Vincent Kinsington

Chet and I walked hand in hand into the Japanese restaurant. Students weren't the only ones who came here, employees of the university often came here too, but grandma stood out as she sat at an empty table in a pink business suit with her hair done up. Chet and I sat at the table before I noticed Priscilla and Theresa sitting at a table nearby. They both smiled and waved to me and Chet. I was surprised to see them. Grandma always came out alone.

Grandma's wrinkled, cold hand enclosed over mine. "They drove me here," she said.

"Why?" I asked as I turned back to my lovely grandma. I had missed her.

"Gregory took my license and keys away."

This horrified me. My dad had never treated me right, but he had always loved grandma and treated her with respect.

"Why would he do that?" I asked. "Is this some type of elder abuse? Grandma, you need to report him. Or I can do it if you're not in a position to."

She squeezed my hand tightly. "It's not like that," she said. I must have shown my skepticism on my face because grandma added, "It's truly not like that."

"Then why would he do that?"

"Let's talk about something else," she said. "How is school going?"

"Grandma, is it because of me?"

"No, dear," she let go of my hand to cup my cheeks with both of hers. "It's not because of you. Don't worry about it. I'm not being mistreated or anything. How is school?"

"You look thinner, grandma," I said. "Are you okay? Are you eating alright?"

"Vinny, my Vinny, I'm okay. Don't worry about me. You have so much to stress over already. I'm fine."

The server came then and took our order as soon as he left she asked Chet, "How is he doing in school?"

"I'm right here, grandma. You can ask me."

"I've already asked you twice and you didn't answer," she pointed out.

"Sorry," I said. "I just want to make sure you're okay. School is going well."

"That's great," she said. "How about school for you?" she asked Chet.

He smiled. "Great," he said. "I've got A's on all my assignments so far."

She smiled. "That's wonderful," she said. "How is it living with the Watakeekuls?" she asked me.

"I like it," I said. I couldn't tell her I liked it except for the fact that Chet and I couldn't have sex. "They treat me like family."

Great pools of tears welled up in her eyes and splashed onto her wrinkled cheeks.

I immediately wiped them away. "Don't cry, grandma. I'm happy."

"I'm sorry we didn't treat you better," she said. "I'm sorry you didn't feel like part of a family in my home."

"That wasn't what I meant, grandma." Although it kind of had been. "I couldn't ask for a better grandma than you." I scooted my chair closer to her and wrapped in her a hug. "Please don't cry." Chet moved to the other side of her and hugged both of us.

She nodded, but by the time she calmed down, the food arrived. Chet and I moved back to our respective spots. The talk during lunch was light. I didn't dare ask about my biological dad's phone number again. She asked about school and the Watakeekuls. I asked what she was doing with her time now that she was retired. Her answer was taking internet courses. She was learning French, taking a biology class, a writing class. She also attended an art class once a week that Alex's mother ran. I asked about Aiden. He was doing the same as always, she said. She asked Chet about soccer which he was more than happy to talk about.

There was a pause when we through eating. Chet glanced quickly at his phone to check the time. He didn't like missing classes and I had already missed my afternoon class before, I shouldn't miss it more.

Grandma reached into her purse and passed me a piece of paper across the table. There was a phone number on it.

"Thank you, grandma," I said.

She stood up slowly and opened her arms wide to me. I stood up too and hugged her. "You'll always be my grandson," she said quietly. "No matter what."

"And you'll always be my grandma," I said. "This number doesn't change that." She squeezed me tighter. I could tell when I first saw her that she was thinner, but she felt even more so when I hugged her.

"Are you really alright?" I asked her.

She pulled away and smiled at me. "You're so sweet." She patted my cheeks. "Please don't worry about me. I'm fine."

She reached out for Chet and he immediately hugged her. "You remember our promise?" she asked him.

"I remember," he said, "and I'll always keep it."

"Then I can feel at ease," she said.

"What promise?" I asked, but neither of them answered me. Priscilla and Theresa were still eating. I said to grandma, "Do you want us to wait for you and walk you out to the car?"

"No, dear," my grandma said. "I'll just sit with the girls here until they are done. You two get to class."

I hugged her one last time and then waited until she was seated with Priscilla and Theresa before I led Chet out.

"Are you going to call him now?" he asked as we walked back to campus.

I thought about it, but my heart started to race and my fingers began to tingle. "Not now," I said. "Maybe tomorrow." I took his hand as we walked along the sidewalk. The air was chilly, but the sky was clear. We walked under the boughs of the leafless trees.

My phone rang. I answered when I saw it was Trevon. "Hi," I said. "How's everything going? Is Arthur still okay?"

"Arthur is good," he said. "Everything is good." There was a slight pause before he said, "You still haven't found a job?"

"No," I said. "It's frustrating. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong."

"This might be nothing," Trevon said, "and I was going to mention it sooner, but then everything with Arthur happened and I forgot, but your brother just called me and it reminded me."

"Why is Aiden calling you?"

"He first called me in December. Jasmine said Aiden is nice and you said you were getting along with him so I didn't think anything of it, but he asked me to let him know when I got calls from potential employers. He said he wanted to call them and vouch for you too. I thought that was nice of him and his way of reaching out to help you, but since you still haven't found a job I'm starting to find it suspicious. Maybe he is sabotaging you."

And I remembered Aiden's words at Christmas that our dad might make him do things he didn't want to do.

"I'm not going to tell him anymore when I get reference calls. Actually, I haven't called him since Arthur's incident which was why he was calling me. I'm sorry I didn't think about it before. And maybe it's not him. You did put your past job experience on your resume so they might be calling Kinsington Plastics as a job reference and they might be giving bad information." He paused for me to say something, but mind was too busy thinking of all the possibilities and I couldn't focus to say anything back. "I won't call Aiden anymore just in case," Trevon said.

"Thank you for calling me," I said. "It didn't even occur to me that they might call Kinsington Plastics for a reference. That might be it." I hoped it was because I wasn't sure what I would do if I found out Aiden was involved. But his words from Christmas kept running over and over through my head.

We came to the crossroads where Chet and I were going to have to split to go to our respective classes. I hung up with Trevon.

"He thinks Kinsington Plastics is giving you a bad reference?" Chet asked.

I nodded. "He also mentioned the possibility that my brother might be giving a bad reference too."

"How? You didn't list him as a reference."

"He told Trevon he wanted to put in a good word for me so Trevon has been calling him when he gets reference calls, but he is getting suspicious of Aiden's true intentions."

"Oh," Chet said. From the tone of his voice he was as suspicious as I was.

**

Chet was underneath me. Naked. I kissed his neck down to that spot by his collarbone that I hadn't kissed in such a long time. He moaned underneath me. His chest and chiseled stomach rose and fell with each intense breath. I moved my fingers inside him and watched his face as it lingered in ecstasy. And then I was inside him, moving, watching him as his divine body moved with my movements.

I woke from the dream and knew immediately my desire didn't stay in my dream. I was hard and poking Chet's firm butt from behind which did nothing to ease my desire. It was more intense than it had ever been. I had to get rid of it fast. I clambered out of the bed already not being as silent as I should be. Oh well, his sister was bound to hear me anyway. I just had to make it seem like I was taking a normal shower at two in the morning and not a cold one because I was horny.

Cold shower, cold shower. If nothing else, I hoped it would jolt me enough to cool me down - to get me thinking of anything other Chet. A cold shower was the only thing in mind. I got into the bathroom, stripped quickly out of my clothes and stepped into the tub. I pulled the shower curtain closed and started the shower with the faucet turned completely on cold.

The door opened. I froze. How had I forgotten to lock the door? I was so preoccupied with getting to the shower. I peeked around the shower curtain to see my desire step in, close the door behind him and lock it. I swallowed hard at the fire in his eyes. A part of me wanted him to turn around and leave because I knew I wouldn't be able to resist him. Instead of leaving, his clothes ended up on the floor next to mine. The cold water could do nothing for my hard on now.

Chet stepped into the shower, reached passed me to change the temperature to hot. Steam immediately started to fill the room. He gently kissed me on the lips. I was gone. Done. I tried to take the kiss deeper, but he immediately pulled away and put a finger to his lips. Right. We had to be quiet. He should leave. He should leave now because if he stayed I would not be able to keep my promise to his dad.

Instead of leaving, his fingers traced my jawline and his face got close to mine. Heat shot through me in fierce waves that left tingles in its wake. He didn't kiss me. He placed his cheek against mine as the hot water ran over both of us. His skin rubbed over mine as he moved so his mouth brushed against mine as the tip of his nose caressed mine. And then his opposite cheek was against my other cheek and his fingers entwined roughly in my hair.

His skin stretched all over mine and there was no space left between us. He was as hard as I was. His hands trailed down my back with the water from the shower as he moved his face against mine again until I could feel his hot breath against my ear. I thought he was going to whisper something, maybe something to remind me we had to be quiet, but that's not what he did. He took my earlobe in his mouth. His tongue slowly traced it setting me even more aflame.

My arms moved for the first time to embrace his waist and crush him to me. I moved to kiss him, but he pulled his head away from me. Right. We had to be quiet. He leaned in again, but instead of his lips meeting mine, he ran his tongue over my lips. My hands moved up the muscles of his back. My tongue rolled with his - hot and wet. I tried to crash our lips together, but again he pulled away.

He turned around so his back was to me. He looked over his shoulder at me with eyes that smoldered. His fingers reached back and began to prepare himself. The hot water continued to run over both of us. I stepped up closer and let my fingers take over.

He leaned back into me. I brought my lips down to his neck careful not to make a sound. My gentle kisses traced his neck and shoulder.

When I thought he was prepared enough, I whispered directly in his ear as quietly as I could, "We don't have a condom."

He tilted his head back and whispered back into my ear, "So pull out when it's time." His breath combined with the water on my skin sent shivers through me.

I entered him. I placed one hand beyond him at his head level to steady us against the shower wall. My other hand traced his waist to his front. Then my hand circled around his hard on and I began to pump even as I began to move carefully inside him. It was achingly slow on all accounts, but we couldn't make too much noise. Hopefully any noise we didt make would sound like someone washing themselves in the shower.

One of his hands held onto my arm that was steadying us against the wall. His other hand circled around to the back of my upper thigh, it slowly moved up until it was over the curve of my butt. He squeezed it and pulled me as if I could get any further inside him.

It had been so long, but my body remembered the places that gave him pleasure. I ran my tongue along his wet neck and he shivered. A moan started in his throat, but he stopped it before it was too loud. I could only hope that no one heard as our bodies continued to move together slowly to minimize the noise. He gnawed at my arm that was steadying us against the wall. I assumed in an effort to control his moans. The teeth scraping against my wet skin didn't hurt and his tongue would occasionally lick my arm in between the gentle bites.

The pleasure of being one reached its peak and I pulled out just as I climaxed. His release came only moments after onto the shower wall. The water was already beginning to wash it away.

He turned around and smiled gently at me. He kissed me gently on the lips. He reached passed me and grabbed the shampoo. He put some in his hands, lathered it and reached up to wash my hair. I smiled as I gazed into the eyes of my heart. He continued to smile at me. I got the shampoo and washed his hair too. Then we grabbed the soap and washed each other. We made sure the wall was clean and that there was no evidence left of what we had just done.

Chet reached passed me and turned off the water. He stepped out, grabbed a towel and handed me one. We dried off, put the towels in the hamper and got dressed. We went out together hopefully making it sound like only one person had taken a shower.

We went back into our bedroom and on our bed. He immediately turned to me and pulled me to him with his arms around my waist and his head against my chest. I held him as we fell back asleep.