13. Chapter 13
Chapter thirteen
After showering, shaving, and dressing casually in a pair of jeans and a golf shirt, I grabbed my wallet and keys and headed out.
This date was going to inform Alfred a lot more about me and Foggy Basin.
This is what the typical date would be like.
I wasn’t going to fancy it up or sugarcoat it, as some would say.
Nope, this was going to be raw. And I hoped he liked it, because truthfully, it was me.
It was my town. Home. Where I grew up and chose to still live.
And for so many reasons, Foggy Basin had given back to me, so I hoped he would see that.
He was ready to go when I picked him up. He wore a collared, short-sleeve shirt under a denim jacket and a pair of tan pants that ended at his L.L. Bean hiking boots. And better yet, a big smile.
“You look very nice.” I wanted to kiss those soft lips every second of the day, so I leaned in.
He kissed me back, and I loved this change in him. He seemed more open. “You taste nice.”
“Good. That’s important for a date.” I winked at him, making him smile even wider. “Come on.” I took his hand and walked him to the car. He seemed to enjoy it when I was all gentleman-like, and that was something ingrained in me.
We drove downtown to Main Street and parked in the public lot near Books Beans and Buns. “We’re not eating sticky buns for dinner, are we?” he scoffed.
“Duh…No. It’s just easier to park here and walk.
” I held his hand as we strolled up the street.
Christmas was still a long way off, but when it finally got here, the street would be decorated with wreaths and lights.
Hopefully, it would snow. But it was basically still spring.
Summer was coming fast, although the night air still had a little nip to it.
Alfred took a long, deep breath. “Everything smells fresh here.” I hoped that was a growing list of things he liked.
“Indeed. Here we are.” We crossed the street, and I led him through the front doors of the Blue Star Diner. “Have you had a chance to eat here yet?”
“Yes. Great food. This is our date? Actually, not a bad choice at all.”
“Glad you think so.”
Once we were seated, Andrew Star, the owner, came over. “Hey, Jackie.”
Andrew was one of the few gay men in town, but he was now taken by one of Sheriff Clay’s deputies.
I was happy for them, and we’d known each other our whole lives, even though we weren’t ever close, and until he started dating Rafael, I hadn’t known he was gay.
Not surprisingly, this was a small town, and it took a lot to change it, but it was still evolving, and for the better, all the time. “Hi, Andrew. What’s good tonight?”
“Actually, the meatloaf. I know the old clichés about diner meatloaf, but seriously, this is good. Have it with mashed potatoes and gravy.”
“Sounds good but heavy,” Alfred said.
Andrew smiled. “It’s heavy alright. But it’ll be the best thing you put in your mouth since…” He looked right at me. “Uh, never mind.” And blushed.
I laughed because that was fantastic, but Alfred kicked my shin under the table. “Umpf.” Then he glared at me. “Sorry. Uh, I’ll have that for sure. And a Diet Coke.”
“Same for me, please.” Alfred handed Andrew the menus.
“Sure thing. It’s really good seeing you here, guys. Enjoy.”
“He was nice. Do you know him well?” Alfred asked.
“Oddly, no. I mean, we grew up together, of course, but we were never close. Looking back on it, seems like the only person I was really close with was Brock.”
“I get it. He was your person.”
“We were inseparable. Through college, too.”
“I don’t really know what it’s like to have a lifelong friend. Eddy is the closest. I started working for him about…I don’t know…nine, ten years ago.”
“That’s a long time.”
He nodded. “That’s why I followed him out here.”
“Makes sense.”
The food was as delicious as promised, and we had pie afterward, though I do not know how I fit that in my stomach. When we finished up and paid, we headed out.
Stepping onto the sidewalk, I heard music, and looking around, quickly found Henry farther down, playing his violin. He was very good, and the tune he was tackling sounded somewhat familiar.
“What’s this? Oh…he’s good.” Alfred gripped my hand. “I think that’s…Stained?”
“The rock band?”
“Yeah. I like it.”
It didn’t sound quite like the original song, but enough that we knew what it was, and honestly, this version was nice.
Henry was a talented musician with an incredible future ahead of him.
I liked Alfred holding my hand and humming all the way back to the car.
“This is also a good reason to park here,” I said as we got in.
“And it helped walk off some of that meal.”
Alfred rubbed his stomach. “No lie.”
I backed the car out and turned it out of town. “You ready for part two?”
“Maybe. Where we going?”
“You’ll see.” I drove us out to Lover’s Butte. There were already a few other cars there when we pulled up, so I parked a bit farther to the east. “Come on.”
I grabbed a blanket from the backseat and tossed it over the hood, then helped him climb up. We leaned back against the windshield and stared up at the sky. All the stars sparkled like tiny diamonds above us. There was no way anyone in the big cities would see this heavenly view.
“Wow. What is this place?”
“Honestly, it’s where kids come to make out.” I nudged his shoulder and nodded to the closest car to us. The windows were already fogged up.
“Oop.”
“I didn’t bring you here for that. We can make out anywhere.”
“I don’t mind a little making out.”
“I’ll take you up on that, but look at the stars first, that’s the real show.”
Alfred cuddled up to my side. “It is. This is amazing. Thank you, Jackie.”
I kissed the top of his head. “Anytime.”
We talked quietly after that, and eventually, Alfred told me about his parents.
When he came out to them in his senior year of high school, they changed.
How do parents go from loving and caring to total disinterest because of that one little thing?
So what if you don’t like it. But that’s what they did to him.
They stopped communicating with him completely.
They didn’t even attend his graduation ceremony.
He moved out and lived in the dorms at college without bothering to tell them where he was going or why, and they didn’t ask.
He hadn’t spoken to them since. It seemed weird, but my story wasn’t less so.
“Parents suck. My mom doesn’t talk to me either, but I don’t think it had anything to do with the gay thing,” I told him. “She moved to another town to be closer to her work when I was probably about ten. She sent uncle money for a year or two before that stopped, too.”
“That sucks, Jackie.”
“Yeah, but I think that helped drive me closer to Brock. I mean, we were friends before that, but now we had something life-changing in common.”
“His mom left him, too?”
“Yep. When he was a baby, she dropped him off with Pops. But that’s his story to tell.”
“Sure. I get it. And I see how that made you closer.” He squeezed my hand.
“Yeah, but we still had my uncle and Pops. They were great. And—”
“Hey, you.” A light flashed in my eyes. “What are you—? Jackie? Jackie Corbin? What are you doing out here?”
“Officer Browning, uh, hi. We’re only star gazing.” I gestured to the sky.
“Lord. If I don’t have enough trouble dealing with these teens. Maybe go somewhere else to make out? Set a good example?”
“Sure.” It was hard to contain my laughter as Browning tapped on the window of the car next to us. “I guess that’s our queue.”
“Guess so. This was nice, though, Jackie. Thanks.”
I kissed him but made it quick rather than risk the wrath of Officer Luther Browning. He’d been around forever, but he was older than me by a few years. I mostly knew him from Sharon who worked with the Sheriff’s office and was married to Brock’s cousin.
I drove Alfred home and kissed him at the door. “Want to come in?” he asked.
I wasn’t going to assume inviting me in meant sex. For me, I simply didn’t want the night to end yet. “Sure.”
We sat on the couch and sipped sweet wine and talked for a long time. He cuddled up under my arm, right where he belonged. I rubbed his shoulder, and he wiggled around. That led to kissing. And rubbing. And touching. And shirts off.
I flicked my tongue over his pebbled nipples, since they were impossible to resist. As was his belly. It wasn’t rock hard, but it was firm and when I mouthed it, he giggled.
“Jackie…”
I hadn’t expected sex but wasn’t against it either, so I leaned up and kissed him. “I want you, Alfred. You know that. But we can do whatever you want, and I’ll be happy.”
“What if I want you to fuck me?”
My heart went on a quick sprint. I swear it had never beat so fast. “I. Yeah, uh...condoms and lube?”
“Bedroom.”
I stood and held my hand out to him. When he placed his in mine, I knew I had his trust, and I didn’t want to ever do anything to ruin that.
His room was dark, and we didn’t bother turning on the light. “Wait here.” He scooted out to the bathroom.
I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled my boots off. A few minutes later, Alfred walked in, wearing only his boxers, and tossed the supplies onto the bed. “Ready?”
“If you are.” I didn’t want this to feel like a transaction.
It was anything but that. I dropped my jeans, leaving my tight boxers on and knee-walked up on the bed and pulled him into my arms. Continuing where we left off, I kissed him and nibbled his neck.
He moaned and wrapped his legs around my waist, maneuvering me on top of him.
“Jackie…” He thrust his hips up into me and I felt his hard cock. I rubbed my hand down the length of it through his boxers.
“Want these off?”
“Y-Yes…”