—
That brought the end to camp. It wasn’t the end that anyone had wanted, and Gabriel was sad for his parents. They were talking more seriously with Stan Schumacher about selling, but Gabriel encouraged them to wait to sign anything. He wanted them to think about it and really take their time. There might be other options. They told him not to worry about them; they weren’t his responsibility anymore, and they knew they needed to stop relying on him so much. They told him to go be with Drew and enjoy the last few weeks they had together.
Gabriel moved into Drew’s house on the Lake. They spent their days together. Sometimes, they would go into town and get coffee at Dune Grass Coffee Roasters, talking and laughing with the baristas, and then they would go to one of the bookstores and browse, picking out books for each other, which they would read on the beach. They swam in the Lake, which was warm enough now that Gabriel didn’t feel like his balls were going to fall off, and they cooked good dinners together. They made love every night and fell asleep in each other’s arms.
They went on double dates with Evan and Aubrey, who thanked Gabriel and Drew sheepishly for setting them up on the night of the séance. They talked sometimes about the séance, or about the incidents at camp, but the memories weren’t pleasant, and they didn’t want to dwell on them. They also didn’t talk about the future, because the future meant the end of Gabriel and Drew’s relationship. Neither of them wanted it to end, and they avoided the subject as much as possible.
They were living in a countdown, but it was beautiful, and it was full of love. They loved each other, and they just wished that they could be together.
Gabriel knew that if he stayed in Orion after Drew left, he would just be reminded of all the memories he and Drew had made, and it would be too painful. He started contacting his friends who lived in Chicago, asking if they knew anyone who needed a roommate. He reached back out to the consulting firm that had hired him when he graduated, a position he had turned down to move back to Orion. He scheduled a phone call with the hiring manager there, and things were looking promising.
He knew he should be excited for these moves. A life in Chicago, in a nice job, was what he had always wanted. It was what he had been working towards when he was in college, and it had been his dream for years. He had looked forward to Chicago as a place he could start over and start fresh, but now he didn’t want that. He wanted to be with Drew.
Though the summer days were long, and time felt a little less meaningful in Orion, the summer had to come to an end, and eventually, Drew’s last week in Michigan arrived. When Gabriel woke up in Drew’s bed each morning that week, when they made love at all hours, he found himself thinking about how this was all coming to an end. Each long dinner or nighttime walk on the beach brought them closer to the time Drew would leave, and he would be alone. They savored their time together and cherished each moment.
They told each other they loved each other, and they meant it. Gabriel meant it more than he had ever meant it before. He loved Drew, but he knew he couldn’t uproot his life and move to Boston to be with him. He had considered it, but Drew was the only person he knew there, and it would be irresponsible of him. He had friends in Chicago and opportunities. He would be able to move on there, even if he didn’t want to move on. Maybe someday he would want to.
On Drew’s last night in Orion, they hosted a dinner party for their friends. Evan and Aubrey came (together), and so did Irma, and several baristas from Dune Grass Coffee Roasters, some staff members from Orion’s Belt Hockey Camp, and the owners of both bookstores where Drew had bought so many books.
Gabriel and Drew cooked a wonderful meal of fresh pasta with homemade pesto sauce, a tomato salad, and warm, crusty bread. They all ate and talked for hours, and when the food was gone and everyone was full, and on their third or fourth glass of wine, Drew took Gabriel’s hand and told all of the guests the truth: that he was an NHL player, and that he had gotten the house in Orion for the summer because he wanted to get away for a bit, and that he was so thankful to everyone at the table for the kindness they had shown him.
After he made his announcement, there was silence around the table. Aside from Gabriel and Evan, Drew hadn’t told the truth to anyone else there before that night. Some of the guests looked rather sheepishly at each other, and Gabriel wondered what was going on.
Finally, Irma rolled her eyes and set down her glass and said loudly, “Come on, Drew. Did you think we were all stupid, or that we couldn’t see? This is ahockeytown, kid. We know hockey here. We all knew who you were. The wholetownknew who you were. You clearly didn’t want to be recognized, though, so we never bothered you.”
Drew briefly looked shocked, and then he blushed. “Well,” he said, “that was a very sweet gift you gave me.”
Fox, one of the baristas chimed in. “Yeah, didn’t take long for us to figure it out when you tippedliterallya hundred dollars for every coffee.”
“And could’ve paid someone’s tuition with the number of books you bought,” added one of the bookstore owners.
“And the way you skated at camp?” said one of the counselors. “C’mon, dude.”
“Your secret is safe with us,” Irma said, smiling. She nodded towards where Drew held Gabriel’s hand on the table. “All of your secrets are safe with us.”
Gabriel squeezed Drew’s hand. He knew the people of Orion were good people, but sometimes they surprised even him. Orion had been a good place to grow up, and he would be sad to leave it when he went to Chicago, but it would be more painful to stay and be reminded of his memories here with Drew.
Later, when everyone had left and they had cleaned up from the dinner, they showered together, and then Drew led Gabriel to his bedroom for one last time.
Gabriel closed the bedroom door and took Drew’s face gently in his hands.
“I love you,” he whispered and kissed Drew.
“I love you, too,” Drew whispered back. He wrapped his arms around Gabriel and pressed him against the door, kissing him, both of them knowing they wouldn’t have tomorrow.
Drew took him to the bed, where he slowly pulled off Gabriel’s underwear. Gabriel lay on the bed, his legs spread and his arms behind his head, and looked up at Drew in all his beauty. Drew removed his own underwear, freeing his cock. It was thick and long, and by now very familiar to Gabriel. Drew’s body felt as familiar as his own. They had worshipped each other’s bodies, had made love to each other’s bodies, and had loved each other’s hearts.
Gabriel pulled Drew down to him and kissed him. Drew’s weight pressed against him, and their cocks rubbed together. He moaned as Drew reached down between them to stroke both of their cocks at once, a delicious friction that made Gabriel want to cry out in pleasure.
Drew kissed Gabriel’s ear, his neck, his collarbone, and his chest. He sucked Gabriel’s nipples until Gabriel whimpered, and kissed his way down Gabriel’s stomach until he got to his cock. He took Gabriel’s cock in his mouth and gripped the shaft in a gentle hand. He stroked and sucked, lavishing Gabriel’s cock with love and with pleasure. Gabriel let himself drift on the waves of pleasure, let himself fall apart beneath Drew’s hands and mouth.
Then, Drew flipped him onto his stomach and gripped him by the hips, spreading Gabriel’s ass and spitting on his hole. Gabriel bit the pillow when Drew licked his rim, and moaned with pleasure when Drew’s tongue plunged inside of him, when Drew licked and kissed anddevouredhis ass. Drew held nothing back. He spanked Gabriel’s ass lightly, nipped at his cheeks, sucked his balls, and licked his taint. He slipped his fingers inside of Gabriel’s hole and fucked him with his fingers, hitting Gabriel’s prostate and making him groan in ecstasy.
Gabriel begged for a taste of Drew. He lay on his back, and Drew straddled his face. Gabriel kissed Drew’s firm, hairy ass and spread his muscular cheeks. Drew’s hole was perfect, delicious. He ate Drew’s ass as Drew sat on his face, writhing gently. He never wanted this night to end, and when Drew bent down, still sitting on his face, to suck Gabriel’s cock again, Gabriel savored every feeling.
Later, Drew pressed him into the mattress and pushed into him from behind, his thick cock stretching Gabriel’s rim to the limits. He fucked him hard, but with undeniable tenderness. He was claiming Gabriel, and Gabriel was claiming him. He wanted to be marked by Drew, and wanted to mark him back. Each slap of their skin, each thrust of pain and pleasure, was a reminder of the beauty of their connection.
He wanted to look into Drew’s eyes while they fucked, so Drew flipped him onto his back and raised Gabriel’s legs over his shoulders. He plunged back inside of Gabriel.
