Hey there. I guess this is the part where I introduce myself. My name is Ted. I live in Texas, and I've grown up in the same house my entire life. My mom left when I was three, so it's really just been me and my dad for a long time. He started seeing a woman and got remarried a few years ago. When my new stepmother moved in, so did her son, my new stepbrother. His name was Rob. I was a few months older than him, but we were in the same grade. We got along very well. We just clicked right away.
My next door neighbor has also lived in his house his entire life. His name is Jay, and he's my best friend. We've hung out every day since basically birth. We were inseparable. Once Rob moved in, it's just been the three of us. You would never see one of us without seeing the other two.
One thing you should know about Jay is he's gay. He's still in the closet, though. He told me when we were 12. He broke down crying. He said I was the only one who knew. He didn't have the courage to tell his parents yet (nice enough folks, but not the most tolerant people) or anyone else. But he wanted to tell me. I hugged him, told him I still loved him, and this changes nothing.
He thanked me and said he was glad I was so accepting. I simply said, "You're welcome, Gay Jay." We both laughed, and that was it. I was glad to be the only one who knew. It only made us closer.
By the time Rob came into the picture, Jay just didn't want to tell anyone else. Not yet, at least. He said it was emotionally-draining enough just to tell me, and it wasn't my secret to tell. So it stayed just between us for now.
Rob had a job with his mom, my stepmom, at a big tech company in the summer. This particular summer, Rob had an opportunity to go to Chicago with his mom for some big conference. My dad decided to go with them and make a vacation out of it. They would go to the conference for the weekend, then see the sights for a few extra days. They would be gone for a week. Naturally, they invited both me and Jay, but we politely declined. Chicago sounded fun, but being home alone for a week and throwing at least one party sounded like a lot more fun.
On the first day they were gone, Jay and I decided to have a quiet night in first. We had a week, so we weren't in any rush to throw a party. We just changed into shorts and T-shirts, ordered pizza, drank my dad's beer, and played Call of Duty. I honestly preferred this kind of thing with my best friend over a party most days. We were relaxed and having a good time.
After a few hours, we stopped playing and decided to watch a movie. Jay put Man of Steel on the TV, we sat on the couch together and sipped on our beers.
"Fuck, Henry Cavill is so fucking hot!" Jay blurted out.
I laughed at that. "Yeah, he is."
Jay turned to me. "Oh? You batting for my team now?"
I knew he was just messing around, so I just said, "Yeah, yeah. I don't have to be gay to have eyes that work. Dude is clearly attractive"
"You're not wrong." Jay simply said. "You get anywhere with Kate?"
Kate was a girl in my class I had fancied for a while now. "Not yet. I'm hoping she'll come to the party. I'll go from there. Anybody catching your eye these days?"
Jay just shrugged. "I mean, Phil is cool and really cute, but I don't think he's gay. I see him with Layla all the time. Pretty sure they're dating. Story of my life."
I grabbed his thigh and patted it twice, making his leg twitch slightly. Probably not expecting that. "Don't worry, man. You'll find someone soon enough."
"I hope so, man." Jay said. "I'm just sick of being a virgin already. Being alone. Can't I at least get my first kiss already?"
I patted his thigh again, this time letting my hand rest there afterward. Trying to comfort him. "You'll get there, dude. When it's the right time."
Jay looked at me with a small smirk. We stared at each other for a few seconds, my hand still on his thigh. I had a feeling this could be a special moment for Jay. I just leaned in and gave him a brief and tender kiss. It wasn't as weird as I thought it would be. I was kissing my best friend, my best MALE friend, and I was surprisingly okay with it.
After a few seconds, I broke the kiss and backed away. Jay was shocked. He was just frozen, staring at me in disbelief. Trying to process what just happened.
"What....what was that?" Jay asked dumbfounded.
"It felt like the right time." I said with a soft smile.
