Left Alone

Chapter 7: "Pretend like there's no world outside"

(from Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson)

Caleb had just come out of the kitchen and was sneaking back into his room as he passed by his father's office. It had been two days since he told his dad what he really wanted to do for college and the younger boy could sense the tension that filled that five bedroom, four bathroom house. Conversations with his father since then were quick yet amicable. He often found himself trying to escape in fear that talking too much would do something to influence his dad's mind. He almost made it past the door frame before he heard him call out.

"Caleb"

He stopped in his tracks, feeling his bare feet sink into the hardwood floors that lined the hallway. If he had stepped a few more feet he could have slipped away and pretended that he hadn't heard anything. Instead he turned, seeing his father peered over his desktop.

"Yeah dad?" He asked, hesitantly.

"Take a seat. I know you've been dodging me these past few days."

"No, I've just been busy with homework- I actually have to get back to this paper I'm writing..."

"Anak" Caleb's father emphasized, code switching into his perfect Tagalog tongue. It meant "child" in their language and was used so sparingly that the boy knew better than to resist. "Please sit down." His dad pleaded, taking his eyes off the computer entirely and turning so that he was centered at the large wooden desk.

Taking a seat, Caleb slumped into one of the tan barrel chairs. His father sat directly across from him, still wearing the button-up shirt he had on from work this morning- only with a few of the top buttons undone. The younger boy felt a wave of intimidation as he noticed his t-shirt, sweatpants and bare foot attire.

"Friday night you told your mother and I that you wanted to go to school for writing. I'll be honest, I feel like that came out of nowhere."

"But it didn't. It's something I've been thinking over for a while and it wasn't until recently that I thought I could actually do it."

Adrian removed his glasses from his face. "What about everything we talked about before? You could get a degree in Business- you'll always have a place at the company."

Caleb sighed, "I went along with that before because I didn't have anything figured out then. It was easier that way."

With a sigh, Caleb's father rubbed at the temples on his face. He looked over at his son, "It's a big risk to take: writing, journalism- they're just not as stable of careers that I would have wanted for you. I know that you're good, son- I've read your work." He lingered, "But what if it doesn't pan out. What happens then?"

Caleb felt those words hit his bones. This was the fear that he'd told Liam about before- the longing for a better life that all immigrant parents want for their children. Here it was on full display, in the form of his father- not angry or condescending, but genuinely concerned. He chose his next words carefully like knives to a gun fight.

"Dad, you and mom took a risk when you came over here. You used to tell me growing up how you scraped up enough money for the cheapest plane tickets available and landed in California with less than a hundred dollars between the two of you. You took a leap of faith to come out here."

"We did that because we wanted better lives for ourselves. For our parents. For you."

"And what good is that 'better life' if I can't make my own path?" He asked with a raised voice not so that he was yelling, but loud enough that he made sure his father was listening.

"I need to at least try." He sighed, "But I won't do it without your support."

Adrian Torres sat back into his chair like he'd been blown a harsh truth. He remembered being that young- with enough hopes to full up the entire province. He could feel himself in Caleb's shoes, sitting across from his father whose skin ran several shades darker than his own after years of toiling away in the fields. That conversation wasn't this calm and he knew better than to show a single ounce of disdain that his own father had expelled on him.

"You're right" he admitted, leaning forward so his elbows pressed into the hard wood. "Your mother and I made a life here so that the two of us-" he paused and looked his son in the eye, "and you could decide for ourselves how we wanted to live."

"Your grandfather didn't speak to me for weeks after I told him that we were going to move. He didn't even hug me goodbye at the airport. I think deep down, he felt like I was betraying him." Adrian steadied his voice, "It took years, but finally he came around: started talking to me again, started taking the money I'd send home. And I finally had my father back. Then you came along and all was right again."

"I don't want that for us" Caleb's father said, picking himself up from the wreckage he'd caused. "I know that I haven't been around- and that's entirely on me. But I want to do better. And I want to start by giving you my full support on this."

Caleb picked up any stray words that floated through his dumbfounded mind. He managed, "Thank you Dad, you don't know how much this means to me. And I promise that I'll do better too."

He sat back into the chair, each of them letting out a deep breath as if the conversation had taken everything out of them. Caleb hadn't seen his father in this way for what felt like the past seven years of his life. This wasn't Adrian Torres- the glittering façade that he often wore like a suit of armor. It was just his dad, letting himself be vulnerable and showing that side to his son.

The tension in the air floated up to the ceiling like helium with both of them coming off this emotional high. Adrian sniffled and coughed a few times, composing himself. He cleared his throat and commented, "So now that we've addressed that, your mother tells me you've been seeing someone."

Caleb wanted to disintegrate in that moment. His face turned a bright shade of red as he stammered, trying to find the words. "Uh- yeah- we started dating a little after we moved here. We knew each other back in elementary school and managed to reconnect."

"Well if that's the case, I want to meet him."

"You what?" Caleb asked, a little louder than he intended. He was already uncomfortable even talking about this with his dad, but the mere thought of the three of them sitting down and breaking bread- that was insane.

"I said I want to meet him." Adrian said with a straight face that made no indication that he was kidding. "Invite him over for dinner next week."

"Dad, I don't feel comfortable with that. I mean it's kind of a lot to ask and I don't even know if he'd be..."

"Anak" Caleb's father said, cutting his son off. The boy stopped quickly at the second time that word was used tonight.

"He's important to you and so your mother and I want to meet him. Bring him around one night and we can have dinner as a family."

Caleb couldn't argue any longer. There was no malice in these intentions, and he knew that he'd want Liam around eventually- he just didn't expect it to be so soon. He stood up from the chair, feeling vertigo from what seemed like a hurricane of difficult conversations.

"Okay. I'll let him know to come by next week."

***

Liam locked the door behind him and slammed against the wall of his kitchen. His open palm behind Caleb's head absorbed all the force, like a baseball coming in contact with a glove. The younger boy bit down on his quivering lips, waiting for Liam to strike first. He stood there, feeling the heat coming off his skin and taking in the sweet scent of strawberry bubblegum he was chewing on earlier. He waited until the space between their lips closed and Liam took him in a fiery kiss that left both of their cocks aching. Caleb swirled his tongue around the boy's mouth, swiping that sugary taste. Liam, in turn, nibbled on his lover's full lips, almost like they were bubbles that needed to be popped.

"We can't kiss like that in the school parking lot." Liam said as he swung his arms around the boy's waist.

Caleb reached for the bulge that tented at the top of Liam's jeans, "I don't like starting things I can't finish."

"Oh, really now?" The other boy said as he kissed along that smooth jaw before dabbing his tongue at the pronounced Adam's apple.

Caleb giggled, sliding his hand down Liam's waistband clear of the soft boxer briefs and grabbing the boy's cock like it was his prize to be held.

"What time does your mom get off?" he asked, slowly running his fingers along the steel shaft.

"Around nine or so. When do you gotta be home?"

"About the same time."

Liam grinned and kissed his boy at the cheek. "Plenty of time to finish" he said reaching for Caleb's cock, "and start all over again."

A few seconds later the boys were quickly stripping off their clothes and throwing them as far away from their naked bodies as possible. Caleb nearly fell over trying to pull off his joggers that got caught at one of his ankles. Liam pulled him up to the bed before he fell back, laughing hard as he yanked the pants off the boy's legs.

They filled Liam's small bed with Caleb lying on his back while the older boy got on top of him, pressing his weight into well build body beneath him. He snaked a hand underneath and grabbed the boy's cheek, kneading it in his palm.

"Can I try something with you?"

The younger boy nodded as he watched Liam sink down towards the end of the bed. Liam kissed all over Caleb's lower body, pressing his lips against the inside of his thighs before grabbing onto them. He lifted both legs up, exposing the boy's pink hole. Caleb watched in anticipation, trying to figure out what he was going to do. The older boy made eye contact with him before sinking down, lowering his face between the boy's stretched cheeks until Caleb could only see his brown curls.

Liam kissed all over the boy's ass, leaving wet trails all along as he honed in on that sensitive skin. He stuck his tongue out and swiped it along the boy's crack, starting at the small dimple just above Caleb's cheeks and working his way past the pucker and up towards the underside of his balls. Liam was overcome with sensations- the scent of his boy that was so raw and intoxicating, he could feel his eyes rolling back. Caleb let out a series of delicious moans as he felt that wet tongue all over him. It was something he didn't know could feel so good- to have a warm breath and sopping wet mouth all over the most sensitive part of his body. He reached out and took hold of Liam's brown curls and, latching onto the boy's scalp, pushed him further into him.

"Fuck Liam. That feels so damn good." He said, flopping his legs around as Liam worked over his pucker. The boy was hungrily tasting every stretch of skin, wetting the boy's hole with his tongue as he continued to probe. He pulled off for a second, looking at that tight pucker start to open; glistening with spit as the cheap overhead light shined down.

"You taste even better than I imagined." Liam said, wiping the strands of spit away from his chin. His boy looked even hotter than before- with his hair messed up by the constant writhing in his bed. He wore a shocked expression, still not processing what had just been done to him. It felt good- and that was all he needed to worry about.

"Fuck me like this?" He asked, lifting those legs back up and showing off that hole, sloppy with spit.

Liam nodded eagerly like a kid who'd been offered his favorite candy. He dove down, pulling at Caleb's jaw with his soft hands and kissed those pouted lips. Caleb tasted his ass on Liam's tongue, feeling his cock jump once they made contact. There was something so raunchy about it that turned him on even more.

The older boy reached for the bottle of lube at his bedside, happy that he'd be able to use it for something other than jerking off. Truth was, he was wrapped around the younger boy's finger with his cock like a light switch that turned on whenever Caleb crossed his mind. They spent the last of their nights on the phone, listening to each other's voices before being pulled away by fatigue. On those nights, Liam found himself unable to let that hard cock go down- so being able to have his way with the boy of his dreams made him all the more excited.

Liam poured the lube in his hand and applied it to the still wet hole. Caleb rubbed it around, letting the tip of his index finger slip in as the older boy watched him. It was those little shows that he put on- the ones he didn't even think about like the way he peeled off his shirt from the back or when he focused his gaze when trying to understand something- those were the moments that left Liam in awe.

The older boy pushed that hand aside and, bringing it up to his mouth, gave it a kiss. "Let me take care of you, Caleb."

Seeing that nod, he slowly pushed the head of his cock in and held it there. The boy's tight hole swallowed the head- holding onto it as Liam used all the restraint he could to not ram himself deep into his lover too soon.

"More" Caleb pleaded- not one for being teased.

Liam pushed forward, letting out a roaring moan as that wet and warm hole wrapped all around his flesh. But it was moving a little too steady for the younger boy who'd needed this just as much as his boyfriend did. He held onto Liam's sides and fucked himself into that cock until the boy's trimmed pubes grazed his cheeks. He left out a sigh of relief when he felt himself filled like that.

"Goddamn." Liam said, feeling himself bottom out on Caleb smooth ass. He grabbed at the boy's waist and started to fuck into him. Soon all the sounds of the streets below were drowned out by Caleb's moans, his heavy breathing, and the creaking bedframe that sounded like it would collapse any moment. Still, he pounded into his boy whose hands traveled all through his body, finding every millimeter of skin he hadn't touched yet.

Liam leaned down to kiss his boyfriend and felt those sculpted legs wrap around his back. He followed by getting his own hands and grabbing onto the boy's jaw. Lips, foreheads and chests all pressed together so much so that their bodies seeped into each other. Liam's steady pounding proved to be exactly what Caleb needed. He grabbed onto his top's hard nipples and played with them in his fingers, egging him on.

The older boy kissed all over Caleb's skin, drenching him in wet tattoos in the shape of his lips. He nibbled on the softer stretches of skin, leaving small bite marks all over the boy's caramel colored flesh, careful to contain his trail on the space easily covered by a t-shirt. Caleb's hands tangled their way through Liam's hair- curling the brown locks between his fingers as if trying to touch each individual strand. He loved his boy this way- with puffed hair and a sweat drenched face accentuated by two cheeks that burned red with lust. He wasn't the stoic and brooding Liam that the rest of the world saw. This was only for him.

"I need you, baby" Caleb whined, pulling the boy close until their lips were sealed. That word was a revelation of sorts- something neither of them tossed around like it was nothing. Caleb was so sparse with it that whenever he was referred to as such, Liam came running. This time, it meant he wanted to be kissed and fucked even harder- two things he willingly complied with. He assaulted the boy with his mouth and slipped his hungry tongue inside as his cock pounded into Caleb's hole that he swore kept him on edge the entire time. He was just too good.

The younger boy swung an arm around Liam's neck, holding the boy close as he felt his ass get railed. He looked up, seeing a pair of emerald eyes focused on him: a pool of intensity with small speckles of playfulness. Caleb nodded to the boy as he pursed his lips- this was enough to tell the boy exactly what he wanted.

Liam pulled his body back, getting that perfect angle where he felt the tip of his dick rub against Caleb's hidden spot. He knew that only a few seconds of this would give the boy what he needed. In the meantime, Caleb was left to be a symphony of moans, heavy breathing and a resounding echo of his own name that ricocheted off every wall. Once he was close, he shoved his entire length in, feeling that tip make contact with the boy's second ring. And after hearing him whimper "please" a dozen or so times, he unloaded, filling him with enough cum to leave his hole dripping. Liam gathered the few stray ropes of cum and pushed it into his boy's ass, tasting his fingers in the process.

"I want you to cum in my mouth." He said, taking the boy's aching cock in his fist. He sunk down, licking at the hard pole and tonguing that narrow slit until he felt Caleb's feet digging into his body as he started to shake.

"I'm gonna cum, Liam!" he shouted. It was loud enough that Mrs. Caswell downstairs could hear him- hell his own mother could probably from her high-rise office downtown. But he didn't care- all that mattered was the set of soft lips that closed in on his tip and that eager tongue that lapped up his cum as fast as it shot out. He looked over to see the boy licking at that sensitive head and gathering all the drops of sweet cum that he could. He looked hungry yet satisfied at the same time.

"Easy, baby." Caleb whimpered as the older boy took more of his length down his throat. He heard a chuckle from him and felt his cock leave the boy's eager fist as it slapped back down to his abs. Liam came up and kissed him so passionately that he wondered if he could last another round if they got that far. Those bright green eyes made him melt into the messed up bedsheets and sink so far into the ground, he'd seep through the floorboards and into the Harper's apartment below.

"God, I needed that" Liam said, nuzzling into the boy's neck and tasting the warm flesh. He felt Caleb move his body so they fit together- somehow devoid of any stray springs that Liam fell victim to from the old mattress.

"I can't wait 'til the day we can do that whenever we want and just lie like this for hours."

Caleb would have normally brushed a comment like that off, but deep down he wanted all that and more. Hearing Liam say that made the feelings real. He snuggled in closer, not wanting any stretch of exposed skin that didn't touch the other boy's.

"Soon we'll have that" He said. It was a promise shouted into the void- one he'd see through.

Liam nodded as he glanced over to the bedside alarm. They still had a few hours to clean up and get something to eat before they had to part ways. But he didn't care about any of that. All that mattered was the boy who lay in his arms- the one who'd look up at him like he mattered and the only one in his life to ever do so.

Their bodies grew warmer and Caleb could feel the cum trickling out of his ass and onto Liam's bedsheets. But still, the thought of getting up seemed more like a ridiculous concept. So he snuggled further into that milky skin.

"Can't we just stay like this-" He asked, feeling Liam's soft hands rubbing at his lower back as a pair of lips kissed at his collarbone. "Pretend like there's no world outside?"

The older boy nodded, "We could pretend it all the time"

***

Hours later, Liam was making a short walk back to his apartment. He'd thrown on a sweater, wanting to walk Caleb back to his car that was parked a few blocks away. The younger boy insisted that he was ok and Liam knew he would be too- but getting to spend even an extra ten minutes with him was well worth it. He was smiling, thinking back to some of the jokes his boy quipped all night. He was one block away from home when he saw Frankie coming out of the convenience store carrying a paper bag stuffed to the brim with a bag of rice, some candy he assumed were for his little siblings and a loaf of bread.