Ted & Gary, Part 8
Friday August 20th @ 8:30 AM -
Department of Motor Vehicles
Ted looked up at the doorway leading to the testing area. No sign
of Will yet. His appointment had been at 8:00 AM, the earliest he could
schedule. Then he saw the car pull up. The tester was sitting there, it
looked like, lecturing Will. Ted couldn't tell what was going on. Will
had a blank expression. Not un-happy yet at the same time there was no
smile. Ted was as nervous as if he were taking the test. Will needed to
have his license if everyone's plans were going to work.
Then Ted saw the driving tester give Will a slip of paper, and
they
both got out of the car. Will looked up to search for Ted, he started to
frown and shake his no. But before he walked 3 feet, this incredible
grin broke out across his face. No poker player, Will was wearing his
emotions for everyone to see. When he walked into the reception area, he
rushed over to his brother and wrapped him in a bear hug, Ted sharing in
his Will's triumph. "CONGRATULATIONS, little buddy. I knew you would do
it." Will said that he had to take care of some paper work before they
left.
Ted waited on the hood of the car for Will. It was sort of strange,
getting you driving license was one of the rites of passage that marked
the path to manhood. It was an acknowledgment by the rest of the world
that you were on your way to being an adult. When Will walked out of the
office, he still had a grin from ear to ear. He asked Ted, "Can I drive
back home?" Ted nodded his head. Pulling keys out of his pocket, he
tossed them to Will. "Here these are yours. Just promise me you'll be
careful and watch yourself. Okay?" " Will caught the keys, and if his
smile could have gotten any bigger it would have. "Thanks Ted, and I
promise."
Will pulled out of the parking lot and headed home. "Ted, is
it
alright if I go see Bart?" "Sure drop me off at home first." "I can
have
the car alone?" "Yeah, if the state says you can drive then you can
drive." "Th .. thanks Ted. If you want I'll run whatever errand you
say." Ted told him he didn't need the car that day, Gary would be there
about noon, and the two of them would take care of everything.
Ted had been thinking of Gary on and off for hours. His mind kept
switching between Will's test and Gary's arrival. Now all he was
thinking about was Gary. He couldn't wait to see him and to hold him
and to kiss him and to make love to him. It was like being back at
school, wanting Gary so bad that it hurt.
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Gary held his face and kissed him with the shifting
patterns from
the colored lights of the fountain the only illumination. Ted got off of
the bench never relinquishing the kiss, and placed his arms around Gary
pulling him into him. Ted made a silent vow that Gary would never get
away from him again. The last few days had been torture. He knew that
Gary was/is/will be part of his life. They slowly came up for air when
they heard someone whistle at them. When he looked in Gary's eyes, he
didn't want to say anything, afraid of pushing him again. He just smiled
and caressed his cheek. They now heard someone yell from the shadows,
"Hey guys, can't you do that in your room?"
Ted looked around and couldn't see anyone, but when he turned to
Gary. Gary said, "You wanna go for coffee, now?" Ted shook his head no.
When he saw the look on Gary's face, he quickly added, "You know we
could go back to my room." Gary smiled and said "That'd be fine. We
still have some things to talk about." So they started heading back to
Ted's room, but they walked together holding hands as if they were both
afraid to lose contact. As they walked, they didn't say anything. They
were oblivious to some of the people staring at them.
Leggett Hall loomed ahead of them, when Ted came to a stop.
Worried that he'd give Gary another scare, he said, "If you really want
to go for coffee, or anything, we can." Gary just shook his head no,
"Your room will be fine, we can ... talk privately there." Gary had to
say some things to Ted and he wanted to say them in private. Reluctantly
they stopped holding hands as they entered the dorm. Ted was mildly
surprised when Gary led the way to Ted's room. When they got to his
door, he looked at Gary quizzically, Gary just said, "I was here
earlier."
Ted opened the door and saw the note on the floor. He
turned on
the lamp on his desk, which left most of the room darkened. Having read
the note, he turned to Gary and asked, "Okay, what do you want to talk
about?" Gary had spent the last 5 days going over in his mind what to
say. But as each day became a new one, he kept changing his mind,.
Slowly, as the days mounted up, he became more and more aware that Ted
was someone special, the possibility that Ted wouldn't agree to see him,
frightened him. A fright that increased with the number of days. Gary
stood up and walked around the room looking at he walls, the shelves,
the books and the little pieces of Ted's life. Ted was sitting on the
edge of his bed waiting, he knew they had something together he didn't'
want to jeopardize. He waited for Gary to say what he needed to say.
Gary sat down next to Ted instead of on the chair he used when he
first entered the room. Gary took Ted's hand. Gary said, "I know that I
can be a real jerk, an idiot sometimes. I've never had anyone affect me
like you do. When ... before .. I ... it came to me that this was worth
working for ... no ... shit! ...Ted ... it sounds easy to say, but it
isn't if your saying it for the first time and you mean it. ... Ted, I
love you and I'm so sor..." Before he can go on, Ted whispers, "Shh.
don't think about it, cause I love you too." Ted gently pushed Gary onto
his back, and started kissing him slowly at first, and then with
abandon. In a quiet moment when they are catching their breaths, Ted
whispers to Gary, "Please stay with me tonite?" Gary slowly nods his
head.
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back to "stray e-mail, part two"