Aaron & Slade

My name is Aaron Brooks. I'm gay but not openly. I'm just about to turn eighteen years old, 6'0", with an athletic build from playing football and baseball. I have shaggy, dirty blonde hair and light brown eyes. I look like a surfer dude but I'm country. I was born and raised in the small Virginia town of South Hill. This town is so boring but its home.

********

Almost eight years ago, when I was 10 yrs. old, I had a routine checkup at the doctors; discovered a lump in my neck. There was a chance that it was nothing or I would have to take a pill for the rest of my life. I would rather it have been nothing but it was Thyroid Cancer, freaked me the hell out. I didn't even know that kind of cancer existed, especially for someone my age.

I had my thyroid completely removed and had radioiodine therapy. It killed my taste buds and I couldn't taste anything for two months, except the little hard candies, I had to suck on. I lost a lot of weight. It's hard to eat when you can't taste anything.

Then during a follow up, my doctor discovered cancer in my lymph nodes, and I had to go through chemotherapy. It took a toll on not only me but also my whole family.

My little sister, Candace, never left my side, she watched over me like a hawk, helping ma whenever she could. My parents worked tirelessly to help pay my medical bills while making sure Candace didn't feel neglected.

My mom wouldn't allow me to wallow in self-pity. She made me study and do homework, and I was able to keep up with school. We got through my illness and I've been in remission for over five years. I'm living my life the best I can within reason.

********

I met my best friend and boyfriend, Slade Jones, when I was fourteen and he was fifteen after he moved to South Hill from Norfolk, VA. We didn't start hooking up until I was almost sixteen.

My relationship with Slade is not perfect but whose is? We are both still young and afraid of our parents finding out about our relationship. It's nerve-wracking and intense but when we are together, the pros outweigh the cons.

Slade is very flirty and affectionate towards me, and I with him. Around others, we're pals, acting like straight men, talking about and dating girls. We've never had steady girlfriends for too long. We date just enough to keep people from asking questions. I hate watching him date these girls. He feels the same way when I date. Keeping up the pretense that we're both into girls is tiresome.

We, however, more than make up for it when we're together, because there are no worries and no pressure. It's hard to get alone time, both of us are athletes, students and work after school jobs. He has a large family, so, it's easier to hang out at my house when we have the time.

We haven't had sex yet. We've come close several times but Slade has always been the one to put a stop to it. The last time I attempted sex was this past New Year's Eve. I want to show Slade how much I want to be with him but I won't do it by forcing him. I know we both want each other but he's not ready and I understand that.

I love him but I've never told him. I think he loves me but he hasn't said the words to me either. We've been together for two years and have never said 'I love you' to each other, it seems strange to not have said it yet, but it's a first I look forward to. There are many firsts that I look forward to sharing with Slade. We have our senior year to experience those together.

It's the start of summer vacation and we've made plans to spend more time together. I'm so excited at the prospect of what we'll be able to do this summer.

********

"Aaron, can you come to the kitchen?" Dad calls out when I walk through the front door.

"Yes, sir," I answer, heading straight to the back. I see dad leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. The look in his face has me hesitant to learn whatever is going on. "What's up?" I don't like the look on his face.

Dad lets out a small breath of air. "I wanted to tell y'all together, but your mama and sister got it out of me, so now it's your turn to know."

I stand on the opposite side of him mimicking his posture. "Uh-huh?"

"I got the promotion I wanted." Dad replies with a pensive smile.

Is that all? Dang, he had me worried something was wrong.

"Awesome, Dad, I'm happy for you!" I give him a huge hug and a pat on the back. I step back only to see the return of that look back on his face. "What's with the look? Why aren't you dancing around? You've wanted this promotion for months."

"You haven't heard the whole story. When I went for the promotion the job was based in Richmond but now, it's in Boston."

"Boston's not that far, Dad. It's only about an hour away."

"Aaron, not Boston, VA... Boston, MA," Dad stammers.

"You're going to Massachusetts? For how long?"

Dad takes a few seconds before he replies, "That's the thing, Aaron, we're all moving to Boston."

My first thought rushed to Slade. I'm not leaving him. No way in hell! "I don't wanna to go, Dad. This is my senior year. I'm co-captain of the baseball team. I'm eighteen. I can stay with Uncle Bobby," I state trying to stand my ground.

"Yeah, you are going, you're not eighteen yet. I know you wanna stay, but while you are in school, your place is with your family. Besides, with your medical history, your mama would never allow you to be away from her. We don't leave for three months. You have the summer to hang out with your friends," Dad says with an even voice.

"I haven't been sick in over five years, Dad. Ma's overreacting, I'm not gonna get sick again. The doctors said to go on living my life and I am. Why can't I stay with Uncle Bobby?"

"One, the doctors have said there is a very small chance that you could get sick again, even after the five-year mark. I know you're not gonna get sick but there is always that chance. Second, your uncle isn't the best influence on you. He got you grounded for six months for that fiasco at the bar." Dad walks to the fridge and grabs a beer.

"You can't blame him for what happened. It was just as much my fault as it was his. How about Auntie Lottie, can I stay with her?" I ask following close behind him.

"She's not gonna take care of a teenager. She loves you but it's not happening."

"Dad-?"

"STOP! It's final. You're coming and I don't want to hear another word about it. Do you hear me?" Dad asks placing his hands flat on the counter.

Looking down, I say the only thing I can, "Yes, sir."

Dad walks over, "I'm sorry, kiddo. I really am but just go with this; it'll be good for you."

"I doubt it," I mutter, wondering how I'm going to tell Slade that I'm leaving him.

"Go on. I have to talk with your mama," he says, opening the beer and walking to the living room.

This is really happening. I don't take my intended shower; I instead make my way out the front door. I have one thought on my mind and that's get to Slade.

********

It takes me all of fifteen minutes to reach his house.

Slade's parents converted their garage into a mini apartment for him. I walk towards his room giving his younger brother, Kevin, a quick wave. He's working on his truck for the umpteenth time.

"When are you going to give up on that truck and get a new one," I yell over to him.

"I'll give this truck up when I can't get her to run no more. I love this truck," Kevin answers while rubbing the sides of it.

"I think you're the only one," I tell him laughing as he kisses the truck. "You've got problems."

"Yeah, but this truck ain't one," Kevin replies.

I chuckle and continue on to Slade's room. I enter through the side door and find him lying on the bed. Slade is shirtless, wearing shorts, cross-legged and listening to his headphones with his eyes closed. I close the door behind me and watch him.

Slade is eighteen, 5'7", toned, with short, brown hair and amazingly, gorgeous sapphire-blue eyes. He's so handsome.

I continue to watch him. He must've sensed me because he opens his eyes and turns to me. Slade gives me a half smile while sliding his headphones off. I walk over giving him a kiss.

"Hey, baby," Slade whispers.

"Hey, Jones," I answer back. I lean my forehead against his.

"Why are you here so early?" Slade caresses my cheek and gives me a soft peck on the lips.

"I wanted to see you. I couldn't wait 'til later tonight." I bury my face in his neck.

Slade pulls away from me slightly. "Is my brother still outside?"

Exhaling slowly, I lay back against the headboard, "Kev's out there but he's preoccupied with his truck at the moment. He needs to get a new one."

"Yeah, but I can't say anything because at least he has a piece of shit truck. I'm the oldest and I don't have wheels."

"We all know why because your driving sucks ass. How many tries did it take before you passed the test?"

"Six but none of those fails were my fault," he says defensively. His brows furrow in that cute way when he's annoyed.

I try not to laugh. "You hit the curb, a mailbox, a parked car, and then you failed the written three times, what makes you think none of those were your fault?"

"'Cause I'm Slade Jones, awesome driver that's why," Slade answers with a smile throwing his hands up.

"No, you're not, and that's why I won't let you drive my truck, 'cause you barely passed last time."

Slade rolls his eyes and scoffs, "You'll let me drive it before the end of the summer."

"Yeah, sure, by the end of the summer, that's not gonna happen." I smirk.

My demeanor changes and Slade notices it immediately.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Slade slides his hand into mine linking our fingers together.

I can hear the concern in his voice. I'm trying not to choke up and start crying before I can tell him.

"It's quiet. Where's the rest of the family?" I run my thumb back and forth against his.

"Mama took the other kids to get some more summer clothes and food shopping. Pa went fishing with Clay earlier this morning. Aaron, what's wrong?" Slade asks.

I decide to tell him. "Um, uh, my dad got the promotion today." I avoid looking at him.

"That's a good thing, right?" He asks turning my head towards him.

With a shake of the head, I answer, "No. The promotion he got is relocating him to Boston, MA. We all have to go with him." Slade gasps as his eyebrows arch in surprise. I continue with the last bit of news.

"We leave in three months."

Slade is looking at me, his mouth opening and closing, as he searches for something to say. I can see the wheels turning in his head. He probably thinking about everything I've thought about since dad told me.

There is a sudden knock at the door. We part quickly before Kevin walks in.

"Slade tell Mama when she gets back that I got the truck working. I'm gonna go down to the creek with Shelly and I'll be back late." Kevin looks at the two of us. "What's wrong? You look like you just watched some sad chick flick," he asks stepping into the room.

"Aaron came over to say his family is moving to Boston in three months," Slade answers as he put his headphones on the nightstand.

"That sucks man, sorry. It's not gonna be the same without you here. You are kinda like another brother to me."

I can hear the sincerity in his voice. It makes me want to break down. "Thanks, man, I feel the same about you too."

"Shit, I gotta get Shelly. Don't forget to tell her. I'll see you guys later." Kevin states. With a shrug and a slight smile, he turns around, walks out while closing the door behind him.

Slade turns his attention back to me. "Aaron, I-I... do you have to go? Why can't you stay with Bobby?"

"Yeah, after the bar brawl, Dad wouldn't trust Uncle Bobby with supervising me making lemonade." I give him a half chuckle. "He made it clear that I had to go."

"What if we could talk him into letting you stay with my family?" Slade asks putting his head on my shoulder.

"It's not gonna happen. Ma wants me to go, too. What am I gonna do?" I can feel the tears coming to the surface.

"Baby, don't worry. We'll try to work something out. We can't let you leave without trying everything." Slade takes my hand and kisses it.

"What's gonna happen with us?" I put my head back and look over at Slade. "We should talk about what this means."

"I agree. We need to talk but we have time to do that. Right now, I can't sit here and see you like this. I hate to see you sad. Let me try and cheer you up." Slade lifts his head and smiles faintly. His eyes twinkle in the sunlight shining through the slits of the blinds.

A lone tear rolls down my cheek. "How do you plan on making me feel better, Jones?"

Slade places his forehead against mine and tenderly wipes the tear away with the back of his free hand. "I have my ways," Slade replies affectionately.

Slade gets up off the bed walking over to the door. He checks outside to see if the coast is clear. Giving me the all clear sign, Slade closes and locks the door. Slade walks back over to the bed and gathers me up in a huge embrace. I breathe in the light mix scent of him and the soap he'd washed with earlier, and I can't hold back the tears. Slade holds me, rubs my back soothing my nerves with comforting words, as I cry on his shoulder.

"Aaron, it's okay. Don't cry, baby. We will find a way to keep you here, where you belong."

"I don't want to leave you," I say, barely able to get the words out.

Slade titters softly, "I don't want you to leave me either."

I don't know why but this causes me to laugh. We laugh for a minute. I hug him tight to me. Slade plants innocent kisses on my forehead, nose, and lips.

********

Slade is making me feel so much better by just being there for me. He's making me laugh but the move is slowly creeping back to light. He pops a cheesy comedy on, I snuggle closer to him, and I place my head on his shoulder; he begins to run his hands through my hair. I love when he does that because it feels good. I'm just about to fall asleep when we hear a horn honk. We stop the movie, climb off the bed, and Slade gives me a kiss on the neck before we leave the room.

The sun blinds us when the door opens. We shield our eyes and walk over to greet his mom.

Slade's mom is at the back of her SUV grabbing bags.

"Hey, guys. I got some good clothes for everyone. Slade, I grabbed you a couple more work shirts. Do you think you might need more than that?" Slade's little brothers and sister bound out of the car fighting as usual. "Will y'all shut up? You're driving me bonkers. Grab some bags and get in the house now."

The threesome stop their fighting long enough to do as their mom said but start arguing before they reach the porch steps.

"The shirts do you want me to get you more?" She asks again.

"No ma'am. Should be fine with the ones you got me, but if I need more I'll go get me some," Slade replies, grabbing groceries from her arms. "Oh, Kev, got his truck workin' and took Shelly down to the creek and he'll be back late.'

"That kid acts like Shelly and his truck are the most important things in this world," she says shaking her head.

"Hi, Miss April." I give Slade's mom a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Aaron, are you okay, sweetie? You look a little flushed." Miss April puts her hand to my forehead to check my temperature.

"Not really, I came over to tell Slade that I'm moving to Boston by the end of summer. I guess I haven't recovered from the shock."

"Oh! You don't have to go do you?" Miss April asks with a low whine.

"Yeah, Dad made it quite clear there's no option but for me to go." I reach for more bags in the back.

"I don't know what Slade is gonna do without you. You two have been practically inseparable since we moved here. Do you wanna stay for supper? I'm making my famous mac n' cheese with hot dogs, it might cheer you up," I look over at Slade and he nods 'yes'.

"Okay with me but I gotta check in with the folks," I tell her. We head into the house and help put the groceries away.

I call my parents and get the okay for me to stay. Slade and I go back to his room and watch a movie. About an hour later, Slade's little sister, Juliet, comes to get us for dinner.

Sitting at the dinner table, I look around at everyone as they eat. I've had dinner with Slade's family so many times over the last few years. It sucks. I hate this could be one of the last times I have dinner with them.

"Aaron, what are you going to do about football and baseball?" Miss April asks scooping some food onto her plate.

"I don't know. It's a new school for me, and the other guy's have probably been playing together for four years. It'll be hard to get a starting position. I might have a better shot with the baseball team." I continue to eat my dinner.

"I'm sure you won't have a problem. You'll be good, no matter what team you try out for, sweetie." I smile at the kind words and glance over at Slade. He smiles briefly then turns his attention back to his little sister.

We finish eating. We're hanging out in the living room. I look at the clock and realize three hours have passed. I hadn't even realized it had gotten this late.

"I've got to get some sleep before my shift tomorrow. I'll see y'all later." I stand from the couch.

Everybody says 'bye' and I head for the door.

"I'll walk you out, man. I wanna finish watching the movie from earlier," Slade says as he stands up and follows me to the door.

"Oh, Aaron, can you tell your mama to look for those extra mason jars? I plan on making some preserves and I'm gonna need them," Miss April calls out from her seat.

"Yes, ma'am, I'll tell her." I answer before walking out the door and down the porch steps.

I hear Slade close the door behind me. The sounds of his feet on the gravel become louder as he reaches me.

"C'mere, so I can give you a proper goodbye," Slade whispers.

Slade ushers me into his room. He leaves the light off, and we stand in the center. There's enough light from the moon to allow us to see each other. He smiles up at me biting his bottom lip. My eyes linger on his lips. It's not long before we're in each other's arms. Slade plants an unbelievable goodnight kiss on me.

"Thank you for what you did earlier," I whisper in his ear. "You made me forget about it for a while."

"Baby, you know I'd do anything for you." Slade's voice cracks a bit.

I close my eyes and hold him tighter. A minute later, I reluctantly pull away from him. "I've got to get goin'." I give him another kiss.

"We can go do something tomorrow night, if you want?" Slade holds my hands in his.

"Definitely," I answer kissing him on the neck. "I'll call you when I get home, okay?"

Slade nods. I turn to walk away and feel the sting of Slade's heavy hand smacking my ass hard.

"You'll pay for that later, Jones." I laugh massaging my butt cheeks.

"Promise?" he asks coyly. I walk back to him and grab under his chin to make him look up at me.

"I promise." I lean down to kiss him but walk away instead.

"You're cold-blooded, babe," he says loud enough for me to hear him.

I laugh walking to my truck. If I keep having moments like this with Slade, I won't be able to leave him. What am I going to do?