55. Dylan
55
DYLAN
“ H ey, Jen?” Brad called, poking his head around to find her.
She emerged from the kitchen with her paper pad in one hand, a tray filled with plastic baskets filled with fries in the other. “What is it, hon?”
“Can we pull over one of those tables? Our party’s gotten a little bigger than usual.”
I couldn’t see his face, but I could hear the smile in the sound of Brad’s voice. My eyes raked over his broad shoulders and back, taking in the pale blue t-shirt that clung to his muscular form in just the right way.
“Oh, go right ahead.” She winked and turned back into the kitchen.
The diner had its fair share of customers, but I still wondered sometimes how much we got special treatment by Jen since we were such loyal customers and she saw us so much. Brad pulled the table over to join our usual booth.
Looking around, it felt strange since it used to just be the four of us. Now we’d grown to eight. I slid into my usual corner, sitting near the window. Brad slid in next to me. At least that hadn’t changed. Across from us, however, where there used to be Shane and Theo, respectively, now it was Charlie and Theo. Shane and Alex took the added table, with Shane sitting next to Theo so they could still whisper to each other if they needed to. Micah and Jason rounded out the rest of our group, with Jason sitting beside Brad. Kind of a shame if Micah and Charlie wanted to talk—they were on opposite sides.
But it didn’t really matter, maybe. I looped my arm around Brad’s, wanting to feel his warmth next to me. It was December, and outside it was cold for California — somewhere in the 60s — but Brad always ran so hot that he only bothered to wear t-shirts. Meanwhile, I was in my thickest hoodie.
“Finals are going to suck,” Brad groaned, leaning his head back against the cracked teal booth.
“Our penultimate finals.” Charlie frowned slightly.
“Hm?”
“You know…since we graduate this spring?” He scratched the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.
Theo kissed his head.
“Dude…no, that’s too crazy. I can’t think that far ahead.” Jason sipped his soda.
“Well, I wouldn’t count on you graduating with us, anyway. Not with your grade point average,” Alex chimed in with a smile.
Jason flipped him off.
I smiled and leaned on Brad’s shoulder. “It feels good like this, doesn’t it?”
Brad’s hand went to my knee, squeezing. “You happy?”
I nodded, and for the first time it didn’t feel like I was just saying it without meaning it. Thanksgiving had passed in a strange daze of familial closeness that I hadn’t seen in so long. Even when Mom and Frankie were around, we didn’t have extended family that came around, so seeing Brad’s aunt and cousins and everyone show up was almost overwhelming. Not in a bad way, just that when we all sat down to dinner, we were all crowded around the table, tables pulled in from the garage and anywhere people could find, elbows rubbing against each other.
It was the exact opposite of my silent house. It was filled with all this light and warmth, and the sound of their voices filled me with this sense of longing that I’d tried to suppress for so long. Now it felt like I held a piece of it with me. No one looked at me strangely. They all just kept talking to me and each other and it just felt like acceptance.
I was used to that with my friends, but it felt different. I liked it.
And of course there was Brad. Brad had always been my home, he’d always been the one I could reach out to, and he’d be right there. I let my hand drift to where his hand rested on my knee, and linked my fingers with his.
He only offered me a faint smile, squeezing my hand as he continued his conversation with Jason.
When we finished our burgers and fries and milkshakes, we all went off on our own separate ways. Theo and Shane went off together, back to their apartment. Charlie and Micah went to the library, eager to get in some extra studying. Jason and Alex went back to the frat house, getting ready for a charity event the next weekend.
Brad and I walked toward the skate park. We didn’t really have any aim, and he needed to go help the frat soon, but we didn’t want to say goodbye just yet. Brad pressed me against the fence, his arms caging me in on either side, and leaned in close, kissing me. A shiver ran down my spine and my arms wound around his neck.
We kissed for long, languid moments, pressing against each other. The world always seemed to stop when Brad kissed me, my head spinning and a yearning building deep inside me. There was something so magnetic about the way he felt against me. It was hypnotizing, and I didn’t think I could ever get enough.
He was the one to break the kiss, both of us gasping for air. “I should go soon…” he said, still breathless as he stared at me with dark eyes.
My fingers ran through his hair. “Do you have to?” I was dangerously close to pouting.
His lips twitched. “Afraid so…we can meet later?”
“Mm…okay. Tonight. The quad.”
Brad leaned in and kissed me once more. “Tonight, I promise.”
He turned to go before either of us could change our minds, and I sighed as I watched his retreating form. It was only a handful of hours until we’d see each other again, but even that felt like too long.
An eerie glow spread over the quad with the way the moon shone down over everything. Brad and I sat on a quiet patch of grass under an expansive tree. This late at night, no one was around, so it made it a perfect place for us to come together. It was in-between the Lambda house and my dorm. Even though it was exposed and public, it somehow felt like our own little secret in the middle of the night.
Brad’s arm wound around my waist, pulling me even closer. “What are you thinking?” he asked, his deep voice quiet.
I rested my head on his shoulder, letting my eyes fall closed. “You.”
“Oh? What about me?” There was a smile in his voice.
My mind swam with a million different thoughts. How warm he felt against me as I leaned against him, the overwhelming sense of safety I felt, how I wanted to kiss him. These thoughts danced in my head, but I didn’t know the right words. “That I love you, I think.”
Brad laughed. “You think you love me or you think that’s what you were thinking of?”
My lips twisted in amusement. “I already know I love you.”
A finger came and hooked under my chin, tilting my face up. Brad leaned in and kissed me softly, a warmth spreading through my body that never seemed to go away. No matter how often we kissed.
We were still on campus and anyone could theoretically stumble upon us, but that didn’t stop Brad from laying me down on the dewy grass as we kissed, his hands exploring over my body. My everything tingled from where he touched me, feeling like I was on fire from the connection between his hand and everywhere he could reach. His fingers danced up the hem of my hoodie so he could feel my skin. He found a nipple and tweaked it, and I moaned into our shared kiss.
“We shouldn’t…” I breathed as I pulled away from his insistent mouth. My protest was weak, though, since every part of my body yearned for him. I didn’t care if anyone saw, didn’t care if it was something we shouldn’t have done. Brad made my head spin in the most delicious way, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.
His lips pressed against my neck. “Why not? No one’s around, baby.”
There was something about the way he called me baby. His baby. I couldn’t resist.
It was still too precarious to take off all our clothes, just in case someone came by. So Brad pulled my jeans down to my knees and lifted me, pinning me against the tree. His lips pressed against my neck and collarbones, and my fingers dug into his back.
I’d already prepared myself before coming to join Brad, thinking that we might go back to one of our rooms. Now I was thankful I’d had the foresight.
Brad’s cock slid against my entrance, and my breath caught in my throat, arms wrapping tighter around his neck. Slowly, he let me sink down onto his cock, splitting me open. I bit my lip to muffle my moans, savoring the sensation of Brad filling me up so perfectly.
I gasped as he buried himself to the hilt, taking the moment to adjust to being so filled again. Brad kissed away my worries, soothing me even though I could feel his cock throbbing inside me. With a little nod, he moved, thrusting his hips into me at the same time as he bounced me on his length.
The bark of the tree was scratchy against my back, and I was thankful I was still wearing my hoodie. Moans slipped out from both of our mouths, pleasure coursing through our bodies. I felt a connection to Brad that was visceral and huge, that made me a little scared with how much it made my chest ache.
But Brad made me feel like it was okay. Even if I was scared, even if I wondered why someone as wonderful as Brad would want someone like me. None of it mattered when we were together. I knew he loved me, that he would reassure me anytime I needed it.
I clung tighter to Brad as his movements became more and more harsh. My dick ached, and I clenched around him, knowing we were closer to reaching the end with every passing thrust.
He kissed me deeply, roughly, as he held me tighter, his hips more and more erratic. I moaned into the kiss, and it only took a few more thrusts before stars burst behind my eyes. White hot pleasure ran through my body, and vaguely I was aware of Brad coming with me, filling me up.
It took us a bit to catch our breath again, and we resumed our spot on the grass to come down from our pleasure high. The eerie moonlight cast a pretty glow on Brad’s face, and I brushed my fingers over his cheek as I looked at him. “Okay?” I asked.
His muscular arms circled around my waist. “More than. I love you too, Dylan.”
We smiled together, and I snuggled against his chest, settling in.
I didn’t know what the future would hold. All I knew was that Brad would be with me, and that was enough for me. We could face anything — even something as scary as the future — together.