"Why can't you just be normal" Stephanie stated as she opened the door on Blake and the young man as they were kissing on his bed. "You come home from leave one night, one night, and you're fucking some random guest from my party."
"One, we are just kissing, and two, Jeff and I have known one another for years." Blake wasn't going to make it easy on his stepmother. He's never liked her and is not even sure his father wants Stephanie.
"God damn it, Blake." She stormed out of the room.
Jeff just laughed, "I'm going to get out of here before she comes back." He rubbed Blakes' crotch as he got off the bed. "Years, huh." Jeff chuckled. "I wish. I would've loved to have been sucking this for years." He went to walk out but not before Blake pinned him against the wall for another kiss.
"Can I see you later?" Blake asked.
"How long are you in town for?"
"Just two weeks then I'm due back in South Carolina."
"So just two weeks, and that's it." Jeff smiled as Blake looked at him. "I work at the coffee shop on Monroe. Come by, and I'll suck the cream out of your eclair."
Blake laughed, "That was cheesy."
"Will it get you to stop by?"
"Hell yes, if you're gonna suck me," Blake responded.
Stephanie went back through the house looking for Brian, Blake's father. When she found him in the backyard talking to a few fellow cops, she motioned for him to come to see her. He didn't right away. He had seen the look on her face and could tell that she was pissed. He didn't want to ruin his good time.
"You need to do something about your son."
Brian took in a deep breath and blew it out. "What did he do now?"
"He had a boy in his room. He hasn't even been home for twenty-four hours, and he can't keep it in his pants." She whispered.
"Yeah Steph." Brian turned and headed into the house. He knew if he didn't talk to Blake now, she would be mad all night, and Brian wanted to enjoy his evening too.
Brian found Blake quickly, he was still talking to Jeff, but they had now moved into the hallway. "Oh shit, you better go." Was all Blake could get out before his father was in front of them. Jeff walked away as Brian looked at his son. "Sir?" Brian just tilted his head towards the bedroom.
Blake stood at attention as he has done repeatedly since he could remember. Growing up as a child of a career soldier made discipline interesting. When Blake turned eighteen and graduated high school, his father asked him what he wanted to do. Blake told him that he wanted to go into the Army. Blake could see that Brian was proud.
Brian stood close to Blake. "I just don't understand son, you're a good-looking kid. You could have any girl you want, and you still want to fool around with boys. I thought it was just a phase with you." Blake just stood there and looked forward. "Damn it son, you're here for just two weeks. Can't you try to get along with Steph?"
"Yes Sir." That was the end of the discussion, and Brian left the room so he could enjoy his night.
The two weeks went quickly by. Brian noticed after his talk, Blake didn't leave the house much or his room. Anytime Brian needed or wanted to talk to Blake, he knew he could find him propped up on his bed reading with the door open. The only time it was closed was when Blake slept at night.
The last night before Blake was to return to South Carolina, Brian came from the station and was happy that he had beaten Steph home. He came in through the kitchen door and found Blake sitting at the table eating a sandwich.
"You do come out of that damn room when no one's around." Brian smiled.
"Yes Sir." Was all Blake was going to say.
"Damn it kid." He blew out a very audible breath. "I have to live with her, you don't."
"Sir." Blake looked at his Dad, then decided to speak his mind. "Dad, no, you don't. You choose to live with her. You don't have kids together. She has always hated me, and the fact that I'm gay just makes matters worse." It was Blake's turn to blow out a breath. "She always hated that I chose to stay with you after mom and you divorced. Ask her? She told me many times. Stephanie didn't want brats even if we were teenagers taking your attention away from her."
Blake got up from the table. "But you know what, don't worry. I will promise you this. You will never see me date, kiss, or hold another guy's hand, and I will never be interested in women." Blake had made up his mind about that, even if it meant never returning home.
(Twelve Years Later)
Driving home for Blake was easy. He retired officially from the Army. He was going home. Well, he was heading to his dad's house. He hardly ever speaks to his mother anymore.
When he drove in, his father wasn't home. His dad knew he was coming and just didn't know the date. Blake noticed his dad's neighbors had their trash out to the curb, so he pulled his father's out, went inside, and started collecting what he found. Blake was tired. It had been a long drive.
Brian and Sally pulled into the neighborhood, and she noticed the trash too. "Oh, we have to get the garbage."
"We?" Brian commented with a grin.
Sally laughed. "Okay, you have to get your garbage out. I don't because I haven't been home in over a week." When they pulled up to the house, they saw the trash out, and Sally immediately asked. "Who's at your house because we left just a few hours ago?"
"Well Sally, you have always wanted to meet my son. You're going to get your wish." Brian responded.
"Why didn't you tell me he was coming?"
"Because I knew you would clean my house, and he's a guy, he doesn't care. At least not like my daughter would, hell, Kate would expect it to be clean."
Sally laughed. "Well, the house seems dark. Do you think he's still awake?"
"If not, I know how to wake him." Brian chuckled.
They walked in, and Blake wasn't in the living room, so Brian left Sally. She tried to stop him telling him that she would meet Blake in the morning, but Brian is a very stubborn man.
Walking into the bedroom, Brian saw that his son was out cold, not knowing if he should do what he was thinking about doing. Which was calling him to attention, knowing full well that his son would stand beside his bed.
Brian decided to leave his son alone and see him in the morning. When he sat down with Sally on the sofa, she smiled. "I thought you were going to wake him."
He looked like he could use the sleep." They went to bed after some time together on the couch.
Blake woke at three that morning. He didn't want to make any noise, so he tried to stay in his bed until later, but he couldn't make it past four. He made his bed and went out to the living room. He didn't want to cook himself anything knowing that would surely wake his father.
Blake sat on the couch and picked up a magazine from the coffee table, and noticed it was a woman's magazine. He wondered if his father had turned a new leaf or hadn't told him that he was dating someone. He opened Woman's Day and started looking through it.
Brian woke at five-thirty to the call of nature, checked in on Blake and noticed his bed made, so he walked into the living room. "Hey."
Blake looked up from the magazine and smiled, "Hey dad, who's the chick?"
"Oh, you better never let Sally hear you call her that. She will knock you all the way back to Germany." Brian chuckled. They both heard someone in the kitchen fill the coffee pot in the sink and open a cupboard. "Well, I guess she's up."
"She's here?"
"Well yeah, she does spend a lot of time here."
"I heard that. I told you anytime you needed a break, I would leave." She smiled and swatted at Brian. "Hi, since your father's not going to introduce me, I'm Sally." Sally stuck her hand out to Blake.
"Blake, Ma'am."
"Oh, don't start calling me Ma'am, the name's Sally." She smiled.
"Yes, Ma... Sally." Blake chuckled.
"Well, I made the coffee. Either we can go to breakfast, or someone else is making it because I'm off duty today." Sally responded as she went to get coffee for everyone. "Blake, how do you take yours?"
"Black Ma'am."
"Blake, we are going to have to work on you." She laughed.
"Sally works down at the diner that we'll end up going to. It's the best around." Brian responded.
"Yeah but the service will suck." She smiled when she came back into the room.
"So son, what are your plans?"
"Get a job, a house, and then no other thoughts."
Sally just sat back and listened to them talk. Blake spoke about the last few years in Germany and his other assignments. But Sally noticed that he never talked about relationships. When they headed to the diner, Sally insisted on getting in the backseat so the men could sit in the front.
"I remember coming here a long time ago." Blake stated, as they arrived at Henry's. They walked in, and to Blake's memory of the place, nothing had changed. It was still an open environment where the food was prepared behind the counter, and a small kitchen was in the back for other foods. All the bar stools and booths were a little darker than a baby blue.
It was a small diner, only seven two-person, and seven four-person booths, along with the counter of seventeen seats. Brian and Sally led Blake straight to a booth and sat down. "Blake, I know a few nice women that I could set you up with," Sally stated out of the blue when their conversation was at a low.
Both Blake and Brian looked up at Sally, and Brian coughed. Blake knew at that moment that his father was still uncomfortable about his sexuality if he couldn't tell his girlfriend. "Thanks, Sally, but no thank you. I don't date."
Brian looked at Blake. Blake was happy that the food came to distract them. "A handsome man like you that doesn't date?" Sally responded back, but Brian placed his hand on her leg under the table, and it stopped her from continuing on. "Well, maybe later once you're more settled." Sally smiled.
They finished their breakfast and talked a bit over coffee before heading back to the house. "Your things arrived last week and were put in the storage unit," Brian stated.
"Thanks for being on the receiving end for me."
"It's no problem son, I'm glad to have you back." And Brian was happy to have his son back living near him.
Over the next few months, Blake started his job with the police department his father worked for. He found a house that he liked. Brian hated to see him move out, but he knew he needed his own space.
Sally stopped over one afternoon when she knew Brian was still on shift and Blake didn't have to work.
