19. V.I.P. Party
19
V.I.P. Party
Christmas afternoon, Dad and I parked in Ben’s driveway beside his silver Impala. I carried the bouquet of flowers as Dad retrieved a bottle of wine and the stack of presents I’d brought for Ben from the backseat of his SUV.
“Never arrive empty-handed,” he’d told me as he gave me the flowers to hold for the drive.
Leading Dad through the garage, I let myself into the house after a hesitant knock. Christmas music filtered through the air, and both Dad and I groaned at the delicious smells wafting from the kitchen.
“Silas, welcome, dear!” Aunt June fluttered into the room, a glass of red wine already in her hand, and my neck warmed when she enveloped me in one of her motherly hugs. “We’re so happy you’re both joining us. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas.” I handed her the flowers, and she tittered, patting my cheek fondly. “Thanks for inviting us. Um, this is my dad, Charlie. Dad, this is Ben’s aunt, June.”
I stepped to the side as they exchanged introductions, and my dad flushed as Aunt June unceremoniously tugged him into a welcoming hug. She thanked him for the wine as Uncle Henry appeared. He and my dad shook hands as Aunt June introduced them.
The adults shuffled out of the kitchen as Uncle Henry offered my dad a beer, and Ben clambered up the basement stairs a moment later. His hair was wet from a shower, and he wore a horribly ugly sweater with a light-up Christmas tree on it.
“That’s a hate crime against baby Jesus. And my eyes,” I said, making him laugh as he swooped in for an unexpectedly passionate kiss. I reciprocated with zeal, arching into his body as his tongue invaded my mouth.
When we parted half a minute later, we panted for air, cheeks flushed.
“Well, hi.” I gathered my bearings, drunk on his spearmint lips, and he pecked my mouth again.
“Hi. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas.”
Christmas dinner was an absolute feast, and by the time I collapsed on the couch after, my stomach had swelled into the most impressive muffin top. Groaning, I rested my feet in Ben’s lap, and he proceeded to rub my socked toes.
“What shall we name my food baby?” I asked conversationally.
Ben grimaced. “I thought we already established I hadn’t knocked you up?”
Cackling, I lifted my shirt to present the exaggerated bulge from my overindulging at the table. “If this isn’t a food baby, I don’t know what is. Help me name my food baby.”
He rolled his eyes impatiently. “I don’t care what you name your baby, Silas, just don’t expect me to pay child support.”
“I didn’t ask for this,” I said dramatically. “You think I wanted to quit my job in the coal mine to raise your illegitimate child?”
Of course, Dad chose that exact moment to walk into the living room, and Ben and I burst into laughter as Dad grimaced. I sat up and scooted closer to Ben so Dad could sit beside me on the couch.
Aunt June walked to the Christmas tree and carried a small stack of gifts to the couch. Depositing them in my lap, she repeated the action for Ben. Dad grabbed the presents I’d brought for Ben and handed them to me. I gave them to Ben before eyeing my pile of gifts.
Ben shifted uncomfortably as three sets of eyes watched us, the only ones with presents, but I had no such qualms. I ripped open the wrapping paper, feeling like a little kid again, and Ben swiftly followed suit.
A gift certificate for the movie theater, a pair of Christmas reindeer socks, and penguin slippers were the first presents revealed, and I thanked Aunt June with a smile. Ben’s presents were similar, though his gift card was for a restaurant and his slippers were snowmen, not penguins. Our socks matched.
“Wait, is this for real?” Ben asked as he unfolded several pieces of paper from an envelope, and Aunt June beamed, nodding. “Wow, this is great. Thank you!”
He gave his aunt and uncle each a hug, then returned to his seat and showed me the gift—a plane ticket to California at the end of February.
“Your friends chipped in too, so be sure to thank them,” Aunt June said, and Ben nodded.
“I will, I will.” Ben shook his head, his lips stretching in a huge grin. “I haven’t been back since moving out here. This is awesome.”
The next wrapped item was from Ben, and I furrowed my brow in confusion when I found a calendar inside. “A calendar?”
“I designed it for you. Check inside.”
Obeying, I flipped through the months, each one depicted by a beautiful scenic photo with a quote. The cheesy pictures puzzled me until I read the first quote, and everything clicked. Laughing, I went through each month, my eyes watering. He’d designed a Silas-inspired calendar, and I read January’s quote to explain my amusement to the befuddled adults.
“Never wish upon a star. It’s been dead a million years, just like your dreams.” Ben snorted as I chortled, turning to February. “Just have patience. If you wait long enough, eventually all the people you hate will die of natural causes.
“Oh my God, this is gold. Thanks, Ben.” I landed a sloppy kiss on his cheek as he carefully peeled the tape from his first gift from me.
“You’re welcome.” Where I had shredded the wrapping paper, Ben carefully unwrapped it, folding it neatly before scrutinizing the shoe box. “Should I be scared?”
I shrugged, biting my bottom lip. He lifted the lid cautiously only to throw his head back with a laugh at the contents. Dumping the box on the floor, he shoved my shoulder as individual silver-wrapped sticks of spearmint gum scattered across the carpet.
“Well, I won’t be running out of gum anytime soon.” Ben knocked my shoulder with his. “Thanks, Silas.”
“You’re welcome.”
After we gathered the sticks of gum and returned them to the box, Ben watched me open the gift bag. I cleared the tissue paper and gazed inside, my stomach simmering as I discovered his California hoodie inside.
“This is yours, you idiot.” I pulled the hoodie out and admired it.
“Well, it looks better on you.”
I stuck out my tongue at the lame compliment, and he huffed, his eyes glittering as I slipped the loose hoodie over my head. Ben liked the shirt I’d bought him, reading, There are 1 0 types of people, those who understand binary and those who don’t.
He’d laughed, especially when I admitted to not understanding the joke.
When we’d opened all our presents, we gathered the discarded wrapping paper and tossed it in the garbage. The parents talked in the living room, and Ben and I escaped to the kitchen under the guise of washing the dishes.
We did do that, but we also made out. A lot.
Shushing me at even intervals, he attached himself to my mouth as I moaned at the overwhelming mint on his tongue. My soapy hands tangled in his hair as he dropped his hands to my hips before shaping my ass and sliding them lower.
With a firm grip on my thighs, Ben hoisted me onto the counter and shoved between my legs as I attempted to stay quiet. The risk of getting caught was strangely exciting. I’d never noticed how much noise I made until I had to consciously hold myself back. Maybe I really was a screamer.
Ben sucked on the nape of my neck, and, after checking his handiwork, he grinned. Of course, he would feel the need to mark me. Freaking caveman.
“Seriously? A hickey?”
Unaffected by my rebuke, he nodded and kissed me. “So,” he mused against my lips, “about that V.I.P. party in my room.”
I hummed in interest, but my dad’s voice cutting through the room shattered the lusty atmosphere.
Ben stepped back, creating distance, and my palm scrubbed my face in hopes of removing the aroused heat on my cheeks.
“Silas?” Dad entered the kitchen followed by Aunt June. “You ready to head out?”
Ben answered before I could, sporting an innocent, charming smile. “Actually, Charlie, I was hoping Silas could stay a bit longer. I’ll drive him home, of course, if you’re ready to leave, but would it be alright for him to stay?”
With a shrug, he studied my flushed face and mussed hair, wincing slightly. “Uh, sure thing. Just don’t be too late. It’s starting to snow again.”
“We won’t.” My face boiled as I hopped down from the counter, praying no one noticed the situation in my jeans. “Come on, Ben.”
Grabbing his hand, I dragged him to the stairs, and we trampled down the steps like a herd of elephants. I tripped twice, and Ben saved me from face-planting, teasing me for my clumsiness. I ignored him, bursting into his room before shutting the door behind us.
I aimed to look seductive as I locked the doorknob, biting my bottom lip. His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily when he swallowed. Mission accomplished.
“So, as the V.I.P. guest, do I get to pick the dress code?” I waltzed across the room and sank into his mattress, hands clasped between my knees.
Instead of joining me on the bed, he leaned against the pool table and crossed his arms over his chest. “Dress code?”
“Mhm, the dress code. I think I should choose.”
“Of course you do,” he drawled with a smirk.
“Naturally. Now lose that God-awful sweater.”
With red cheeks, he shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “How about this? For every question of mine you answer honestly, I’ll remove an item of clothing.”
Oh, things were getting interesting. “Like Strip Truth or Dare?”
“Strip Truth or Truth,” he corrected, and I laughed.
“Okay, Casanova, ask away.”
He pretended to ponder, tapping his chin. “When did you know you were gay?”
“Not the question I expected.” I ran my hand through my hair as I thought back, trying to pinpoint the moment. “I dunno, I guess in middle school. There was this girl, Candace Schrock, and she liked me. All my friends told me I should kiss her during recess, but I never did because I didn’t want to. I wanted to kiss Cameron Matthews. He was a grade above me and really cute. Unfortunately, Cameron had a girlfriend, so…” I splayed my hands mournfully, and Ben grinned.
“Ah, unrequited love.” I motioned for him to remove his sweater, and he chuckled as he obeyed. I grunted in annoyance at his undershirt, and he winked. “Your turn.”
I leaned back on my palms and contemplated. “You said you had a boyfriend in Cali, right?” He nodded. “How long were you guys together?”
“A couple months. He was a senior on the football team, and I was the poor foster kid. I figured I was some charity case, but, uh, he ended up being a pretty good friend.”
“How’d you break up?” He arched a brow and pointed to my hoodie, and I huffed as I ripped the sweatshirt from my body. “There, happy? How’d you break up?”
Worrying his bottom lip, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, he was already accepted to a college near San Francisco, and I was coming here for a year before, hopefully, attending MIT. I didn’t want long distance, so we broke up. Figured it was better to do it sooner rather than later, before one of us got hurt.”
My heart sank, my insecurity flaring to life. “Well, shit. I was hoping he was a loser so I’d look better.”
Ben shook his head with a condescending smile and approached my perch at the edge of the bed. “We broke up in March. You don’t need to worry about him.”
“Yeah, well, I’m a hick loser.”
“Shut up.” He framed my face and kissed me thoroughly. “I like you, remember?”
When I nodded, his lopsided grin slid over his face as he helped me out of my shirt. “My turn. How did you come out?”
Well, shit, that wasn’t a story I liked rehashing. I pursed my lips sourly and shook my head. “What happens if I don’t answer?”
“I put my shirt back on.”
“You don’t play fair!” Playfully, he lifted the hem of his undershirt, revealing his dark blond happy trail, and I growled. “Fine. But this is incredibly embarrassing, so I expect you to lose two articles of clothing.”
“I can work with that,” he agreed, and I pouted for a moment before sighing heavily.
I scratched my scalp and tugged on my hair, then slipped my fingers under his shirt to warm them on his flesh. “My brother kinda outed me by accident, I guess.”
“What?”
I frowned sternly, and his mouth shut with an annoyed clack . “It was an accident. He caught me…” I waved my hand superfluously. “And then told a friend who told another friend. Eventually, someone who didn’t give a shit about me found out, and then everyone knew.”
“Your brother’s an asshole! How do you accidentally out your younger brother?” His anger on my behalf was sweet, but I forgave Will a long time ago and didn’t share the resentment.
“He caught me, and apparently, it was rather scarring for him. He wasn’t thinking straight.”
His wrath faltered. “He caught you with a dude?”
Embarrassed, I ducked my head. “Um, not exactly. He, well, he saw me, uh…” I gave him a meaningful look, along with a very obvious hand gesture, and his eyes widened.
“Oh my God, for real?”
“Shut up!”
As I sulked, he laughed, and I reached under his shirt and twisted his nipple.
He yelped, jumping back. “I imagine it wasn’t the jerking off but what you were jerking off to that gave it away?”
“You would assume correct, sir. You owe me three articles of clothing now. Payment for humiliating me.”
Snickering under his breath, he stripped out of his undershirt and peeled both socks from his feet. How many layers was this boy wearing?
“I’ll throw in the belt for free.” He waggled his tongue childishly as he tossed the leather aside. “Your turn.”
“I want a story of equal humiliation. Go.” I took my socks off before he answered, but I knew he wouldn’t leave me hanging.
As he nudged my knees open, he knelt between them. His hands massaged my calves over my jeans as I fastened my hands behind his neck.
“Equal humiliation, huh?” he asked, and I nodded. “I guess I can share my first sexual experience. It’s pretty embarrassing.” I nodded again with a Cheshire grin, and he rested his forehead on my knee. “Okay, I was fifteen the first time I kissed someone—my neighbor, Jackson. He, uh, wasn’t really into guys, but he liked me for some reason.”
I ran my fingers through his hair as he raised his head, smiling through his shyness. “When he didn’t have a girlfriend, sometimes we’d make out and stuff. Um, and the one and only time I jerked him off, he, uh, offered to return the favor, you know?” I nodded, knowing already where this was going. “But I said he didn’t have to. I played it off like it was no big deal, like I’d only wanted to take care of him. I didn’t want him touching me because I, uh, I’d already come in my jeans.”
We cracked up, and I peppered his burning face with kisses. “Aw, you sweet, pure little candy cane.”
“Shut up.”
Cutting him off, I kissed him and hummed happily when we abandoned our questions for more pleasurable activities.