Wings of A Butterfly

[Kyanimal]

I'm perched on the edge of my chair, "Patiently" waiting!

Keep smilin'!!
Chaz

 

[YoungRomantic]

ITC,

This has been my favorite story on this forum so far. Please hurry back!! :]

 

[inthecloset]

Before finals I met a boy. He touched my heart and changed my perspective about emotions and dependence. We started a relationship, but we were both really standoffish and protective of our own emotions. Recently problems arose in his life and he had to put things on hold between us. I'm not sure if we're still together, or if we will be together later on because he does not return my calls nor does he answer my texts. I'm finding it really hard to write about romance but I'm trying guys. I'm trying to get the next part of the story going, but it's really hard when you let someone touch your heart and they walk away from it.

I do apologize for constantly teasing you guys about my writing, and I do apologize if this next chapter is lackluster. I hope you all understand what I'm currently trying to deal with. I promise to keep in touch and I promise I'll pull out of this one just like I did the last one.

Much love,
- ITC

 

[____]

Sorry to here that ITC . Personal life comes first, and I wish you all the best. We can and we will wait for your next installment whenever you're ready to write.

 

[sheep]

That's upsetting news ITC. I wish I could tell you something to kickstart your writing, but I know if the inspiration isn't there it's all but impossible. You will get through this in time. Use your time now to plan out the story so when you feel better, you should be able to get right at it.

 

[leeisme]

Your writing is truly magnificent. Your character development is some of the best I have ever encountered (that includes published novels). You make us relate to and love or hate your characters.
I hope you will be in great spirits very soon, and that your current problem becomes a distant memory in a happy, productive and exciting life full of love and success. Keep in mind there are hundreds if not thousands of us that love and respect your writing and love and respect you for keeping at it in good times and bad.

 

[littletosay]

I'm sorry to hear that ITC

Take some time and keep your chin up

 

[inthecloset]

Hey guys,

I'm sorry I've been kinda MIA lately. Post breakup mixed with lots of school work and work work didn't really make a conducive writing environment. But spring break is coming up and I should be able to finish the next chapter by the end of the month. I hope I haven't lost any fans in my absence and it made me happy to see this on the front page of the subforum

Much Love,
- ITC

 

[DonQuixote]

ITC,
We're sticking by you.
Real life, with its ups and downs, comes first.
Take care.

 

[inthecloset]

Hey guys!!

Long time no see! I do sincerely apologize for my extended absence. I hope I didn't lose any of you. I'm posting this to let everyone know that I just sent the latest chapter to my editor after finally getting a chance to finish it. I will post it as soon as he gets back to me.

A little explanation as to my absence:
I started dating a boy whom I fell quickly in love with. He broke my heart and left me without a word. After that I fell into a depression that was hard to get out of and couldn't write about love without wanting to kill my characters off. After I got past that, I started working full time at my job for the summer and then, when school started, have been working 2 jobs along with being a full time student. Today was the first day I felt like I had a breather and I decided to sit down and finish the chapter. I'm dedicated to bringing this story to a close and will be posting chapters as quickly as I can without rushing the events. This chapter isn't very long though, but I hope it makes up for me ignoring you guys.

Much love,
- ITC

 

[Kyanimal]

Hey, ITC

'Tis GOOD to hear from YOU, even though the extenuating circumstances have not exactly been a full realization of your Hopes and aspirations.

Real Life has it's own twists, and turns. And, as much as we're ALL looking forward to the continuation of your story, it's far more important that you take the time to deal with that which you need to cope with.

Given those circumstances, I'm even more impressed that you've been thinking of "Us", and am So much more looking forward to your continued writing!

THANK YOU, Buddy!!

All the more reasons to ... no matter what ...

Keep smilin'!!
Chaz

 

[DonQuixote]

ITC,
It's great to hear from you.

And, Chaz speaks wise words. I'm glad you're on an upswing from some unfortunate happenings.
I look forward to your chapter and getting reacquainted with the boys.
But, first and foremost, take care of yourself and school, work.

 

[____]

I've missed you.

 

[inthecloset]

I'm sorry guys. My editor has been swamped with schoolwork. Just waiting on him to get a free night to read it over for me.

 

[looseliam]

I can't wait!

 

[inthecloset]

Wings of A Butterfly

Chapter Thirty-Two:
Birthday Bash​

“Aaron,” Lucas whispered, “Wake up.”

I groaned and turned over onto my stomach, burying my face into my pillow. Even the sound of Lucas's voice couldn't get me excited for my birthday. For as long as I could remember, I had never looked forward to my birthday, to getting older. Today was worse though, because not only was I getting older, I was also two weeks away from watching my best friend and her two month old sidekick walk down the aisle.

The thought that either of us were old enough to get married made my insides quiver and sent a cold chill down the small of my back that felt as though some monster were eating its way through my stomach. Lucas put his hand on my back almost as if he knew how I was feeling. He caressed my back and kissed the back of my head.

“Aaron,” he said, “Remember my birthday, and how I was acting like a total tool?”
“Shut up, Luke,” I said with my voice muffled by the pillow.
“Come on, Aaron,” he whined, “do you remember?”
I lifted my head out from the pillow and said, “Of course I remember...”
“And do you remember how you got me to feel better?”
“I gave you a guitar,” I said with my eyes wide with disbelief.
He laughed at the look on my face and said, “Yes, you did.”

He leaned in to kiss me gently on the lips and with a wink, got up and went out into the hallway. I watched his beautiful body as his legs strode out of the room. I was so distracted by Lucas that I almost didn't notice how hot it was already. The sweltering stuffy room brought on by the bright July sunlight with the combination of the anticipation Lucas had me in was making me sweat through my athletic shorts and white t-shirt.

I waited patiently for my boy to return from wherever he had gone to retrieve my birthday present. I heard some doors opening and closing in the hallway and the sound of cardboard boxes slapping against each other as they were shuffled around followed by the sound of a couple thuds against the floor as they were dropped onto the ground. I counted three total bumps against the hardwood of the hallway and knew whatever Lucas had gotten me was going to outdo whatever I had done for him.

“You ready, babe?” he asked.
“Hurry up!” I shouted out the door.

I could hear him chuckling as he made his way down the hallway. His face appeared in the doorway with a devious grin spread from ear to ear. He had three flat boxes, one large with two smaller ones sitting on top of it, in his hands. He knelt at the foot of the bed and placed them in front of me. I must have had the look of a kid in a candy store or a thirteen year-old in a porn shop on my face because Lucas couldn't stop smiling at me.

You'd think I was handed a mighty sword that gave infinite power or a golden chalice that supplied eternal life by the way I was looking at my gifts. I was almost afraid to open the boxes that were all wrapped in light blue paper with dark blue ribbons tied around them. Time almost slowed down while I reached forward and grabbed one of the smaller boxes. I was about to bring it back to me but Lucas stopped my hand and forced me to look at him.

“Open the big one first,” he said smiling at me.
“Fine then, take off your pants.”

We both started laughing as I put the two smaller boxes aside and leaned forward to grab the large box sitting in front of me. I jokingly made a quick grab towards Luke's crotch to get another round of laughs out of him before I started peeling the ribbon away from the edges. I carefully tore the paper at the ends and dragged out the opening process as long as I could before Lucas started getting antsy. I could tell he really wanted the damn thing open so I ripped the paper and tossed it aside.

When I opened the box and looked in, I saw a brand new black tuxedo folded up. I was bewildered at the pricey looking articles of clothing that were sitting in the box in front of me. I glanced up at Lucas, who was smiling at me with excitement in his beautiful eyes. My hands tried to move and my lips tried to form words, but I was stunned.

This was the first time I had ever been truly speechless.

“Do you like it?” he asked.
“Uh... buh,” was all I could manage.
Lucas started giggling and said, “I'll take that as a 'yes' since you seem to be beyond the help of the English language.”
“What's this for?” I asked.
“For the wedding, duh,” he responded putting the empty box on the floor.
“I know but, I mean, why?” I asked still completely befuddled.
“Because,” he said looking me in the eye, “You deserve to look nice on the most important day of your best friend's life.”
“That's really sweet, Luke,” I said, “But you didn't have to...”
“I know, I wanted to, though,” he said, “Plus, there's no way I'm being seen with you wearing a ratty, old, rent-a-tux.”
I leaned in to hug him and said, “Thank you.”
“You're welcome,” he said hugging me back, “Now open this one.”

He handed me one of the two smaller boxes as he pulled away from the hug. The smile remained on his face as I lifted the top of the unwrapped box and pulled out two envelopes. The top envelope contained two tickets round trip to Sacramento while the bottom envelope contained two tickets that were only one way to Sacramento. Underneath the bottom envelope was a pamphlet for one of the nicer hotels in the area near the event center where the reception was going to be.

I stared blankly at the tickets as Luke's excitement poured from him and into me. I knew exactly what he was going to say before he said it. I finally realized what he had been doing these past few nights after I went to bed. I looked up at him to see the excited smile of a four year old who just saw a Christmas tree littered with presents at the bottom and small traces of soot from the chimney to create the illusion of a late-night gift giver.

“The first two are for us,” he said, “the other two are for Carly and Mike.”
“Luke, this is incredible,” I said.
“Yeah, well it's mostly for Carly. She's been so stressed out about planning her wedding from far away. I figure it'd take a huge weight off her shoulders to get there early and finish planning from home.”
“That is beyond thoughtful, Luke; I can't believe you went through all this trouble,” I said.
“It wasn't that much trouble,” he said chuckling, “but this way the four of us can get a head start on everything. I made reservations at one of the nicer hotels for all of us.”
“I don't know what I did to deserve a guy like you,” I said as I pulled him back in for another hug.
“That's not all,” he said.

He pulled away from me again and grabbed the last box from the ground and handed it to me. Based on the last two boxes, I had no idea what to expect for my last gift. I took a deep breath and lifted the top of the box out of place. When I looked inside, I was surprised to see nothing more than an empty box. With a quizzical expression on my face, I looked at Lucas who was laughing quietly at my reaction. He reached out a hand and pushed the box out of the way and kissed me.

“That,” he said, “is for being so damn cute.”
“Thanks?” I said, “Why is it empty?”
“Because that's what I want you to worry about today,” he said, “Absolutely nothing.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Well, mostly because I know you,” he said, “but also because today I'm taking you to the beach where you won't have anything to worry about.”
“Seriously, Luke?” I said.
“Yes!” he said before I could get anything else out, “I'm going to make sure you have at least one stress-free day in your life if it kills me.”
“If I must,” I said with chuckle.

He leaned in and kissed me gently as he put his hands on my shoulders. We spent a moment to just take each other in. My mind, for a split second, focused on the gentle press of his soft lips against mine. It seemed like time slowed down as I felt the small part of the inner side of his lips. His scent filled my nostrils and sent me into a tranced state.

The way he kissed me was almost hypnotizing. The way our tongues danced together was like a music-less lullaby to me. I could have fallen asleep to the sound of our lips as they pulled apart for brief seconds and then pushed back together again. I could have lost myself in the feeling of his tongue sliding past my teeth and playing with my own. His grip on my shoulders tightened as he forced himself to stop.

“You need to shower,” he said.
I laughed and said, “Gee, that's not exactly what I was expecting to hear.”
“I mean,” he said standing up and walking over to the closet, “You have to shower and get ready to go.”
“Come on,” I said getting up and joining him as he went through my shirts and pants. I wrapped my arms around his torso from behind and pressed my crotch against his toned ass, “Can't we play a little bit? It is my birthday afterall.”

He turned around without breaking my grip on him. He kissed my lips with intense softness and then said, “We'll have plenty of time to play tonight. I want it to be special for you.”

My eyes dropped in disappointment as I conceded to Lucas's decision. It only took me a couple of months to figure out that once Lucas made up his mind about something, it was a battle to get him to change it. I could tell this was something really important to him so I decided to let him have it as I grabbed a handful of his tight butt and sprinted off to the bathroom to get in the shower before he could catch me.

The cool water trickled down my chest through the crevices formed by my newly formed abdominal muscles. I ran a soaped up washcloth gently over my skin to wash away the previous day's stress. As I stood beneath the water, listening to the rushing sound it made as it flew out of the nozzle and the crashing sound that reverberated from the tiles of the shower, I began to think about going home for the first time in so long. It had been almost two years since I had been to my home-city of Sacramento. If Carly hadn't insisted on having the wedding there, I'm almost certain I never would have gone back.

Thinking about the wedding had started to freak me out. In just a couple of weeks, my bestfriend would be marrying her dream guy, and seven months later would be bringing a precious child into this world. I couldn't help but think about how lucky that child was. The child would have two solid parents who loved each other more than I thought was humanly possible, Carly's wonderfully wacky older sister Jillian, two uncles in Lucas and I who would spoil the bejesus out of the poor kid, and two sets of happily married grandparents who would bitchslap the grim reaper himself to stick around for a few more years and make sure they saw this kid spit out a great-grandchild for them.

This kid was so lucky, so loved... and it hadn't even developed all of its toes yet. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous of this child. He or she would be brought into a world full of love and laughter that I would have given anything to have when I was a kid. That jealousy was quickly dissolved when I thought about all the chances I would have to babysit and make sure that he or she would go back to Carly with the smartest mouth in the world.

I finished my shower a lot faster than it started and went out into the kitchen wearing nothing but my towel. Lucas was standing by the door waiting and took one glance at me. I giggled intensely as he stared at my glistening chest and laughed even harder when he almost tented in his pants right in front of me.

“You wanted to wait, “ I said, “but I never said I'd make it easy.”
“You suck, Aaron,” he said pushing his way into the bathroom.

There was a Denver Omelet (my favorite breakfast) and three slices of bacon sitting on a plate on the counter when I walked into the kitchen. As I sat down to eat, I heard the sound of the shower being turned on. My mind was soothed by the muffled sounds of the water pattering against the tiles through the closed bathroom door. I decided at that moment to take Lucas's command and clear my mind to keep myself from worrying about anything that day.

If I hadn't, then the day probably wouldn't have been amazing as it had been.

* * *

My feet tossed sand in the air as I dashed down the beach with Lucas hot on my tail. We had been sitting next to each other watching the ocean waves and playing with the sand when I tossed a small amount at him. This started a sand war which ended with Lucas getting a handful dropped into his hair and me running away from him as fast as I physically could while laughing hysterically.

My laughter slowed me down to the point where Lucas was able to catch me. He grabbed me from behind and pulled me to the ground, the force of which practically burying the both of us in sand. We were both laughing now as Lucas shook out his golden hair on my face. He was nice enough to wipe it away so I could open my eyes before his lips pressed against mine. I never imagined myself in this position before, much less it being with a guy as great as Lucas (or even a guy period before last September).

The kiss didn't last very long and it wasn't intensely passionate, but it was incredibly affectionate which Lucas was definitely pulling off a lot recently. He looked down at me with those beautiful bright eyes of his and a smile that stretched across his face. I'm pretty sure I had the exact same look on my face. After everything was said and done, I felt like the reason I loved Lucas so much was because he was my best friend first, and my boyfriend followed closely after.

He lifted himself up and wiped the remnants of the beach off of his chest while I watched. He dusted what remained of my assault out of his hair and then looked back over at me. My hands were behind my head as I lay there watching his gorgeous body glisten in the sun as it began to set. His hand stretched out to lift me to my feet, but I sat up and pulled him back down to the ground beside me. I pulled his arm around me and we sat there for a while.

Our eyes and minds focused on the sunset together. The scenery and the feeling of Lucas's skin touching mine was the perfect way to unwind from the day. A twenty minute drive from our apartment brought us to Pismo Beach. The boardwalk was swamped with people and we were constantly ducking into stores and looking at souvenirs together. Occasionally, we would go to the back of the store where people were able to see, but no one was likely to notice and had a quick make-out session.

We had lunch at the famed Splash Cafe and walked to the end of the pier together. I took out my camera and snapped a bunch of pictures. Most of the pictures were of Lucas, but there were a few pretty great accidental shots interspersed in there. When my camera’s battery died, Lucas pushed himself up against me and kissed me.

That was when we went down to the beach. We grabbed our things from the car and picked out a nice spot in the sand to unwind. Lucas pulled his shirt off and grabbed me by the hand. He dragged me into the ocean with him against my better judgment and forced me to get over my fears of large bodies of water. I was barely able to get my own shirt off, not to mention my locket. He pulled me waist deep into the water and locked his arms around me.

“Do you trust me?” he asked.
“Of course,” I said with a shaky voice.

The waves pushed up against us and I felt Lucas’s hands clasp around my back. He pulled me forward and under the water. The current pulled us further out and when we surfaced together, we were in much deeper water. I felt a rush of anxiety wash over me that instantly went away once Lucas’s hands reconnected their grip around me. I looked into his beautiful eyes and felt every inch of me get lost in the depth of their affection.

Lucas sensed that I was finally letting go and signaled to me that it was okay to get out of the water. We went back to our spot and laid on the towels. The sun dried our skin quickly and we spent the rest of the afternoon building a sandcastle. Then the sand war started. I tossed some at Lucas while he was setting up a tower and he took the entire lump he was working on and threw it at me. But I was too fast for Lucas. I ducked and his lump missed me. The chase ended as quickly as it started with Lucas on top of me in the sand.

We watched as the sun began to set over the horizon. Lucas turned toward me and put his hand on the back of my head. He pulled me in for another affectionate kiss, allowing his lips to linger for just a short moment before pulling away and looking into my eyes. The warmth of his gaze spread over me as his eyes burned into me with a fiery passion unmatched by anything I’ve seen before. I could only imagine the things he was doing to me in his mind.

“We should get going,” he said.
“Already?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s almost 7,” he responded.
“If you say so,” I said smiling.

We rose from our spots and picked up our towels and clothes. Lucas pulled me close as we walked back to the parking lot nearby. The air was beginning to chill outside as the sun began to descend. We stuffed everything into the trunk, put on our t-shirts, and jumped into the car to head home. I watched the hills speed past my window while the sunset cast an orange tint across the horizon.

It was almost dark by the time we got back to the apartment. Luke took me by the hand and we went up the stairs together. We stopped just outside the door and he took my other hand and looked me in the eyes. There was a moment between us where time stopped. It was a moment I knew I would never forget. In that moment, I felt like everything would be okay. After my mom died, I never imagined I would ever feel like that again.

He pulled me in close and kissed my lips with such intensity, I thought they might fuse together at any second. When he released, my head was spinning and my vision went cloudy for a split second. I could feel the smile stretching across my face. I opened my eyes again and saw the smile mirrored on Luke’s face.

“I hope you had a good day,” he said.
“I had a great one,” I said, “The best I’ve ever had.”
“Well, you deserve it,” he said, “but, I have one more surprise for you.”

Lucas grabbed the doorknob and pushed our apartment door open. A light flipped on inside and six people jumped out and yelled “Surprise!” I looked around at the faces of my friends in my living room and then back to Lucas.

“What is this?” I asked.
“Well,” he said, “we decided that we wanted to have a sit down dinner for your birthday. Family style.”

I turned back around to see a table full of food arranged in the living room. Carly and Mike sat down next to each other with Henry beside them, Sean and Cherilyn sat opposite them, and Jonathan sat down next to Cherilyn. There were two open seats left at each end of the table. At the head of the table was a bright red plate with gold writing that said “Birthday Boy” on it. I looked at all the faces once more and tears filled my eyes.

I looked at Lucas and realized what he was trying to tell me.

“You did all of this for me?” I asked.
“Of course,” he said, “I kind of like you, you know.”
“I can’t believe this,” I said.
“Family doesn’t end with blood Aaron,” he said, “Sometimes you get to choose your family.”

I held back the tears as best I could and smiled at Lucas. This beautiful man standing in front of me, who loved me more than I could fathom, had given me the greatest gift of all. I turned back around and looked at my family. Everyone sitting together. We had been through some rough times, but we were all still together. And the family was growing every day.

I sat down at the head of the table, Lucas at the end, and felt Carly’s hand on my shoulder. I smiled at her and tried to contain my emotions as best as I could. Everyone looked at me for a moment. I wished my mom could see this, see me. I wished she could see that, even with her absence, I had love in my life. I looked from face to face and finally, words came to me.

“I don’t know how to thank you guys, or describe what this means to me,” I said, “I love you all.”
“We love you too, Aaron,” Cherilyn said.
“More than you realize,” Carly added.

I smiled at the both of them and then looked at Lucas. His eyes were tearing up now too. I smiled at him and he smiled back. A feeling of grace and serenity swept over me and I felt at peace. I took a deep breath and grabbed a fork.

“Let’s dig in!” I said.

Everyone laughed and grabbed their own utensils and started attacking the food on the table. Chatter filled the night. Discussions about the looming wedding dominated the conversation. Pretty soon we would be getting on a plane and heading back to our hometown. Then, my best friend and sister would extend the family further after walking down the aisle.

I couldn’t wait.

 

[DonQuixote]

ITC,
What a GREAT chapter in the guys' lives - and a truly appropriate Thanksgiving installment.

I know you've had some ups and downs in your own life.
I hope you find your Luke and extended family, too.

Thank you.

 

[Craiger]

It is good to have you back, ITC, with Aaron and Lucas and the extended family. Love and romance permeated this chapter which was not only felt by the characters in the story but by your fans. Emotions grow strong and bring out the deep feelings that all of us desire in our own lives. Thank you for bringing that to us. Looking forward to the next phase and the wedding.

Craiger

 

[Autolycus]

Our wait has been well rewarded, so good to read more about these characters!

 

[Kyanimal]

ITC!

It's Wonderful to see YOU back! And, THANK YOU! for continuing your Awesome, and Powerful, story, and sharing Aaron's and Lucas's Family with those of us here at JUB! It all means a Lot, Buddy!!

Keep smilin'!!
Chaz