---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction. Any similarities to real people and events are coincidental. This story contains adult themes and relationships and is not intended for those who are underage. If for any reason it is illegal for you to read this story, or you are offended by stories of this nature, do not read it.
This is my first submission. This is only the first chapter of the story; I intend to follow up with the next chapter soon. Please tell me what you think (thetaraist@hotmail.com). -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The July sun beat down on his bare shoulders and off the bridge of his nose as he pushed the lawn mower across his mother's back yard. High school graduation was already about a week ago, and yet it had not sunk in for Matt. He couldn't believe that it was finally over. Sure, Matt had a pretty good circle of friends in his small high school class in rural Indiana, but they were like most high school relationships: superficial. He never really felt close to any of his friends, at least, not close enough to reveal his innermost thoughts and ideas without feeling vulnerable to personal attack. It appeared that he had a good high school career, he maintained grades acceptable to his father, was very respected by his school's drama and theater group, and held his high popularity status with his charming, bubbly personality. Matt, however, recognized the plasticity of high school, and was ready to move on to pursuing his acting career. College was what his parents had in mind, but Matt wished to first spend a year abroad. He, after all, had spent time in Europe, albeit only ten days in France sightseeing, and he was about to spend six entire weeks in Germany as an exchange student at a Gymnasium, the German college prep high school. He would be more than the typical tourist this time; Matt was staying with a family of a student his age, Konrad, who had spent the month of April with Matt's family in Indiana, also as an exchange student.
As he continued mowing the lawn, Matt reflected on his month with Konrad; it really amazed him how well they hit it off. Konrad shared Matt's passion of theater; in fact, Matt was going to be attending a theater workshop in France with Konrad during his stay this summer. But, despite their share of interests, Matt was sure there was something more that created the bond between him and Konrad, and he struggled to put his finger on it. There was something about Konrad that set him apart from any of Matt's other guy friends, perhaps his sensitivity, which filled him up with a warm, giddy feeling that he'd never felt for anyone else. Despite the language barrier, Matt grew closer to Konrad in one month than he had any of his other friends in his entire life.
The drone of the mower halted as Matt prepared to stow it back in its old familiar place in the back of the garage. He knew that he had to start preparing for his trip; after all, he was leaving tomorrow. He decided on a quick shower before packing his suitcase and carry-on.
The warm water rolled off his naked body, and he started to lather up from head to toe. As he washed, he remembered spring break with Konrad, which they had spent on the beach of South Carolina. Konrad was not very built, but he was instead slim and lean. One might have assumed him to be scrawny if they hadn't seen him clad in only his swim trunks as Matt did during their vacation. The hair on Konrad's body matched his head, which was very pale blonde. In the sun, his skin looked very smooth, as his body hair was barely visible. While Matt pictured Konrad on the beach, he felt his member begin to stiffen. He continued his mental picture, building up pressure until he finally released it himself with the aide of his hand and a little more soap.
"I really shouldn't be doing this," he thought to himself, "How am I going to be able to look Konrad in the face if I keep this up?" Of course, this was not Matt's first experience with self-pleasure to the thought of his German exchange partner, in fact, Matt found that he could only reach an orgasm when he thought of other men, but he kept this entirely to himself. It was bad enough that he was a theater fanatic, but if he was ever discovered as a theater fag, he did not think he would ever be able to show his face to his family or friends, who were mainly quite conservative, especially his father. Matt felt that he agreed with them, however, and considered himself a Republican and a conservative, although he was well aware that homosexuality was far from being a conscious choice.