Love at Crow Creek

Oh shit. I guess it was time to officially come out to Cody. Which was weird since we'd been kissing for the last five minutes and we'd slept in each other's arms all night. It seemed backwards and kind of crazy.

"Umm, since forever. Cody, I'm into guys." I had a million other things to say but words failed me.

"Since when?" He sounded so surprised, like kissing each other was totally normal for straight guys to do. It felt absurd and I nearly laughed due to my nerves.

"Since birth according to science. I realized it in junior high. I acted on it for the first time while I was away." I explained and I hoped he wouldn't be upset. I planned on being totally honest with him. About anything and everything.

"I had no idea. Who knew? Did you really hook up with girls then, or no?" I could tell he was starting to overthink and get freaked out and I just wanted to kiss him again and go back to being silent and calm like before.

"I'll tell you everything, I promise. Please don't get upset, Cody. I really don't want to upset you, okay?" He nodded and I felt him relax a little bit. Crisis momentarily averted.

"First of all, you are the first person I've come out to, other than my two hook ups on the road. I did get my first blow job from a girl, the one that Skip arranged that first weekend. I've had experiences with two guys. And now I've kissed three guys." I lifted my eyebrow at him. Again he nodded that he understood I meant him.

He didn't say anything for a while. I could tell he was processing everything I'd said and probably all the things he'd done with me.

I was processing it all myself. I just came out to my very best friend, who I've recently realized I'm in love with and now I've had a whole kissing moment with him. Holy shit, now I felt like freaking out.

"I'm the first person you've told?" Cody finally asked.

"Yes. The two guys I met on tour both just seemed to know. I only had to answer questions to the first guy. The other one didn't ask, he just assumed or knew somehow. So, you're actually the first person I've said the words to. You are they only one who knows me that knows I'm gay."

"I'm gay." I barely heard the words when Cody said it into my chest. He'd buried his head as he confessed his darkest secret to me.

"That's good since I'm so madly in love with you." I just laid it out. I knew he was scared out of his mind and I wanted him to know I was his if he wanted me. He had nothing to fear with me. I needed him to know.

I felt his tears before I heard him crying. I gathered him as close as I could and I held him tight. I didn't know exactly why he cried but it didn't really matter. I was going to be there for him no matter what.

I felt his body start to relax and his crying seemed to calm. He sniffled and pressed his wet face into my shirt. He let out a huge breath and melted into me. "I love you." He said it clearly, making sure I heard it.

"You're all I've ever wanted. You are all I need. I love you and only you, Cody. I love you so damn much it makes me insane." I felt breathless as the words spilled out.

We murmured words of love to each other, still tightly embracing one another. We dozed off like that, both exhausted from the emotional release.

It was late morning when I woke up alone in the bed in my new place. I heard the toilet flush and I felt so relieved. He was still here. I sat up and waited until he emerged.

We grinned at each other and my heart thumped harder and my stomach fluttered. I was in love and it felt crazy amazing.

"Hey. Do you have to go to the ranch today?" I asked, trying to make conversation in this new relationship between us. I was nervous and yet he was the person I was the most comfortable with in the whole world.

"Yes. But only for a few hours. I have two quick projects to take care of. I should be done by mid-afternoon. Should I come back here to meet up?" He sounded normal but I felt his nerves under the regular words.

"Yeah, I'm going to be here all day. Can you give me a ride back to the house? I can grab my truck and some of my stuff. Plus I should see how Daddy and Grandpa are going to be about me moving out here."

"They should be fine with it. It's not like they didn't know what I was making for you out here. They let me hook everything up to the barn after all."

"I guess. I'm about to find out for sure." I stood and stepped closer to Cody.

He stared into my eyes for a moment. Then we were frantically kissing and clinging to one another.

"We better stop or you're never going to finish your projects. We have nothing but time later today." I smirked at him as I pulled away.

"Well then, get it the damn truck! I've got work to do." He smiled back at me as he marched to the door and exited the RV.

I pulled the door closed behind me and climbed in Cody's truck. "What should we call this place? I don't want it to be "the RV" or something lame like that."

"It's your place, you should name it."

"No, Cody. It's our place. I hope you'll stay here with me. I want you beside me." I felt shy saying it in the daylight, in the world outside the safe cocoon we'd shared last night and this morning.

"Okay, our place. We can't call it that though. I guess we can wait and see what evolves as we live in it." He glanced at me and smiled.

"So you'll move in there with me?" I wanted to make sure I was clear about what I wanted.

"Yeah, Rhett. I want to live there with you. I imagined us living there together the whole time I worked on it. I didn't think it would ever actually happen though."

"It's happening alright." I chuckled as I said it.

Too soon we pulled up to Grandpa's house. My daddy's truck was there, of course. We both sat and looked through the windshield at the building before us.

"I wish I could kiss you right now." I said.

"We shouldn't. Those noisy bastards are both probably watching us." Cody knew them as well as I did.

"This sucks. Fuck." I blew out a big breath and I turned to look right at him. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He smiled at me and we both started grinning at each other like the fools in love that we were.

"Okay. Since I can't touch you right now, I'm going to get out. Just hurry back home as soon as you can." I stood in the driveway with the door still open.

"I will. I promise." He looked fucking beautiful to me.

"Holy shit. Just go before I change my mind." I stepped back and closed the door. I watched him drive away.

In the house, they both started talking to me as soon as I opened the door. Grandpa hugged me. Daddy frowned at me and then congratulated me. It was all weird, but that was probably just me.

After the initial encounter with them ended, I excused myself. "I'm going to pack up some of my stuff. Call me if you need me to come back to the house for anything." I stated it, I didn't ask. I turned and went up the stairs.

As Cody predicted, it wasn't a big deal which I still thought was odd. I realized Cody had done this for me, too. When he'd talked to them about fixing up the RV, he also prepared them ahead of time so they could process it before I even got home.

Whether that was his intention or not, he'd still smoothed the way for me. I was going to make sure I gave him an extra thank you for that. Hopefully in the form of some sort of pleasurable, naked situation. My blood felt hot in my veins as I thought about it.

I quickly gathered my things, got my truck and got the hell out of dodge. I wanted to jerk off and my pants were too fucking tight. I needed to take a cool shower and leave my dick alone. I wanted Cody to be the one that got me off.

At the RV, I took that cool shower and I felt a tiny bit better. I realized I didn't eat when I went to the house and I kicked myself. I was going to have to go back.

I stopped and thought about it for a second. If I knew Cody, he hadn't neglected this detail. I opened the cabinet and sure enough there were canned goods and ramen packets. There was also a microwave in the cabinet!

I opened the little fridge he'd installed, which looked as old as the rest of the RV. It was icy cold inside when I opened it so I didn't care what it looked like. It had soda and bottled water in the racks on the inside of the door. On the shelves I found lunch meat and hot dogs and all sorts of good stuff.

I realized what time it was and I figured Cody might be back soon. I should make him some lunch. I felt downright domestic. I texted him to see how soon he thought he'd be back.

"Less than an hour. I'm bringing you some lunch. See you soon."

I laughed out loud at his text. He beat me to lunch. It was so typically Cody that it made my heart swell with the love I felt for him.

Shortly thereafter, he showed up with two huge plastic dishes of lasagna. His mom made this recipe with their premium beef and it was always amazing. I didn't know what made my mouth water more. The dish of delicious food or the breathtaking man that brought it to me.

The lunch was wonderful and we sat at the table and laughed while we ate. It felt perfect, just being here with him. In our place. Actually together.

I washed the dishes in the sink in the barn while Cody hung a closet rod in the front of the RV. While we did our tasks, Michael pulled up and joined us inside the Winnebago. We easily acted normal as our old group reunited.

Cody finished a few more projects inside while I got Michael to help me set up a fire pit in front of the Winnebago.

It was basically the same as our set up at the river cabin, but this was our grown-up version. I arranged the plastic chairs we had right now, but we were going to build big Adirondack chairs for all three of us this summer.

"I'm going to go fetch firewood. I'll be back in about an hour." Michael called out as he hopped into his truck. I waved goodbye as I climbed the stairs into the RV.

"Michael's getting firewood. How's it going in here?" I asked as I entered the RV.

"It's good. I'm nearly done with everything I wanted to do today." Cody was installing a shelf in the shower.

I sat at the table and drank a cold Coke. "What else did you want to do today?" He was always ambitious with his projects. The RV was the perfect example.

I heard him gathering his tools. Stepping out of the bathroom, he looked at me. He walked right to my side and then he bent and kissed me deeply.

When he pulled back, I stood and pulled him into me. I crashed my lips into his as our bodies pressed closer. I felt his excitement and I ground into it. He moaned into my lips.

"I want you so bad." I said between kisses.

"We have bad timing." He smiled against my mouth. "Michael will be back way too soon."

I pulled back just enough to look up at him. "I know. Our timing sucks." I huffed out my breath while we still stood with our arms around each other's waists. "I hate that I can't touch you in front of him."

"Why can't you?" Cody challenged, surprising me completely.

"What? You want me to kiss you in front of Michael?" I leaned back against the counter, pulling him with me.

"I mean, no, not really. But also, yeah. He's going to figure it out, eventually. We should probably tell him before he figures it out. It'll be awkward, but he'll be fine. I'm sure of it. You know he won't out us."

"How long have you been thinking about this?" I asked him once he finally stopped babbling.

"All day. It helped me not think about you. I was distracted and horny when I was only thinking about you."

I smiled and shook my head in disbelief. Who was this guy in my arms? Cody had grown so bold. I was even more in love with him as each second passed. My god, he was incredible.

He bit his lower lip. The look on his face made my body throb. "Are you surprised that you make me horny?" He pouted as he said it.

I couldn't help myself, I burst out laughing. The whole situation was so hilariously absurd. Before I could get it together, Cody was laughing too. We just stood there, holding each other close, laughing.

"What even is our life?" I was still grinning and wiping tears from my eyes as I said it.

"Our life is amazing. And just beginning." Cody smiled at me, done laughing, but glowing with joy.

"I love you, Cody." I leaned in and kissed him tenderly. It grew heated quickly and his tongue was in my mouth. I sucked on it, making him groan.

We finally pulled away from each other to give ourselves a moment to cool off before Michael got back. I sat back down at the table and he sat across from me.

"You said you were in junior high when you realized you were gay. How did it happen?"

I looked at him and smiled. I was glad he wanted to talk about this. I'd never talked to anyone about it and my best friend was the person I wanted to tell the most.

"I think I was ten or eleven. I was touching myself and I kept thinking about JB Mauney. I looked at his poster. I soon realized it wasn't just JB. It was guys that I liked and I didn't like girls."

"Were you scared?"

"Yeah. Really scared. My mom always talked about her cousin that was a dirty fag. I was sure I was that too."

"Oh no. That's terrible. I wish you could have told me, but I understand why you didn't." Cody looked so concerned. He reached over and took my hands in his.

"I got over it pretty quickly, luckily. Thank goodness for the internet. When did you figure it out?"

"When you left." He said it quietly, but without breaking eye contact.

"When I left? On tour? In January?" I tried to wrap my head around what he meant.

"Yeah. You left and I was alone, without you or Michael and I realized I'd been lying to myself about just being picky. I wasn't ever going to find the right girl for me." He stopped and looked down at the table.

I just rubbed his hands in mine. I waited.

He lifted his head with a look of resolve on his handsome face. "As soon as I spent three days away from you, I realized I was in love with you. I was angry. I'm not sure why."

"Anger seems normal. All the feelings are normal. I'm sorry I didn't know how you were feeling."

"Don't apologize, Rhett. Please. You're here with me. I never thought this was possible. Don't forget, I didn't know you were gay either. I was so upset because I couldn't ever have you."

Our eyes met. I was mesmerized by the man he'd become in the last few days. He was spectacular. Handsome, loving and bold. He was mine.

The crunch of tires on gravel brought us back to the real world. We stood up and headed to the door.

"We need to always lock this door. It will be our early detection system for unwanted guests, if you know what I mean." Cody grinned as he opened the door, looking over his shoulder at me.

I just shook my head and followed him out, smiling from ear to ear. I did know what he meant and I couldn't wait for it.

We unloaded the entire bed full of wood from Michael's truck. We stacked it and built a fire. Later we roasted hotdogs and ate while laughing into the night. It was just like old times. Almost.

I was having so much fun but I also wanted Cody to myself. It had been less than twenty four hours since we'd come out to each other, but it felt like years. I wanted to touch him.

It got later and later and Michael showed no signs of wanting to leave and I couldn't blame him. He'd been locked down and we hadn't been together in six months. Cody seemed happy so I was as patient as I could be.

The three of us grew quiet and the fire burned low. Everyone was yawning but refused to be the first to give up.

I finally stood and stretched my arms over my head, making my shoulders pop loudly. I looked at Cody and he was staring at my exposed abs and low riding jeans. I couldn't help but grin at him.

Michael was kicking some sand on the last bits of the fire. The three of us were now standing looking at the smoke tendrils, but still not moving to go our separate ways.

"I guess we should head out." Michael said to Cody.

"I'm staying here, actually." He left it at that.

"Oh, can I stay, too?" Michael was oblivious.

Cody looked at me. Of course it had to come from me. It was technically my place. Michael didn't know it was "ours" yet. What could I say?

"Sure, the table comes out and the seating folds down into a bed." I headed inside to get it set up for him.

"Where are you going to sleep, Cody?" Michael asked him as they came in right behind me.

"On the bed. It's a queen size so there's lots of room." Cody sounded nervous.

"Did you stay here last night?" He was starting to sound suspicious. Or maybe he was jealous we'd hung out without him.

"Yeah. I didn't plan to but it got late."

"I was afraid to let him drive home. Yesterday was a long day." I interjected, stepping between the two of them as I handed Michael some pillows and a blanket from the under bench storage.

That seemed to break up the conversation. Michael arranged his bedding as Cody stepped into the bathroom. I went into the back and closed the curtain. This wasn't how I saw tonight going.

Soon enough the three of us had all finished our bedtime routines and the lights were off. Michael was tossing around, trying to find a comfy position. Cody and I lay in the bed, on our own sides, but facing each other.

My eyes adjusted to the dark and I could see Cody's beautiful face. He was watching me watch him. I smiled at him.

He scooted closer and so did I. I needed to touch him, even if I just held him close for a while.

"I wish I could kiss you." Cody whispered it right against my ear.

"Me too." I whispered back.

I found his mouth and touched his lips with mine. It turned to kissing, of course. I tried to be silent but I could hear the kissing sounds.

Before I could help it, I was laughing. Cody just buried his head in my chest. I could hear Michael shifting around up front.

"Don't start." Michael said into the darkness.

"Sorry. I'm trying." I answered.

"And stop whispering. It's rude." Michael said, joking, but also serious.

"Sorry." I said again.

"What are you guys whispering about anyway?"

"You don't want to know." I was honest about that.

"Okay? What's that mean?" Michael persisted.

"I was telling Cody I wanted to kiss and touch him."

Cody gasped in my arms. Michael was silent.

"Yeah, right!" Michael finally called out and then burst into laughter.

"Don't ask what you don't want to know." I said after he stopped chuckling.

"Fine, don't tell me." I could still hear the humor in Michael's voice.

"I tried." I said it quietly, but I know he heard.

We got quiet again and the next thing I remember was Michael ripping the curtain open to wake us in his usual obnoxious fashion early in the morning.

He was quite surprised by what he found. Cody and I were both shirtless with our arms wrapped around each other and my head on his shoulder. We both groggily looked up at him before we realized what was happening.

Michael stood there with his mouth open and his eyes wide. I felt Cody shrink into himself, silent and scared.

I decided to break the awkward silence. "Remind me to install a door." I yawned and sat up, trying to block Cody who seemed terrified even though he's the one who originally suggested we tell Michael.

"What the hell?"

"You don't have to be rude. Don't forget you're a guest, dipshit." I gave him a serious scowl.

He seemed to snap out of it. I saw understanding dawn on him. His eyes got wide again. He spun around and pulled the curtain closed, walking away.

I crawled out of the bed and followed him. I sat on the edge of the pull out bed he'd slept on. It was hard as a rock. I looked at him and I could see the gears in his head spinning.

"Well. What do you have to say?" I asked him calmly.

"Nothing. I have nothing to say."

"Liar. You always have something to say. Get it out now. I'm not letting you leave here until I know what you're thinking." All I could think about was Cody. I needed to protect him.