JUSTIN

Brian and I sat on the beach the whole night, with him telling me about his friends and his life. He would look at me occasionally, as if waiting to see if I would ask what caused today. I didn’t, because people questioned me so much about why I left the life I was living.

“Why stop when you were on top? It’s probably something you hate people asking. I just wondered,” He said after we sat for a while silently.

“It wasn’t some big thing, but just wanting to do something different. I stopped having fun, concentrating only on the next job. My father and I parted ways when he couldn’t see that all his bitching and praying for a straight son wasn’t working. Gran let me stay with her when I left my parent’s house. I didn’t want her to feel like I was taking advantage of her, so I started working to make my own way. I wanted to make it so if my mom left my dad, she didn’t have to rely on him. She stayed for the worst reason, for my sister and me. When I left, she followed, divorcing him. She told me that my father acting as he did only meant he didn’t love her, because we were a part of her. Gran was thrilled and made it so my mother could leave with Molly without having to fight my dad. He still believes everything happened because of me. We let him believe what he wants while we live happily,” I told him.

“A friend roofied me,” He said out of the blue.

“Then he isn’t your friend. You don’t hurt friends,” I told him.

“I just don’t understand why I’m letting this affect me.” He told me.

“He took advantage of your trust,” I answered.

“There isn’t anything I can do about it. No one’s willing to risk trouble to say they sold it to him or that they saw anything. We only figured it out because my CFO saw something, but at the time didn’t know what he was seeing,” He told me.

“Where did it happen?” I asked him.

“This club, Babylon, that we go to,” He told me.

“Make them give you the footage,” I told him.

“According to the owner, there isn’t any footage. The only cameras I’ve seen are the ones that project on the wall of the dance floor. There was something else. When I woke up I found condoms that had been used. I dump the trash every day because I trick a lot,” He told me.

“It’s a guy right?” I asked, and he nodded. “Then you weren’t the only possible person who could fill one,” I told him.

Brian shivered and I felt bad saying it, but it’s a possibility. It occurred to me what that could mean and I was ready to take a little trip.

“He didn’t. I would know, since no one ever has,” He told me.

We turned to see a cab pull up, and I realized the sun was coming up. Brian and I got up going to our houses. He stopped me before I walked to my house.

“It helped, being with you,” He told me.

“I’m here if you need someone to listen,” I told him.

“What if I want more than your ear?” He whispered when he wrapped his arms around me.

I didn’t answer, because I didn’t know how to answer him. When summer was over he’d be leaving and I’d be here. He went in, not waiting for my answer. I started breakfast, yawning and deciding I was going to nap today. Tonight we’d be out all night again, and I really didn’t want to see if it was possible to sleep on a surfboard. Riley came down and took over when I was leaning against the refrigerator. He handed me an energy drink when he saw it was more than tossing everything in the microwave. I chugged it the way I used to when I would work all night then all day. I kept thinking about the cameras the owner is saying don’t exist.

VIC

I stood in Michael’s apartment, staring at him being slapped by Deb every few seconds. Deb was not taking this well. She told me what he did was unforgivable to her. She patched up too many street kids when they wouldn’t go to the police, and offered her shoulder and ear wanting to help any way she could. What Michael did hit too close to that for her. She came unglued on me when I repeated what I said to Emmett. I didn’t say it to excuse Michael, but because it shocked me what he did.

Deb seemed to think the welts he already had weren’t enough and he needed a few more and continued to slap him when he tried to lie to her. She wanted to take him in and make him tell the police what he did. The only problem was getting Michael to admit to it. I noticed something in the garbage and walked over to see what it was, I would have asked why there was a monster-sized hot pink dildo, but Deb was busy yelling.

“Brian protected you all your fucking life and you repay him by putting shit in his drink,” She said, between smacks in the head.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Michael kept answering, trying to dodge her.

“Michael, you do realize that any relationship you had with Brian is over. He will never want you around him again. Right now I can barely stand to be near you,” She told him.

“Why won’t you believe me? Brian wanted us to be together. He was telling me that he wanted more than a trick, that he was tired of never knowing who he was fucking. He was telling me that my wait was over,” He told her.

“Get some help Michael, because all I hear is you wishing for something that was never going to happen,” Deb told him, slamming out the door.

“She’ll understand when Brian comes home and we’re together,” Michael mumbled.

“I don’t think you get that she got it from the moment you met Brian. Brian came to her hurt and she healed what she could, and now she’s worried that once again he will carry that haunted look he always had. Deny it all you want, but eventually, someone will talk, it’s a given on Liberty Avenue,” I told him, watching the worried frown on his face. “You need to be careful who you buy anything from, because there is always someone out there who will tell someone else. I’ll eventually find someone who can lead your mother and me to the right person,” I told him.

“You won’t find anything,” He told me, opening his door. “Until you and Ma believe in me, I don’t want you coming here,” He told me.

“Not a problem. Like everyone else, we’re invited to spend time with Brian. Sadly, your invitation got thrown away when you betrayed your best friend,” I told him.

BRIAN

Lindsay seemed to keep laughing at odd moments. I didn’t ask since she wasn’t trying to mother me. I checked on the campaign and needed a nap. I got to the bedroom but couldn’t sleep, I just kept turning over, trying to find a comfortable position. I knew why, but I didn’t want him to feel like he had to keep taking care of me. Finally I got up, not caring anymore what it looked like. I went to his house, seeing everyone eating cereal. Riley pointed up the stairs when I looked around. I went up and opened doors until I found Justin, sitting on his bed with earphones, typing away. I closed the door and pulled off my shirt and shorts and got in bed.

Justin ran his hand up and down my back while typing with one hand. Finally, I was relaxed enough to sleep. I woke up later to find Justin still working on something. He was drinking coffee and I could see cans lining his side table. He didn’t even notice me staring at him. He wore glasses, that really worked for me. I moved closer to him to see lines of letters and numbers running down the screen.

“What are you doing?” I asked him.

“A favor for someone so she’ll do me a favor. She was having a problem with a program and I was looking to see if I could find what was wrong with it,” He told me, hitting a couple of keys before laying it aside.

“What do you need from her?” I asked, curious.

“Just for her to see if she could check something out for me. She’s good at what she does, but she always wants a favor,” He told me.

“Sounds like most friendships,” I told him.

“I hope to meet her someday. She’s just someone I met online when I was trolling,” He told me.

“So you didn’t erase the net from your life? It sounded that way when Murph talked about you,” I told him.

“I play, but it’s hard for me to put it down sometimes. You're making it hard for me to not want to play,” He told me.

“I wasn’t planning to make it easy,” I told him.

“I don’t do summer flings,” He answered, leaning over me.

“I might not just want a summer fling. But I might turn into one of the guys you want gone by the end of summer. Why not enjoy it while we can, and worry about Fall when it happens,” I told him.

Justin kissed down my chest and pulled my underwear down. I kept my eyes open, only closing them when he took me in his mouth. I knew this wasn’t a dream because there was no way I would feel the twirl of his tongue or his hand rubbing over my rim. I tensed because it was new for someone to do anything but rim me. Justin was rubbing circles and then penetrating me with shallow thrusts of his finger. Then letting his saliva lubricate his finger and going further. I ran my fingers through his soft hair as he continued to blow my mind with his mouth. I felt his finger push in and find my prostate, making it hard not to cum as he rubbed it harder. I came anyway and felt him cum on my thigh before pulling back and swallowing when I stopped cumming.

He sat back up and pulled the laptop on his lap as if we hadn’t done anything. He looked at me. I was confused that we weren’t doing anything else.

“You aren’t ready for what I want. When you are, I’ll know,” He told me.

“What if I want more than what you're offering?” I asked.

“I will only give that to the person who I spend my life with,” He told me.