After hearing Colt yell out that they were here, I stepped out of the kitchen and went to greet the boys.
“Welcome back to our home, Jason,” I began. “I’m happy you feel comfortable enough to spend the night with us.”
At that point, I gave him a quick once over, since I hadn’t really looked at him very closely during our first meeting. Jason was about 6’ 1” tall (185.5 cm), had blonde hair that was beginning to darken and the brownest eyes I’d ever seen. They reminded me of Bambi’s eyes, in the Disney film.
“Oh, I wouldn’t have missed this for anything,” Jason announced. “Colt has become a great friend and you should have seen him play basketball today. He did great and I think he can make the team next season. It’s going to be super being teammates with him.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” I told him, feeling a bit of pride for Colt. “I’m also happy you two have become friends and you’re doing so much to help Colt. Not everyone would have been so generous.”
“Maybe it’s not so generous,” he informed me. “I think it’s more that I’m being selfish, because I want Colt on my basketball team. I think he’ll make our team stronger. If he plays baseball this well, then I’d like to get him on the baseball team with me too.”
Jason was smiling and eyeing Colt, in order to gauge Colt’s reaction to his comments. When I glanced at Colt, he was beaming, while at the same time slightly blushing. It was so adorable.
“I’ve played baseball with some of my friends where I used to live and in gym class,” Cole explained, “but never on a team – kind of like with basketball.”
“In that case,” Jason offered, “we’ll work on your baseball skills over the summer too, but the school baseball season is over for this year and basketball season will be next, so we’ll take care of that first. We’ll keep working on those skills until you are doing even better and then we’ll see how you are at baseball. Ok?”
Colt was beaming, as he looked at Jason.
“Yeah, that would be great and I’d really like that idea a lot,” he conceded.
Both boys seemed pleased and I thought this was going to work out great for Colt. In fact, if Jason’s assessment was correct and Colt did make the teams stronger, then this may work out for him as well.
“Jason, you can watch TV or put in a movie, while I fix dinner,” Colt added. “Just tell Leo what you need and he can help you.”
“You’re cooking dinner?” Jason asked, while looking at him strangely.
“Yeah, Leo and I take turns, but I wanted to do it tonight,” he explained, almost as if he wanted Jason to know he was doing this just for him.
“Wow!” Jason exclaimed. “That’s pretty cool. Can I help?”
Colt thought about this momentarily, but I was fairly certain he was just doing it for show, since I knew he was hoping that Jason would want to do this with him.
“Yeah, that would be great,” he finally replied, as he graciously accepted Jason’s offer of help. “Come on, and I’ll show you what you can do.”
Jason seemed pleased with Colt’s response and eagerly followed him out to the kitchen.
“Would you like my help too?” I asked, to indicate that I didn’t want to place all of the responsibility on them.
“Nah, we can do it,” Colt responded. “You go relax and we’ll call you when everything is ready.”
Since I’d been summarily dismissed, I slinked down the hall to my bedroom, so I could do a few things on the computer. It must have been forty minutes or so later when Jason came into my room to get me.
“Colt told me to tell you dinner is ready,” he announced meekly.
“Ok,” I answered, while shutting down the things I was working on. “I’ll be right there.”
Jason then left my bedroom and I followed him a couple of minutes later. As I entered the hallway, the smells coming from the kitchen overwhelmed me and immediately caused my stomach to begin to growl. The scent was absolutely enticing. As I entered the dining room, I noticed the table had been set formally, because Colt had used the china, instead of the everyday dinnerware. He also had two candles lit on the table, although he hadn’t bothered to dim the lights. I guess the candles were just for atmosphere, but I wondered if this might have also been a romantic twist for Jason’s benefit.
In addition to the spaghetti and meatballs, Colt had fixed garlic bread and a salad. The salad was comprised of Romaine and endive lettuce, along with some spinach leaves, carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, chic peas, black olives and feta cheese. He had also covered it with croutons and bacon bits, before coating it with his own salad dressing, which he had made using balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and a few other spices. Everything looked quite delicious.
In a gracious and gentlemanly manner, Jason pulled my chair out for me as I approached the table. To say the least, I was quite impressed. Then he took his seat, as Colt began to serve the food. The salad was wonderful and started the meal off nicely, and once we finished that, Colt dished out the spaghetti and then passed around bowls containing the meatballs and grated cheese, along with a platter of garlic bread.
I chose that moment get up, grab a bottle of wine and open it. I told the boys I would allow them one glass of wine each with their meal and I think Jason was impressed that I was willing to do this for them. I had already talked this over with Colt the night before and told him that as long as he promised he would not take advantage of my generosity again, as he had done at the restaurant, then I would offer them each some wine. I didn’t think one glass, or more precisely a little more than half a glass would harm either of them, but I was sure it would add to their appreciation of the meal. Once Colt agreed to behave, I went ahead with the idea.
The main course proved to be just as wonderful as the salad and we all stuffed ourselves, as we enjoyed this wonderful feast. Jason told Colt several times how good everything was and what a great job he had done, which caused Colt to blush with each compliment.
After dinner, I cleaned up the mess, with Jason’s help, because he wouldn’t allow me to do it alone. I explained that I didn’t require his assistance and this was part of Colt’s and my agreement, that one would cook and the other clean up afterward, so I’d be fine. Jason, however, was insistent and helped me make sure everything was taken care of, while Colt set up the movie that Jason and he had agreed to watch.
After we finished, I was going to slip down to my room and work on the computer again, so the boys could have this time alone, but they weren’t about to let me do this. I was somewhat surprised when they each asked me to join them, but even more so when they wouldn’t allow me sit in my chair alone. Instead, they insisted that I sit on the couch with them and then they sat on either side of me. I thought this was a little strange, since I assumed they would probably want to sit together, or at least that’s what I thought Colt would want to do. It wasn’t because I thought there was anything romantic going on between them, at least not yet, although Colt might have been hoping something like that might happen. Instead, I just figured they’d want to sit together as friends.
Once we were all seated together on the sofa, I wasn’t surprised when Colt leaned against me, but I was a little concerned. I wondered what Jason would think, if he were to notice what Colt was doing, but I shouldn’t have worried. Once Jason looked over and saw what Colt was up to, he leaned against me as well, although he did this more like a friend, than a lover. I was sort of confused by this, but made no move to stop it, although I figured I would question Colt about it later.
About halfway through the movie, the boys put the DVD on pause and declared a short break, and then each of us used the opportunity to go to the toilet. Colt, however, did more than that and used the remaining time to do something else. He served desert. One of the things Colt had asked me to pick up on my way home was a cheesecake, which he had topped with blueberries. Somehow, Colt had discovered that Jason preferred blueberries to either strawberries or cherries, so he happily offered a piece to his friend. Jason was thrilled by Colt’s thoughtfulness and told him so, which caused Colt to blush once more. I wish I had kept count of the number of instances this had happened during the course of the evening, although I knew it was quite a few times.
When the movie ended, I announced I was going to bed and the boys said they were too. That’s when I leaved that Jason would be sleeping in the spare bedroom, so I bid them both good night and they responded by doing the same. Before I was able to go to my room, however, Jason had something more to say.
“Leo, thanks for letting me stay over tonight,” he began. “I’ve had a wonderful time so far and thought maybe you could join us for a game of basketball tomorrow. Some of our friends are going to meet us at the school and there may be an odd number of players, but even if there isn’t, we can always rotate guys in and out.”
“I haven’t played a serious ball game in a while,” I replied, “except for a little one-on-one with Colt, so I’m not sure how competitive I’d be. I will drive you guys to the school to play your game though, and if needed I will play too, but you don’t have to work me in if you have a sufficient number of players.”
“I hope we need you to play then,” Jason retorted, which surprised me. “You look like you can still handle yourself on the court, so I’d like to see what you can do.”
“Thank you,” I replied, while wondering about his motives. “I appreciate the compliment.”
I noticed Colt was smiling while looking at his friend, so I wondered if he had been aware that Jason was going to do this beforehand or even if he had asked Jason to do it. Then I noticed Colt’s expression began to change and had another thought. Now, I began to wonder if Colt was suspicions about Jason’s motives for doing this and thought he might possibly even be a little jealous. It did seem strange that Jason was trying to include me, especially if Jason’s intention was to merely help Colt make the team, unless he thought that by getting me to feel a part of the process would help his cause. Nevertheless, I put these concerns out of my mind and headed off to bed.
The next morning, I awoke before both boys, as I suspected I would. After emptying my bladder, I threw on some clothes and headed for the kitchen. Along the way, I noticed the doors to both bedrooms were shut, which they normally weren’t, so I didn’t disturb them. I made my pot of coffee, retrieved the morning paper and then sat down to enjoy a cup of java while I read the news. Before long, Colt was following his nose into the kitchen.
“Smells good,” he announced, groggily, before fixing himself a cup. It didn’t even dawn on me at the moment that he was clad only in his boxer briefs.
“Let me know when you’re ready for breakfast,” I told him and he nodded his reply.
We sat silently for the next few minutes, while both of us enjoyed our coffee and I went back to the paper.
“Do you think it would be all right for me to eat now,” Colt asked, “or should I wait for Jason to join us?”
“It would probably be polite to wait,” I answered, “but if you’re really hungry, I don’t think Jason would mind.”
“Nah, I’m not that hungry,” he told me. “I’ll wait a little longer then, until he gets up.”
I merely nodded my acknowledgment and said no more. I knew Colt wasn’t totally awake yet either, so this would give the coffee time to do its thing first, before Jason joined us. We must have been alone for another thirty minutes or so, as Colt slowly woke up and I read the various articles. We were eventually distracted, however, when Jason entered the kitchen, wearing only his boxers. He was yawning and stretching as he did so.
“I wondered where everyone was,” he informed us. “Have you been up long?”
Colt didn’t look as if he was going to respond, so I assumed he was probably still a little out of it, so I answered for both of us.
“I’ve been up for a couple of hours, but sunshine here has only been up for a half-hour or so,” I stated, which caused Colt to look up and give me a half-hearted look of disgust. “He takes a while to come to life in the morning.”
When I added that last comment, I got an even harsher look from Colt, while Jason began to giggle.
“Yeah, my mom says I’m like that too,” he admitted, which caused Colt to perk up a bit.
“Are you ready for some breakfast?” I asked, “or would you like some coffee first?”
“Nah, I never touch that stuff,” he informed me, “but breakfast sounds good.”
“Well, we can either fix something here or I can take you out to eat. Which would you prefer?” I offered, giving him the choice.
“Uh, we can eat here,” Jason answered. “We don’t need to go out just to eat.”
“It’s not a problem,” I countered, impressed by his thoughtfulness. “Going out for breakfast isn’t a big deal. What about you, Colt? Which would you rather do?”
Colt looked at me thoughtfully, before he answered. I sensed that he was no longer worried about the expense of doing these things, since he kept telling me that he was planning to pay me back, so I had the feeling he was thinking about what would impress and please Jason the most.
“If you wouldn’t mind,” he began, “it might be nice to go out to eat and that way we can each get something different if we want.” I nodded eagerly in agreement.
“My thoughts precisely,” I told him. “Why don’t you boys go get dressed, unless you think they’ll let you in wearing only your undies.”
My comment caused them suddenly to look at themselves and then each other. They had both obviously not thought about their current state of attire, so I assumed Jason might have done this at home as well, because I knew Colt did, if he wore anything at all. They both were blushing slightly, before they finally broke out in laughter.
“My mother gets so mad at me for walking around the house like this when I first get up,” Jason admitted, after he quit giggling. “But I guess I never really thought much about it. I s’pose I do it because I’m not quite awake when I first get up.”
“Seems to be a lot of that going around,” I shot back.
This comment caused Colt to glare at me, and when Jason saw that, he started laughing again.
“What’s so damn funny?” Colt challenged.
“I think it’s funny that we do the same thing,” Jason responded, “but at least I admit it, while you try to pretend it’s not true.”
Colt thought about this for a few seconds and then started to giggle too. I was glad he could finally see the humor in this.
“Ok, guilty as charged,” he conceded, “but I don’t like people ragging on me about my one flaw.”
He seemed smug after saying this, but he had just set himself up for another attack.
“Maybe your most obvious or most notable flaw,” I offered, “but certainly not your only flaw.”
Colt’s head quickly snapped around, as he glared in my direction. If looks could kill, I would have died that very instant, because Colt’s eyes were shooting lightning bolts at me. I guess it meant he didn’t enjoy my playful ribbing in front of Jason.
“Yeah, he has a slight coordination problem too,” Jason added, jokingly, as Colt’s head snapped around so he could look at him. “Sometimes he trips over his own feet when we’re playing basketball.”
Suddenly, Colt shot a similar glare at his friend, but this time he looked more hurt than annoyed. That was until he saw Jason’s rather large smile.
“No way!” Colt exclaimed. “You’re the one who tripped me and then wouldn’t admit it.”
Colt flashed an evil grin at Jason after saying this.
“Be a man, not a wuss,” Jason shot back. “Admit that you have trouble moving and thinking at the same time. Hell, you even have trouble moving even if you aren’t thinking. By the way, I’m not convinced you are even capable of using your brain.”
I thought their playfulness was getting a bit carried away, so I decided it was time to step in and stop it, before someone’s feelings really got hurt and they did something they’d regret.
“Guys, if you want to eat, you’d better go shower and get dressed,” I stated, emphatically. “Hurry up or I’ll leave without you.”
My comment prompted them to think about food, rather than each other, so they hurriedly got up from the table and disappeared down the hallway. I heard Colt tell Jason that he could use his bathroom and he’d use mine, so I was glad I had showered and dressed when I first got up. It only took them about ten or fifteen minutes before they were both ready, so I guess food is still a decent motivator for growing boys.
I took the boys to my favorite little diner this morning, rather than going to one of the chain restaurants. Jason ordered waffles, while Colt decided to have French toast and I went with an omelet. I also thought I’d prompt them to order a little extra to go with it, since I was pretty sure they wouldn’t be satisfied with just the little bit they’d ordered. I did this by ordering home fries, sausage and bacon to go along with my meal, and when they heard me do that, they both suddenly asked the waitress if they could do the same. We also ordered a large glass of orange juice to go along with our meal, but I also had coffee.
Once our meal was delivered, the boys’ food disappeared quickly, but they had to wait patiently while I finished mine. I told them that next time they might try chewing before swallowing, instead of just inhaling, but that suggestion didn’t go over very well. They quickly defended their eating habits by explaining that they had to eat this way at school or they’d never get to their next class on time after lunch. I wasn’t truly convinced by their argument, but decided to let it slide.
Once we were back at the house, the boys glanced at the clock and then told me that we had to hurry to get to the high school in time to meet the others. I couldn’t believe they had set something up for this early in the day, especially since I was sure neither usually got up this early on the weekend. However, in this case, after having such a large breakfast, it might cause other problems, such as cramping or worse.
When I mentioned this to them, they said they had just expected to go play shortly after they got up and didn’t think they’d be eating so much first. They had originally figured they’d just have a bowl of cereal first, before they left for the school, but they didn’t expect to have such a huge breakfast as the one we’d just finished. I then mentioned that if they had explained this to me beforehand then I would never have taken them out to eat, but they quickly told me they’d learn to live with it and everything would be ok. I only hoped the same would be true for me as well.
After we changed into appropriate attire, I drove us all over to the outdoor courts at the school. There was a group of guys already waiting there and Jason quickly informed me they were the friends we had come to meet. I eyed the group and noticed it consisted of a rather broad range of young men, but I had been informed that they were all aspiring to make the high school basketball team next fall. I followed the boys over to where the others were, but hung to the rear, since I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to get involved in this activity after all. They were all young, athletic and in shape, something I wasn’t, plus I was weighed down by the sizeable meal I’d just finished. Once we reached the group, Jason began the introductions.
“Leo, this is Ron, Simon, Gary, Ben and Albert,” he informed me, while pointing to each of them in turn. I knew I’d never remember all of their names, but then Jason added something more. “You can call Albert either Al or Bert, because different people call him both, so he’ll answer you either way, but we usually call him Bert.”
I nodded my understanding and studied Albert first. He was quite tall, maybe 6’ 3” (190.5 cm) or 6’ 4” (193 cm), but he didn’t have much meat on his bones and was quite lanky. He also wasn’t quite as cute as the other boys and seemed to have a serious, even dour, expression most of the time. His hair was the color of straw and he had hazel eyes, which I normally would have found appealing, but I think it was the look on his face, not his physical characteristics, which really put me off.
While I had been studying Bert, the boys had decided on teams. We had eight people in all, which included me, so that meant a four-on-four game. Even though I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play, seeing I was out of shape, out of practice and stuffed from breakfast, but I was given no choice in the matter. I was on the team with Bert, Jason and Ben. Ben was about six foot even (183cm), black hair, blue eyes and a slender, yet muscular build. I was told by Jason that Ben had a good shot, so I should try to feed him the ball whenever possible. I nodded my head in understanding.
The other team quickly agreed to be skins, which was fine with me, since I preferred to see their bare bodies, rather than have them gawk at mine – not that they would have wanted to. Now, we were ready to begin the game and my moment of truth had come.