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 Two, Part One Kyle's Perspective Monday, January 3, 2005
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After breakfast, Chris and Taylor excused themselves, as they both had to get to work. Jake, Jordan, Matt, and I stayed at the restaurant for another fifteen or twenty minutes sipping coffee and exchanging small talk. Since Jake and Chris had come in Chris' car, we had to drive Jake back to his house, but he asked to come over to our apartment first because he needed to email one of his students and didn't have access to his email until he got back to work the next day. So we took Jake with us back to our apartment and I then took him into the guest bedroom, where we keep our computer, and logged into my UNC-Wilmington email account so that Jake could email his student, a Nick Jensen, from what I could see reading over his shoulder as he typed. I suppose some people would consider that to be invasion of privacy, but I figured I had every right to read Jake's email to Nick, considering that he was using my email address. After sending his email to Nick, Jake followed me back into the living room, where we found Matt and Jordan sitting on the sofa, making out.
"Don't you get jealous seeing them make out like that?" Jake asked.
"No, I don't," I answered, "They both love each other just as much they love me, so why should I be jealous?"
"Bro, I swear I don't know how you do it."
"You mean the threesome?" I asked, "Well, Jake, to be honest I don't understand your relationship with Chris."
"What's so hard to understand about it?"
"How it works," I said, "I mean I just can't fathom how a relationship between only two people can work. I mean it's probably because I've never experienced it, but then again I don't want to."
"Well, I suppose I can see your point," Jake said. "Just as your relationship looks strange to me, I guess it'd only be natural that mine would look strange to you."
"Well, I'll drive you back to your place, Jake," I said. "Though you're welcome to stay here and hang out for awhile, if you like."
"Well, I wouldn't mind hanging out with you guys," Jake said, "But, I should get back to the house, because I need to finish up my lesson plans for tomorrow."
"Okay," I said, "Just give me a second to say goodbye to my guys."
As Jake grabbed his jacket and put it on, I went over to the sofa and sat down on Matt and Jordan's laps and joined in on their kiss. Jordan quickly put his arm around my back and Matt started running his hand through my hair, as our tongues eagerly darted around in each other's mouths, exploring every inch. After about three minutes, I could hear Jake clearing his throat, so as much as I didn't want to, I pulled back from my kiss with Matt and Jordan and said, "Okay, well, I have to drive Jake home. I'll be back soon."
"Okay, Kyle, I love you," said Jordan, with a smile.
"Love you too, Ky," Matt said, as I got up and he pinched my ass, which made me jump a bit.
As a bit of payback, I then reached over and messed up Matt's hair, which I know he hates, because he pulled his head away almost as soon as my hand touched it.
"Later guys," I said as I grabbed Jordan's keys from the table near the door, "Come on Jake."
I was halfway out the door when Jordan put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me back into the apartment.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm driving my brother home."
"Not with my car you aren't," admonished Jordan, as he held out his hand, "Give me my keys."
"Jordan, in case you forgot, the keys for your car aren't the only car keys on your ring."
"Yes, I know that," Jordan said, "Matt's car keys are on my ring too, but you can drive your own, so hand them over."
"Oh fine," I said, as I handed Jordan his key ring and he gave me mine in return.
"Okay, now you can leave," Jordan said with a grin, "I love you, honey."
Not being able to resist, I said, "Love you too, Danny-boy," as Jake laughed at my using the nickname he always uses on Jordan.
"Oh not you too!"
I just gave Jordan a quick kiss on the cheek to apologize, and then headed over to the elevator with Jake. As we rode down to the parking garage, I asked, "So, did Ryan say when he'd be arriving?"
"Tomorrow," replied Jake, "I kinda wish he could have come today so I wouldn't end up having to deal with him moving back in on my first day back to work though."
"Well, if you need any help getting him moved in," I offered, "Let me know. Matt, Jordan, and I will gladly help."
"Thanks, bro," Jake said, "When we get back to the house, I'll give you the spare key so that in case Chris and I are at work when Ryan arrives, you can get him moved back in."
"Okay, sounds good."
As we arrived into the parking garage, Jake asked, "So, what exactly was up with Jordan not wanting you to drive his car?"
"It's because of insurance reasons," I replied, "I'm not listed on Jordan's car insurance, because while the company does recognize domestic partners, they will not recognize more than one, so Matt and Jordan are on Jordan's insurance, but I'm not. So, Jordan is really just being careful, because should I get in an accident driving his car and it ended up being my fault, his insurance would refuse to pay the bills, because I'm not on his policy. And while the fact we all have partial scholarships does help us in terms of college tuition, it still doesn't leave us with a ton of extra income to pay unnecessary bills."
"Well, Kyle, if you ever need anything," Jake said, "Please feel free to come to Chris and me. I may not make much as a high school teacher with only one and a half years of seniority, but Chris does make a very good living as a real estate agent. And, of course, if your various bills got to be too much, you'd always be welcome to move in with Chris and me. In fact, Jordan, Matt, and you could even have your old room back."
"Well, thanks for the offer, bro," I replied, "I don't think I'll be taking you up on it, but it's nice to know that it's there, should something bad happen."
"Hey, no problem, what are brothers for?"
"Other than being annoying?" I said and grinned at Jake, "I'm just kidding. Seriously though, thank you Jake, and I know I don't say it often, but I do love you."
"I love you to, Kyle," Jake said, as I pressed the button to unlock the doors of my blue 2001 Buick Century. Okay, it wasn't the sportiest of cars and perhaps not what some people would have expected a twenty-one year old college student to be driving, but it ran well and looked nice, and being on a fixed income, I couldn't afford a more expensive vehicle. After all, a car, when reduced to its most basic level, is really nothing more than a means to get from point A to point B, so I figured it wasn't worth putting myself into more debt to get a fancy sports car, as the college loans to pay for what wasn't covered by my partial scholarship had already created more debt than I was truly comfortable with. What need did I really have of a sports car anyway? The main reason most people get one anyway is to impress people and score dates, which I certainly didn't need, considering that I was, and still am, very happily committed to Matt and Jordan.
After about twenty minutes, we pulled onto the street that Jake and Chris' house was on. The house they live in was formerly my parent's house, although we never really spent a ton of time there, because the property was a secondary home which we rarely used. My mother had inherited the house from her parents and couldn't bear to sell it, despite us living in Jacksonville, Florida, at the time. When my dad passed away and mom went catatonic with grief, the house ended up in Jake and Chris' ownership, and the house in Jacksonville was sold to raise money for both Jake's and my own college educations at UNC-Wilmington. As we got closer to the house, and in turn pulled into the driveway, we couldn't help but notice the taxicab parked in front of the house.
As we got out of the car, the rear passenger door of the cab opened and out got Jake's and my older brother, Ryan.
"Ryan!" exclaimed Jake, a bit taken aback, "I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."
"I managed to get an earlier flight," revealed Ryan, "Now, could we save the greetings for a moment? Get my luggage out of the cab and pay the driver? I would've just sat out on the porch, but it's a bit too cold for that, so I've been sitting here in the cab for the last hour and a half, with the meter running."
"I'll handle the cab, Ryan," Jake said, "Kyle can help you with your luggage."
As Jake went over to the driver's window to pay the cab fee, Ryan and I quickly got his luggage from the trunk of the cab. As we were walking up to the house, Ryan asked, "I hate to ask, but have we heard from Sean?"
"Nope," I replied, "Must not need money."
"Well, I hope he shows up here."
"Why?"
"Well, Jake," Ryan responded, "Because then it'll be time for me, as the eldest, to kick his butt into rehab before he kills himself."
"I'd be all for that," I said, "I mean I shared a room with him for sixteen years so I don't want to have to plan his funeral."
"None of us do, Ky," agreed Ryan, "So, if Sean does show up here, I for one am going to do everything in my power to get him into rehab. Even if that means going to court and having him declared incompetent to make his own decisions, because I refuse to have to plan my younger brother's funeral. As the eldest, I'm supposed to die first and I damn well intend to."
"Ry, please don't talk like that."
"Well, Jake," Ryan said, as we entered the house, "I didn't mean today or tomorrow. I meant several decades from now, but you get my point, I'm sure."
"Yeah, we get it," I said. "And I suppose I can see where you're coming from, Ry. As the oldest, you helped mom and dad raise Jake, Sean and I, so in a way, seeing him die before you would be like seeing your own child predecease you, which is something no parent should ever have to experience."
"Exactly, Ky," Ryan agreed, "When did you get so smart, little brother?"
"I'll ignore that," I said, with a grin, as Jake and I helped Ryan carry his luggage up to his old bedroom, "At any rate, welcome home, bro."
"Thanks, Kyle," Ryan said. "It's good to be home."
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Chapter Two, Part Two Nick's Perspective Monday, January 3, 2005
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Later that night the initial shock of finding out that I was going to be spending an extra hour everyday with Jake had worn off, however that doesn't mean that I was dreading tomorrow any less. I don't know why I was dreading spending all that extra time with Jake, I mean, he's just another human being right? Of course at the time my mind kept saying, 'Yeah, he's just another human being, but he's also the hottest human being you've ever met!' Eventually, I came to the conclusion that sitting there alone in my bedroom with nothing else to occupy my thoughts is what was fueling the increasing dread of tomorrow that I was feeling, so I decided to go spend some time with my Uncle Erik before I ended up going totally insane.
I found him sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed watching a movie, so as I'd done so many times before, I went over and sat down next to him, putting my right leg in his lap and my left leg on top of his legs. As I cuddled up to him, he simply wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close, as I rested my head against his shoulder and started watching the movie he was watching, which I soon recognized as 'Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones'. It was up to the part where the Senate grants Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers to deal with the growing threat to the Republic.
I suppose that to some people, my cuddling up to my Uncle Erik like I often do probably seems strange and not something that an uncle and nephew would do, but I've always been very close to my uncle and we share a very deep bond with one another. A bond which only got stronger when my parents passed away and my uncle took custody of me. We're the only family that the other has, so over the years we've grown very close. Whenever I need anything, big or small, my uncle is always there for me. That's why it hurt me so much when I saw how upset my uncle was about me failing Jake's class last year.
My uncle and I just sat there watching the movie in silence, until finally, it came to an end and my uncle turned off the TV.
Wrapping his other arm around me and resting his chin on top of my head, my uncle asked, "So, Nick, are you looking forward to tomorrow?"
"I was," I replied, "Until this afternoon."
"What changed?"
"I got an email from my geography teacher," I answered, "I know about his plans to tutor me and how persistent you were about it."
"Well, Nick, I'm just doing what any other responsible and caring parent would do if they saw their child barely passing a class which he should have no problem with."
"Well, if you promise not to get mad at me, I'll tell you the reason for my doing so poorly in the class."
"I promise not to get mad," my uncle said, after a moment, "Now, what's the reason?"
"Well, last year, I intentionally failed the class."
"What? Why?"
"You're mad, I can tell."
"Nick, I'm not mad," my uncle reassured, as he hugged me, "But, just tell me why would you intentionally fail geography?"
"Because I have a crush on the teacher," I replied, "A very bad one and I wanted another year in his class."
"So you intentionally failed the class so that you could be in his class a second year? A bit risky don't ya think?"
"In retrospect, yes, it was risky, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. You're not mad?"
"No, Nick, I'm not," my uncle answered, "I suppose some parents would be, but it wasn't all that long ago that I was in school myself, and I'd be lying if I said that I had never had a crush on one of my teachers or that the thought of being in their class for a second time would be great. If anything, I'm kinda jealous of you that you had the guts to actually do something that I had considered doing once myself but decided not to."
"You mean you considered failing a class intentionally too?"
"Yes, I did. It was during my junior year in high school and we had this new gym teacher which I just couldn't stop fantasizing about."
"He must have been really cute."
"Why do you just assume it was a guy?" My uncle asked with a lopsided grin. "I am bisexual, you know, it could have been a girl."
"I can read you like a book, Uncle Erik," I said with a grin. "I can tell by the look on your face that it was a guy. So, was he cute?"
"Yes, he was," replied my uncle, "He was actually in his thirties I guess, but I swear he didn't look a day older than twenty. I was so entranced by him that I seriously considered failing his class, but in the end I didn't because I thought it would make me the laughing stock of the school if I failed gym class, especially considering that I was the star quarterback and captain of the school's varsity football team."
"Yeah," I agreed. "That certainly wouldn't have made you look good."
I don't know how long my uncle and I stayed in the living room talking, but I can only assume that I must have fallen asleep and he in turn carried me into my bedroom, because that's where I later woke up. The noise that woke me was that of thunder, which terrified me more then I can even put into words. I know some people would probably find it strange for a person my age to be afraid of thunder, but I am because it reminds me of an event from my past which I wish I could forget. My other greatest fear is of the dark, which is why my uncle Erik put nightlights in every room of the house, so that it would never be completely dark in the house, should I wake up in the middle of the night.
As the room was lit up even more as a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, there was a light knock on my door, after which it opened to reveal my uncle Erik, wearing nothing more than a pair of black boxer-briefs and black athletic t-shirt. Without saying a word, he closed my bedroom door and came over to my bed and got in next to me, wrapping his strong arms around my quivering body. I should probably interject at this point that my uncle and I were not then, nor will we ever be, lovers or anything, but he knew how frightened I was, and rather than leaving me there alone in my bedroom too afraid to sleep, he came in and cuddled with me so that I would feel safe and could fall asleep. As I said, whenever I needed anything, no matter how big or small, I could always count on my uncle Erik to be there to give it to me.
Despite the raging thunder outside, my uncle's strong arms wrapped around me soon calmed me enough to fall asleep. My last memory before falling asleep, my head lying on my uncle's chest, was of my uncle gently running a hand through my hair and humming softly in my ear.
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To be continued.