Chapter 8: The Brotherhood Chapter VIII

 

I did what anyone in my situation would do - I pretended to be asleep, completely unaware of what was happening. Still, I waited for it. I waited for him to start yelling for me to get the fuck off of him. I waited for the shove that would launch me off the bed. I waited for the barrage of explanations he would be demanding.

Oddly enough, none of that happened.

A few minutes passed before Q made a move; those minutes felt like a lifetime. Carefully, like a lover not wanting to disturb his beloved, Q untangled himself from me and slipped out of bed without incident. Even though my eyes were closed, I could feel him staring at me. I tried not to imagine the thoughts running thru his mind at that moment. Besides, I don’t think they could stun me more than his actions. With a gentle hand, he pulled the sheets up to my chest. I realize that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it surprised me. I don’t know; I guess it was the type of gesture I’d expect from someone like Alex or a close friend.

I felt Q step off the bed’s platform and used the opportunity to crack one eye just enough to spy on him. He took three steps and then stopped. I shut my eye slightly, fearful that he had sensed I was watching him. I expected him to turn around, but instead, he buried his toes deep into the white shag rug, threw his arms out to the side, and stretched. Slowly, his arms moved upward until his outstretched fingers were above his head and his body balanced on the tips of his toes. He bent and twisted, popping joints and lengthening muscles in a way that looked practiced and routine.

My eyes were wide open in full appreciation of the form before me. It was perfect – from his defined muscles to the tattoo on his side – simply perfect. And as much as I hate to admit it, my eyes lingered longer than usual on his butt in those tight trunks. I was jealous and oddly attracted at the same time. There I said it!

Without dressing fully, Q stepped onto the balcony, leaving the doors open and the room alive with sunlight. Now it was my turn to stretch my limbs, wipe the sleep from my eyes, adjust my cock, and all the other shit guys do in the morning. I didn’t dare go to the bathroom. Instead, I lay there watching the balcony doors, waiting for Q’s return and my chance to pretend I’d just woken up. Maybe it was pressure on my bladder or the anticipation of the day ahead, but time seemed to stand still. My eyes strayed about the room but repeatedly scanned the balcony entrance. A shadow, a wisp of the curtain, a simple cough…anything that would indicate Q was out there. I got nothing. Eventually, my mind wandered.

I thought about my decision to join The Brotherhood, the trials of the last few days, the potion I’d ingested, and Arsen. But mostly, I wondered why Q didn’t scold me for ‘snuggling’ him when he woke up. Don’t get me wrong; I was relieved he was so gracious about it. Since joining The Brotherhood, my life had been one awkward moment after the next - I did not need another.

A loud bang ripped me from my thoughts and bolted me upright in the bed. Then, without warning, the wall of windows behind my head shook, scaring the living shit out of me! The rattling was fierce, pounding the glass back and forth as if hurricane winds or the heavens were trying to break threw. I was on my knees, cowering behind the bed’s footboard, before the thought of moving even crossed my mind.

My heart thundered inside my chest, the sound rivaling the glass wall now threatening to crash over my head. “Holy fucking wind,” was all I could think to say. Then, as quickly as it started, the window fell silent again. I stood slowly and waited, expecting Q to come rushing back inside. He never did. The thought of Q being blown off the balcony crossed my mind, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Not because I wished him harm, it was just a funny thought.

Eventually, I got the courage to venture out onto the balcony to investigate. Common sense told me I might get in trouble; the need to check if Q was okay told me to go anyway. I squinted under the blazing morning light, giving my eyes a moment to adjust. The balcony was empty. Q was nowhere in sight. For a moment, I panicked. Shit, maybe he had fallen over the side. Then I realized the balcony wrapped around the side of the building. I followed the stone railing, looking over the side…just in case.

I turned the corner and collided with Q. Literally. The force of the impact was so great it damn near knocked me off my feet. The balcony only wrapped a few feet around the side of the house. Not nearly enough length to break into a run, yet Q hit me with the energy of someone moving at full speed. And…I know this sounds weird… but it was as if he were slightly above me when we hit.

Luckily, his reflexes were just as quick, and he steadied me before I fell backward. It was a strange moment. My arms wrapped around him instinctively, my body was pressed into his, and our faces hovered just hairs away from each other. I could feel his warm breath against my cheeks, and I felt safe for a second as I stared into his bright eyes.

“What are you doing out here?” he questioned, his eyes searching my face for answers. He pulled away, but his hands lingered around my waist slightly longer than expected. I was probably reading too much into it, but it felt as if he didn’t want to let go.

“I…I…you didn’t come back inside,” I stammered. “With the wind and everything, I worried…thought something happened.” Only now that I’m writing those words do I realize how stupid I sounded.

“I’m fine, thanks,” Q said, trying very hard to conceal a smile. “We should get inside. It’s time for you to get dressed, join up with the rest of the pledges, and get something to eat. We have a long day ahead of us.” He walked away, and like a devoted puppy, I followed just a few steps behind him.

Just as I was about to enter Q’s bedroom, I noticed the weather around me. The sky was clear, the sun was bright, and most importantly, the air was completely still. Not even the slightest hint of a breeze brushed over my skin. As I passed thru the doorway, I ran my hand across the large pane of glass flanking the entry. It was solid. I pushed on it, positive it would move at the slightest touch. It didn’t.

“Problem?” Q asked, glancing back at me.

I removed my hand and quickly stepped inside. “Uh…no.”

He simply walked into the bathroom without saying a word and closed the door. I hesitated for a second, wondering if I was supposed to wait for further instructions or leave. I choose the latter.

I met Anthony on the stairs.

“Hey, what’s up, bud?” he said smiling. “How was your night?”

“Sup, Ant,” I shrugged. “It was…um, interesting.”

“I bet,” he laughed and playfully bumped into me. “Who did you get?”

“Q.”

“Whoa! Interesting? I’d say more like scary!”

“No way,” I countered, laughing. “Don’t get me wrong. For a hot second, I freaked out when I realized Q was my Big. But honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It could’ve been a lot worse.” I leaned in close and whispered, “At least I didn’t end up with Steel.”

Ant laughed.

“So, who’s your Big?”

“Eric.”

“Wow. We both ended up with guys from the Inner Circle.”

“Yeah.” Ant paused for a moment like he wanted to add something more but decided against it. “Um…hey, are you heading back to your room to get dressed?”

“That I am,” I smiled, wondering if that’s what he had to ask me or something he just came up with as his cover. “I guess we’re all supposed to meet up to eat.”

“Yeah, in the dining room downstairs.” He slapped my back as we walked by my room. “See ya in a few.”

“Okay.” I punched him, but he stepped out of the way, and I missed. He walked into his room laughing, and I walked into mine bragging about how I’ll get him next time.

“Were you talking to me?” Arsen said as he slipped his shirt on over his head. I immediately noticed he’d laid my clothes out on the bed for me.

“Oh…no. I was talking to Ant.”

He nodded. “What are you getting him back for?”

“Oh, nothing - just talking trash. Hey, thanks for taking out my clothes for me.”

“Sure,” he shrugged. “So, who’d you get?”

I laughed and shook my head. This was going to be everyone’s opening line today. “Q.”

“Damn. Go you!”

“What?” I was confused. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, come off it. You know as well as I do that having the head of the house as your Big will have its advantages as a pledge and when we become full Brothers.”

I liked how confident he was about our future as Brothers - I couldn’t help but smile. “True, but…”

“No buts,” he interjected, laughing, and waving dismissively. “There’s nothing you can say to make me believe there’s some kind of downfall to being Q’s Little. So don’t even go there.”

I was laughing so hard that I had difficulty putting my pants on. I damn near fell off the bed. “Hear me out. Being…”

“Blah, blah, blah!”

I punched his leg playfully but hard enough to make him feel it. “No, really… hear me out.”

“Fine,” he agreed, although he looked skeptical. “Let me hear your lame-ass reasoning.”

“Thank you! Like I was saying, being Q’s Little also….”

“Blah, blah, blah!”

“That’s it fucker!” I jumped on his ass, pulled him down to the bed, and started to wrestle. Since the bed wasn’t big enough to fit a small child, we fell to the floor with a loud thud. It didn’t even slow us down. Our little match continued; the small area rug now served as our wrestling ring. I thought I was doing a pretty good job. I even had him at one point, but then he grabbed my ankle, flipped me over, and landed in a ‘thud’ on my chest; I was pinned.

I was no weakling, but damn, Arsen was a lot stronger than he looked.

My cocky ass was not about to give up, and eventually, I got out from under him. We must have been loud and banging shit around because Ant, CJ, and Nick came running in.

“What the fuck are you guys doing?” Those fools jumped in and separated us. Ant was holding me back like I wanted to hurt Arsen. They thought we were serious. “Are you guys crazy? Fighting? Are you nuts?”

“Dude, calm down!” CJ got in between us with his hands out as if stopping traffic. “You guys can’t be doing this right now! Seriously! Stop!”

Arsen and I looked at each other for a moment and then fell on our asses, laughing.

Holy shit! I had never laughed so hard.

And those three knuckleheads were standing around looking at each other like, what is going on?

I have no clue how long we were rolling on the floor before Ant finally spoke up. “Um, you guys mind letting us in on the freaking joke?”

“You guys!” I blurted out while clutching my sides in pain. It may not sound as funny now when you read it. But trust me when I say it was probably the funniest thing that had happened until then. The look on their faces was priceless. You had to be there. “You think we were fighting? Come on now!”

“Wait,” CJ spoke up, narrowing his eyes, “you weren’t fighting?”

Arsen walked up behind CJ and slapped the back of his head. “Course not, clown! We were just messing around.”

I got dressed and walked out of our room with Arsen, leaving the guys behind, still a bit confused. Within minutes, the pledge class was lined up in the hallway, waiting for a Brother to come to get us. No one came, and we weren’t sure if we were supposed to wait for someone or just head downstairs to the dining room. It was funny because we stood around looking at each other, wondering who would take the lead and make an ‘unauthorized’ move. Maybe it was bravery or boredom, but eventually, Arsen and I looked at each other like ‘fuck it’ and just headed downstairs with everyone trailing behind us.

The dining room table was out of control. Laid out was a feast meant for kings. Each place setting had a plate of food already served up. And every dish was different than the next; it was simply a matter of finding the food that fulfilled your craving. Oddly enough, there was no fighting over plates of food. Everyone could find the perfect meal as if it were meant only for them. And in the end, each of us ended up seated next to our roommate. I’m not sure if this was done on a subconscious level, but I thought it weird when I first noticed it. They knew what we wanted and laid it out for us.

Without ceremony or even a ‘let’s dig in,’ the silverware clanking against fine china filled the room and silenced our voices. I was so hungry that I wasn’t concerned with making idle chatter. After a little while, I wondered who everyone else got for a Big, but the need to fill my stomach came before asking questions. Of course, food can only silence fourteen guys for so long. Eventually, the tales from the previous night found their way out between the bites of food.

And the first guy to speak up didn’t surprise me.

“Who else drank poison last night?”

Everyone stopped and looked at CJ for a moment.

“What? Why are ya‘ll looking at me like I’m crazy?”

“For fucks sake, CJ, no one drank poison last night,” Mike insisted, waving dismissively at CJ like he was dealing with a child. “You can be so…ugh.”

“Dude, you didn’t drink from the cup thingy with your Big?”

Mike rolled his eyes at CJ before answering. “Of course, I did. I bet everyone did, but I can guarantee you weren’t drinking poison, neutralized or otherwise.”

“Dude, you don’t know that.”

“Fuck I don’t!” Mike tapped his finger against the table after every word to emphasize his point. “Do you think the Brothers will put their lives in the hands of a bunch of fuck ups? One little slip when mixing that drink last night, and we’d all be fucked right now. Shit, I wouldn’t trust you with a cardboard box and a piece of string, let alone poison.”

“Whatever,” CJ shrugged, realizing there was no point in arguing with Mike. He was too stubborn and more like talking to a wall than anything else.

“Mike’s right,” Xavier chimed in. No shocker there; if anyone were going to agree with Mike, it would be his roommate. “I saw the same light show in Vegas once. Smoke and mirrors, my friends, smoke and mirrors.”

“Thank you!” Now that someone agreed, Mike could go back to eating his meal. All was right in the world. When I think he’s not all that bad, he pisses me off again.

I wasn’t about to jump into this ‘mentally challenged’ conversion, so I kept digging into my plate, sharing a glance with Arsen every time Mike opened his mouth. I know we were both thinking, ‘Shut the fuck up!’ I just wanted to eat my food peacefully, but that didn’t happen.

“Who did ya’ll get for a Big?” Sam asked the group. Hearing Sam’s voice was a surprise. The boy hardly ever says anything. But I have to admit; I was glad he asked. I was also curious to know who everyone got.

“Eric’s my Big,” Ant took the lead, speaking with a mouth full of food.

Arsen followed by proclaiming Shaun was his, so it continued around the table. I didn’t say anything and went unnoticed for a bit. I didn’t want to get the same shit Arsen gave me when I told him about Q, so I happily continued to stuff my face. It didn’t take long until their attention was focused on me.

“So, Jacob…spill!” Troy insisted.

Jason chimed in. “Speaking of which, no one got Q? It would’ve been awesome to get Q. Just imagine the advantage of having the head of the house as your Big?”

I looked up at him, annoyed as hell. I could feel the fiery daggers shooting from my eyes. “Why the fuck does everyone think that?” I slammed my fist down and spilled some of my drink on the table. “Has it occurred to anyone that being Q’s Little may not be great? Maybe you’ll be expected to be that much better and on point because you’ll have all eyes on you!”

“Holy shit!” CJ practically yelled, almost choking on the sausage he was eating. He managed to cough up a lung before continuing. “Dude, you’re Q’s Little?” He laughed, but in a good way, and beamed with a smile like a father would when his son scores his first home run or something. “That’s my boy!” He stood up and pointed at me with his knife. “That’s my boy!”

“Sit your silly ass down!” I told him, throwing a carrot at him; he caught it and ate it. I looked around at the others, and I could tell some guys weren’t too happy. Others didn’t seem to care one way or the other. I didn’t understand why those guys didn’t get it. I’m not complaining, but being Q’s Little put a lot of pressure on me. If I fucked up, I’m not only making myself and the rest of the pledges look bad, but now I’ll also be making Q look foolish. Yeah, no pressure there! I refused to entertain the ‘Jacob is Q’s Little’ conversion and ignored any attempts to bring it up.

After a while, the guys kicked around some of the questions they were asked during their interviews. I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to take it that far, but I had to admit I was curious to hear what some of their answers were. At first, many of the questions were the same, but the longer we carried on, the more I realized that a small group of us had not been asked all the questions.

Then Paul asked the big question. “Were you guys asked to pick someone you’d dismiss from The Brotherhood?”

“Yeah, I picked myself, of course,” Mike was quick to answer, his tone cocky. Leave it to Mike to think he held the only correct answer. I don’t recall doing it, but I must’ve made some sound of disgust that Mike was quick to pick up on. “What was that for Jacob?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I picked myself too,” Xavier added as confidently as his roommate.

“You would,” I countered.

“Why? Did you pick one of us?” My silence was all the answer Mike needed to set him off. He threw his linen napkin at me. “You fucker! You picked one of us, didn’t you? What gives you the right to decide something like that?”

“You need to calm down,” Arsen jumped in seconds before I was about to go off on his ass. “It’s not about that, Mike.”

“Oh, no?”

“No!”

“Then why don’t you enlighten us, oh great one,” Mike sneered, “If it’s not about us looking out for each other and watching each other’s backs, what is it about? What’s this whole brotherhood thing about? Selling your bros up the river?”

“You don’t get it, do you?” Arsen laughed at how simple Mike could sometimes be. “You’re going to sit there and tell me you’d give up your spot in The Brotherhood for one of us?” He tapped his finger after the last few words to make his point. “You’d do that for us, Mike?” He gave Mike about half a second to respond. “I didn’t think so! The fact is none of us would. And if you think otherwise, you’re just lying to yourself. I wouldn’t do it, and that’s real.”

An uncomfortable silence fell on the room for a moment.

“And that, my friends, it’s what it’s all about.”

“Finally, someone who gets it.” I damn near jumped up and started clapping.

“I don’t get it,” CJ said.

How could you not laugh?

“All I know is I didn’t pick myself either,” he said.

Arsen and I replied in unison, “Then you get it.”

Mike would not budge, not even an inch. “You don’t know any more than we do what’s wrong or right. Who knows what kind of answers the Brothers were looking for?” Seriously, are people this dense? “Assumptions and backstabbing aren’t the answer, that’s for sure.”

“Holy balls!” I dropped my fork on the plate with a loud bang. “Backstabbing? Are you kidding me right now?”

“Yeah, bro, that was out of line,” Arsen jumped in, followed by a few other pledges like Ant and Nick.

“Out of line?” Mike scoffed, looking at everyone else to see if they would back him up. “Our boy Jacob is hanging the rest of us out to dry, and I’, out of line? That’s a good one!” Then he got all serious. With heated eyes, he pointed his knife in my direction, “don’t think for a second you have it in the bag just because you’re Q’s boy now.”

“Who said that?” I challenged, raising my shoulders in frustration and looking for some sort of rational answer. “It’s like two different conversions are going on at his table. Seriously, Mike, you’re at a ten right now. I need you at about 2! So, calm the fuck down and stop speaking out of your ass and accusing people of shit.”

If nothing else, the argument was amusing; everyone else appeared as if they were watching a tennis match - their heads went back and forth as Mike, and I volleyed jabs.

“Accuse you?” he laughed. “I don’t have to accuse you of shit. It’s true. You pretty much said it yourself. Mr. Q wannabe thinks he knows who should be here and who shouldn’t.”

That was the end of our civil conversation, if you could call it that. Tempers flared like boiling water. He jumped out of his seat in a challenging and threatening way, and I did the same. Within seconds everyone was on their feet, arguing, pointing fingers, and taking sides.

“Sit your asses down!”

That serious tone cut thru all the bullshit like a knife. Everyone stopped, knowing we were fucked. I stood there with my back to the voice, praying to God it wasn’t Q standing behind me. We sat down, and I didn’t even have the nerve to look over my shoulder. The guys before me saw the Brother, but I wasn’t about to ask his identity. I was able to breathe easier the next time I heard him speak. It wasn’t Q, but it was still one pissed of Brother.

“You know, I’m not even going to get into this with you guys,” Shaun said. “That’s not what I came down here to do.” He stood between Arsen and me, swirling his finger over the table. “But if you keep this shit up, you will not last the week.”

All I had to do was look at the guys in front of me to get an idea of how pissed Shaun must have looked. The guys swallowed so hard I thought they were trying to pass a whole apple. Falling silent for a moment, he placed one hand on the back of my chair and the other on Arsen’s; all you could hear was his fingers tapping against the wood.

“Ultimately, your interactions with each other and the situations we present you will decide your fate as a Brother. That’s all there is to it. Believe what you want, but it doesn’t get any simpler.

“For now, I want Arsen, CJ, Justin, Anthony, Sam, and Jacob to stand up.” We obeyed, of course, though a bit suspicious. I want everyone to give it up for these guys for passing their interviews…their trial.” He clapped, and everyone followed.

Mike looked annoyed.

You could feel the room’s apprehension shoot through the roof when the word ‘trial’ was thrown out there. “And for your information, their interview was about an hour shorter than the rest of yours. Guys, have a seat.” He waited until everyone was seated, then continued, “why you might ask? Because we didn’t have to weed thru a bunch of bullshit! The rest of you fed us line after line, thinking that’s what we wanted to hear. We made it clear that’s not what we want from you. What will always be the right answer, Mike?”

Mike sat there like a fool, either because he didn’t know the answer or was too afraid to open his mouth. And as much as he annoyed me, I couldn’t blame the guy for freezing up. In the face of this kind of anger, I would’ve done the same thing.

“Someone help him out!” Shaun shouted. A few of us, including myself, jumped out of our skin. Shaun was not a yeller, and to hear him like this chilled me.

I was sure I knew what he was looking for, but I wasn’t about to open my mouth. No way! I was surprised to see CJ step up to the plate and throw it out there.

“The truth?”

“Exactly,” he said in a way that felt like the world’s weight was lifted from his shoulders. “You guys are sitting here arguing with my Little and Jacob when I’m telling you they’re 100% right. Not one of you, except for CJ, would sacrifice your chance of getting into The Brotherhood for another pledge. Not one! So quit bullshitting us.”

I heard what he said, but honestly, I couldn’t get passed the comment about CJ. He said it with such confidence. I couldn’t help but be curious about how he knew for sure.

“Being able to do that for your fellow Brother, making that sacrifice, is where we all need you to be. The truth is… you’re not there yet, and we truly don’t expect you to be.” Everyone sitting across from me had their eyes glued to Shaun. “If even one Brother would benefit from my departure, I would gladly leave The Brotherhood. But that’s because I’ve been thru hell and back with these guys…literally.” He chuckled despite himself. “You’re all just starting to get to know each other. The bond that makes The Brotherhood what it is, simply put, you haven’t figured that out yet. This is evident by the little outburst a few minutes ago. So, you can argue all you want,t Mike, but you’d be the first to give up one of the other pledges if it meant your ass. Am I right?”

He didn’t answer, which made Shaun angrier. He simply sat there with the deer-in-the-headlights look.

“Is there another Mike in the room that I’m unaware of? Answer me when I ask you a question. This is not for my benefit; it’s for yours.”

In a sad, pathetic voice, he nodded with shame and answered, “Yes, I would.”

“We’ve told you all before, and I’ll tell you again…for the last time.” He put a significant emphasis on those last four words. “The Brotherhood values honestly from its members above all else.” He paused for a second to correct himself. “Well, honesty goes together with loyalty. Your truth may be different than mine, but that doesn’t make it any less valid. Are we clear?”

The guys just nodded…a bit dejectedly.

He slammed his fist on the backs of our chairs, and I could hear him grinding his teeth behind me. “Are…we…clear?”

“Yes, Sir!”

“Now, finish eating because the Brothers have a lot of things planned for you.” He patted my shoulder gently to get my attention. “I know you and Q are heading up to Logan, don’t keep him waiting too long. You’ll find him in the garage when you’re done.” He started to walk away, then stopped. “By the way, even though some of you passed the trial, you are all one. That means when one fails, you all fail.” Before the words could fully sink in, he was gone.

“Sweet…” someone mumbled, and that was the last word.

We sat around staring down at our plates and picking at our food. No one could eat after failing yet another trail. I had a knot in my stomach the size of a bowling ball. I probably sat around for another ten minutes before I dismissed myself.

“I’ll see you,” I said, tapping Arsen on the shoulder and leaving without saying anything to the other guys; I was pretty annoyed.

The underground garage was empty except for two rows of cars and trucks. I waited by the door for Q to show up. A Mercedes SUV started up and rolled beside me as if on cue. I couldn’t see thru the passenger window because it was tinted pitch black. All I could do was jump in and hope Q was behind the wheel.

“Hey,” I smiled at Q’s familiar face.

We were off without the slightest acknowledgment from Q. Now, I wish I could say Q and I had this profound discussion about us, TBH, life and its meaning…but it didn’t go down that way. It was the dullest road trip I’ve ever been on. We sat there in perfect silence with just the soft music for entertainment. I glanced over at Q often to see if he was interested in starting a conversation; it was a no-go. He sat there like a statue, his eyes hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses.

I couldn’t help but think maybe my mere presence annoyed him, or perhaps I wasn’t worth talking to because of my pledge status. I doubt he’d be so quiet if a Brother were sitting next to him. All I could do was sit there, watching the trees and cars pass as we flew down the highway.

The clear skies rapidly disappeared the further north we drove, replaced by dark, gray clouds. A storm was coming, and it looked like a bad one. I’m a big weather buff. I can sit in front of the weather channel for hours, learning about hurricanes, tornados, floods, tsunamis, or blizzards. I love storm clouds. I can walk under heavy rains, admiring the lightning burn across the sky. I love lightning! And the wind! The wind was so strong the jeep swayed at times.

Anyway, back to the stupid car ride. I was so bored I nodded off a few times after we entered Rhode Island until I finally fell asleep. It’s funny because in my dream, I pictured Q and I driving up to the airport and having the time of our lives; you couldn’t shut him up. Those dreams stemmed from my desire to learn more about The Brotherhood and, more importantly, Q. Then my dream took a weird turn, and I found myself lying in his arms. It was strange because it kept jumping from us talking it up in the car to us lying in bed. There was nothing sexual about the dream, mind you; it was just us lying there wrapped in each other arm’s like we were early that morning.

A clap of thunder jolted me from my sleep. I hit my head against the glass and swear I heard Q chuckle, but when I looked, he was as serious as ever. I cleared my eyes, and the mini-mart we were parked next to came into focus. I wanted to ask how long I was out, but what good would that have done?

“There’s a bathroom around back if you need to go,” he said and got out of the truck.

Well, that’s a start, at least, I thought.

I went and did my business in the bathroom. The whole time I took a leak, I craved a Cherry Coke and a Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Bar; God knows I love them both. I was thinking of asking Q if it’d be okay to go in and buy some stuff quick, but then I remembered I had no money.

I opened the bathroom door, which was almost torn off its hinges by the wind. “Holy shit,” I laughed to myself. I was walking back, and it felt like the wind was pushing me, telling me to hurry my ass up.

As I got into the jeep, Q stepped out again, mumbling about forgetting his cell phone on the counter. A Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Bar was on my seat, and a Cherry Coke was in the cup holder. I thought it a bit odd, and I wasn’t sure if it was for me or maybe Q had the same cravings. I put the bar in the center console for Q to do what he wanted.

Q came out holding his phone to his ear and stood in front of the jeep. The wind was all over him, whipping his hair in the air and lifting his shirt, exposing his hard abs and underwear band. The kid looked like a model standing there. It was the first time I ever saw Q dressed down. He wore a simple gray t-shirt with a picture of two hands about a foot apart. The words “I Swear It’s This Big” was written between them. He wore faded, torn jeans that sagged low on his hips and a pair of black sandals. And I’m not afraid to say it - his tight ass body worked those jeans like nobody’s business.

I was transfixed on him, on his figure and the perfection of it all. Don’t ask me why. My draw to him was undeniable, like invisible strings pulling you closer and closer; it became more evident as I stared at him. He paced around in front of the truck, stopping once, so his back was to me. I noticed his black boxer briefs thru the slits his jeans had under each butt cheek. Those jeans reminded me of my favorite pair I wear when I’m bumming around.

Q finished his call and got into the car. His hair was blown all over the place, but all it took was for him to slip his fingers thru the black, silken threads to have each strand fall back into place. Starting up the truck, he noticed the chocolate bar in the center console and the new coke, then looked at me.

“I got those for you, Jacob. I know how much you like them.” He slipped into reverse and slowly pulled away. “Don’t look so surprised. If anyone knows your favorite snacks, it will be The Brotherhood.” And like before, he said nothing more to me. If he was trying to make me feel unwanted, he did a hell of a job.

Being the big chocolate lover that I am, especially dark chocolate, I was breaking off the bar little by little to savor every piece. I didn’t even bother to look in Q’s direction anymore; I was enjoying the view from the passenger window just fine. The sight of planes taking off, landing, or parking was enough to keep me entertained.

Out of the blue, Q reached over and broke off a piece for himself. “I love dark chocolate too.”

Somehow, that simple gesture made the day better. I was trying to hide my sense of relief and the biggest, cheesiest smile by staring out the window. I passed the bar again without even looking at him, and he broke off another piece. I was happy for the power of chocolate!

We had a hell of a time trying to get into the airport. There was traffic up the ass. It took us about twenty minutes to get to the pick-off point. Q stopped the car in front of a tall, lean guy wearing shorts and a t-shirt. He had long, dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and a pair of silver-framed shades on his head. If I had to guess, I say he was California-raised. He just had that laid-back, west coast look and a nice tan. The kind of color you can only get in a place where the sun always shines.

I knew he was the guy because Q’s face lit up like a bulb when he saw him. Q politely turned to me and asked if I would get in the back seat. Obviously, I obliged. He stepped out and went around the front of the car very excitedly; I mean, he was almost jumping. He was so happy. The guy matched Q’s enthusiastic smile. He wasted no time dropping the bags from his shoulder and running to Q to give him a big ass hug.

I could hear a little of what they were saying. How happy they were to see each other, how it’s been so long. Q helped him throw his stuff in the back, and they both entered the car in a whirlwind of laughter and inside jokes. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the same Q. I’ll admit I was a bit jealous of the attention this guy was getting from Q. I couldn’t get him to say ‘hi’ to me; this guy couldn’t get him to shut up.

The second we took off, the guy turned around to offer his hand. “Sup man, I’m Dylan.”

With a nod and smile, I shook his hand, “Jacob.”

He looked me over once with a smirk and then sat back in his seat. “I see you’re Q’s new victim.” At first, I didn’t get it. “I remember being in the same situation three years ago. But don’t worry, Jacob, Q makes an awesome Big.”

“You think so, huh?” Q was trying to mask the smirk on his face.

“Well, you’re alight,” Dylan laughed, forcing Q to punch his leg. “Fucker!”

Holy shit!

Not even in my wildest dreams could I imagine talking to Q like that. And to see him merely laugh about it blew me away. It was amazing to see those two together. They could have easily been mistaken for real-life brothers. Admittedly, my jealousy was more intense now. Nothing against Dylan, but I so wanted that relationship he had with Q. My rational side understood that he earned it over the years, but that didn’t stop me from wanting that relationship for myself.

They talked about everything and anything. Q was different from the guy I sat next to on the ride up here. He was alive and vulnerable at the same time. The mystic, the mysterious haze around him vanished when he laid eyes on his former Little.

All I did was sit there and listen in on their conversion. And I was right about Dylan being from California because Q asked him how he liked LA. One thing I noticed about Dylan right away was the white streak running down the left side of his head. I knew right away it was a birthmark. My cousin had the same thing from an area on his head with no pigmentation. We called him ‘skunk’ because his streak ran right down the middle of his mane of jet-black hair.

The more they talked, the more they started slipping in and out of a language I had never heard before. I’m no linguist, but my parents know thirteen different languages, so I have some skill in picking out dialects. However, whatever they were speaking didn’t sound the least bit familiar. The pronunciation of the words was soft on the ears, almost haunting…like a romantic poem whispered in your dreams. I’m sure they weren’t even aware they were doing it.

“How’s the love life?” Q inquired.

“I don’t know,” Dylan shrugged. “I think I’m going to break it off with Nate.”

Q looked at him, shocked. “Really? What brought this on? You raved about how much you loved him the last time we talked. Now, this?”

“I don’t know,” he repeated, sounding a bit more frustrated than before. I didn’t believe it was directed towards Q necessarily, but rather that he was fed up with the situation he was in with his girlfriend. “He’s getting very clinging. I don’t think I can take that kind of drama with the direction my life is about to take.” He paused a moment, perhaps waiting for Q to put his two cents in. But Q said nothing. “Is that wrong?”

“Who knows? You have to do what’s best for you. You are about to undergo a huge change; it’s easy to understand why you feel the way you do. Ensure you’re not using this as an excuse to run away from something. You might regret it later.”

“Yeah…I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. Anyway, I don’t feel like dwelling on that right now.”

“Fine.”

“Oh, but there’s such a tone in that ‘fine.’”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Sure, you didn’t. Anyway, how about you? How’s your love life?”

Q laughed. “What love life? You know me, always too busy for….”

“That’s the problem!” Dylan was quick to cut him off. “Life isn’t all about The Brotherhood Q. Everyone knows you have a deep love and commitment to The Brotherhood, but you also have a responsibility to yourself. You need to live a little! No, a lot! You let The Brotherhood consume too much of your life.”

Q laughed again. “Look at you. My little bro is all grown up!”

“Fuck off!” Dylan punched Q in the arm; again, something I could never picture myself or anyone else taking. “I’m serious, Q. Is there no one special in your life?” The concern in his voice was genuine and touching.

“I don’t have the time.”

I could almost feel Dylan roll his eyes at him. “Make the fucking time, God damnit! You have a lot of good guys back at the house; you don’t need to micromanage every little thing.”

“I don’t.”

“Yeah…I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t. My guys are good.”

“Then what is the problem?”

“I don’t feel like talking about this anymore.”

“What?” Dylan sounded annoyed. “Don’t try to shut me out just because...”

“Enough…” Q said simply, glancing at Dylan with a raised brow. Q’s authority over him came out for the first time, and the subject was dropped.

An awkward silence fell in the car, but it didn’t last long; Q ensured that.

“Are you excited?” he asked with a smile.

“About what?’ Q just looked at him with a ‘duh’ look. “Oh! Of course, I am! Every time I think about it, I get so excited I can barely contain myself. Seriously!”

“Good.”

“And what makes it even better is that you’re the one who’s going to perform the ceremony. You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“Umm, about that,” Q said softly like he didn’t want to say it. I watched him thru the rear-view mirror, and he looked nervous.

“What?”

“I’m not going to be performing the ceremony.”

“What?” Dylan shouted, and Q grimaced at the sight of him. “Are you fucking with me right now? Don’t mess with me because it’s not funny!”

“I’m serious, Dylan…I’m sorry. Shaun will be performing the ceremony on you, but I will still be there by your side…proud as ever.”

“But I wanted to get the gift from you! As awesome as Shaun is, you were my Big, not him. It has more significance coming from you.”

“I know,” Q said softly, and I could tell he was pained to have caused Dylan grief. He reached over and gently rubbed the back of Dylan’s neck. “It’s still a high honor; it doesn’t matter which Brother performs the ceremony.”

“I know…It just would’ve meant so much more coming from you.”

“I’ll still be there watching you become greater than you already are. I’m so, so proud of you, Dylan.”

“Thanks,” he said meekly, and I could’ve sworn he whipped at his eyes. Was he tearing up? What was the deal? What could be so freaking important to upset him so? “Can I at least ask why you changed your mind?”

“It wasn’t a frivolous decision, Dylan. Certain things just happen…unforeseen forces walked into my life, and suddenly I’m in the middle of something I wasn’t expecting. If I had known, I never would have promised you….”

“You want to give it to someone else?”

Q nodded. “It depends how things work out.”

“Who?”

Q answered in that other language, then Dylan looked over his shoulder at me, and I couldn’t understand a word they were saying for the next ten minutes or so. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself, but for a second, I thought perhaps I was that person. But then I felt stupid for even considering that and put it out of my mind.

“Now, do you understand?” Q finally spoke English again.

“Yeah, I get it,” Dylan smirked. “But now I’m allowed to hate him.”

They laughed, then Q slapped him in the back of the head, and all was good again.

Before I knew it was dark out. The menacing storm clouds filled with lightning and thunder plagued the night sky, yet a single drop of water had yet to fall. We drove for a couple hours before Q pulled up to this little store and told us he had to pick something up for Eric and Charlie. The minute Q left, Dylan turned to face me, a smile playing on his face.

“So, what makes you so special?” he asked, but he wasn’t being a prick about it. There was a warmth to his question that usually isn’t present when one is being sarcastic or a straight-up dick. Regardless, I didn’t understand

“Huh?”

He laughed. “Q very rarely takes a pledge under his wing, so when it happens, the guy has to be something pretty special.”

I shrugged. “I have no idea.” I felt a bit bold, so I asked him the same thing. “Well, Q picked you as well…so what made you so special?”

He liked that. “Honestly…I don’t know either. He never really said. Maybe it was the same thing I’m seeing in you now.” He grinned and sat back in his seat. Sinking in his chair, he threw his feet on the dash. “You’re good people, Jacob, I can tell.”

“Was Q always intense?”

“Always,” he laughed loudly as if recalling a specific memory. “But he’s always fair. You have no idea how lucky you are to have Q as your Big. He can be hardcore sometimes, but that’s because he expects the best from his people…especially his Little.”

“Sweet…”

“No, don’t go there,” he said with a hand gesture. “Q will never ask you to do more than you’re able. He just expects you to give your best.”

“I can understand that.”

“I don’t see him as a frat brother; he’s like my real brother, and that’s all there is to it. He’s done so much for me it goes beyond words.”

“Yeah, he seems like a pretty amazing guy.”

“You don’t know the half of it…but you will. Aside from Kyrios, no other Brother is as respected as Q. Let me tell you a little story. I had the chance to go with Q to meet with the council, and when….”

“What’s the council?” I interrupted without thinking.

“The head of every house sits on The Council of Brothers. It’s the governing body of The Brotherhood with Kyrios at its head. They come up with the rules, laws, and regulations that make up The Brotherhood. And it’s where Brothers like Q stand trial if they do something seriously wrong. They must be judged and sentenced by their peers.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, it’s intense. Congress has nothing on these guys, let me tell you. When we walked into the council chamber, the whole room fell silent, and everyone knew that either Q or Kyrios had just shown up. I could hear whispers and guys leaning over to each other talking about Q.” He stopped for a moment, then turned his head to his side to see me from the corner of his eye. “Everyone knows that if Kyrios were to step down or die tomorrow, God forbid, Q would be his natural successor. He’s just that respected. So, I’m not kidding when I say you’re lucky to have him.”

“Damn,” was all I could say about that. “Hey, you got to meet Kyrios?”

“Yes and no,” he laughed. “Kyrios had the hood of his robe on, so all I saw were his lips. Anyway, the whole point of the council meeting was to discuss Q’s recommendation that I receive the Gift of…umm, never mind.”

“What gift?”

He shook his head no. “Nothing. Here comes Q.”

I so wanted to know about “the Gift.” Something tells me it’s not a pair of cufflinks.

“You were talking behind my back again?” was the first thing Q asked when he got in.

“Always!”

For the rest of the drive, I was content to listen to their conversation and watch the lightning racing thru the sky. We drove another forty minutes before finally reaching Dylan’s family home. As far as I could tell, they lived five miles passed the middle of nowhere. Dylan asked Q to come in for a few minutes to greet his parents. He agreed with little fuss.

“Hey, it was nice meeting you, Jacob.”

“Ditto,” I said with a smile.

“Don’t let that clown push you around too much,” he laughed.

Q chased him around the yard for a few minutes to get him back for the comment before heading inside. He never did catch him. I probably sat outside by myself for twenty minutes before the porch lights came on and Q appeared at the door with Dylan. They exchanged a few words and embraced in a brotherly hug before saying their final goodbyes. Q was lucky because rain hit like a bucket of water thrown on the jeep when he got in and closed the door.

We drove off with the windshield wipers going at full speed. The thunder was deafening, and the sky was on fire as lightning blazed thru the clouds and dropped from the sky.

“Holy shit,” I whispered, but I loved every minute. I was leaning forward, looking at the sky like a kid in a candy store.

“Tell me about it,” Q agreed. “Hey, I wanted to apologize.”

Suddenly, the storm didn’t seem all that important. I leaned back and looked at him, a bit confused. “For what?”

“The trip up here was supposed to be our time to get to know each other better. Instead, I ignored you the whole time, and I’m sorry. It was just that some stuff is happening in the house now, and I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”

“I understand it’s okay.”

“No, really, it isn’t. I’m sorry. I feel much better now after seeing Dylan. He has a way of bringing out the best in me and my attitude.”

I shrugged. “Apology accepted.”

That was all I needed to hear to make me forget, or maybe forgive, the drive up here. His apology was sincere; I could listen to it in his voice, but most importantly, I could see it in his gray eyes. For the first time, they made me feel welcomed.

“I may not be a Dylan, but if there’s anything I can do, even if it’s just lending an ear, I’m here.” I never truly expected him to take me up on my offer, but I put it out there, nonetheless.

He smiled at me. I guess he wanted to make up for lost time because after driving for about five minutes, he got chatty.

“What’s the deal with you and Mike?” He looked at me briefly before returning his gaze to the dark road ahead. I’d say he was driving a little faster than I would have liked considering the torrential rain.

Damn, I thought.

That was a can of worms I didn’t want to open. And quite frankly, I didn’t know what the ‘deal’ was between us. I played it coy. “What do you mean…I don’t understand?”

“Well, it seems like you guys are always butting heads. Would you say that’s a fair assessment?”

I was silent for a moment, knowing there was no avoiding the question. “I guess. I mean…I don’t know….” I think he was about to say something more but decided to give me a moment to collect my thoughts and continue. “I think it’s just we both have different ideas on how to go about accomplishing things. I don’t think we hate each other or anything. At least, I like to believe that. It’s just two different minds with two different points of view.”

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He nodded, scratching his chin thoughtfully. “Uh-huh.”

“What?” I asked with a slight laugh mingled in.

“I think two leaders are trying to emerge in this group which is a good thing; we encourage that.” He paused briefly, leaving me hanging and wondering where he was going with this. “But the problem as I see it is… two leaders are trying to emerge.”

“Uh-huh.”

He laughed and playfully slapped my leg. “Don’t you get it?” He switched hands on the steering wheel to extend his forefinger in front of my face. “There can only be one leader, Jacob. Only one.”

I nodded in agreement.

“Can you imagine how chaotic things would be in the house if I had to run it with someone of equal authority? It wouldn’t work, especially if we were of two different minds. Whose way is right, and who would the Brothers follow if I ordered one thing and my partner another?”

“I get what you’re saying, but what about Kyrios?” I inquired in earnest. “He’s the boss of bosses, so what if he wanted one thing and you another?”

“Kyrios is Kyrios,” Q smiled, looking briefly at me. “But it’s my house.”

That’s all he said on the matter, but I was smart enough to pick up what he was putting down.

“So, what do I do? About Mike, I mean. Do I sit back and let him run the show or take the show and run it myself?”

“That’s not for me to decide,” he answered with a simple shrug. “Guys will always want to lead; everyone has ideas and is sure they know the best ways of getting things done. But in the end, the true leader will emerge. It just depends on who wants it the most.”

“Yeah...” I said meekly, suddenly sounding very ‘un-leader.’

A few lightning strikes later, the questions continued.

“So, how are things with Alex? It’s Alex, right?”

I nodded, taken aback that he’d even care to ask. “Yeah, that’s her.” I thought about his question for a moment, then shrugged. “Things are good, I guess.” I was getting a bit nervous, for I was sure he was leading into our little rendezvous in the janitor’s closet.

“You don’t sound too sure about that.”

“Well, I haven’t had a chance to hang out with her since I started pledging. There might be a little strain there, but I think deep down she understands the situation.”

“That’s good…that you have someone that understands. The role of a Brother can be a bit demanding at times. If you both have a clear understanding of the commitment you’re making, then things will be a lot easier.”

“Yeah,” I agreed.

Another moment of silence befell us, and Q was the one to break it again.

“Don’t be shy,” he said with a smile, “feel free to ask me anything you want, and as long as it’s within reason, I’ll answer.”

“Cool.” I couldn’t hide my excitement even if I wanted to. The sad thing was, I drew a total blank. Perfect timing, eh? “Umm…uh…”

“Cat got your tongue?”

“No! Oh, I know what I wanted to ask.”

“And what’s that?”

“If you are….” I suddenly flew out of my seat, and my head slammed into the roof. The right front tire hit a major pothole; for a moment, Q lost control. The tire exploded, leaving only the chrome rim sparking against the road. It took him a few seconds, but Q finally was able to stop the car by the side of the road.

“Fuck!”

I was thinking the same thing. I was fully expecting him to order me to change the tire while he stayed inside the nice dry car, but he surprised me yet again by stepping out of the jeep and going for the spare without ever saying a word to me. I wasn’t about to sit there while he did all the work, so I jumped out to help him. I stood outside for like two minutes while Q got the spare and was soaking wet. That’s how hard it was raining. It was unusually hot and humid for that time of year.

I watched Q come around the back to my side. He jerked his head to the side to whip the long hair from his face; a jet of water flew from the ends into the night, and I could’ve sworn I was watching a shampoo commercial.

“Thanks!” he yelled and rolled the tire to me so he could get the jack.

I went for the tire and caught it, but not before slipping on the muddy slope and landing on my ass. Two more feet or so, I would’ve gone tumbling down a hill! Q peeked his head around the side and started laughing his ass off.

“You okay?”

“Oh yeah. Never better!” I got up and wiped at my dirty ass. I don’t know why he was laughing because it was his nice leather interior that would get ruined, not mine.

“How’s your head?” he yelled over the pouring rain and whipping winds. “I noticed you got some serious airtime when we hit that hole.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure!” My head was throbbing a little, but it wasn’t a big deal, so I wasn’t going to make it an issue.

He jacked up the front end, and I used the lug wrench to loosen all the bolts. It took longer than expected because the bar was so wet my hands kept slipping. It was making me angry.

“Shit!” I roared finally happened for the fifth time.

Q, on the other hand, was enjoying my struggle. “Want me to get that for you, stud?” he laughed.

“Oh, shut up!” For a moment, I cringed, thinking I’d crossed the line, but Q just laughed harder. I got the rim off, and Q put the spare on and tightened the bolts. He dropped the car and told me to stand on the lug wrench to ensure all the lugs were nice and tight. The last thing we needed was for the tire to fly off one way while we went another.

“Done!” he proclaimed.

I grabbed the rim and walked to the back of the jeep with Q behind me. A jolt of lightning came from nowhere and struck the light post behind the jeep. Bright orange sparks flew everywhere, and so did I, right back into Q. We tumbled down the slippery, muddy hill – a blob of arms and legs rolling like two balls, leaving a gum ball machine.

A pool of muddy water broke our fall. Believe it or not, that’s where we laid for about five minutes or so. I was afraid to make the first move, so I waited. I was sure Q was pissed. How could he not be? He didn’t strike me as the type who enjoyed rolling around in the mud.

There was hope still, for the sound of pouring rain and clapping thunder was drowned out by a sudden fit of laughter from Q. So infectious was it that I couldn’t help but join him. So, there we lay, the two of us with rain splashing across our faces, lost in a fit of laughter.

It was a Kodak moment.

“Can anything else go wrong tonight?”

“Well, the night’s still young, and we haven’t officially been hit by lightning yet,” I answered, finally coming down from my high. I decided it was time to get up, and I had to work to sit up; it felt like the mud had claimed me and wasn’t about to let go. I managed to free myself, got up on one knee, and then just when I thought myself free, I slipped again and landed on my face. Oh, the joy.

I was laughing again, sure that Q would be laughing at me as well, but he wasn’t. His face was covered in mud. I must’ve kicked it up when I lost my footing. He dug two holes around his eyes and looked at me, his silvery orbs as clear and as menacing as the lightning shooting above us.

I swallowed hard. I was shitting bricks! Then a wave of water came at me as he used his foot to throw a chunk of mud at my face.

Oh, it was on!

What happened next was straight out of a Three’s Stooges episode. We were flinging mud at each other like it was the thing to do, and I don’t know how it happened, but one thing led to another, and we ended up wrestling in the mud. The object wasn’t so much to pin your opponent but to shove his face in the mud. I have to say it was the best time I had up to that point. It was just natural and spontaneous. I was so glad we had that blowout.

I felt terrible for his truck, though, because when it was all over, we got back on the road; two dirty ass guys covered from head to toe in mud sitting on brand new leather. I would’ve had a heart attack, but Q didn’t seem to care. Or if he did, he hid it well.

“Fuck!” Q roared, reaching into his pocket to pull out his mud-covered cell phone. He took one look at it and threw it between the center console.

At this point, I felt like I was hanging out with one of my buds, so I picked it up like it was my business. The thing was ruined, soaked, and covered in mud like every part of our bodies. Q did look pissed, but I wasn’t about to let his anger take hold. I don’t know what got into me, but what I did next took us both by surprise. His hair was a tangled, muddy mess, so I ran my hand through the side several times.

We just looked at each other.

“Your hair is crusty,” I said matter-of-factly. “You should consider some Herbal Essence or something.” He looked at me as if I hit my head harder than he’d thought. Then he laughed, and the phone was forgotten.

Q wanted to get some gas and use a phone to call the house. We spotted a motel when we were dropping off Dylan; he thought it best if we just stayed there for the night and let the storm pass. I agreed because it was only getting worse out there. It was like being in the middle of a hurricane. Okay, maybe not quite, but you get the idea.

We stopped at this old gas station with the old-style pumps, which meant they didn’t take credit cards, and better yet, it was closed for the night, so there was no gas for us. It was a big deal because we had plenty of gas to get to the motel, but we’d have to drive back in the morning to gas up. Luckily it did have a phone booth off to the side. I didn’t think those even existed anymore.

Grabbing some change from the ashtray, Q ran for the booth.

I sat back and watched him. He parked, so the lights were on the booth, making it easy to watch him. I saw something move by the side of the gas station, a shadow too big to be a dog or any other animals you might find in the woods. I sat up with the quickness, straining to peer thru the dark veil to make sure I wasn’t just seeing things. Q had his back to the station, so there was no way for him to see it. I looked for a while, but nothing stirred, so I figured it was just me. I leaned back, relaxed, and let my eyes wander off to the side—the moment I did that, I spotted the same shade from the corner of my eye. Something wasn’t right.

I got out and ran up to Q. He put the phone to his chest and waited for me to explain myself.

“We should go!”

“Why? What’s wrong?” he yelled back, the lousy weather drowning us out completely.

“There’s something back there.”

“What?”

“There’s something back there!”

He placed the phone back to his ear and finished the call. “Come on… we should go!” he said.

I just rolled my eyes. Why do I bother?

I was running behind Q when the sound of breaking glass pierced my ears. I turned around to see this guy just smashing the shit of the phone booth with a steel bat and two other guys just standing there like that was the normal thing to do.

Oh, fuck! I thought as I looked at Q, hoping he knew what was going on or what to do.

I could only see his dark silhouette standing between the two bright headlights in front of the jeep. At that moment, everything appeared to be moving hundred times slower; I swear I could’ve counted every drop of rain.

The light at my feet was getting brighter and brighter. Did Q turn on the high beams for some reason? I didn’t get it. I couldn’t make those guys out, but one thing was for sure, they were getting closer. The light just got intense, and I turned to face Q. I remember calling out his name. I could barely see him now; the light seemed to consume him entirely. The light was too much, blinding, and overwhelming. I was falling…falling like a sack of stones thrown from the highest peak into a river of light.

For the second time that night, I jumped out of my seat. “What the fuck!” I yelled. There were hands-on me trying to restrain me. “Back the fuck up! Back up!” I was finally pushed against the door and my arms held at my side.

“Calm down! It’s me.”

That voice. That face.

“That must’ve been some fucking dream.”

“Huh? Dream?”

“Yes, you were sleeping.”

I looked at Q like he was crazy. “No,” I insisted. “I wasn’t sleeping. What happened to the guys at the gas station…the guys with the bats and the bad attitudes?”

“What are you talking about?”

He looked as confused as I felt. “The guys! We stopped at the gas station to get some gas and call the house, and then these guys came out of the back woods smashing shit.”

He laughed as he slipped his fingers thru my dirty, soaked hair to clear it from my sight. “You were dreaming. There were no guys, Jacob.”

I was shaking my head. “Yeah, there was. I saw them! It was dark out, and then it was bright…really, really bright. A white light - like fire. You didn’t see it?”

“No, because I can’t jump into your mind.” He was still chuckling a little. “We did stop at the station, but their pumps didn’t take credit cards, and don’t get me started on that whole mess. I mean, what kind of gas station doesn’t take credit cards. Anyway, I made my call to the brothers to let them know we’d be staying here, and then we were out. Five minutes into the drive, you were out like a light.”

I was silent for a while, studying him very closely. “So, there were no guys in the woods?”

“No,” he assured me, shaking me gently, “no guys…just you and me. Now come on, let’s get inside and get a room for the night.

I must’ve fallen asleep because I couldn’t recall getting to the motel, but we were parked in the empty parking lot.

“Weird…” I whispered as I got out of the jeep. That “dream” seemed way too real to be all in my head. But what else could I do? I had to let it go. If Q said there weren’t any guys, it had to be true, right?

We walked into the motel with our bodies still covered in mud. It had this old country feel to it. To the left of the main room where you check-in was a little mini-mart type of place where they sold, well, shit you’d find in a mini-mart. Opposite the store was a place where they sold clothes. Not the type you find at your local mall, but some old fucked up shit you see out in the country – flannel, boots, and crap.

Q rang the little bell on the counter. “What the…” his words trailed off when he saw the jars of pig’s feet sitting on the counter for sale for $4.99.

The door behind the counter opened, and this little old lady who must’ve been 80 peeked her head thru. “Well, hello there!” she said with a friendly, bright smile, opening the door. She leaned back and whispered to the guy sitting in the rocking chair behind her, “Get up, Joe, we got us a couple of boys at the door.”

The guy got up and walked out with her. If I had to guess, I’d say he was two hundred years old. “What can I do you, boys, for?” He hunched forward a bit, old age not working out great for him. God bless them for still kicking, I guess.

“We’d like a room,” Q said, and I could hear the exhaustion in his voice.

“What’s that you say now?” the old man asked, leaning forward with his hand cupped around his right ear.

“A room…we’d like a room, please.”

He leaned back and looked at Q like he was crazy. “Now, why in the world would you want my broom?”

“No, no, no…not a broom…a room.”

“You’re looking for a groom? What’s that you say now?”

Q and I just look at each other like ‘h-o-l-y s-h-i-t.’

“Not groom, not a broom, a ROOM.” Q was just about a notch below yelling.

“They want a room, you deaf old fool!” the wife finally spoke.

“Oh, that’s a shame,” he said and patted Q’s hand. “Which one of you boys is deaf? I’ll try and speak up for ya.”

“We’re not the ones who…oh, just never mind. Can we get a ROOM?”

“Sorry, boys,” she said, putting her glasses on.

“Damn!” I said despite myself. She could easily see thru me with those thick-ass glasses.

“We are all booked up,” she continued.

“Booked up?” I spoke. “But there’s not a single car outside but ours.”

“Reservations. You understand.”

“No, not really.”

“What’s that you say now?” the old man butted in again. “We don’t have any hot chilly. We got some cold chilly for 99 cents a can. But no hot chilly in a can. Can’t put hot chilly in a can because it won’t’ stay hot for long.”

I was just thinking ‘O-H-M-Y-G-O-D,’ and I’m sure the same thing was running thru Q’s mind.

“We’re not looking for chilly, sir…just a room,” Q was very patient with them. “Look, we’ve been driving all night, the weather is getting bad out there, and we already had one tire blow up. We just want….”

“Who threw up?” The man tried leaning over the corner to look at the floor. “Where did they throw up? I don’t smell anything. Damn cats!”

I pulled Q aside and whispered, “Maybe we should just go. We aren’t getting anywhere right now.”

“Now, don’t be hasty,” the old lady said, waving us over to her.

“She’s right, you know,” he agreed, thou I wasn’t sure he knew what he agreed to. “That’s some pretty fine tasty chilly. Only 99 cents a can. No hot chili in a can…can’t put hot chili in a can, you know.

“Oh, look, we do have one room available. But…”

“But…” we both said in unison.

“But the pipes don’t work too good in that room, so the hot water doesn’t last very long, and by the looks of it, you boys will need a good scrubbing. It looks like you were playing in the mud all night.”

“We’ll take it!” we both said again.

“Okay, that will be 80 dollars for the night, please.”

Q looked around for his wallet and remembered leaving it in the center console. Luckily, he didn’t have it on him when we had our little trip through the mud. I ran out and got it for him while he settled things with the owners.

He handed her his MasterCard, and she shook his head no. “Sorry, dear, but we don’t accept any credit cards after twelve.”

Q got this look on his face that just screamed, ‘that’s the dumbest thing I ever heard.’ “Why is that?”

She pointed to a sign on the counter that read, “We don’t’ accept any credit cards after twelve.”

“Oh, for crying out loud,” he mumbled, pulling out two bills and sliding them across the counter. She slid it right back. “What’s wrong now?”

“We don’t accept any bills larger than a twenty after ten,” she said simply.

“Well, why not?” Q had the same look going as before.

She pointed to another sign that read…yep; you guessed it, “We don’t accept any bills larger than a twenty after ten o’clock.”

“Oh my god, I’m just going to slice my wrist right now,” Q said.

“What’s that you say now?”

“Do you take checks then?”

The lady pulled out a sign from under the counter and slams on the table. “No checks after nine.”

I walked away laughing hysterically and went to look at the clothes. I was looking thru their crap for about five minutes when Q came over dangling the keys to the room. He looked around, then looked at me.

“Maybe we should get some clothes for the drive home tomorrow. Don’t feel like putting on the same dirty clothes again.” He looked around again. “Not exactly quality stuff they are selling here.”

“Tell me about it,” I laughed.

We picked out some shorts and a couple of t-shirts. They even had some boxer briefs for sale. Granted, they were just you every day tighty whities, but it was better than the soaked ones we had on.

We went to pay for it, and the man disappeared, but when his wife was bagging everything up for us, he returned with two cans of chili and threw them in the bag. Q didn’t argue and just paid them for the chili, and we bounced up out of there. An experience I will never forget!

Our room wasn’t the penthouse suite at a five-star hotel, but it was a surprisingly decent room. I guess we were half expecting the Children of the Corn to greet us at the door. There was a nice-sized TV on the dresser and a queen-sized bed next to a nightstand with a lamp and phone. Q wasted no time heading for the bathroom, peeling his dirty shirt off and throwing it to the side.

“Wow,” I laughed.

“What?” he looked at me over his shoulder curiously.

“You have a black streak of mud running down your spine.”

“You’re not looking very GQ at the moment yourself, buddy!”

I stood at the foot of the bed, watching him adjust the water in the shower. He came back out, unzipping his pants. “She wasn’t kidding. The water is lukewarm, and I can already feel it getting colder.”

Now as cool as he’d been, I knew he wasn’t going to give up going first and that I’d be stuck showering in the freezing water. “It’s okay; I’ll deal with the cold-water issue when I get there,” I offered.

He laughed and stepped out of his pants. Damn, only someone like Q can make mud look sexy. “You know, you don’t have to freeze your ass off in the shower. You’re more than welcome to jump in with me. Granted, not that much room, but I think we can manage.”

“You sure?”

“Would I offer if I wasn’t?”

He made a great point, so I also stripped down to my boxer briefs. Q gave me a once over before turning back into the bathroom. I’ll admit I was a bit uneasy about the situation. Don’t get me wrong; I wasn’t about to back out, for I’d take lukewarm over freezing water any day, but it made me feel odd. I was about to shower, not so much with another man because I’ve already done with Arsen, but this was Q. He was my Big; he held a lot of power in the Brotherhood, and quite frankly, I looked up to him.

We stood side by side in front of the mirror, just laughing it up because we looked a damn mess. Then quite suddenly, Q dropped his boxer briefs and bent over to activate the shower. I gasped slightly but not loud enough for him to hear me. I was staring at his reflection in the mirror, and I guess you could say I was kind of admiring his naked ass. I now understood why he filled out his jeans and underwear so nicely.

He got the shower going and jumped in. Instantly, I could see the streams of black water running down his lean, chiseled frame. “You coming or what?” I didn’t hear him the first time because I was too busy looking at the big piece of meat between his thighs; even soft, it looked huge to me. “Jacob?”

“Uh…yeah, I’m coming.” The second I took my boxers off, I felt a twitch in my cock, and all I could think of was ‘Fuck! Not now.’

He was already shampooing his hair when I got in behind him. And believe me, I got in quick because I didn’t want him to look over and see anything rising. All I could do at first was watch him soap up because we only had a single bar to share. I was breathless watching him, admiring his lovely firm mounds as his soapy hands slipped between them. I realize he wasn’t doing it for my benefit but watching him was highly erotic.

At one point, he bent down a little and put his leg up on the tub so he could clean them up; his ass ended up only a couple of inches from my semi-hard cock. I just had to look up while he was bent over to let the cool water hit me in the face. It felt great to feel the dirt slide off my body.

Q stood back up and was covered in suds from head to toe except for his back which was still stained here and there. But he had no problems passing me the bar of soap over his shoulder and asking if I’d clean up his back for him. What was I going to say? No?

I lathered up my hands and worked them around his back, keeping the soap bar in my right palm. After a while, I stopped thinking about it and allowed my hands to go where they wanted. I went down low on his back just above his ass even though it didn’t need much attention, but as I said - my hands had a mind of their own.

He adjusted the nozzle, so the water was on him again and seemed to enjoy the feeling of having the dirt and grime wash away. I watch the shampoo suds travel down from his hair, down his spine, between his ass crack, and finally down his legs. Thinking back on it now, I’m surprised I wasn’t fully boned by then. Instead, I was still semi-hard.

Without warning, Q spun around to rinse his back; his cock brushed up against mine and continued to do so as he rinsed himself off. It was his cock hugged up against mine the whole time, and it didn’t seem to bother him. Maybe because it wasn’t a sexual thing for him. It was just two guys showering together in a small space, so shit like that was bound to happen. I could’ve, or more to the point, should have backed up some to avoid contact…but I didn’t.

He leaned back a little to get his hair under the water again, forcing his pelvis to push forward into mine. Honestly, I just stood there with my eyes closed, enjoying the feel of the water on my face and his manhood against mine.

I was off in another world when Q finally spoke. “Alight, Jacob, you get in front now. I’m good.”

“Huh…oh right.”

He placed his hands on my hips to get around me; there was very little room to do this, so our cocks were pressed against each other. As we passed, our eyes met, and lips almost brushed; I felt his heat against me. I was so glad to be in front with my back to him because, by this time, I had a fucking raging hard-on; my dick was throbbing between my legs, and I didn’t want him to see it.

I did the same thing he did, shampooing my hair and then lathering up. I wondered if he was standing behind me, admiring my body as I did his. I’ll never know because I wasn’t about to ask him. Could you imagine? “Hey, are you checking out my ass?” That would’ve been funny!

“Pass me the bar,” he said when I was soaped up. “Fair is fair.”

And with that, he worked my back as I did his. I loved the feel of his hands on my naked skin. He was gentle like an old, familiar lover. I didn’t want him to stop, which made me even harder. I wanted so badly to reach for my dick and just give it a few quick strokes but couldn’t exactly do that at the time.

Q wasn’t shy about anything. He worked my upper and lower back, the sides of my thighs, and even went as far as sliding his soapy hands over my ass cheeks. I didn’t mind one bit, but I was taken aback by his action.

When he was done, he asked if I was going to turn around to wash off my back, to which I replied, “No, I’m all set, thanks.” Putting my head down, I leaned forward and let the water run down my back. He laughed and helped me out by rinsing my back for me. I’d be too embarrassed to turn around with a big bone stabbing him in the stomach!

The water was getting cold by now, which helped bring my boner down a size or two. Q got out, and I waited for him to leave the bathroom before stepping out. I looked in the mirror, shaking my head in disappointment. “You idiot,” I whispered as I started at the stranger looking back at me. “Keep it together.”

I came out with a towel around my waist to a funny site. Q was pulling on his boxer briefs, mumbling about how cheap they were and how they were riding up on him.

He looked back at me, smirking. “You won’t be laughing when they’re riding up on you into places you didn’t even know you had.” He threw me the other pair, and they hit me in the face. “There you go, stud.”

I didn’t want to drop my towel because I was still semi-hard, so I put them on with the towel still around my waist. He looked at me funny, then laughed and walked over to the bed to pull back the sheets.

“I can sleep on the floor if you want,” I offered.

“And why would you do that when we already shared my bed once? Don’t be stupid.” He snorted, “Listen, I’m too tired to argue, so do what you want.” He slipped into bed and turned the lights off.

I was hoping we’d talk some more, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen, so I jumped into bed with him, hoping we’d talk on the way home in the morning. I lay there staring out the window, watching the bright light flashes. The light brought me back to the gas station. I couldn’t believe it was just a dream. It felt so real. But I only thought about it for a hot second because I wasn’t about to drive myself crazy over it. Within minutes I was fast asleep.

I can’t say I slept for long. Have you ever had that feeling come over you that you’re being watched? That’s how I felt. I slowly opened my eyes to see Q leaning on his elbow, staring at me, his eyes soft and sparkling like diamonds under a jeweler's bright light. We didn’t say anything to each other for the longest time; our intense gaze said it all.

A sly smile appeared on his face as he reached down, brushed my long bangs from my eyes, and hooked them behind my ear just like I did to him the night before; he ran the back of his hand gently down the side of my cheek.

“Holy shit, you were awake last night?”

He simply nodded, and his perfect smile widened slightly, showing a hint of his white teeth.

“Why didn’t you say something? Why didn’t you beat my ass?”

Do you know what his answer to me was?

In the softest, most likable voice anyone could muster, he said, “You are beautiful.”

Do you know what my response to him was?

“What’s that you say now?”

He laughed his ass off at that one. I wasn’t so much laughing as worried my heart would tear itself from my chest; it was beating so hard. Not to mention my cock was slowly but surely getting harder. I felt his leg pressed against mine, and as if some alien force took me over, I parted my legs further so he could slip in-between them.

“Is this for real or just another crazy dream?”

“This is a dream come true,” he assured me, slipping his fingers thru my hair. I wanted to melt into him at that moment. Nothing else mattered in the world. It was just Q and I.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t say or react sooner, but it wasn’t easy considering our positions with The Brotherhood. I know how you feel about me because I share those same feelings about you.”

I was taken aback that he knew! I sank deeper into my pillow just looking at him.

For a moment, I could tell he was worried. “Oh man, if I’m wrong, I’m so sorry!” Q pulled away and was slipping his leg from between mine.

I quickly placed my hand on his hip to pull him back and locked my legs around him so he couldn’t escape. “No, it’s not that! It’s not that at all!” I fell silent for a moment to try and find the right words. Having those loving eyes on me didn’t help my concentration at all. “I guess I’ve always had a thing for you but wasn’t quite sure how to handle it. I think I convinced myself that it was just me looking up to you when I knew it was deeper than that. It was hard to get a handle around my feelings.”

“I understand,” he said.

“This… isn’t supposed to be happening. I mean, you’re a guy, and I’m a guy, and we’re both guys, and this just doesn’t happen.”

“Why not?” he said simply. “Guy? Girl? What difference does it make? The feeling is all that matters. Jacob, you blew me away the moment I saw you. You put a spell on me, I think.”

I laughed a cheesy laugh. “Why do you say that?”

“Because you were right when you said this shouldn’t be happening. But not for the reason you said, not because we’re both guys, but because I’m your Big and you’re my Little. This shouldn’t be happening because I’m the head of the house, and you’re a pledge in that house.” He put his finger to my lips to silence me before I spoke. “But I didn’t want to be a fool and not act on my feelings. I wasn’t going to miss something amazing because I was afraid of what might happen.” He paused for a moment. “I don’t want you to think I expect you do anything just because of my position as head of the house. That’s not what this is about. Nothing happens unless you want it to, Jacob. Nothing.”

What else needed to be said? This was unexplored territory for me, but I was willing to explore it with Q. As natural as it is for me to breathe, I slipped my hand behind Q’s neck and pulled him down onto my lips. He kissed me like I’ve never been kissed before, not by Alex or anyone else. There was intensity behind his kiss, a passion that was overwhelmingly real to me.

When he pulled away, I had to ask, “Is this a dream?”

“Anything but.”

“I don’t understand, though,” I said. “Why me? I never picked up on you being into me. I’ve had plenty of guys hit on me, so normally, I can tell. I got nothing from you.”

“Cocky much?” he laughed. “Am not just any guy, Jacob, and you caught my eye the moment I saw you; I just couldn't show it. You’re smart, caring, funny, and unafraid to take control when the situation demands it. I…”

I shut him by pulling him in for a long, passionate kiss.

Before I knew it, Q was in-between my legs completely, chest to chest, crotch to crotch. I don’t know who started it first, but as we kissed, we started grinding our covered cocks into each other. I loved the feel of his hard cock against mine. My dick was begging to get out, and I felt my boxers getting wet from the precum my cock was pumping out. I held back, for I wasn’t sure how far we would go.

He kissed my neck and then nibbled on my ear, which drove me nuts. I ran my hands up and down his back, feeling him squirm when I tickled his spine from time to time. I did go as far as squeezing his ass before I slipped my hands into his boxers to grab hold of his firm cheeks. I was moaning in delight, forcing him to grind harder against me, loving every kiss he bathed me with.

“I’m so fucking hard,” I said. We were so hard that our cocks popped out the top of our boxer briefs. “I want to stroke.”

“I know,” he whispered back as he licked my ear. “But do you want to stroke, or do you want me to stroke you?” His deep, seductive voice had me mesmerized; he could’ve asked me to do anything I would’ve done it without question.

“Stroke me…”

He grinded hard against me, milking the precum out of our cocks, and bit my ear gently. “What was that?”

“Stroke me…stroke my cock…please.”

Taking a fist full of my hair, he pulled my head back so he could lick me from the base of my neck, over Adam’s apple and chin, until he finally kissed my lips.

“Do you want me to stroke you,” he stopped to kiss me, “fast,” he kissed me again, “or slow.”

“Fast.”

“You sure about that?” he asked as he slipped his right hand between us to take hold of my precum-covered cock.

“Fuck yeah.”

So, what does he do? He grips me hard and strokes me methodically slow. He knew how to work me because I was going nuts! I wasn’t about to ask him if I could go for his meat; I worked my hand from around his ass, pulled his boxer briefs down under his balls, and stroked his dick. I knew he loved it because I felt his body shudder against me after the first few strokes. The sounds of beating cocks filled the room, and the smell of pre-cum was definitely in the air.

I didn’t even realize it at first, but he stopped stroking me at some point and was just holding my cock tightly while I fucked his fist. I did the same for him and loved the feel of him fucking my fist. Eventually, I just took both our big cocks, pressed them together by wrapping my hands around them, and we jointly fucked my fists.

“This is fucking hot,” I moaned loudly. “Fuck my fist, Q…fuck it like you’re fucking my ass.” The fact that I said that didn’t hit me until the following day.

That got Q fired up, for he went to town, slamming his cock into my fist.

“I’m going to cum,” I told him.

“I’m with you,” he said.

I was moaning like a banshee while Q was as quiet as a mouse. We locked eyes and didn’t look away, not even for an instant. It’s funny because I noticed we both bite our lower lips when we’re about to cum.

Q fired the first shot; a wade of his cum exploded under my chin. My first load went flying over my head and the headboard. We both released load after load of thick milky cum, covering my chest and stomach utterly. I stroked us a few more seconds to squeeze the last few drops from our dicks before throwing my hands out to the side, totally spent. Q, on the other hand, has other ideas.

He started to kiss me again, and I was happy to return the favor. “It’s not quite over yet,” he declared.

“What do you mean it’s….”

He grabbed my stiff cock and started stroking me like it was the last hand job he’d ever give.

“Fuck!” I yelled, arching my back and gripping a fist full of sheets. My dick was so sensitive, and he went to town on it. “Fuck! Q stop!” I had to force the words out after every breath. “Please…no more! I can’t take it!”

He wasn’t listening.

The more I begged, the faster and harder he worked me over. I thrashed around like a fish out of water, whimpering like a puppy begging for some attention. He licked my neck, then scooped up his cum with his tongue and kissed me; I sucked on his tongue like a lollypop. His cum was thick and sweet, and I craved more. He must’ve read my mind because he went down to my chest, scooped some of our mixed cum up with his tongue, and brought it to my lips. I was in heaven!

He sat back on his heels, pulled me up, so my ass was on his lap, and continued working my cock over. From time to time, he would stop and just swirl his thumb around the extremely sensitive head.

“Fuck!” I screamed because it hurt so good!

He reached down and put his free arm around me to pull me, so I sat on his lap. As we kissed, I wrapped my arms and legs around him, and he jacked my cock. Never in my life have I moaned and whimpered as I did that night. Luckily the motel was empty because I’m sure people would’ve been knocking our doors down to get me to shut the fuck up.

I ended up exploding before I could even warn him; the second time around was way more intense. And just for the record, Q made me cum a third time before we finally showered again and went to bed.

The following day, I woke up late in the afternoon with Q spooning me from behind, holding me tightly against his warm body. I was content to lie there all day and not move for fear of losing the moment if I slipped from his arms. I was afraid I’d wake up with regret, feeling dirty and ashamed, but none of those feeling crept into my mind. The night before felt right, and there was no denying it. I don’t know when or how it happened, but my world switched upside down. Suddenly, that was all I wanted – to lay there with him. My only fear was that it wasn’t real…that it was all a dream.

Of course, I already had my morning wood going like I always do when Q began to stir behind me. I could tell he was at least semi-hard because I felt his package against the crack of my ass even though we had our underwear back on.

“Morning,” he grumbled, kissing the nape of my neck.

“Mmmm…morning.”

“How’d you sleep?” Gently, he caressed the length of my chest and stomach with the back of his hand.

“Like a rock,” I replied.

“Speaking of which.” I could feel his mischievous grin against me as he slipped his hand into my underwear. He wrapped his fist around my cock and slowly stroked me.

“Fuck that,” I said, laughing, and put my hand over his. “Not now. My dick is too sore after last night.”

“Alright,” he laughed with me. He was slipping his hand out when I stopped him.

“Where are you going? Just because I don’t want to be stroked right now doesn’t mean I don’t want you to hold on to what’s yours.”

He laughed harder and kept his hands down my boxers, absently fondling me while we talked. It was great!

“Do you regret last night?” Q got all serious on me, which freaked me out for a moment.

“Why do you?”

“I enjoyed every moment and wouldn’t change a thing. But I don’t want you to feel like….”

I stopped him by rolling over so we were staring into each other’s eyes, intertwined in each other’s arms and legs. “I can’t explain what happened last night or why it did. I just don’t know. I do know that I have no regrets. None. I’m afraid I’m about to wake up from this dream any minute now, and you won’t be here…holding me.”

“This is anything but.”

We fell silent for a long time, stealing a kiss here and there but mainly just looking into each other’s eyes.

“What happens now?” I finally asked. “Where do we go from here? How do things change now?”

Before he could, he answered, Q sat up like a rocket and then got out of bed. I was freaking out because I thought I had said something wrong. I did not want to mess this up.

“What’s wrong? What did I say?”

He went for the door, and then someone started pounding the shit of it; whoever it was called out his name. Q opened the door to find Shaun and Seth standing there.

“There you are!” Shaun said as if Q just being there had made his whole day.

“What’s wrong?” he inquired.

Before answering, Shaun looked past Q at me, then back at Q, and kind of looked him over once as if to say, what have you been up to?

“What’s wrong,” Q repeated, a bit annoyed this time.

That snapped Shaun out of it. “There’s been an incident.” Shaun looked at me one last time before returning his gaze to Q. “We need you back at the house now.”

I was in a daze, confused about what was going on.

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