RA Adventures (C) KV 2000
If you're offended by sexual activities between men, or if you're younger than 18, it is my (sad) duty to ask you to leave. If you're over 18 and meant to be here, please, kick back, relax and enjoy! The response to the story thus far has far exceeded my expectations (especially with this being my first story). All I can say is thank you. There's more on the way, though please be patient with me. I'm dishing this out as fast as is reasonable (considering I actually have a career and what not). Do stay tuned for coming attractions. Also, I'm still adding people to the update list. If you'd like to be one of those people, just let me know.
Chapter 8
"Going out?" I asked, returning from my mad dash to the bathroom.
"Guess so."
"Cool. Look, I think I'm gonna head down to Florida in a little and go to the condo for the rest of the weekend. I really need some time to decompress and Elizabeth already told me nobody would be at her grandparents' condo this weekend."
"Seriously? What time would you leave?"
"I don't know, maybe in an hour or so. It's not that far, so it shouldn't take but a few hours. I'll probably leave so that I'm there before it gets too late."
"Sounds good. Wish I could join you, dude."
"Yeah, see what happens when you get whipped? Why it gotta be like that? You just dissin' your roomie. I should have known," I joked.
"Uh huh. Whatever." He flashed me a sideways grin before turning to pick up the phone.
I tromped back to my room to get my things together for the trip. I wished he could join me too. I *really needed to gain some perspective if I had any hopes of making it through the year in one piece. Yeah, that's planning ahead. Right.
I had most of my things in a bag when Clint lightly rapped on my door and strode in.
"Thanks," I said.
"For what?"
"Finally learning how to knock," I smiled, "Anyway, I'm pretty much done here. I'm gonna jet. Everything cool with Chris?"
"Yeah, I think. I'm supposed to meet her for dinner for a *talk." He said displaying mocking quivering hands followed by a quick roll of the eyes. I couldn't help but laugh.
"Good luck, noble warrior." I patted him on the shoulder as I walked past him toting my duffel bag.
"Travel safely, dude. Got your phone?" he asked.
"Yeah. I'll call tomorrow or something."
"Sounds good. Later, Kev."
"Bye." I said as I shut the door behind me.
I stowed my gear in the trunk and set a course for Elizabeth's house. After a quick stop to say hello and pick up the keys I was on my way. The sun hadn't even begun to set yet. By all calculations, I should be there just in time to take a quick late-night stroll along the beach and then head to bed.
Several hours and a few pit stops later I pulled into the driveway and grabbed my bag. The condo building was painted a terra-cotta color and was only about fifty yards from the shoreline. I could hear the gentle whisper of the waves crashing against the shore as I let myself into the condo.
I tossed my bag beside the master bed and slipped on a light jacket before directing my attention to the beach. The sound of the ocean grew louder in my ears as I slid open the glass door and walked out onto the wooden deck. It led down to a lower shared deck where the condo residents could sunbathe or read or just lie leisurely around. I climbed down the stairs from the main deck and shucked my sandals onto the cold sand. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and let the wind ruffle my hair as I walked along the water- packed sand.
I walked about a mile and back and then plopped down into a beach chair that someone had forgotten to take in. Poor them. Lucky me. I adjusted it so that it lay almost parallel to the ground and stared up at the stars. The moon was shining brightly and the rhythmic sounds of the ocean filled the air. Images of Michael, Matt and Clint flashed through my mind. I sat pondering recent events, future events and whatever limbo I was living in. I just let the sounds empty my mind and thoughts and concentrated on listening. I always loved the ocean -- it was awe-inspiring. It was somehow comforting to feel so small in the face of something so massive, so alive and so neutral. To me, it was a picture of nature itself - impartial and yet with a subtle perfection of form and balance. It was almost an entity of it's own.
When my eyelids grew too heavy to sustain deep thoughts I grabbed my sandals and treaded up to the condo. I left my sandals on the upper deck and walked into the warm of the inside. I shucked my clothes and slid under the fresh sheets.
I was awakened sometime later by some insistent buzzing noise. Wait, maybe it was a ringing noise.I forced my eyes open to locate the perpetrator. After stumbling around and pounding my innocent alarm clock several times I finally found my ringing and flashing cell phone. I mumbled a curse and picked it up.
"Make it good..." I said.
"Hello to you too," came back a deep familiar voice.
"Clint? What the hell are you doing calling me at three in the morning?!"
"Sorry bro. We'll kiss and make up later. Are you gonna let me in, or what?" My poor sleep-laden brain was not following.
"Huh?" was about all I could muster.
"You -- the door. Let Clint in. Please."
"Oh.um.okay, be right down." I said and hit the end button cutting off any further conversation. I sleepily stumbled down the stairs and finally succeeded in getting the door unlocked. I really hated the catatonic stupor being asleep put me in. When I finally got the door open, there stood Clint, flashing me a winner smile.
"I was beginning to wonder if you were going to get that door open after all."
"Dude, I'm too sleepy to come up with something witty to say. Grab your shit and pick a bed. I'm going to the john and I'm back to la-la-land."
That being said, I left the door ajar and climbed back up the stairs aiming for the bathroom. After adequately relieving myself I walked back into my bedroom. Sprawled out on one side of my bed on top of the sheets lay a very exhausted -- and very shirtless -- Clint. His gym bag had been dropped practically in the middle of the floor.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I suppose I could go find another room.and put sheets on the bed.and let Clint get away with it(?!). Yeah, it'd be a cold day in hell too.
I collapsed on my side of the bed and slid under the crisp sheets. I concentrated on clearing my head...listening to the waves...feeling the cool A/C on my skin...the intoxicating scent of Clint's cologne...the sound of his breathing. Shit. I turned over to face my roommate. He was lying on his stomach with his face turned toward me. Silvery moonlight spilled through the window falling across his back, which rose and fell with each breath. His skin was absolutely perfect...not a blemish in sight.
It looked paper-thin over well-honed muscles. I inhaled deeply and my nostrils were suddenly filled with Clint. I heaved a deep sigh and smiled at myself. Clearing my head. Ri-ight. I am *such a moron. I resisted an urge to brush a rebellious lock of jet-black hair from his face, and turned over to fall promptly asleep.
I woke up to sunlight streaming in the room. The sheets felt cool and soft on my skin. I turned over and hugged the pillow. There's really nothing like waking up to a cool comfortable bed and knowing you really don't have to get up if you don't want to. Though summer was fast ending, it was still warm enough on the beach to have the air- conditioner on. I felt it kick in and a stream of cool air caressed my body. The light scent of Clint's cologne wafted up to my nostrils and returned me to reality. I sat up and looked at my otherwise empty bed...the sheets were wrinkled where Clint had slept, but his bag had been moved. The reality of the situation suddenly dawned on me...Clint was here. I decided to go find out what had prompted his rather untimely arrival.
I rolled out of bed and after a quick stop at the restroom proceeded into the kitchen. Still no sign of Clint. What the hell, I thought. I'd see him sooner or later. Determined to not repeat past mistakes, I grabbed a bottle of light sunscreen and made my way out to the private deck. I slathered a thin coating of the sunscreen onto my skin and settled onto a nice lounger to soak up some rays. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day...the ocean was crystal-clear and the sky a deep blue. It looked very post-card-esque. I inhaled a deep breath of the salty air and relaxed.
Sometime later I heard the glass door behind me slide open. Feeling rather lazy I didn't bother turning around to acknowledge the interruption. A shadow played over my closed eyes further making its owner known. I glanced up to see Clint propped against the deck railing smiling at me. He was wearing sneakers and a pair of blue Onion-skin running shorts. Sweat glistened on his body and ran in little rivulets down his chest and abs. In one hand he held a water bottle and in the other my pair of Ruby Juliets.
"Thought you might want these," he said, handing me the shades.
"Thanks, dude," I said, returning his smile and taking them from him. "Good run?"
"The best. Nothing like a morning workout at the water's edge."
"Definitely. So, wow -- you're here."
"Yup."
"Just like that?" I asked.
"Yup," he answered, turning around to face away from me and downing some of the water.
"Wanna talk about it?" He didn't answer.
"Later?" I asked. Clint nodded, still looking out at the ocean. I decided not to push the envelope any further and dropped the subject.
"Any plans for today?" he asked.
"Nah, just chill and see what happens. I was just going to hang at the beach and then grab dinner or something later."
"Sounds good. Mind if I join you?"
"Do you really have to ask?" I smirked at him.
"Well, I know you were coming here for some down-time. I thought I'd at least give you the chance to take it."
I chuckled. "Nah, it's cool...but you still owe me for busting up my dreams at three in the freaking morning."
"Sorry about that. You were funny as hell, though."
"Shut up, stinky boy." I grabbed my towel and started down the stairs.
I paused about half way down long enough to look and see Clint still standing where I had left him.
"You coming?" I asked.
"Oh yeah, just giving you a head start McReardon. You're gonna need all the help you can get."
I bounded down the remaining stairs, dropped my towel, shoes and shades onto the sand and sprinted toward the water. When I'd reached hard enough sand to adequately run on, I took off. I was hoping Clint's earlier run would have worn him out a bit...and at least I could toy with him a little. No such luck. I turned around to see Clint fast gaining on me. I immediately made a stupid decision and ran into the soft sand to run the opposite direction. Like I said, dumb.
I made myself an easy target and Clint took full aim and tackled me into the sand. I scrambled around trying to gain some kind of footing and succeeded in getting about six feet away. As we would run our feet hit the abrasive sand and would make what I could only call squeaking noises. It was hilarious. We wrestled around for a little while...which was basically a hell of a lot more fun for Clint than me, given his extra few inches and what not. He eventually pinned my arms behind me in some uncomfortable pose and pulled me in tight. I could feel his sweaty chest pressed against my back and my mind immediately flashed to all those overly erotic stories I had read about guys wrestling...hot sun, hot skin, hot sex. My body must have tensed up again because he finally let me go and slapped me on the ass.
"You're still too uptight, Kev," He said laughingly and walked toward the water.
By some miracle I regained my composure without tenting my shorts. Big points for me. I dove into the water behind Clint and swam out several yards. I surfaced and looked around me. The water was as clear as I had ever seen it. I could see schools of little fish swimming around my feet. Even a good distance out, the water didn't get deeper than about chest high. I loved being in the ocean...there was something primordial in me that really felt some kind of connection. My attention was focused out on the horizon where a few lone sailboats were milling around. Clint's voice came from behind me.
"Nice, huh? We should go sailing sometime."
"You ever been, dude?" I asked.
"Yeah, a few times with my dad and uncles. It's a lot of fun once you figure out what you're doing."
"It looks it. So, wanna go back to shore?"
"Sure, pale face. I think some sun-time would do you good." He answered.
"You are an asshole, you do realize this..."
"Yeah, yeah. At least you still want my body."
I met his eyes and he looked completely serious. I was suddenly feeling all that familiar tension boiling to the surface. The waves lapped quietly against us and all I could hear was the sound of the wind blowing in my ears. I stared into his eyes and put on the most sincere and tentative expression I could muster. I left his gaze and let my eyes settle on his chest and torso.
"Can I...touch you?" I asked, lifting my eyes to his.
His expression went very blank...I could see the wheels in his head turning, his eyes studying my face for something. Finally I couldn't keep a straight face anymore and still look him in the eyes. I glanced down at his chest again and started chuckling. I looked back at his face and I was laughing in earnest. His face registered nothing but confusion.
"I really had you, Wallace." I managed to say between laughs.
"Kev, you are *so gonna pay for that one, buddy," he finally said smiling.
"Serves you right, Mr. I'm-all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips-too," I said, walking back toward the shore. Clint followed behind me and sped up to match my pace.
"Fair enough. Dude, you really had me going there. I thought you had turned all fag on me," he said, draping his arm along my shoulders.
"You mean... No kids?" I gasped and tried to look horrified for which he promptly repaid me with a swift punch to the arm.
After getting back to shore we both applied some sunscreen...though not to each other, unfortunately. I lay down and drifted gently to sleep.
I awoke some time later to Clint shaking my arm.
"C'mon, dude, we'd better go in or you're going to look something like a tomato tonight." I mumbled something incomprehensible and picked up my towel and gear and followed Clint back to the condo.
After sandwiches I walked straight into the bedroom and collapsed on the bed. I suppose I was trying to make some headway on the huge sleep deficit I had accumulated in college. I set my alarm clock (never leave home without it) for mid afternoon and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
When my alarm finally woke me up I headed for the shower to rinse the sand, salt and grime off my skin. I paused to check myself in the mirror. I had a little color in my cheeks, but nothing reminiscent of a tomato, so I was pleased. I set the shower to cool and let the water needle down onto my skin. It felt really refreshing to my slightly overly warm skin. After getting all the sand out of places it really shouldn't have been, I shut the water off and wrapped a towel around my waist.
I walked in the bedroom and slipped into a pair of pure-white cotton boxers. After applying some deodorant to stepped into the living room to find Clint asleep on the sofa. I shook him gently awake and asked him if he wanted to go for a seafood dinner before we had to leave the following day. He nodded, got up sleepily, and staggered to the bathroom.
After a delicious fresh-catch dinner we decided to walk along the beach for a while...soak up all we could before heading back to the city. We rolled up the legs of our jeans and walked peacefully along, shoes in hand.
"Damn, that mahi-mahi was good." I said.
"My stuff was pretty good, too. Can't beat fresh fish," he said, smiling mischievously. I just laughed.
"I thought you weren't going to be getting much more *fresh fish. Things were looking pretty good with you and Chris."
"Yeah, well..." he trailed off, not losing his stride. There was a not of bitterness and something else in his voice.
"What's that all about?"
"Oh, you didn't know?" he asked cynically. "Chris is taking a job in Boston in less than two months. I think she probably wanted to tell you herself, but oh well."
"Woah, whoah...What?! I thought she didn't have any real leads!" I stopped completely. He turned slowly around. His jaw was clenched but his icy blue eyes were all sadness
"Yeah, dude, so did I. She got a job she had interviewed for up there.
She didn't think she had a shot. Turns out she was wrong. I mean, it's great for her and all, I just..." he sighed, "I dunno."
"Dude, I'm so sorry. So, where does this leave things between you guys?" He just shrugged.
"Neither one of us really wants to do the whole long distance thing right now. I mean, I guess we have two months and then that's kind of it."
"Clint, you're not even going to *try to keep it up? It just seems like a cop out for both of you unless you're already having problems."
"No. No, we're not, or at least we haven't been, having problems. This was out of the clear blue," he said. "I guess I knew, in the back of my mind, that this was a possibility, but it was never something we really addressed, per se."
"So when is she leaving?" I asked.
"A couple of weeks before turkey day," he said. He turned and kept walking down the beach. We walked for what seemed like forever in silence. I couldn't think of something good to say, so I just kept my mouth shut.
Eventually we came to a rocky area of the beach. The beach felt more like pebbles than sand, so we slipped back into our shoes. Lying around a big central black boulder- looking thing were smaller rocks that were about waist high. The black rock gleamed in the moonlight. I sat down one and Clint did the same to my right.
"I don't know what to say, dude," I finally managed. "It just sucks, plain and simple."
"Yup. Life's a bitch and then you die," he said, standing up on the rock. He started trying to climb the larger black rock in the middle.
"What're you doing?"
"Trying to get my mind off of it. If she wants to move and leave me here, that's fine. I'm not gonna pout about it."
"Bullshit," I said. "Don't give me this prick attitude and act like it's no big deal. I know you Clint, and I know how much she means to you. I also know you didn't just drive down here 'cause you missed my smiling face."
"What do you want me to do, Kev?!" he asked, almost yelling. He climbed up the slick rock a few more steps. "Would it make you *feel better if I cried or some shit like that?" His tone dripped with sarcasm.
I turned and started walking back toward the condo.
"Where are you going?" he called out after me.
"Look, I don't need this shit," I said, keeping my voice perfectly even. "I don't know if you're just shocked, pissed or what. What I *do know is that you're being stupid as hell. There are some things in life you just have to do, or you'll forever wonder what it would have been like.
If you're not gonna give it a better shot, then don't bitch about her leaving. Think about it, dude, and whenever you're done climbing your fucking rock I'll be at the condo." I turned back around and calmly started walking back. I didn't lose my temper...bully for me.
Suddenly I heard a thud behind me. I turned around and Clint was nowhere to be seen. I stood there for a minute thinking he had jumped off, waiting for him to come around. He didn't. Fine, I thought, let him sort it out. I turned around and kept walking.
I had gotten about twenty paces away when I finally looked back, just to double check. Still no sign of him. Great, just my luck...smart ass decides to climb some stupid rock, falls off and gets a concussion. I walked back toward the rock. When I got close enough I heard something like a whining sound. I quickly closed the rest of the distance and walked around to the opposite side behind the rock. What I saw made me sick to my stomach.
Clint was just sitting there, his face blanched, sand in his hair, and he was just staring down at his left leg where a large red stain had formed. He had a faraway look in his eyes. I walked up and he still didn't acknowledge my presence. I knelt down and touched his arm.
"Shit," I mumbled. His eyes finally met mine and were wide with fear and shock. I looked down at his leg again and there was a huge gash running down the upper inside of his thigh. The sand underneath was bloodstained and his hands were dripping with it. He was losing blood fast. I pulled off my windbreaker and tore off my shirt and pressed it hard against the wound. I held it there but the blood kept seeping through the shirt until it was soaked and my hands were too. My stomach started to churn and my head was swimming. I looked up at Clint's face and he was white as a sheet. It was a lot of blood...too much.
"Clint! Here, put this jacket on and lie down. You're going into shock." He did and sank down.
I did my best to prop his feet up and pulled out my cell phone. I dialed 911 and they promised to have an ambulance there right away. I hung up and looked down at his leg again where I was still pressing hard. Right away might be too late. I had to get to the closest artery and press hard.
"Spread your legs," I said.
"What?" he asked.
"Spread your legs, I have to get to your arterial pressure point to try to get this bleeding stopped."
He spread his legs and hugged his chest. I slid in between his legs and put my hand on the inside of his leg as far up as I could go. The side of his crotch was pressed against the back of my hand. His leg felt warm and firm.
"This might hurt, but you're gonna be ok." I said. Clint nodded. I think I said it more for my benefit than his.
I pressed down hard against the artery in his groin. He grimaced and his body stiffened a little. I just kept pressing, hoping that it would at least slow the blood-flow to the gash. It worked. The bleeding slowed immensely. I looked up at Clint's face.
"It's working." I said relieved.
Tears rolled down his rugged cheeks. "Thank God," he whispered.
I heard the ambulance siren fast approaching. Soon we were swarmed with paramedics and the next thing I knew we were speeding toward the hospital.
Phew! There's chapter 8, but it's not all done yet. I've gotten great encouragement for this series and to all who have written, thank you. I'm enjoying writing, and I love that you're enjoying reading. If you haven't written, WRITE ME!!! I'm doing my best to keep up with my e-mails, and I love hearing from everyone...comments, suggestions...whatever. Stick around! Farscape20@hotmail.com