Wrestling With Love (33 page)

“Eew, gross!” Derek laughed. “Now that’s the Beck I remember.” He hooked his arm inside of Beck’s and she leaned into him. “I’ve missed you, babe. You should come spend a night over at BU with us. It’s fucking great. I’ve even been mixing at school and getting paid for it.”

“That’s awesome. I’d love to visit. You should come here too. You wouldn’t think it with such a small campus, but the parties here are wild.” They entered a building a few minutes later and Beck took out her student ID, placing in front of the scanner so it could register her and charge her food account. Derek paid the required money and they headed into the cafeteria. “So, how are things?”

Derek loaded a tray with food and sat down across from Beck. “I just came out to my dad.” Beck’s eyes widened. “He was really great about it. I think he took it better than my mom did. At least he didn’t cry.”

Beck laughed. “You know your mom didn’t cry because she was upset. She cried because she loves you and was glad to get everything out in the open.” She dipped a fry into some ketchup and popped it into her mouth. “I’m glad everything went well with your dad though. How’s Scott?”

Derek leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms behind his head. “He’s great. He actually blew my mind the other day.”

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“Do tell.” An evil grin began to spread across her face and she wagged her eyebrows up and down at him. “And don’t leave out any details.”

Derek laughed. “It wasn’t that kind of blowing, but I’ve got news on that front as well. He’s actually telling Shannon that he’s gay right now. It was his idea to do it, not mine. I couldn’t believe it. All year, I’ve been the one pushing for us to be more open, and all of a sudden, just as soon as I began to question whether I’d been misguided in placing such importance on being out there in the open, Scott is the one who suggested I take the next step. It was incredible.”

“That is a big move for him. Although Shannon is a very cool lady. There isn’t much risk in telling her. But I’m proud of him.” Her head cocked to the side for a moment and she seemed deep in thought. “Wait a minute. Did you just say that you were beginning to question whether or not you should come out and be more open about being gay?”

“Yeah. It’s weird, right? All summer and so far this year, it’s all I seem to think about, and now, just as I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve made too big a deal about it, Scott is the one to push things along.”

“Why did your feelings change?” Beck looked genuinely confused. Derek shared his impressions of the segregation into groups at BU and his distaste for it. He then told her about Tyrell and his over-the-top behavior. Still, he couldn’t just paint Tyrell in a negative light. There was that side to him that Derek hoped might emerge; the genuine person who appeared at irregular intervals.

“I really liked the idea of being able to be friends with someone my own age who’s was going through the same issues and stuff. But the other night Tyrell made me feel really uncomfortable.”

“What do you mean?” Beck had forgotten about the food in front of her and rested her head on her hands facing Derek.

“So, the other night, I’m at the LGBT meeting, and he sits next to me and puts his arm around me. His friends kept looking over like they thought we were together or something. It was really creepy.”

“Did you say anything to him?”

Derek shrugged. “Like what? Get your hands off of me. You know me Beck. That’s not something I can do very easily.”

“I know. But if I’d been there I could have said it for you. What does Scott have to say about this kid?”

“He doesn’t like him, obviously, because he doesn’t like anyone who makes me feel uncomfortable. He’s trying to be supportive and isn’t telling me to stay away from Tyrell, probably because he knows that’s a sure fire way to cause me to spend time with him, but he also said I should be very careful around Tyrell as well, that he seems like the kind of kid who could cause problems for me.” Derek tried to imagine what kind of problems Tyrell could cause, but was unable to think of any. 157

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Beck nodded. “I love Scott. Tell me more about this Tyrell kid.”

Derek told Beck of all his interactions with Tyrell. Some of it, Beck had heard before, but in telling the whole story, Derek began to see a clearer picture of what was going on. “You know, I am beginning to see two possible scenarios here. Either Tyrell is legitimately scared to be himself and needs people to give him a great deal of time before he drops his façade, or he’s truly militant and wants who and what he wants regardless of how he gets it or who he hurts.”

Beck nodded approvingly. “I’m unaccustomed to a healthy dose of cynicism from you, but I must say I like it. I’m leaning toward your second scenario. This guy sounds like someone who believes being gay is the central defining feature of who he is. He sounds like he’s taken an interest in you and doesn’t really care that you have a boyfriend. I agree with Scott that you should be very careful. When he realizes he’s not going to be able to get what he wants from you, he won’t be satisfied with just being your friend and may lash out.” As Beck spoke, her voice became louder and her cheeks began to flush.

“Beck, you look like your blood-pressure is shooting through the roof. Calm down. It’s not like I’m a little kid. I can take care of myself.”

She turned to face Derek and took a few deep breaths. “It’s not that I don’t think you can take care of yourself, Derek. But the idea of some dickhead causing you any pain makes me so mad…I swear I would rip his nuts off and run them up a flag pole.”

“That’s my Beck. Always threatening violence against the male genitalia. I was wondering how long it would take before you promised violence against someone’s balls.” Derek gave Beck a playful glance, batting his eyes at her. “Feeling better now?”

Beck smiled, then laughed. “Actually, yes, I do feel better now that I have my plan for how to handle this cretin.”

“Hey, I just realized you haven’t mentioned George. How is he?”

Beck resumed eating, stuffing fries into her mouth at a furious pace. After she had inhaled half of her plate of food, she looked up at Derek. “He and I broke up last week.”

“What? Why didn’t you call me? Shit Beck, I’m so sorry.”

Beck shoved a few more fries into her mouth before continuing. “There’s nothing to tell. He came by like usual, but was acting all weird. We had sex a few times, and then at the end of the weekend he drops a bomb on me. Tells me he met someone and that he and I are through, but he hopes that we can remain friends.”

“Oh my God. What did you do?”

“What do you think I did? I grabbed his balls, squeezed them as tight as I could until he fell to the ground, cursed him and his entire family for about five minutes, then cried as he scampered out of my room.”

“Jeez, Beck. I wish you would have called me.”

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Beck shook her head. “I thought about it, but I was so humiliated that I decided not to tell anyone. But your offer to come to BU and party sounds great. It’s just what I need about now.

Derek let the topic drop, making a note to check in with her more frequently, and they talked about random things until it was time for Derek to leave. “Seriously Beck, you should come and visit. The Alliance is having a big dance and I’ll be mixing for it. Scott and I have an extra bed we don’t use in our room. That would be a great night for you to come and party with us.”

Beck took Derek’s hand and they began walking back to her dorm. “Sounds like a plan. Just let me know when it is.” Once Derek said goodbye to Beck, giving her a huge hug and kiss, he headed back to his car. It was four o’clock. If he was lucky, Scott would already be there when he got back to the room. If not, he wouldn’t have to wait too long. He hoped Scott’s conversation had gone well. If it hadn’t, it might set Scott back in terms of how open he had become lately.

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Chapter Thirteen

Scott arrived at their room by five-thirty with a wide grin. Closing the door behind him and dropping his jacket on the floor, crossed the room in two steps, and pulled Derek into a tight embrace. “It was good.” It was all Scott said before pulling Derek into a long, tender kiss. There was an intensity to the kiss that caused Derek’s head to swim. Scott’s lips, which Derek loved for their plump and full sensuousness, covered his mouth. His tongue flitted across Derek’s lips a couple of times, begging entrance. Derek opened to him, allowing their tongues to dance and play with one another. Between penetrating kisses, Scott gently nibbled on Derek’s lower lip or lowered his head to lick at the sensitive spot on his neck, causing shivers to run throughout his body. Becoming more and more aroused, Derek grabbed Scott’s waist, pulling them closer together and grinding himself against Scott, feeling his cock which was just as swollen and rock hard as his own.

After ten minutes, the kissing slowed and they took a moment to breathe. Scott took Derek’s face between his hands and gazed at him. “My God. Each time I kiss you I get so lost in it.”

Derek’s licked his lips which were slightly swollen. “I know exactly what you mean.”

Scott kissed Derek once more, then looked around the room. “We really need to get a couch or something.”

Derek laughed at the sudden shift in conversation. “I’ll get right on that. So, tell me about your conversation with Shannon.”

Scott pulled a desk chair out from under one of the beds and sat down, motioning for Derek to do the same. Derek grabbed the other chair and they sat facing one another in the middle of the room. It was comical, almost like they were sitting in an interrogation room. “See what I mean? A couch would be much better than this.”

“Whatever. Tell me about the conversation.” Derek wanted details.

“Okay. When I got home, my mom looked kind of nervous. I found that odd and, at first, wasn’t sure what was going on. She sat me down in the living room and just looked at me for the longest time. Finally I broke the silence and asked if anything was wrong. She said I had never called her specifically to talk before and was worried I had some horrible news to share with her. I wasn’t sure whether telling her I’m gay was going to fall into the horrible-news-category, but at least I knew she was prepared for something serious.”

Derek watched Scott. He was practically bouncing in his seat as he talked. “So, I dodged around the topic for a while, not sure what to say or how to begin. All the while, my mom looked like she was getting more and more nervous. So finally, I told said I didn’t have anything bad to tell her, but that I wanted her to prepare herself to be surprised. Then I told her I’m gay.”

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Derek nodded, recalling how difficult it had been for him to get the words out.

“What did she do?”

“She was quiet for a few minutes.” Scott eyes became slightly withdrawn as if he were picturing the moment between he and his mother. “But then she walked over to me and gave me a big hug. It caught me totally off guard and I still didn’t know whether her reaction was one of shock, sadness, acceptance, or some combination of all of those emotions. When she let me go, she was smiling. Can you believe it? The woman had this shit eating grin on her face.”

Derek laughed despite the seriousness of the conversation. “Why was she smiling?”

Scott’s shook his head. “Because she said she already knew.”

Derek remembered his conversation with his own mother. “Actually, yes, I can believe that. It was the same way with my mom.”

Scott nodded. “Well, I guess I should have remembered that when I was talking to my mom, but I was so focused on getting through the conversation nothing else came into my mind at the time.” His serious expression broke and he grinned once again, bringing out the dimples Derek loved so much. “Then, after another few seconds, she smacked me upside the head.”

“What? Why did she do that?” Derek couldn’t help the slight chuckle that escaped him.

“She told me never to scare her like that again. She thought I was going to tell her I was sick or failing out of school or something. She was really awesome, Derek. She told me that she loved me no matter what and that as long as I’m happy, she’s happy.”

As thrilled as he was for Scott, a piece of him sank since Scott hadn’t mentioned anything about telling her about the two of them. He didn’t have a chance to ask before Scott provided the information. “You should have seen her face when I told her about you and me. It was like I had given her a Christmas present. She actually said she was thrilled you and I were in a relationship and she wants us to come over very soon so she can cook us dinner. She loves you, you know. She loves that you’ve been such a rock for me and she’s grateful you’ve stuck by my side through everything.”

Derek hugged Scott and nuzzled into his neck. Placing his mouth next to Scott’s ear, he whispered, “I am glad she likes me. It makes things much easier for both of us,” then placed a gentle kiss on his neck.

Whatever thoughts had crept into Scott’s head, he snapped back to his happiness as he continued to recount his talk with his mother. It warmed Derek to see Scott like this. If the conversation had gone badly, it could have set them back. Instead, being out to their parents could only serve to bring them even closer together and hopefully make it easier for them to be more affectionate with one another. Derek quickly pushed the last thought from his mind. This is no time to start pushing him. He came out to Shannon. That’s awesome for both of us.