“Hox…”

River was lying on top of his covers naked with his door closed. This morning had been the last day of high school, ever, and he was celebrating by himself by jerking off. Being a lefty, his left hand was pounding furiously on his 7 incher, while the nails of his right slid up and down the light brown dusting of hair connecting his happy trail to his chest. River climaxed pinching a nipple and imagining Hox leaning over him biting his neck with his dick inside River’s ass.

River jumped off the bed, and grabbed a dirty shirt out of the hamper to wipe himself down with. He didn’t know Hox that well, despite having been in a grade of seventy for four years together in a small town. Hox’d spent most of his time with swimmers when he actually went out, and River’d spent most of his time with fellow soccer players. He didn’t need to know him that well to know that he was ridiculously hot. Hox was six-two-ish to River’s five eleven, but they were probably similar weights, because River had short stocky muscle from his sport, and Hox had long lean muscle from his. Hox’s hair and eyes were both a shade darker than River’s, but for the most part, they were both brown-eyed brunets.

This summer, River thought, I’ll make a move on him this summer, and if it doesn’t work out, hey, no problem, I’ll be gone by September. Getting dressed again he called Tracy.

“Sup Slut?” Tracy’s standard greeting.

“Nooooooothin.”

“You jerk off to Hox yet?” Tracy was the only person that knew River was gay. It wasn’t a fact that would make him super popular in a community like this, and she constantly ribbed him about being so in increasingly overt ways. He loved her for it.

“Tracy. Listen. I’ve been home for 20 minutes. Of course. Twice. Now, if we don’t figure out what the deal is tonight, I’m gonna be forced to come over there and twist your nipples until your milk turns alcoholic.”

“Yum. There’s probably a clam joust down by the lake. Adam was asking around for peeps to snag some alchies.”

“Ugh, do you have any handles stored up inside of your vagina?”

“Hmm, let me check… Nope!” She giggled. “We need to start storing them in your ass. Gotta stretch you out if we’re ever gonna fit Hox’s purple headed yogurt slinger in there. I’m pretty sure he’s got an anaconda hidden downstairs.”

River knew that Hox was well endowed. Everyone knew that Hox was well endowed. The chance to see him in a Speedo filled the school pool with fawning high school girls at every home swim meet, and River wasn’t above ogling either.

“OK, I’ve got fifth of Cuervo I can contribute. I’ll grab some limes too. Make some calls; make sure this shit’s going down. If so, I’ll pick you up at nine-ish, and we can head down there. If not, we’ll do body shots off one another until we find each other attractive.”

“I’m wet already.”

* * *

River and Tracy pulled up to the Lake at a quarter to ten. It was a frequent party spot for their grade because it was a lake house that belonged to Adam’s parents, and he was one of the wealthier kids in their school, who had decided long ago that they didn’t really care what he did, as long as it didn’t fuck up the house. There were already six cars strewn about the sparse front yard, and they could hear splashes from around back. Walking around, they saw that several mosquito repelling Tiki torches had been stuck in the ground. Adam had gone all out for this.

Tracy slapped River’s ass, thrusting him towards the water. “Hox’s here.”

River smiled, he’d already spotted him with the other swimmers jumping off the dock with some girls, but he moved farther down the shore anyway, to where some fellow soccer kids were kicking a ball around. Tracy sighed and went to find cups.

An hour later, River was six shots in, and feeling it. Tracy had snuck off into the woods with Adam, and the soccer players had long since put away the ball, so he started wandering through the crowd of kids. He spotted Hox, sitting on a bench alone, nursing something out of a solo cup, and beelined towards him.

Hox looked up at River as the tipsy soccer player slumped down beside him holding half a fifth of Cuervo. “Yo.”

“Hey Hox, tequila?” River reached into his pocket, grabbed a lime wedge, and offered it with the other hand. Hox grinned and took the tequila bottle, ignoring the lime. He drained it for three seconds and then gave it back without making a face. “Damn, you downed that shit!”

Hox’s grin got wider. “Heh, you don’t know me that well.”

“True enough.” River took a swig and grimaced. “What kind of name is Hox anyway?”

“My moms’ have weird standards for names. Our dog is named shaquayquay.”

“That was a lot of information all at once. Seriously, Shaquayquay? Moms?”

“It’s on the dog tag and everything, though it looks like, Shaquay – Quay, because it didn’t fit on one line. And yes, I’m the progeny of lesbians.”

“I love lesbians.”

“Eh.”

“No, I don’t mean in the guy sense. I mean, I just have this thing about lesbians. It’s completely non-sexual.”

Hox took the tequila back and drained it for another three seconds. There wasn’t much left anymore. “That’s a little awkward. River?”

“Yeah?”

“No. River? As in, what kind of name is River?”

River grabbed the tequila and finished it, shoving the lime in his mouth immediately afterwards before answering, “My parents were hippies. They’re both pretty straight laced now, but they held on to a healthy disdain for the man and his normal names.”

“Nice. Now, I’m only asking this because it’s the question that’s always asked, but…”

“Um…” River’s heartbeat doubled.

Hox picked up his solo cup and started nursing it again. “What are you doing next year?”

Let down. He realized he’d way read too far into the half-second pause. “I wasn’t good enough to get recruited anywhere crazy, but I’m headin’ off to Vassar in September. You?”

“Got recruited at Duke, I’ll be swimming for them. Gotta head down super fuckin’ early for training. My summer’s nearly cut in half.”

“That’s lame, whatcha workin’ on there?” River asked, pointing to the cup.

“Alcohol,” He said, holding it out to River. “Wanna help out? I’m pretty drizunk.”

“Already there, but sure.” River took a large gulp and suddenly realized why Hox had been nursing it. The cup was full of whisky. No ice or anything. He started sputtering in surprise. Hox had a huge shitting eating grin on his face as he watched River cough.

“Oh, my bad, I didn’t realize you were a little girl.”

“Fuck you!” River jumped at Hox and pushed him backwards over the bench. Hox flung his arms around, trying to maintain his balance and stop the fall, but only managed to knock the half full cup out of River’s hand onto himself before falling onto his back with his legs up on the bench.

“Ah shit, now ma’s gonna give me grief about drinking! I smell like whiskey.” He started to lift himself up, but was drunk enough to be having difficulty. “Wanna give me a hand?”

River reached down and grabbed Hox’s wrist, pulling him upwards back onto the bench. The maneuver brought Hox’s face within inches on River’s, and there was a second of silence before they settled themselves back into their seats. “You should jump back in the lake, it’ll probably douse most of the smell.”

“That’s not a bad idea, you comin’?”

“You bet.”

And so a friendship began.

* * *

The following afternoon, River invited Hox to play ultimate with some of the soccer kids. After that, Hox invited River to go sailing with two of his friends. Over the next couple weeks they started hanging out with each other more than any of their other friends. Tracy started complaining to River that his boyfriend was cutting into their time together. To which he would always calmly explain that they were just friends, and that he was totally cool with it, because Hox was actually just a really cool guy. And she would then ask how often he thought about choking on Hox’s elephant penis. For which the only reply River could give was, whenever his cute ass didn’t distract him.

But River wasn’t lying. He actually did enjoy spending time with Hox, and was growing more and more comfortable with the idea that they could be just friends. Hox and he shared the same love of sushi, fuzzy animals, sports, and trashy science fiction novels. As the weeks approached Hox’s inevitable departure to Duke, River realized that he’d miss him a lot. What had once been simple lust had developed into something a lot stronger, and a lot scarier.

Two days before Hox had to leave they had gone out to the harbor on a sunfish for a quick and easy sail. The wind was perfect because an afternoon summer storm was coming in, and it wasn’t until they started putting everything away that the first drops began to fall. By the time they got back to River’s car, it had started pouring, and they were soaked. They threw a couple of towels over the front seats to keep the car dry and climbed in. Hox turned the defroster on full blast and they sat in silence for half a minute.

River turned towards Hox, “Sunday?”

“Sunday.” Hox never turned his head from staring out the windshield. The rain poured over it like a small river.

“You gotta pack a lot?”

“Yeah.”

River turned the key in the ignition and started the car. He turned on the windshield wipers to clear the view and looked over at Hox. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t think of anything, so he closed his mouth and looked over his shoulder instead and pulled the car into reverse.

Fifteen minutes later the car was sitting in Hox’s driveway. They sat in silence again. The only sound being the defroster still fighting the moisture coming off the heated seats and the drumming of heavy drops on the roof of the car.

Hox finally looked at River. “Thanks for coming out today. I guess I’ll see ya around then.” He pushed open the door to step out of the car.

“Yeah.” River watched Hox walk halfway to his house before he got out of the car and followed him through the downpour to his door. He touched Hox lightly on the elbow as he was turning his key. Hox turned around, his face torn between a smile and a grimace. River wanted to say so many things, but decided to go with “I’m gonna miss you man,” and pulled Hox into a hug. He held him tight, not wanting to let go. The rain continued to fall all around, but time felt much slower, and he could count each heartbeat as he held the man of his dreams in his arms.

Finally, they pulled away. “Yeah. Um. I’ll miss you too.” Hox fumbled his keys again and opened the door. He spared one last look over his shoulder, and then slipped inside, closing the door softy on River’s face.

* * *

The rest of the summer passed without incident.

When River recounted the events of the last time he saw Hox to Tracy, her mouth dropped to the floor. “You dumbass! Fumbling keys? What they fuck were you thinking? You totally should have gone in for the kiss. I can’t believe this is true, but Hox totally wanted you, and you completely blew it. I mean, you could have blown him!”

“You don’t think I’m not kicking myself every day I think back on it?”

“No. I think you’re jerking off with a big black dildo up your ass wishing it was Hox.”

“Fuck my life.”

* * *

River and Hox chatted online every now and then over the school year, but it looked as though they weren’t gonna see each other again until winter break. Hox didn’t get much of Thanksgiving off, and the time he had was gonna be spent out of town with one of his mom’s parents. But a week before River was due home, he got a text from Hox:

Im home. No ones here. When you back? So bored.

River replied:

One week. Cant wait. We’re gonna chill right?

Most definitely. Big plans!

Yea? Like?

See ya soon.

River couldn’t help but grin. That was about as close to an admission of interest he’d ever gotten from a guy, sad as that was. He still hadn’t come out in college. He’d planned on it, what with the clean slate and all, but had found that he’d just fallen in with the same kind of kids from high school that he had hung out with before, and still didn’t feel comfortable being the gay one.

The following week was excruciatingly long.

Even when he was home, they still couldn’t find a time to chill together until after Christmas. They’d both saved their shopping duties ‘til the last minute, and found they were so exhausted from trying to find shit for all of their respective relatives that had come north for a “white Christmas” that they just passed out early every night and kept bailing on one another.

Fortunately, Adam was apparently throwing a new years eve bash at the lake. Tracy confided to River that she had asked him to do so immediately after giving him a holiday blow job, knowing he’d acquiesce at the time. She liked that word. Acquiesce. Either way, new years eve meant a new years eve kiss, which meant River had to get Hox at that party. Tracy giggled as their conversation was coming to a close.

“What?” River asked.

“Well, merry Christmas!”

“Thanks. Did you get me anything.”

“Please slut, I got you this party. Don’t pretend like you’re not gonna call Hox as soon as you hang up on me. I know which was you dick points.”

“With the wind, my lovely trollop. With the wind.”

“Did Hox lick it for you so you knew that?”

“No, but if he doesn’t lick it three days hence, I don’t think he’s gonna lick it.” River liked that word. Hence.

“Whatever fag, your balls are so blue they compose jazz soul.”

“I’ll talk to you later.”

“Love ya.”

“Yeah, yeah, love you too.”

River closed his phone, opened it, and called Hox.

“Hey Riv! What’s up, sorry I keep bailin’ on you. My family is nuts.”

“Don’t bother apologizing. If you hadn’t bailed on me, I would have bailed on you. I didn’t even realize I had this many relatives. What are you doing Thursday night?”

“New years? My moms wanted me to hang out with them and watch the fireworks at the harbor.”

“Um. That’s completely unacceptable. How about Adam’s lake house? You promised me big plans.”

River could hear Hox smile through his phone. “Oh? You got big plans for this party? Where are you gonna be at midnight?”

His heart skipped a beat, but he held his composure. “You tell me, stud.”

Hox laughed into the phone. “Aight man, I’ll cya there. Who’s gonna DD?”

“No one, Adam actually convinced his parents to let us in the house this time. It’s a sleepover event.”

“My favorite kind.”

* * *

11:57 PM December 31st, 2008. Hox and River stood side by side, swaying slightly under the influence of some spliffs, some unrememberable amount of alcohol, and music with a good bass beat. People were starting to shuffle into the TV room to watch the ball drop in New York, but they stayed in the kitchen. Tracy left the kitchen at 11:59, when the tension was tightest, and “absentmindedly” hit the light switch on her way out, leaving them in partial darkness. The darkness closed in on them, making the room feel even smaller. River thought he could hear Hox’s heart beating.

10!

River put down his cup.

9!

Hox put down his cup.

8!

River jumped up onto the counter, using the maneuver to get an inch or two closer to Hox.

7!

Hox turned slightly, in acknowledgement of the tactic.

6!

“Hey, where’s River?” Adam’s voice drifted into the kitchen.

5!

Someone got hit upside the head in the other room and was shh’d.

4!

Hox turned fully towards River, standing between his legs.

3!

Hox braced his arms on either side of River’s thighs.

2!

River slid down off the counter. His groin was up against Hox’s, and he hooked his fingers into Hox’s belt loops.

1!

They leaned in towards one another. Every part of their bodies pressed tightly together except their faces, which remained centimeters apart. River watched Hox’s eyes, seeking recognition.

“Happy New Year!”

Their lips touched. The ground fell out beneath River’s feet. As the kiss kept going, their faces were smashing closer and closer together. Their hands clawed at one another’s backs and through each other’s hair. River hooked a leg around Hox’s, forcing it to bend so that he could lower him to the ground. They sank together to the heated kitchen tiles. Grinding, kneading muscles, moaning in whispers, tongues twisted in a dance of passion.

River only broke the kiss to chew and suck on Hox’s neck, and pull Hox’s face onto his own. River softy kissed along Hox’s jaw line towards his earlobe. Hox arched his back in squirming delight as River took the earlobe between his teeth before sticking his tongue into Hox’s ear. Hox grabbed River’s shoulders and pushed him up over him so that they were face to face in the dark. “Hey.”

River nearly broke into tears of joy at that word, but instead he just smiled the largest smile he had ever had, and replied, “Hey.”

“We should date.”

“We should go someone a little more private that the drink area, so that I can play with your dick.”

“Basement?”

“Basement.”

River kissed Hox once quickly and stood up. He reached down to help Hox up off the ground, but Hox’s weight shifted, and instead River was pulled back down onto him. As River’s body collapsed in a sprawl over him, Hox had gotten his free hand onto River’s crotch. Now that they were back on the ground, Hox snuck his hand up, over, and into River’s pants, grabbing his already rock hard shaft, saying, “I don’t think I can wait that long.”

“Mmmm, that’s great, but fuck you. I’m not into exhibitionism, let’s go.”

“Yes, master.”

They scrambled up and hunted for the basement door in the dark of the kitchen. Hox found it first, and silently slipped inside, leaving it ajar for River. River followed him in, and just as silently closed the door. It was possible that people thought they had snuck outside for a joint or spliff, or had just passed out somewhere. It was possible, but it was more likely that Tracy would prompt someone to go looking for one of them just to make an awkward situation. They didn’t have much time.

They began stripping off layers as the descended into the cozy family room in the basement. Clothes tossed to the side, the collapsed onto the couch in just their boxers, but soon those two and been slid down to their ankles, where they’d been flung off with a swift swing of a leg. They stiff cocks ground into their abs, each throbbing powerfully against the other, while the males’ naked bodies writhed together in a sweaty tumble on a cool leather couch. Even the cool of the basement in winter without clothing wasn’t enough to chill the furnace of one’s lusty body against the others.

River eventually pinned Hox down, and began massaging his chest as he worked his way down Hox’s body straddling his legs. At Hox’s abs, he moved his hands to Hox’s sides, and rubbed the muscles there, so that he could kiss his way down the dark silky line down the middle of Hox’s tight swimmer’s abs. When he was finally straddling Hox’s shins, he grabbed Hox’s nine inch monster and pumped it with a long, slow, twist while rubbing his face into Hox’s pubic hair. He tongued the underside of Hox’s balls, and pulled gently on the sack with his lips before kissing his way up Hox’s cock to the glans. River rubbed his thumb in a circle on Hox’s slit, and pressed his mouth quickly to the opening as precum began to drip out. Opening a little further he swallowed the first two or three inches. Hox’s eyes rolled back for a second, and then he looked back at River with a face of pure lust. River smiled on his dick and winked. Then he opened his throat and swallowed the rest. Hox gasped and clutched the sofa as pleasure rolled over him.

At least, that’s how it should have happened.

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