built by Chevrolet. They are both built by GM so they look similar. You do know what GM stands for don't you?" Okay, now he is being condescending.
"Of course I know what GM stands for. It means Government Motors." I try to keep a straight face.
He laughs again. "You're such and idiot! GM is General Motors, you moron!"
I know I have him now. I say matter of factly, "It was General Motors until 2009 when it emerged from bankruptcy assisted by $49.5 Billion in government loans. At that time, the US Government owned 60% of GM's stock. The name was officially changed to Government Motors on October 1, 2009!" (It didn't really, but I knew he wasn't smart enough to know better. Actually it was a nickname given to GM at the time.)
It was my turn to sigh loudly. "Now who is the moron? If you didn't know that, you are either stupid or an idiot. So which one are you? Are you stupid or an idiot? Or a stupid idiot?"
Ooo! I hit a nerve. He got all red faced and he stood up with his fists clenched. I stood up to stand my ground. I figure he is all bark and no bite. He is bigger than me though he is a year or so younger. I'm not too worried, because Luke isn't the only one good at martial arts. I mean, he is better than me, but I'm not too bad.
"What did you say to me?" He grunted.
I stand my ground. "Are you deaf or do you have alzheimers?" I stared him down.
He looked defensive and said, "I don't have old timers!"
I laughed in his face. "It's not old timers you twit, it's Alzheimers. Alzheimers!"
I left him speechless. He was dumbfounded. He couldn't intimidate me or out smart me. I decided that I made my point. After a moment of us staring each other down, I took a step back, put my hands up and smiled.
"Sorry, Jon. I didn't really mean those things I said. I don't think you are dumb or stupid." He unclentched his fists and took a breath. "I just wanted you to feel what it's like when the shoe is on the other foot. You see, you called me a moron and an idiot, and you were putting me down. You don't even know me! So I called you out and said that you were either stupid or an idiot. You didn't like that very much did you?"
"You're right, man. I wanted to punch your lights out. You're lucky I didn't!"
I smile. "I wasn't too worried about that, I'm a lot tougher than I look. But, what you felt is what you make other's feel when you say the things you say. Come on, does it really make you feel good inside when you put others down? Does it make you more of a Man? Are you really proud of yourself?"
I sit down on the chair. He just stands there not knowing what to do. I think I have hit a nerve and he is considering whether his is going to leave in a huff, punch me in the nose, cuss me out or maybe even consider what I am saying.
"Just think about it Jon. You don't need to answer to me. I used to be a lot like that to my brother, but it never made me feel better about myself. I lost a lot of time that I'll never get back. You are going to live a long time and the longest relationship you'll have is that with your brother. In a few years, you'll go your separate ways and he might be bigger than you or more successful in life. People don't like to be around others that put them down. Do you want to have friends or do you want to be lonely. Trust me, girls don't admire bullies. They are looking for someone that is good, be it a good boyfriend or husband that is going to treat them nice."
I'm just gonna let him think about this stuff. "Hey! I noticed that you like shooting baskets. How about if we see whatcha got."
He perked up and said, "You're on!"
On the basketball court, we decide to play HORSE. We are pretty evenly matched because after about 10 minutes, we both only have an "H". I find out that he is on the basketball team at his high school, all of his friends are jocks. He has had a few girl friends but they don't last long. He gets B's and C's, but I think he could do better.
He asks, "So how do our dad's know each other? Did they go to college together? Or what?"
"Actually," I said. "They just met this last week. Your dad was my brother's doctor when he hurt himself and broke his arm last week. They got along great and they thought they could be golf buddies. Since they both have teenage sons, they thought maybe we might have fun hanging out too."
Jon rolls his eyes. "Well, this hasn't been too much fun for me. I've just gotten the third degree even since you've shown up. --- But, maybe I needed to hear it...I don't know." He scratches his head and runs his fingers through his blonde hair. "I really didn't like you calling me a stupid idiot and I guess, maybe that's what others feel when I do it to them. I don't know."
I'm thinking how I got him earlier. "I've gotta come clean. GM doesn't really mean Government Motors, it really is General Motors. It was never changed, but people did nickname it that though. Ha Ha."
"What?!" He said. "You are such a Dick! I can't believe I fell for it! You giving all those facts and figures, I thought you really did know. Man! You got me! Ha Ha! I'm gonna so get you back. So what high school did you go to? I know I have never seen you at Rincon Heights."
"Oh I graduated from a school a great distance from here. It's in a town I'm sure you have never heard of."
"Oh yeah?" Jon said. "I've played basketball and soccer against many schools. Heck, we even went to state last year. I bet I have either played against you guys or at least heard of it. Especially if I know the town. So, where did you go to school?"
"I'll tell you what." I say. "If I tell you where I graduated from and you have even heard of it, I'll do 50 push ups. If you haven't, you do 50 push ups. Deal?"
"Deal!" He says and shakes my hand. "So where did you go to school?" I say proudly, "I went to the lycée Polyvalent in Gometz-le-Châtel." He looks at me like I just ate a worm. "You stepped in what?"
I repeat myself. "In lycée Polyvalent in Gometz-le" he cuts me off. "Yeah, yeah...Gomez de chandelier, I heard you. Where the hell is that?"
So I look at him like he asked the stupidest question in the world. "It's in a suburb of Paris, duh!! Since you just admitted you didn't know where it was, start with the push ups."
He rolls his eyes and shakes his head, but he turns over and starts doing the push ups. I count off in French just to rub his nose in it. I count to quarante-neuf and then say, "Fifty". He's in pretty good shape so it wasn't too hard on him.
He wipes his brow with his t-shirt. "So, were you like an exchange student or something to France?" I nod. He got a poop eating grin on his face, "Did you go to any of the nude beaches?"
I shake my head. "Why do people keep asking me that? No! I didn't go to any nude beaches. I just went to the beach and it is clothing optional. It's just the beach. You Americans get so uptight about nudity."
"Wait! So you went nude at the beach too?" He asks me again with that sh*t eating grin. I never have figured out why you would want to eat poop and smile about it. Especially if it got all over your teeth. Where do we come up with these expressions. I guess I better answer him.
"Yeah, I was nude at the beach and so was my whole host family. It's not uncommon for members in a family to be seen naked in front of other family members or friends. Was it weird at first? It sure was. Good thing I was used to it, because I didn't use the right suntan lotion on my untanned areas and I got a wicked sunburn."
Jon cringes. "Oooh, Ouch! On your dick and balls too?
"Yup, dick, balls and butt too. My host mom had to keep applying aloe to the whole area. I could only wear loose fitting boxers or nothing at all for a couple of days. Another factoid, if you have a 2nd degree sunburn on your dick and you get a boner? It hurts like hell. It hurt to even touch it. It wasn't pretty when I started peeling either. Have you ever seen a snake shed it's skin? It's like that."
Jon starts laughing hysterically. "Oh my gosh!! You have to be putting me on. No way! I don't think I'll ever be able to get that image out of my mind."
"Yeah, so when I went to France, I was really shy about my body, but I got over it quick. I'm not shy at all now and sometimes I don't even wear clothes at home."
"What about your brother?" Jon asks. "Did he like freak out when you paraded around nude?"
"He was at first, but after being in the hospital and everyone saw him naked and examined him, he got used to it real soon. Now he is naked more often then I am at home. Mom was a little weirded about it at first, but she came up with some rules about who could be over or where we were allowed to sit and stuff. So we mainly are nude in our room, walking through, or going outside to swim. We just have to be respectful."
Jon just shakes his head. "That is some weird sh*t. In front of your mom? You can walk around all day naked if you want and no one will say anything? I'd never do that. Especially if my mom still lived here! No way!"
So it's just the three of you here? I ask.
"Yeah," he says. "Mom left a few years ago and found another guy who would `treat her' better. Dad worked a lot and she felt that he ignored her. She had an affair and the next thing we knew, they were getting divorced. She gets a nice check from the old man every month and lives with Wayne. Wayne, he's such a putz."
I notice Jacob coming our way and he stops about 20 feet from us. "Jon. Maria said to tell you dinner is ready."
Jon grunts back at him. "It's about time, Dweeb. I'm starved!"
We get up and Jon puts his shirt back on and we walk toward the house and I smack him in the arm. "Nice going, Dufus!"
"What the hell was that for?" He spat. I spit back. "I'm sorry! I meant, Dweeb!"
He stops and points at me. "Why are you calling me a....oh I get it. You're mad because I called that runt.... I mean ah, Jacob a dweeb. Why do you even care?"
"Jon! Haven't you listened to a word I have said? You are missing out on one of the most important relationships you'll ever have. You are going to need him some day, and he'll have nothing to do with you. Then it will be too late. Not only that, but it's because it's the right thing to do. If you don't want to be nice, then just don't be mean."
We enter the house and Dad and Dr. Heiner are sitting at the table along with Luke and Jacob. I sit next to Luke and Jon sits on the other side of me. Maria is bringing out the rest of the food. She has tri-tip, potatoes, corn and all the fixings. It smells so good. Maria puts tri-tip on our plates. Luke is looking at his tri-tip and I tell him, "I got this, little bro." I cut it up into bite sized pieces.
Luke says, "Thanks, big bro. You're the best."
Jon looks across the table and says, "Hey Runtttt..." I jab him in his side with my elbow. Hard enough to get his attention. "Ah...I mean, Jake. Pass the salt and pepper would ya?"
Jake looks at Luke and then passes the salt and pepper. "Would you like the butter too Jon?" He asks. Jon looks a little surprised and says, "Yeah. Sure....thanks."
I notice that Jacob has a small smile on his face. I lean over to Jon, "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
About half way through dinner, Dr. Heiner makes an announcement. "Hey guys. Maria wanted to see her grandson play in the school band so I gave her the rest of the night off. So, you guys will be clearing the table and doing the dishes tonight."
Both boys say in unison, "What! Are you kidding?" They look at each other and back at their dad.
Their dad says, "No, I'm not kidding. You guys can help around here from time to time, it won't hurt you." Jacob accepts it though he is pouting a little. "Fine," he says in a soft voice.
Jon is not as easily defeated. "No! This is not fine! You are paying her to do the cleaning, so she should do it. She could do the dishes in the morning. I'd be okay with that."
Dr. Heiner is not easily swayed. "Jonathan, I said that you boys will be doing the dishes tonight and I don't want to hear another word about it." I guess his dad didn't like his suggestion.
"My name is Jon, old man, and if you want the dishes done so bad, then you do them! It was your lame ass idea to give the maid the night off!"
I see Dad put one hand on Dr. Heiner's shoulder as if to say, "It's okay, you got this. Don't let him get to you and stay cool." This isn't going good, so I pat Jon's arm and say, "Jon..." He pulls away and with daggers in his eyes, he says to me, "Stay out of this Brandon!! It's none of your business."
Dr. Heiner puts his hands up and says, "Fine! If you don't want to do the dishes, then don't! It's totally up to you." I can tell that Dad has been talking with the doc. That's a page right out of his book. Jon doesn't know what is going to hit him.
Jon looks a little confused like this was too easy. He takes the "Win" and says, "Good! Because I don't want to." Jon goes back to eating some potatoes. I see that Jake is whispering something to Luke, but Luke is probably telling him to just wait and listen.
Doc speaks back up. "But if you change your mind and want to do the dishes, that would be fine with me. I won't hold it against you."
Jon swallows his food. "Wait. You said that if I didn't want to do the dishes, then I didn't have to."
Doc smiles, "That's right. You don't have to."
Jon can tell that something is up. "So, if I don't do the dishes, what will happen?" Oh my gosh! This is so good to see my Dad's work in motion when it doesn't involve me. I smile at Dad and then at Luke. Jacob is still confused. Luke taps Jake's arm and whispers to him.
"Nothing will happen, Jon. If you don't want to do the dishes or anything around here, you don't have to and nothing will happen. But I think you might want to though."
Jon thinks he has won this one. He looks all proud of himself and he nudges me to bloat. His smile grows weaker when his dad speaks next.
"That's right, Jon. Nothing will happen. That car out there that you like to drive that is in my name and I insure and put gas in it.... That won't happen. That iPhone you like so much that I paid for and pay the bill... That won't happen. Going out on school nights won't happen either. Neither will going out past your new curfew at 9pm on weekends won't happen. I could go on, but I think I have made my point. So I'll ask you one more time, "Would you like to help out and do the dishes tonight, Jon?"
Jon slouches in his seat. "Fine. I'll do it."
His dad says, "Oh okay. As long as you want to. And just so you know, you disrespecting me isn't going to happen anymore either. You've done that for the last time."
Jon's face gets red. I'm not sure if it's because he is angry or embarrassed. "What the hell has crawled up your ass all of a sudden, DAD!" That last word he said sarcastically.
Dr. Heiner sits there and stares at Jon. Then with a softer voice he says, "Jon. I guess I didn't explain what I expect. First, you need to know that in life there are consequences for actions. Some are out of our control. For example, if you jump off a cliff, once you do, you fall. That is the consequence. You chose the consequence of falling after you chose to jump. If you yell at me, you are choosing to not drive the Nova for a week. You can drive you mom's old Corolla. If you call me names, you are choosing not to drive any of my cars for the week. If you are disrespectful to me, you choose to be grounded from one day up to a week depending upon the severity." He looks at Jake. "Just so you know, these rules apply to you too. My guess is that you won't want to jump off the cliff. But if you do, you will fall."
Jacob doesn't say anything, but he does nod his head in acknowledgment. Jon doesn't say anything else. He just sulks and moves his food around the plate. I don't dare say anything to him because I know he is embarrassed, plus he doesn't want my advice right now. He'll have to start the conversation.
Our dads retire to the den and the kitchen cleanup is up to us. Luke then speaks up to Jacob. "I'll help you clear the table. We'll have it done in no time."
Jake looks at him surprised. "You don't need to help me, after all, you have a broken arm."
Luke put his good hand on Jake's shoulder, "I only have one broken arm. The other one works just fine. You can take care of the plates and heavy stuff, and I can clear the smaller things and wipe down the table. It'll be fun."
I take the moment to speak to Jon. "I can help you too, Jon. There's only six of us so it won't take long at all. After our brother's clear the table, I can rinse the dishes and you put them in the dishwasher. Maria has already done all the prep dishes so it probably won't take five minutes. Ten at the most."
He scratches his ear and nods. "Okay. Thanks." That's all he says.
Luke and Jake are clearing the table and I ask them if they need any help. Jake says that it would be a great help if I helped put the leftovers away in the frig. Jon is just sitting at the table waiting for our turn to do the dishes. I ask him where the Tupperware is and he says, "Why are you helping them? Let them do their job and we'll do ours."
Jake tells me what cupboard the Tupperware is in and I get them out. I tell Jon, "I'll tell you why I'm helping." I place my around Luke and continue. "This is my brother. There is no one I love more than him. Even if he didn't have a broken arm, I would still help because that is what brothers do."
I pull Luke closer into a hug and he does his best to hug me back. I kiss his head. "I treated him bad for so long that he was well within his rights to never have anything to do with me ever again, and I would have deserved it. Jon, when I returned from France, my soul ached with anguish. He forgave me. Right then and there the first day I came home." I look at Luke and I can see a tear forming in his eyes. "I will always have his back. I can never take back what I did, but I can be the best brother I can be. Because he forgave me, I can forgive myself and move on. My anguish was replaced with joy." My eyes never left Luke's. A tear falls from his right eye and I wipe it away with my thumb.
"I love you, Luke with all my heart," I kiss him on the cheek again and he kisses mine. We just hold each other and share in the moment. I forget that Jon and Jake are even in the room. I pull away from Luke and I see Jon sitting there emotionless. "That is why I am helping."
I look over at Jake and I can tell that he is moved by what just happened. I'm thinking that maybe Jacob would forgive his brother if he asked. Jon just exhales and shakes his head. "Ah... um...okay...I guess." I think I planted a seed with Jon, and he just needs to let it grow. But if he doesn't change his ways, he is going to be very lonely.
We finish up and Luke and Jacob thank me for my help. I then start rinsing the dishes without telling Jon to help. He gets up a moment later and starts putting the rinsed dishes in the dishwasher.
"Well, I can see that you and Luke are close, but that's not for me. I'm not like you Brandon!"
"You don't have to be, Jon. You don't have to hug or kiss or anything if that's not what you're comfortable with. You don't even have to love your brother, but just don't be mean. Start with just not calling him names or pull him from the chair and take his lemonade like you did earlier."
"Hey, I was just messing around. That's just what we do. I'm not trying to be mean or cruel, that's just our way of doing stuff. Do you want me to just ignore him? Because I think that would be mean. If anything, I think I am acknowledging his existence and because of that, he is somebody. He doesn't have many friends, you know."
I give him the last dish to put in and then I grab the silverware and put it in the silverware thingy. Jon puts in detergent and turns on the dishwasher. We then walk over to the sofa.
"Jon, Jacob hates it when you call him names and puts him down. Remember you didn't like it when I did it to you. Just give it a try is all I am saying. You might be surprised with the results. How about if you just call him by his name and not insult him. Give it a week and see if it's better or worse."
He sighs heavily. "Fine! Now can we talk about something else? I'm getting a headache. - So do the chicks in France really have hairy armpits?"
I laugh. "Yup, and hairier than mine. That took some getting used to. I take that back. I never got used to it." We both laugh.
Luke's POV
Jacob and I went to his room and I was awed by how big it was. He had a queen sized and a twin bed. He had his own master bathroom with a double shower and a tub. He had a 55 inch TV with video games and a nice computer with all the peripherals like a printer, scanner, speakers, wireless keyboard and mouse. He had a mike and a camera, along with a media card reader, joy sticks, several headphones, external hard drive and two monitors. He also had a laptop, iPad and the new iPhone 15. He had a gaming chair, office chair and a massage chair. Then I saw a microwave oven and a mini frig. Wow! Like Wow!! I would never leave this room. The room was also immaculate. I bet it gets cleaned by the maid.
"Jake. I see two beds. Do you share this room with your brother. It's plenty big enough." he shakes his head and tells me that Jon has his own suite. He has an extra bed just in case he has a friend spend the night or if one of his cousins is visiting. I continue. "This room is amazing!" I look around and I furrow my eyebrows. "Where's the hot tub? I don't see it." I say jokingly.
He gives me a little push, "I don't have a hot tub in my room, though the bathtub is huge and has water jets in it. I don't use it much though."
I walk into the bathroom to see for myself and the bathtub is huge. "I bet two people could sit in this thing at once."
He said, "Yeah, probably."
"Hey! Let's try it out. What do you think?"
He shakes his head. "No way. I'm not getting naked and taking a bath with you. That would be so wrong."
I say, "Don't think of it as a bath, but as a hot tub. You'd sit in a hot tub with friends wouldn't you? Just put your bathing suit on if you like. I promise I won't jump your bones or anything."
I can see that he is thinking about it. He hasn't told me no. I then tell him that it'll just be our secret; no one else needs to know. He doesn't say anything so I say, "Cool. Show me how to fill it up and I stand next to the tub."
He lifts his shoulders and then he turns on the water and adds a little bubble bath in it. I ask him to assist me with my clothes like before. I have already been naked in front of him so I don't think he'll have a problem with it. He wraps my cast with a big towel so it won't get wet. He helps me get my naked body in the tub so I don't trip or anything. Then he shows me the controls and leaves and says that he'll be right back.
I close my eyes and just relax. A couple minutes later, Jake comes in wearing board shorts and a water shirt. I look up surprised. "What's this? You're not going to get a sunburn, so what's with the water shirt?"
He turns a couple shades of pink. "I ah..I'm just not comfortable being seen without my shirt on. I'm really white, and I have big nipples and you can see the veins in my chest. I have some moles and a few zits and I'd rather not take my shirt off."
I feel bad for him. "Listen, Jake. Take your shirt off and I won't look I'll keep my eyes closed until you say it's okay to look again. Okay?"
He is thinking it over, then he says, "Do you promise you won't look?"
I say, "No. I don't have to promise, because I said that I wouldn't and I never lie. A promise is for someone you don't fully trust." I then close my eyes and wait for him to get in. I don't hear any movement for a minute or two, and I keep my eyes closed. Finally I hear him take his shirt off and get into the tub. I have to bend my knees to give him more room. He then tells me I can open my eyes now.
He turns off the water because it is high enough. He turns on the jets and tons of bubbles form. I have to sit up so my arm doesn't get wet. Even though there are lots of bubbles and it's a deep tub, and all I can see is his head, he is still covering his tits. I remember how self conscious I was with my body, so I don't say anything about it. "This tub is so cool!" I say. "I'd soak in it everyday if I had one in my room." He nods and I lay back as much as I can and I close my eyes again enjoying the tub.
He says, "Ya know, you're right. This is nice. I should do it more often."
After a while, the bubbles dissipate some and he isn't covering his chest any more. He asks, "I wonder what was up with my dad tonight. Usually he just takes Jon's crap, but not tonight. It's like I saw a whole new side of him."
"If you ask me, and you did, ha ha, his behavior has my dad written all over it. My dad is very generous, very loving and fair. He doesn't ask us to do something that he wouldn't do. He expects us to respect him, but he respects us first. We love him because he loved us first. I'm not sure if I can really explain it..... I think that it is kinda like in Star Wars where you have a Master Jedi and an apprentice. Dad is there to lead, guide and teach. I know he will not lead us astray. He rarely talks to me; he talks with me. If your dad is taking lessons' from my dad, you will have a relationship with him that... that will be totally awesome. If you want this, then make the first move. Tonight, before you go to bed, tell him that you love him. If that is awkward, the just give him a hug and tell him goodnight. If you're not at that level, just thank him for having us come over. If that's tough, then just say, Goodnight, Dad' when you or he goes to bed."
"What do you do?" asks Jacob.
I say, "All of the above and more. Tonight I'll probably say, "I had a real good time tonight, Dad. Thanks for taking Brandon and me to the Heiner's. Jake is really cool and I think we'll be good friends.' I'll then give him a hug and he'll hug me back. I'll kiss his cheek and he'll kiss the top of my head. Then I'll look at him in the eye and say. I love you, Dad.' He'll take me back into a hug and say, I love you too, Son.' Then we'll say, Goodnight" at the same time."
While we are sitting there talking, he turns the jets off so he can hear me better. The suds dissipate and I can see all my bits underwater. I can see Jake too. It's kinda weird seeing someone in board shorts in a bathtub. I can see his chest pretty good too through the water. The water is about an inch above his nipples so I get a pretty good view of his top chest. He is really white while his arms and legs are quite tan. I can see veins in his skinny chest and his nipples are about the size of a quarter, but not out of the ordinary. He doesn't look bad at all. I wonder why he is so timid. Anyway, we were still talking.
Jacob asks me, "Do you do that every night? With your dad?"
I nod my head. "Yeah, pretty much."
Then he asks, "But what if he has pissed you off or has yelled at you and you're mad at him? Would you say, `Goodnight, daddy. I love you!?' What if you got grounded for something that wasn't your fault???" With each sentence, his voice got louder.
"Well, for starters, he wouldn't yell at me even if he was really mad at me. He never has raised his voice at me. Next, if I thought that I was treated unfairly, as long as I am respectful, he will listen to what I have to say. Like a few months ago, I was supposed to take out the trash. I had a big test in Chemistry the next day, and I was studying and trying to get a good grade on my test. Chemistry is not my easiest subject and I really have to work hard for a B or C. So, anyway, I forgot to take out the trash and Dad told me that I would have to get my Nintendo restricted because he thought I didn't remember to take the trash out because I was playing video games. I felt the punishment was unjust. I went to him and asked if I could talk to him. Then I admitted that I had forgotten to take out the trash not because I was distracted playing video games, but it was because I was studying all night for my test. I even fell asleep at my desk. Then I got up and crawled in bed. He then apologized to me, Jake. He said that he should have asked me why it didn't get taken out and he rushed to judgment. He took away my punishment. Now a couple of weeks ago I didn't take out the garbage and I couldn't play video games after 8pm for a week, but that was because the video games did distract me. I couldn't be mad, because it was a natural consequence. If fact, I chose the consequence by my actions or in-actions. I didn't like it, but it was just. I still gave him a hug and a kiss that night and told him that I was sorry and I loved him."
I sat up in the tub and looked at my fingers. They were starting to get wrinkled. He sits up and is looking at his wrinkled fingers too. While he is looking down, he notices that his nipples are visible to me and quickly covers his chest with his hands and arms. He also gets a couple shades of pink. He knows that I have seen this private area. I don't know what the problem is, but I need to be sensitive to him.
"Jake, I know that we have just met a few hours ago, but I feel you are a good person. I hope we will be good friends. I don't just tell anyone my fears and feelings, but I believe I can trust you. Do you think you can trust me?"
Without hesitation, Jake says, "Yeah, I do. I think you guys are really awesome. I mean, you don't just get along, you actually like being with each other. You love each other. I really wish that I could say the same with my family. I don't really hate my brother, but I do hate the way he treats me though. I would do anything, to have a brother that gave a crap about me." He pauses for a few seconds. "To answer your question, Yes! I'm sure I could trust you."
"Good!" I say and I pull the drain on the tub. I'm surprised how fast the water is going down. "I want you to lower your arms. You can trust me. I will not make fun of you." His pink returns to his cheeks and he looks down at his chest and then again at me. I just nod my head in support of him. He then slowly removes his hands and looks away turning another shade of pink. I look thoroughly at him.
"Jacob, You look perfectly fine to me. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Did someone do or say anything to you that would make you ashamed of your body? Was it Jon?"
"Yes." Jacob said and he quickly covered his chest again. "When I was about 12, my body was changing and he told me that I had girl titties. He would them give me tittie twisters. They were sensitive and it hurt when he did it. Then one time when he had some of his football buddies over, he asked the guys if they wanted to see something weird. He grabbed my shirt off and held me down and told his friends, `Look at the tits on my brother.' They laughed at me and played with them. Then Jon suggested that they pants me so they could see my thimble sized dick. I lost my pants and when I finally broke loose, I ran to my bedroom and locked the door. Why did he do that to me? That Bastard!"
The water is fully drained and I'm getting cold. It's time to get out anyway. "I don't know why he would do that, but that would never happen from me or Brandon." I reach over and move his arms. "You can trust me. Now can you help me get up? I'm sure Dad is wondering where we are."
We get out and I am of course still naked as a Jay bird. Jay bird? What a weird expression. Anyway, I start to dry myself and I hear a knock at Jacob's bedroom door. It's Brandon and he pokes his head through the doorway, "Luke? You guys in here?" I say, "In here, Brandon. Come on in."
Brandon walks in and says, "Wow? You have a hot tub in your room?" He doesn't even seem fazed that Jacob is without a shirt or that I'm naked.
"Yeah, I just had to try it out." I said. Brandon takes my towel and finishes drying me off. Jake puts a towel around his neck and partially covers his chest. He takes another towel and wraps it around his waist, then takes his suit off under his towel. Jake watches as Brandon gets me all dry. He even dries my dick and balls and pulls back my foreskin and makes sure it's dry too. It doesn't bother me, but Jake needs to pull his chin up off of the floor. It's probably not something you see every day. Then Brandon helps me get dressed.
Jake is still standing there and Brandon says to him. "Let me dry your back." He takes the towel around Jake's shoulders and dries off his back and arms. I think Jake was in shock. He goes to Jake's front and dries his chest and then hands him back the towel and says, "All done. I'll tell Dad that you guys will be right down." Brandon leaves and I think Jake is still in shock.
"Ah, what just happened?" Jake said.
"Oh, Brandon is just being a big brother. Ever since I broke my arm, he has helped my bathe, get dressed or what ever I need. He just does it. So drying off your back was just his way of showing you that he cares. If you were uncomfortable with him seeing or drying off your chest, you really have nothing to be embarrassed about. You look fine. I bet if you got some sun and tanned your upper body, you'd be a lot happier with the way you look. Your arms and legs tan pretty good, so I don't think getting tan would be hard. Just use proper sunscreen or you'll end up like Brandon when he played at the nude beach in France. Ha Ha. Get dressed...I'll see you downstairs."
"Wait, wait!" Jake said. "Brandon sunburned his goods in France? You gotta tell me about this!"
"Sorry, but I need to get downstairs and you need to get dressed. I could tell you while you get dressed or I could leave and tell you another time. It's up to you." I could see the gears moving in his mind but I'm sure he'll say no. Baby steps.
"I....I ah... I'll just meet you downstairs." He turns away to go to his dresser. I know he would like to say yes, but it's hard. He needs time to not be ashamed of his self and time to fully trust me. It was hard for him to show me his chest and I know he was embarrassed when Brandon saw him. He wasn't made fun of and I think he'll get more comfortable with his self the more he knows us. It was hard for me too, but I never had done to me like Jon did to him. What a real jerk!
I go downstairs and Dad is talking with Dr. Heiner. I stand next to Dad and he puts his arm around me. Dad says, "Dave told me that your arm is doing really good. You might not have to have it in the cast for as long as we thought. He wants to see you again in a couple of weeks."
"We don't have to wait that long to come back do we?" I ask. "I really like it here and Jacob is really cool." I hear footsteps. Then I hear Jacob.
"Who's really cool? You're not talking about me behind my back are you?" He tries to act insulted.
"Of course I am talking behind your back. I talk to everyone behind their back. You see, behind your back is your face. If I was talking in front of your back I would be behind your face. Makes sense doesn't it?" I think I left him in a stupor. "Wait! Did you say I might get my cast off earlier than we thought?"
"That's right." Dr. Heiner spoke up. From what I can tell, you are healing really well. In a couple of weeks, I want you to come to my office and I'll do some new x-rays. I don't want to get your hopes up, but I can see that you are taking good care of your arm. Most teens do too much too fast and it delays the healing process. So what ever you are doing, keep it up."
"Thank you, Dr. Heiner. You should probably be talking to Brandon. He never lets me do the smallest task. He even bought me an adapter for my controller so I don't have to try to use my right hand to play video games. He cuts up my food, helps me bathe, dry off and get dressed. I never have to ask, he just does it. It's like I have a full time nurse, only better. I have a brother."
"I don't doubt it." Dr Heiner says. "The way he looked after you in the hospital, I could tell he had a special bond with you. You are very lucky to have a brother like Brandon."
"I heard my name." Brandon says as he enters the room with Jon hanging back. "You guys aren't talking in front of my back now are you?" Jake chuckles at this and Dad rolls his eyes.
Dr. Heiner speaks up. "In fact we were talking about you. I'm not sure if it was in front or behind your back; I'm still trying to figure that one out. But I was telling Luke that he was lucky to have a brother like you."
"No, no, no!" Brandon says while shaking his index finger. He comes over to me and I shift from Dad's side to his. He puts his hand on my shoulder and says while looking in my eyes, "I'm the lucky one. In fact, I'm the luckiest person on the planet because there is only one Luke and I am his only brother." He looks at Dr. Heiner. "I am the lucky one."
Jon shakes his head. "Oh, Pa-lease! It's getting awful deep in here. I need some fresh air." He goes out on the deck. We do laugh out loud.
We say our goodbyes and go home. On the ride home, I get a text from Jacob. "Luke- had a gr8 time 2nite. I thanked Dad for having U come over and I enjoyed my time. I asked if I could have a sleep over at ur house sometime and he said that it'd be OK. I don't know what came over me and I gave him a quick hug and said 'thanks Dad.' I think I really surprised him because he just stood there like a post. I ran up to my room, stopped, turned to him and said, 'g'nite Dad' and he had a big goofy smile on his face and his voice cracked when he said goodnight. I've had a smile on my face ever since. Maybe I can come over tomorrow, if it's OK."
We got home when I finished reading the text. I waited for Dad and Brandon to finish what they were saying before I asked Dad.
"Dad? Can Jake come over tomorrow? His dad said it was okay with him." Dad said, "That sounds like a great idea. I'll run it by your mother first, but I don't see why not."
Mom said it was okay and so I texted Jake that he could come by around 3pm and he could spend the night. I told him to bring a few games that I didn't have. He responded with 2 thumbs up and 3 smiley faces. I was thinking about having Grayson come over and meet him, but I almost forgot that he and his dad were going to be out of town.
Later that night, Brandon and I were getting ready for bed. I was just sitting on our bed in just my boxers watching some TV. He had just taken his shower and walked in the room nude of course, and was drying himself off with the towel. I was watching him and admiring his body. He really is perfect. He has soft light brown hair with just the right amount of natural highlights. He has the prettiest green eyes while mine are brown. His nose, lips and ears are perfect. He has cute dimples too. His face is just handsome and unblemished. I look over his chest, and his nipples are dark and about the size of a nickel and kinda oval shaped. He has well defined pecks, but not overdone. His arms are well defined with the right amount of muscle and the perfect amount of blond hairs. He has a 4 pack on his stomach and the makings of 2 more.
As almost on cue, Brandon turns around and is drying his back. I can see his back muscles move as he is drying himself. His tan doesn't stop at his waist either. He got a nice all around tan in France. His back and butt are hairless and his butt cheeks are two perfect mounds of glutes. He has a dimple on each side. I didn't realize you could also have dimples on your butt cheeks. His legs taper down from his butt and they are impressive. Not overdone like a weight lifter but more like a swimmer."
He turns around again and is drying off down his front. He has a V shape from his hips descending down to his groin. He has what is called a treasure trail, I think that starts at his innie belly button, and down to his pubes. He keeps his dark pubes trimmed down to about a half inch. He does shave his balls though. I've thought about doing that myself too. He'll have to help me with that. Can you imagine nicking your balls. Ouch!
He puts a foot up on a chair to dry his legs and his taint is exposed and I think he must shave that too. With his balls hanging down like earlier, I remember that they were about the size of a walnut, but more oval shaped. One hung lower than the other though. Just so you know, he has a really nice dick. His circumcised 4 inch soft dick with a really nice helmet shaped head grows into about a 7 or 8 inch monster to about a 20 degree angle. His tanned, perfect defined legs that has that same hair that his arms has tapers down to his feet. His feet are even gorgeous. His toes are, well, perfect too. I never really realized it before, but my brother really is an Adonis. He really should be a model. He could do it all. I now kinda feel a little inferior to him, but I am comfortable in my skin.
"Earth to Luke." I snap out of it. I know Brandon caught me staring at him. I'm really not trying to perv on my brother. I shake my head. "Oh sorry Brandon. I didn't mean to stare, but I have to say that I think you have a remarkable body. I never really noticed that from the top of your head down to your toes you... you would make a perfect model. You could make a ton of money. There isn't a thing wrong with you. I wish I looked more like you."
"Are you kidding me?" Brandon said while scanning my body up and down. "You are better looking than me. Sure I'm older and my muscles are more developed, but don't sell yourself short. If Michael Angelo were here, instead of the Statue of David, it would be the Statue of Luke. You have a smile that could melt the coldest heart. Those chocolate brown eyes of yours are mesmerizing. In the year that I was gone, you have grown into a very handsome young man."
He sits down next to me and places a hand on my chest. "Luke, your true beauty comes from here. It comes from within your being. You can't help it, you reek goodness." He smiles at me, then his smile falls. "I was so blind by anger and frustration or whatever, that I didn't see it before. I was such a fool."
He then looks at me in my eyes and he smiles again. "Those eyes, I tell you." He shakes his head and gets up. He picks up his towel and places it on the back of the chair before he opens one of his drawers and pulls out a pair of briefs.
There is a knock at the door and we both say, "Come in" at the same time. Dad walks in and sits on the bed and he has a nice smile on his face. "I just got off the phone with Dave, ah, Dr. Heiner and he was very impressed with both of you."
Brandon slips on his underwear and sits on the bed by me. "How so, Dad?" I say. He pats my leg and smiles at me.
"Dave told me that the kitchen looked great and the boys didn't give him any trouble after we left. In fact, Luke he said that Jacob gave him a hug tonight for the first time in a very long time. Son, this has you written all over it. He knows that he has a long road ahead, but that little hug meant everything to him."
"What about you, Dad? Nothing will happen' You choose your consequences by your actions'". This has you written all over it. You've been giving Dr. Heiner some pointers obviously. Just make sure you give him some good tips about being a fun, loving and kind, kind of a father that you are Dad. I know Jacob would be accepting of his father's love. He needs it Dad. His mom left the whole family a couple of years ago, without warning. His only brother treats him like scum and his dad has practically ignored him. He needs someone to care about him. I care about him Dad and I want to be his friend." Looking at Brandon, I say, "And I hope you will be his friend too, Brandon".
Brandon nods his head and Dad just looks at me intently. With a tear in his eye, he says, "Luke, your wisdom is beyond your years. You are growing into a fine, fine young man." He pats my leg. "You are very perceptive and... and...just reek of goodness."
Brandon chuckles. "Those were the exact same words I said to Luke earlier. He just reeks of goodness." I think I turn two shades of red. "Really?" Dad says. "I guess like minds think alike."
"Come on guys, you're embarrassing me.... But if I am as you say, it's because of you two. You did this to me." Now I start to tear up. Brandon scoots close to me and puts his arm around me. A tear falls and I rest my head on his shoulder. He hugs me and more tears fall. Brandon kisses the top of my head and leaves his head there.
"Kevin, can you come down here?" I hear my mom calling Dad. "I'll be right there, Honey." He gets up and says, "My boys! I love you two so much." He leans over and says goodnight to Brandon and they kiss each other's cheek and then they kiss on the lips. I'm getting used to seeing that. Then Dad comes over by me and says, "Goodnight, Son." He gives me a hug and I hold him there and kiss him on the lips too. I remember that he used to do that when I about six. It didn't seam weird at all to me. He then gave me a quick hug and kissed me on the forehead. He got up, paused and smiled. "I have the best sons in the World, and then leaves.
Brandon says, "Let's get under the covers." He stands up and pulls the covers down. I lift my butt up so I don't have to get up. We get under the covers and he puts his arm up so I can lay my head on his shoulder. He places a pillow in between us so I can rest my cast on it and snuggle closer to him. This king sized bed is really nice but we don't need all the room. He pulls me closer and my head is under his neck resting on his chest. He rubs my back and kisses the top of my head again. I want to embrace my brother, but this darn cast is always in the way. I'll just have to enjoy him holding me.
I start smiling as I look up at Brandon. He notices and asks, "What's making you smile like this? Do I have a bugger hanging out of my nose or something?"
"No! It's nothing like that. I...I'm just really happy. I think this is the happiest I have ever been in my life and I just can't help it to smile." He rests his head on top of mine.
"I know what you mean. This is exactly the way I feel too." Then I feel his body tense up, and there is a sudden change in the mood. I don't get it. He leans back away from me for a moment before he speaks.
"Sometimes I think that this is short lived. I've only been home for about a week. A lot can happen in one week. It sure did for us. I'm afraid sometimes that when I fall asleep, that I may awake and realize this was all a dream. It seams real at the moment...sometimes it's too real."
I'm listening and don't say anything at first. I want him to say whatever he needs to say. He doesn't say anything for about 2 minutes. "Remember that first night when I had a horrible nightmare? I never told you what it was about." He paused. "It was right after I had confessed how sorry I was and that I would go to the ends of the earth to make it up to you. I would have too. But you forgave me right then and there, though I still had to earn your trust. Well, I dreamt that when I woke up the next morning, you were staring at me; eyes full of hate. You had told me that I was full of crap and you'd never forgive me and that you hated me. You `effing hated me and slapped me hard across the face."
Brandon sits up and feels his cheek. "Sometimes I can feel it. It was so real. If you remember, it took a long time for me to come back to reality. It was that real. It still haunts me today. What if I fall asleep and find out that this was all a dream and my dream was my reality." I can feel him shaking and I look at him in his eye. He lets out a couple of sobs before he speaks. "I can't lose you again, Luke. I just can't. I'd never survive." He lets out a couple more sobs and covers his eyes with his hands.
I roll on my back so I can free my good hand. I rest it on his leg and give it a squeeze. "That will never happen, Brandon. This is real. I knew your dream really affected you, but now I know why. Maybe it was a wake up call to warn you not to do it again." I grab his arm. "This is real, Brandon, this is real. Now slide back down here and snuggle with your brother."
Brandon nods his head and sinks back down into the bed. He leans over me and puts his hand on my right cheek and speaks. "I love you, Luke!" He then presses his lips to mine and we share a brotherly kiss. He then kisses me again, only this time longer. Another quick peck and he puts his arm around me and I snuggle into him.
After about a minute I say, "Brandon? I love you too and I really love this. Here we are, two teenage boys almost naked, cuddled up in bed sharing a few kisses and loving each other. If I would have seen this happening a month ago or something, I would've said that it was majorly wrong and definitely gay. But not anymore. I haven't had many experiences with girls but I think that I have a good idea between romantic love and brotherly love. You have shown me that and I thank you for it. Brotherly love isn't romantic or sexual at all. It's like a pure love. Do you know what I mean?"
Brandon kisses me on my forehead. "I know exactly what you mean. I'm not sure why us Americans are so concerned that others are going to judge us for everything. Our parents kissed us on the lips when we were young and then one day we decided it was wrong. I remembered being embarrassed the day I found out that I was born naked." I laugh because I remember the same thing happening to me. He continues. "Even though when we were young, we would bathe together and never thought anything about it. Then the next thing we know, probably me because I was older, it was no longer acceptable and I didn't want you to see my dick. Families are so different in France. Actually, everything is different in France. There, you are as you are and everyone accepts it. If you are gay, then you are gay. They don't body shame either. If you have a big butt, or big boobs or a small wiener, who cares as long as you are enjoying someone's company. Sure there are some people that are mean, but in general, people are accepting and nice. Also, homes and families are a safe haven."
"Unfortunately, it's not like that here in the US." I say. "Jacob was really shamed by his brother to the point that he won't even remove his shirt in front of him or anyone else."
Brandon looks at me questioningly. "He didn't have his shirt on earlier when you two were in his tub? I even dried his back."
"You're right. Now he was with me when his dad examined me in his office, so he had already seen me naked. He wasn't startled when I got into the tub naked. I was perplexed he put on a swim suit and a water shirt when he was joining me in the tub. He wasn't going to have me see his chest. He was very embarrassed by it."
Brandon says, "When I dried him off, he didn't look strange or anything to me. Though I did think that it was odd that his arms and face were nicely tanned, while his chest and back where really white. Kinda reminded me of when I went to the nude beach all white in the butt and groin area. I like my tanned butt now. I think it's sexy. Don't you think so?"
I ignore that last comment. "Anyway! As Jacob started going through puberty, Jon said that he had girl titties and he would give him tittie twisters. That was bad enough, but one day, Jon had his jock friends over and he asked them if they wanted to see something weird. He them stripped Jake's shirt off and held him down and his friends laughed at him and squeezed his tits and humiliated him. Then Jon said, `Pants him and you'll see his tiny prick'. One of the guys was able to get his pants and underwear down but luckily, he was able to squirm, get away and run to his room and lock his door. He said that he could hear them laughing at him for a half and hour."
I can feel Brandon's body tense up. His breathing got heavy and I didn't say anything more. He rose from the bed and went to the window to look out it. His fists were clenched, and when he turned around, his face was red. Not the embarrassed kind of red, but the angry kind.
"That son of a bitch!!!" Brandon said through his gritted teeth. "His own brother, and in his own house. That is really low! What a scumbag!!! If he were here right now, I'd punch him in the face!!!.......Ahhhh! I hate bullies and, and your own brother!"
I have never seen Brandon this mad before. He has been angry with me before, but I never felt threatened by him. He is pacing around the room and seams to be looking for something to punch. I hope he doesn't punch the wall, because then there would be two of us in casts. He looks at me and his whole demeanor changes. I think he can see how scared I am.
"Luke." He says in a lower voice. He brings a hand up to his mouth and I can see that his hand is trembling. "Please don't be scared. I'm in control."
I am relieved, but it's still tense. I get up and go to him. I need to just hold him. He sees what I'm doing and meets me halfway. I hug him the best I can with my stupid cast and he holds me tight. He is still breathing heavy and he is sniffing like he is holding back tears. Eventually, his breathing returns to normal. We are embracing for what seems like a half hour, but was probably more like a few minutes.
I break the silence, "Are you okay, Brandon?"
Brandon's POV
I spent the evening with Jon and I got a pretty good idea what kind of a guy he is. I never would have thought that he would be so cruel to anyone, let alone his own brother. An older brother is suppose to have his younger brother's back, not go against it. I thought that he may want to try to get along better with Jake. Even if he asks for forgiveness, I don't think that he deserves it.
"Didn't he tell his dad what had happened? Did Jon get in a lot of trouble?" I ask Luke.
"Not really." Luke said. "Jon talked to his dad first and he downplayed the whole event and made it sound like boy being boys' and clowning around. He was just teasing him like a lot of brothers do. Jon also told his dad that Jacob needs to man up' and not be such a wuss. You have to be able to take a little teasing and a few jabs or you'll be a mama's boy your whole life. So when Jacob tried to explain to his dad what had happened, his dad told him that he was acting like a child and needed to stand up for himself and be a man. Jake didn't get to tell his dad his side and his dad shut him down. That day he lost a lot of trust in his dad."
"Really?!!" I say. I sit back down on the bed and Luke sits next to me. "I thought Dr. Heiner was smarter than that. Obvious Dad has influence on him; I think I will talk to Dad about this. I'm also gonna have a nice little discussion with Jon. I'm not gonna just attack him without hearing his side of the story. That was the mistake Dr. Heiner made with Jake. He won't be able to justify it, and then I'll let him have it. What a dick wad!"
"Okay, back to what we were talking about earlier. Jake won't take his shirt off, but when I came into the room, he didn't have a shirt on. Why was that?" I asked.
Luke said, "He didn't trust me enough at first. The only way he would get in the tub without his shirt is if I closed my eyes while he got in. Then he was under the water, jets and bubbles so he was safe. He got more comfortable as we talked and I gained more of his trust. The bubbles dissipated and we turned off the jets to hear better. By this time I could mostly see his chest underwater. He looked fine to me except he was so white. I told him that I could see his chest and I didn't see anything wrong with it. He quickly covered it up, but I had already seen it. I had pulled the plug since we were going to get out. I asked him if he trusted me. He said yes, so I told him to uncover his chest. He looked at me, then down to my naked dick and must have realized that since I was all exposed, that he could take a chance and trust me. He did and I didn't see a thing wrong with him. He helped me get up and that is when you came in and helped me dry and then you dried him off. You should have seen his face. He was in shock and mortified that someone was drying his chest."
"Oh my gosh!" I said. "I had no idea. That must have been so uncomfortable for him. I thought that I was just helping. I'm so sorry Luke."
"Actually, Brandon, I think it kinda helped. You didn't seam to see anything out of the ordinary and just dried him off without making fun of him. You acted like he was normal even though he doesn't think he is. This event happened a couple years ago and he probably just went through a thing as he started puberty. I don't think he has girl titties and even if he did, I wouldn't embarrass him. I think he will get comfortable around us just like Grayson did eventually."
"Yeah, if he comes over to swim, we better make sure miss Chrissy isn't around the first time." I say. "I'm not sure we could trust her to keep her yip shut."
"I agree," says Luke. "I think if just you and I go swimming with him, he might trust us enough to swim without a shirt. First we need to be his friend and then we need to show him that he can trust us. I just met him and so I don't know a whole lot about him, but I feel that he keeps a lot of things inside. He finds it hard to trust, but wants to trust. He wants to be free, but scared that he'll be hurt."
"You are a very kind and perceptive young man, Luke. We need to make sure that Dad is on board so he can guide Dr. Heiner to be a better father. I'm gonna talk with Dad about what happened with Jacob and that his father brushed him off. I think that the doc wants to be a better and supportive father, but doesn't know how. You seam to have gained a lot of trust with Jacob already and I have the hard part, Jon."
"Jon seams to have an entitled aura about him. He is self centered, arrogant, stubborn and at the same time has poor self esteem. He picks on Jacob to show his dominance, shows off by talking back to his dad, and feels that everyone owes him something. I thought deep down that he is a good person, but after what you said he did to Jacob, I'm not sure. Though, I did get him to not call Jake a runt', so there might be some hope. I believe everyone should get a second chance, especially me. You took a leap of faith with me. I didn't think I was worthy of your forgiveness, and you said, Just ask me'. We still had some issues to work out, but you forgave me right then and there. You'll never really know how much...." I am verklempt and I can't speak.
"I know." Luke says. "All I have ever wanted was to have you love me. I was ready to accept you if you would ask, and you did. We have what we both wanted and our love runs deep. Brandon, I love you with all my heart and I trust you with my life. You are my brother."
Now I really can't talk. I just take Luke into my arms and hold him tight. I place my head on top of his and I kiss it. I just hold him so tenderly. I just keep kissing on the top of his head where my lips already are. After a few moments, I am able to say a few words.
"Oh Luke...I love you so much...I hope you can feel it because there aren't enough words in any of the languages I can speak that can express my love to you." I really think we are feeling the same way, and if he is feeling the same way towards me as I am towards him, then that's the only way we can understand. It makes sense in my mind.
"I really can feel it, Brandon. Without words, you now know how much I love you and I know how much you love me. I'm tired and if we can just go to sleep in each other's arms...well, I can't take you in my arms with this stupid cast, but you can hold me."
I slide down into the bed, under the covers and I open my arms and Luke slides next to me and he rests his head on my shoulder under my neck. We look at each other and we share a simple, yet loving kiss. I turn off the lamp and try to stay awake to enjoy the closeness I share with my brother. I am so blessed to have him in my life. Soon enough, I hear his breathing change and I know he is asleep. "I love you, my precious brother," I say and I kiss his head once again and fall asleep.