In the late afternoon of a beautiful summer's day, two young men sat on the hood of a silver Hybrid Lexus as a cool breeze blew in off the Pacific Ocean while their bodies bathed in the warmth of a California sun.
Logan Temple and Aidan Simmons were college roommates out enjoying their last full day of summer vacation together, and they had driven up to Twin Peaks to hike around and take in the unbelievably spectacular views of the San Francisco area. These peaks were the only hills in San Francisco not to have been built over, a place the Spaniards had termed, "Los pechos de la Chola" -- Breasts of the Indian Maiden -- and it was the last place on their list to visit.
Almost from the onset of their freshman year at college, Logan and Aidan had formed a close bond as they discovered all the things they shared in common. Then, quite unexpectedly when Logan walked in on Aidan jerking off, the two boys started bonding in other, more personal, ways. Over time, Logan fell in love with his roommate while it had taken Aidan longer to eventually come around to the same conclusion.
Aidan was from Framingham, Massachusetts but had come out to the Bay Area after being invited to spend the summer with Logan, who resided south of San Francisco in the Hillsborough Heights section of San Mateo in the heart of Silicon Valley. They had secured jobs at a local Starbucks, which kept them very busy and, more importantly, earning money that would see them through the next school year. Since they were staying at Logan's house and keeping their expenses to a minimum, each was able to put away a fairly respectable amount -- thanks in large part to the generous tips people left, which were always split evenly between the staff.
When they weren't working, Aidan and Logan took some time to see the sights of San Francisco and to do all the touristy things that Logan, despite having lived in the area for half his life, had never taken advantage of. They rode the cable cars and visited Chinatown; wandered around Fisherman's Wharf and enjoyed delicious, fresh seafood; took a ferry to tour the infamous Alcatraz and rode bikes across the equally famous Golden Gate Bridge. They also spent one wonderful afternoon at Golden Gate Park and even took in a baseball game at the AT&T ballpark to watch the Giants lose to the Cincinnati Reds 6-4.
Now, as the sun made its long descent toward the distant horizon, they sat in silence, comfortable in each other's company and lost in their own thoughts. They would be returning to the small liberal arts college they attended in Central Maine the next day. While Logan was especially excited and anxious to go back and to be on the other side of the country, Aidan found himself feeling increasingly reluctant. In addition to falling in love with his roommate, Aidan had also fallen in love with the West Coast and was nowhere near as eager to return to the New England region.
Truthfully, Aidan had been feeling increasingly discouraged since the middle of summer, after he and Logan spent a day at San Gregorio beach to celebrate the Fourth of July. Something that had started out completely innocent in nature -- just a couple of friends spending the day at the beach (I mean, honestly, how much more American can you get?) -- ended up becoming a shocking and horrifying experience for both boys, but especially for Logan.
While at the beach that day, the boys became acquainted with a group of slightly older guys who were very generous in sharing their beer before deciding to assault them individually. After being forcibly molested by two of them, Aidan managed to break free and began searching frantically for Logan who had quickly disappeared from view.
When he came upon his friend, trapped inside a small alcove almost indistinguishable from a distance, Logan was being raped by one guy while face fucked by another. Consumed with rage, through some miracle Aidan fended off the attackers and fled the scene with Logan in tow. Then, for good measure, he finished off the final assailant by knocking him to the sand and stepping on his scrotum until one of his nuts burst.
Aidan had never experienced anger like that before. It had been a fury so immense and overwhelming, so completely out of his control, that he had difficulty remembering exactly what had happened. Just recollecting the incident scared him tremendously. Although, to be honest, Aidan had never faced a situation like that before either and reasoned that he had done what he needed in order to rescue his best friend.
Surprisingly -- or, maybe not so surprisingly -- it was only after this event that Aidan finally admitted his love for Logan, openly and without reservation. Yet, while it might have been bad timing on his part, it ended up being just the thing his roommate needed to hear in order to begin the healing process. However, since that unfortunate day, Logan had gradually become more and more distant -- more withdrawn than Aidan had ever seen him -- as the shock of the event wore off and Logan was left searching for answers.
Logan was a reserved individual by nature and rather slow to open up to others. It took him a while to get comfortable with someone before he could let down his guard and be the funny and entertaining person that he naturally was. But, after what happened to him, Logan became almost detached from life. He kept to himself while he struggled to come to terms with everything he had gone through.
To his credit, Aidan backed off and allowed Logan the space and time he needed. What else could he do? He certainly understood that his best friend had experienced something completely unimaginable, and he also understood that this was not something that could be quickly resolved or easily fixed. The encounter had been traumatic for both of them but Logan had clearly suffered the most. The pain and agony of that day continued to haunt him, and he would have to learn to trust people all over again -- including the best friend and roommate who was in love with him.
Regardless, the longer Logan spent retreating, the more concerned Aidan became. While the experience had drawn them together in a closer, more emotional way at first, it had also driven a wedge between them physically and Aidan simply had no way of knowing how long his friend would need to heal.
Reaching out to hold his hand, Aidan told him, "I love you." Despite taking him months to finally say it, now that he had, Aidan couldn't seem to stop saying it. He liked saying it, and he liked the way Logan smiled at him each and every time he said it -- like at this particular instant.
"I love you too," Logan responded, then turned his head back toward the setting sun as he squeezed his friend's hand. It was enough for Logan to know that his best friend loved him and was there for him. For now, that would do. For now, that was all he wanted.
Most people had always regarded Logan as good looking but because he was quiet and shy, his true personality rarely shown through. He had never had much success with romance either. Then again, most people who are only nineteen probably haven't experienced much in the way of romance. Any sexual adventures up to that point in life usually stem only from curiosity and lust.
Logan had experienced a few sexual encounters, all with women, before going to college. He had even fallen in love with a girl in high school, but those feelings had not been mutual and Logan had gotten hurt the very first time he put his heart on the line.
