After We Danced
By Mark Peters
PART THREE
- Chapter One -
The sun. The sand. The company. The parties. The freedom. For the few days that we stayed on the Gold Coast, it was all just fabulous. But it was also all too brief.
Matt and I had made our plans, and they were to spend a couple of days with our classmates, then hit the road.
In fact we ended up spending three full days cramped into the small unit with J.D. and Ox, which in itself was fine, except that it ended up being more like a half way house for wayward ex-school students seemingly incapable of stepping out and living their own lives.
Don’t get me wrong, we had a blast, as we went to one party or bar after another (even though I was still under age, ssshhh!), but we were just so relieved whenever we got the chance to get out by ourselves. It didn’t matter if it was going shopping (which unfortunately seemed to be a lot of looking in auto stores with Matt for things for his car), or taking a walk on the beach, or even just sitting by the pool that belonged to the apartments where we were staying. If we were together and not a part of a larger crowd, we were happiest.
One place we did find where we could go however, safe in the knowledge that we could just be ourselves and wouldn’t meet up with any of our class mates, was this nudist beach about fifteen minutes down the road from our apartment. Neither of us had ever been anywhere near such a place in our lives, but we thought that seeing as this was an adventure, why not be adventurous.
That first afternoon spent on the beach was what you would call, an eye opener. There were people of all shapes, sizes and ages, from all walks of life, just being themselves. No inhibitions. No hang-ups. Just amazing.
At first the whole scene felt rather intimidating for us country boys, and we were reluctant to shed all of our gear, preferring instead to at least leave our swimmers on, but the scowls we received from the beach patrons were enough to eventually force us to lose our inhibitions. As we saw it, we had to get our gear off, or get lost, so we chose the former. I mean, faced with the alternative (a room full of obnoxious former school students), there was no choice to make really.
Even then however, we spent most of that first afternoon on the beach just sitting around watching the endless parade of skin, with our knees pulled up to our chests to hide our obvious embarrassment.
Once again we were kidded into getting involved however, and we even ended up joining in and playing a few games of beach volleyball.
Wow!
Needless to say, we ended up going back to that beach each day while we were on the Gold Coast, and can honestly say that the more time we spent there the more we felt we had finally found a place where we belonged. A place where we felt no shame or embarrassment. A place where no one cared. A place where no one scowled. A place where no one judged us, laughed at us or pointed their finger at us.
In fact, by our last day on that beach we even managed to follow the lead set by some of the other same sex couples that were there, and believe me there were a few, and managed to take at least one stroll the full length of the beach, holding hands. And whatsmore, the people around us didn’t care. Some people smiled, some people just nodded at us. But no one laughed.
Can you imagine how liberating that feeling is for a couple of closeted country lads? I couldn’t imagine us doing that anywhere else though - even with our clothes on.
I kept my eyes peeled too, just in case we did come across anyone we knew, and even though there were quite a few young people there around our age, I was pretty sure that we were safe.
For the first time in our lives we could be just us. And it felt like this huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
We also met up with and chatted to a couple of guys our age who were just like us, obviously in love and as it turned out were also from a small country town like ours. It was a great feeling to know that we were not alone.
They came over and introduced themselves just as we finished our walk along the beach and we found out that their names were Tim and Guy.
They were here for the schoolies week as well and, like us, they had also come to this beach to try and get away from some of their friends for a little while, to have a little time to themselves. As it turned out they were in fact staying in a block of units not far from ours, so we invited them down to our unit to hang out if they wanted and although they were a little non-committal about accepting our invitation, they did seem interested. We didn’t want to push the issue so we basically just left it at that.
That night they came wandering down however, and I was pleased that they did. We introduced them to our friends, but not before we had quietly set the ground rules, being that no one was allowed to know anything about any of us being gay. They were as relieved as we were that we all agreed to do that.
All too soon however, the parties were over and it was time to leave our paradise. We could have stayed longer of course, but Matt and I really wanted to get away and spend some time together, by ourselves and without the shadow of our friends hanging over us.
J.D. and Ox wanted us to stay, in fact pleaded with us to stay, but we told them a little white lie about calling in on some relative of Matt’s and then having to get home. We knew that they would be here for at least another week, so we figured there was no harm in that.
Anyway, we said our good-byes on the Thursday morning and left our friends behind, looking forward to some quiet times together. As we were driving along Pacific Boulevard, we noticed Tim and Guy just coming out of the entrance to their apartment building, so we pulled over onto the side of the road and blew the car horn at them.
They spotted us and crossed the busy road to say hello.
"You guys headin’ off now?", Tim asked us.
"Yeah", Matt answered. "We’re going to see if we can find some place quiet to camp for a few days before we head home".
"Sounds cool", Guy said. "Maybe that’s what we should do".
"You can join us if you like", Matt said to them, while looking at me with eyebrows raised questioningly. I nodded my agreeance.
"Well, we’re booked in here until Sunday, but after that we’re free. Do you know where you are going yet?", guy asked.
"No, we just thought we’d wing it", I answered, leaning over towards Matt’s window.
"Fair enough", said Tim.
"Have you got a mobile?", Matt asked them.
"Yeah", Tim replied, reaching for his pocket and pulling out a small Nokia.
"How about we call you when we find a spot? If you want to call in and spend some time with us you’re more than welcome".
"Sounds cool", they chorused.
We exchanged telephone numbers and said our good-byes, then pulled out into the traffic, heading south on the first part of our trip home.
- Chapter Two -
There was quite a bit of traffic on the road, seeing as it was always holiday time on the Gold Coast, and so the trip south was fairly steady. We stayed on the main highway for a while, but eventually decided to try and follow the coastline as much as possible, so after checking our map we turned off onto a side road that looked like it headed for the coast and some small towns.
Once we got away from the main population areas we also got to see some great scenery, the rugged coast, sandy beaches, wide rivers and lots of small towns and seaside villages.
We stopped a few times and looked around for somewhere to pitch the tent, and thanks to our not being able to find somewhere suitable (without knowing the area) we eventually settled on a small caravan park in one of the small towns we came to.
The town was called Thompsonville, population 5730 according to the sign at the city limits, and it was tucked safely between the banks of a small lake and a rugged mountain range covered with thick rainforest.
The Thompson River flowed into the lake from the northern end and then flowed out again from the southern end, after which it then made it’s way to the sea. In between there was a town nestled along one bank, with a small marina on the other bank where sail boats and house boats rocking safely at their moorings.
On the eastern side of the lake, the opposite side to where the caravan park was located, there were some low sandy hills, covered with typical coastal vegetation, and beyond these were miles and miles of sandy white beaches and rolling oceans.
It was beautiful, and we thought that it would do for our first night anyway, after which we would ask some locals and see if we could get some directions to a National Park or some other quiet place.
It was just on dark by the time we managed to set up our camp, so we decided to walk the short distance into the main street of the town to try and find some place to get a meal and see what the town had to offer.
Everything was so green and tropical looking, which was only to be expected I suppose, and on the warm summer air there was the fresh and invigorating aroma of the sea.
As we walked along the road towards the main street we could hear the waves crashing on the beach and the chaotic sounds of squabbling sea birds.
It was now dark, and as we walked along Matt reached over and took my hand. Almost instinctively I pulled back from him, but he gripped tighter and wouldn’t let me go. Out here, in public, even allowing for the darkness, I just couldn’t bring myself to let go of my fears.
"There’s no one about", he said softly.
"I know, it’s just that it feels so strange. Back on that other beach, where others were doing it as well, it didn’t seem out of place. But here, right near this town, out in the open, that’s something different".
I pulled my hand back again, and this time he let go, stopping as he did so. I had walked on for a few more steps, but when I realised he had stopped I turned and walked back to him.
"Sorry", he said. "I just thought you were ready".
Shaking my head I said, "Soon, I promise". I placed my forefinger on my lips and kissed it, then placed it on his.
"OK, I’m going to hold you to that".
When we reached the shopping centre a few minutes later, we found this marvelous little quiet Chinese Restaurant, with a big front window, which gave a wonderful view of the marina lights reflecting off the lake waters. We had a great meal, enjoying each others company in a quiet atmosphere, while secretly rubbing our toes together under the table.
I know it wasn’t much, but it was all I could bring myself to give him in public at this point. I hope he understood.
- Chapter Three -
The next day, Friday, we telephoned Tim and Guy to let them know about the little beachside haven we had found and they promised they would join us there over the weekend. We had decided that we would stay here for a few days to look around, seeing as it was such a nice spot.
Both Matt and I spoke to them both and we all seemed pleased that our newfound friendship seemed to be one that would be more than just a passing holiday thing. We were all so alike that it was scary, and I really hoped that it would be a friendship that would last.
We spent the morning relaxing on the beach, then after enjoying some fish and chips for lunch from a small takeaway food shop we spent the next few hours wandering through the town, inhaling the sweet sea air. I also found this little souvenir and gift store in the main street so we wandered in to have a look around.
"I’ll have to take something home for mum or she’ll shoot me", I said to Matt as we wandered through the shop.
"Yeah, me too", he answered.
Eventually I settled on a printed tea towel as a present for mum, and a stuffed toy for Katie. I know it’s not much, but at least I got them something. Dad, well I could never really buy for him, much too hard, but I was sure that I’d pick something up somewhere though.
I laughed at him when Matt brought exactly the same items to the counter as presents for his family.
After our shopping expedition, we went and sat on a park bench in the shade of this huge big old Moreton Bay Fig Tree, up on a low hill which overlooked the beach and ocean in one direction and the lake in the other. A cool breeze was blowing in from the sea and it was a beautiful day.
We sat there for a few hours, just watching the world go by. Gigantic ships and other smaller boats out on the water, plus the usual procession of holiday makers along the beach and around the lake.
All this laying about and doing touristy things was starting to wear me out however, so by late in the afternoon I felt like a nap. I told Matt I wanted to head back to the camp for a lie down and asked him if he was coming.
"No, I think I’ll just stay here for a bit. I want to phone home and check in anyway. You go ahead and I’ll be down soon anyway".
"Suit yourself", I said to him and set off down the hill, along the narrow dirt path which wound its way through low bush. I glanced back up at him a couple of times and noticed he was on the phone. He even waved to me once, and I waved back.
I had this strange feeling that he was up to something, but what it was, I had no idea.
Luckily, be the time I got back to our tent, it was safely covered by the shade of a thick grove of trees, which bordered the caravan park. Usually tents are so bloody hot that you quite literally cook in them in the afternoon sun, but being in the shade ours was nice and cool.
I went inside and took off my T-shirt and joggers, then laid down on the mattress. Thankfully it didn’t take long and I was soon drifting off, rocked to sleep listening to the constant gentle sound of waves crashing on the beach just over the hill from where we were camped.
When I awoke, only about an hour later, I could hear Matt breathing gently beside me and felt his arm draped over my body.
Smiling to myself I rolled over and looked at him. I don’t know why, but it always seemed so comforting and secure knowing that he was there holding me. I also enjoyed just watching him sleep, methodically breathing in and out, while I studied his classical features, the turned up mouth, the quivering eyelids. God he was beautiful.
A few moments later he opened his eyes, to see me staring back at him, smiling.
"Hi, beautiful", he whispered to me.
"Hi, yourself. Have a nice sleep?"
"Magic", he answered.
We lay there like that for ages, just smiling back at each other, neither of us wanting to move anywhere.
Outside of our tent, our own little universe, it was very late in the afternoon. The sun was rapidly lowering in the sky, readying itself to slip down behind the mountains to the west of us. Eventually though, we decided that we had to move however and ventured outside.
Matt wandered over to his car and opened the boot, retrieving some cold drinks from the icebox he kept there, then returning to where I had sat down at the closest picnic table.
We basically had the caravan park to ourselves, I think that there was only one caravan with anyone staying it, so it was nice and peaceful.
"Its nice here, isn’t it?", he asked as he sipped on his drink.
"View’s fine from here", I answered, smiling at him.
"I meant the town, dick head".
"I know, I know".
"Feel like a walk on the beach?", he asked.
"Sure".
We got up and headed for the beach, along the narrow path that I had walked down earlier that day, and from there down onto the beach.
The ocean was fairly calm and darkness was falling, and as we strolled along the beach we watched the setting sun, turning the early evening sky into a fiery spectacle of red and gold and crimson.
Matt slipped his hand into mine, and once again, instinctively, I pulled away from him, looking about nervously to see if we had been spotted by the moral police.
"Relax", he said to me as he took hold of my hand again. "Look, there’s no one about".
Reluctantly I let him hold on to me and we walked the few hundred yards to the end of the beach and back again.
I don’t know what it was, but the thought of being spotted holding hands in public was enough to send shudders down my spine. No matter how hard I tried, I just found it an extremely difficult thing to do out in the open, yet for some reason, when we were amongst our own kind, I had no problem.
It was just something screwed up in my head, I know it, but why, I just didn’t know.
That night we found the small picture theatre and went and watched a movie, some new teen style comedy that really wasn’t all that funny at all. At least it helped us pass the time, without us having to think too hard, and thanks to the company I still had an enjoyable night, after which we strolled casually back to our campsite and retired for the night.
- Chapter Four -
I had almost forgotten about it, but the next day, Saturday, was my eighteenth birthday and when I awoke that morning I got the surprise of my life.
Thanks to our exertions through the night, I didn’t stir very early the next morning, nor apparently did I hear Matt get up and move about.
When I did wake up however, with the sun streaming down upon our little world and shining in through the half open entrance of the tent, I found Matt sitting upright on his side of our double mattress.
Just so you know, we had planned ahead for our trip and had packed both single blow up mattresses (which we had used when we were staying in the unit on the Gold Coast with J.D. and Ox), and also a double blow up mattress that we were using here.
Now I realise that my seeing him sitting there shouldn’t have been all that startling in itself, however the fact that he was sitting in a tent decked out with balloons and streamers, butt naked, wearing only a bright red bow around his neck, well that was just too good a sight to behold.
"Happy Birthday, gorgeous", he said to me as I struggled to get my eyes open.
I sat up on the mattress and rubbed my eyes with the back of my hands, as if trying to clear the mirage that I thought must have been floating in front of me.
I honestly thought that I was dreaming, but when I smelt the fresh sea air waft in through the front of the tent and heard the raucous sea gulls on the nearby beach, I was instantly awake, with all my senses working overtime.
I just smiled at him. I couldn’t believe the trouble that he had gone to.
"Aren’t you going to say anything?", he asked me.
"I’m…, I’m just speechless", I eventually answered.
With that he leaned over and kissed me passionately on the lips.
"Were you surprised?", he asked me when we parted.
"That’s one way of putting it. I have to say though, you’re the best birthday present I’ve ever had", I answered. "The tastiest too".
"It ain’t over yet", he responded, while reaching under his side of the mattress.
He brought out a small parcel, about three inches square, wrapped in bright blue and silver stripped paper with a bow on the top of it.
"What’s this?", I asked him.
"Just a little something to mark this auspicious occasion".
Eagerly, I ripped off the paper, which revealed a small jewelry case. I opened it slowly and found a gold chain wrist bracelet, complete with a hand engraved plaque which simply read, "For Luke. Always and forever. M"
Slowly I turned it over in my hand, deliberately leaving my head down, trying not to look up at Matt, just in case he saw the tears that were desperately trying to escape from behind my eyelids.
"What’s wrong. Don’t you like it?", he asked, sounding almost hurt.
I shook my head slightly, managing only to mumble something about it being oh, so, beautiful, in between my sobs.
"You fool", he scolded. "Come here".
He reached out and took the bracelet from me, undoing the clasp and placing it around the wrist of my right arm.
I reached for him and he took me in his arms, kissing me passionately, and that was where we stayed for the next hour or so, rocking each other backwards and forwards, like a couple of old geriatric sweethearts.
- Chapter Five -
The day just flew by, and I felt like I was on cloud nine for the whole day.
For the rest of the day we didn’t do anything special, besides hang out on the beach and go for some long walks. Matt did organise a picnic hamper at lunch time, which we ate on the beach and that was when Mum rang me on Matts mobile, to wish me a happy birthday and to see how we were getting on.
She asked me if I got any presents from all my friends and I said, "No, not really", as I fiddled with the bracelet on my wrist.
After we disconnected, Matt asked what she had said.
"Nothing much", I answered. "She did want to know if all my friends gave me any presents though".
I looked around me and then waved my arms, saying, "Come on guys, where are all my presents".
Matt just laughed.
After the hectic pace and upsets of the past month or six weeks, it was great to spend this time together, just kicking back and relaxing. Undoubtedly our parents would be looking upon this as a frivolous waste of time, but we were enjoying ourselves and that was all we were worried about.
During the afternoon we spent a bit of time wandering around the marina, having a look at some of the house boats and yachts moored there, talking to some of their owners, and throwing some stale bread we had bought cheap at the bakery into the water for the sea birds.
This was something that we could never do at home.
At about six o’clock, when there was still at least a couple of hours of daylight left, Matt said that it was time we headed back to the camp.
"What for?", I asked him.
"I want to have a shower before we head in to town for dinner".
"Dinner?", I asked.
"Your birthday dinner, you fool. I’m taking you out to dinner at that little Chinese place we found the other night. We gotta celebrate you know. You’re all legal now".
"Just us?".
"Why not", he added.
So we left the Marina and walked back to our camp, taking our time and just enjoying the late afternoon.
It was a nice feeling to have someone caring about you, pampering you, and I thought that I could get used to this really easily. Would it last though? And would he give me the space I needed, until such times as I was ready to come to terms with this whole deal? They were the things that kept playing on my paranoid mind as we walked back to the Caravan Park.
When we got there we retrieved some clean clothes from our bags and headed for the shower block, which we found to be empty. I was just about to head into one of the shower stalls to wash the days sweat off me when Matt grabbed my arm.
"In here", he whispered.
I hesitated for only a second, with the, "What if we get caught", thought flashing through my mind then followed him into the stall he was entering.
There was no one about, so we say no harm, and besides, if someone did come in one of us would be able to stand on the small shelf that was there to get our feet up out of view.
Come on now, you don’t have to worry, nothing happened! OK?
We had a shower, and it was fun too, but we couldn’t get up to too much mischief, just in case someone did come in.
We did hear someone come into the room and use the toilets, but they were down the other end, so they wouldn’t have been able to see us anyway. We just had our showers and then went back to our tent, where we finished getting ready to go out.
Sometime between half past seven and eight o’clock we started walking up the road towards the town, arriving at the restaurant just on eight o’clock as they last rays of daylight ebbed away.
We found a table without any trouble, being the same large table near the front window, and settled in, looking out towards the marina where we had spent that afternoon.
After ordering ourselves some drinks, I got a Scotch Whisky while Matt ordered a beer, we started talking about what we would plan for the next few days, before we headed home. Matt wanted to have a look around and visit the local National Park that we had found out was located up in the mountains behind the town, while I wanted to do some exploring along the coast, using our camp at the Caravan Park as a base that we could return to each night. We compromised and decided to do both, spending a few days doing each.
We hadn’t been sitting there for more than a ten or fifteen minutes when we heard the little bell above the door ring, signalling the entrance of some more patrons for the restaurant. Matt and I both turned and looked at the same time and I was quite surprised, well shocked actually, to see Tim and Guy come through the door, followed closely by J.D. and Ox.
"What the bloody hell is going on here?", I asked Matt, who was sitting back in his chair grinning at me.
"Not much", he answered, waving to the boys and telling them to drag their sorry asses over here.
"Happy birthday bro", Ox said, jabbing me sharply in the shoulder with a punch.
It hurt, but I quickly jabbed him back, much to the displeasure of the little chinese guy behind the counter.
J.D. came over and shook my hand, in a much more dignified and traditional greeting, while Tim and Guy did pretty much the same.
I was really pleased to see them all, but the shock left me basically speechless.
As they all sat down around the table, Matt leaned over and whispered softly into my ear, so that no one could hear him, "Happy Birthday lover".
I wanted to kiss him, but…..
Well, you know.
I settled for giving him a pat on his leg, under the apricot coloured cloth which was draped over the table. I would thank him properly later on I thought.
- Chapter Six -
We had a blast that night, and I have to admit that we all drank a little too much. Well, doesn’t everyone on the occasion of their coming of age?
At about eleven o’clock we were starting to get impatient looks from the little chinese guy behind the counter, so we decided to settle our bill for the evening and head off back to the caravan park.
Over the course of the evening I managed to find out that it was Matt, naturally enough, who had orchestrated this whole thing from start to finish, even down to getting J.D. and Ox to drive down from the Gold Coast just for the night. They would be heading back up there tomorrow however, as they still had their unit booked for another week, but they said that coming down for my birthday was the least that they could do for their best pal. I got my hair ruffled as they said that. You could probably imagine just what they are like.
They all brought presents, which in some respects would have pleased my mother, but they really only served to embarrass me. They included a bright red G-string (from Ox of course), a packet of condoms and a rather roughly drawn sketch on how they should be used (that was a shocker and just had to be from J.D.), and a bottle of Scotch (from Tim and Guy).
The only dampener on the night was Matt having to explain away to J.D. and Ox how come Tim and Guy were invited. It wasn’t obvious or blatant, just a quiet question or two when the opportunity arose (we told them we just bumped into them again didn’t we), but they still gave our new friends a few funny looks throughout the evening. Still we all had fun, getting on the booze, telling tall tales about each other and also the odd dirty joke. It was just a great boys night out.
Too bad it had to end.
We got back to the Caravan Park at around midnight, with the boys all deciding to leave their cars parked near the restaurant and walk back, instead of driving them the short distance back there while under the influence and running the risk of being picked up by the local constable. They would retrieve them in the morning, they said, and so we all walked home on a warm summer evening, under a cloudless sky illuminated by a brilliant full moon.
Seeing as there wasn’t nearly enough room in our tent for everyone, Matt had even gone so far as to book caravans for them all, especially after we had to pump up another air bed and get out some more blankets and stuff, just in case J.D. or Ox decided to question our use of just one mattress. We knew that it wouldn’t have bothered Tim and Guy, but our older friends, they were a different story altogether.
We spent another hour or so just sitting up in our tent and talking amongst ourselves after we got back to the camp, but after that we all seemed to be losing it. Tim and Guy were the first to call it a night, wandering off to their caravan at about one o’clock in the morning, while J.D. and Ox hung around for a little while longer.
"Funny pair of guys those two", Ox said after they had been gone for a few minutes.
"They’re alright", I said. "We seem to get on good together".
J.D. nodded, then asked, "Do you think they’re gay?"
Everbodys head just snapped in his direction.
"Christ", Matt said, glancing just briefly at me as he did so. "What makes you think that?"
"Dunno, just a hunch. Don’t get me wrong, it wouldn’t bother me if they were, I don’t care about that sort of shit anymore, not after seeing what you went through. We are who we are. But it’s just this feeling I get".
Matt laughed, "Thanks for bringing that up again asshole. Yeah, I get that feeling too, it’s called being so fucking tired I’m about to fall down asleep. I don’t know about you fella’s, but I’m stuffed. It’s time I hit the sack".
That was all the prompting I need too and said that that was where I was heading as well. J.D. and Ox got the message and said their goodnights, then wandered off towards their caravan.
"That was close", I said to Matt in a whisper as we started to undress.
"Shit yeah", he answered. "It was interesting what J.D. said though wasn’t it?"
"What, about not caring for that sort of shit anymore?".
"Mmmm".
"What are you thinking?"
"Not sure really. I’ll sleep on it".
"I was hoping you would sleep on me", I responded.
He looked up at me and smiled, then reached over and turned out the light.
"Lets just see what we can do about that", he said softly, as he pulled me into his arms.
- Chapter Seven -
We all slept late the next morning, waking up with giant headaches from our amateurish efforts of the night before. None of us had had much practice at this whole hitting the booze once you turned eighteen thing, so we were all naturally enough a little the worse for wear.
I awoke to the sound of someone calling our names, and it took a little while for it to register in my brain, just a little while too long in fact. Just as I sat up and tried to rub the sleep from my eyes the front of our tent opened and in popped J.D’s head.
I really don’t know who got the biggest shock, him or me.
I was sitting up on the mattress, with half of my sleeping bag covering my lower half, while the other half of it was half covering Matt, who was still sound asleep. Underneath the sleeping bag, we were both butt naked.
J.D. Looked at me, then at Matt, then back at me again. I could only begin to imagine the fear that he must have seen in my eyes.
I thought I caught the beginnings of a smile on his face, but in an instant he was gone.
"Leave them alone, they’re both still asleep", I heard him say to Ox just outside the tent, then I heard them both walk away, their feet scrunching on the gravel road outside.
I breathed a huge sigh of relief, then leaned over and shook the sleeping figure of my partner by the shoulder, who slowly came to life.
It felt like my whole world was gradually falling apart, with one by one everybody I knew managing to find out about us. Who would be the next to discover our little secret, I wondered?
When Matt was fully awake, I broke the news to him as best I could, my voice trembling with emotion as I thought I was about to burst into tears. He was really quiet for a long time, then he surprised me by simply asking me if I was OK with anyone else knowing?
"No, I’m not OK with it. How many times do I need to tell you that?", I blurted back at him.
"I know how you feel, but what can we do about it now?", he asked.
"Make sure he doesn’t repeat it to anyone".
"And how do we do that?", he asked. "Push him off a cliff? Cut out his tongue?"
He was starting to get a little agitated with me, but believe me, it was nothing compared to the way I was feeling.
His last comment managed to quieten me down a little however.
"Look", he said to me, taking both of my hands in his and sitting up straight in front of me. "I know how you feel. I’ll go and talk to him now for you. I’ll plead with him for you and ask him not to say anything to anyone about what he saw".
"You don’t care that he knows, do you?"
"About me? No, I don’t. About you? I care heaps. After what he said last night, I’m sure he’ll understand. Just trust me please. OK?".
"OK", I said, nodding, although still not entirely convinced that everything would be alright.
Matt stood up and quickly got dressed, then went straight outside to try and find J.D. I stayed where I was, still trembling, feeling stick to my stomach, fearing the worst but hoping and praying that Matt would be able to work it all out for me.
Eventually I managed to pull myself together and got dressed, then ventured outside to face the world and all it’s dangers.
I looked around me, trying to find where everyone was and eventually noticed Matt and J.D. sitting at a picnic table in the shade of a tree. Thankfully, there was no sign of Ox anywhere.
I stood and watched them for a few minutes, unsure if I should venture over or not. Eventually Matt looked up and noticed me watching them, and waved for me to come over.
"Fuck, what’s this?", I thought to myself. I stood there for a moment longer and he waved at me again, so reluctantly I unglued my feet from the spot they were fixed to and walked towards them.
I sat down beside Matt, desperately wanting him to hold me and tell me that everything was going to be alright, but at the same time knowing that I would totally freak out if he did that.
"You really don’t have to worry Luke", J.D. said, seeing my obvious discomfort at the situation. "Your secret is safe with me".
"That’s what everyone keeps telling me. But for how long?", I asked him.
"Forever", he answered.
He reached across the table and placed a hand on mine, and instinctively I drew it back.
"Relax mate", Matt said to me, while patting me on the leg under the table. "You don’t have to be so jumpy. Don’t you get it? Didn’t you hear him last night? He’s one of us".
I looked from Matt to J.D. and back again.
"Bullshit", I said.
"It’s not bullshit", J.D. said. "I’m being fair dinkum".
"And Ox?", I asked.
He just shook his head. After a moments pause he added, "We got together once, a long time ago, but he’s not interested anymore. It’s not from my lack of trying though".
"Where is he now?", I asked.
"In the showers".
"And you haven’t said anything to him?"
He shook his head.
At this point Matt piped up and said that he and J.D. had been totally open with each other and had promised never to mention it to anyone ever again.
"And you’ve told him everything?".
"Yes".
"Including the fact that I’m not OK with coming out?"
"Yes".
I looked across at J.D. and he nodded. "It’d kill me if everyone found about me too Luke. We understand each other don’t we? It’s just between us?".
I nodded. "Yeah, just between us".
At that time a rather refreshed and clean looking Ox came wandering over and sat down with us.
"What’s happening guys?", he asked.
"Nothing much", Matt said. "Just thinking about breakfast".
"Great idea", he said. "Where do we go for that?".
"There is a top little diner around on the edge of the lake, just near the Marina", I answered.
"Great", he said.
"Anyone seen Tim and Guy?", Matt asked.
"Not yet, I reckon we should go and wake them up", I answered.
- Chapter Eight -
J.D. and Ox left shortly after lunch time, heading back to the Gold Coast for the remainder of their stay there. They urged us to come with them, but we told them that we were heading home in the next day or so anyway.
Shortly after we waved them off, the four of us that were left grabbed our towels and headed for the beach, for an afternoon of sunbaking, swimming and relaxation.
J.D.’s revelation of that morning had shocked me, and I had spent most of the rest of the morning looking at him in an entirely different light. I really hoped that he would keep up his end of the bargain, but deep down I had to admit that it still worried the hell out of me. After all, it would only take one small slip up somewhere and the news would be spread all over the town.
Tim and Guy and Matt and I ended up having a great afternoon, and as we all had so much in common we were just so relaxed and comfortable in each others company. There was no having to hide our feelings. There was no having to watch what we were saying or doing. There was nothing to do but just be ourselves.
There were only a few people on the beach throughout the afternoon, so we basically had it to ourselves.
In between diving into the ocean for a swim, or taking walks along the beach, or one pair or the other wandering off into the bushes together, we talked a great deal and found out quite a lot about each other. Not surprisingly, we all had more in common than we first thought, and the more we talked the more comfortable we became in each others company.
I asked them if they had come out yet, and both of them said that they were too afraid, which made me feel a whole lot better. I had worried that it might have just been me that was being paranoid, but when they both confirmed that they had exactly the same fears and concerns as I had, that put my mind more at ease.
None of their parents knew about them, and none of their friends knew about them, and that was how they wanted it to stay.
"I can relate to that", I said.
"Don’t you feel like you’re living a lie?", Matt asked them during one of our many serious discussions on the subject.
"Aren’t you doing the same thing?", they both answered.
"Not any more", he said to them, referring to his having said that he wasn’t going to go out of his way to hide his sexuality from anyone anymore.
"Just because you’ve made the decision not to lie or deceive any more, that doesn’t mean that you’ve actually come out and told anyone that you’re gay now, does it?", Tim asked. "I mean who else in your life, except us and Luke here, knows that you are actually gay?".
"Only my cousin Phil back home, and J.D.", he answered.
"J.D.? Shit, is he?", asked Tim.
"Phil?", I asked.
Matt nodded, looking directly at me as he did so, with an expression on his face that I found difficult to read. I don’t know if it was guilt or shame, or a combination of both. But it did start we wondering again.
"And no one else?", Guy asked.
Matt just shook his head.
"Have your parents ever asked you if you were gay and you’ve lied to them?", Tim asked.
"Yes", he answered.
"Ha. So you’re just as closeted as we are then?", Guy shrieked triumphantly, slapping Matt on the back.
"Come on, give him a break guys", I butted in. "If it wasn’t for Matt and the fact that he can think straight in a crisis I’d be a nervous wreck right now".
They turned in my direction, with raised eyebrows, so I proceeded to tell them what had happened this morning.
"Christ", Tim said. "And we missed it".
"Yup. You were probably too busy humping each other then", I added.
Guy blushed a deep scarlet red. Bullseye, I thought.
Later that night as Matt and I lay in bed, wrapped around each other, I asked him about J.D.
"You already knew about him didn’t you? You knew that he could be trusted, that he wouldn’t go running to Ox and tell him?".
"Yes, yes and yes", he answered, kissing me on the forehead in between each yes.
"How?"
"How do you think?"
I thought about it for a second, then asked, "When?"
"Years ago. When we were in about Year Nine at School. There’s nothing for you to worry about. It’s you I’m in love with now", he said, kissing me again.
I tried to think back to that time. We were all friends back then too, but I couldn’t ever remember them being that close.
"How did it happen?", I asked.
"It’s past history. Don’t worry about it".
"I’m not worried. Just curious really. And maybe a little jealous that I missed out".
"That’d be right".
"So how did it happen?"
"Well, if you must know, I spotted him perving on me in the showers at school one day and noticed he had a hard on", he started.
I felt myself stirring at the thought of this, remembering how many times I had watched both of them in the showers through all of our years at school, while trying to make sure that neither of them saw me doing it.
"I remember giving myself a little rub while he was watching and I got hard too. His eyes just about jumped out of his head. Anyway, after that someone else came into the showers so we had to get out. We watched each other as were drying ourselves off and getting dressed out in the change rooms, then as I was leaving he asked me if I wanted to call around to his place that afternoon".
"So you said yes?"
"No, I didn’t. It wasn’t until the next sports afternoon, a week later, when the same thing happened, that I got the guts up to go around to his place. We fooled around a bit, sucked each other off, but that was about all. I went there a couple of more times after that. But that was it. End of story".
"Well, I didn’t miss out on too much after all then", I said.
"No, not really, but come here and lets make up for the bit that you did miss out on".
"What about Phil?", I asked.
"Tell you some other time", he said, then he covered my mouth with his.
- Chapter Nine -
We all spent another week in Thompsonville and learnt all about the area, it’s past and it’s features. Not to mention learning a good deal more about ourselves.
Our friendship with Tim and Guy grew stronger with each day, although there was one scary moment when Tim leant up against Matt’s car and put a small scratch on the mud guard. Matt looked like he was going to explode for a minute, but he chilled out fairly quickly, then spent half the afternoon washing and polishing the car again, taking particular care in trying to polish out the scratch, which was only very minor anyway.
We all thought it was just so funny, but Matt couldn’t see the funny side of it. I tried to explain to our friends just what sort of relationship Matt had with his pride and joy, but hey, when you think about it, that’s not real easy to do!
Tim and Guy moved out of the caravan on the Sunday night, after J.D. and Ox had left, and into our tent. We had to move a few things out and pack them back into the car, but as it was a fairly good sized tent anyway we all managed to fit into it alright.
I have to say that the nights proved rather interesting though, but that’s probably best saved for another story.
We spent the Monday just bumming around town, spending some time on the beach and catching a movie. It was a nice relaxing day. We even found the local Tourist Information Centre and also learned about some of the things around the town we could visit, and that helped plan the rest of the week for us.
On the Tuesday we all went for a drive up into the mountains and visited the Thompson River National Park. We took a long leisurely walk through the rainforest, then enjoyed a picnic in a clearing by the river whilst surrounded by beautiful parrots and not so beautiful wallaby’s, after which we took a swim in a crystal clear rock pool.
Wednesday was spent exploring along the coast to the south of the town, where we found some quaint little villages and this great nudist beach tucked away in a quiet little cove. There was absolutely no one around that day and we had a blast.
On Thursday we went for a drive through the mountains and found some cute little art and craft studios, where we bought a few more presents for our families.
In our spare time we fished off the marina wharf, rather unsuccessfully I have to admit, went to the movies a few times and visited the local pubs.
Unfortunately the week went by just far too quickly and before we knew it, it was Friday, almost time to pack up and head home.
We had all grown to love our little hideaway, it was our own little slice of heaven, that hardly anyone else seemed to know about. On our last night there we went back to our favourite chinese restaurant and over the house specialty we made ourselves a promise that we would all meet here again for a holiday every year.
- Chapter Ten -
We finally waved farewell to our new friends about two hours south of Thompsonville, at the place where the highway that would take us home, turned off.
As we were all basically heading in the same direction, south, they had travelled with us until we had to leave the main Pacific Highway and head up into the mountains, so we all pulled up at a roadside diner for our last meal together, until next year.
When it was time to leave it was hugs all around, and we watched them and waved to them as they pulled out onto the Pacific Highway.
"See you next year", they both said to us as we said our goodbyes.
"Not if we see you first", Matt and I answered simultaneously. Minutes later they were gone.
Our own trip home was a steady one, and a subdued one, as I think both Matt and I realised that we were going to miss our new friends.
They were more like us than we had imagined, and besides the fact that the thought of not seeing them for a year was depressing enough, our friendship with them really opened our own eyes as to what our own relationship was like, and possibly to what we were actually like ourselves.
We talked about a lot of things as we made our way back up the mountains, our friends, our lives, our future, among other things, but I couldn’t help but think that there was this underlying feeling of destiny in what we were saying. I know that it may sound strange, but seeing ourselves like that, or should I say a mirror images of ourselves, it brought us both to the ultimate realisation of what direction our own lives would now take.
My only misgiving, was this innate fear of mine that no one must know about me.
This was the albatross that weighed heavily around my neck, or more precisely, weighed heavily around the neck of the future relationship that Matt and I desired.
And if I couldn’t overcome this fear, we would have no future. Plain and simple.
As we climbed the mountain, I reached across the seat and took Matts hand. He looked across and smiled at me, flashing those perfect teeth, his eyes sparkling as they always did.
"It’s been great, hasn’t it?", he asked me.
"It sure has", I answered.
"I know this might sound a bit premature, but have you given any though as to what is going to happen once we get home?", he asked.
I dodged the question, sort of, and told him that he would have to drop me home at my place.
"That’s not quite what I meant", he responded.
I knew that it would come to this eventually. I would have to decide what I was going to do.
"I know".
He squeezed my hand and looked at me.
Surely he must know what I’m going through, I thought.
We came to a rest area and lookout that had been carved into the mountain about half way up, and Matt pulled the car over and stopped.
As we sat there and looked back out over the deep valleys and gorges, I simply said to him, "I need time".
"I know".
"Promise me you won’t pressure me into anything? These past two weeks I’ve learned that I love you more than I had ever dreamed possible, but no matter how much I want to, I just can’t bring myself to come out and say those other three words just yet".
"You’ve already said the I love you words, they are the only ones I want to hear from you. The other words are the ones that the rest of the world wants to hear, and as far as I am concerned the rest of the world can wait until you are good and ready".
"You promise?", I asked.
"Yeah, I promise".
He leant across and kissed me, then we just sat there, holding hands and taking in the magnificent views for a little while longer, listening to the mountain birds singing their songs.
Eventually we had to get going again, or it would end up being too late when we got home, so we started back up the mountain.
The rest of the trip just flew by and it was just on dark when we drove back into our home town. We had only been away for two weeks, but the whole town seemed so much smaller to us. I guess that’s one of the tricks the world plays on you as you grow up and start to leave your childhood behind, everything becomes so much smaller, because you find out that the world is just so big.
As my house was closer to that end of town, Matt dropped me off first, and came inside to say "Hi" to my family.
I told him that I would call around tomorrow and pick up all my gear and arranged to borrow mums car to do so. That wasn’t a problem with mum, which I was relieved about as it gave me a legitimate excuse to call around and see him.
After a cup of coffee and some cake, and us having to give a (fudged) blow by blow account of our trip Matt headed off home and I returned to my old life. As I waved goodbye to him I wondered what I could do to make this life as interesting as the one that I had spent the past two weeks living, and while the answer was blatantly obvious, I still believed that I would never have the guts to do it.
- Chapter Eleven -
When I called around at Matts house the next morning I was greeted with warm hugs and handshakes from his family.
Matt and I promised to fill them in on the trip once we had unpacked the car, and after we had done this we sat down with his parents to a pot of coffee and once again went over our trip. Just like we had the night before, at my house, we had to gloss over a few things, swap a few days around and generally fudge a lot of the part about the week and a bit we spent in Thompsonville, but we managed. It was quite amazing how straight we actually managed to get the whole story.
After we had finished, Matts father excused himself, saying it was good to have us all back in one piece and that, but he had jobs to do. He disappeared down the hall, and excusing herself also for a moment, his wife followed him, leaving Matt and I alone in the kitchen.
It was here that the one slip up we had always dreaded occurred. It was so innocent, so simple, yet the impact that it would have on our lives would be so great.
With his parents out of the room, Matt reached across and placed his hand on mine, squeezing it gently.
"Piece of cake", he whispered.
I said nothing, but instinctively I drew my hand back, and just as I did this I looked up at the doorway through which his parents had left. Standing there, with a quizzical expression on her face was Matts mother, not quite knowing what it was she had just witnessed, but at the same time knowing it wasn’t quite right.
Matts hand dropped back down onto his lap, and we both must have blushed something shocking. I could feel the heat in my own cheeks, but dared not look at Matt.
I got up and thanked her for the coffee and excused myself, glanced across at Matt who’s mouth was wide open, and headed straight out the back door and down the steps, almost at a run.
Matt looked from his mother to me, and back again as I stood up, torn between who he should go to first, but as I reached his flat I heard his footsteps behind me.
"She saw us", I cursed at him.
"So what?", he asked.
"What do you mean, so what? She saw us. Do you need it spelt out to you any plainer than that?"
I was pacing up and down like a caged animal trying to get out, only the cage I was in had no bars, just the invisible threads that held our society together, which were stronger than any bars.
"I can’t deal with this. I’ve got to go", I said to Matt and I jumped in my car and drove off. I noticed his mother standing on the back verandah of their house watching us as I drove out of their yard, but I couldn’t bring myself to wave.
- Chapter Twelve -
Matt tried three times to call me that night, but I just couldn’t take the phone when I was told who it was. I just felt so sick in the stomach.
"Did you guys have a fight or something?", mum asked me, to which I just shook my head.
The next morning he tried three times as well, and on the third call I had the phone physically thrust into my hand by my mother.
"Talk to him", she said.
Raising the phone to my ear, I said "Hello", then listened as Matt told me how sorry he was for letting that happen.
He sounded like he was crying, he was saying that it was just an accident, saying that he was sorry, over and over again.
"Calm down", I eventually said to him. "You’re babbling".
"Please come around", he asked, then he disconnected.
I pulled up at Matts house a couple of hours later, after thinking the whole thing over, and found him outside his flat, wearing nothing but his favourite pair of football shorts as he washed his precious car. Sometimes I thought that he paid more attention to that bloody machine than to anything else, but right now I was paying all my attention to him, with his hard, wet body glistening in the afternoon sun.
I asked myself how could I possibly be mad at this god for very long?
"What’s up?", I asked as I leant against the wall of his flat. After yesterday, I had kind of had this feeling that I knew where this whole thing was heading. I also knew that I still didn’t want to go there, not yet anyway, but I would have to at least hear him out.
He kept polishing for a moment then stood up and looked at me, stretching his arms above his head as he did so. No doubt he was trying to iron the kinks out of his aching back muscles, but all he succeeded in doing was displaying his muscles and glorious body, and managing to get my heart racing at the thought of him standing there in front of me.
"Can we go inside and talk?", he asked.
"Why inside?", I asked.
He motioned towards his parents house and I looked up to see his mother standing on the back verandah of the house, leaning against a post and looking intensely in our direction.
I shrugged my shoulders, then followed him inside, shutting the door behind us.
Matt motioned for me to sit down, which I did, then he proceeded to pour us some drinks. When he eventually sat down opposite me I looked up at his face and noted the worry etched into his normally beautiful features.
He took a deep breath, then for the next fifteen minutes he poured his heart out to me.
"I just couldn’t stand it any longer", he started, and I immediately knew what was coming.
"Couldn’t?", I asked.
He looked at me with those beautiful big puppy brown eyes that I loved so much. They were telling me everything I needed to know, without his needing to say another word.
"After yesterday, I got quizzed all of last night, so I told them", he said quietly, almost in a whisper.
I stayed silent, my hands wrapped tightly around the glass of Coca Cola that he had placed in front of me, my eyes just staring into the cool dark liquid, watching bubbles and ice float idly around. Inside my mind there were a million thoughts racing around simultaneously. I thought I had prepared myself for this moment, but how wrong I was. It felt like my head was going to explode.
"Aren’t you going to say something?", he asked.
I just couldn’t, I shook my head, so he continued.
"After mum seeing us yesterday, they asked me last night at dinner, straight out, if I was gay. I couldn’t believe it. I guess that from that one touch they managed to figure it all out for themselves. I wanted to say I wasn’t gay. Please believe me, I really did, because I knew how you felt and I didn’t want to get you involved or hurt you in any way, even though you obviously were already involved, but when I tried to say it, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’m just so sorry".
He reached across the table and tried to take my hand. Quickly, I pulled back from him.
"Please don’t do this", he cried.
"What else did you tell them?", I demanded.
"Eventually, I told them everything. Mum was OK I think, she had probably had a bit more time to think about it, but dad ranted and raved for hours".
I just couldn’t believe what my ears were hearing. The one person in the whole world who I truly loved, and who I thought truly loved me, had now betrayed me.
"You knew how I felt", I said forcefully. "How could you? You promised me?"
There was a long silence, which just seemed to go on forever.
"I couldn’t go on living like this Luke", he finally said. "This having to watch everything I do, everything I say. Not being able to even hold the hand of the person I love. This living a lie. The whole deal. I just couldn’t do it any more".
"And what about me?", I asked. "You said I could come out in my own way, my own time, when I was ready. You said that to me, on our trip together, don’t you remember? You promised me".
I slammed my fist down hard on the table and Matt jumped, startled by my action.
"Yes, I remember", he said, nodding, fighting back tears.
"And?"
"Look, I love you Luke, but we can’t go on like this. If we are to have any chance together we have to be open and honest. To ourselves. To our families. And to the world".
"How can there ever be a WE if we don’t even respect each others wishes?", I demanded, and with that I got up and left him, slamming the door behind me and leaving him sitting there at his table, crying.
- Chapter Thirteen -
I just had to get away from Matt, if only for a little while, to think things through.
The words WE, WE, WE just kept echoing though my mind.
As I drove back through town all I could hear were his words ringing in my ears: "I love you Luke, but we can’t go on like this. If we are to have any chance together we have to be open and honest. To ourselves. To our families. And to the world".
"Fuck", I said, slamming my hands down on the steering wheel.
"Who is he to preach to me about being open and honest?", I said to anyone who may have been able to hear me. Which at that point was exactly no one, as I was the only person in the car.
A month ago I had held him to me as he cried and shook in my arms, scared out of his wits that our classmates at school might find out about him. Today he is lecturing me about openness and honesty.
That was a laugh.
I was confused, but I was scared too, and for exactly the same reasons that he had been back then. I felt sure that the embarrassment that my, or should I say our, coming out to the world would cause, not only for ourselves but also for our families, would be too much for all of us to bear.
I knew I was gay. Hell, I had known it since I was about twelve years old, but to actually tell that to my family and friends, well that was something else.
Matt said that he had told his parents last night, and things hadn’t gone all that well. They now knew about him, and I suppose if that was what he wanted, then so be it.
But they now also knew about me, and to tell them that when he knew how I felt, knowing full well that I wasn’t ready to do this, well that was something else altogether.
I wasn’t really concentrating on my driving and didn’t realise exactly where I was, but when I came to the traffic lights in the middle of town and saw the park up ahead I decided that it was as good as place as any to get out and clear my head.
I had this strange feeling of de ja vu, but I certainly wouldn’t be parking anywhere near the toilets though!
There was hardly any one about, so I pulled up on the street, got out and locked the car. I crossed the road and headed for the nearest bench, where I just sat down in the afternoon sunshine, put my head back, shut my eyes and listened to the birds in the trees.
I was past wanting to cry. I just wanted some quiet time to think. It was peaceful and restful here in the park, and in the few minutes that I just sat there, just breathing in and out I had calmed back down again.
Around me there was little happening. There was a young couple sitting on a blanket in the sunshine, the girl sitting with her legs outstretched, popping herself up with one arm while the other hand stroked her boyfriends head, which was in her lap.
I had this thought of Matt and I doing that, out in public, and it sent a shiver down my spine.
There were also a few other people around. A group of teenage boys, no more than fourteen or fifteen years old I guess, were on the far side of the park sitting around a table. I’m not sure what they were doing or what they were saying, but they were making a bit of noise. Obviously having a bit of fun.
And there was also an old guy walking his dog, a stumpy legged looking mutt of no distinct breed, and a couple of people just sitting on benches looking around, just like I was.
After a little while the man and his dog and the young couple moved on, while the teenagers went somewhere else, although I’m not too sure where, as I could still hear them.
I decided that I needed a piss, so got up and headed towards the toilets. I could see that I was being watched by the couple of single guys that were sitting around the park.
"Who knows, I might even get lucky", I said to myself quietly, although I wasn’t sure if that would take my mind off Matt and my little predicament though.
When I went inside I found the place empty, so I went straight to the urinal to relieve myself. From where I stood I could see out into the park, through an open window, and I noticed one of the guys that had been sitting alone got up and started walking towards the toilets. He looked like he was a few years older than me, early to mid-twenties at a guess and was quite cute really. Blonde hair. Tanned. Muscular.
I was nervous, and started shaking slightly, but I continued to watch as he came my way. Then I heard his feet on the gravel outside, and the next thing I knew he was standing beside me.
My head was down, pretending to study where my stream was being directed, but I managed to glance sideways at him.
He was gently stroking himself and looking at me.
"How’s it going?", he asked quietly.
"F…. fine", I answered, trying to keep my head down and not look directly at him, but fighting a losing battle. I looked across at him I saw that he had a huge erection and was giving it a good pull. I guess my mouth must have dropped open, as he was so big, and also uncut.
Slowly, he reached over and placed his hand on my penis and started stroking me. It felt warm and comforting and as nervous as I was, I didn’t want him to let go of me.
"Do you come here often?" I heard him ask me, almost in a whisper.
My mouth was just so dry. I tried to say something, but couldn’t. Instead I just shook my head.
From the gentle rubbing that he was giving me it didn’t take very long for me to become aroused, and the harder I got the more vigorous his actions became. I was enjoying this, although for some reason my mind just kept going back to Matt and the times that we had already spent together.
We didn’t hear anyone come into the toilets, but a few moments later we were both surprised by a noise behind us – someone clearing their throat. We both looked around and there was the group of teenagers, standing there sniggering at us.
"Looks like we’ve got us a couple of homo’s here boys", one of them said, a big kid that only looked about sixteen but must have weighed about one hundred kilos. He was huge.
Quickly my new friend let go of me and tucked himself away. I nervously did the same.
My friend made a move as if to leave, but got pushed back heavily, bumping into me in the process. I remember I hit the wall and slipped over on the wet floor. I remember hitting my head.
The last thing I recall was hearing their apparent leader say, "Lets get ‘em", then felt someone’s boot land in my stomach.
After that. Darkness.
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