Over the next week, I rode my new horse every day. I learned how to effortlessly bounce up and down in the saddle in sync with the horse's gait, and by the third day, me, Rick and Ronnie were galloping our steeds up and down the low hills surrounding the property. I only fell off once the entire time, but that was my own stupid fault. I balked at learning how to jump the horse, but I promised the Lannigan brothers that the next time I visited, we'd work on that.

RJ had to go into the city on Thursday to pick up some supplies, and Ronnie and I rode with him in the truck. When we rode down Main, I noticed a nearby building when we stopped for a light at Houston Street. It looked strangely familiar.

"Hey!" I said, pointing out the window. "That's the Texas Book Depository! This is Dealey Plaza, where Kennedy was shot six years ago."

RJ sighed. "Yep," he said, quietly. "We Texans don't exactly like this place as a tourist stop. It's kinda embarrassin'."

I insisted that he stop and let us get out and walk around just for five minutes. You could definitely feel a weird vibe in the air. I looked at all the surrounding buildings and pointed out to Ronnie that if ever there was a place tailor-made for murder, this was it. With the two tall buildings behind us, and the grassy knoll ahead, it seemed pretty obvious to me that there must've been more than one finger on the trigger for the assassination. I'd already read the single-volume Warren Commission Report at the public library, plus a couple of other books on Kennedy's assassination that my dad had at home.

"C'mon, let's go, Wil," whined Ronnie, pulling on my hand. "This place is creepy."

RJ nodded. "We really oughta git back to the ranch, boys."

I took one last look up at the 6th floor of the building and shuddered. I'd already been through too much death this year anyway. We got back in the truck and continued on our errands.

Uncle Bob pulled out all the stops for their 4th of July celebration at the ranch on Friday. RJ told me his father had spent over two thousand dollars for the fireworks alone, and I guessed half the population of Dallas must've been out there on the ranch that night. The smell of fried chicken, barbecue ribs, and steaks filled the air. Above in the night sky, enormous explosions of red, white and blue shot through the blackness.

Ron and I sat on the fence, staring up at the dazzling display of pyrotechnics above us and flinching at the explosions. He leaned on me and put his right arm around my shoulder.

"I don't want you to go back to Florida, Wil," he whispered. "Please stay here with us."

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Ronnie," I said. "We talked about this before. I gotta go home tomorrow. My parents haven't seen me in weeks."

"You can still call 'em on the phone," he whined.

I smiled. I looked up, and could see tears welling up in Ronnie's eyes. "I'll visit you whenever I can, Ron."

He sniffled. "Okay," he muttered. "I guess."

After the fireworks show, we headed back into the house and climbed up the long, winding staircase. Uncle Bob turned off the enormous chandelier in the foyer.

"You boys best run up to bed, now!" he called. "Wil, y'all got an early mornin' flight back to Tampa. We'll git you on the road by 7:30."

"Thanks, Uncle Bob," I called as we reached the top of the stairs. "Goodnight!"

"G'night, Wil!" he yelled.

In the hall, Ronnie stopped me as I started to turn the doorknob to my room. "Wait," he whispered. "I want you with me tonight. In my room."

I hesitated. "Ron, listen," I said. "There's this guy back home who's been helping me with stuff. Helping me... you know, get over... what happened."

Ron nodded. "I know -- Pete. You said you'd been stayin' with him."

"Yeah," I said. "I'm kinda... in love with him."

"Just stay with me for a little while," he whispered, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Just for tonight. I love you, Wil."

I sighed. I guess I loved Ronnie, too, but the way I felt with Pete was... different, somehow. Like it was something written in the cosmos. But maybe with Ronnie, even sex was okay. Just between us brothers.

We made love for half the night. Despite the huge mansion's high-tech, climate-controlled air conditioning system, the sweat from our bodies mingled together, and his sheets were slightly damp in less than an hour.

Ronnie had gotten a little bigger since I'd last seen him. I could see he'd sprouted a little more hair down below, and he was losing his baby fat. I could also see the beginnings of a man's muscles on his skinny frame.

"I love your muscles, Wil," he sighed, after his third orgasm. "You've got veins and bulges and everything."

I sat up and grinned. "You should've seen Sky," I said. "He was really great."

"Tell me about him, Wil," he said, quietly.

I began to explain how I'd grown to love Sky over the past few years, and how finally, he started to love me back, just after the ski accident. I tried to describe what it was about Sky that I loved so much -- his eyes, his body, his voice. All that, plus the special indefinable spark that made him what he was. Some of it was impossible to put in words, like how comfortable I was just hanging out with him, or how we could finish each other sentences without even thinking. Sometimes I felt like Sky and I were two sides of the same coin. And yet, Sky could also be stubborn and unpredictable sometimes. Maybe that was the wild streak in him, just like my new horse.

"What was your favorite part of him?" Ronnie asked.

I thought for a minute, then smiled. "Well, aside from his eyes," I said, wistfully, "I guess it was his stomach. Man, he had a sexy stomach."

Ronnie giggled, then put his hand on my abdomen. "Yours is pretty cool, too, Wil," he said.

"You think so?" I said, disbelieving.

He nodded. "Y' know what I think your best feature is?" he asked.

I sighed. "Lemme guess," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"No, not that," he said, playfully tugging at my manhood, which drooped over one side of my leg. "I think it's your heart." He smiled.

"Thanks, Ron," I said, softly.

"Either that, or your huge balls," he said, giggling again and gently cupping my groin.

We both laughed.

"So what kinda stuff did you guys do?" he asked.

I gave Ronnie all the details about what Sky and I had done on the boat over the spring, how I'd lost my virginity to him -- well, my willing virginity, anyway -- and how we'd tried to throw off everybody at school by dating girls. I also told Ron about the couple of times we'd done it in our houses, even once in the back seat of his GTO. Every time with Sky was exciting, electric, and spontaneous. I still couldn't believe he was gone.

Ron reached over and held me tight. "He was so lucky to have you, Wil," he said, in a small voice. "It wasn't your fault that he... that he died."

I closed my eyes and nodded.

Ronnie sighed. "What about Pete?"

"I dunno, Ronnie," I said, leaning back against the pillow. "Pete's really great, but he's... he's kind of intense. Maybe it's because he's four years older than me. But I couldn't have made it without him. He's been great." I stopped and smiled. "I think I really love him, Ronnie. I'm not even sure why, but I do. And I know he loves me. He says it's cosmic, or some kind of shit."

We both laughed.

"It's different than it was with Sky," I said, sighing. "I knew Sky for six years. I've barely known Pete six months, but he says he's known me forever. I don't know what he means half the time." I shook my head.

Ronnie smiled sadly, and his eyes twinkled. He reached out and put his hand on my thigh and gently squeezed me.

I yawned. "Listen, Ron," I said. "We gotta get up in like four hours. Let me at least have a little sleep, okay?"

"Okay," he said.

I got up and grabbed my shorts, then pulled them up. "I'll see you in the morning, Ronnie."

"Thanks, Wil," he whispered. "For comin' out here to visit."

I walked over to him and kissed him. "Thanks for the horse," I whispered. "Thanks for giving me Sky. G'night, Ronnie."

I padded out of the luxurious bedroom and into the hallway, then returned to my room next door. I lay down on my bed, exhausted, and closed my eyes.

A few hours later, I felt my heart panting. Involuntarily, I felt my ass muscles clench tight, and I curled my toes. Suddenly, I exploded with a powerful orgasm, thrusting my hips and moaning softly. I opened my eyes, only to see Ronnie, grinning and wiping off his mouth, sitting up in front of me on the bed.

"Just one last time," he said, giggling. "One for the road."

"Ronnie, you idiot!" I whispered. "It's almost seven o'clock!"

He smiled and smacked his lips. "I thought this would be better than an alarm clock."

I laughed and shook my head. I was really gonna miss the little goofy guy. Shit, he wasn't all that little anymore. He was at least as tall as me now. I wondered what Ronnie would look like as he got older.

"Eastern Airlines Flight 34, non-stop to Tampa International Airport, now boarding at gate 12," echoed the public-address speakers.

I stood in line with the other passengers, clenching my little ticket folder in my hand. I glanced over at Rick, Ronnie and RJ. They waved goodbye as I started to walk down the walkway, leading outside to the plane. I turned back one last time and saw Ron. He looked tall and strong, not like the little geeky kid he was back in Florida. I thought I saw his eyes glisten, but he suddenly smiled.

"I love you," he mouthed, silently.

I nodded and smiled back at him, then turned to join the other passengers on the ramp.

Back home, my folks met me at the airport. "We missed you so much, Wil," gushed my mother, who hugged me and gave me a kiss on my forehead.

"Jesus, Mom," I muttered. "Can't this wait until later?"

My father laughed. "C'mon, son, let's grab your bags and get home."

As we walked to the car, I thought about what I'd been through over the summer. I'd made the right decision not to swim with Greater Tampa this year, I thought. One swim season a year, on the high school team, was enough for me. I needed a break. It was good to stay with Pete for awhile, and then get out to Texas. I felt like I had cleared my head of a lot of cobwebs. Buried all the... the dead bodies.

I felt cold again, thinking about Sky and Melissa. I even began to feel sorry for her. It wasn't Melissa's fault, either, I thought. She'd been pretty nice to me most of the time. She was just overreacting on the dock. I bet, in time, we still could've been friends.

I sighed. But that's not gonna happen now. Not ever.

I rode back to my house in silence, staring out the window.

The next day, I was sitting in my room, listening to The Doors' Soft Parade, one of the albums Pete had given me during my last visit. I'd talked to him on the phone every other day from the ranch, and he always sounded up and glad to hear from me. No matter what, Pete always had an optimistic point of view.

"The natural state of things is evolution," he said. "They're always evolving, changing, and getting better. Animals turn into new species, rivers get wider, mountains get bigger... the universe expands. And so will you, Wil." He insisted that if we lived our lives right, we'd get smarter and better as we got older. Pete said that was the best way we could get better karma for the next life.

I thought it all sounded like bullshit, but I had to admit, maybe there was some justification for what he said. I knew I was smarter than I'd been last year. God knows, I was bigger. My folks agreed to let me work out over the summer at one of the local family gyms near the shopping center over on Dale Mabry Blvd. Even without Sky, I could keep trying to build myself up. Who knows, I thought. Maybe I really could make the 1972 Olympic swim team after all.

I spent the next couple of days sitting around and reading. I stayed in touch with Sky's family, and had dinner with them a few times. Dr. Jones was kind enough to keep up my contact prescription for me. They offered me some of Sky's stuff, but I told them to give it all to charity. The only thing of his I did keep was the photo of him and me from the beach last summer. It was too much to leave it open on my shelf, but I kept it up high, face down, just in case I ever wanted to look at it.

There was only one more month before school started again in September. I was going to go out and stay with Pete again over the weekend, but my folks nixed any idea of staying out much more. "We want you here as much as possible, son," said my dad, kindly. "We gave you more than a month to yourself, but now we want some time with you, too."

I nodded. I couldn't push them out of my life. They were important, too, and if it made them feel better if I stayed home and hung out with them, I guess that was my responsibility to do it.

That afternoon, the doorbell rang. "Wil!" called my mother up the stairs. "Someone's here to see you!"

I leaned out into the hallway and looked down over the balcony at the front doorway. It was Ginny. I hadn't seen her since... since that terrible night, back in June. It'd only been about six weeks, but it felt like it'd been more like six months, or even six years.

"I'm comin' down, Mom!" I yelled, trotting down the stairs and up to the front doorway.

"Hi, Wil," she said, looking at me with concern on her face. "I haven't seen you... since the funeral."

I nodded. "Yeah," I said. "I'm getting over it. You want a Coke?"

It was hot as hell in late July, and even though we had air conditioning, I think the best it could do was make it about 20 degrees cooler than outside. It was at least 100 out there, so I figured it was still nearly 80 inside.

"It's through here," I said, leading Ginny into our kitchen. I grabbed a couple of ice-cold cans from the refrigerator and set them on the table.

"Jeez, Wil," she said, staring at my chest. I had forgotten to put a shirt on, and there was a trickle of sweat going down my left pec. "You look really great."

I looked up, and she grinned.

"Yeah," I laughed. "I guess the workouts at school, plus being on the ranch with the Lannigans over the summer did me some good."

We sat down at the kitchen table and she reached out and took my hand. "I can see why Sky felt about you the way he did," she said, quietly.

I stared at her, totally shocked.

"Wha... what do you mean?" I stammered.

"Wil," she said. "I'm your friend. I knew what was going on with you and Sky. You never had to tell me. I could see it on your faces."

So she had seen us after all in the car that night, the week before the prom.

"You're a pretty good investigative reporter," I said, looking down at the table.

"Nobody's ever gonna find out," she said. "Not from me, anyway."

I looked up, and she smiled.

"I like you, Wil Larson," she said. "You're a really neat person. I've never met anybody at school who was as smart, as funny, or as cool as you are."

Our eyes met, and we both grinned.

"Even if you aren't interested in me that way," she said, "you're still a good friend. You can always count on me for anything."

"Thanks, Ginny," I said. "I'd really like that." I took a sip of my Coke. "You figure there are any other kids like... like me and Sky at school?

She sighed. "You and Sky and Tim McMannis and, who knows how many others."

"That are gay, you mean," I said, quietly.

"Yeah. Teachers, too."

Shit, I thought. I hadn't even considered that.

"You heard what happened a couple of weeks ago?" she asked. "In New York?"

"No," I shook my head. "What?"

"There's a whole revolution going on, Wil," she said, quietly.

I nodded and started singing the Beatles song. "'They say you wanna revolution... well, you know... We don't want to change the world.'"

"No," she said. "This is serious, Wil. Gay people had a riot in New York, at some place called Stonewall, in Greenwich Village. It happened just after the 4th of July. It was in all the papers. Don't you read?"

Jesus, I thought. I had been so tied up being with Rick and Ronnie on the ranch, I guess I had just stopped reading for awhile.

Ginny talked to me for half an hour, telling me how women's groups, black revolutionaries, and gay activists were having demonstrations, protesting for their rights, and trying to... well, change the world.

"I want you to know -- you can count on me," she said.

"Power to the people," I said, remembering a slogan I'd seen on a picket sign on the TV news.

"Right on," she said, holding up her first and grinning. Like me, Ginny knew about the political riots in Chicago the year before, in 1968.

"I don't think we're gonna be able to have any student demonstrations at Tampa Central," I said, shaking my head.

"No," she replied. "But someday, maybe we can. Maybe the school will even recognize gay kids' rights, too."

But they'll never let us go to the prom together, I thought. I closed my eyes, remembering my conversation with Sky. God, it seemed like it happened years ago. Now I was having trouble even remembering what he looked like. It hurt too much, just to see his face again in my mind.

"Thanks, Ginny," I said, finally. "Thanks for coming by."

She stood up and hugged me. "You wanna go see a movie sometime?" she said.

I gave her a quizzical look.

"Strictly platonic, I swear," she said. "Think of us as brothers."

Like brothers, I thought.

I grinned up at her. "Thanks, Ginny," I said. "I'd like that. A lot."

Friday, the hallway phone rang in the early afternoon. I ran outside my door and grabbed it by the second ring.

"Wil's Bar and Grill!" I answered. "Where the elite meet to eat!"

"Man, that is too lame," said a recognizable voice.

I laughed. "Hey, Pete," I said. "You coming over to pick me up?"

"Yeah," he said, quietly. "I'll be there in 20 minutes."

Something sounded wrong. "Pete," I said, concerned, "are you okay?"

He paused. "We gotta talk, Wil," he said. "I'm on my way."

At 1:30, I heard a familiar motorcycle engine in the driveway. I ran downstairs, taking three steps at a time, and yanked the front door open. I darted outside and my jaw dropped.

It was Pete, but most of his long hair was cut off.

"Jesus!" I said, astonished. "Pete, what the hell happened?"

He hung his helmet on the side of the seat and trotted up the steps to the porch.

"Hey, Wil," he said, quietly. "I guess you don't like the new look, huh?"

Shit. From this close, I could see it was more like a buzz-cut, sorta like the way the guys wear their hair in...

"Oh, FUCK!" I wailed. "Don't tell me that you've been..."

"...drafted," he said, finishing my sentence. "Yeah. Got the letter three weeks ago."

We sat down together on the porch steps. I shook my head.

"Pete," I said, angrily. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me when I was in Dallas?"

He smiled wanly. "There was nothin' you could do, man," he replied. "I'd always thought I'd wind up in a war someday, and I guess this is it."

"Don't give me that crap!" I snapped, standing up. "This is such bullshit!"

He stood up beside me and put his hand on my shoulder. "C'mon, man," he said, soothingly. "Don't freak out on me. They're gonna put me in a special program. I'm gonna learn radar and electronics and stuff. It sounds pretty cool."

I rolled my eyes. "You're gonna get your ass shot off," I said.

"No way," he said. "I'm not goin' to Vietnam. I'm gonna be on a base in the Philippines, or way out at sea on an aircraft carrier. I'm not gonna be in a war zone or have to shoot anybody, I swear."

"Why didn't you get a student deferment, you asshole?" I asked.

He smiled. "Wil, it's..."

"Don't give me that karma shit!" I yelled, waving my hands in the air.

Pete nodded. "It's all part of the plan, man. I know better than to fight it."

"Wait a minute," I said, thinking fast. "They won't make you go in if they find out about... well, you and me."

He laughed. "I didn't tell 'em anything. I told you before, I'm not gay. I'm just sexual."

"Did you check the 'sexual' box on the induction form?" I snapped, angrily.

"Wil, don't be like this," he said, reaching out to put his arm around me. "I told you -- I always knew I'd be in some kinda war someday. I'm just glad this Vietnam thing isn't as bad now as it was a year ago."

I glared at him. "I could stop you, you know."

He looked at me, curious, but didn't say a word.

I took a step closer. "I could call the cops," I said, quietly. "I could tell 'em what you and me've been doing. Let's face it -- I'm jail-bait. You know it, and I know it."

Pete laughed. "You're the oldest 14 year-old I've ever known." He reached out and hugged me. "And I know you'd never do anything to hurt me."

I pulled away from him. "What if I had to hurt you to save your life?" I said, coldly.

He shook his head and sighed. "I had a feeling this would happen," he said, quietly. "C'mon, Wil. Let's talk about this back at my place."

I nodded, defeated, and walked down with him to the Honda.

Over the next three days, I argued, cajoled, pleaded... I did everything I could to change Pete's mind, but he was adamant.

"Wil," he said. "It's only gonna be for 18 months, man. I'm gonna give you the key to this place, and you can use the bike when I'm gone, as soon as we get you a learner's permit. That'll let you ride a motorcycle on your own."

I knew I was powerless to change his mind. I sat on the edge of his bed, and tears began to run down my face.

"I lost Sky," I choked, "and now I'm gonna lose you, too."

"We don't know that, Wil," he said, putting his arm around me.

"I could still call the cops on you," I said, wiping my eyes. "I could tell my folks the whole story."

Pete laughed. "So, you'd rather see me in jail for five years, than go to Vietnam and die? Wil, I tell you -- it's not gonna happen. I think I'd know if I was gonna die."

"You're a liar," I said. angrily. "You said you never know your own future."

Pete looked away from me. "Don't try to stop this, Wil," he said. "I told you -- it's fate. Look, I'll be back here by the end of next year, then I do another 12 months or so in the Reserve, and I get a full college scholarship for free. The war's gettin' scaled back, anyway. We're gonna be completely out of there in just a coupla more years, by '72, '73 at the worst."

I nodded. Nixon had just given a speech about that just a few days ago.

Pete grinned at me. "You know what your problem is, man?" he asked.

I shook my head.

He slid off the bed and reached for a drawer beside it, then pulled out a little plastic bag.

"You're too uptight, Wil," he said. "I think you need one of these. You gotta learn to relax."

He handed me a little hand-made cigarette. Holy shit, I thought.

"Marijuana?" I said, quietly. I'd only seen it in pictures, and at anti-drug classes at school.

He grinned. "Great shit, too." He took it from my hand, and lit it with a lighter, then took a puff.

"Here," he said, inhaling. "You try it. Hold it deep in your lungs for a few seconds, and don't breathe out for awhile."

I took it from his hand and did as he asked. Immediately, I was overcome with a fit of coughing.

Pete grinned. "It's an acquired taste," he said, laughing.

I shook my head. "I thought you weren't into drugs and booze and stuff," I said, wheezing. I remembered one time when we'd been out a few weeks ago, he'd made a disparaging remark about beer.

"That's not quite what I said," he replied. "You ever read Lost Horizon? The James Hilton book?"

I nodded. We'd read it the year before, in 8th grade back at LaFontaine.

"My philosophy is kinda like the High Lama's: 'moderation in all things.' I think a little of anything won't kill you. It's those idiots who overdo it that fuck it up for everybody. And that goes for drugs, alcohol, food... you name it."

I shook my head. "So you're saying a little heroin won't hurt," I said, sarcastically. "Or maybe I can drop some acid the next time I'm in a swim meet."

"Wil, you are so fuckin' impossible, man," he said, laughing. "Use your head, you douche! No, I don't think that shit's okay. And I wouldn't drink a six-pack of beer and dance on the roof, either. But one joint a day isn't gonna kill ya."

I nodded, and we finished the joint together. I figured out how to smoke it without coughing too much, but I didn't feel anything strange.

"How d'ya feel?" he said, taking off his shirt.

"Jeez, I feel normal to me," I said, trying to standing up. Whoa!

Pete laughed. "What were you sayin'?" he asked.

"Shit, man," I said, steadying myself. "I'm pretty fucking dizzy."

"'I'm so dizzy, my head is spinnin'... like a whirlpool, it never ends...'" he sang.

I laughed. I tried to pull my shirt off, but it got stuck on my head.

"Lemme help you with that," he said. In seconds, we were both naked.

I stared at his body. Even with short hair, Pete was beautiful. He wasn't quite as muscular as Sky, but he was still very fit. His chest was completely smooth, and he had strong pecs and powerful arms, with veins in his forearms and biceps. Only a handful of hairs were on his tight, flat stomach, leading to a dark brown triangle below. His arousal was only of average size, but somehow on him, it looked extremely attractive.

I felt myself throbbing. "Did I ever tell you, you look beautiful?" I whispered.

Pete laughed. "I was just gonna tell you the same thing," he said, quietly.

I reached out and gently grabbed his groin, and he moaned.

"Wil, I... I gotta confess somethin'," he said, embarrassedly.

"What?" I asked, looking up at his face.

"I lied to you about somethin' awhile back," he said, looking down.

"About what?" I asked, feeling hurt.

He grinned from ear to ear. "I think your big dick is really cool, man."

I laughed and let my endowment throb up and down. "Thanks."

"But that's not why I love you," he said. "Don't ever forget that."

I nodded. "Shut up and lie back," I ordered.

He did as I asked, and I leaned down and took him in my mouth.

"FUCK," he said, gasping for breath. "Wil... that was... just great, man."

I grinned and jumped over on the bed right next to him. "Thanks," I said. "I think I learned a few things from some friends out in Dallas."

"You get an 'A' in that course," he whispered, kissing me deeply.

I kissed him back, then rolled on top of him. "Say, uh, Pete," I said, quietly. "There is one thing we sorta haven't done yet."

He grinned. "I know," he said, nodding. "Give me a minute to get ready for you."

He hopped out to the bathroom and closed the door, and I heard the water running. A few minutes later, he came back in and fell on the bed beside me.

"Clean as a whistle," he said. "Go for it, man."

"You got any..."

"Yeah," he said. "In the drawer."

I opened it and found a small plastic bottle. "'Exotic massage oil,'" I read off the label.

"It's a lot better than vaseline," he said. "Not as greasy, and no smell."

I applied some of it to myself and Pete. He moaned when I stuck in a finger.

"I'll go slow, I promise," I whispered.

He nodded and pulled his knees up to his chest. I pushed my erection down close to him and gently pushed in. Pete sucked in his breath when my head popped through, then I stopped.

"It's okay," he whispered, his eyes closed tight. "Keep goin'."

I continued pushing in slowly until I got about halfway.

"Oh, god, Pete," I moaned. "This feels really great." I began thrusting in and out, taking care not to go too deep.

He nodded. "Give me a second," he said, taking a deep breath. After I paused for a few moments, he nodded. "Okay."

I leaned forward a little more, and slowly pushed in some more. I felt a little resistance, and Pete groaned. At last, I was in all the way to the hilt. My belly was up against his balls, which were loose and dangled down low. Pete's erection had temporarily wilted, so I reached down and fondled it.

He looked up at me and smiled. "I love you, Wil," he whispered.

I nodded and began pumping my hips. We spent more than fifteen minutes doing it in several different positions. I tried it from the side and from behind, but we finally wound up face to face again.

I smiled. "I think I like this one best of all," I whispered, breathlessly.

"Me, too," he said, pulling me down to his chest. He kissed me deeply, and I slipped my tongue into his mouth.

I moaned. "Oh, god, Pete!" I cried, thrusting faster and faster.

The sweat from the summer heat dripped from every pore on our bodies. I held his head in my hands and covered his face and neck with kisses. My hips began pumping as if they had a life of their own. I sped up to a fever pitch, and then felt an enormous spasm lurch out from my groin.

I cried out and fell down motionless on top of him. We heaved and panted, our chests rising and falling together.

"Fuck," he said, quietly.

"Yeah," I whispered. "I think that would be the dictionary definition of the term."

We laughed together.

"No," he said. "I mean I just came all over myself."

I pulled myself up and looked down. Sure enough, there was a puddle of white goo on his stomach, and his erection still throbbed.

"Wow," he said. "I've never done that before."

I smiled. "I guess I just have the magic touch."

"Yeah," he said, grinning. "That's what happens when you stimulate the prostate gland, inside."

Hmmm, I thought. Maybe that's where that feeling comes from, down there.

Pete leaned up and kissed me. "And I'm glad I lost my virginity to you, Wil,"

I was shocked. "But you..."

He shook his head. "No," he said. "Me and Jeff did everything but this. You're my first."

"Shit, Pete," I said, slowly pulling out of him. "I hope you're gonna be okay."

He leaned up and kissed me. "It's my turn later on."

I nodded and grinned.

* * * * * *

The three days we spent together were the best ever. On Saturday night, we made love on the beach at 2AM, just the two of us on a towel, while a cool ocean breeze blew in from the Gulf.

"Shhh!" he said, flopping down beside me. "Next time, don't make so much noise, man! They'll hear you over at the motel next door."

I grinned. "Let 'em call the cops," I whispered. "Then I can stop you from going to Vietnam."

Pete sighed. "I told you, Wil..." he began.

"I know, I know," I said, shaking my head. "You're going to the Air Force base in the Philippines. You told me."

Pete laughed, then reached down and gently grabbed my arousal, which was beginning to throb back to life again.

"Your cock is really great, man," he said, admiringly. "Not because it's big. But because it's attached to you."

I grinned. "Thanks, babe." I leaned over and kissed him.

He leaned over and put his hand behind my head. "You know what your best feature is, Wil?" he whispered.

"Well, Ronnie says it's either my heart or my balls," I whispered back, smiling.

We laughed together.

"No," he said, quietly, brushing the hair out of my eyes. "It's not what's between your legs. It's your brain. That's where all the pleasure really is."

I rolled my eyes. "So, you're saying you just love me for my mind."

"Yeah, you could say that," he said, laughing softly. "The big dick and balls are just optional accessories. I like the whole package, Wil."

"Me, too," I said, kissing him.

We lay on the beach in each other's arms for half an hour, then went back into the house.

* * * * * *

In the morning, the summer sun was streaming through the windows, and the blinds left huge shadows along the bedroom wall. I awoke to find Pete sitting up in bed and staring at me, with a big smile on his face.

"What are you looking at?" I yawned.

"Somebody I'd been waiting for all of my life," he replied.

I grinned. "You think there's only one perfect person for everybody on Earth?" I asked, rolling on my side.

"Maybe," he said. "The trick is, what if that person isn't who you think it is? What if you're totally straight, and your soul mate turns out to be another guy?"

I thought of Sky. I wondered if he'd been my soul mate, or if I was his. What about Ronnie? What if you could have more than one, or even if it worked that way?

Pete leaned forward and kissed me. "I think some people live their whole lives, and never find the one person they were really meant to be with. I'm a lot luckier than they were. I'm grateful that we had the summer, Wil."

I stared at him. "No," I whispered. "I thought we had until September."

He shook his head. "We're shipping out in 48 hours, Wil," he said. "I report to MacDill Air Force Base on Tuesday."

I turned away from him, as tears filled my eyes. "You lied to me," I choked.

He put his hand on my shoulder and kissed my neck. "No, Wil," he whispered. "I never said when I was goin'. I hoped you wouldn't ask until we had this last weekend together."

I sighed. "You're determined to go through this, you asshole," I said, quietly.

"Yeah. I swear, just for 18 months. You'll wait for me, won't you, Wil?"

I turned back to him. He looked at me, expectantly, then kissed me.

"I haven't said yes, yet," I said, fighting back my tears.