Brad's Search

[AstareGod]

Craiger - I probably wouldn't be having a fun time, either. Don't vacations sometimes tend to be just as stressful as being at home? Let's see how it plays out...

Part 10

"I hope you guys are playing a sick joke on me."

"I wish we were. We saw him in the lobby when we got here."

"Is he with anyone?"

"We can't tell, but I doubt he's here by himself."

"Well, there's not much we can do. Let's steer clear as best we can." I took a deep breath. "As if this weekend couldn't get any more awkward."

Gary, Harry, and I take the rest of the bags up to the rooms. Mom's room is right across the hall from mine and Kelly's. Gary and Gina are staying down the hall, and Harry is next-door to them all by himself, though we presume Julia will join him tomorrow.

* * * * *

All of us are pretty hungry - me especially, since I only had a tiny breakfast sandwich at Starbucks just before my meeting this morning. We all head downstairs to the lodge's restaurant. Most of us have already met, but it was Mom and Kelly's first time meeting Gina. The three get introduced and acquainted quickly. All I really care about is that the restaurant has a bar.

Dinner goes smoothly. As we leave the restaurant, Mom remarks that she's had a rather long day with her flight and that she's turning in early. The rest of us bid her a good night and sit in the lobby, where the lodge staff has built a rather impressive fire.

I ask the group, "What are our plans for tomorrow?"

Harry chimes in. "Julia told me that she's getting here with her group a little before noon. She's bringing her skis. Gary and I have mine; what about you, Brad?"

"I have my snowboard. I'm a bit rusty, but I should pick it right back up. Just like riding a bicycle."

"Or sex," Harry quips. I give him the evil eye. He turns his attention to Kelly. "Do you ski or snowboard?"

"I've never even been this close to a mountain. I'd certainly like to try, though."

"I'm sure Brad won't mind showing you the ropes."

"That sounds fun. I guess I could go for that."

"Don't worry; I'll go easy on you, Kelly."

"Go easy? You think I can't handle it, big boy?"

Harry starts chuckling, but Gary slaps his shoulder to stop him.

"Gina, what about you?"

"No, thanks. I'm only here as eye candy for Gary," she jokes. "I'm not a big fan of the cold. I've tried skiing and snowboarding, but my whole body tenses up when it gets below freezing. Plus, I'm sure Sharon would appreciate some extra company."

"That would be nice, and yes, she would definitely appreciate it."

I stretch out my arms. "It sounds like we have a long day ahead of us. Kelly, are you ready to head up?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

We go over to the fire to warm up one last time before turning in for the evening.

* * * * *

Kelly and I step inside our room. She goes into the bathroom while I open my suitcase and pick out some warm pajamas. I pull off my jeans and put on the pajamas.

"Sharon seems really nice."

"Nice? She's fantastic."

I crawl under the covers when Kelly emerges, wearing barely anything at all.

"I hope you don't turn into an ice cube in the middle of the night."

"Not if you keep me warm, my big grizzly bear."

"Grizzly bear?"

"All right, you're more like an otter, but still."

Kelly gets under the covers, and I wrap my arm around her shoulder. It all seems completely natural.

"I don't think you ever mentioned your father."

"Wow, where to begin? He was a great guy."

"Was?"

"Yeah; he died about five years ago."

"Oh, Brad, I'm sorry."

I take a deep breath.

"I didn't really know him that well. He was in the Air Force and spent most of the time stationed away from home. He enlisted before I was born, and he stayed with Mom and I until I was about 3 or 4. After that, he was mostly away."

I could feel a tear rolling down my cheek. I wipe it away.

"It's OK if you don't want to talk about it."

"No, it's fine. I'm just not used to telling other people about him. Anyway, he came from a rich family. He didn't have to worry about money at all; he could've gone to school and gotten any degree he wanted. But that all seemed superficial to him. He wouldn't have felt like he was making a contribution, so he joined the Air Force instead."

"What did he do in the Air Force?"

"He flew helicopters. Even during wartime. Most of his work was going into enemy territory and doing medical evacuations. It was pretty dangerous stuff."

"He sounds really brave."

"He was."

There are a few seconds of silence.

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"About five years ago. He was able to get leave and came to visit my mom and me when I was still going to college in Colorado. He was at my graduation and had to go back the day after. The last thing he told me was how proud he was of me."

I take another deep breath.

"That's the last time both my mom and I saw him."

Kelly leans in and gives me a kiss. A kiss unlike one I've ever had before. This kiss wasn't romantic or sexual - it was pure sympathy. Something to make me feel that I was not alone, and that everything would be OK. I return the kiss, and Kelly and I spend the next few seconds staring into each other's eyes. She then places her hand on my cheek. "Thank you for sharing that with me."

All I could muster is a half-smile. "We have a lot of fun in store tomorrow, so let's get some sleep, OK?"

"Sounds good." Kelly gives me one more peck on the lips, and we settle in and drift off to sleep.

 

[Craiger]

Grizzly bear? OK, Otter..... all Kelly has to do is check JUB's Otter thread and she may see her Grizzly bear's pic. Well the awkwardness hasn't become un'bear'able yet. At least Sharon hasn't spilled the beans on Brad, but what will happen when they meet up with Stan? The tenderness Kelly displayed shows she has a nice sense of compassion. This weekend may be better than expected. I can hardly wait to find out, AstareGod.

Craiger

 

[Autolycus]

Thanks for the update - nice chapter!

 

[AstareGod]

Thanks Craiger and Auto! Let's see where the adventure goes next:

Part 11

I open my eyes as the sun peeks through the curtains. I look to my left - no ice cube. I guess my warmth was enough for her.

I hear a knock at the door.

Apparently my warmth was enough for both of us. As I get out of bed to answer the door, I glance down; I'm not wearing any underwear.

I notice Kelly has stirred awake from the knock. "Kelly, what happened to my underwear?"

Kelly looks down at me and tries to stifle her laughter. "I have no idea. You must have taken them off during the night."

From behind the door, I hear "Open up, lovebirds." It was Gary.

I look down and see my pajamas and underwear on the floor. I grab my underwear, pull it on frantically, then scamper to the door. I open the door to Gary with a huge grin on his face.

He looks me up and down. "I hope I'm interrupting something."

"Good morning to you, too," I say sarcastically. "And you weren't."

"I brought you coffee."

Gary hands me two piping hot coffees. "I hope you like cream and sugar, Kelly."

"I sure do. Thanks, Gary."

I walk to the bed and hand Kelly her coffee. "Gary, you can come in." I sit at the foot of the bed and take a few quick sips of my coffee. It's a bit too hot to drink.

"Harry talked with Julia earlier this morning. She and her pack are on the way here and should be here in an hour or so. And good news, Kelly. Julia mentioned that she's bringing an extra snowboard that you can borrow."

I noticed Kelly's nervous expression. I reassured her, "Don't worry. I'm a bit rusty so we'll both go easy."

"Anyway, there's great breakfast downstairs. You two lovebirds hurry up and get dressed. We'll meet you downstairs in about twenty."

"Sounds good; we'll be right down."

Gary turns around and leaves the room.

"Kelly, do you want to shower first, or-"

"-Just go ahead. I want to check on a few things first."

* * * * *

I wrap up my shower and free up the bathroom for Kelly. Unlike her, I don't have much to check up on. Everyone important to me is all under the same roof - well, everyone important to me that's still living. I open up the curtains a bit and look outside. We have a great view of Crystal Mountain, where we'll be skiing and snowboarding. I sit and just take it all in.

Kelly emerges from the bathroom with a "Ready to go?" I hop up, open the door for her, and we head downstairs.

Everyone else is downstairs waiting for us. I notice a new member in our group.

"Brad, I want you to meet Julia."

"Julia, hi, nice to meet you. I've heard lots of great things about you from Harry."

"Likewise. It's great to meet you, too, Brad."

"And this is Kelly. She's my, er-"

Everyone looks at me and it's silent for a few seconds.

"-Girlfriend."

Kelly and Julia shake hands and exchange greetings. We stand around for a few seconds until Gary breaks the silence. "We should grab something to eat. Julia, would you like to join us?"

"The girls and I ate before driving here, so I'm going to go up and unpack with them. But we should be ready to go when you're done. How about we meet you downstairs then?"

"Sure, we'll see you then."

Gary, Harry, Gina, Kelly, Mom, and myself head inside the restaurant for breakfast. They have a pretty big selection: the usual eggs, bacon, pancakes, and waffles. But they also have something I'm surprised I had never seen before for breakfast, given how much I like it: salmon.

We all fill up our plates and go to sit down. I place my plate on the table, but Harry stops me. He whispers so quietly I could hardly hear him. "I don't think you should sit there." I glance up and see Stan sitting at a nearby table. "I don't think I should sit there, either. Thanks for the warning."

"Well, at least now we know he's not alone."

"I don't really care if he's alone or not; I don't want him here period."

Sharon interrupts our private conversation. "What are you boys talking about?"

Harry nonchalantly covers for me. "What we're going to do after breakfast. Gary and I are skiing with Julia, and Brad's going to go snowboarding with Kelly."

"What about you, Mom?"

"I was chatting with the concierge this morning; he is such a doll. He told me that there is a nearby gondola that goes up Mount Rainier. I told Gina about it and she wants to go do that with me."

"I'm also a freelance photographer, and I want to see what kind of shots I can get of the mountain."

Gary wraps his arm around his girlfriend and snuggles her tightly. "Are you sure you're going to be OK, baby? I don't want you to freeze out there."

"You can borrow Brad; he kept me pretty warm through the night."

I tried hard not to either spit out or choke on my salmon.

* * * * *

The rest of breakfast goes without much more incident. As we get up to leave, I notice Stan's gone - that's a relief. We meet with Julia in the lobby and figure out driving arrangements. Julia will meet Gary, Harry, Kelly, and myself at Crystal Mountain. Gina and Mom will ride with one of Julia's friends to Rainier. We head upstairs to gather all of the equipment and then drive off.

Kelly and I are in the back seat. Gary's driving, and Harry sits next to him. Harry turns and looks at Kelly. "You sure you're not nervous about snowboarding?"

"I think I'll be fine. Is there anything I should be worried about?"

"Where we're going, it won't be too crazy. You may fall a few times until you get the hang of it, but you have a great instructor. He'll do everything he can to make sure you don't bruise those kissable lips."

Gary gives Harry a slap on the knee. "Hush."

We pull into the parking lot and gather all of our gear. Julia gets there with a couple of her friends a few minutes later, and we all head up the lift.

I sit next to Kelly; she's shivering a bit, but I think it's more from the cold than the nervousness. I wrap my arms around her to keep her warm.

"Thanks, my grizzly otter."

We reach the point where Kelly and I disembark. "Have fun, lovebirds. We'll meet in the parking lot in around an hour?"

"Sounds good, guys. Stay safe."

"You too."

I don my snowboard and show Kelly the basics: getting going, making turns, and stopping. She puts hers on and follows my lead. "You're picking this up really quickly."

"Thanks."

I teach her a few more tricks, and then we really get going down the mountain.

 

[Craiger]

I'm certainly glad Brad knows how to snowboard...he sounds very much the expert. But now we have to solve the mystery of the lack of underwear and pajamas so early in the morning... You never know about these grizzly otters. Also, who could be accompanying Stan???? I know the two will have to meet sooner or later and it's going to be interesting.

Craiger

 

[Autolycus]

PJ's on the floor? Many moons ago I worked with a guy who went out and bought a smart pair of PJ's for his honeymoon. He reckoned they would be a waste of money as they would spend the night on the floor - a couple of days later he called off the wedding, so they were a waste of money for whatever reason.

 

[AstareGod]

Craiger - Brad does seem to know his way around on a snowboard. As for the PJs, one has to wonder - he didn't drink that much the night before. Perhaps he did just take them off in his sleep. Same thing happened to a guy I was sleeping next to one time years past.

Auto - "Smart" PJs? Were they intelligent, or just really good-looking? But yes, they did seem to be a waste and got no good use. But luckily he avoided a potentially bad situation getting into a marriage which can be hell trying to get out of.

 

[Craiger]

Now I've heard it all, AstareGod. You're trying to make me believe you didn't take those PJ's off your friend! I think this is a story all of JUB would love to hear.....

Craiger

 

[AstareGod]

Craiger - my story will have to go into another thread!

Part 12

The group with Sharon and Gina arrive at Mount Rainier. Sharon and Gina go to the gondola while everyone else gathers their skiing and snowboarding equipment and head to the lift.

Sharon and Gina pay the admission and wait for the gondola to arrive. Gina fiddles with her camera while Sharon reads some nearby information about Mount Rainier. A family with a small boy and girl join them. When the gondola arrives, they all enter and choose seats. The gondola begins its ascent.

Gina snaps a few pictures. "Sharon, I wanted to ask you something about Brad."

"Sure, dear; what would you like to know?"

"Has he always been gay?"

"Well, he has been for as long as I can remember."

"How did you take it when he came out to you?"

"Oh, my. Well, I kind of already knew when he told me officially. Mother's intuition. I could have told you he was gay years before he told me."

"What made you think so?"

"My, my. I remember it like it was yesterday. He had just turned five years old, and he wanted to dance with one of his buddies at his birthday party. That was my first hint. I would've been just fine with it - he was five - but one of his other friends laid down the law and said 'boys don't dance with other boys,' like it was her party and not Brad's."

"She actually said that?"

"Well, you have to remember that this was over twenty years ago, and Brad and I were living in Colorado at the time."

"That's right; that's right."

"You know, dear, I'm happy to tell you about my personal life, but I'm curious; why do you ask?"

"Well, how long have you known Kelly?"

"Hardly a day - Brad never mentioned her before I planned to come up here."

"So don't you find it a bit interesting when he called her his girlfriend?"

"Not really. I mean, gay men have their girlfriends like I have my girlfriends."

Sharon and Gina look at each other for a moment.

"Wait, you mean you're telling me you think Brad and Kelly are dating?"

Gina nods.

"Oh Gina, you can't be serious."

"They have said some things to each other, and it really does seem like they are together."

"Come on, that's absurd."

Gina breaks eye contact and takes a few more pictures of the beautiful scene outside. There are a few more seconds of tense silence. Sharon continues, "Gina, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend you, but I've known my baby boy so long, and I think being with a woman is the last thing he'd want."

Sharon looks over at the other family. The boy and girl are unfearfully peering out of the glass at the ground hundreds of feet below. Sharon turns back to Gina. "Has Gary mentioned anything about Kelly?"

"No, and I haven't told him, either. You're the only person I've told my suspicions to."

"Well, no offense to you, but I'm sure the truth will become apparent soon."

"I hope it does, too. And no offense taken."

The gondola gets to the top and everyone disembarks.

"Sharon, would you mind being in some of my pictures? I don't get to do portraits or headshots often, and would love to get in some practice."

"Oh, I'd be delighted, dear!"

Gina takes a few pictures of Sharon, getting her and the mountain at various angles. They then head inside the restaurant for a hot chocolate.

"Sharon, I'm glad I finally got to meet you. Gary talks about the trip he and Harry made to go see you. He always had such glowing things to say about you."

"I'm so happy to hear that. Gary is a great guy. You hold on tight and don't let go. Men like him don't come around often. I should know - I found a great one myself and lost him way too early."

"I'm sorry, Sharon."

"Don't be; things happen and we all have to move on. I'll see him again in heaven someday."

They share comforting smiles.

"So when are you and Gary getting married?"

Gina's cheeks turn bright red. "Oh, he hasn't asked me yet, but we have been dating for two years. What's taking him so long?"

Sharon places her hand on Gina's shoulder. "It'll happen when the time is right. Just be patient."

Gina nods. Sharon takes her hand away. "Of course, he might be thinking, 'Fuck chivalry,' and is waiting for you to ask him. What do you think?"

Gina smiles and shrugs, and then the ground shakes beneath them.

They look at each other with very frightened expressions. Sharon then looks upward and says, "I promise I'll never say 'fuck' again."

 

[Craiger]

I see others have suspicions besides me... Sharon's right, even if the guy upstairs doesn't like her language. Maybe Gina should take the initiative and pin Gary down. But this mystery of Brad and Kelly gets deeper by the minute. Something has to break soon.....

Craiger

 

[AstareGod]

Thanks for the feedback, Craiger and ytsnjt1! Hope you enjoy this next part!

Part 13

Gary, Harry, Kelly, and I pull into the lodge's parking lot. Julia follows behind us. We see Gina and Sharon there along with Julia's friend and the rest of her group. It looks like they had just gotten there. As soon as Gary parks, he opens the door and runs toward Gina. I run to Mom.

Gary and Gina embrace. "I'm so glad you and Sharon are safe."

We all head inside. Mom goes to the concierge for more information about the earthquake, and the rest of us sit by the fire and try to calm down. Everyone was pretty quiet until Gina spoke up. "Did you feel the ground shake, too?" Everyone nodded in agreement.

Mom came back. "The concierge says that there was an earthquake. It was pretty minor, but strong enough to where the National Park Service wants to evaluate the risk for avalanche, so there probably won't be any more mountain recreation allowed until then."

Everyone looks pretty bummed, even Mom. I try to cheer everyone up. "At least we got some mountain time in. And all of us are alive and safe. And we're at this fabulous lodge."

Mom chimes in again. "And don't forget about me! I'm here!"

"We would never forget about you, Sharon," Harry remarks. "It's been absolutely great having you here."

"So the plan is to still leave tomorrow?" Gary asks.

I answer his question, "Can't think of a reason not to. Unless, of course, an avalanche does occur and we're stuck here."

Everyone looks nervously at one another, and then Julia breaks the silence. "Why do I feel like this is the beginning of The Shining?" Everyone chuckles at her comment and seems cheered up. Mission accomplished.

We head into the restaurant to grab a quick bite to eat.

Gina turns her attention to Kelly. "How did your snowboarding lesson with Brad go?"

"Quite well, actually. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. What about you and Sharon?"

"The gondola ride was great! So scenic. I got some great shots of the mountain, and I took some of Sharon, too. I'm going to go up to my room to load them onto my laptop. I'm anxious to get a bigger look at them." Gina then asks Julia, "How did you, Gary, and Harry fare?"

Julia grabs Harry all of a sudden. "This man is purely amazing. He was swooping up and down, side to side, and all crazy." Julia made all these hand gestures to go along with her recounting. She then looks Harry in the eyes. "I've never seen a more impressive skier."

Wow. I think we know where Julia's sleeping tonight.

* * * * *

Everyone finishes up what they were eating as the sun sets. Mom had gone up to bed earlier.

Julia stretches her arms out. "Wow, all that snowboarding wore me out. I'm going to go upstairs and rest."

Julia followed suit. "Good idea; Harry, can I borrow your key?" Harry hands his key to Julia.

Gary looks at Gina. "What about you?"

"I want to go up and get those pictures off my camera."

"OK; we'll probably sit and chat for a bit and then we'll be up."

With that, the three ladies go upstairs.

I ask the guys, "So, it looks like it's just us boys. What are we going to do now?"

"I went poking around and noticed this lodge has a Jacuzzi," Harry suggests.

"That sounds wonderful! I haven't been snowboarding in a while, and I can feel soreness setting in already. Oh wait, that won't work."

"Why not?" Gary asks.

"I didn't bring a swimsuit."

Gary gives me a devilish grin. "Neither did we."

* * * * *

Harry leads us to the Jacuzzi. No one is there. In fact, the whole lodge seemed dead. The people who were here probably checked out early due to the earthquake, and everyone else planning to arrive canceled their plans. Oh well; it was great having the place to ourselves.

Gary, Harry, and I walk to a nearby table and take off our shoes, socks, pants, and shirts, leaving only our underwear.

I look at the guys. "Are you sure about this?"

"Don't worry; there's nobody here. We won't get caught," Gary reassures me.

I shrug. All three of us take off our underwear.

This wasn't the first time we've seen each other nude. We work out together a lot, and sometimes when we all get extra sweaty we'll pop into the locker room and shower. All three of us are really comfortable with each other. Chalk it up to how long we've known each other, I guess.

Harry walks over to the controls and starts up the jets. We all get in and sit down. Boy, these jets feel great against naked skin. I lie my head back and relax for a few minutes.

Gary breaks the silence. "So, did you and Kelly roll around in the snow earlier today?"

"No; we haven't even had sex since last weekend."

"That you can remember, at least."

I give Gary an evil look. Harry continued, "So you haven't converted to the dark side yet?"

"I don't think I ever will. I just need to find a way to get rid of Kelly. I can't keep this going forever."

We sit there for a few seconds until Gary changes the subject. "So, Harry, Julia's in your room now."

"What about it?"

"Nothing, really; I just wanted to ask you where you think that's going."

"Yeah, Harry, she seemed really excited at the restaurant."

Gary looks at me. "Oh, you should've seen her while we were skiing. She might play it up that she's a great skier, but it's only her friends who are the real experts. She was falling all over the place, but Harry, being the gentleman he is, was always on hand to help her up."

I am a bit confused. "What's so special about that?"

Harry takes care of explaining. "Well, the last time I helped her up, she stood up and her face came right up to mine. We stood there for a few seconds..."

I'm desperate. "And?"

"We kissed."

I splash water all over the floor squealing and bringing my hands up to applaud. "That's great, Harry! So you two are an item now?"

"Not exactly, but the prospects are looking good."

"That's so good to hear."

Someone opens the door. It looks like a member of the lodge staff.

"Oh, excuse me, gentleman. I was nearby cleaning and I heard a strange noise. Is everything OK?"

Gary and Harry look at me and chuckle. Gary turns around to address the staff member. "Yeah, everything's fine."

The staff member glances over at the table and sees all of our clothes, and then glances back at us and smiles. "Enjoy the rest of your weekend, gentleman." And with that, he leaves.

We all look at each other. It takes tremendous might to not burst out laughing.

"How long have we been soaking?"

"Not long enough."

"Well, we should probably head back up to the rooms before our women get suspicious and come looking for us."

"Yeah, I guess we should."

We step out and walk to the table. Gary hands Harry and me a towel and we dry off. We pull on our underwear, and then put on the rest of our clothes. We head upstairs and to our respective rooms.

I step inside and see that Kelly's already sleeping. She must have been really exhausted. I walk to the bathroom and brush my teeth, then walk to the bed, take off my shirt and pants, and crawl under the covers.

 

[Craiger]

Oh oh! Brad is in trouble..... no PJ's tonight. All he will find on the floor in the morning is his underwear.

So, Harry now has Julia, good for him, and Gary has Gina, good for him.....and Brad wants to get rid of Kelly.... Oh, but is Stan still there???????? Mystery still prevails.

Craiger

 

[72-Jay]

Good chapter..deff looking forward to reading more

 

[AstareGod]

Thanks 72-Jay and Craiger - as always. 72, you're in Colorado? I'll have to have Brad make a visit!

Part 14

I wake up to a familiar torso-rubbing. That must mean I'm in bed with Kelly.

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

I look over at Kelly and try to give her my best smile. "Morning."

"You must have come in pretty late last night. Did you find another hot babe here?"

I laugh - and I'm pretty sure Kelly doesn't know the real reason why.

Kelly and I get ready, pack up everything, and head down to meet the rest of the group at the restaurant for breakfast. We all find a table and go up to grab food. I just had to try more of that salmon.

Gary expresses his condolences to Kelly. "I'm sorry you didn't get more of a chance to try out snowboarding or skiing."

"Oh, that's all right; I'm sure I'll have more chances." Kelly gives my arm a quick squeeze. Mom just tilts her head to the side and smiles.

Gary turns to Gina. "How did your pictures come out, babe?"

"Actually pretty well. I'm thinking of sending some to a friend of mine. She works at an imaging company."

Sharon squeals in excitement. "We could be looking at the next Dorothea Lange!"

Gary nudges me and whispers in my ear, "Or Bruce Weber."

I whisper back, "She's taken pictures of you?" Gary just smiles at me knowingly with that evil grin.

We wrap up breakfast and get up to move the bags to the cars. We start walking to the elevators. Harry asks me, "Are you all packed up?"

I turn to answer him as we round the corner. "Yeah, how ab-" I accidentally run into someone. "Oh, sorry, excuse me, sir."

I look up and notice it's Stan.

Crap. And I almost made it out of there undetected.

"Good to see you, Brad." He doesn't sound happy.

"Er, good to see you too, Stan."

"You here with anyone?"

"Well, I-"

Mom steps in. "Brad! Is this the man you were dating?"

"Mom, don’t-"

Kelly looks utterly confused. "What are you two talking about? I'm his girlfriend."

Stan quips back, "Brad dating a girl? That's news to me. I happen to be his ex-boyfriend, and the greatest thing he'll never have."

Kelly turns her attention to me. "So what, you're bisexual?"

I can hardly muster a, "Well-"

Stan laughs. "Hardly."

Mom looks at me with a sadness in her eyes. "Brad? Is this true?"

A few very tense seconds pass. I take a deep breath. "Yes, it's true. Kelly, meet Stan, my ex-boyfriend. Stan, meet Kelly, my-"

Kelly interrupts. "His ex-girlfriend."

Kelly shakes Stan's hand rather vigorously, then storms away. I look up at Gary and Harry. They're both speechless.

Stan just looks at me, says, "See you 'round, Brad," and walks away.

Mom yells after Stan, "Nice meeting you!"

Harry turns to me. "So, Brad, you're all packed up?"

I am so angry from how this situation turned out that I can't help but yell at Harry. "Yeah, didn't we cover all of that before I ran into Stan?"

"Sorry, Brad, we must've; I just forgot."

Gary suggests, "You stay here; Harry and I will go upstairs to pack and will text you when Kelly's gone."

"All right."

Gary and Harry go upstairs while Mom sits on a couch in the lobby. I can't blame them. No one really wants to be near someone when they've fucked up really badly.

Minutes later, my phone vibrates and it's a text from Gary. I head upstairs and meet them at my room. We go in and I grab the bags.

"We saw Kelly as she was leaving. She said she arranged a ride with Julia and her friends back to Seattle."

"Is that all?"

"Well, she also scathingly said, 'Give my regards to that filthy, lying snake.'"

"I guess we can call that relationship over."

"Was it ever official to begin with?"

I sigh. "I guess not. But I'm telling you guys one thing." I point at both of them. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever let you guys talk me into doing."

Harry quips, "We may have done the talking, but you did all the rest."

I had to give him that one.

Gary turns his attention to me. "I agree; the whole thing was pretty stupid. Gina's not too happy about it, but I'll try to do my best and calm her down. Are we still good, though?"

"Are you crazy? You guys stood right there during the whole thing. Where am I going to find two other people who stick by me through thick and thin?"

"That's what I was hoping for."

I hug each of them, then we all bring the bags downstairs and load the cars up.

Mom and I get in my car while Gary, Harry, and Gina get in Gary's. I roll my window down. "Drive safely."

"You too. Have a safe flight, Sharon. And come and see us again."

"You know I will!"

I pull out of the parking lot and head onto 410.

The drive back to the airport is fairly silent. Mom, one of the most accepting and loving people I've ever known, won't even speak to me. It takes all my effort to keep from crying on the way to the airport.

We pull into the parking lot fairly close to the entrance. I walk up and flag down a skycap to help with the bags. We get everything inside and up to the counter. I go to the kiosk to print out Mom's boarding pass while Mom attempts to locate her Denver buddy's best friend.

I return with her boarding pass. "Got everything taken care of?"

"Yep. He is so charming. When I get back to Denver, I'll have to arrange to take them out to dinner."

"I'll walk you to security."

We walk, still silent. We arrive at the entrance to security and we face each other.

Mom looks at me with those sad eyes again. "Brad, you know I love you no matter what."

"Yes, Mom, I know."

"Did you love her?"

"You know, I don't think I could have ever felt the way about a woman like I did with Kelly. I didn't know I was capable of it."

"Brad, your love knows no boundaries. I'm happy that your heart was open to receiving it, and also to returning it."

I could feel myself tearing up. She continued, "This doesn't change anything between you and me. You'll always be my baby boy - gay, straight, bi, whatever."

"Thanks, Mom, but after sampling the buffet, I think I'll stick with men."

"Oh, you hush!"

She pulls me into a tight hug, and I don't think she wants to let go. She eventually pulls away.

"You have so much going for you, Brad - living in a fabulous city, a new job - you have so much ahead of you. Just keep living and loving."

"I will."

"OK, one more for the flight."

We hug tightly again.

"Call me when your flight lands."

"I will, baby boy. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

And with that, she walks to security. She turns to me and waves. I wave back, and then turn around and leave the airport.

 

[Craiger]

Airport goodbyes are so sad.....particularly if it's your mom. Wow! Stan stepped into the picture and quickly stepped out. I'm not sure whether it was a good thing, however it did bring about the departure of Kelly. At least Brad doesn't have to worry about that now. I'm going to miss the fun little nickname, grizzly otter. But, who knows, it may just stick with Brad...........

Craiger

 

[72-Jay]

Poor Brad but I think we all knew that relationship would come crashing down eventually...

Thanks 72-Jay and Craiger - as always. 72, you're in Colorado? I'll have to have Brad make a visit!

Welcome, have really enjoyed the story so far
Yep I'm in Colorado...cool a future chapter where he visits my home state

 

[AstareGod]

Great to have your feedback, guys! I'm glad you're liking the story so far. Writing it has been an absolute pleasure so I hope you'll stick around.

Enjoy this next part!

Part 15

The alarm clock rings especially early today. It's my first day as project manager - at least I have something to look forward to.

First, a quick recap: Mom's plane landed safely in Denver. Gary, Harry, and Gina made it back safely, too. Now Kelly on the other hand - no response to my texts, calls, or voicemails. Oh well.

I put on some running shorts. Hopefully a quick run will clear my mind.

It's another gorgeous day - we don't get many of these in December. I head to Volunteer Park to run a few laps, all the while unable to shut my mind up. I finish up and head back home, take a quick shower, then it's off to work.

I run into the nearby Starbucks for a coffee and wrap, then head into the building and head to Eric's office.

"Morning, Eric."

"Good morning! How did your weekend go?"

I just look at him, with a you-so-did-not-just-ask-that-question expression.

His cheerfulness faded away. "Oh, that bad, huh? I'm sorry."

"It was awful."

"I guess that's the last time you take a girl to the mountains for a weekend."

"You can say that again."

"Well, try to take it easy, I guess. Keep an optimistic attitude. You have this new job and all."

"Yeah, I'm trying to focus on that."

"Good, good. Well, let's get started, then."

* * * * *

Eric and I spend the next five days going over applicant upon applicant. There's lots of great talent in this area, so it doesn't look like it'll be a problem filling in the developer and testing openings we have. We've been pretty much joined at the hip this whole week getting prepared for hiring, so on Friday we run to a place downtown for lunch together.

"Eric, mind if I ask you something personal?"

"I never do mind."

"I know you're married with kids and all, but is that always how you imagined life?"

"I suppose; I never really thought about it. Getting married and having kids is sort of what society expects you to do, if you're straight, that is."

"Well, I guess what I mean to ask is, did you ever think about it going differently?"

"Differently than what? If I were gay?"

"Yeah."

Eric sits, silently contemplating for the next few seconds. "Well, this is obviously the first time I've entertained even the thought of such a possibility."

"I'm sorry."

"No, Brad, it's fine. I can't say I've ever imagined myself living as a gay man."

"Never been attracted to any men at all?"

"Nope, I can safely say I haven't. Wait, does this have something to do with last weekend?"

I can feel the guilt all over my face.

"It does, doesn't it? You looked way too suspicious last week for Kelly to have been just a friend."

"OK, you caught me."

"So now that that's on the table, how did it go?"

"You know, I'm surprised how far it actually went. It was only supposed to be just a dare from my best friends to see if I would go ask a girl out."

"It always starts as only a dare, doesn't it?"

"Well, I could feel part of me falling in love, or at the very least, caring for her. Here I am, big gay Brad, falling in love with a woman. Do you think that's possible?"

"I guess if you're open to the possibility, anything's possible. As for me, I guess I just grew up in a different time. Sex wasn't as much of an open subject as it is now, so I probably would have laughed if one of my guy friends came on to me and not given it a second thought. But who am I to judge? As long as you walk away from an experience with more help than hurt, I don't see it as a bad thing."

"I think it's too early for me to tell."

Eric pats me on the shoulder. "Give it time; you'll figure it out."

* * * * *

If there ever was a need for alcohol, it is now.

I decide to give Gary a call. "Hey, do you and Harry want to hang out tonight?"

"Sorry, Brad; Gina and I are staying in tonight."

"What, I can't drop by? She's never minded me coming over before."

"Well, she kind of wants to steer clear of you for a while because of what happened last weekend."

"Seriously? And she's not mad at you?"

"Oh, she's mad at me, too. She has every right to be. I'm trying to fix things, though. Just give it time."

"Yeah, people keep telling me that."

"Harry's busy with Julia, too. Sorry. I'd love to hang out, you know that, but I already made plans to stay in with Gina."

"It's OK, Gary. I'll deal."

"How about we grab some Starbucks tomorrow morning? We can sit and talk then."

"That's a good idea. Thanks, Gary."

We say our goodbyes and hang up. Best friends are preferred when going out, but not necessary.

* * * * *

I arrive outside of one of the many gay bars Seattle has to offer. I don't frequent them much, but the situation calls for desperate measures.

I head inside and find a seat at the bar.

"Whatcha havin'?"

"Lemon drop, please." How predictable.

At least the music they have playing is pretty upbeat. The bartender hands me my concoction, and I take an oh-so-very-satisfying sip.

I look across the bar and see a man leaning against the wall - a man who is very attractive, and, for some reason, also faintly familiar. Looks to be in his late 20s or early 30s, perhaps. I glance up at the TVs on the wall, not really paying attention to what is on them. I glance back at the man. He gives me a quick nod, as if to say, "What's up?" I nod back. I down the rest of my lemon drop as he makes his way over and sits next to me.

"Can I get you another one of those? You look like you could use it."

"Thanks; that would be awesome."

He gets the bartender's attention and orders another lemon drop. He looks back at me. "So, what in the world could be bringing down such a sexy guy like yourself? And don't give me a shitty excuse like, 'the world is ending,' because that actually was supposed to happen today and didn't."

I chuckle at his comment. "Why does it matter?"

"Because I care. That's why it matters."

"You just met me."

"I just know that everyone needs someone to talk to every now and then. And who better than someone who doesn't know you, hasn't formed their own opinions, and comes to you with an open mind?"

The bartender returns with my drink, and I take a sip. "Fair enough. I'm Brad Palovich."

"James. James Briscoe." He flashes the most beautiful smile I've ever seen.

I shake his hand, and instantly recognize whom I'm speaking to.

I glance down at his knees. "Looks like you got those grass stains out."

-------

 

[72-Jay]

Another good chapter
A possible new friend for Brad? Maybe someone he does know afterall?
I'll have to wait til my other computer is on to watch that YouTube vid...

 

[Craiger]

Brad is not having a good week. Even his best friends are unresponsive due to their entanglement with their girlfriends. Hopefully James Briscoe will be a good sounding board for him. I'm really curious as to how Brad knows him. They must have wrestled on some grass to get those stains.... More lemon drops can help as well. Keep up to the good work, AG.

Craiger

 

[AstareGod]

I think all your questions about the new guy will be answered in the next part, which I'll post tomorrow!

72, have you watched the YouTube video yet? It's a remix of the song "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)" by Kylie Minogue. That's what I envision is playing at the bar when James approaches Brad. Perhaps that's foreshadowing a bit. If I were to ever make this a movie, that would be the song I'd want playing.

Thanks as always for the comments. Look here tomorrow for Part 16!