Chapter 5

Carla Sathie lay in bed and fretted about her sons. Her husband had been gruff and annoyed when he had arrived from the bathroom fresh from brushing his teeth and after much cajoling had relayed to her the events he had uncovered in Clayton and Caden's bedroom. Cole's announcement had shocked everyone to varying degrees, but the two middle brothers seemed most affected. Cory was too young to understand, and as the only girl, idolised her eldest brother like a god. Chase was not yet a teenager, and hormones had not yet taken her youngest boy away from her and into the grunting uncommunicative grip of puberty. It was the middle children, both discovering girls as well as themselves, who had reacted most strongly, and most vehemently.

Carla lay and stared at her sleeping husband. William had the strange blessing of being able to fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, despite whatever was on his mind. His wife did not have that blessing. In the dark Carla got up, wrapped herself in her fleecy dressing gown and sheep-skin slippers and went out into the house's upper hall way. When they had moved to Black Rock farm the house had been the only structure, and there hadn't been a single fence in any of the fields. By main force and with three small children and Cole only ten but demanding to help anyway they had turned the hollowed out waste of the farm into the thriving business it was eight years later. In her head Carla could still see Cole helping his father put up fence posts, directing his two younger brother's to fetch him tools and nails while Chase, only a baby and not even walking, had gaggled and gurgled from his play pen. Now she had her oldest son close to striking his brother's, and Carla wondered where all that love and happiness had gone.

Cole's revelation had been a shock, but it had not been one hundred percent unexpected by his mother. Cole's general lack of interest in girls where his younger brothers were almost more keen than many would consider healthy had been a big clue to his mother. Carla was convinced that something to do with proximity to engines made all the men on the farm notice things a little less than they would otherwise, and the mechanics were the worst. She stood in the doorway of the middle sons shared room and sighed. She had been surprised and but genuinely pleased by Cole's coming-out. Whatever makes them happy... it was all she had ever wanted for her boys, and for Cory, was for them to be happy in whatever they did. She knew already for example, that Caden, fourteen, rebellious and fast-paced, would not stay with the farm. He would leave as soon as he could for some hectic city life. It was as clear to Carla as the shape of her children's faces. Did she want to Caden to leave? Of course not, but she wanted him to be happy, the same as Cole.

Cole did not fit her idea of a gay teenager, but Carla knew through lack of experience more than anything else, that the template in her head was not what all gay people would be like. Cole was just himself, the same sweet, careful and conscientious hot-blooded young man he had been yesterday. Hi sexual preference changed nothing. No, he would never meet a nice girl and settle down to have kids, she would get no blood-grandchildren from him. but that mean he wouldn't meet a nice boy and settle down to be happy and maybe adopt. And with five children the chances of some grandchildren were high. Carla hated to admit it, she knew it made her sound overly feminine and sappy, but she did want to hear the patter of little feet in the farm again one day.

Caden and Clayton would have to be sorted out first. Carla watched her boys sleeping, remembering times when they had be younger, more innocent, and would have maybe accepted Cole just as Chase had done, without argument, teasing or question. Carla returned to the master bedroom and snuggled up into bed beside her husband. William turned, wrapped one arm around his wife and snuffled in her ear, completely obvious in his sleeping state. Well, Caden and Clayton had been chastised enough for now, Carla decided that she would deal with them later, and went back to sleep.

Jared woke up from a dream in which he could hear Cole's voice to the motion of his vibrating phone. He had fallen asleep with it his hand, the sweet shy-sexy photo of Cole burned into his mind like a fire brand. It had delighted and surprised him to receive the image back, and Jared had saved it and backed it up on the tablet straight away so he could stare at Cole's image on a bigger screen. The older boy obviously didn't knew he was beautiful, deeply sexy and delicious to look at, or he wouldn't have looked so unsure in the photograph. Jared clicked the phone open expecting to find something sweet from the man he was beginning to think of as his boyfriend.

Do not Answer (Joel): hey there sexy boy. you been running out on me with a tall farm-boy?

Jared scowled and managed to resist the urge to thrown the device across the room. He thought of ignoring the text, but the idea of Cole being there when Joel sent something else inappropriate made him shiver.

Jared: fuck off, I don't want to see you again, stop texting me

The reply buzzed back within minutes

Do not Answer (Joel): bet you won't say that while I suck you off. Come meet me in the reading room during second period

Jared scowled. Apparently polite suggestions hadn't worked and now rude ones were being ignored. Jared wondered if he could actually scare Joel off completely. Sighing, he got up and got dressed, keeping the soft-lit photo of Cole open on his tablet to watch him while he selected black jeans and a dark grey shirt with a blue stripe.

'Matches your eyes, ' Shelby greeted him as he came downstairs and offered freshly jammed toast, 'Breakfast?'

Jared took the proffered baked item and went to fridge to pour himself a glass of milk. On his return to the table his sister was waiting to talk to him.

'You were back late last night. Did you go out with Cole?'

Jared nodded, munching, wary of where his twin's train of thought was going.

'Did you have fun?'

Jared swallowed and smiled as he replied.

'More than I could know.'

'Is he good to you? He's not going to, ' Shelby's hand signals stilled as she tried to come up with a word that she could associate with her sibling without retching, 'Force you or anything?'

'He's clueless, ' Jared signed before he could stop himself, 'It's so adorable. Don't tell him I said that!'

Shelby giggled, a hand over her eyes.

'Why am I so not surprised? Come on little brother, we gotta go fetch that bus.'

'You're OK with this?' Jared frowned. His sister was nothing of not stubborn, and this was a very quick U-turn for her. Shelby grinned from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat and waggled her fingers around her head before she signed.

'Better the devil you know.'

Cole's truck was sitting in its usual spot outside college, looking oversized and out of place and it made Jared smile and shiver as he ran his fingers along the edge of the bonnet. He could just see the truck parked in some distant field, a blanket in the flat bed back and he and Cole kissing and writhing. Jared's finger nails tapped the bull bars and he closed his eyes to imagine being bent over the cold metal, Cole taking him fast and rough from behind. Jared only realised he'd moaned aloud when he opened his eyes to see his sister staring at him in horror and fascinated delight. Jared had just given her one more thing in her arsenal of taunts and teases.

"Oh Jared..." she shook her head, speaking without signing, "You bad thing."

Jared looked everywhere for Cole as he moved through the college buildings, his eyes searching out that tall form with the continually tousled blond hair like he'd just gotten out of bed. But Jared's didn't find him. During first period English he kept checking the image on his tablet, fascinated by the shape of Cole, smooth and hairless, smiling like he didn't know what to do, was hardly daring to take the photo and send it. Jared wanted to kiss him again, part those beautiful chapped lips and swell them with the force of his passion. His was pleased for the dull subject matter of the lesson because he was overwhelming horny in a way he'd never felt before, especially in the middle of the morning.

As soon as the class ended his phone bleeped and Jared waved Abi off excitedly hoping to find a message from Cole. No such luck.

Do not Answer (Joel): i'm a waiting on you babes

Jared snarled in his own head and kicked at the ground, scuffing his shoe. Joel was obviously completely unaffected by his hints and direct instructions. Sighing, Jared turned and made his way to the library. Joel was standing just where he had been before, looking lazy and sexy and delicious and Jared didn't respond to his smile. He stood at the end of the aisle, making sure he was in public view and sent a text reply to Joel.

Jared: please stop texting me. lose this number. i don't want to see you.

Do not Answer (Joel): what?

Joel strode forwards along the stack, his fingers catching at the spines of books, his torso swaying as he moved in a way Jared had found sexy. Now Joel deliberate attempts at seduction made him angry. When Joel reached out to touch him Jared threw up his hands to ward him off.

'No!' he knew Joel couldn't understand the signs but made them anyway, 'I have a boyfriend now. I don't want to see you.'

Joel slapped his hands away, not interested in the explanation that he couldn't understand and Jared struggled against the taller boy's grip. Jowl was speaking, his attitude so hard that Jared couldn't make out the lip patterns, though his facial expression was angry, frustrated, vicious. It was obviously pointless, Joel who had never been interested in him as a person, couldn't let go now he was being denied sexual favours. Jared went from seeing the man in front of him as a sex object to a petulant child in the middle of a tantrum in the time it took Joel to stop speaking. Jared tried to pull away and found his wrists caught by Joel, who had always been stronger than he looked. Jared couldn't stop the hand signals as he struggled ineffectually, the words coming out blurred and half formed even to himself.

'No, don't-I don't want, get-no, get off- let go!'

But the hearing word was oblivious to his struggles and Jared felt himself grunt in pain as Joel pressed himself up against him, gripped his jaw hard enough to force his teeth and lips apart before plundering his mouth. Joel was too strong and Jared wriggled in his grasp, trying to twist himself out of the unwanted kiss. Joel's tongue was in his mouth, forcing its way into him and he tasted of un-brushed teeth and coffee. Jared found a hand free and tried to push Joel away but it was no use. He bit the other boy' tongue and when he tasted blood knew he had won.

Joel snapped away from him, spitting and screaming and swearing. Jared spat a mixture of Joel's blood and saliva at him and turned away. Cole stood at the entrance to the library in full view, a yellow and black book in his hand, and a look of horror on his face. Before Jared could sign or do anything Joel had brushed past him with an angry sneer. Jared was sure they were being shouted at by the library staff but he didn't care. Joel said something to Cole because the tan boy visibly paled and before Jared could reach him he had turned to walk away. Joel stood there with a self-satisfied look on his face, blood staining his lips.

Jared phone buzzed as he stood there feeling at once triumphant and dejected.

Do not Answer (Joel): i'll forgive you biting, i kinda liked it. he won't be forgiving you anytime soon.

Jared: what the fuck did you say to him?

Jared hated to be held up by texting Joel but the look on Cole's face scared him. He didn't want to go out there and face him with an anger and disappointment like that.

Do not Answer (Joel): nothing that wasn't true. come here and blow me and we'll forget all about him.

Jared snarled, he felt the vibration in his throat, and pushed past Joel forcefully, not allowing the other boy to get his claws into him again. Facing Cole would be scary, but going outside to find him and the big truck gone would be worse. Jared ran.

The big Toyota Hilux was not in its space and Jared panicked. Cole had gone, left, vanished into thin air and disappeared without him because of something Joel had said. Jared turned and ran out of the car park, turning the corner into the road quick enough to walk straight into someone. He didn't have time to stop and apologise, merely skidded on his leather shoes, and ran down the road, heart thudding in his ears. The road outside college had the benefit of being straight and Jared saw the Hilux near the roundabout at the end nearest to town, the truck was too big to miss. His feet pounded the pavement, his breath was cold and hard and painful. Jared did not do a huge amount of exercise, especially not running and his lungs burned with the effort.

When he was within fifty yards of the truck he realised that the vehicle was stationary. Jared ran to the driver's side door and flung it open to look up at Cole with tears in his eyes.

Cole killed the engine and let the Hilux roll to the stop on the road, half pulling over as he did so, not that it made much difference with the truck as wide as it was. Tears streamed down his face, and no amount of sniffing, wiping or pressing at his eyes seemed to make a difference. Cole pulled on the handbrake and put his head in his hands hearing Joel's words rocket around his skull like a rubber bullet.

"We fuck in here most day's you know..."

Cole gritted his teeth against a sob and a little part of him stopped to wonder why he was surprised. Jared was cool, confident, experienced. He was not. Anyone with sense could have foretold something like this happening. Cole had come fresh for his BSL class to find Jared kissing him, kissing Joel, and he had turned around with such a look of triumph until he'd seen Cole. He had blood on his mouth... his inner voice said, Was he kissing Joel? Are you sure?

Cole snarled at himself in his head, too wrapped up in his pain to want to think rationally, that maybe he had overreacted, not seen what was actually going on. It was about then That Jared flung open the car door and Cole had to thank the seatbelt for stopping him from falling out of the car and onto the boy in a collapsed mess.

Jared was crying, his tear streaked face to match Cole's own, and his hands flashed so fast that Cole could barely follow the symbols he didn't even understand, distracted by the urgent half-syllables that Jared's lips formed. Cole remember those lips, kissing Jared, the deep almost spicy taste of him, like cinnamon and pimento and something else that was just him. Cole unbuckled his seat belt to get down and was surprised when Jared put a hand on either side of the door frame and hoisted himself up into the cab. The smaller boy ended up sitting mostly in his lap, his back pressed along Cole's right side as the older boy found his arm instantly coming around the back of Jared's neck. Cole was shocked at how well they fit together, locking into place like a jigsaw.

'I'm sorry.'

Cole took Jared's hand softly and then wrapped his arms around the boy. He placed his lips on Jared's neck, on the opposite side to the fading love-bite, and concentrated on the heartbeat which echoed against his own.

"Shhh..." he murmured automatically, knowing that Jared could neither hear nor lip read the words, "No apologising."

Jared pressed back against him, responding to the vibration of his voice and Cole found himself kissing the soft skin of Jared's neck. Lust took over his body automatically, his brain worn down with worry and stress and tears. Cole allowed his hands to roam over Jared's torso, feeling his washboard stomach, his calloused fingers snagging on the soft fabric of Jared's shirt. Jared moaned, angling his head to allow Cole better access to his neck and Cole continued kissing upwards, his lips grazing stubble along Jared's jaw line. The sound of the truck's horn jolted Cole out of his lust-filled haze.