A World Of Opportunities - Part 7 {gay}

 

Part 7

As I pulled up to the house, I saw a red Hyundai Kona in the garage next to Dad's. It was Adam's car. I was surprised to see it there since he hadn't spent a night home since he slept with me, as far as I knew. I parked on the curb, but not behind his car since I didn't think Adam would be staying. I heard shouting as I walked closer to the house, so I didn't announce my arrival when I walked through the front door. 

The first person I saw was David. He was sitting on the stairs comfortably in a faded blue tee with most of the front design worn away and a pair of washed-out baggy jeans as he watched what was going on in the living room. His ever-present phone was aimed at the confrontation happening before us.

"It's just May," David said in his defense when I looked at him like he'd lost his mind for possibly streaming this online. David turned back to what he was looking at before, and I joined him. 

"Jamie Cromwell?" Dad almost shouted. He then turned around as he tried to understand what he'd been told. That's when he saw me standing next to David. Dad looked like he had been home for a while with his old robe wrapped around himself. David still looked like he was dressed for work. His suit, in its shiny grey glory, had a bit more creases in it than I was used to seeing on him. But it just showed that he'd worn it for the whole day.

"Did you know about this Joshua?" Dad asked. 

"Know about what, exactly?" I asked before committing to an answer out loud. 

"That Adam has lost his mind and is dating Jamie Cromwell? A guy," he verified for me at the end. 

"I know that Jamie Cromwell is a guy," I told Dad before the look on his face fully registered in my head. I quickly answered his real question. "Yeah, he told me this morning," I confessed. 

"Oh my god," Dad said as he took a seat. "Your Mother," he breathed between his fingers, which were now covering his mouth. After a minute or so, Adam took a seat next to him on the couch where we sat last night and so many nights before that. 

"So you aren't... disappointed in me or something like that?" Adam asked him. 

"No!" Dad said loudly and quickly as he looked up at Adam. "No," he said softer a second time. His whole body seemed to have melted, but it looked the same somehow. "Just surprised," Dad said before looking in my direction. "I didn't think I would have two gay sons," he answered. 

"Actually, I'm bi," Adam corrected. Dad grinned in his direction, and Adam smiled back. I silently sighed in relief. 

"I'm still straight," David announced as he stood up while looking at his phone. "And I'm going to bed," he told us as he went upstairs while typing away on his screen. 

===

One Month Later

===

As Mom started noticing that Adam was hardly home anymore, she learned, from Adam, finally, that he was moving out, officially, in a few weeks. Adam also informed her that he would be bringing Jamie by to meet her in a few days. We were all in the kitchen eating breakfast and slowed down to not miss when he would tell her that Jamie was a guy. Well, I slowed down to not miss it. 

Mom was happy at the news, and why wouldn't she be? Her firstborn was settling down after it was starting to look like he would be happily chasing skirts for years to come. 

"Where did you meet her?" was Mom's excited first question. I refused to look in their direction to tip her off to something that was... 

"We met at work," Adam told her. "But you should know something about Jamie before you met," he continued. There was a gasp from Mom. 

"You finally did it didn't you?" Mom accused and asked him at the same time. "How many months?" she then demanded as she dropped her spoon into her cornflakes. Now, I just wanted to leave. Mom was already upset and she hadn't heard the important part yet. My flip-flopping on wanting to see the car wreck and not wishing to be there in the middle of it when it happens did not pass unnoticed. 

"I don't know what you're talking about," Adam almost yelled back at her. 

"Don't raise your voice to your Mother," Dad said as I turned to see him looking up at them. "Emily," he said to Mom. I turned to look at them just in time to see Mom pull Adam out of the kitchen. I don't know how far they went, but they were talking quieter now, and most of it was too muffled for us to hear anything. I finished eating and was standing when Adam came back into the room. 

"Dad," Adam said as he looked in his direction. "She doesn't believe me," he told him. Dad nodded his head before he stood up from the table. He stopped at my side and kissed my forehead before being waved away by David when he got too close for David's comfort.

"See you guys later," Dad said back at us as he continued to walk out of the room. Adam didn't go with him but walked further into the kitchen and took a seat as I moved away from mine.

"Hurry up David," I said as I dried my hands from washing my bowl. 

"Coming," he answered before lifting the bowl to his face, and drinking was left inside. 

"I'm bringing Jamie by Friday night," Adam told the room before he looked at David and me. "I would like you guys to be here," he then said but actually asked. 

"Wouldn't miss it," David said as he walked over to the sink. 

"Sure," I answered as I walked back to my chair to get my bag. "I'll wait for you in the car," I told David as I slipped my bag over my head. I looked in Adam's direction before walking over to him and rubbing his shoulder. He looked up at me, and I smiled. He smiled back, and I left the room. 

Mom and Dad were standing in the formal dining room looking out into the backyard. They were quietly talking, so I quickly grabbed my keys and left the house to sit in my car until David showed up. 

I ended up getting home late Friday night. Things got a little carried away with Dennis. We had somehow gotten ourselves locked in a storage room. Honestly. We were making out, then we heard this odd click. When we went to check the door, we couldn't open it. What door can't be opened from the inside? By the time we were found, it had only been about thirty minutes, and we had all that time to come up with a decent reason as to why we were in the closet in the first place. 

The night guard didn't believe our explanation, but I didn't care once he let us go and didn't push for a better answer. Then I ran into an accident on the highway, and those things always take forever to get cleared. I wasn't in the accident. I came across one on the highway. Just to be clear. I actually called Dad to let him know where on earth I was after I texted Adam on reflex since he asked me to be there. 

I managed to show up before Jamie and Adam left. In fact, I arrived as Mom was serving dessert. She was cutting into a lemon tart when I walked into the room. I apologized to everyone for being late before I took the last seat left open at the table. In front of me sat my dinner. A serving had been dished out and covered to await my appearance. No one, including myself, knew I would be this late. At that moment, I felt more touched than embarrassed.

"Go on, heat it up," Mom told me as she returned to cutting out wedges of the yellow desert. It was Adam's favorite, and I wondered if Jamie liked it too as I picked up my plate to take it into the kitchen. 

I nuked my plate for two minutes and was back in time to hear Jamie answering a question that I think Mom had asked about his job. 

"I'm in consideration for a promotion in title and pay," Jamie started as he separated a part of his pie but left it on the plate. "It's three of us up the promotion, but I think my odds are still good," Jamie finished before taking his next bite. 

As I started to eat my dinner, the feeling around the table wasn't tense at all, a little stalled as they took moments to come up with something to say from time to time, but that was it. I also figured that most of the topics had already been touched on while I was stuck in my car on exit 3.

As I breathed in the tension-free air while chewing on a forkful of macaroni salad, I realized that Adam somehow pulled it off once again. I'm sure I was just seeing things through "second child envy lenses". Sure. 

===

One Month Later

===

There wasn't much to move since he wasn't taking any furniture, and most of his clothes had already migrated over to Jamie's old apartment. That left everything else that wasn't too heavy for one person to take downstairs. So, three guys and about three trips each at the most is what it took to clear most traces of Adam from his childhood home. But that didn't stop the whole family from coming to see the new place when Adam was ready to leave. 

It was closer to the city and their jobs, and it would have been a four-story walkup if there wasn't an elevator. The building wasn't very high, seven floors I think, but it was new construction. The unloading of Adam's things didn't take as long, and we just left them in a corner of the living room for him to sort out later.

We then got a short tour of their rather spacious two-bedroom apartment. The river couldn't be seen from their balcony, but you saw the bridge, and the air was pleasant up there when you opened the windows or went onto the balcony. There wasn't much out there yet, but almost five feet deep and over ten feet long. 

Dad asked if they were allowed to have a BBQ out there. I've never seen him grill anything in all the years I've known him, so I was more interested in why he asked rather than the answer itself. 

"Nope," Adam answered back. "It's against condo rules. No fires of any kind, including smoking," he explained. 

"But we can sunbath nude if no one complains," Jamie whispered in my direction so our folks wouldn't hear. I almost choked on air. 

"Can I spend the night when the second bedroom gets finished?" David asked looking very invested in the answer. 

"Sorry," Jamie said again. "It's going to be our home office," he continued as he broke David's nineteen-year-old heart.

Adam explained that their job was starting to allow flexible at-home and in-office days, and they wanted to take advantage of it. Also, saving some money on gas wasn't a bad bonus either. They then kissed in front of all of us, which provided a sea of reactions. 

Dennis blushed but continued to watch them. David complained about the unfairness of not getting to spend the night in the city, even though they were just outside the official city boundary. Dad smiled before finding something interesting to focus his attention on. Mom immediately turned red and turned her back on them to walk out onto the balcony. I just grinned as I watched them. They appeared to be making plans for some of the time they were going to be spending at home with their eyes and grins that weren't shy at all.  

When Adam brought up ordering something to eat a minute or two later, pizza, in honor of Moving Day, Mom and Dad said they were going to head home, and David said that he was meeting up with his girlfriend since he spent his whole Saturday with us instead of her. He carried three bags, tops, and it was only two in the afternoon. But he still beat Mom and Dad to the door, leaving just the four of us. 

"So," Adam said as he closed the front door. "What do you want on your pizza?" he asked all of us. 

"Mushrooms, bell peppers and chicken," I offered up. We turned to Dennis. 

"Hawaiian," was his one-word answer.

"You guys ok with that being a half and half?" Adam then asked as he tapped away on his phone while walking towards Jamie who was now seated on one of the couches.

"Sure," Dennis and I said at the same time. We laughed at our echoing voices. 

"What?" I asked Jamie as he continued to look at us while staying quiet. He simply shrugged his shoulders before leaning back and sliding down to lay on Adam's side. We watched some TV until the pizza came. Jamie and Adam shared a pizza topped with spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, and beef. Bits of pizza slices were exchanged, compared, and complained about as we continued to watch the show that we all agreed on. 

"How are you so moved in already?" Dennis asked Jamie as he looked at the hanging prints at one point. 

"I've been here for a week already and Adam has been here to help unpack," he said before taking a sip from his can of Sprite. We all got one with the pizzas. 

"So when are we going to go on a double date?" Adam loudly asked as he gave us, if not me, his full attention now that his plate was empty and the show was still on a commercial break. 

"I've told you," I started. "We don't really do dates," I told Adam. Again. He finds out that the world didn't end when he slept with a guy, me. Falls in love with Jamie, and now he's more than game to take on social norms that now intersect with his life. I'm not saying he's wrong. Remember me over two months ago, making a wish that ended up with me sleeping with said brother in two different worlds? Maybe. Yeah, I created my own personal, short-lived hell that's full of irony. Perhaps hell is too strong a word, if not completely misleading, but you know what I mean. 

"How much longer do you have to wait now?" Jaime asked us. 

"About a month into the new school year," Dennis started. "Sometimes the scholarship is a little early or a little late, so we'll should know for sure by mid November," he explained. 

===

One Month Later

===

Our lives have settled into a happy pattern now that a few things are out of the way. My family has met and likes Dennis. Mom included, surprisingly. I've been to his house and stood next to him as he came out to his family. He is an only child, but on the day he decided to do this, both sets of his grandparents were there, along with an uncle and aunt from each side of his family, as well as their kids and or spouses. Dennis said that he had the perfect time to tell his folks, but acted all surprised when everyone else showed up for dinner. I'm not sure if Dennis was being completely truthful, but they took it well. No out-loud congratulations or hugs for us, but a few handshakes were shared, and I told Dennis that they just needed time for it to sink in.

We have slept over at each other's house too, but it never felt right doing more than kissing there, so two-day motel weekend trips were becoming a habit for us. While we were trying to keep it low-key, Adam and Jamie appeared to be doing everything short of taking out an ad in the local newspaper telling everyone that they were an item. David, showed me and Dad, a TikTok vid of the two of them being sighted at a movie theater hugging and kissing in line. First, there was a gasp from the girl taking the video, then she overlaid the song 'Another One Bites The Dust' before cutting back in and saying they were cute together. 

It was a good thing that he had already brought Jaime by to meet the family. I think Mom took meeting Dennis so well because Adam got to her first with his news about Jamie Cromwell. Yes, his whole name is needed here, I think, to explain why Mom wasn't as torn up about it as I thought she might be at 'loosing' another son. Small towns have big names, and Cromwell was up there.

I was happy to let Adam be in the spotlight. Which allowed Dennis and I to spend some of our time together with a little less scrutiny. I say some because of course, it got around that my brother was dating a Cromwell and that Dennis has been seen hanging out with me. Before you knew it, people were trying to be my friend so they could say they were so many degrees closer to a Cromwell. Those new acquaintances didn't last long. One, I didn't need fake friends in my life, and two, it cut down on the personal time I could have spent with Dennis.

"I have to go to the admin building tomorrow," I told Dennis as we laid in bed. It was Sunday night and the end of our time here in Room 8. After having to stay in some questionable motels, we settled on this one and this room if it was open at the time. At one point, I was starting to believe that the attendant was keeping it free for us.  

"Summer is over," Dennis commented before he leaned across the space separating us to kiss me. "And time for football session to start," he reminded me. All this time he's been practicing, and now I'll get to see him in school against school action. I didn't have this summer off, as you know from the classes I've been attending. Dennis had one, maybe two, classes outside of his football practice. 

I thought back to when we watched fireworks at Adam and Jamie's place. Our whole family was there, David brought his girlfriend, May, by, and even Dennis' folks showed up about an hour before the fireworks started at nine. It was an easy get-together. The parents hung out with parents and talked about parental things. May, of course, knew about Adam and Jamie. I think she was the one who sent the TikTok link to David of them kissing in line. That day she found out about Dennis and me, but she swore that she wasn't going to say anything. I let her know that she didn't have to sit on the secret for forever. 

"So there is going to be some big announcement at school?" she asked looking all excited like she was being invited to a party. 

"No," Dennis informed her. "We're just going to stop hiding as much." He glanced at me, and I thought he was going to reach for me, but habit had him putting his free hand in his pocket instead. I bumped into his shoulder as I took a sip from my bottle. Dennis smiled apologetically before he drank from his also. 

"He might be too set in his ways to do much when the time comes," Adam offered up as he continued to eat his hotdog. 

"No, he's not going to turn into you Adam," Jamie said in a light and teasing tone to his boyfriend as Dennis turned beet red. "But give him time to adjust before calling him out on stuff," Jamie ended before eating his hotdog covered in onions. I heard a muffled boom and turned towards the balcony. 

"They've started," Dennis' Mom called to the rest of us as she turned to look at us for a moment. I reached out, and grabbed Dennis' free hand to pull him towards one of the large windows. He hugged me from behind and rested his head on my shoulder as we watched the fireworks explode into colorful shimmering lights on either side of the bridge. As I looked around, I saw that everyone was quietly holding on to their partner, in some way, as we all looked towards McNeal River and watched the multicolor show. 

When it was over, we all thanked Adam and Jamie for allowing us to come and watch the fireworks from their apartment. They said that it was no big deal. No one missed seeing David and Kim as they prepared about four hotdogs in the background before saying goodnight and leaving with their food, and I think, at least two cans of something to drink. Dennis and I departed with the parents and had a silent ride down in the elevator. 

"Don't stay out too late," Dennis' Mom told us as we exited the building. Dennis didn't answer back but smiled at her. I raised my hand to wave goodbye to my Dad, and I smiled even wider when Mom waved back at me also, before they turned ahead of us to find their car. 

"Good Night," Dennis' Dad said as he wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders before they walked in the same direction as my folks. 

I came back to the here and now as I shifted in my spot on the bed to look at Dennis. He was already looking at me. "So what are we going to do now?" I asked him as I tugged on his fingers, that found themselves entwined with mine.