A Tale of Three By J.C. Vascardi
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Legal Disclaimer: This story is fictional, as are the characters featured herein, which are solely the product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, either living or dead, is entirely coincidental. If you are under the age of eighteen, offended by male/male material, or if such material cannot be legally viewed where you live, then you should be leaving now. Otherwise, please enjoy the story.
Character Profiles: http://jayson.worldofslash.com/a-tale-of-three/profiles/index.htm Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/storiesbyjayson Writing Journal: http://jaycolin.livejournal.com
This story is ©2004-2010, 2011 by J.C. Vascardi. This story is the sole property of its author and may not be copied, in whole or in part, posted on any other website, or included in any form of book or media, without the explicit written permission of the author.
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Chapter One, Part One Jordan's Perspective Monday, January 3, 2005
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As I awoke from my slumber, I lifted my head from my pillow and glanced at the alarm clock. It wasn't due to go off for another hour, so I laid my head back down on the pillow, despite not really being tired anymore. I suppose some would ask why I didn't just get up if I wasn't tired, but the answer to that is that I didn't want to wake up Matt or Kyle, plus I just couldn't help but revel in the warmth and pleasure it brought me to be laying there spooning Matt and being spooned by Kyle.
The three of us have known each other since the age of five when we met in kindergarten. We almost instantly became the best of friends, and were constantly hanging out at each other's houses. Over the years, our friendship deepened and by the time we all entered high school, we had all reached the realization that we were gay and hopelessly in love with one another. So we started dating and have been together ever since. True, a threesome relationship probably seems strange or unorthodox to those on the outside looking in and they probably can't help but wonder how three people can be in a relationship together and make it work. But, to be perfectly honest, I could never even begin to imagine how only two people could make a relationship work.
As I laid there awake in bed, my eyes fell upon the tattoo on Matt's arm, which is similar to the armband tattoos which Nick and Drew Lachey of 98° have, except Matt's has the initials MJK written above the band. Kyle and I both have a similar tattoo, only with our initials first, so Kyle's says KMJ and mine says JMK. We had gotten the tattoos three years earlier shortly after graduating from high school. It was our own symbolic way of binding ourselves to one another for all time. Where Nick and Drew's armbands are meant to represent their brotherly love for one another, our armbands are meant to represent our undying commitment towards one another. So regardless of the fact that our relationship isn't the most conventional of relationships, it still works very well, because like all successful relationships, a very deep and abiding love is at the very core of ours.
Lying there thinking about the past, I totally lost track of time, and soon the warm glow of sunlight was beginning to peak through the blinds, and I could feel Kyle beginning to stir behind me.
"Jordan?" asked Kyle, as I turned my head to look at him, "How long have you been awake?"
Quickly glancing back at the clock, I turned back to Kyle and replied, "About an hour."
"Why didn't you wake us?" asked Matt, as he turned around in my arms to face Kyle and me.
"It just felt so good laying here with you two," I replied, "I didn't want it to end."
"Oh that's so sweet," Kyle said. "I could kiss you."
"Please, not until you brush," I said with a grin.
"Are you trying to say I have morning breath?"
"Yes, Kyle," replied Matt, before I could answer, "very bad morning breath."
As if he didn't believe what we were telling him, Kyle then put his hand over his mouth and nose and exhaled. Shortly after, he wrinkled his nose a bit and replied, "Okay, you're right. So, how about we all head into the bathroom and brush? Then maybe we can make out a bit?"
"Oh I love the way you think," I replied with a smile, as the three of us disentangled ourselves from one another, got up, and headed for the bathroom.
Once in the bathroom, the three of us began our usual morning routine of brushing teeth, shaving, and stealing glances at one another in the mirror. After finishing brushing his teeth, Kyle walked over to the spacious shower stall in the corner of the room and turned on the water, before he asked in a very seductive voice, "Care to join me?"
"Do you even have to ask?" Matt asked in response, as he grinned.
"Guys, remember our breakfast date," I said, referring to the date we had for the morning to meet and have breakfast with Matt's younger brother, Taylor, and Kyle's older brother, Jake and his partner, Chris.
"Oh we can still shower together," Kyle interjected. "We'll behave and we'll get to the restaurant in plenty of time."
"You don't honestly believe that do you?" asked Matt, as he looked at Kyle with a questioning grin.
"Have you already forgotten the last time?" I asked. "It was nearly lunch time before we got to the restaurant, and Jake and Chris were long gone. Taylor waited, although he wasn't happy about it."
"Yes, I remember," Kyle said with a frustrated sigh. "How could I possibly forget? You keep reminding me."
After that, Kyle got into the shower by himself, although he made a point of making it quite clear that he wasn't remotely happy about it. After Kyle finished in the shower, he headed back into the bedroom to get dressed, while Matt showered, followed by myself last. When I got out of the shower and came into the bedroom, I found Matt and Kyle sitting on the bed, kissing. Any anger that Kyle had felt was obviously gone, so after I finished getting dressed, I joined in on Matt and Kyle's lip-lock and the three of us then enjoyed a very nice triple kiss for the next couple minutes, before the alarm on Matt's watch went off, which signaled that it was time for us to get going to the restaurant.
"Okay, well, we'd better get going," replied Matt. "Don't want to be late again. If you think we keep reminding you about the last time Kyle, just think how bad Jake and Chris will be if we're late again."
"Yes, I know," said Kyle, "Jake always has been a very punctual person and Chris is exactly like him, which is probably why they get along so well."
"I still don't understand it though," I commented. "How on Earth do Jake and Chris do the whole couple thing?"
"Having never experienced it for myself," answered Matt. "I'm not sure to be honest. But, I guess not everyone can be lucky enough to realize that while two heads may be better than one, three is definitely better than two."
"Yes, that's true," Kyle agreed with a grin. "Of course if you count other heads, six heads are better than three."
"Oh Kyle, you're such a horn dog."
"Are you complaining, Jordan?"
"Me? Complain? No way," I answered, "You may be a horn dog, but you're my horn dog, and I love you more than life itself."
"Correction," Matt said, as he pulled Kyle and me into a hug. "He's our horn dog."
After a quick three-way hug, Kyle said. "Okay, well, we'd better get going or we'll never hear the end of it from Jake."
"Agreed, let's go," I said, as the three of us left the bedroom and headed out into the living room of our apartment.
Once in the living room, Kyle went over to the closet and retrieved our jackets and I quickly detoured into the kitchen to grab my keys. Pausing briefly to put on our jackets, we opened the front door and walked out into the hallway of our apartment building. Just as I was locking our door, the door across the hall from us opened, and we heard one of our neighbors yawn ever so slightly, as he stepped out of his apartment and knelt down to pick up his newspaper. I say one of them, because I really couldn't tell you which one it was, because our neighbors were a set of identical twins, Andrew and James Matthews, who attended University of North Carolina - Wilmington with Kyle, Matt, and I, although since our majors were all different, we weren't in many classes together.
"Good morning," Matt said, before asking. "Which one are you?"
With a slight laugh, he replied, "Drew."
"Ah, okay," said Kyle. "Sorry, we didn't recognize you with so little clothing on."
Drew was wearing only a pair of black silk boxers, of course, Kyle wasn't exactly telling the truth when he said that Drew wearing so little clothing was the reason that he didn't recognize him. Like many identical twins, Drew and James almost always dress alike, so it wouldn't really matter in determining which is which, but Kyle, the horny little devil (and I mean that in the most loving possible way) that he is, probably couldn't resist pointing out the fact that Drew was clad only in his underwear. He also probably couldn't resist taking a moment to check him out, not that I blame him of course, because Drew certainly isn't hard on the eyes.
"So where are you three off to this early?"
"We're meeting Matt and Kyle's brothers for breakfast," I said.
"Cool. Well don't let me keep you," said Drew. "I'd better get back inside anyway and help Jay cook our breakfast."
"Okay, well, enjoy," said Matt, "and maybe one of these days we can all get together and have a little party or something before winter break is over."
"Sounds good," said Drew. "I look forward to it. See ya guys later."
Matt, Kyle, and I all said a quick goodbye to Drew, before heading over to the elevator to go down to the parking garage, while Drew went back into his apartment.
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Chapter One, Part Two Jake's Perspective Monday, January 3, 2005
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As I arrived at the restaurant with Chris, I wasn't the least bit surprised to see that my brother and his partners were nowhere to be found. Matt's brother Taylor met us in the parking lot, and the three of us then proceeded into the restaurant, telling the hostess that we were expecting three more. I was trying to give Matt, Jordan, and my brother the benefit of the doubt, but in the back of my mind, I couldn't help but wonder if this was going to end up like our last breakfast date, in which they were late, and Chris and I just gave up and went home to eat breakfast. I later found out from Taylor that they finally did arrive around noon and that the reason they were so late was because they had gotten preoccupied while showering that morning and lost track of time. A part of me wanted to condemn them for not being on time, but the other could also understand it because I'll admit that I have lost track of time more than once while in the shower with Chris.
I was soon brought out of my thoughts when Taylor asked, "So, Jake, what's new with you?"
"Oh nothing that exciting," I replied. "Be glad you're in college, because you have a longer winter break. I have to go back to work tomorrow."
"Hmm, that sucks."
"Well, don't get me wrong," I said. "I do enjoy teaching and it'll be nice to see my students again, but I certainly wouldn't mind having another week off like you do."
"Well, I remember high school all too well," said Taylor. "I'm glad I'm out of it, because let's face it, college is just so much more fun."
"Just make sure you don't have too much fun," said Chris. "Make sure you actually study too."
"Oh don't worry, Chris," Taylor said with a grin. "My brother and both his boyfriends would kick my butt from here to Timbuktu if they didn't think I was studying enough. Plus, I can always get some help from Jordan, since we're both majoring in art history."
"Did I hear my name?" asked Jordan, as he approached our table with Matt and my brother.
Looking at his watch and then getting a shocked look on his face, Chris exclaimed, "Oh my god! They're actually on time!"
"Miracles can happen, I guess," I said, at which point Kyle slapped me in the back of the head, and said, "Sheesh, we're late once and you hold it against us forever. Give us a break, bro."
"I'm sure Taylor must have told you why we were late, didn't he?"
"Yes, Matt, he did," answered Chris, with a grin on his face. "You guys were late because you made the biggest mistake that a couple can make when they're supposed to be someplace: shower together."
"Well, we were just trying to conserve water," said Jordan, "and we thought it would be faster."
"Well, ya thought wrong, Danny-boy," I said, using the nickname I often call Jordan just because I know he doesn't like it.
"Jake, how many times do I have to ask you not to call me that?"
"Oh about a hundred more times," I said, grinning from ear to ear, "and then I'll consider stopping."
"So, I ask you a hundred more times," said Jordan, "and then you'll consider stopping, meaning that there's a chance you could decide not to?"
"You got it, Danny-boy," I replied, as Jordan closed his eyes, and I could tell he was silently cursing me under his breath, which was exactly the reaction I was hoping for.
I should probably clarify at this point that I don't dislike Jordan, because he's a great guy and he does make my brother very happy. To be honest, I consider Jordan to be one of my closest friends, but that doesn't mean that I can't have a little fun with him every now and then.
"Oh, Kyle, we got a phone call yesterday," commented Chris, after a few moments of silence.
"Wow, you guys got a phone call?" asked Kyle with a truly shocked look on his face, before he said, "I didn't know you guys had friends who called you."
"You call us," I said.
"Well, that's different, I'm family."
"Ah, well, the person who called us was family," revealed Chris. "It was your brother Ryan."
"What did Ryan want?" asked Kyle.
"Well, it seems he lost his job over in Europe," I replied, "and now he wants to move back in."
Ryan is Kyle's and my eldest brother who is now thirty years old. He had been working over in Europe doing consulting work for a commercial real estate agency, but due to some budget cutbacks, Ryan's job became unnecessary and he was let go. So, with no real reason to stay in Europe anymore, he decided to move back to the states, and of course right away asked if he could move back home into mom and dad's old house, which Chris and I have owned since Kyle's and my father passed away and we had to put our mother in a psychiatric ward, because she's been catatonic ever since dad passed away.
"So, are you going to let him?" asked Matt, after the waitress came and took our orders.
"Well, he is family," I said. "So, I just wouldn't feel right turning him away, especially after he just lost his job."
"Yeah, well, it'll be nice to see Ryan again," said Kyle. "I've missed him while he's been in Europe. I'm almost afraid to ask, but have you heard from Sean?"
Sean is Kyle's and my other brother, who at twenty-three is between Kyle and I in age. He's always been the black sheep of the family and while he's always said he didn't have a problem with Kyle being gay and me being bi, I've always suspected that he did have a problem with it; just by the way he acted around us after finding out. He's also had problems with alcohol, drugs and gambling, which nearly cost him his life once and has drained his back account more times than I can count.
"No, I haven't," I replied, "I guess he doesn't need any money. Although to be honest, even if he was calling to ask for money, I'd be happy, because then at least I'd know he wasn't lying dead in a ditch somewhere from an overdose or alcohol poisoning or something."
"Yeah, that's true," Kyle agreed. "I really hope that he cleans up his act one of these days, because I really don't want to have to plan his funeral."
"Trust me bro," I said, as I reached over and squeezed Kyle's shoulder, "I don't want to have to do that either. So, let's just hope that he realizes the error of his ways and gets the help he needs."
Shortly after this, the waitress came out with our breakfasts, so we started eating and exchanging occasional bits of small talk, but the rest of the morning was rather subdued in terms of conversation.
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Chapter One, Part Three Nick's Perspective Monday, January 3, 2005
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Most people my age would be dreading going back to school after winter break, but I wasn't. It's not because I was a nerdy kid who got straight A's in everything, because I never really cared about things like grade point averages. That isn't to say that I didn't get good grades in school, because I usually managed to get B's and C's in most things, with the occasional A thrown in. Of course there was one class during my junior year, which I managed to get an F in all six mark periods, and hence failed the class and ended up repeating it during my senior year. However, I wasn't upset about having to repeat World Geography because I purposely failed it so that I could repeat it.
I suppose that must sound very strange to most people that a person would purposely do bad in a subject so that they could repeat it, but that's exactly what I did. The reason you see is because I really wanted to have Mr. Bradley as a teacher again. My junior year was his first year teaching, and before he came along, I can honestly say that I never once found myself attracted to one of my teachers. But, Mr. Bradley was different, because he had just graduated from college the previous year, unlike most of my other teachers who had been teaching for over thirty years. The second I saw Mr. Bradley walk into the classroom I was instantly hooked and it was then that I decided that I simply had to fail his class so that hopefully I could get him again during my senior year. In retrospect, that was a risky decision, because I could have ended up with Mrs. Rawlins as my geography teacher senior year, but it worked out the way I had hoped and I got put back in Mr. Bradley's class.
Of course even though I would have loved another year with Mr. Bradley, I knew that I had to start applying myself a little more during my senior year, because my school required three years of social studies for graduation, and at that point I'd only completed two years. Despite my crush on the teacher, I did want to be able to graduate with the rest of my class, even if it meant never seeing Mr. Bradley again. Of course another reason for starting to apply myself more in geography class was because of my Uncle Erik, who I'd gone to live with after my parents died, who really was not happy when I failed geography because I had never failed a class before and he didn't think I was realizing my full potential. My uncle has really given me a lot and has always been my rock, so despite my joy in being placed back in Mr. Bradley's class my senior year, I also couldn't help but feel sad, because I felt like I had let my uncle down.
I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard the computerized voice, "You've got mail" coming from my computer. Since I had nothing better to do at the time, I sat down at my computer and opened my inbox to find one new email in it listed as being from a K. Bradley. The first thought that popped into my mind, however impossible it seemed, was that the email was from my geography teacher Mr. Bradley, but then I remembered that while I didn't know his first name, I did know that his first initial was J, not K, because it appeared on my report card. Upon opening the email, I realized that it was from someone who either taught at or was a student at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, as the email address was from their server. However, upon starting to read the email, I quickly realized that it wasn't from someone at UNC-Wilmington, but, much to my surprise, from my geography teacher!
The email read:
Dear Mr. Jensen,
As you well know, you failed my World Geography class last year, and now during the course of the first semester of school this year, you did manage to pass my class, however just barely with a D average. I recently received a call at my home from your uncle, asking me if there was a way in which I could help you to improve your grades in my class. Instead of embarrassing you by asking you to stay after class, I decided to email you, but since I do not have access to my email account at work until school starts tomorrow, I borrowed my brother Kyle's email account, which he still has access to, despite the fact that UNC-Wilmington is out for winter break for another week.
I want to see you reach your full potential, Nick, and from talking with your other teachers, in whose classes you're doing much better, I don't think you are reaching your full potential in my class. Because I want to see you succeed, and because your uncle was persistent enough to call the principal on a daily basis until she finally gave him my home phone number, I've decided that the best course of action is for me to tutor you, for an hour every day after school. Since my classroom is already used for an after school activity hosted by another teacher, and because my office is barely big enough for me, let alone two people, these tutoring sessions will have to take place either at your own home or mine. I've left the choice up to your uncle, to choose whichever he feels more comfortable with, but I asked him to allow me to relay the news to you. I look forward to tutoring you, Nick, and I also look forward to you getting straight A's in my class from now on, because I will not settle for less.
Yours sincerely, Jake Bradley
I think I must have read the email like three times before it finally sunk in. Mr. Bradley, Jake, wanted to tutor me every day after school in his house! Or mine, depending on my Uncle Erik's decision, but even then, it meant I'd get to spend an extra hour a day with one of the hottest guys I'd ever met. I barely managed to get from my computer to my bed before my body went numb from being so overwhelmed by a turn of events that I would never have suspected would happen in a million years. A mixture of so many emotions filled my head that I didn't know which way was up. For one, I was overjoyed about spending time with Mr. Bradley. On the other hand, I was terrified of spending time one on one with him. I mean it was one thing to be in class with thirty other kids and lust after your teacher, but it's quite another when you're sitting in a room alone with them while they give you one on one help. I couldn't help but think that now I'd probably end up sitting so close to him that I would be able to feel his breath or maybe even brush against him. As much of a dream come true as that was to me, I still couldn't help but be afraid. For the first time since winter break started, I was actually doing what most other people my age were doing: dreading the end of winter break.
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To be continued.