Chapter 5 – Chapter 5

Chapter Five

I offered Luke a beer with lunch. "No, thank you," he answered. "I ain't never drank."

""Really?"

"Really. My parents were pretty strict about stuff. No alcohol. No drugs. No tobacco. No sex or anything remotely sexual."

"You've never done any of them?"

"Nope."

"Well, you're missing out."

"That's what the guys told me, especially about the sex part. I told 'em you don't miss it if you ain't never had it."

I had a lot of things to say in response. I said none of them. Instead, I drank Luke's beers as we ate silently on the screened porch. After, I told Luke I was going to nap and then spend the afternoon in the pool.

"I guess I'll do the same."

My body wanted to sleep, but my mind wouldn't let it. My thoughts were scattered like shopping carts, and I couldn't gather them up. I decided to masturbate, hoping the release would relieve whatever was teasing my mind. To my surprise, I thought of Luke's grin and wink as I stroked myself. With his chin dimple and thick, juicy lips, he reminded me of Michael in "The Most Fun You Can Have While Dying."

It took awhile, but I finally finished all over my stomach and abdomen. I swirled my finger through it before deciding to rinse off, grab two more beers, and head to the pool.

After a few minutes, Luke joined me poolside, in cut off blue jeans. I hadn't seen a pair of cutoffs since pictures of my dad from the 70s.

"There should be trunks in the upstairs hall closet. We stocked a variety for guests."

"That's alright. I ain't gettin' in. I don't really swim."

"Ever tried? It's pretty easy. I could teach you if you want."

"I dunno. I got this far without knowin' how."

I almost pointed out that "this far" wasn't very far at all. But, discretion prevailed.

"Suit yourself," I said, thinking myself clever. "But, you should at least get in. It's hot, you can stand in the shallow end, and you can float on a saddle in the deeper end."

"Is it okay if I just wear these?"

"Of course. I just thought you'd prefer a suit. Denim gets heavy when it's wet."

"I think I'd feel weird wearing someone else's clothes."

"They're not someone else's. They've never been worn. They're for guests who don't have or forget their trunks."

Luke didn't say anything. He just shifted back and forth, as if he was trying to decide something. Finally, he turned and headed into the house. He returned a few minutes later in red board shorts and his black Hollister shirt.

"There's sunscreen in the cooler," I said, pointing to the Yeti. I liked to keep sunscreen on ice so it was cold and thick when reapplied.

"I'll just keep my shirt on," he said, slowly descending the stairs into the pool. Most non-swimmers were afraid of water. Luke did not appear to be. He glided in and went under before standing up. His shirt, already too big dry, hung around him like a mumu wet. Luke realized it wasn't going to work at the about the same instant I did. I climbed out, grabbed the 50 and a beer from the cooler, and tossed the 50 to him. I started to stir watching him smear the cream on his face, neck, arms, and chest. If I hadn't known better, I'd have suspected him of wanting me to watch him. I returned to the pool to conceal the effect he was having on me. Without a word, I took the tube, filled my left hand, rubbed my hands together, and coated Luke's shoulders and back. He tensed when I touched him, which only made the muscles in his back more taut as I quickly but thoroughly coated them.

When I was finished, I let him know he could relax. "That should do it."

"Thank you."

"Can you return the favor?" I asked.

I didn't need him to. I spent so much time in the sun, I would not get burned. But, I definitely wanted him to touch me.

"I dunno. I guess so," he agreed, obviously reluctantly.

I reached back and pulled my hair off my neck as Luke filled his hand with way too much cream. He slathered it down my spine and then started spreading it laterally. His large hands were strong on my skin.

"I got way too much," he said.

"It'll rub in. Just keep at it."

I closed my eyes and savored as Luke reached for my shoulder blades, ran his hands down my sides, and again worked from my spine outward. It had been a long time since I had been touched, and I had missed it. I didn't notice when he stopped. I just stood there, hoping for more.

"I'm done," he said.

"Finished," I corrected. "Turkeys are done, people are finished."

"I wish I knew how to talk like you."

"I can teach you that, too."

"Seems like a lot to do in a week."

"A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."

"Huh?"

"We could at least get started."

We were in the pool all afternoon. I taught Luke to tread water and then to dog paddle. I then laughed as he dog paddled from side to side, excited like dog paddling counted as swimming.

"What's next?" he asked as I finished yet another beer. I was buzzed, and my buzz was crashing through my inhibitions.

"You need to learn to float on your back. To trust the water. From there, swimming is easy."

I called him to the shallow end. I explained what it was to float and then showed him, knowing as I did that my wet trunks were clinging to me and leaving little to the imagination.

"Now, you try, first with me holding you up and then with me not." It took some convincing, but Luke was eventually on his back with my left hand under the small of his back and my right under his shoulder blades. I savored the feel of him in my hands. He had his eyes closed, and it would have been very easy for me to kiss him.

"Take big breaths and relax. The air in your lungs will help keep you afloat. . . .Yeah, just like that. . . . Good . . . . Good."

"Don't let go of me."

"I won't," I lied. I had to. One, holding him was getting me so aroused I feared I was going to tear through my trunks. Two, he wouldn't be able to float until he was not afraid to, and he would be afraid to as long as I was holding him. I lowered myself in the water so my chin was barely in and I was supporting him only with my fingertips.

"Are you relaxed?" I asked.

"Very."

"Stay that way. I'm going to move my hands away, but I'll be right here. I won't let you sink."

When I moved my hands away, Luke floated perfectly.

"Good. Just like that," I said, wading away from him. "You're doing it. All on your own."

Luke was like a kid with a new toy, floating around the pool with his eyes closed. As he did, the borrowed red board shorts left little to the imagination. As he was in his briefs, he was down and to the right. I climbed out to get a better view and another beer. He was beautiful, his hair floating loosely over his head and his hairless body relaxed and splayed.

"What's next?" he asked, his eyes still closed.

"I think that's plenty for today," I answered. My groin was already aching, and I knew teaching him to swim freestyle would mean holding him again, only this time with my hands on his chest and stomach. I wasn't sure I could handle that.

He didn't give me a choice. "I think we should git while the gittin's good," he insisted.

I adjusted myself and dove back into the pool, grabbing Luke by the ankle and towing him to where I could stand. I explained the freestyle stroke and then showed it to him. Unafraid to put his face in the water, Luke was eager to try the new stroke. I put my hands out, and he moved right over them. My left hand was under his stomach, and my right hand was under his chest. I walked him side to side as I explained the need to kick and how to turn his face to the side and breathe. It was much more difficult to teach than the back float, so my hands were on Luke's front far longer than they had been on his back, which meant my balls were again aching by the time I lowered myself until I was again supporting him only with my fingertips.

I do not know how long we were in the pool. But, it was dark and I was hungry when Luke swam from the shallow end to the diving board and back. When he reached my hand, he stood and grinned. I held out my hand to high five him and, when he grabbed it instead, I pulled him into a full embrace. He tensed as I did, my arms around him and his arms at his side and then, ever so tentatively, on my forarms.

"Sorry," I said, pulling back and fearing I had gone too far. "I just got excited for you."

"I, uh, it's okay. I just don't really know how to hug."

"What do you mean, you don't know how to hug?"

"I've never hugged anyone before."

I scrunched up my face and asked "Really?" I was dumbfounded.

"Really. My parents don't do it. And, I wasn't supposed to touch anyone like that. It could only lead to sinful things."

"But someone, a friend, a teacher, someone somewhere had to have hugged you."

"Not as far as I remember."

Instinctively, I reached out for and grabbed his arm. "When I put my arms around you, you do the same to me, under mine. Then, just relax into the hug and give me a squeeze when I give you one."

"I dunno, Sir."

"James."

"I dunno, James."

"Just try, Luke. Nothing bad's going to happen. And, you need to know how to hug someone properly. We all do."

I squatted a little and pulled him into me, putting my arms around his shoulders. He slid his arms around me under mine. I moved my right hand to the back of his head and just held him, chest to chest, until I felt him relax. When he did, I gave him a squeeze, and he squeezed me back.

"Hugging is one of the best things, Luke."

"It feels good."

"It is good."

I held him longer, careful not to press my groin to him and take the moment from something beautiful to something base. I scratched his head with my right hand and told him I was going to let go.

"You don't have to, if you don't want," he whispered.

"I dont' want."

I held him longer, my right hand on his head and my left hand between his shoulder blades. As I did, I realized I had stopped breathing.

"I have to let go now," I insisted.

"Okay," he whispered again.

When I did, I turned and dove into the water. I couldn't look at him. I was afraid I'd kiss him if I did. I also didn't want him to see that the hug had affected me in a completely non-platonic way.

When I emerged at the other end, I turned to see Luke climbing the steps out of the pool. Look back, I thought to myself. Please look back.

He didn't.