high school. Maybe it was seeing you guys. Remember when Aaron started dating that girl—what was her name? Daisy or something?”
Finn laughed. “I remember she didn’t last long.” When Daisy had found out who Aaron’s friends were, she’d dumped him. “You think maybe she felt like we’d infect him or something? That our gay vibes would rub off on him?”
“Who cares what she thought? His next girlfriend was so much nicer. Vicky. She was a sweetheart. I think she hung around with Teresa, which makes sense. Teresa didn’t give a damn that we were gay either.” Levi let out another wry chuckle. “God, you remember that camping trip Aaron organized when we were seventeen? Ry swore it was an orgy.”
Finn cackled. “Well, obviously. Eight guys going away for a weekend, in cars stuffed with camping gear… That says orgy to me. That was my first camping trip, and I have to say it was really useful.”
“Why useful?”
“It taught me I can’t stand camping! The mosquitoes alone… I’ve avoided it ever since.”
Levi laughed. “Once bitten, eh?”
Finn cackled. “I see what you did there. Quick, very quick.”
“Have we changed much, do you think?”
Finn glanced toward the window, just in case, but there was no sign. “I think so. I mean, Shaun’s quiet, but he always did keep to himself. We just brought him out of his shell a little. Dylan… I still don’t know about Dylan.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know he dates girls—I think he dated all the girls in our graduating class—but sometimes… I don’t know. I mean, we all knew Aaron was straight, but that didn’t mean he was always asking questions. Far from it—Aaron acted as if none of it was his business. Dylan, on the other hand…” Dylan had asked a lot of questions.
“I just thought he was curious.”
“Like Ben was?” It was only in the last four or so years that Ben had come out. Not that any of them had been surprised by his announcement.
Finn chuckled. “Ben was still figuring things out when he joined us.”
“He didn’t so much join us as we rescued him.”
Ben seemed to attract the bullies. Even in junior high, Finn remembered watching Ben fleeing from aggressors during every recess. They seemed to take one look at that baby face, and yearn to punch it. In high school, Big Steve, the janitor, had found Ben cowering in the room that served as Steve’s office. He’d told Levi, who had taken Ben under his wing.
“Did you ever wonder about Big Steve?” Finn had. It had felt like an odd thing for Steve to do, to bring Ben to Levi’s attention, rather than tell a teacher.
We were better for Ben than any teacher could have been.
“Not then, but years later Seb told me he ran across him in the gay bar in Ogunquit. Apparently, Big Steve’s boyfriend was a tiny little thing.”
“Wow. Then Steve was looking out for Ben too.” Finn smiled to himself. “Why am I not surprised Seb was the one who just happened to be in the gay bar? Of all of us, I think he ranks as the one who was always the most out-and-proud.” He laughed. “Remember that day we found out he had gay magazines in his gym bag? I still don’t know how he had the nerve to bring them to school.”
“What I want to know is, how did he get them? He never did say.” Finn heard a muted voice in the background. “I’ll be right there, Grammy,” Levi called out. “Sorry, Finn, gotta go. Let me know how much it will cost for the wood—and your time, of course—for Grammy’s chair.”
“I’ll keep the receipt for the wood, but you are not paying me for making it. This is for Grammy, after all.”
“Aw, thanks. We’ll talk soon, okay?”
“Sure. Go take care of Grammy.” Finn disconnected. He stared out of the window at the darkening sky.
So what are you gonna do—stand here all night on the off-chance he comes back?
Finn’s inner voice of reason won out, and he reached for the TV remote.
Anything to distract him from the pull of that window.
I wonder what his voice is like?
It wasn’t the first time Finn had lain in bed and contemplated the guy on the beach. Finn figured it would be deep, a rich, velvety voice that he could listen to for hours.
I wonder if he talks while he fucks?
And just like that, his thoughts veered off in a more carnal direction that had him reaching for the lube