Cupid's Big Weekend

"Reese, I swear," pants Calvin, as he rolls off to lie beside his opponent.

Reese, finding his advantage, pounces on top of Calvin.

"Why did you come here?" he screams into Calvin's face. "I fucking hate you!" Reese is crying now, choking on his tears. He starts to hammer on Calvin's head and neck and shoulders, screaming all the while, "I ... fucking ... hate ... you!"

Calvin suddenly grips Reese's head in his strong hands, grips him tight. The muscles in his arms stand out in corded relief as he pulls Reese down to him, down and down until they make contact.

Reese struggles against him, and pushes on the mattress in a vain attempt to free himself from the kiss. Finally he brings his hands to Calvin's head, slides his fingers behind, and pulls himself down onto him even harder. They grind together like two angry, lustful statues.

I back up to the desk and sink into the chair, watching these two mortal enemies passionately kiss. Years of pent-up lust are being played out right in front of me, and as much as I want to get up and storm out of the room, I can't. They are just too much in love for me to want to break up their embrace. Plus they are hotter than hell.

Finally, they break their kiss. Reese collapses back to the mattress, at Calvin's side, still breathing hard.

"Oh. My. God," he says, in a monotone.

"Umm, yeah," agrees Calvin.

They are quiet for a moment, their breath returning to normal.

"Cal, what the hell was that?"

"Well, I think we might be a little gay. But Josh tells me not to worry about labels and stuff. Right, Josh?"

"Y'all look perfectly straight from here," I offer. "Especially when your tongue pushed into Reese's mouth. I've been surprised by that move myself."

I see Reese stiffen. Bingo.

"Cal, did he say what I thought he said?"

Calvin struggles a bit.

"Well ... yes. See, Josh and I--"

"Stop. I get it. I gave you shit about the boyfriend thing to piss you off, and now you're turning it back on me. Funny. I mean, you seem like a perfectly nice guy there, Josh, but Cal's about as straight as they come."

"Actually, I have no problem with the way he comes," I volunteer. "Right in my mouth."

Holy shit when did I start talking like a scorned drag queen?

Reese looks over at Calvin, for confirmation.

"See, Reese, it's like this. I was straight this morning, and then I met Josh. He made me see that I had been denying part of myself all along, and then I told him about you, and then he made me come here because he knew I wouldn't be happy unless we figured stuff out. And I'm glad he did, because we do need to get this figured out."

Reese looks at me, as if seeing me for the first time.

"So, you're the reason he's here?" he asks me.

"Yep, I guess so. And apparently I was right--you guys are either in love or completely demented. This is like Fight Club porno."

"So, it looks like we got ourselves a situation here," Reese offers to the room. "We need to get this all sorted. But unfortunately my roommate is due back right now. I don't know which would freak him out more, the fighting or the making out. Actually, the threesome would probably be what blew his mind. Anyway, we need to get out of here."

"Where should we go?" Calvin asks. "We're not really from around here, you know."

Reese considers this for a bit. Then, an idea.

"My aunt's cabin," he says. "She said I could use it any weekend I wanted, now that I'm just two hours away. We could go there."

Yay, more driving.

"Josh, what do you think?" Calvin asks. I don't know what I think, of course. I cannot believe this day has gone on so long and changed so much in my life. I guess it's after midnight now, though, so we're on to a new day. What the hell.

"Sounds great. You two go. I'll need a ride back home, though."

"No," they say in unison. I wonder if that used to happen a lot. They don't seem surprised by it.

"No," Reese says again. "You're coming with us. You're the reason that we're even talking again, and you must be pretty special if Cal here decided to throw out a lifetime of heterosexuality for one day with you."

I can tell from Calvin's face that he's not sure how to take this, but he piles on anyway.

"Yeah, you have to come, Josh. All three of us are in this now. I need you there."

"Okay, I'll go. Why the hell not?" I do my best to smile, though every fiber in my body tells me this will end badly--for someone. Probably me.

And that's how we ended up, all three of us, in Reese's car, heading into the mountains at 1 in the morning. I hope this will all look better by daylight, but I know the odds are against it.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Reese is driving, Calvin has shotgun, and I have the backseat to myself. A sign of things to come, I imagine. At least back here I can sleep instead of having to listen to the Hardy boys up there finishing each other's sentences.

"Oh, and you remember that time at the lake?"

"When Sheila and her sister?"

"Yeah! Oh my god I thought I was going to die. I'm all 'Mulligan! Mulligan!' and she's all '40 percent! Two-thirds at most!' And then the water balloons!"

"But at least we'll always have Dubuque!"

It goes on like this for an hour or more. I have no idea what any of it means, or maybe it means nothing more than two old friends exchanging the currency of memory, proving to themselves how much they share.

I drift off to sleep, awakening when I sense the car stop and the driver's door open. I raise my head and can see Reese, illuminated in the headlights' glare, struggling to open a gate. Calvin gets out and helps him shove the bolt back and the gate swings open. They get back in and we drive through the gate and up an unpaved driveway that seems to go on forever. Finally we arrive at the cabin. Reese pulls up alongside and kills the engine.

Perfect silence, perfect darkness. We gather up our packs and head inside.

The cabin is small and tidy. As it is now after 2am, we make our way to the hall where the bedrooms are. Reese turns on lights as we go, and he enters what appears to be the master bedroom. The bed is enormous, and it looks so nice and soft. How long has it been since I woke up? Oh, right, long enough for my life to change completely. Twice.

"This is the only bed that's made up," Reese yawns. "Let's just crash here, huh?"

"Works for me," Calvin says, pulling his shoes and socks off.

"Okay, I'll grab a couch or something," I offer, heading back out the door of the bedroom.

"No," they both say again. See, it's going to be a habit. Ugh.

"We all stay together," Calvin says, definitely.

"Leave no man behind," agrees Reese, not seeing any irony in his statement. I want to remind him that we're only here because he tried to leave a man behind, but I'm too tired. I give up, and turn back to the bed. Calvin and Reese are flinging off their clothes right and left and when the dust settles they are under the covers naked and fidgety. I leave my underwear on and go to climb in on Calvin's side, but he holds down the covers with his arm.

"We have rules at the cabin. No clothes in bed."

Exhausted, I strip off my boxer briefs and slip into the bed. I can hear by Reese's breathing that he's already asleep; I guess the emotional shocks of reuniting with Calvin have wiped him out, which I completely understand. I have just enough energy to touch Calvin's cheek and kiss him good night. He sweetly kisses me back, and then wraps a strong arm around me. I find my place on his chest once again, and drift off.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The first thing I hear is a car crunching up the drive. Which is odd, since we're about a mile and half from the middle of fucking nowhere, and who would be driving up in the middle of the night. I open my bleary eyes.

Oh. It's not the middle of the night. From the looks of the light coming into the room, it's mid-morning already.

I sit up, rub my eyes, and look around. Where am I again? Oh, right. In bed with my new fuck buddy and the love of his life. Who are currently spooned together next to me.

I hear a car door open, and footsteps on the drive.

I wonder whether to wake the guys up. They are sleeping so peacefully. The covers are mostly off, as it's a bit warm in the room. The smooth, pale skin of Reese's hairless, muscled ass contrasts with the tan, lightly furred roundness of Calvin's as they lie pressed together. Reese's arm is around Calvin, and their bodies rise and fall with their deep breathing. They are beautiful, both of them.

The front door to the cabin opens.

I don't know what to feel. I felt myself falling for Calvin yesterday, but once I saw him with Reese I knew that what they have is much deeper than anything my one day of lust with Calvin could ever approach. I remind myself that even if I lose Calvin to Reese, I at least have the satisfaction of knowing I brought them together. And they are so cute together. Pressed together. Hot.

"Reese? Reese, is that you, dear?"

The voice that calls out, a woman's voice, is chipper and sweet at the same time. I wonder who it is. This might be an awkward place for Reese to be found, now that I think about it.

Reese stirs, and awakens. He's lost for a moment, and then he seems to realize where he is, and who is lying pressed up against him. He smiles, broadly and with such contentment that I can't help but smile back.

"Aunt Emily, I'm in here!" he calls back. "I'll be out in a sec."

His voice awakens Calvin, who, like Reese, has the look of utter peace on his face as he rubs his cheek against Reese's arm. Then Reese sits up, reaches over and grabs the sweats that lie in a pile next to the bed, and then he's up and stepping into them. Like Calvin, he's no fan of underwear, apparently. So much the better for me; I don't get a good look at his goods, but I do see the general outline of several healthy mouthfuls.

"You guys hang out here for a sec, okay?" Reese instructs as he leaves the room. I hear him pad down the hall, and then quiet conversation I can't quite make out.

"Hey," Calvin says to me.

"Hey," I reply.

"You okay?" he asks, touching my arm.

"Yeah, I think I am. It's all happened so fast, but seeing you two together, I know it was the right thing to come see him. He seems like a good guy."

"He is. Always has been. But I already have a good guy." He looks at me, and I can tell he's torn.

"Look, don't worry about me. What happens happens. I'm the luckiest guy in the world, just along for the ride. Even if you two run off and get married tomorrow I'll still be happier than I was before I got to know you."

He reaches up, runs his hand behind my neck, and pulls me down to him. His mouth finds mine, and I'm suddenly swept back in. To him, and to whatever this is that we have. That we now share, apparently, with Reese.

"You're the best," he says, kissing me one more time. "And now, I better go say hi to Aunt Emily."

His lithe body seems to spring up off the bed as if propelled by an unseen force, and he too slips into a pair of sweats from the floor. As he pads down the hall, shirtless and rumpled, I trace the outline of his body on the bed next to me with my fingers, wondering.

"Oh, Cal!" Aunt Emily cries, and there's the sound of hugging and reunion. "What a surprise, and what a treat. Just look at you! I cannot believe you've gotten even more, well, developed since I saw you last."

"Aunt Emily, how have you been? I've missed you."

General laughter and good cheer and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do now. I decide to get some clothes on anyway. I pick up a pair of fresh underwear out of my pack, and then I put it back. What the hell. I grab my sweats from last night and pull them on, one of the boys. Then I sit on the bed. Waiting for my cue. Or perhaps I'm supposed to be hiding in the closet?

"Aunt Emily, there's someone I'd like you to meet," I hear Reese declaim loudly. He clearly wants to signal me that I should be ready for my entrance. Having given me a heads-up, he calls out, slightly louder, "Josh, can you come out here and meet my aunt?"

I walk down the hall, shirtless like the others. I'm trying to fit in, a thought that makes me smile to myself. That I could fit in with these studs and their bizarre world of fighting and spooning. What a freak show this has turned out to be.

I round the corner into the kitchen, and Reese is standing next to a diminutive woman with cropped gray hair and a warm smile.

"Josh, this is my Aunt Emily," he says to me. "Emily, this is Cal's friend Josh." He looks at me, and a little grin plays around his mouth. "Our friend Josh, I mean."

I extend my hand and smile my best "meet the parents" smile.

"Josh, I'm happy to meet you. Welcome to my little retreat in the woods. I hope you found the bed comfortable?"

I blush, and I swear I see a bit of a knowing smirk cross her face. But maybe I'm imagining it.

"It's great, thanks," I reply, holding onto my composure by my fingernails. Calvin and Reese exchange a look, and they both break out into giggles at the same moment.

"Now, you boys sit down and I'll make us some breakfast."

We sit at the table by the window, overlooking what appears to be apple trees.

Aunt Emily busies herself in the kitchen, and the three of us stare intently out the window. I have no idea how this is going to play out. I wait, and watch.

She appears in a few minutes with coffee mugs, passes them around.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Emily. I didn't know you would be here this weekend," Reese ventures.

"Oh, pish. I'm so glad you're here. I came up on the spur of the moment, to try to get the garden buttoned up for winter. I could sure use some help, if you wouldn't mind staying the weekend?"

"Of course, Aunt Emily," says Reese, and Calvin nods his agreement. So, I guess I'm here for the weekend. Sometimes you just have to let life take you where it takes you. At least the coffee's good.

Aunt Emily cooks up a breakfast that threatens to collapse the table, and the boys tuck in. I watch her watching them, with the pride of family in their strength and beauty. She really seems to love them.

After the meal, she stands up and announces, "All right, boys, how about the two of you tackle the apple trees while Josh and I clean up. Remember there are overalls in the shed you can wear so you don't snag your clothes."

"Yes, ma'am," they say in unison (see?) and they're out the door like a shot.

I stand, ready to help with the dishes, but Aunt Emily abruptly sits back down. She touches my arm, and says, "Sit, Josh! Have some more coffee. Let's talk."

She pours me another cup of coffee, my third. I won't be able to sit still for the rest of the day.

"So, tell me," she starts, as she lifts her mug to sip. "How do you know Cal and Reese?"

"Well," I reply. "I met Calvin at school, and Reese I just met yesterday."

Her eyebrows peak for a fraction of a second, then settle back down.

"And have you known Cal long?"

"Not too long." I hide my eyes by looking into my coffee cup. I take another gulp.

"And how long have you been sleeping together?" she asks sweetly, taking another sip.

I nearly spit out the coffee that's in my mouth. What the fuck?

"I, uh, ummm..."

"Now dear," she intones, putting her hand on my arm. "Let's be honest with each other, shall we?"

She looks at me for a moment, eyebrows up, taking my measure. She apparently sees what she's looking for. She sips again, and continues.

"I see the way you look at them, at Cal in particular. You're smitten, aren't you? And now here's Reese, who has a much earlier claim on his heart. You're not sure where you fit."

She pauses, letting her words sink in.

"Am I right?"

"How ... how did you ..." I stammer, blushing furiously. Is Aunt Emily a witch?

"Oh, honey," she chuckles, patting me on the leg. "You are no match for an old dyke with weapons-grade gaydar."

Wha-what now?

"Oh, don't look so surprised. Come on now, look at me. I'm not exactly the matronly old aunt in lace and pearls, am I?"

She's right. I chuckle in spite of myself. But then something dawns on me.

"So, tell me, Aunt Emily, how is it that you show up here for a quiet weekend of yard work with enough food for an army? Expecting to work up an appetite, were you?" My turn to cock an eyebrow.

She is silent for a moment, and then bursts out with a guffaw like a karate chop. She has a good, long laugh, and then she fixes me with her steely gaze again. She raises her mug in my direction.

"Touché, my boy, touché. I am in the presence of a formidable intellect. You have found me out. In the spirit of full disclosure, I'll tell you everything. You have to promise me, though, that you won't tell the boys, at least not until we see how this settles out. Do we have an agreement?"

"Agreed. My lips are sealed."

"All right then. So, I assume that you know something about how long Reese and Cal have been friends? Well, Cal practically grew up here. Those two were always together; they loved coming here all year round, but especially in the summer. I got to love Cal just as much as I love my nephew. Now, most people look at Reese and see a tough kid, a macho athlete. But I saw a different side of him, here at least. When he and Cal would come up here, I saw the way that Reese looked at him--a lot like the way you do, dear. I always figured that one day he would figure out that he loved that boy. My partner, Dolores, and I would have them up here any time we could--any chance we had to get Reese away from that moonbat sister of mine." She grunted in disgust, shook her head, and continued.

"I swear, that woman. She keeps telling me I would understand if I would just be born again like her. I tell her that maybe next time she'll be born with a brain. She and her wing-nut religious zealot friends, like Cal's parents, make life miserable for those boys. There was no way that Reese could ever be honest with himself with that crew watching over him."

"He told me about a Mr. Peterson, who taught at their school," I offer.

"Oh that bitter old queen. He and his gerbil stories have messed up more than a few questioning youths. He should find his way under a bus, I swear to god."

I like Aunt Emily more and more.

"Anyway, we hoped that eventually Reese and Cal would find their way around to figuring out how they felt about each other. They're such men, really--never been allowed to get in touch with their emotions. So they spent their last few weeks of summer vacation here, helping me in the garden and swimming down at the pond. I could see them edging closer to finally seeing what they both wanted but couldn't talk about; even Dolores, who by then had become my ex, was rooting for them. They were here right up to the night before they left for college, happy as little clams. I mean, look at them," and she nods her head out the window.

I turn to see Calvin and Reese, clad only in ratty old denim overalls, working in the apple orchard. Well, not so much working as wrestling. It's like they can't keep their hands off each other.

"Were they always like that?" I ask, turning back to Aunt Emily.

"Oh, yes," she laughs. "It's been obvious to everyone who has eyes to see for years." She pauses to watch them throw fallen apples at each other, shaking her head and chuckling.

"Now, where was I? Ah, right. The night before college. I had arranged a wonderful dinner on the balcony there, overlooking the valley. Chateaubriand for two, roses on the table, candles. I wanted to pull out all the stops--my last-ditch effort to kick-start their stalled relationship. I even went down to the bottom of the hill where Dolores has her cabin to give them all the space they might need. Even after our split we still care deeply for those two boys, so I was down with Dolores, toasting good luck to them--me with white wine, Dolores with a boilermaker, if you want a snapshot of why we split--and hoping for the best, when we heard the yelling start. Then the table went over, and all hell broke loose. As I ran back up the driveway I had to jump off the road when Cal came tearing down. He just about ran me over. By the time I got to the cabin, Reese was slumped against the balcony railing over there, sobbing. The whole place was a mess, but I didn't care about that. I just wanted to comfort him, to find out what happened, but he wouldn't talk to me. He packed up his car and drove away without a word about it, then or ever after. We've talked since, of course, about everything but that night. He wanted to forget it ever happened."