Freshly showered, Aric walked into the bedroom to find Tom still in bed. The comforter had fallen away from his back, which rose and fell with his breath. Holding his towel around his waist, Aric went over and kissed Tom on the cheek. "Hey, I've got to go to work."
Tom squirmed in the sheets. "No. Another five minutes," he mumbled.
"Not you, silly. Me." He pulled the comforter up over Tom's shoulders. "I'll leave the key--"
"No, I want to eat breakfast with you." Tom shoved off the covers and sat up. Aric smiled and leaned down to kiss him. Tom's lips were soft.
Tom hooked his fingers over Aric's towel, but Aric held it tight. He chuckled. "No. At this rate I barely have time to eat cereal."
He turned away and left Tom sitting there on the bed. His erection was growing, and he didn't want to do something stupid to jeopardize his job. "I'll be in the kitchen, come out when you're ready."
He poured himself a bowl of Mini-Wheats and sat down in his towel to eat. Tom came out shortly wearing nothing, his hair a mess. He stood over Aric and massaged his shoulders a bit, then kissed him on the neck.
"You're going home today, right?" Aric said.
"Home is with you." Tom turned Aric's head around and kissed him on the lips.
Aric smiled. "Mom and Dad would rather have you with them, especially since you're going away to school soon."
Tom sighed and went over to the counter to pour himself some cereal. Aric looked after him, munching on his Mini-Wheats, admiring his brother's full, round ass. Tom turned around, and Aric went on staring at his package.
"Like what you see?" A cheeky grin spread across Tom's face. He sat down across from Aric at the table and stuck his foot up between Aric's legs, massaging his crotch through his towel.
"Stop that." Aric swatted his foot away. He glared at Tom, hoping to send the message across. Despite that, staring at Tom's pink lips and shaggy brown hair was starting to get him hard. "Look, I absolutely have to go to work today. Don't worry, I'll see you again before you go to school."
Tom didn't respond. Instead he got that downcast look on his face which Aric recognized as sulking mode. He didn't know what he meant, but he knew that finishing his breakfast and getting dressed as soon as possible would avert danger.
His work shirt felt a little tight today. It was probably time to start working out again. Tom was still at the table munching at his cereal. Aric leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. Tom still stared at his cereal. Aric turned his head up to face him.
"Tom, listen, I meant it when I said I loved you. I'm sorry you can't just come and live with me. We'll figure things out, don't worry." He leaned down and gave him a hug, then kissed him. "I've got to go to work. Here's the key. Please leave it under the mat when you leave."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the key, setting it on the table before Tom. Then he turned to walk out the door.
"I love you too, Aric," said Tom.
Aric smiled to himself, then left.
Work was long that day. Too long. Fixing cars had become a routine, which was usually nice. He could let his mind wander just a little and have some time to really think. But he went and spent it all thinking about Tom. It had taken so much effort for him to confront his feelings for his brother. When Tom turned away on the lake, it hurt. When Tom came running to him, he was never happier. And so he spent the entire day dreaming of his brother's body, his brother's touch, his brother's touch, only to finally understand that Tom was going away to school. It hadn't really registered to him before, but he remembered when his friends all left for school, how things changed. Now Tom was leaving, and things would change.
He was thinking about in again in the grocery store. As he turned to grab a can of diced tomatoes off the shelf, though, he caught sight of Nathan down the aisle.
"Hey, Nate," he called.
Nate looked around himself, then smiled. Nate was half-asian, half-japanese to be specific, and Aric had always thought his smile to be cute. Memories flashed through his mind, but he shoved them aside for the moment.
"Aric," said Nate, approaching, "it's good to see you." His grocery cart was almost half-full.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were going to school for engineering."
Nate laughed. "I did. Now I've graduated. Things are kind of tough in the economy, and Dad found me a job with a firm in town, so I've moved back in with my parents."
"I'm sorry. I just moved out."
"Oh really? Where to?"
"Not far. It's only a ten minute drive from my parents' house. In the opposite direction from the high school."
"Neat. I'd love to see it sometime."
"Sure, when are you free?"
"How about tonight? Seven o'clock? We can do dinner."
