Love at Crow Creek

I was never home but I wished I had my own place when I was home. I imagined coming home to my own empty house. Setting my bags down and stretching out on my own couch. Using my shower and going to bed in my own bed. With Cody by my side.

What? Why had I had that thought? I was picturing being alone, in my own place. And Cody was my best friend, not my lover.

I had never really thought about Cody like that. Okay, that's not true at all. I had a crush on him on and off my whole childhood. I never did anything about it and I always knew it wasn't worth losing my best friend over something that was impossible anyway.

In the last several years I had studiously avoided thinking about Cody and anything sexual at the same time. I also had the same rule about Michael. I didn't cross the line, in my mind, with my friends. I would stare at my poster and focus on JB.

My thoughts tonight must be mixed up by all the other stuff going on. Us missing each other. Michael and Hailey getting pregnant. Me being on the road. Being in the closet. Feeling the need for independence and companionship all at once. Being overly tired and overly emotional. Being horny but not able to get myself off. My painful fucking hand.

I turned the light off and laid back down. I stared at the ceiling until my eyes were too heavy to keep open. I felt myself slipping into the fog but then Cody was back in my thoughts, invading my sleep bubble. What did he want from me right now? Why wouldn't he let me sleep?

I tossed and turned a few more times. I considered turning the damn light back on. I just laid in the dark instead. I felt like crying all of a sudden. And then Cody crossed my mind again.

"Damn you Cody. What the fuck? Why can't I get you out of my thoughts for just an hour? I need to sleep. I need to get off. Unless you're planning on helping with that, get the fuck out of my head." I whispered my thoughts into the dark.

My hand found my penis again but now I was starting to get hard. I stroked it, pulling on my shaft, imagining a mouth sucking me in. A soft, warm, wet mouth.

"Don't have anything more to say, Cody? Is that my cock in your mouth?" I growled my innermost thoughts into the night as I yanked on my completely rigid erection. The more I tried to fight the sexual thoughts about him the more persistent they got.

I gave into the fantasy and started jerking off in earnest while imaging fucking Cody's mouth and his ass. I imagined him fucking my ass and his hard cock in my mouth. I pumped my shaft harder.

"Oh god, Cody. Yes, fuck yes." I started to cum thinking about fucking my best friend. I came hard and I kept stroking myself until I'd squeezed out every last drop for him.

I woke to the sound of my daddy calling my name. I got up and headed down the stairs, thinking about that independence again. He informed me I would be working on the ranch during my time off. I reminded him about my injury and he told me I was getting soft.

The whole day pissed me off. I thought about moving out nearly every second. I did my childhood chores even though I'd been gone for three months and they'd gotten done without me during all that time. Cody was also working and I just really needed to see him. My mind raced thinking about what I'd done the night before.

Finally it was evening and both Cody and I were done with our responsibilities for the day. He came and picked me up as soon as he could. We headed into town.

Even after masterbating to my highly sexual thoughts of him last night, it wasn't weird when we were together, even in my own mind. I was just content by his side.

"I need to get out of my grandpa's house. My daddy was there this morning before dawn to harass me out of bed. It pissed me off so much I nearly broke my other damn hand."

"I'm dying to move out, too. I hate that Michael isn't with us, but part of me understands why the people around here get shacked up at such a young age. It seems to be the best way to get instant independence. Like being married or pregnant or both makes you an adult in everyone's eyes." Cody had obviously been thinking about this for a long time.

"I know! It's so dumb. You knock up another eighteen year old and that makes you an adult? It's actually a totally stupid and immature thing to do. I will never understand. I'm glad I don't have to think about...." I stopped before I outed myself as gay in my angry rant.

I let out my breath in my exasperation. We both stayed quiet for the rest of the trip into town. We got to town and drove up and down the main street, looking for something to do and being seen.

"You're famous, you know." Cody said.

"Because I got on the tour?" I asked. That had happened months ago.

"Well that and the fact that you've been doing pretty good so they've been showing all your rides on the TV broadcasts. Even the people that don't really know you, all seem to know you now. They ask me about you all the time."

"Does that make you famous adjacent?" I joked with him.

"Fuck off, Rhett." He chuckled.

We fell into a nice comfy space with each other and cruising around town was fun, like it used to be. We ran across some old friends at the drive up and we got black cherry milkshakes.

Even as the town closed down for the night and all the lights turned off, we didn't head home. We drove around until we ended up way out at the county fairgrounds.

It was abandoned this time of year and there was no one else around for miles. We sat in Cody's truck and stared at the arena through the fairground fence. It was dark and lonely now. But this was where it had all begun for me. My first several years of riding took place on that patch of dirt.

It was the place where my first championship was claimed. And my second. And my third. And my fourth. And several more after that. I'd won my way to the PBR at the state fairgrounds, but I got there from here.

Cody always understood. He supported my dream from the first time I'd been thrown from a mean old goat in my first mutton bustin' event when I was knee high to a grasshopper, as Grandpa always said. Cody was my best friend, my best supporter. I now wanted him to be more.

The Easter break ended way too soon and I left Cody behind again without having told him about my true feelings. I hated leaving him. I hated that I wanted him sexually. I felt like a terrible excuse for a best friend.

The next few events went by quickly. I got enough rides to keep a bit of money coming in and I kept myself in the top 45. At the second event after the break, Skip hurt his back.

I had to learn to drive the truck even though I didn't have a CDL. I also had to step it up and do more of Skip's physical tasks. He'd been such a strength to me the whole tour, it was my chance to repay those favors.

He was getting better but it was weeks of seeing chiropractors along our route to the next event and then the next one. I had a few chances to fly home but I couldn't leave Skip and Cash in a lurch, so I didn't get to go to Montana.

Cody understood why I hadn't been able to come visit, but he was disappointed. When I only had two weeks left on tour before the summer hiatus I could sense a huge change in Cody. He seemed happy and like my old best friend. I couldn't wait to get home to him.

I had nearly three months off. Skip went home to fully recover and the bulls went out to pasture. I flew into Billings and found Cody and Michael there to drive me home. I couldn't believe my eyes. Maybe this had something to do with Cody's better state of mind.

On the long trip home, Michael drove and I rode bitch in the middle, since I was the shortest. I really didn't mind because I got to sit right up against Cody the whole time. He smelled like home and happiness to me.

I found out that Michael and Hailey had called it quits because it wasn't his baby! She only wanted to get him to marry her to cover her sexual encounter with our math teacher! It was a huge scandal in town and it had just occurred two days before I got back.

Michael said he was upset the first day, but by the second day he was relieved that he'd dodged a huge bullet. He didn't have to get married and raise a kid. He could just be a kid.

When we stopped for gas and food on the trip home, I went to the bathroom and it occurred to me that Cody had been happy for a few weeks, but Michael had only been freed from his relationship prison two days ago. What was Cody so happy about? Was it just that I was coming home?

When we got back home, the guys took me straight to the lake. When I asked what was going on, they both acted weird. Once we got out of the truck and made our way down to the shore, everyone started screaming at us. It was a surprise party for me.

All my school friends and riding buddies from the local events crowded around me and welcomed me home and cheered all my success. It struck me that I was the first person to leave my town and become minorly famous. I was on TV nearly every weekend, after all.

It was crazy and loud, but I felt amazing. Cody and Michael stuck by my side most of the night. I heard lots of people congratulating Michael for escaping Hailey's trap, too. It was a night to celebrate. And I was with my two best friends for the first time in ages. And Cody looked so gorgeous.

Cody was three inches taller than me at five feet, ten inches. He had tan skin from working outside all day. His brown hair always had natural gold highlights from the sun. His body was strong and nicely muscled.

I always noticed the worn spot on his jeans right over his big bulge. That lighter area of denim drew my eye and my fingers yearned to touch him. He had a few pairs of Wranglers that really hugged his ass. I wanted that ass under me so badly.

At the party, Cody was smiling and his big blue eyes sparkled in the firelight. Michael had always been the best looking one amongst us, but right now, Cody was the most handsome man I'd ever seen. He was glowing with youth and budding masculinity.

We finally headed home in the wee hours of the morning. Michael dropped us both off at Cody's truck at his ranch. We said goodnight to Michael and then Cody and I climbed into his truck so he could drive me to Grandpa's.

"You must be so tired. I hope you're not mad that we dragged you to a giant party all night." Cody said as we pulled onto the main road.

"I had a blast! I wouldn't trade tonight for anything. It was so good to be with you and Michael. It felt like old times." I yawned loudly after I spoke.

"Well, it's not over yet. I have another surprise for you." He looked straight ahead at the road as he said it.

"What kind of surprise?" My mind raced with possibilities, but most of them were so far fetched and sexual that they couldn't possibly be right.

"You'll see." He said it as we turned into my driveway. Seeing as he brought me home, it couldn't be anything like my fantasies. But before I could dwell on it, he drove right past the house.

"Where are we going?" We were driving down the back road that led to Grandpa's pole barn where he stored all the farming equipment for the rough winters.

There were also several old wooden barns out at this end of the ranch. The original house had been over here, so there was a well and electrical that Daddy and I had updated a few years ago to upgrade the pole barn to a real working garage for the tractors and such.

"Close your eyes please." Cody said.

"Why?"

"Just do it. I said please."

"Fine." I closed my eyes and put my hands over them for good measure. We bumped along the road further into the darkness.

We finally stopped and he turned off his truck. "Wait right there and keep your eyes covered." His truck door squealed and klunked as he got out.

He came around and opened my door. He gently helped me out until I was standing. He angled me to face in a particular direction.

"Okay, open your eyes." Cody said, with a clear smile in his voice.

I opened my eyes and my mouth fell open. "Oh my god! Cody! Did you do this?" I snapped my head around and looked at him.

"Yep. My dad helped me with the big stuff and your grandpa let me use his tools and any stuff I found on the ranch. Do you like it?"

"Cody! It's amazing!" I stepped up to him and hugged him tightly, trying not to cry.

"C'mon, let's go look at the inside." Cody said as we pulled away from our hug. I nodded and let him lead me to the door.

When I was sixteen, I won my first big money purse at the junior events. I decided that I was going to buy myself an RV and fix it up to drive to all my competitions. I had a whole plan of going on the road. I would even use it when I went pro.

I spent a thousand dollars on this 1967 Winnebago. It leaked and was half rusted out from sitting through countless Montana winters. The door was held closed with a bungee cord and it didn't run.

My daddy helped me haul it out here behind the pole barn so that we could work on it. I soon realized it was a bigger project than I could handle, especially while riding, working the ranch and going to school. And there it sat, abandoned behind the barn.

But now it looked totally different. There was sheet metal riveted along all the seams around the roof and edges. It was painted dark blue, the color I always talked about painting it.

The front windows had curtains in them and the door was replaced with a different one that actually closed securely. It looked completely livable. Cody opened the door and told me to go in.

I stepped up and the first thing I noticed was the cold blast of air. We didn't have air conditioning in the house, we never had. This was amazing compared to the warm, slightly humid air outside.

"Air conditioning. I want to sleep in here." I said as I tried to comprehend what I was really looking at.

"That's the idea. It's your own place. It doesn't run and it won't move as it's hardwired into the barn's electrical and plumbing. You have a working bathroom back there, no tanks to empty."

I turned back to Cody and I finally realized he'd given me one of my two biggest wishes. My independence here at home. My own place to sleep-in nice and late in the morning if I wanted. A place to have company, hopefully overnight company.

I turned back to Cody and hugged him harder than before. This time I couldn't stop myself from crying. We stood between the kitchenette and the table that could be removed to make a convertible couch and bed area, just holding each other, with tears running down my face.

It felt like we clung to each other for hours. I finally pulled back and swiped away my tears. "This is the most incredible thing anyone has ever done for me, Cody. I fucking love it."

"Good, I'm so glad. You deserve it. Check out the back." He pointed down the walkway.

I opened the door to the shower and toilet combo and it was clean and bright with new faucets. I closed the door again and then I pulled back the curtain that hung in front of me. Behind it was a queen sized bed. It fit wall to wall and you climbed in from the foot of the mattress. It was bigger than what had been in here before.

"It's a brand new mattress. I bought that for you with my tax refund."

"Cody! You shouldn't spend your money on me. You crazy asshole." I was grinning as I sat down on the bed and looked at him still standing in the walkway. He stepped closer so that he was only a foot away from where I sat.

"I figured I'd probably crash here sometimes. You know, when you're gone. I can keep an eye on the place and get away from my parents at the same time." He seemed hopeful as he said it.

"Of course, it's more yours than mine anyway. I'm just happy if you let me crash here when I'm home." I joked, but I was completely serious about it.

"No, it's yours. I did this for you. I wanted to show you how much I care about you." He got quiet as he said it. His eyes looked innocent and beautiful when he looked at me. I wanted to kiss him so badly.

I pushed myself back onto the bed and over to one side. I patted the space next to me. "Come share it with me." It sounded huskier than expected as I said it. But he nodded and climbed into the bed.

"It is built for two." Cody said. My whole body reacted to that comment. Had he thought about that when he bought us this mattress? He had really bought it for us, not just me. That would be what I thought about every time I laid in this bed.

We lay side by side in the dim light in the bedroom area. The mattress was incredibly comfortable. Cody was so amazing. He was so important to me. I was in love with him, I finally admitted to myself. My heart twisted because I couldn't tell him.

"I should let you get some sleep, Rhett. I'll head home, but call me tomorrow and we'll go do something." He sat up and started scooting back towards the end of the bed and the walkway.

"Stay." It was the only word I could get out, but it was all I wanted. Stay with me Cody. Please!

He turned back to look at me. His eyes met mine and I felt sparks. Did he feel it? My eyes begged him to stay.

"I want to." He whispered it.

I reached out and grabbed his hand. I wove our fingers together and pulled on his arm, beckoning him back up to the soft pillows. He crawled back to me, still holding my hand.

He laid down next to me and I rolled into him. Our arms were around each other and I rested my head in the hollow of his neck. We lay in each other's arms, not saying anything, just holding each other as close as possible.

We fell asleep like that and it was the best night of my whole life. Nothing happened, but I wanted to sleep like this, in his arms, every night for the rest of my life. I felt happy and safe and content.

In the morning, I woke first and I looked at Cody sleeping in my arms. I ran my fingers through his soft hair. I could smell his shampoo and his deodorant and cologne. It all mingled to make the scent of Cody that I craved whenever I wasn't with him.

I was lost in my thoughts when his eyes opened and I didn't notice right away. He watched me as I raked his hair with my fingers gently, lovingly. I finally saw he was awake, but I didn't stop touching him.

He snuggled closer to me and closed his eyes again. "That feels nice. You can do that all day." He whispered it into my shoulder.

"Okay, I will. You smell so good. Your hair is so soft." I leaned closer and kissed the crown of his head, taking a deep breath to inhale his scent even more.

Before I really realized how intimate our conversation was and that I'd kissed his head, he whispered words I never thought I'd hear him say.

"Kiss me, Rhett." He turned his head up to mine and I leaned right in and brought my lips down onto his.

I felt the earth move beneath me. My stomach clenched and twisted with need and excitement. My mind felt blank and scared at the same time. But I pushed it all away and gently kissed Cody. He kissed me back.

It was soft and slow, both of us took our time and we didn't rush. We just savored each other's lips. His breath in my mouth felt like the thing I needed to live. His hands tightening around my torso, pulling me closer, thrilled me.

"I missed you so much." Cody said against my lips. It sounded desperate and like he might cry.

"I missed you, Cody. I need you." I answered him. It was true. I needed him in my life. In my bed. I needed our bodies to connect completely, but I wasn't going to move that fast. I didn't want him to freak out.

"Are you alright?" Cody asked after we stopped kissing and just held each other close.

"I'm amazing. What about you? I'm more worried about you. Are you weirded out?"

"No. What? Are you weirded out?" He got a little tense in my arms.

"No, not at all. This is what I've wanted for a long time."

He pulled back so he could look at my face. "You've wanted this? Since when?"