20. Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty
Hudson
I wake up antsy, not having slept well from a mix of being on the couch and knowing today is Thanksgiving and I have to spend the day with my mother and her new family.
But even though I’m feeling a little rough, I feel better than I normally do because Trey is here. He’ll be with me all day. I’ll have support. Comfort. Right at my side whenever I need it.
Maybe today won’t be so bad.
“Why are you staring at me?” I groan, not ready to open my eyes but feeling his on me.
“What? Who? Me? I’m not staring.”
I peek an eye open and he’s grinning.
“Uh huh.”
I get to my feet, stretching my arms over my head and cracking my back.
“I’m going to be sore for a month,” I say.
Trey laughs. “Yeah, same.”
He gets up and does the same.
“I made up the guest room for you, if you want to put your things in there. It has an ensuite bathroom, so you can grab a shower.”
“I would love a shower,” he says as he walks over to his suitcase. I can’t pull my eyes from him as he does, taking in every inch of him in a way that most certainly is not friendly. Best friends don’t stare at their best friends like this… what the hell is going on? “Hudson?”
“Yeah?” I say quickly, clearing my throat.
He smiles knowingly. “Where am I going?”
“Oh, right.” I scratch the back of my neck, laughing. “Sorry, I’m still tired.”
“Sure,” he says under his breath.
I gesture for him to follow me upstairs. It’s just a small hallway with two doors on either side.
“Both bedrooms are in the back here. Mine is on the right, so yours is here.” I gesture to the door on the left. “The other room is my office, and then another living room.”
“Lots of space for one man.”
I shrug. “I got a good deal on it.” And then I change the subject, because I don’t want to talk about the fact I bought this house to satisfy my parents into thinking I’d planned on starting a family one day.
Wife, kids, dog… all that stuff. They assumed since I had so much space, I’d want to fill it.
Little do they know it’s filled exactly how I want it.
Or at least it’s how I used to want it… “Everything you need is in the bathroom. Soap, towels, all that stuff.”
“Thanks, Huds!” he calls as I hurry out of the room and into my own bathroom.
My heart is pounding, and I have no idea why.
How is it that he can make me so calm, yet make my heart race like a horse?
I hear the shower turn on in the other bathroom since they share a wall. The upstairs was built mirrored, so the bathrooms are exactly the same, just… the opposite. I only chose this side because I’m not woken up by the sun in my eyes.
I turn the shower on to let it get hot as I undress.
I need to shave, but I’ll do that when I get out.
Everything for that is under the sink, so I pull it out for when I’m done, then get into the shower and wash quickly, scrubbing every inch of my skin and my hair.
My hand is on the faucet to shut it off when I hear a sound from the other bathroom that has my dick instantly hard.
There goes my heart again…
I strain to listen, stepping closer to the wall, which causes the spray to rain down on me. I ignore the water pouring down my face and focus on the sounds coming from the other side of the wall.
Another moan, this time louder.
Trey doesn’t live here to know that the walls are paper thin. Nothing is a secret in this house—nothing.
I glance down at my dick that’s jutting out and begging for attention. I wrap my hand around it, my eyes falling shut at the relief.
Trey moans again, and I thrust my hips forward, placing my free hand flat on the wall and imagining what he’s doing on the other side.
I picture him in the same position as me, bracing against the wall and stroking his dick—thinking of me.
Imagining me. Is he wondering if I’m doing it too?
Is he thinking of me jerking off in the shower?
Or maybe just me naked… knowing I’m in the shower.
Is that what got him hard? What made him so hard he had to touch himself in my house?
Tingling pleasure trails up my spine, and I realize I’m thrusting hard and fast into my hand, so close to getting off.
I move my hips faster, my nails looking for purchase against the tile wall.
My panting gets louder until they’re full-on moans.
I hear myself, but I hear him too, on the other side, no doubt doing exactly what I am.
There’s no denying it. I know he can hear me, but he doesn’t stop.
We both know what’s going on, and maybe he’s doing this on purpose?
“Fuck,” I mutter as the orgasm hits me, cum splattering the wall in front of me. I gasp, thrusting through my orgasm until my knees shake.
I rest my head against the wall and catch my breath. It takes only a few moments, and then I’m shutting off the shower, and paranoia sets in.
It’s silent on the other end.
Did I make it up?
My heart is still pounding when I pull the shower curtain back and step out.
I grab the towel from the sink and dry my face and hair, then wrap it tightly around my waist. My fingers are trembling as I shave, so I have to be extra careful not to cut myself.
That’s all I need before I visit my mother… she may say I need an in-home nurse.
I love her. She’s a good person, and I know she means well, but her lack of knowledge about autism stresses me the hell out.
I’ve tried to have a conversation with her about it, but she just doesn’t listen.
She’s already made up her mind about what it is, and what I’m capable of.
That, mixed with her being my mother, I think she’s going to treat me like a toddler for the rest of my life.
We don’t talk about the mutual masturbation shower incident at all, which I am grateful for. Because I changed my outfit five times, and this shirt is still too tight, and the socks aren’t sitting right on my feet.
Trey makes comments about the area as I drive, sings along softly to the music on the radio. I’m not even shocked that he knows all the words to Rick Astley’s “Together Forever”, but other than that, mostly it’s just a quiet, calm ride.
How does he do that? It’s almost like he senses that I need this. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
It’s not that I don’t want to talk to him, but it’s certainly easier to not talk right now.
How does he know?
Maybe he’s nervous too, and it’s nothing about him knowing me that well at all. He can’t possibly be that tuned into me.
I pull into the half-circle driveway and park behind Tom’s Jeep.
I put the car in park and shut it off. Trey opens the door and has one foot out when I shout, “Wait!”
He jerks his head in my direction, concern written all over his face.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“I just… need a minute,” I say, pressing the heels of my palms into my eyes. “Just a minute.”
I hear the door close, and then silence.
“Is there anything I can do?” he asks softly. He shifts his body next to me, his spicy-sweet scent infiltrating my senses. It’s oddly comforting, even though it shouldn’t be.
I shake my head.
Mentally prepare. That’s what I need to do. Just breathe. Relax. It’ll be fine. It’s overwhelming, but it’s not dangerous. It’s just a couple of hours. And I do love Mom’s homemade cranberry sauce…
“Okay, I’m good,” I say, nodding. I pull my hands from my eyes, turning to look at him. His eyes look darker in here, a blue so deep I swear I could drown in them.
“Are you sure?”
I open the door. “Sure.”
He gets out too, hurrying to my side. “If you need more time, I don’t mind waiting.”
“I’m fine. I can do this.”
Trey knows I have a strained relationship with my parents but doesn’t know why. He knows they’re overbearing, but I never got into the details. Because that would mean telling him my secret.
Though it’s not really a secret. It’s just… well, I don’t know. I guess it is a secret, but it feels weird calling it that. I just don’t like talking about it.
I knock on the door, and Trey and I wait for someone to open it for us.
“Hudsy!” my mother greets, throwing herself at me and almost knocking me down the stairs. “I tell you all the time, honey, not to knock on the door. Just come in. Oh, I missed you!” She squeezes me tighter, and I hug her back, even though it’s making me uncomfortable.
Finally, she lets me go, and I can breathe. Then she pulls Trey into a hug.
“Oh, hi, hello,” he says with a laugh, hugging her back.
“Trey Kelly,” he says, extending his hand, a bright smile on his face. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Hudson talks about you all the time.” He gives me a side smirk and a wink. My mother doesn’t notice, and I can’t help but feel the corners of my lips turn up.
“Oh, likewise, sweetheart! We’ve heard so much about you from Mandy! So glad you could join us.”
The house has to be well over a hundred degrees from all the cooking, but it smells amazing.
“Yeah, sucks she got called in at the last minute,” Trey says, sliding his hands into his pockets.
“You boys make yourselves at home. Maybe you can watch the game with Tom. He’s in the den.” She gestures down the hall and makes her way into the kitchen.
My mother is a short and plump but beautiful woman with bright, red, wavy hair and rosy cheeks. And she insists on wearing red all the time, which makes her stand out even more.
Today is no different.
“Should we see if she wants help?” Trey offers.
“I don’t know which is worse,” I mutter, tugging on the collar of my shirt. I’m already sweating. “Let’s just go see Tom.”
I knock on the door, pulling his attention.
“Hiya, son.”
I try not to roll my eyes. I’m not his son. Well, step-son, but he never says that.
“Hey, Tom.”
“Your mom threaten you two to stay out of the kitchen too?” he asks with a chuckle.
“Something like that.”
“There are beers in the fridge there, if you want one.”
Trey raises a brow at me.
“Please,” I answer.
He gets us both one, and we take a seat on the couch, popping the caps off and taking a sip.