A/N - Hello! This is my first time writing a genuine gay male romance, though this could also be considered 'Mature' though that category is only for heterosexual relationships.
Usual caveats. All editing and reviewing done by the author with Microsoft Word. Spelling is usually spot on. Australian / British standard English. Definitely the occasional typo. Grammar can be ropey at times, but it's been a long time since I sat in a classroom. All mistakes owned up to by the author. Please remember this is just fantasy and I'm an amateur.
Comments and feedback appreciated as always.
*****
I heard the laughter and conversation downstairs in the backyard, my parents hosting yet another pool party for their friends and a few neighbours. My two older brothers and sister were down there too, a couple of their friends no doubt invited to join in with the festivities. My brothers no doubt shirtless, showing off their lean, tight bodies, my sister in her bikini, showing off her curves. Sighing to myself, I enjoyed the sunshine through the window, the air coming in through the flyscreen, but I wasn't going to head downstairs.
Compared to the rest of the family, I was the runt of the litter, or so it felt like. While my father and two brothers all topped over six foot, I was barely five-seven. While they all had delightful, bronzed skin, I was rather pale. Probably not helped by the fact I didn't join them outside too often. I was too embarrassed as I felt so scrawny compared to them. Even my sister was slightly taller than me, only my mother shorter.
Too often, I'd heard words like 'pretty' and 'cute' rather than handsome. Granted, when I looked in the mirror, even past my eighteenth birthday, I'd retained my boyish good looks. I had jet black hair I kept long, particularly my fringe. I had bright blue eyes, a small nose, and my lips weren't too thin. Best feature was probably my cheekbones. I'd been complimented on them more than once, but I always thought good cheekbones were more of a feminine thing.
Despite being thought cute, I still suffered from a chronic lack of self-confidence, not helped by the fact I was totally gay. I'd come out to my parents a couple of years ago. Mum hugged me, assured me she loved me. Dad looked a little uncomfortable, then admitted he wasn't exactly surprised by that. I wasn't sure whether I should be offended by that or not. My brothers were weirded out, my sister thought it was cute.
Of course, word got around that I was gay, and despite what people think about teenagers today, plenty of them are still intolerant little fuckwits. My social life, which wasn't great before, nearly died completely the day everyone learned I was gay. Only a couple of my closest friends remained by my side, social outcasts like I was. Well, I was until girls learned I was gay. Then I was seen as safe and the male friends I'd lost were replaced by women. That all lasted until the end of high school. I was now looking at restarting everything at university.
A knock at the door had me look up from the book I was ready while lying back on my bed. My mother was wearing a two-piece swimsuit. Even close to fifty as she was, she was an attractive woman. "Hey, Mum."
"What are you doing in here, baby?" she asked, walking over to the bed, barefoot having left her sandals by the doorway.
"I'd just feel out of place down there," I admitted, "Figured I'd just stay out of the way."
Mum sat down and stroked my cheek. "You're our son, baby. You'll never be out of place."
"Mum, I don't fit in with your friends nor any of you. Trust me, I'm fine."
Mum's lower lip trembled as I'd never been so honest about how I felt. Probably a surprise considering I was sober. She leaned down and kissed my forehead, pulling me up to cuddle her. "You're my son and I love you," she whispered, "And you are an important member of this family. You'll always be my baby. My little boy." Hugging her tightly, she added, "But I guess I understand a little bit how you feel. But you should come down later and join in."
"I'll think about it, Mum."
Kissing my cheek, she smiled at me a little sadly before she walked away, slid into her sandals, and disappeared from view. Within five minutes, my sister was in the doorway. Without a word, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me up, so I was at least standing.
"No more moping around in here, Scott. It's a lovely afternoon, everyone is having a good time. You should be downstairs with us."
"I'm not really that interested, Kim."
She hugged me tightly, just like my mother. Considering she was in a bikini, if I'd been straight, I might have been turned on by it. "Please, Scotty," she whispered, "For me. And Mum was really upset when she came back down. She wants her little boy to have fun with everyone else."
Sighing, she leaned back and smiled, kissing my cheek. "Okay, in a few minutes," I muttered, relenting rather easily.
"Good boy. Get on your swimming trunks and join us in the pool."
Shutting the door as she left, I rummaged through my drawers, eventually finding them. Putting those on, I also put on a singlet vest, as I hated going shirtless due to my slim physique, stopping on the way outside to grab myself a towel, walking outside onto the decking where everyone was gathered. My arrival went rather unnoticed until Dad glanced my way and grinned.
"Scott! About time you made your presence known. Grab yourself a drink and bite to eat."
"Yeah, sure thing, Dad."
Mum gave me a hug, handing me a glass of wine. Yes, I drank wine as I hated beer, and if I was out with friends, I would either drink spirits or cocktails. If they weren't available, I'd happily drink a glass of white wine. Dad was at the barbecue with a couple of his friends, all of them slapping me on the back, grasping my shoulder, as they wished me hello.
Kim and a couple of her friends jogged towards me, tits jigging away as the trio were all wearing bikinis. Unfortunately, it was all wasted on me. Sure, I knew my sister was hot, as were her friends, but while my older brothers were watching intently, tongues almost hanging out of their mouths, I was capable of meeting their eyes without paying attention to their bodies.
I was dragged over to sit by the edge of the pool with them, my sister wrapping an arm around my waist. My older brothers had their wives with them. I was closer to my sister, but my sexuality still weirded out my brothers, though we'd never been particularly close before that anyway. Guess I'd always been close to the women than men of the household, that fact only exacerbated once they learned of my sexuality.
Relaxing after a couple of glasses of wine and stuffing my face with a burger then a sausage sandwich, I spent most of the night chatting away with my sister and her friends. I had next to nothing in common with the older people around, though most were polite enough to come and speak to me for a few minutes, asking questions about how I'd done in high school and my plans for university.
It was mid-evening by the time the party started to wind down, neighbours heading back home, other friends booking taxis or designated drivers taking their parents' home. My brothers now lived away from home, being married and all, so they disappeared. My sister, being only two years older than me and would be entering her last year of university, still lived at home with the family.
Sitting in the living room by myself, just watching a little night-time television, Mum and Dad were still keeping a couple of people company. Concentrating on the show I was watching; I didn't even realise someone sat next to me until I finally felt their presence. Glancing to my side, I noticed it was one of my father's best friends, Mark.
I found myself blushing immediately as he was someone that I'd had a crush on for a very long time by now. He stood over six foot, just like my father and brothers. Broad shouldered, he was incredibly fit, a bit of a gym junkie. Sitting next to me without a shirt, I had visions flooding my mind of what I'd do to his bare chest with my tongue. He had tattoos down each arm, an entire sleeve from his shoulder to wrist on his right arm, and a couple of symbols on his left. He'd been in the army for a few years once he turned eighteen.
"Glad you came and joined us, Scott," he said.
"Um... Yeah... Sure..."
"Are thing's okay?" I shrugged, feeling myself blush even brighter. "Looking forward to university in a couple of weeks?"
"I guess. Shouldn't be any worse than high school."
"What do you mean?"
"Come on, someone like me who is also gay. I had a target on my back every day due to a bunch of narrow-minded pricks."
"Well, I think you'll find university a more open-minded and inclusive plates. I'm sure it'll be full of cute boys like yourself."
