Florida, and the one here in town was near the Boys' and Girls' Club by the high school. I'd driven by there before when we were trying to figure out what high school to place David in. That one wasn't a good fit. Way too many kids.
Poking around the site, I found the organization's mission statement:
Those who have the most to say have the fewest ways to say it.
We are committed to providing opportunities for young people to express themselves through art, writing, and music. As these bastions of creativity disappear from our schools, Horizon strives to bring these outlets back to our community so the voices that need to be heard can be elevated to their proper place.
Well that was certainly a good message, and I certainly felt like David qualified. He'd never struck me as the most creative individual, but he'd also never really been given the chance. And I was more than prepared to admit that his creativity probably just didn't look like mine.
Searching some more, I found their page about Dungeons & Dragons.
Every Friday and Saturday night, we host several different sessions of Dungeons & Dragons for those who wish to participate.
Tabletop roleplaying games encourage creativity, cooperation, and problem-solving abilities in children of all ages, but are especially effective in helping young people express themselves.
That sounded perfect, honestly. My eyes were drawn to the picture, and I couldn't help but smile at the group of teenagers being led by a dorky guy in full costume. There was something weirdly familiar about him, but I couldn't get a good view of his face from the grainy photo. He seemed fun, though, and if anyone would know how to integrate David into a group, it would be somebody like this.
"I'll give this place a call tomorrow. If they can't get him in, maybe they can at least point us toward some resources."
One way or another, I was determined to do this for David.
9
Elliot
It felt like I was drifting through the next several days.
After that incredible... I didn't even know what to call it. Experience? After that mind-blowing, sexuality-affirming experience, I stayed in that hotel room for hours. Sure, he'd run out in a hurry, but there genuinely seemed to be some kind of emergency, so I didn't feel as if he'd decided he made a mistake. It allowed me to just bask in the moment, though I had gotten a shower right after, because cooling cum was gross no matter how it happened or whose it was.
As I'd soaped myself up, I imagined his hands all over my body. Large, powerful hands gripping my hips, squeezing my ass, stroking my dick. I'd gotten hard with no effort at all and used my soapy hand to jack it to thoughts of my mysterious stranger.
I found myself wondering who he was. He was built like an athlete with the body of a god. What I'd seen of his face was chiseled, with a perfectly square jawline and beautiful blue eyes. Eyes filled with the most gorgeous fire, all of it directed toward me.
It'd been a long time since anyone had wanted me that way. Pretty much since Barb and I stopped being reckless teenagers and started being responsible adults. It felt good to do something a little reckless again; something that ran on passion more than any questions of sustainability.
We'd both been there for a hot fuck and, as far as I was concerned, we'd gotten it. There didn't need to be anything more to it.
So why did I spend the next few days wishing I'd gotten his number?
I still had him on Grindr obviously, but I wanted something more personal than that. I didn't want to know him as HelpingHands. I wanted to know him. What he did for a living, the way he took his coffee, his stance on the issue of Alachua County teachers being criminally underpaid.
It'd just been a hookup. I knew it was crazy to want anything more from him, or to think he might want the same from me. But, every time the bell rang and my students shuffled off to their next class, I found my mind drifting. I imagined him popping in to bring me lunch, or to sneak in a kiss and a cheeky grope before anyone saw. He seemed like the type to do something like that.
You have no idea what type he is, I reminded myself. Over and over. Every time I had those thoughts.
It didn't stop me from