Oakleaves
Chapter 10

       It wasn’t a very pleasant face full of dirt and leaves, but I guarantee one of the most surprising.  ‘Lovemaking?  Did he just say that?’ I thought to myself as looked intently on  ant passing through my severely limited line of sight.  
       
       "Garrett?  Holy Shit!  Are you ok?"
       
       I rolled over onto a root which conveniently dug into the small of my back.  "That is going to tense up real quick," I quipped.
       
       "What?  Are you ok?" he repeated.
       
       "Yea, I’m fine."  I, however, was quite content to stay right there on the ant filled dirt with a root digging into my back.  ‘He wanted to make love to me.’
       
       "Are you going to get up?" 
       
       "No, actually I am quite happy right where I am," I stated matter-of-factly.
       
       "Right, I bet you are.  I did see that face of pain as you rolled over."
       
       "Nothin’, its just a branch."
       
       He sat down next to me.  "Well if you don’t get up, than I am coming down."
       
       "Ok."  God I sounded like I was on narcotics or something.  Coming back from cloud nine.  There was a silence between us only broken by the chirping of birds or the scratching of squirrels.  
       
       "So, what are you taking next year?" Noah asked me.
       
       "I don’t even want to think about school.  We have the whole rest of the summer to have fun, and your deciding what you are taking next year?"
       
       "Not deciding."
       
       "Fine, even talking about sucks."
       
       "What do you want to talk about?"
       
       I looked straight up, pondered this question, than said, "Frogs."  He looked at me weird, then a smirk drew upon his face, and soon we were laughing like loons.  
       
       "What the hell kinda subject is that?" he said between giggles.
       "I don’t know it is just the first thing that cam from my mouth."
       
       "I think your high!!"
       
       "Shut up," I said as I got up.  I softly punched him the shoulder.  We started laughing for apparently no reason.  Maybe it was the fact that we were friends again.  Maybe not boyfriends, but friends.  It gave me a warm feeling that I could feel coursing through me.  It made me smile.
       
       After that short thought I was brought back to reality as Noah lunged at me.  I fell backward and we started to wrestle, laughing all through the entire match.  We stopped with him pinning me to the dirt.  
       
       "Ha, got you!" he said triumphantly.
       
       "Yes, you got me," I said breathing heavily.
       
       "I think that I will sit here for a while, reveling above my prize."
       
       "Get off, asshole," I pushed, but was unable to budge him.
       
       "Ohh, planning ahead?"
       
       "No really, get off!" I choked.  A look of concern, suddenly replaced the one of pride.
       
       He quickly got off my chest and reached out a hand to help me.  "I’m sorry."
       
       "Thanks, its ok."  I was taking deep breaths.
       
       "Don’t scare me like that," he said cautiously.  He then gave me unnecessary attention by helping me down the rest of the hill.
       
       When we got to the bottom of the hill to our encampment we found that everyone was already up and eating breakfast.  Noah and I grabbed a plate and tossed some homemade pancakes onto them.  We starting chewing down on them along with the rest of our friends.
       
       As Brook’s mom finished she addressed us all.  "Today is our last day on the island.  Tomorrow we head off back home.  I know that we don’t want to and I know that we have had a lot of fun here.  Some more than others." At that point she looked straight at us.  "But all good things come to an end.  So, who all had fun."
       
       With many cheers, we all said we did.  The brooks father said, "I want all four of you to have fun today, because tomorrow and the day after are going to be nothing but work."
       
       The first thing on my agenda was to fish.  I loved to fish. Alex and Brook ran into the forest somewhere, probably to make out and Noah hung our hammock and started to read a book.  I was quite content to cast my line in the water and hope that something bit.
       
       Suddenly I saw a second line next to mine.  I looked to see who it was and Brook’s father stood there smiling at me.  "I see you and Noah made peace."
       
       "Huh?"
       
       "Don’t play stupid there Garrett, I know you."
       
       I was caught, like a deer in headlights.  "Uhh, umm," I stumbled.
       
       "Don’t worry, it really is ok.  He is a fine catch, and speaking of, watch your line."  I looked out and could see it bobbing a little.  The fish was playing with me.  I reeled it in a little.
       
       "So your ok...you know...with it."
       
       "You being gay?  Yes, and so is my wife."
       
       "God you say it so easily."
       
       "You can’t?"
       
       "Well," I caught myself.  "Yea, but not as easy as that."  I reeled in my line a bit further, I could almost see the fish deciding either to risk it or not.
       
       "Garrett, I expect that anything that is shared between us right now is to be kept in confidence right?"
       
       "Absolutely," I said immediately.
       
       "There was once in my life, a long time ago, when I thought I was gay.  I had an attraction to this one kid, what was his name, Jimmy.  Jimmy Cosak.  I used to think he was so cute.  He was popular and funny, and had all the girls wanting him."
       
       "Yea," I was intrigued and didn’t even feel the fish grab my bait and head off.
       
       "You lost your fish," he laughed lightly at me.  
       
       "Shit."  As I reeled in I said, "finish your story please."
       
       "Anyway, a few months later, I found out that is was just a phase.  That is was just because he was popular and funny.  However, for one of my good friends, it wasn’t just a phase.  He was attracted to Jimmy from the get-go and never let it go."  He yanked on his line and I saw a great tug on the other end.  He got one.
       
       "So you were friends with..."
       
       "Hank, was his name.  He was my best friend.  He told me a few years later that he liked me for a while, but our friendship was too close for that to happen.  So you see Garrett, I know what your going through."
       
       "You do?"
       
       "I heard your fight last night, about love, and I think that I know what happened up on the hill this morning."
       
       I was baiting my new line and getting ready to cast when I asked, "What do you think happened?"
       
       "You two went from friends, to lovers, to really good friends.  I have seen it before, and I really congratulate you two.  Not many can be friends after something like that."
       
       I cast my line.  "Well, after my point of view was expressed as was his, we came to a decision that it was for the best.  I know that I love him, but I need to first find out what that is."
       
       "You really are mature for your age."
       
       "I know that sounds really corny and sappy coming from a high school student, but I...I guess that’s just what I feel."
       
       "Not a lot of people are willing to admit that they don’t know what love is.  But just as a thought to pick on.  Love is a mystery and a gift."  We sat in silence until middle morning when I saw my line bobbing.  "Wait for it," he coached.
       
       "When?"
       
       "Wait for it...wait...hook it now!"  I yanked on the line as hard and reeled it in a little.
       
       "I got it!!  I got it!"
       
       "Not yet.  Once you have it in your hand, then you have it.  Now let it out a little, you have a big one there and its going to want to fight."  I let the line out a little then pulled back slowly.
       
       I continued this routine until I could feel it weakening.  "I think its working!" I called out to him.
       
       "Good, now bring him in.  Slowly!"
       
       I pulled on the line and started to reel it in.  "Wow he is still tugging at it."
       
       "Use your judgment, don’t let that line snap."  I released the stopped and the line took off to the left, then the right.  
       
       I stopped the line and started to pull it in a little. "I think its working."
       
       "Your getting it.  Wow, looks like a big one."  I pulled the line and reeled it in, pulled the line and reeled it in.
       
       "Wow, heavy too."  I could see the fish crest the water ever now and again.  It looked the photos of the LockNess Monster.  When it was almost on shore, I gave a final tug and flopping fish flopped on shore.  "How do I kill it, how do I kill it," I yelled nervously.
       
       "Pull the hook out."
       
       "WHAT!!!"
       
       "Have you ever fished before?"
       
       "Yes."
       
       "Have you ever caught something before?"
       
       "No."
       
       "Than let me show you."  He calmly grabbed the fish right below the head and pulled the hook out of the mouth, than tossed the it onto the nearest patch of grass.  I watched as it flopped its last.  "Nice lunch there, Garrett.  You’ll feed all of us."
       
       Lunch really was good too.  Fish and sandwiches.  Excellent.  I spent the better half of the afternoon just lazing around the rocks.  I sat against the rock in the shade of a tree and just looked out over the water.  Nothing was in my mind at that moment.  I just relaxed.  
       
       I think Alex and Brook had the job of catching dinner.  They did a good job too.  But before I ate, I wanted a bath.  I don’t know why either, just felt like one.  "I’ll join you, Noah said," unaware that everyone was then looking at us.  
       
       "What?  I’ll wear my swimsuit if it will make everyone feel better.  I knew that Noah’s cheeks went red.  Without a second thought, I grabbed my things and went to a small bay away from the others.  Noah was there right behind me.
       
       "They all know?"
       
       "Yes."
       
       "Who told them?"
       
       "Nobody, they could tell from last night."
       
       "Ohh," he said as he stripped off his shirt and shorts.  He then put on his swimming suit as we promised.  
       
       "Dude, I was just kidding."  I stepped into the cold water bare naked.  My organ kinda shriveled up and retracted completely.  Much to the laughter of Noah.  "Hey, just you wait.  Sure enough, the minute he stepped into the water, zip, like turtle pulling in it’s head.
       
       Needless to say it wasn’t the interesting bath, that I wanted it to be, but it was nice.  We did wash each other.  It felt nice to have his soft, albeit cold, hands wash my back and hair.  
       
       We were silent through the entire process, I guess just enjoying each other’s company.  When he was done washing my back I just leaned back into his lap.  We were quiet.
       
       "I do love you Garrett, you know that?"
       
       "I know, and I love you too."
       
       "But, I am glad at the decision we made, I don’t know, it makes me feel much closer to you for some reason than we were before."
       
       I sat up and faced him.  "You know, I felt the same thing.  Its as if this is better than officially being a couple.  I do feel closer to you."  He just smiled at me.  I quickly kissed him on the lips, then smiled at him.
       
       "Guys!!!  Dinner is ready."
       
       "Come on," he said, "We better get going."  We dried each other off, which in itself was a surreal experience.  We were nothing but laughs and giggles through the entire thing.  All things come to an end and we dressed.
       
       I started to walk up to the campsite and he accidentally crashed into me as he caught up.  I looked at him, then purposefully crashed into him.  We started to laugh and do that back and forth, each time a little harder.  
       
       I finally hit Noah too hard and he fell to the ground, in nothing but laughter.  I was cracking up too and I pulled him back up.
       
       "Have a good time boys?" Brook’s mom asked.  I saw a wink.  It was definitely a wink.
       "I’m clean," I said plainly.  We all sat at the fire and ate a silent dinner.  The most pleasant part about it was just the quietness.  Tonight was our last night in paradise, and I would never forget the trip.
       
       Just then and bald eagle, out of nowhere, soared down to the scraps of fish on the peninsula and scooped them up flying off somewhere into the trees.
       
       "Wow," I whispered.  Everyone just merely nodded their heads.
       
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