Chapter 2: Just Wonderful Pleasure

As it eased, Larry was surprised on two points. First that a stranger he had only just met was touching him, yet he was only feeling nervous, not frightened. Secondly that his first experience of being massaged was already putting him at ease and feeling nice.

He lay there for a while enjoying the feelings he was experiencing. Then remembering he was expected to give the ok to carry on, he said, ‘Go.’ Lewis continued to massage his head a little longer, then moved down and massaged the back of his shoulders. He felt Larry go tense at the touch on his shoulders but kept going and asked, ‘When you left primary school, tell me where you were living, and who with?’

Larry was surprised at the simple question. He had expected a complicated grilling. ‘I lived with my mum and dad in a terraced house.’ he told Lewis. ‘It had two bedrooms. I had one and mum and dad had the other one.’

As Lewis’s hands moved on down his back, Larry had decided that being massaged was nice. ‘How did you get on with your mum and dad at that time?’ Lewis asked as his hands reached his waist. ‘Good,’ Larry told him. ‘I was an only child and probably got spoilt a bit. But we rarely fell out. Then when he realised Lewis’s hands had moved up onto the back of his trousers, he panicked and called out ‘Stop.’

Lewis’s hands immediately moved back to his head. ‘I’m sorry,’ Larry said as Lewis massaged his head, ‘That wasn’t your fault, it’s just that feeling a touch there scared me.’ ‘It’s ok,’ Lewis assured him, ‘There’s no need to apologise. Being sensitive around that area after what you have suffered is perfectly understandable.’

‘When you say ‘Go,’ Lewis told him, ‘I’ll go down your back again. When I reach your waist, I want you to try and think to yourself, ‘I’m not going to say stop unless I feel some physical pain.’ Don’t worry if you don’t succeed, just give it a try.’

‘Ok,’ Larry said, then he said, ‘Go.’ Lewis moved back onto his shoulders and asked, ‘How did you get on with the other boys when you started at secondary school?’ ‘Ok,’ Larry said. ‘I was very quiet and shy, so I didn’t mix well. I got picked on a bit at the start, but I never had any serious problems with anyone.’

‘The couple of lads that picked on me lost interest after a few months and everything was fine after that.’ ‘What did you do when they were picking on you?’ Lewis asked. ‘Nothing,’ Larry told him, ‘If they were insulting me, I just let them do it. If they were pushing me about, I did the same. They never actually hit me, just shoved and poked.’

Lewis had reached his waist and moved up onto the top of his trousers. Larry concentrated on what Lewis had told him to do. As his hands moved gently over his cheeks Larry was waiting to feel pain. Then suddenly Lewis’s hands were going down the back of his thighs.

‘Well done,’ Lewis told him, ‘How did you manage that?’ ‘I told myself that I would shout stop the moment I felt the slightest bit of pain,’ Larry told him. ‘Then I waited to feel it, poised to shout.’ ‘And?’ Lewis asked. ‘It never came.’ Larry said. ‘Good,’ Lewis said, ‘Just remember that as we continue.’

By now he had reached his feet. As he started back up, he asked, ‘Did you have any close friends at school?’ ‘Just Jeffery, who’d been at primary school with me,’ Larry told him. ‘He was a bit older than me but in my year. Like me he was very quiet and shy.’

‘Did you mix much out of school?’ Lewis asked him. ‘A bit,’ Larry said, ‘We’d go to each other’s houses occasionally. He lived in the next road to me and although he had an older brother, he was married and lived away so like me he was on his own.’

As Lewis massaged over his cheeks he asked, ‘How would you describe Jeffery? When I look at you,’ he added, ‘I see someone the same height as me and of similar build. You look fit enough physically, but don’t look very strong. So how did Jeffery compare to that?’

‘He was about an inch shorter,’ Larry told him, ‘He had broader shoulders than me and looked very strong. He had some fat on him but not excessive. He could actually lift heavier things than I could, but he was as big a coward as I was just the same. I still am.’ he added sadly.

Then he realised that Lewis had just massaged all over his cheeks. He hadn’t broken his concentration on answering Lewis’s question and only now as Lewis moved above his waist did it register how nice the feeling had been.

‘That’s amazing.’ he said. ‘What is?’ Lewis asked. ‘You just massaged my cheeks whilst we were talking, and I hardly noticed. I didn’t react and now it’s done I realise how nice it felt. But the amazing thing is I thought I’d never be able to let anyone touch that area ever again.’

‘It’s perfectly normal for you to think that after what you went through,’ Lewis told him. ‘But the fact you have just overcome it shows you are not only relaxing with me but are feeling safe with me. That makes it even more likely that we will sort out all your problems.’

Lewis had reached his head, so he told him to turn over. He did and as he settled into place, he saw that Larrys eyes were very wet. ‘Don’t worry about crying,’ Lewis told him, ‘It’s natures relief valve and will do you good.’

‘Sit up,’ he instructed holding his arms open. Larry looked concerned and didn’t move, ‘You’re about to cry,’ Lewis said, ‘It’ll do you good, but you’d feel far better doing it with your head on my shoulder and holding me tight. Give it a try, you can always lie down again if you don’t like it.’

Larry sat up slowly. ‘You put your head on my shoulder and hold onto me,’ Lewis instructed, ‘I won’t put my arms around you until you say, ‘Go ahead.’

Larry moved close, obviously feeling scared. He put his arms out each side of Lewis and as he rested his head on his shoulder, it gave him such a lovely feeling that he brought his arms in around him too. After a moment or two he said, ‘Go ahead.’

Lewis brought his arms in and held him gently. ‘Can I massage the back of your head and your back whilst you are sitting there?’ he asked. ‘Yes.’ Larry said after a very brief pause.

As Lewis ran one hand over the back of his head he asked, ‘What was it that made your eyes fill up?’ ‘It was you saying about it being more likely you would succeed in sorting me out,’ Larry told him, ‘I just had a lovely feeling flowed though me as if I had a normal life again. It filled me up and if you hadn’t asked me to sit up, I would have burst into tears.’

‘You can now if you want to.’ Lewis told him. ‘I don’t want to now,’ Larry said, ‘I suddenly feel so much happier.’ He went quiet for a while then said, ‘Lewis, no one apart from my mum has held me this close since before it happened. More to the point I would have been scared stiff if anyone had tried and would have run a mile.’

‘So how do you feel sitting there and knowing that?’ Lewis asked him. ‘It gives me a lovely warm feeling inside,’ Larry said, ‘I feel so happy.’ As he said, ‘happy,’ he burst into tears and cried his heart out.

Lewis held him slightly tighter, continued to massage the back of his head and said in his ear, ‘Don’t fight it, just let yourself go, it’ll take a lot of pressure away and do you the world of good.’

Before long Larrys sobs started to fade. Lewis kissed the side of his head and told him, ‘Don’t force yourself to stop, let them fade away on their own.’ When they finally stopped Larry lifted his tear stained face up off Lewis’s shoulder. ‘Sorry for being such a baby.’ he said.

‘Nonsense,’ Lewis told him, ‘That’s not being a baby, that’s just letting off steam. I also take it as a very great compliment.’ As Larry looked puzzled, Lewis smiled at him and asked, ‘How many other shoulders do you feel able to cry on?’

Before he could answer Lewis told him, ‘Go and give your face a swill, then we’ll carry on.’ Larry got up and went to the bathroom. When he returned Lewis stood up and held his arms out. Larry went straight into them without any hesitation.

As they put their heads on each other’s shoulders and their arms around each other, Larry said quietly into Lewis’s ear. ‘Thank you, I feel so much better already.’