Spanish Bay (2 page)

When he got the chair, his parents remodeled the ground floor of their house, and he moved into their bedroom, which was large enough to accommodate the chair. A large shower was installed in the en suite bathroom, with a special seat and handlebars to help him move from his chair to the shower or tub. Meanwhile, his parents transformed the upper floor into their apartment, and he was immensely grateful that they appreciated his need for privacy. Being fifteen was bad enough without the chair. But having your mother clean you like a baby was the pits. She understood. She never pushed him and worked hard to protect his dignity, right down to avoiding eye contact when they were in the bathroom.

It had been almost two years since his mom had seen him naked or in shorts, and in that time his legs had wasted due to the lack of exercise. He thought they were grotesque. He’d never been proud of his looks anyway. Now his market value had leveled out at zero—subzero, even—and his right hand and RedTube had quickly become his best friends.

With his back against the window of the café, Neil watched people and cars pass by, so absorbed in his own world he startled at the hand on his shoulder.

“Hey.” It was Chris, still donning the apron he’d worn during his rescue that morning. “Glad you came back. What can I get you? It’s on the house. Sally insists!”

Neil looked up at Chris and saw that smile, a couple of cute dimples and honey-colored eyes that took his breath away. They complemented Chris’s short blond hair.
Crush.

“I’ll have, er, a double espresso, no sugar, please.”

“Anything else? A muffin or a brownie?”

“You?” Neil quickly bit his tongue when he realized what he’d said, but Chris just laughed out loud.

“I think I’m going to like you.” Still grinning, Chris turned around and walked back into the café to get Neil’s order.

Neil’s face burned, and he could only imagine the crimson red he was sporting.
I’m such an idiot. How could I say something like that? He’ll think I’m a creep.
Had it not been for making it even worse in Sally’s eyes, Neil would’ve fled the scene, right there and then. But instead, he waited and hoped Chris would bring him his coffee quickly so he could get out of there and forget about the incident.

When Chris came back, the apron was gone, and along the espresso he’d brought a chocolate-chip cookie—one of Sally’s specialties.

“Here you go. Mind if I sit down? My shift’s just ended.”

Without waiting for a response, Chris took the seat opposite Neil’s. “So, you want me?”

Neil felt his face get even hotter, imagining it must have been glowing crimson. Chris raised an eyebrow and laughed.

“Don’t worry. I’m not teasing, or not in a bad way. You’re pretty cute yourself, but I’m not that easy. Why don’t we go out to a movie and take it one step at a time? I’m new here, and I don’t know anyone my age.”

Neil tried. He really did. He opened his mouth, but the guttural sound that escaped was hardly the answer Chris was waiting for. Instead, he simply nodded, fully aware that he was making an ass of himself. Chris either hadn’t noticed, or he did a great job of not showing it.

“Cool,” he said. “They’re showing
Gone with the Wind
at the Arts Center tonight. Wanna go see that? I’ll need a shoulder to cry on at the end.”

Is he flirting with me?
“Sure. I’ve never actually seen that film. It’s black and white, right?”

Chris laughed again. “No, it’s in color, but it’s a real classic. You’ll love it. Vivian Leigh is as feisty as you are, and Clark Gable…well, he’s one hot daddy, trust me. I’ll pick you up at, say, seven?”

“Sure,” was all Neil could say, suddenly confused how this one word spoken out of place had landed him his first date. Ever.

“You’ll need to give me your address. Heck, I don’t even know your name.”

“Neil. Name’s Neil Horner, and I live at 2467 West Grover Street.”

“Very nice to meet you, Neil Horner. I’m Chris, but you already know that. I’ll pick you up at seven, then. Now you enjoy your coffee before it gets cold. I need to get home and get ready for tonight—still have some chores to do.”

With that, Chris downed the rest of his water and left. Just before he disappeared from sight, he flashed Neil another dimpled smile.

The boner was back and this time not so easy to dismiss.

AS THE CLOCK in the living room chimed seven, the doorbell rang.
Right on time.
Neil had been ready for almost an hour, and he was nervous. When his mom asked why, he’d said he was going to a movie with a friend, which she followed up with the obligatory, “What are you going to see?”

Needless to say, the emotions playing on her face when Neil said
Gone with the Wind
—rather than the latest Marvel Universe or Fast & Furious adventure—were quite spectacular, and he wondered what she’d think if she knew it was a date with another man. Not that Neil had ever made a secret of being gay, but he had also never mentioned having a crush on a boy or a girl, or anything else that could’ve been taken as a signal that he was indeed grown up and ready to date.

Mixed with the fear and over-protectiveness toward their disabled oldest son, Neil’s parents struggled with the concept of letting go. They didn’t mention it, or try to stop Neil from pursuing his dreams, but he knew how they felt from their reactions to the things that happened to him and their concern when he suggested trying something new, like making his own way to school.

“Have fun then,” was all his mom had been able to muster, yet when the doorbell rang, she almost flew to it, to get a first look at the person who was taking her baby to the movies. From his bedroom doorway, Neil watched her reaction as she opened the door and saw Chris. He was wearing a cowboy hat—
what?
—a plaid shirt and blue jeans with a large western belt buckle. Heck, he was even wearing cowboy boots. Neil was confused. Was he going to see a western, or the ultimate southern romance drama?

Mrs. Horner blushed as she welcomed Chris into the house, pointing him toward Neil. With a quick smile of thanks, Chris walked straight over and planted a peck on Neil’s uninjured cheek.

“How are you doing? Does your cheek still hurt?”

Neil didn’t respond. His eyes were locked with his mom’s, and she looked afraid, like her worst fears had been confirmed by the handsome man who had just kissed her son as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Chris seemed completely oblivious to the sudden tension in the Horner home. He stepped past Neil before pushing the chair to the door, where Neil’s mom was still planted like an abandoned statue. Chris momentarily let go of the chair and took his leave of her.

“I’ll bring him home after the movie’s done, Mrs. Horner. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Neil, and I promise to drive carefully.” He flashed her a smile that made Neil wonder how her knees didn’t buckle.

As Chris wheeled him out the front door, Neil called back, “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll be fine!”

“So, how do we do this?” said Chris as they reached his truck. ”Can you lift yourself into the car, or do you need help?”

Neil looked up at the cab of the truck, elevated on the trimmed chassis. “I think I’ll need help.”

Chris smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.” He opened the passenger door and waited for Neil to put his arms around him before lifting Neil from the chair and up into the cab. Once inside, Neil let go, but Chris remained close. “I think I could get used to having you hold on to me.” He planted a quick kiss on Neil’s lips.

Neil was stunned. The sensation of being kissed was one he’d been imagining for a long time, but it caught him utterly by surprise. He traced his lips with his tongue, searching for any residual taste of Chris. Every single nerve ending stood to attention, along with his dick. He quickly put his hands in his lap to conceal the latest boner of the day and focused on Chris loading the folded wheelchair onto the truck bed.

When the wheelchair was secure, Chris walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in. “You all strapped in?” he asked. He gave Neil a quick once-over before he put on his own seat belt and started the engine. “I promised your mom I’d keep you safe.” Slowly and carefully, he left the driveway and pulled out into the street. “Your mom is nice, and you have a beautiful home. I live on the other side of town in the projects—a small studio. It’s not much, but it’s mine.” Chris flashed another one of those smiles in Neil’s direction.

“Cowboy hat?” Neil asked. It had been on his mind the whole time.

The laughter from Chris was disarming. “I’m Texan. It’s what we do. Besides, I don’t have many nice clothes, and this is the best I could come up with at short notice. Don’t you like it?” As if to assuage any fear of rejection, Chris placed his right hand on Neil’s left leg.

For a split second, Neil was absolutely mortified. No one had touched his legs in years, and yet, for all his determination, and no matter how ashamed he was of his bony, crippled limbs, he could not bring himself to remove that hand from his thigh. It felt…good. Somehow, he managed to say, “No, you look great. I was just surprised. We don’t get many people wearing cowboy hats in California. You kind of stand out.” Neil coughed nervously. He hadn’t meant to criticize.

Chris glanced his way and grinned. “Don’t worry. I get that a lot.”

The reassurance made Neil less self-conscious, and he found he was smiling back. He relaxed a little and settled into the journey, wondering why a handsome young Texan would move to Carmel. Sure, the location of his home town wasn’t all wrong. It was relatively close to San Francisco—even Los Angeles was in reach—and the great Pacific Ocean beckoned. But despite the location, Carmel was a sleepy, run-down town—at least in the eyes of a teen facing the prospect of being stuck there for the rest of his life.

Eventually, Neil’s curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, “So what brought you to our town? We’re not exactly the center of the universe.”

Chris shrugged. “Oh, nothing much, really. I was on my way up the coastal highway when I saw Sally’s billboard for help needed, and I stayed. When I came out, my parents threw me out, with nothing but the clothes I was wearing and the keys to my truck—which, by the way, I had earned through a lot of hard work.

“I was already twenty-one, so it wasn’t as bad as it sounds, but it still kind of threw me off balance. Life in the Texas panhandle isn’t a picnic for a gay kid, so I did what we all do. I turned west. I drove all the way to Los Angeles, but I didn’t like it, so I moved on and came across Carmel. It reminds me of Lubbock, minus the attitude and judgment. I’ve been here two weeks now, and I kind of like it. After today, I think I might stick around.”

Chris gently moved his hand an inch up Neil’s leg, causing the latter to take a deep breath.

“You okay?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, it’s nothing. I’m just not used… I, uh…” Neil was lost for words, overwhelmed by the conflicting emotions churning within. The excitement of being close to another human being for the first time in his life, the fear of losing that sensation, of being hurt, of abandonment, and the terror of being alone again, drove tears to his eyes.

They arrived at the Sunset Cultural Center, and Chris parked the truck and stopped the engine. As he turned toward Neil, Chris’s smile faded, in its place a worried frown. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing… Everything… This…” Neil pointed helplessly to his legs. For the first time since he’d seen Chris, the man’s expression held no humor, only concern and sincerity.

“I don’t care about your legs, Neil. Well, actually I do, seeing as they’re attached to the rest of you, but you know what I mean. I’m here to catch a movie, get to know you. I’m not blind—I saw the wheels before I saw you this morning—and I didn’t ask you out simply because you flirted with me. I asked you out because I genuinely want to get to know you. I’m a pretty good judge of character.”

For a moment Chris’s eyes sparkled with fun before he became serious again. “Whatever comes of this—a second date, friendship, a relationship or whatever—your legs won’t affect my decision in any way. You have my word, okay?”

Neil nodded.

“Cool. So let’s just go and have some fun with Miss Leigh and Mr. Gable, shall we?”

Without waiting for an answer, Chris planted another quick peck on Neil’s cheek and went to get his chair.

***

The movie was fun. Long—excruciatingly long, Neil thought, but then his normal fare was horror or thrillers, not chick flicks—but with Chris at his side, he could probably have endured
Bambi
. Halfway through the movie, Chris had leaned across and rested his head on Neil’s shoulder, where it stayed for the rest of the movie, leaving Neil entranced by the tantalizing scent of Chris’s aftershave and the things it was doing to his body.

Afterward, they took a quick detour to a drive-thru, to grab a burger and a soda before Chris dropped Neil off at home. Pulling into the driveway, Neil saw the curtain drop—his mom had probably been sitting there all night, waiting for him. Before the truck had come to a complete stop, the front door opened and his mom and dad both stepped outside. His dad casually put his arm around his mom in a protective gesture.

Chris seemed oblivious to Neil’s parents’ body language. Then again, he didn’t know them the way Neil did. Rather than getting Neil’s chair, Chris walked straight up to them and extended his arm to Neil’s dad.

“Good evening, sir. I’m Chris. I’m a friend of Neil’s. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Turning to Neil’s mom he added, “Good evening, ma’am. We’re back, just as I promised.”

Chris returned to the truck and gave Neil a wink as he passed by. He fetched Neil’s chair, brought it around to the side of the truck and opened the passenger door. All the while, Neil’s parents watched on, neither of them moving, as if Chris’s greeting had turned them to stone. Self-consciously, Neil locked his arms around Chris, who lifted him effortlessly out of the cab and into the chair.

“Thanks,” Neil muttered. “I can take it from here.” He wheeled himself up to his parents, hoping to avoid yet another embarrassing display of affection. Clearly, he still had a lot to learn.