David’s throat was painfully tight in his effort to hold back tears. “I promise,” he managed.
“Okay.” His father clapped a hand on his back and stood. “Pack your things. It’s time for you to come home.”
David couldn’t believe his luck, but he didn’t hesitate. He got his things together while his father went to the nurses station to let them know David was leaving. Ten minutes later, David walked into the hall, luggage dangling from one arm. Just as his father turned away from the desk and nodded at him, the door buzzed open so they could leave—but Dr. Wolf walked through from the other side.
Stomach sinking, David stopped and watched Dr. Wolf speak with his father. They became animated, gesturing in an effort to make their points. Then Dr. Wolf shook his head and walked around his father, heading down the hall toward him.
“David,” he said, “you’re making a very bad mistake.”
That was all he managed before his father’s hand clamped down on Dr. Wolf’s shoulder, stopping him from coming nearer.
“Gerald, you no longer have permission to talk to my son.”
David saw then, that the man at the bar hadn’t felt sorry for his father. There was a fire in his eyes like nothing David had seen before. Even Connor’s crazy eyes couldn’t compete. Dr. Wolf turned and saw it too, and didn’t dare speak another word as David and his father walked out the door.
* * * * *
Prisoners were released during lockdown periods. Otherwise the deputies would have to pluck them from the dayroom, risking escape attempts from some of the less satisfied guests. Connor was prepared. He had given his leftover commissary goods to Wade. When the guard came, he hopped off the top bunk. They told him to pick up his plastic storage bin and carry it with him. On the way out the door, Connor nodded at Wade.
“Thanks,” he said.
He wasn’t sure that made sense as a parting word, but he really was grateful. The time would have passed a lot slower without Wade’s conversation and book recommendations. Wade nodded at him, as if he understood.
Connor’s mother had visited him the day before. She was coming today to pick him up, but something about her smile—or the one she tried to hide—he didn’t trust. No doubt this had to do with Tommy. He made her promise not to bring his little brother, and his mother had argued that the jail didn’t look like one from the outside. Regardless, Tommy could be disarmingly perceptive. At the very least, he would notice all the police cars and start asking questions.
Paperwork was the last obstacle between Connor and freedom. He filled it out impatiently—most of it concerning the six months of probation he still faced. Then they gave him his possessions, including his clothes. When the deputy saw that his shirt was stained with blood, she offered to throw it away and get Connor a new one. Then he was brought to one of the shower rooms to change. The plain white shirt he had been given was a size too large, and his jeans still had a few specks of blood on them, but already Connor felt more like a real person again.
At first the clothes felt odd against his skin, just like winter clothes did after wearing shorts and T-shirts all summer. Once his shoes were tied, Connor stayed seated and tried checking his cell phone for messages but the battery was dead. He supposed no one really called him besides David, who was stuck in the hospital. How lonely life had been before they met!
Connor planned on making an appearance at home and getting cleaned up. Then he would go by David’s house to speak with his father. He wasn’t sure what that would accomplish. Maybe he could at least get a message to David. Connor stood, left the shower room, and waited for someone to tell him what to do. Being unsupervised felt strange.
Finally one of the deputies noticed him and asked if he was ready. Connor nodded and was escorted to a public area where other families were waiting. None of them were his.
“Don’t come back now, ya hear?” The deputy escorting him guffawed at his own joke. He probably did every time he made it.
Then Connor was left alone. For a moment it seemed too good to be true. He could go anywhere and do anything he wanted. He considered sitting on one of the lobby chairs and waiting for his mom, but the sun was shining through the double glass doors outside. That’s where he wanted to be.
Connor strode through the lobby to the door. The light pouring in from outside had warmed the metal handle. He left his hand there a moment, enjoying the sensation, before he pulled the door open and stepped out into a warm summer day.
The parking lot was full of cars. He expected to see his parents there, Tommy exploding from between them and rushing him for a hug. His mom would shrug an apology, and Connor would laugh and forgive her. Except he didn’t find a friendly face in sight.
“I baked you a cake with a file inside, but the guards wouldn’t let me give it to you.”
He swung around. There, leaning against the brick next to the entrance, was his heart’s desire. Connor wasted no time in picking David up and kissing him long enough to leave them both breathless.
“I thought you were in the hospital,” Connor panted.
“I got out.” David looked him over. “I like your hair.”
Connor reached up and ran a hand through it self-consciously. It had grown out quite a bit over the last month, especially since he was about to get it buzzed again before all this had happened. But still, if David liked it longer, maybe he would leave it that way.
Connor wasn’t the only one who had changed. There was something different about David too. He stood taller, held his head higher. The self-confidence that made brief appearances in Florida had made its way to Kansas. If it was here to stay, Connor would have more trouble than usual keeping his hands to himself. Then again, maybe David wouldn’t need him anymore.
David’s face softened. “I missed you so much!” he said and threw himself into Connor’s arms.
Of course David still needed him, but maybe now, all he would need was love and not protection. They stood and held each other until an officer asked them to move along. Connor was happy to oblige. He kept his arm around David as they walked to the car, only separating so they could climb inside.
“Tell me everything,” Connor said. “Gordon told me you were in the hospital. He said something about you bashing the hell out of Chuck’s car with a baseball bat!”
“Don’t worry. I drove by the other day, and he already has a new car.”
Connor laughed. “Then I’ll buy you a new bat. Hey, how did you know when I was getting out?”
“I called your family. Then I begged and pleaded with them to let me pick you up alone.” David flashed him an insecure smile, proving he hadn’t completely changed. “I thought it would be romantic. Just like in the movies.”
“That it is,” Connor agreed.
“So should we head over there so you can see everyone?”
“No!” Connor said. “I mean, later, but right now … Is your dad home?”
“Ah,” David said knowingly. “That’s the part they don’t put in the movies.”
“Well, I’ve been locked in a cell with five other dudes, and there wasn’t a lot of privacy. Aside from a couple days in solitary confinement, I haven’t had a chance to deal with those carnal urges.”
“Solitary confinement?” David stared at him before laughing. “Sabrina was right. Jailbirds are hot!”
As soon as they were back at David’s place, Connor was happy to prove just how hot he was. He couldn’t get enough of David’s lips, their kisses stopping only a fraction of a second so they could strip off their shirts. Then they pressed their skin together, their bodies so hungry for each other that even this simple sensation was pure bliss. Their long separation made it feel like the first time all over again—but with the benefit of experience. Now Connor knew how David liked him to gently run his teeth along his neck, gently nibbling him there before tonguing his ear.
And David knew how sensitive Connor’s back was, how brushing fingertips along his muscles would send tingles up and down
his spine. Connor pulled David close, hanging on to him as they fell backwards onto the bed. He let David remain on top, his weight a welcome reminder that all this was real and not some prison fantasy. They tasted each other’s lips over and over, their crotches grinding together. Connor could feel the head of his cock poking out from his jeans, so he rolled over on top of David before grabbing one of his hands and guiding it down.
Connor raised his hips so David could get to the button and zipper. Once his jeans were pulled down far enough, he kicked his legs free of them. Then he climbed upward, writhing as David’s hand stroked him, and continuing up until he reached David’s mouth. The tip of his dick brushed against David’s lips before they parted. Then Connor began thrusting, the sensation sending him on a high that he never wanted to end.
Soon Connor missed their bodies being close together and scooted back down. David had undone his own jeans and was playing with himself, which wouldn’t do at all. He’d had all month to do that. Now that they were together again, there was no need. Connor helped David out of his jeans, then took one of David’s feet, tickling the underside before kissing his big toe. He smiled as David laughed, then added another kiss on top of his foot. Then his ankle, his calf, his knee, and a couple on the inside of his thigh. Connor let David squirm in anticipation before taking him into his mouth, the familiar taste and scent spurring him on. He worked single-mindedly until David placed his hands on his shoulders and pushed him away.
“I want all of you,” he said.
Connor looked into those tender brown eyes and would have given him anything in that moment. Luckily, he and David wanted the exact same thing. He grabbed the lube from the side of the bed and squirted some on both of them, spreading it with tight strokes. They moaned and exchanged half-lidded gazes of pleasure before Connor placed himself between David’s legs.
He was gentle, as he always was. They were both out of practice, but soon found their rhythm. Usually Connor would hold himself up and look down at David’s face. That got him off just as much as the physical sensations did. This time, David had his own needs. He pulled Connor close, squeezing their bodies together. Even when Connor’s full weight was relaxed on him, it didn’t seem to be enough. David tangled his legs around Connor, desperate for them to become one, now and forever.
Connor’s face was buried in David’s hair when he felt him tense and come between their stomachs. Connor only lasted another minute after that, feeling like he was gushing an ocean. Then, worried that he was crushing David, he rolled them both over on their sides. He pulled away just enough to clearly see David’s face and caressed his cheek with a thumb.
“I love you,” Connor said.
David laughed, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. Connor supposed it was.
* * * * *
“It wouldn’t have been so bad if they had locked us up together,” David said.
They were still in bed, the covers pulled up to their armpits, having spent the last hour talking and trying different positions. Sometimes David had his head on Connor’s chest. Other times they spooned. Right now they faced each other, heads propped up on elbows.
“I would have preferred the hospital,” Connor said. “At least you had movies to watch. And a buffet for every meal would have been killer.”
“The movies were all old,” David said. “Besides, they didn’t try doping you up in jail.”
“You would have hated it there.”
“We could have been bunkmates!”
Connor chuckled. “Well, next time we get into trouble, hopefully you’ll be old enough to do time with me. Won’t that be nice?”
“I call top bunk.”
“Fine, but that’s the only time you get to be on top!”
David grinned. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Connor stretched, flopping onto his back. “We should probably get showered and dressed. I want to hit a toy store before we see my family, find something for Tommy that looks like it’s from out of state.”
“Like what?”
“No clue.”
“Speaking of which,” David said, “what are we going to do?”
“Do?”
“Well, we were on the verge of moving to Florida.”
Connor gave him an incredulous look. “I’m on probation.”
“And I’m on diversion,” David said.
“What’s that?”
“It’s like probation for kids. Isn’t that cute?”
“No, but it’s even more reason for us to stay. We’re grounded in Kansas—at least for a while. After all we’ve just been through, do you really want to break the law by crossing state lines?”
David thought about it for a moment. He could look like such an angel at moments like these. Then he nodded, a devilish grin destroying the illusion.
“Yes,” he said. “That’s exactly what I want to do.”
Epilogue
David was graduating and wished he wasn’t. Well, sort of. He was ecstatic that high school was just moments away from being over. Forever. He just wished he was graduating from Seabreeze High School in Florida. He imagined the students there had to surf across the waves to collect their diplomas from a parasailing principal. Then they probably rode dolphins into the sunset while sipping banana daiquiris.
Instead, David was in the same dingy Olathe South gymnasium that Connor had graduated from. They did return to Florida, but not until Connor’s probation was over six months after his release. That had been in late January, David skipping a few days of class to make a long weekend, which they used to escape the Kansas winter. They celebrated Connor’s birthday there with his sister. The locals thought the weather was cold—the beaches all but abandoned—but David still managed to get a sunburn in the middle of winter.
Being in the Sunshine State again reminded David of how much he wanted to get away, but he had to consider his father’s feelings. David couldn’t live with his dad forever, but he could give him one final year. Of course it didn’t help that his father and Connor had teamed up. Connor became Mr. You-Have-to-Finish-High-School, while David’s father remained Mr. Oh-Look-Another-Letter-From-An-Interested-College. Helpless against this twin barrage of wills, David had buckled down and decided to get through one more year.
“David Henry!”
He hopped out of the cold metal seat, which hadn’t had time to get warm. At least his last name came relatively early in the alphabet. He heard a respectable amount of cheering too. As he made his way down the aisle, he glanced over at his miniature fan club. His father was there, high on education and cheering his head off. He wasn’t quite as loud as Tommy, who was riding on Connor’s shoulders and screaming like a banshee. Next to them was Gordon, yelling with the mad passion of a brainwashed cultist and decked out in one of the school’s letter jackets.
Last year’s crazy summer had the most dramatic effect on Gordon. While Connor was locked up in jail and David was matching wits with Dr. Wolf, Gordon was in the midst of his own rebellion. Gordon had argued all summer with his parents to let him go to public school. David never understood why. He would have thought that nearly getting beaten up by Chuck would have scarred him for life, but instead Gordon seemed to have something to prove.
After enough pressure from their son, Gordon’s parents finally agreed. David had entered his senior year with a very nervous junior clinging to him. In a way, that made facing another year of institutional hell much easier. David was so concerned for Gordon’s safety that he barely had time to consider his own. Not that he needed to worry. After the first month, Gordon had adjusted fairly well. He never really understood when people were making fun of him, which gave him the reputation of having thick skin. Unable to get a rise out of him, most quit trying.
Now Gordon behaved as if he had found the greatest video game of all time. He navigated the hallways like they were a dungeon map, collected good grades like experience points, and had even found treasure in the form of a girlfriend. Sh
e was only a freshman and wore glasses that made her eyes appear huge, but it had been love at first scoff. Gordon had asked if she played the Dragon Death games, and she had scoffed when learning that he didn’t play the original Japanese versions.
And of course Chuck was still there and just as miserable as before, but he stayed away from David. The only time they ever spoke was when David caught him giving Gordon a hard time.
“I gave him my old baseball bat,” David said to Chuck in the hall shortly afterwards. “Not that he’ll need it. He’s on the school newspaper and working on an article about bullies who compensate for personal issues. Things like wetting the bed, fear of abandonment … or hiding something they feel ashamed about. It’s up to you if he publishes it or not.” Chuck hadn’t exactly cowered at David’s words, but he did back off.
And now it was graduation day. David danced up the steps to the principal, winked at the man, grabbed his diploma, and headed for the doors. His family and friends would follow. David wasn’t staying for any sentimental speech. Meeting Connor was the only good thing that had happened to him here.
Walking into the evening air, he let out a sigh of relief. He was free. Really and truly free. For the next year at least. David would go to college, but only because he had some good scholarships and wasn’t sure what else he wanted to do. The University of Florida had accepted him, which meant that he could finally live where he wanted. His father had made peace with that, although he still left the occasional Stanford brochure for David to find.
But all that was the future. He and Connor were moving to Florida, and by this time next year, David would qualify for in-state tuition. In the meantime, David would enjoy a blissful, directionless year of doing nothing but living in sin with his boyfriend. Speaking of which—
He spun around just as the double doors banged open. Connor came first with Tommy still on his shoulders, his younger brother wearing a jack-o-lantern smile.
“You sure hightailed it out of there,” Connor said.
“I told you I didn’t want to go.”