The Boys of Summer

CHAPTER ONE

A long line of large and luxurious summer homes ran down the street and spilled onto several others.

A woman dressed in designer clothes slammed the trunk of her Rolls-Royce.

“Well, that looks like everything,” the woman said, directing her voice to the house the car was parked outside of.

A man stepped out of the open doorway and onto the front porch.

“You're sure?” he yelled back.

The woman began to walk towards the house, nodded her head.

She continued walking even after the car door mysteriously opened behind her.

It seemed like it had opened by itself.

But a few moments later a small boy stepped out.

He couldn't have been more than six years old.

He closed the door behind him and started to follow his mother up to the house.

The woman stopped in front of her husband.

She sighed, making sure that her chest moved exaggeratedly as she did so.

“It is so hot already,” she said to him in a husky voice.

She took a few more deep breaths and fanned herself with her hand.

“Well, dear, maybe we should go inside and cool down,” the man replied in an equally seductive tone.

The woman turned her head and looked down at her small son.

Then she quickly looked around at the yard and the other houses.

She spotted another little boy sitting outside of the house to the left.

He looked like he could use some company.

“Look, Chris,” she said to her son, “there's another little boy over there. Why don't you go introduce yourself to him?”

Chris looked over to the boy his mother had pointed out.

Without saying anything, he ran away towards the other yard.

Chris stopped in front of the little boy, but he didn't look up.

His head was down, his gaze fixed on his hands.

His hands were holding a Gameboy.

Chris silently stood for a while, hoping to get the boy's attention.

“Hi,” he finally said.

The little boy looked up.

“Hello,” he said.

Then he went back to playing his game.

Chris waited a few more seconds.

“I'm Chris,” he said.

The boy looked up again.

“I'm Jonny,” he quietly replied.

Then he went back to playing his game.

Chris scuffed his bottom of his shoe on the ground.

“Whatcha doing?” he asked.

The little boy looked up at him.

“Playing games,” he said.

Then he went back to playing his game.

Chris frowned.

He wanted Jonny to pay attention to him.

But Jonny didn't seem to care at all.

CHAPTER TWO

“So, Chris,” his mother began as she sat down with the other two at the dinner table.

She unfolded her stark white napkin and placed it carefully on her lap.

“Did you make friends with that little boy?” she asked.

Chris shook his head and mindlessly moved his fork around his plate.

“No, I hate him,” he plainly replied.

“You hate him?” his mother asked, not entirely believing that her son was being truthful.

“Yeah,” Chris said, “he wouldn't talk to me and he kept playing with his stupid Gameboy.”

Chris stabbed the fork into the pile of mashed potatoes.

He felt angrier than he had ever been before.

Being an only child, he was used to getting his way.

Being an only child to a rich couple, he was used to getting whatever he wanted.

He had wanted Jonny to talk to him.

He had wanted Jonny to forget about playing his video games.

He had wanted Jonny to give him more than just a few seconds of his time.

Chris had tasted his first lick of rejection that day.

He didn't like it at all.

“Well, did you try talking to him first?” his mother calmly asked.

“That's all I did!” he exclaimed. “All I did was talk to him, and all he did was play his stupid games.”

“Maybe you should try asking him about the games,” his father suggested.

Chris looked up with a confused expression.

“Why would I do that?” he asked.

“Because it's obviously something he's interested in. If you want him to talk to you, then maybe you should talk about things he likes,” his father answered.

“But I don't wanna talk about stupid video games,” Chris stubbornly said.

“Then I guess you'll just have to spend your summer alone, won't you?” his mother replied.

She expected Chris to freak out and agree to follow his father's advice.

But Chris just looked down at his plate.

If he couldn't get what he wanted, then he would just change what he wanted.

He wasn't going to change himself just to get what he wanted.

If Jonny wouldn't talk to him, then Jonny would not know the pleasure of being Chris's friend.

Chris would rather be alone than have to resort to talking about things he did not wish to talk about.

He was used to being alone, anyway.

His parents spoiled him.

No matter what day it was, no matter where they went.

As long as they left the house, which they did every single day, Chris came home with something new.

Some days it was a small thing, like a candy bar.
Some days he came home with a shiny new bicycle.

Or a motorized toy car.

His parents actually had a second garage built on their large estate specifically for all of Chris's vehicles.

They always gave him what he wanted.

But they never really paid him much attention.

His father was always “working” to make the money that supported their extravagant lifestyle.

His mother was always tanning or at the spa or playing tennis with her rich friends.

Chris never spent much time with his parents.

He had no brothers or sisters.

No close relatives.

Their property was so large that there were not even other people around for miles.

Chris spent most of his time alone.

Playing by himself or watching movies by himself.

He didn't see it as a problem.

CHAPTER THREE

Chris didn't talk to Jonny again that summer.

But he made it a point to be around the other boy.

Every day he would go outside and play by himself in the front yard.

Every so often he would shoot nasty glares at Jonny.

But he never said another word.

And Jonny never saw his glares.

For many years after, the two families continued to spend their summers in the neighboring houses.

Jonny continued to sit outside playing his Gameboy.

And Chris continued to not speak to Jonny.

When he was ten, Chris had received a nice dirt bike.

He brought it with him to the summer home.

Jonny still sat on his porch, staring down at his video game.

Chris rode his bike up and down the street.

He made sure to pass by Jonny's house every single time.

But Jonny never looked up.

One day, Chris was trying to do tricks.

He tried popping a wheelie.

He lifted the handlebars up too far and he fell backwards.

Right in front of Jonny's house.

He involuntarily screamed in pain.

His elbows had been badly scraped.

The cuts burned and as they did so, tears stung his eyes.

The bike laid beside him, unharmed.

Jonny heard the noise and lifted his eyes.

“Are you OK?” he loudly asked.
Chris froze for a few seconds.

Then he sharply looked at Jonny.

“I am fine,” he firmly said. “And anyway, I don't want your help. I hate you.”

Chris stood up despite the pain and stubbornly picked up his bike.

He began to walk it back to his house.

Jonny went back to playing his game.

Chris walked the bike all the way back to the side of the house.

He was angry now.

Of course Jonny would pay attention the one time that he messed up.

Because Jonny was a mean kid.

He didn't have any interest in Chris.

He only wanted to see Chris in pain.

Well, Chris decided that it was all right.

He hated Jonny, so it didn't matter.

Jonny could hate him, too.

And forever they would ignore each other, only looking up to see the pain.

To see the suffering.

Chris looked over his shoulder.

He shot another nasty look at Jonny.

Jonny kept his head down.

Then Chris leaned his bike against the side of the house.

He sat down by the fence where no one could see him.

He buried his face in his hands and cried.

CHAPTER FOUR

Chris got a skateboard when he was twelve.

He road it in the street during the day.

He would go back and forth between his house and Jonny's.

He would stare down as he pushed himself along with his feet.

Then he would look up at the empty porch.

Jonny was never outside anymore.

“I'll bet he's inside playing those stupid video games,” he thought to himself. “And eating potato chips.”

He could picture Jonny staring at the television and blindly reaching for the bag.

It must have been a lot easier for him to ignore Chris this way.

But Chris didn't care.

While Jonny was inside being inactive and stuffing his face, Chris was outside getting some exercise.

This allowed Chris to keep his lean figure, which he used to try to impress the ladies.

He would be fit and handsome and girls would swoon over him all the time.

Jonny would end up being fat and alone and he would wish then that he had come outside.

He would wish that he had joined Chris in playing.

But it would be far too late.

And Chris would just laugh at him.

So every time that he looked up and Jonny was not there, Chris just smiled smugly.

Because he knew that life would work out well for him.

And Jonny would get what he deserved.

The only time Chris saw Jonny that summer was when Jonny came over to ask if Chris's parents were home.

“My mum wants to know if you and your parents would like to join us for dinner,” he said.

Chris stared blankly at Jonny.

He weighed his options.

He could get his parents and let Jonny invite them over.

Then he would have to associate with Jonny.

Or he could tell Jonny that his parents weren't home.

Or that they already had plans.

Then he wouldn't have to deal with this creature he loathed.

Whose mere presence made his stomach churn.

“I'll ask them,” Chris said.

He slowly began to walk backwards, towards the house.

He didn't turn around until he had reached the porch.

Then he ran up the steps and inside.

His parents gladly agreed to join Jonny's family for dinner.

Chris figured they would.

When he came back outside he sneered at Jonny and told him what his parents had said.

Jonny nodded and walked away.

Chris rolled his eyes as he watched Jonny.

It was just like him to leave without saying anything.

For the rest of the day Chris kept thinking about the dinner.

He thought about how he would have to sit by Jonny.

He would have to watch Jonny shoveling more food into this mouth.

He thought about warning Jonny, since he knew exactly what Jonny's fate would be.

But he decided not to.

After all, why would he help Jonny?

Jonny had never done anything for him.

And it was no skin off his back if Jonny did end up fat and alone.

Chris would be happy and have a wonderful family then.

So he had no reason to care.

CHAPTER FIVE

At fourteen, Chris had taken up running.

He went for a jog around the block every single morning.

It was part of his plan to stay fit and attractive.

One day he was walking down the steps and into his yard.

He gently slid his earphones into his ears.

As he looked up, he noticed that someone was in the other yard.

Chris could tell by the way the person looked down that it was Jonny.

Chris slowly walked over in Jonny's direction.

He was only a little bit curious.

He had the tiniest amount of curiosity that anyone could have.

In fact, he thought that he wasn't even really curious at all.

And if he was, it was only because Jonny was standing by the fence, his gaze fixed on something that Chris couldn't see.

It was just different, that was all.

And it was only human to be perplexed by things that were different.

As he drew closer, Chris noticed that it was some sort of vehicle Jonny was staring at.

“What's that?” Chris quietly asked as he stopped by the fence.

He put his arms on the wood and leaned over a little to see.

Jonny looked up at him.

“It's a quad,” he said.

“Oh,” Chris said.

Jonny went back to what he was doing.
Chris stood there for a while and watched him.

“It looks nice,” Chris said.

Jonny looked at him again.

“Yeah...” he cautiously replied.

He stared at Chris for a few seconds.

Then he narrowed his eyes.

“Why do you care, anyway?” he asked. “I thought you hated me.”

Chris's eyes widened just a little.

He opened his mouth exaggeratedly in shock.

Then he lifted his chin high and squared his shoulders.

“I do hate you,” he firmly replied.

At that moment, he decided he'd had enough, and so he walked away from Jonny.

He stormed onto the sidewalk.

Then he started his jog.

Before he ran too far down the street, he looked back.

Jonny was doing more work with his four-wheeler.

Chris kept on running.

Stomping his feet down hard on the sidewalk.

Pretending the concrete was Jonny's face.

CHAPTER SIX

Chris innocently walked down the stairs and into the hallway.

As he walked past the kitchen, his mother caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye.

“Oh my,” his mother began, “Christopher, what are you wearing??”

Chris spun around and stepped back to the doorway.

“What?” he innocently asked. “It's hot out.”

“Well, yes, but...but...” his mother stuttered.

She wordlessly waved her hand, gesturing to his figure.

Then she blinked a few times, as if it would suddenly change the reality of what she was seeing.

“That??” she incredulously asked.

Chris looked down at his clothes.

He was wearing a plain white wifebeater that fit rather snugly against his chest, and a pair of shorts that cut off about halfway down his thighs.

He didn't see anything wrong with it.

“They're just clothes,” he shrugged.

She sighed and gave him a look that said nothing could ever be just clothes.

And that he was lucky his father wasn't around at that moment to see him.

But, as always, she let him have his way.

“All right,” she skeptically replied. “I suppose it's good that you're at least not running around naked.”

“Exactly,” Chris brightly said.

Then he went outside for his daily run.

On the way he passed by Jonny, once again fixed on his quad.

“Still working on that old thing, I see,” Chris casually yelled as he walked by.

Jonny looked up and shot him an expression of confusion.

“Ah, it's so nice to run, and just so much better to not have to fuss with machinery for entertainment,” he yelled to Jonny as he stopped on the sidewalk.

He did a few various stretches that people would normally do before running.

He stretched his long arms up into the air.

He made sure that Jonny was still watching him.

Then he leaned back as far as he could go without falling backwards.

His tank top may have come up just a bit.

Then he bent forward to reach his toes.

And his shirt definitely fell down his back.

When he stood back up he fixed it.

Then he looked ahead and started to walk a little.

Some people may have called it a strut, but not Chris.

He was merely walking down the sidewalk.

“That's not running,” Jonny yelled after him.

Chris quickly turned his head back.

He flashed a big, sarcastic smile at Jonny.

Then he stuck up his middle finger and started to run away.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The sky was dark, the sun almost completely blocked by heavy rainclouds.

Chris looked up as he stepped into the yard.

He heard someone to his left moving.

He glanced over.

Jonny was walking along the fence that separated their properties.

He seemed to be walking towards a shed.

Chris smiled and decided that this was a perfect opportunity for him.

“You know,” he pompously began as he made his way to fence, “if you were to run instead of ride your precious quad, you wouldn't have to worry about rain.”

Jonny stopped walking and looked up at Chris.

He quickly shrugged.

“Running's not really my thing,” he said.

Chris involuntarily laughed.

Jonny looked at him questioningly.

“It's running,” Chris explained. “It's not really anyone's thing.”

“For some people it is,” Jonny told him. “It seems to be your thing.”

“Well, it's not the only thing I do,” Chris defensively said.

“I didn't say it was,” Jonny quietly replied. “Just that you seem to like it a lot.”

“It's what I do to keep in shape,” Chris informed Jonny. “Which is more than you can say, I think.”

“I'm in shape,” Jonny in a soft voice.

He looked down at his four-wheeler.

Chris took the chance to stare at Jonny for a bit.

Jonny was pretty fit.

Not as fit and lean as Chris of course, but a fair amount.

“I suppose...” Chris mumbled.

“I'm just not a runner,” Jonny added, his eyes still pointed down.

“Oh, come on,” Chris said, completely unconvinced. “You're a human. All humans are runners.”

“I don't think so,” Jonny told him.

“No, I'll prove it to you,” Chris said.

He folded his arms across his chest in an arrogant way.

“You're coming with me,” he said.

Jonny looked up at him.

He thought about it for a few moments.

“Fine,” he finally said. “I just have to put this away.”

He started to walk once again towards the shed.

Chris watched him go, his arms dropping to his sides.

He was surprised.
He hadn't expected Jonny to agree.

He just had figured that Jonny would decline in that quiet way of his and that would be that.

But Jonny was going running with him.

Chris couldn't help smiling at his triumph.

“Look, Jonny, you're doing fine,” Chris said as they ran past a house at the end of their street.

“Yep, Chris, you were definitely right,” Jonny said, “everyone in the world is a runner.”

Chris didn't miss the sarcasm.

He turned his head and narrowed his eyes at Jonny.

He decided to take the high road.

“I know,” he smugly replied.

But he couldn't just leave it at that.

Chris didn't see Jonny roll his eyes at his remark.

He was too busy staring down at their feet and making sure that his foot was over to the left far enough.

Jonny's foot hooked around Chris's.

He started to fall forwards.

But Chris had not anticipated that the trick would mess up his own balance.

And he too fell.

The two boys luckily landed on the grass in the nearest yard.

Chris had thrown his hands down to break his fall.

They ended up on either side of Jonny.

Jonny had landed on his back.

And he was now staring up at Chris.

Chris quickly crawled backwards, and for a few seconds he was frozen.

Then he bounced up on his feet and held his hand out to help Jonny up.

Jonny looked skeptical, but he took Chris's hand anyway.

“Sorry,” Chris sheepishly said. “Are you OK?”

Jonny just looked at him for a while.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” he said.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Over the next two summers, Chris and Jonny became good friends.

Chris forgot all about his childish hatred.

Maybe it was because Jonny actually paid attention to him now.

They spent most of their days together.

They would run in the mornings.

Then Jonny would take Chris out on the quad.

There was a path in the nearby woods that they followed.

Most of the time they would stop somewhere in the woods and eat lunch.

Then they would drive back to their houses.

Sometimes they just laid in the grass for the rest of the afternoon and watched the clouds drift by.

Their bedroom windows conveniently faced each other.

And so at night they would make signs on scrap papers and hold them up for the other to see.

Chris became very attached to their summers together.

Even more attached than he had been before.

Before, it was always that he couldn't wait to show off his new toys and make Jonny jealous.

Now, as he sat in school and stared at the clock, he just wished that he could be back there.

Back where it wasn't dreadfully boring.

Back where everything felt right.

Back where Jonny was.

And sometimes, on his way to school, or in the middle of class... or while he was trying to sleep at night, he would think of Jonny.

He wondered where Jonny was and what he was doing.

He wondered if Jonny missed him, too.

CHAPTER NINE

Jonny knocked a few times on the door.

Then he stood and patiently waited.

“Oh, hello Jonny,” Chris's mother said when she answered the door. “Chris will be out in a few minutes.”
“Actually,” Jonny said, “my parents wanted to know if you all would like to go camping with us tonight.”

Chris's mother made a disgusted sort of face.

She didn't even try to hide it.

“Camping?” she said with great distaste.

Suddenly, her husband walked up behind her.

“Did someone say camping?” he asked.

She turned around.

“Yes, dear, Jonny's parents have invited us to go with them tonight,” she said.

“Well, you can tell them we'd love to,” he said to Jonny.

His wife looked horrified.

“Dear, don't you think that's a little...” she said, desperately trying but failing to come up with a suitable adjective.

She waved her hand about to fill in the missing word.

“I think it's a wonderful idea,” he said. “My family would go camping all the time when I was a lad. It was great fun. I'm sure Chris'll enjoy it.”

“What will I enjoy?” Chris asked as he too walked up to the rest.

“Camping,” his father told him. “With Jonny and his parents.”

Chris looked from his father to Jonny.

“Cool,” he said, smiling.

But despite Chris's willingness, his mother would not agree so easily. “Honestly, camping?? Like, sleeping outside??”

“Well, we have a tent,” Jonny told her. “It's a pretty big tent. Pretty good shelter.”

She quickly spun around to look at Jonny.

Jonny looked even more awkward than he sounded as he stared at her.

Chris couldn't help smiling to himself at the interaction.

His mother sighed deeply.

“Since these two seem to be set on it,” she said, gesturing to her husband and son, “then I suppose we will join you.”

“Great,” Jonny beamed.

Then suddenly Chris was beside him.

Chris had actually scrambled his way in between his parents to get outside.

But he had done it very quickly and hardly anyone noticed.

“I'd imagine we'll be leaving around four or so,” Jonny said, continuing to address Chris's parents. “At least, I think I heard my dad say four...”

“Well, we can go ask them now,” Chris brightly suggested.

“Good idea,” Jonny said.

Both boys turned around and bustled down the steps.

“I think this is going to be awesome,” Chris said as they walked across his yard. “I've never been camping before.”

“I like it,” Jonny quietly replied. “I mean, we've only ever gone two or three times before."

“And this time will be extra special, right?” Chris asked. “Because I'll be there with you.”

Jonny looked at Chris and nodded his head.

“Yeah, it'll be special,” he said.

CHAPTER TEN

The moon was high in the sky.

But the campfire was still going strong.

The adults were all sitting side by side, chatting.

They were talking about boring rich people things.

Chris and Jonny had sat opposite them.

But time had passed quickly and it was soon very late.

The boys had grown tired.

Chris had closed his eyes, and then Jonny had closed his eyes.

Now they were both asleep in their chairs.

Chris's head was on Jonny's shoulder.

Jonny rested his head on top of Chris's.

They had been sitting like that for a while.

But they both looked very comfortable and peaceful, so no one bothered them.

“Oh yeah, we got our yacht from this guy who...” Chris's father was saying to Jonny's father.

Jonny's father was listening intently and nodding his head every so often.

Jonny's mother looked over at the boys.

Then she turned slightly to face Chris's mother.
“Look at them,” she said. “How cute.”

Chris's mother glanced over.

“Chris still sleeps the same way he did when he was a baby,” she nostalgically said. “They really do grow up so fast, huh?”

“They do,” Jonny's mother absentmindedly agreed.

She turned to Chris's mother.

“May I ask you something?” she asked.

“Sure,” Chris's mother replied.

Jonny's mother looked back at the boys once more.

“Do you think there's something going on between them?” she asked.

Chris's mother looked just as horrified as she had when Jonny had invited them camping.

“Excuse me?” she said, laughing incredulously. “Chris is not like that.”

“Oh, I didn't mean to offend you,” Jonny's mother said. “I just... sensed that there was something there. I could be wrong.”

“Yes, you certainly are,” Chris's mother snapped.

She huffed a bit as she stared at her sleeping son.

“I think maybe it's time we woke them up and sent them to sleep in the tent,” she grumbled.

“Yes, I think so,” Jonny's mother quietly agreed.

The two women left their chatting husbands and walked around the fire.

Chris's mother gently pushed Chris's arm.

Jonny's mother bent over and said in a loud whisper, “Jonny.”

It took a few minutes to wake the boys this way.

But they both woke and sat up at the same time.

“Oh man, I'm beat,” Jonny groggily said.

“What time is it?” Chris asked.

“It's way past midnight,” Jonny's mother replied. “Maybe even after one.”

Jonny instantly turned to Chris.

“Want to go sleep in the tent?” he asked.

Chris, struggling to keep his eyes open, nodded his head.

They both stood, and Jonny led the way to the tent.

“Well, that was easy,” Chris's mother said.

She began to walk back to her husband.
Jonny's mother stayed for a while and watched the boys walk away.

She knew that she had been right.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Chris was tired, but he couldn't fall asleep.

He felt very, very confused.

For the better part of ten years, he had hated Jonny.

Or so he thought.

He had also thought that it wasn't totally weird for him to think about Jonny after the summers had ended.

But now they were together and he was still thinking about Jonny.

Thinking about how close their bodies were.

Their sleeping bags were less than half of a foot apart.

Jonny was turned on his side facing Chris.

His eyes were closed tightly and his chest rose and fell steadily.

And Chris laid there, staring.

He stared at Jonny's hands, laying underneath his cheek.

Chris felt a longing he had never felt before.

A desire to reach out and grab Jonny's hands and just hold them in his own.

He wondered what it would be like if he could feel Jonny's breath on his neck.

If he could feel Jonny's bare skin under his fingertips.

If their lips brushed, even for a moment.

He suddenly found it very difficult to breathe.

He wasn't sure what to do with himself.

So he just kept staring and imagining.

“Chris,” Jonny mumbled.

Chris's eyes flew open and he jumped a little.

Jonny didn't even look like he was awake.

“Maybe he's just dreaming,” he thought. “And saying my name...”

But Jonny wasn't dreaming.

“You can't sleep either, can you?” he quietly asked.

On closer inspection, Chris realized that Jonny's eyes were indeed opened, if only a little bit.

“No,” Chris said, as inconspicuously as possible.

He could see Jonny's eyes shine through the darkness.

He looked very uncertain.

“Do you keep thinking about it?” Jonny whispered.

“About what?” Chris asked.

Jonny sat up, and Chris followed.

Jonny chewed his lip for a bit, then turned to Chris.

He opened his mouth to say something.
But no words came out.

Chris watched Jonny for a long time.

Before either of them knew it, they were only a few inches a part.
And Chris found himself slowly leaning forward.

Until their mouths met.

It was like they had both swallowed bombs set to go off in their stomachs at the same time.

Chris brought his hand up to Jonny's face.

He cupped Jonny's jaw in his hand.

Jonny let his own hand rest on Chris's leg.

“About that,” Jonny breathed.

Chris stared into Jonny's eyes.

He wasn't sure whether or not Jonny expected him to say anything.

And he didn't care.

He just leaned forward and kissed Jonny again.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Do you think our parents will be in any time soon?” Jonny quickly asked as he finally managed to momentarily pull his lips away from Chris's.

It had been a nearly impossible task.

“I suppose,” Chris said in between kisses.

“Yeah, it's probably... really late now,” Jonny said.

“Mm-hmm,” Chris replied.

Neither of them intended on stopping.

And it was too hard to focus on much.

So they just focused on each other and blocked out everything else.

For a while it worked really well.

Until there was a sudden and bone-shattering scream from the opening of the tent.

Chris and Jonny did not scramble away from each other like some others might have.

But they both just sat, frozen, with only an inch of space between them.

“Christopher Anthony John Martin!” Chris's mother's shrill voice yelled. “I can not believe that you... you...”

For some reason he couldn't explain, Chris quickly became very angry.

Angrier than he had ever been before.

“That I what?” he snapped, turning to look at her, but still keeping his hands on Jonny.

“That you would do something like this,” his mother replied.

“Hate to say I told you so,” Jonny's mother quietly interjected.

Her comment was immediately ignored.

“Christopher, you get over here right now,” Chris's mother demanded. “We're leaving.”

“No,” Chris firmly said.

“Excuse me?” his mother replied.

Chris slowly stood up and walked over to his mother.

“No,” he repeated with the same amount of vigor.

“Well, last I checked, I was your mother, and what I tell you to do is what you must do,” she said with a strong emphasis.

“Well, last I checked, you always let me have what I want,” Chris said.

He folded his arms defiantly across his chest.

“And I want Jonny,” he added.

“How could you even say something like that?” his mother asked through clenched teeth.

“Mum, you see, it's all very scientific and there's something involving wires from the brain and vibrating vocal chords and all that,” he replied. “I'm not an expert, I can't exactly explain it.”

It was easy to tell just by the air around them that Chris's mother was way past fuming.

“We are going home,” she angrily repeated. “Now.”

Chris dropped his arms to his side.

His temper was as far gone as his mother's.

“Since when the hell do you care about what I do?” he yelled.

“What on earth are you talking about?” she asked.

“All my life, it's always been, 'Oh, Chris, go run along and play,' while you and dad attend to more important matters,” he loudly explained. “Now that I've finally found someone to play with, you've suddenly decided to butt in and take that away from me.”

“Play with?” Chris's mother replied in a deep, horrified tone.

Chris just took a deep breath.

And shook his head.

“Fuck you,” he said.

And he did just what his mother asked him to.

He left.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The two fathers were still engaged in conversation when Chris stormed up.

They kept talking even as Chris sat down by the fire.

Though Chris's father looked over at him.

“Chris,” he called. “What's up?”

Chris looked up at his father.
But he didn't say anything.

He just turned back to watch the fire.

A minute later Jonny appeared.

He carefully sat beside Chris.

And Chris instantly leaned into him.

Jonny wrapped his arms around Chris's back.

Chris's father looked very confused.

Before he could ask again, his wife walked into the scene.

She stopped in front of her husband and threw her hands on her hips.

“We need to talk,” she sternly said to him.

“All right,” he agreed, despite his lack of knowledge on the situation.

The two went off to speak in private.

A lot seemed to have changed in the past minute or so.

Jonny's father was the only one who had remained still.

He was also confused, but he figured he would know what was going on soon enough.

His wife calmly sat down beside him.

“They're cute together, don't you think?” she asked, nodding to Jonny and Chris.

He looked back and forth between the two boys and his wife.

“Them?” he asked.

She nodded her head.

He looked over at the boys again.

“Yeah, I guess,” he said, shrugging.

His wife smiled at him and said, “Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked.

“For not freaking out,” she replied.

“Well, it's Jonny's life,” he said. “As long as he's happy.”

She smiled even wider and kissed her husband on the cheek.

Meanwhile, Chris's parents were arguing in the distance.

Chris's mother was insisting that they leave.

Chris's father just wanted to know what has happening.

But she refused to tell him.

“Why don't you just ask Christopher?” she said. “I'm sure he'd be glad to tell you.”

“Fine,” he said.
Without another word, he turned around and went back to the campfire.

He returned not long after, Chris trailing behind him.

“Good,” Chris's mother said, “now that you've got him, let's go.”

“I'm not going anywhere,” Chris firmly said.

“Oh, will you stop being so childish?” she snapped.

“I am not being childish,” he said, though his tone actually suggested otherwise. “Will you actually listen to me for once? Listen to what I have to say?”

She looked to her husband.

He was staring blankly at her, though something behind his eyes seemed to tell her she should hear her son out.

Then she turned to her son.

“What is it you have to say?” she snarled.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Chris took a deep breath.

He had actually dreamed of this moment for quite a while.

He knew what he wanted to say.

He just had to make sure that he delivered it perfectly.

“A-All of my life, I've been alone,” he shakily began.

Now that the moment was here, he felt awkward saying the words.

They just sounded stupid to him now.

But he said them anyway.

“Even when you guys were around, you weren't,” he continued. “You never talked to me, you never... you never even looked at me most of the time.”

On cue, both of his parents turned their previously wandering eyes towards him.

Chris took another deep breath.

“I didn't know any other kids before I started school, and then...”

Chris slightly shook his head.

“I've never had any friends,” he said in a quiet voice.
“Oh, please, you have had plenty of friends,” his mother scoffed.

“No, I haven't,” Chris insisted. “The only friend I've ever had is Jonny.”

His mother made a face.

“And Jonny is very important to me. I can't help the way I feel about him,” he said.

“The way you feel?” Chris's father asked. “You know, you people have yet to explain to me what is happening.”

Chris looked at his father for a moment.

Then he ducked his head.

“Jonny and I were kissing when mum walked into the tent,” Chris mumbled.

“Oh. I see,” his father replied after some time.

He didn't say anything else.

But he also didn't seem to be as livid as Chris's mother, which Chris figured was a good thing.

“Excuse me?” a quiet voice said, interrupting the silence that had fallen on the three.

Chris turned to see Jonny standing behind him.

“I just wanted to, um...” he nervously began.

Then he took a few steps forward and stood next to Chris.

“To ask you not to be so harsh to Chris,” he finished. “Because, you know, he's changed- he's still changing, and that can't be easy.”

“It's a little late in your teenage years to be blaming change, don't you think?” Chris's mother said.

Jonny quickly, but politely, shook his head.

“From the time that I've known Chris, he's gone from... this spoiled, arrogant brat who only wanted to talk to me because I wouldn't talk to him... Is that right?” he asked Chris.

Chris laughed a little and said, “Yeah.”

Jonny smiled halfheartedly.

“To a really sweet boy,” he continued, “who only wants to talk to me because I will talk to him. And I'll listen.”

Chris looked at Jonny, and as he did so, his bottom lip began to tremble.

He tried to stop it, but he couldn't.

He slowly looked back to his parents.

His eyes were shining.

“Please, don't take him away from me,” he said, his voice cracking.

As he turned to Jonny, Chris leaped forward and wrapped his arms around the other boy.

And Jonny did the same.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

For a few minutes, the boys stayed standing with their arms around each other.

“Chris, Jonny,” Chris's father began.

Chris turned his head a little.

“Why don't you two go back to the tent,” he said. “Get some rest.”

Reluctantly, they both pulled away.

And walked towards the tent, hand in hand.

Jonny said something to Chris and Chris laughed loudly.

Once they were far enough into the distance, Chris's father looked to his wife.

“Chris has a point, you know,” he quietly said.

“He does?” she asked.

“We've neglected him,” he said. “Has there ever been a time where we actually paid him any attention?”

“We always pay him attention, all he's ever received is attention,” she argued. “In fact, maybe too much attention. Now he thinks that he's all-powerful or something. And anyway, we've always given him what he wants.”

Chris's father shook his head.

“How do you know that?” he asked. “We never asked him what he wanted.”

“We didn't have to!!” she exclaimed. “He always made it quite clear whenever he wanted some new toy or whatever.”

After sighing deeply, he ran a hand over his face.

“There is so much more to life- to happiness, than just material goods... or trophy wives,” he quietly said.

She shot him a bewildered look.

“And I really should have realized this a long time ago. Maybe then I wouldn't feel so guilty now.”

His wife still stared at him, eyes wide and eyebrows drawn together.

“What are you saying??” she asked in a high-pitched voice.

“I'm saying,” he calmly began, “that I want a divorce.”

Her mouth fell open and she shrieked.

But he was unfazed.

“And we should leave Chris alone- well, no, that was the problem to begin with, wasn't it?” he said, shaking his head. “What I mean is we should let him be happy, and if Jonny makes him happy, then so be it.”

“Divorce?” she shakily repeated. “W-Why?”

“Because I don't think that we want the same things anymore,” he told her.

“Oh, God, are you gay, too?” she sneered. “I swear, if you are-”

“No, no,” he said. “When I was a kid, growing up, I always wanted this kind of lifestyle. Money fascinated me. But now that I have it... it's just not the same. It's nice, yeah, but it's not what I really want.”

She looked at him with slight disbelief.

“You, on the other hand, eat, sleep, and breathe money,” he continued. “I wouldn't be surprised if your DNA was just a line of dollar signs strung together.”

She tried to ignore her husband's insults.

She folded her arms across her chest.

“I don't see how that means we should divorce,” she grumbled.

“Please, you'll end up getting half,” he said. “That should more than satisfy even you.”

“But I love you!” she protested. “And I know you love me!”

“Maybe I did,” he said, with a slight shrug of his shoulder, “but not now.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“I hope you're happy,” Chris's mother said to her son as they and Chris's father clamored into the car. “You just always have to get your way, don't you? No matter what the consequences.”

Chris raised an eyebrow.

“What are you talking about?” he asked as he buckled his seatbelt.

“We'll talk when we get back to the house,” his father told him.

Chris shrugged and looked out the window.

He could see Jonny and his family getting into their own car.

He smiled and waved at Jonny.

Jonny waved back.

Chris heard his mother make a disgusted noise.

But he just ignored it.

He had decided that he wasn't going to care what his mother thought from then on.

It was only right, since she obviously didn't care what he thought.

Twenty minutes later, the car pulled up to the luxurious home.

Chris's father had told them that they should go inside and chat before they worried about bringing things in from the car.

Chris was fine with that.

Chris's mother huffed and grumbled all the way inside.

Then, once inside, they sat at the dining table.

Chris sat on one side.

His parents sat on the other.

“Chris, your mother and I are splitting up,” his father quickly and bluntly said.

Chris looked a little surprised.

He raised his eyebrows.

“Really?” he asked.

He was a bit unsure of how to feel.

He figured that it had probably been coming for a while.

His parents never really were the type of couple that seemed fit for each other.

But he had also never expected them to not be together.

Judging by his father's rough childhood growing up to poor farmer parents, Chris had just assumed that his father would put up with any sort of problems in his life.

That did seem unfair, now that he thought about it.
Chris wanted to be happy, and he wanted his parents to appreciate that.

He should appreciate whatever it was that made his parents happy.

Of course, his mother looked far from happy.

But Chris was still quite angry with her, so it didn't matter to him.

And he got the feeling that she blamed it on him.

He was mostly convinced when she bitterly said, “Your recent rebellion seems to have enlightened your father.”

Then after the talk seemed to have ended, she stormed out of the room, claiming that she was going to the spa because she needed to relax.

“Yeah, she does,” Chris's father quietly retorted.

Chris laughed a little.

His father looked up at him.

“I'm glad you found someone to make you happy, Chris,” he said. “Don't listen to what your mother says.”

“That was already my plan,” Chris replied.

Then he looked down at the table and traced an imaginary pattern with his finger.

“You're really OK with it?” he softly asked.

“Hey, who am I to judge?” his father replied.
Chris looked up questioningly.

“What... do you mean, like, you've...?” Chris vaguely asked.

His father shrugged.

“You know, we're all young at some point,” he said. “We all have drunken nights every now and then... or several nights in a row.”

He brought his hand to his mouth and coughed.

“Don't tell your mother,” he added. “I'd rather be divorced than a widower.”

Chris laughed again, and that's when it hit him.

He had just connected with his father for the first time.

It was a nice feeling.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

A year later, it was only Chris and his father returning to their summer home.

The divorce had been finalized, and Chris's mother had run off to find a new rich husband.

At least, that's what Chris figured she was doing.

She hadn't even tried to fight for custody.

But Chris was completely OK with that.

During the school year he tried to phone Jonny almost every day.

They would talk for at least an hour.

Or Chris would talk, and Jonny would listen.

Occasionally he would say something.

But mostly he was happy to sit there and let Chris talk like a loon.

Sometimes Chris would talk about his day at school.

Sometimes he would plan what he and Jonny were going to do the following summer.

It seemed to make the time pass quicker this way.

Even if their plans were ridiculously far-fetched.

Like they would rent a unicorn and ride around in the woods.

Or they would get a bunch of rope and climb up to each other's rooms every night.

There were some feasible ideas as well.

Chris suggested they go out one night, like a real date.

Jonny liked that idea.

So they picked a day at random.

Chris suggested August 3^rd.

It was actually their one year anniversary.

He wasn't sure if Jonny remembered that, though, so he claimed it was merely a random pick.

Jonny knew.

And he smiled at the thought of Chris trying to be secretly romantic.

The day they finally got to see each other again in person was almost torturous.

Chris had never longed for anything as badly before.

Especially the last week before he and his father left for the summer.

So as soon as he saw Jonny, he ran into the other boy's arms.

And they just stood for a while, embracing each other.

Neither of them said a word.

And neither of them needed to.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“Jonny, I think this is a good spot to sit,” Chris said, grabbing the blanket from the basket on his arm.

He set the basket down on the ground and laid out the blanket.

Then he put his hands on his hips and admired his work.

“Yeah,” he said, “perfect.”

Then suddenly he felt strong arms wrap around his waist from behind.

And Jonny kissed him on the cheek.

He rested his chin on Chris's shoulder.

For a few moments they were silent.

“Can we eat now?” Jonny asked. “I'm starving.”

Chris smiled at him.

“Of course we can,” he said. “But you have to let go of me first.”

“Are you sure about that?” Jonny deviously asked.

Chris shot him a look, basically daring Jonny to even try.

And the next thing he knew, he was in the air.

Jonny carried him over a few feet.
Then he quickly sat down and pulled Chris with him.

Chris landed on Jonny's legs, and Jonny winced in pain.

But his plan had otherwise worked.

His arms were still around Chris.

“OK,” he said, “now make me a sandwich.”

“Hmm...” Chris said, lifting a hand to his chin.

He looked ponderously into the distance for a while.

“I don't think so,” he finally said.

Jonny put on a sad face with big eyes.

Even though it was more of Chris's thing.

“Please?” he quietly said.

Chris stared at him for a few seconds.
Then he laughed a little.

“You're so cute,” Chris said, “I love you.”

As he realized what he said, his smile began to fade.

Jonny was looking at him with an unidentifiable expression.

“You love me?” Jonny quietly asked him.

“Apparently,” Chris replied in a low voice.

His heart felt like it was beating a million times a second.

“Good, because I love you, too,” Jonny whispered.

Chris sighed with relief.

And he leaned forward a little to kiss Jonny.

“But if you really did love me,” Jonny said, “you would make me a sandwich.”

Chris slowly shook his head.

“I've got a much better idea,” he said.

And his hand slipped under his own leg and in between Jonny's.

Jonny gasped a little.

“Well, that is a good idea,” he shakily replied. “Although I can't say I know much about... you know. The both of us being boys and all.”

“Well, Jonny, we are in the middle of a deserted meadow-ish thing,” Chris began, “and our parents are out golfing for the day. We have plenty of time to figure it out, I think.”

They boys silently stared at each other.

It seemed as though Chris was expecting some sort of answer from Jonny.

He felt the hem of his shirt move just a bit.

And Jonny's hand crawled over his bare stomach.

Chris took it as a wonderful answer.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Jonny took a deep breath.

He tried to move his gaze, but he couldn't.

“Chris, maybe you should put some clothes on now,” he suggested.

Chris was stretched out on the blanket.

All of his clothes were still on the ground beside him.

“You know, I could,” he said. “But I don't really feel like it. Plus, I don't want to get an ugly tan line, sheesh.”

“We're in the shade, it's not like you're getting any sun at all,” Jonny said.

“Oh, Jonny, you're so modest,” Chris said.

He laughed shortly, then sat up.

A sudden darkness had fallen upon him.

“You don't... you don't regret it, do you?” he fearfully asked.

“That? Definitely not,” Jonny said with a laugh. “I'm sorry. If you really want, keep your clothes off.”

“No, now that you mention it, I am feeling a little uncomfortable,” Chris said.

He quickly looked at their surroundings.

“I mean,” he continued, “I wouldn't want some creepy old guy walking and seeing me.”

“Creepy old guy?” Jonny repeated.

“Yeah, yeah,” Chris said.

He turned back to Jonny.

“Or, you know, a creepy old woman,” he shrugged.

Then he reached behind him and grabbed his boxers.

“And anyone who is not creepy or old?” Jonny asked.

Chris looked to him, but he said nothing.

He slid his boxers on, letting the waistband snap against his hips.

He crawled over to where Jonny was sitting.

“They wouldn't look,” he explained, “because they would know that if they did, you wouldn't be afraid to kick their asses, right?”

Jonny looked at Chris.

He twisted his mouth and drew his eyebrows close together.

“I don't know that I would be able to if it was a girl,” he said. “Actually, you really think I could kick anyone's ass?”

“Jonny,” Chris slowly began.

He reached his hand out and placed it gently on Jonny's chest.

“After what I've seen you do today, I'm pretty convinced you can do anything,” he said.

Jonny lifted his own hand and placed it over Chris's.

“I think,” he said in a hushed voice, “that you may need to bring your view of me down a notch. It's not like you did anything less.”

“Right,” Chris said, and suddenly he was much closer to Jonny. “But I can do anything.”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot,” Jonny softly laughed.

They both leaned in and met somewhere in the middle.

Chris slid his hand around from Jonny's chest to the small bit under Jonny's shoulder blade.

He used his other arm for support.

Jonny took both of his hands off the ground and let them rest on Chris's jawline.

Then something popped up in Chris's mind.
Something that he had often worried about, especially in the most recent weeks.

Eventually this summer would end, and there would only be one more left.

They would soon be adults, and there was no telling what would happen to them then.

Chris tried not to think about it.
He tried to just concentrate on Jonny.
It took a surprisingly short amount of time for Chris to stop thinking about the end of summer.

Because right then, in that exact moment, it felt like summer would never end.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Chris quickly turned the key in the ignition.

His eyes lit up.

It was the first time he had ever driven without his father.

Jonny was in the passenger seat.

He watched as Chris excitedly started the car, like a little kid on Christmas morning.

He had no clue where Chris was taking him.

He had asked several times, but had yet to receive a start answer.

Chris would tell him, “We're going somewhere special, Jon.”

Or, “You'll see!”

Then he would space out for a second, and laugh.

As if he were trying to torture Jonny with his knowledge.

But his acts were in vain.

Jonny didn't really care where they were going, only that he would be going somewhere with Chris.

They could have been going into the middle of a battle scene for all he cared.

He had felt this way for a while, but ever since that day in the meadow he decided that he would let Chris take him absolutely anywhere.

Chris wasn't taking him to just any old place, as his hints had suggested.

It wasn't exactly special, though, but it was definitely something Chris had put a lot of thought into.

They were driving for at least thirty minutes before Chris began to realize where it was he was going.

He had never really been to much of the town, despite the many years he had visited.

But he found his way eventually.

The car stopped outside of a nice-looking building.

Chris got out of the car, and he told Jonny not to move.

He ran to the other side and opened Jonny's door.

“OK, now you can move,” he said.

Jonny smiled at him as he stood up.

Chris held his arm out, and Jonny linked it with his own.

As they walked up to the building, Chris made sure to lock the car.

Everything had to be perfect, and so there was no way he was going to give anyone an easier way to steal his car and leave them stranded.

Inside was the most upscale restaurant Jonny had ever seen.

He could tell just from the mat in front of the door that whatever Chris had planned for them was going to cost a fortune.

Had they both not come from rich families, that may have been a problem.

It may have weighed on Jonny's conscience a little.

As it was, though, money was never an obstacle for either of them.

And so it was not at all unusual when Jonny caught Chris slipping the waiter a large bill so they could get a good table in a relatively short amount of time.

It actually made him feel a bit proud that Chris was trying to do all he could to impress Jonny.

Even though he didn't need to.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Chris stared down at his nearly empty plate.

He was frowning a little, though he was completely unaware of it.

Jonny, on the other hand, had noticed it.

“Chris, what's up?” he asked.

Chris lifted his eyes.

His heart lurched to see the concern in Jonny's eyes.

“There was something I wanted to talk to you about tonight,” Chris said.

He looked back down at his plate.

“We'll be going back soon,” he continued. “In a few weeks, my father and I will be leaving, you and your parents will be leaving. Then we'll be separated again.”

“Just for the school year,” Jonny said, in what sounded like a reassuring tone. “We managed it last year. And then summer will come, and we'll be together again.”

“And then what?” Chris asked.

It was obvious from the following silence that he had caught Jonny off-guard with the question.

He looked up.

“What comes after next summer, Jonny?” he asked. “We'll be our own people. Doing our own things.”

Jonny set his eyes on Chris for a while.

Chris could tell that Jonny was trying to come up with something encouraging.

He didn't look like he was too successful.

“So we will,” he said in a low voice.

“Are you going to university?” Chris asked him.
“I don't know. Probably,” Jonny meagerly shrugged. “Maybe we could go to the same university?”

“Maybe...” Chris sighed.

He tried, he really tried, to hold onto that one hopeful idea.

But he just couldn't do it.

“Oh, Jonny, what if we don't get into the same university?” he whined.

He didn't mean to sound so unpleasant, but he couldn't help it.

An idea seemed to come to Jonny.

Much quicker than his failed words of reassurance.

“What if we don't go at all, then? What if, say, you and I take a year or two off,” he suggested.

A dreamy sort of air drifted over Chris's eyes.

“We could travel,” Chris quietly added. “We could go anywhere we want- everywhere we want.”

“Yes, yes,” Jonny happily agreed, nodding. “And, well, then we'll always be...”

Even through his dreaminess, Chris spoke as well, and at the same time they both said, “Together.”

“We won't have to worry about when the summer ends,” Jonny added.

“Jonny, this is going to be so wonderful,” Chris said.

He reached across the table and grabbed Jonny's hands.

Jonny smiled back at him, but not wholeheartedly.

“You think our parents will go for it?” he asked with uncertainty.

Chris thought about it for a few moments.

“My dad said... whatever makes me happy... so he should be OK with it...” Chris said. “Right?”

“I hope so,” Jonny said.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“You want to do what?” Jonny's father asked.

He and the boys, along with Jonny's mother and Chris's father, were standing on the sidewalk in between the two houses.

The boys had rushed to speak with their parents while they were all still in one place.

Chris had just finished explaining his and Jonny's plan.

“Take a year off,” Jonny nervously said. “But wouldn't that be good? Chris and I could travel and see a few places and get some experience.”

Jonny's father turned to his wife.
“What do you think about all of this?” he asked her.

“Well, I think it sounds very romantic,” she said with a tiny smile. “I'm sure the boys would do fine on their own.”

He turned back to the boys.

“And what do you plan on doing after that year is over?” he asked. “Do you intend on furthering your education? It really would be best for you to get some sort of degree, you know.”

“I'll go to uni, sure,” Jonny said. “I just think it would be nice to... you know, postpone it.”

Jonny's father continued to stare at his son and Chris.

He sighed several times.

With nothing better to do in the silence, Jonny lifted his arm and placed it around Chris's shoulder.

Chris smiled at him.

Suddenly there was a slight coughing noise from behind Jonny's mother as Chris's father cleared his throat.

“If I might speak for a moment,” he politely began, “I would just like to tell you boys that I'm completely on board with this.”

Chris smiled even wider.

He knew his father would come through for him.

“Thank you, dad,” he said.

His father nodded his response.

Jonny's father looked over his shoulder for a moment.

His wife gently placed her hand on his arm.

She gave him a sort of loving look.

“All right,” he said, his gaze still on his wife. “I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give you two a year.”

Slowly he turned back to Chris and Jonny.

But it was basically pointless to do so.

By that point they were already almost making out.

“Oh, get a room,” Jonny's father said.

Chris pulled away, laughing softly.

Jonny's father widened his eyes a little.

“On second thought, don't get a room,” he said. “You're a bit young for that...”

Both boys looked to Jonny's father.

Then they turned back to each other and shared a knowing glance.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“Do you have all your things?” Jonny asked Chris.

Chris looked again at the content of the trunk of the car.

His eyes scanned over ever single bag, both his and Jonny's.

“Yeah, it's all here,” he said. “You have your stuff, then?”

“Mm-hmm,” Jonny said.

Chris slammed the trunk down and turned to Jonny.

He smiled brightly.

“Can you believe we've already been together for two years?” he asked.

“It's crazy, yeah,” Jonny agreed.

“Can you believe we're going to be by ourselves for another year?” Chris asked.

“We're gonna have some amazing times,” Jonny quietly said.

He stepped closer to Chris, until there was hardly any space between them.
“And we can start tonight,” he whispered.

“That sounds wonderful,” Chris mischievously replied.

He reached out to pull Jonny's waist up against his.

His fingers hooked onto the waistband of Jonny's jeans.

“Now that I think about it,” Chris softly said, “tonight seems so far away. I'm not sure I can make it that long.”

Jonny opened his mouth to reply.

Chris was going to shut him up with a kiss.

But they were both prevented from doing so.

“Boys!” Jonny's father called out.

He was rushing from the house towards the car.

Chris sighed as he pulled his hand back.

Jonny quickly spun around.

“Yes, dad?” he asked.

“I just wanted to wish you both a safe trip,” he said. “And if you encounter any problems, don't be afraid to call. Your mother and I are glad to help, no matter what.”

“Thanks, dad,” Jonny said, smiling.

The three of them stood silently for a while.

“Well, I suppose I should let you to get going, then,” Jonny's father said. “See you... sometime in the future.”

“Tell mum I said bye,” Jonny said, nodding a little.

Jonny's father smiled kindly, then without another word returned to the house.

Once he was out of sight, Jonny turned to Chris again and kissed him with a great deal of passion.

“It's just you and me now, Chris,” he beamed.

They shared another quick kiss before entering the car.

Jonny was driving for the first day.

That night they would stay in a hotel.

Then the next day they would officially begin their trip.

Chris watched Jonny drive for a while.

The very idea that he and Jonny were now traveling on their own was a strange concept.

Yet he felt an immense sort of excitement.

He and Jonny were no longer boys.

And it was no longer summer.
But their lives were only just beginning.