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RECAP:
Previously on Open Hearts. Keaton awoke from another strange dream but paid it no mind because he was too excited about seeing Bjorn. Before he could see him however he had an unexpected conversation with his mother. Keaton's mom revealed that she knew about the boy's sexuality for a while now. Keaton in return, confessed his feelings for Bjorn and their new found relationship. His coming out was surprisingly well received and his confidence levels soared as he went to see Bjorn. Upon meeting him Keaton realized that something was troubling Bjorn but couldn't figure it out. Both boys spent some time "bonding" in Bjorn's room before falling asleep in each other's arms. This peaceful slumber was disturbed however, by the sudden appearance of Bjorn's father. ************************************
Open Hearts Part 7:
"What was he going to do to me?" Was the last thing I could think before I saw Bjorn's father raise his hand at me. As I saw the hand coming down at me I instinctively closed my eyes and flinched. I expected the hand to come across my face any second now, slapping the life out of me.
But instead I felt the hand land squarely on my back. A powerful hand that then took ahold of my shoulder, clenched firmly and shook me not-so-gently. The force of his grip was obviously self-restrained, he could have snapped me in half if he wanted to.
Bjorn's father was hard to make out in the dark room but from what I could tell he was at least 6 foot 3 inches tall and over 230 lbs with a large frame. A very intimidating figure in the darkness and in the light as well, I would soon come to find out.
His hand almost knocked the wind out of my lungs when it struck me. I was afraid that he was just controlling himself for now and that the situation might get worse.
Finally I heard the giant speak in his deep ragged voice again.
"So you're the boy my son has been shacking up with huh?" He let out a loud hearty laugh and shook my shoulder once again. I swear I could feel my bones clashing into each other as he shook me.
It took me a second to realize that he had asked me a question. Once I processed what he was asking I found myself with questions of my own like "How did he know me and Bjorn were dating?" Of course I was too afraid to ask him these questions, in fact I think I was too afraid to even answer him.
Luckily Bjorn spoke up for me. He was speaking to his father, but it was in Norwegian so I couldn't understand it. Bjorn's tone however made it seem like he was annoyed with his dad about something.
Bjorns dad just looked down at his son without a word in response and then back over at me. He didn't reply to Bjorn he just stuck his hand out at me and said "I'm Sigve, Bjorn is my son. Nice to meet you."
His tone was different now. Before, he was loud and commanding but this new tone was softer, well as soft as his voice could be at least and more serious than before.
'I wonder what Bjorn said to him? Did it have something to do with how he's talking now?' I thought to myself.
I stuck my hand out and replied.
"I'm Keaton."
I tried to grasp the baseball mitt of a hand that Sigve possessed. When he closed his hand around mine I heard an audible pop from my knuckles cracking under the pressure of his handshake. I released my grip quickly in hopes that he would do the same. It seems all of us heard the pop because Bjorn and his father both chuckled in unison.
Sigve finally released my hand and gave my arm another "pat" of encouragement. This time I didn't feel like I was being hit by a truck but it still did push me a few inches from my original position.
'What god-forsaken planet spawned this mountain of a man?' I thought to myself.
I knew he was Norwegian but I didn't expect a real life viking to be Bjorn's dad.
Sigve turned around and started for the doorway. He flipped on the light switch next to the door and looked back at us. Now I had a clearer picture of the brute. His dimensions were similar to what I had previously estimated but now I could see the details. He had blue eyes just like Bjorn but didn't share his blonde hair. Instead he wore no hair on his shiny bald head. The only hair he had was present in his long and full beard. A proper Viking beard that fit the profile of any Nordic giant from ancient times. He looked like he came straight out of a movie. Aside from his large frame and beard I noticed that he wasn't an ugly man. His size in no way made him seem fat or out of shape. His biceps looked capable of grinding rocks into dust and his facial features showed a handsome man with the manliest features you could imagine.
"Will Bjorn look like this when he gets older? I like Bjorn the way he is now but I certainly won't complain if he turns out with same manly genetic features of his father." I pondered but quickly shook this thought off. It's best not to get lost in thought right now.
Sigve spoke up again and addressed Bjorn in Norwegian. He muttered a few words before leaving the room. Bjorn didn't respond to him, he just took a big sigh of relief when his dad left and looked over at me.
"Well that turned out better than expected." Bjorn sounded a little bit optimistic and relieved about how that situation just went down.
I was still confused and a little bit afraid so I wasn't sure what I should ask him first. Maybe I should keep it simple.
"What the hell just happened?" I whispered to Bjorn, obviously confused.
"You met my dad and that's pretty much it." Bjorn stated plainly with a straight face.
"Well yeah but... why did he come in here yelling but then started laughing? And why wasn't he mad at us? Did he already know about me and you? What did you say to him."
I was firing off my questions one by one without giving Bjorn ample time to respond. Finally Bjorn interrupted my rambling to try his best at satisfying my questions.
"He was just trying to scare you. And yeah I might have told him I liked you. And I told him to go easy on you, he has a tendency to be... erm... rough, I guess you could say." Bjorn looked confident that his responses would suffice, but he was unaware how many questions I still had.
It would probably be best to not bombard him all at once. My other questions can wait. Except for one.
"So he's cool with us dating?" I asked nervously.
"Well, he doesn't have much of a choice if he's not cool with it." Bjorn leaned in and kissed me on the lips again.
"Besides, he didn't throw you out did he?" Bjorn acted like this was a proper response to calm my fears but in reality, it just made me more nervous.
"Would he?" I responded sharply.
"Nah, and if he did then he'd have to kick me out too. Then I would just go live with you." Bjorn responded smoothly and kissed my lips again.
I giggled at the thought of Bjorn living with me. It was an amazing idea really, I could sleep with him every night, cook my grilled cheese sandwiches for him and maybe even share the shower with him from time to time.
My perfect living situation just so happens to include sleeping, eating, and a wet naked Bjorn. That says a lot about me when you think about it.
Bjorn snapped me out of my trance with another kiss. This time I instinctively kissed back.
"Alright fine, I kinda hope that happens now." I chuckled. "But I have one more question."
"What is it now?" Bjorn jokingly teased before kissing me again.
Our entire conversation was taking place in between short, wet kisses. I think the sensation of this new feeling was something we both wanted to keep exploring. I don't know if Bjorn had ever kissed anyone before but I know that this has been a first for me and has quickly become my new favorite thing in life.
"What about your mother?" I asked in between kisses.
As soon as the words left my lips I could feel that I made a mistake. Bjorn broke the rhythm of kisses and stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes were no longer looking at me, instead, his gaze just fell in between us. The playful and seductive tension was replaced with a different feeling in the air. Something colder and awkward.
"What about her." Bjorn's words were a quiet mumble, his tone was soft and frail.
I wasn't sure how to follow up my question now. I had ripped off a bandaid that I didn't know existed. The source of Bjorn's pain was obviously related to his mother. He has that same look on his face that he had earlier when he was upset. I instantly regretted asking the question. Bjorn had never mentioned her yet and I've met his father so I was curious about his mom. I wasn't aware that I would be accidentally breaking my promise from earlier about not prying in his business.
I just sat there, looking down at the same spot between us that Bjorn was staring at. I didn't dare mutter another word about her, not yet, not until he was ready.
We both sat in silence, Bjorn didn't bother asking his question again and neither did I. There was a quiet understanding between us that we shouldn't continue with that conversation. But at the same time we were both too afraid to speak up and change the subject. Even saying sorry would seem like an attempt to bring the subject back up so I decided against it. I had an idea though, what couldn't be said with words, can be expressed with actions.
I took Bjorn hands in mine. I gently rubbed my thumbs over the top of his hands and leaned my head forward so that my forehead rested on his shoulder. We sat there for a few moments, still in complete silence.
Much to my surprise Bjorn jerked his hands away from mine. At first i thought he did it out of anger but then I felt his arms wrap around me, he pulled himself forward and buried his head into my shoulder as he hugged me. It was clear that he was thanking me for not asking questions any more. Although it felt like something more as well. Almost like he was seeking comfort from me. He clutched me tightly, so tightly in fact that it almost hurt, it felt like Bjorn was stabling himself against me.
I hugged him back. My touch was gentle and slow, I was unsure of how to comfort him properly. But Bjorn needed to know that I was here for him. Suddenly my mother's words rang through my head. "If you're happy around someone then you should hold onto them." Her words may not have been intentionally so literal but hey I guess she's a mind reader and a fortune teller. This was the perfect moment to take her advice. I clutched Bjorn back, tightening my hug to almost the same force that he held me with. This was not the time for a gentle pat on the back, he needed to be held tightly and securely. This was my first opportunity to show him that he can always be safe around me and I wasn't about to screw it up.
We sat there for at least a minute, maybe more. Just two dorks trying to hug each other to death because words couldn't always express the way you feel well enough.
Bjorn started to loosen his grip of me. This was my cue to let go as well. But instead I just kept hugging him. Even as his arms dropped to his side, I still didn't let go. I don't know why I couldn't, I just couldn't do it, I can't let go of him, not yet.
Finally Bjorn broke the silence in the room.
"You don't have to let go, just give me some space so I can kiss you again." I could barely understand him because his face was still buried into my shirt and it muffled his voice.
However I did hear "kiss you again" and this was all the information I needed to release my grip and let Bjorn breathe. His eyes were a little red, I don't believe he was crying but it was obvious he was close to it. I kept my arms rested on his shoulders, almost like the way a girl would hold her prom date in a slow dance. I envisioned myself with Bjorn at a prom, both of us dressed in tuxedos, slow dancing in the center of a large room, completely oblivious to any wandering eyes in the room.
My mind shifted back to the boy in my arms, he leaned forward and kissed me again. This time it wasn't just a peck, it was long and passionate, it even included a little tongue which made me giggle as it was an unexpected but welcome surprise. When Bjorn pulled himself off of me we took a moment to look into each other's eyes. I normally thought prolonged eye contact was uncomfortable and awkward but it was different with Bjorn. I just ended up losing myself in his eyes and forgetting about everything else around me.
"Aw fuck!" Bjorn exclaimed loudly.
I was taken back by his sudden outburst and word choice.
"What?! What's wrong?!" Just a moment ago we were lost in each other's eyes, what made Bjorn yell like that so suddenly.
"Look at the time." Bjorn pointed at an alarm clock on his night stand. The clock read 6:07 pm.
"I didn't realize we slept that long. Is that bad?" I was still a bit confused as to why he was upset about it.
"I guess it's not the end of the world. I wanted to go somewhere with you today but it's too late now." Bjorn said with the sound of regret in his voice.
"Where'd you want to go?" I was curious about his plans. It seems like he had plans to take me somewhere but he didn't mention this beforehand.
"I don't know, just lunch or something. Anywhere really." Bjorn was still pouting over missing our possible lunch date.
I saw an opportunity to possibly salvage our day.
"Is there a movie theater around here?" I asked.
"Yeah. Why?" Bjorn didn't catch on immediately.
"Well I'm starving, and I wouldn't mind watching a movie." I gave Bjorn a wink and a nudge on the arm but he still looked confused.
"Ugh! You're so bad at this!" I chuckled because I had the opportunity to repeat his words back at him.
"Take me out to dinner and a movie you dork!" I was grinning from ear to ear, I enjoyed teasing Bjorn and he didn't seem to mind either. He returned my smile before responding.
"Oh. Yeah... I knew that. Good idea!" Bjorn jumped up and darted out of the room without saying another word. I was a bit dumbfounded as to why he just left and where he went but he came back about 15 seconds later with a big smile on his face.
"Dad said yes." Bjorn stated proudly with a huge smile.
This is great. Me and Bjorn are going to go on a real date, my first date ever. Well as long as my parents approve first, but I'm sure they will.
"So I guess you gotta leave now." Bjorn said as he turned to his dresser and started tossing clothes about.
"What? Why?" I questioned almost a little too loudly. I was caught off guard by his sudden statement asking me to leave.
"So I can get dressed for our date you dork. Bjorn turned slightly towards me and shot a provocative glance my way. "Unless of course you want to stay and watch me undress." Bjorn pulled a pair of underwear out of the drawer and held them out in front of him. He stretched the waistband of the orange and black boxer briefs and waved them around as if he was trying to entice me into a lust-filled trance.
His invitation was playful but still seemed all too serious to me. I found myself questioning whether I was ready for this.
Friends always made comments like this growing up. Boys would always try to gay-bait each other for fun. Whether it would be stripping in front of the group and waving around the crown jewels begging for some poor child to look just a second too long, and thus tease him endlessly for it. Or even just angst filled comments about sex between hormonal tweens trying to break the awkwardness in the air that surrounds their changing bodies. But this was a different situation, this wasn't just 'locker room talk,' this was Bjorn.
My heart skipped a little at the thought of him shedding his pants and underwear to give me a look at his 'natural' form. At the same time however, it felt different now than it did before. The last time I imagined Bjorn naked my mind was focused only on the areas that his boxer briefs covered. While that curiosity still remains, a different feeling seems to be attached to him now.
'Before, there was this hunger, an almost primal instinct to pounce on Bjorn's naked body and.... well... I'm not sure what I would do next, my mind never went farther than that.' But now this emotion I was feeling was less comparable to hunger and more like.... like..... passion. Yeah that's it, passion.'
I wanted him, I wanted to feel him and hold him and bask in his naked glory, but I couldn't imagine the next step. It was as if my mind was incapable of even imagining what I would do to Bjorn afterwords. I felt my sex drive plummet, it's as if my own heart craved Bjorn more than my teenage crotch did. 'Was this love that I was feeling?'
I've been attracted to someone before, I've even ventured into the gay section of certain adult websites before. Those feelings of attraction, that sexual desire, they felt completely different than whatever this was.
I was still standing there, frozen in time, struggling with my own internal conflicts like some greek philosopher comtemplating the purpose of human existence. Sure, you could argue that my issue wasn't comparable to that of the meaning of life, but I would have to disagree. "This new feeling, this passion for this playful and silly blonde boy waving his underwear in my face, what if.... what if this is the meaning of life?"
"Earth to Keaton... hey... you there?" Bjorn was calling my name amidst a flurry of finger snapping and whistles.
I snapped back to reality, unaware that I had been completely zoned out in front of Bjorn was beyond embarrassing. I found myself blushing and diverting my eyes to the floor in between us to avoid eye contact.
"Uh yeah, sorry, zoned out." I said, still blushing and flushed with embarrassment.
"You were thinking about me naked weren't you." Bjorn stated while chuckling.
I looked up at him, my expression filled with anger and embarrassment.
"No of course not!" Well I kind of was for a moment but I couldn't let him know that.
Bjorn smirked and raised his eyebrow at me. "Oh really. So you think I'm ugly." Bjorn upheld his devilish grin as he knowingly backed me into a corner mentally.
"Don't say that." I stated sharply.
Bjorn paused for a moment debating whether or not to let me off the hook or continue teasing me and risk making me upset. He decided on a compromise.
"Okay. I won't say it again... if.... if you prove it to me right here right now that you don't think I'm ugly." His grin returned.
This was torturous, Bjorn knew as well as I did that he wasn't ugly. He must be trying to provoke me into making the first move. He had the confidence and smooth demeanour to do it him self and he knew I wouldn't object but instead he was trying to test me to see what I was willing to do without having to ask.
In a way this was somewhat considerate. He was trying to not always make the first move so he wouldn't pressure me into doing something I wasn't ready for. At the same time this was equally frustrating because I had no idea what to do. I want to do something but I don't know what I am and am not ready for.
'Okay Keaton, it's time to go for it, don't think, just do whatever feels right. This is a golden opportunity to prove to Bjorn I'm not a baby, I'm a man too.' Under normal circumstances I would have laughed at the thought of myself as a man but right now I was too headstrong to feel discouraged.
I walked forward, almost in a march, determination burned in my eyes and I was ready to answer Bjorn's request and much more. I grabbed ahold of his waist and pressed my body into his until he was pushed up against the dresser. Pinned between my body and the wardrobe he had no where to run, although his actions showed no sign of resistance anyways. Bjorn was taller, I had no issue kissing him before because we sat on the bed, but now that we were standing up, we weren't exactly level to each other. This wouldn't stop me though, I needed to prove something to him and to myself. I stood up on my tip toes and inched myself up to his lips.
This probably wasn't the most manly of sights but hey, what can I do, I'm short.
Our lips pressed against each other. Another kiss of inexperienced passion was shared between us. But this time it won't be just that, he wanted proof and I wanted answers to my own question 'what was I ready for?'
I opened my eyes ever so slightly so I could see his face, I wanted to gauge his reaction. My hands shifted from his hips now, my left hand slipped to his rear. I shoved my hand into his back pocket and lightly grasped his backside. I've wanted to grab his beautiful butt ever since I saw it at the beach the day after we met. Bjorn paused and giggled but for the most part his face showed no reaction. We kept kissing, even using our tongues, but I was still determined to do better. My right hand which was situated on his hip moved to the small gap between us. I shifted my body to allow for more space, my hand hovered over the zipper to his shorts. I grabbed ahold of his crotch with one swift movement, even underneath the fabric I could still feel him, all of him.
Bjorn gasped, he inhaled a large breath of air as his tongue retreated from my mouth. His eyes opened slightly to gaze into mine for only a brief moment. Then his head dropped to my shoulder, he rested his head there and let out a small almost silent whimper.
I was terrified, my heart was pounding out of my chest. I don't know what was scarier, the fear of possibly having messed up and hurt him, or the fear of holding a penis that wasn't mine for the first time. It was still behind two layers of fabric, but there was no mistaking what it was and my mind was having a harder time wrapping around it than my hand was.
Bjorn didn't say a word, he just continued to rest his head on my shoulder and breathed deeply. 'Maybe I grabbed too low? Maybe he was in pain?' I slowly let go of Bjorn, I was scared to death that I had accidently hurt him.
His hands, which were positioned on the dresser behind him, moved to my sides and gripped my hips.
"Are you okay? I'm so sorry Bjo-"
"I'm fine." Bjorn didn't sound hurt or angry, he just lifted his head and gave a sly grin.
"I was just surprised. No one's grabbed me there before. That felt good." Bjorn said.
I was blushing now. Bjorn's slight moans had been of pleasure not pain, and I was the cause of it. I didn't have any previous intention of grabbing him like that, I just did it. I was excited now more than anything, but still nervous. If my heart were to beat any faster than I swear I would kill over any moment. There was a moment of silence between us, neither of us were confident enough to speak up at first. Finally Bjorn spoke up.
"Do you want me to-" He was cut off by a loud voice penetrating the air.
"Bjorn!" Sigve yelled from the living room.
Both of us jumped back from one another, scared that we had been caught in the act. We both looked at the open doorway to make sure he couldn't see us then looked back at each other. Bjorn made a face at me, like he was unsure what to do but also relieved that he didn't get caught. He shrugged his shoulders and went to go see what his dad wanted.
I sat back down on Bjorn's bed and waited patiently. Truthfully I needed a moment to collect my thoughts anyways. 'That was my first time ever going that far with anyone. It was just some light groping but it was still contact that I have never experienced before.'
'He felt... hot, and... well... big. It was hard to gauge through his clothing but he felt larger than me. I'm almost embarrassed just thinking about it, he'll probably think mine is tiny compared to him.'
I started to get nervous thinking about that possible interaction between me and Bjorn. I didn't like to think of myself as overly self conscious but I've never had to expose myself in that way before to someone. 'I can only imagine how Bjorn would react so maybe I should just forget about it. That reminds me though, what was Bjorn going to ask me before his dad called him?'
Bjorn entered the room, he didn't show any signs of being upset or sad so I assumed we didn't get in trouble.
"He just wanted to know when and where we are going." Bjorn said without me having to ask.
"Oh okay, cool." I was about to ask him to finish his question from earlier but he started talking again before I could.
"Do you want me to walk you out?" Bjorn asked.
I almost forgot that I needed to go home and ask permission to go out, it also wouldn't hurt to change into something more appealing for my date. It was best that I ask him later and go home to get ready.
"Sure, I'm ready."
Me and Bjorn left the room and headed towards the garage door. Sigve looked up from the television screen for a brief moment to glance at us as we walked out. I made eye contact with him but he quickly looked away without a smile or wave. I thought it was kind of odd but didn't read much into it.
Me and Bjorn made our way to the door and he followed me outside into the garage.
"I'll be over in 30 minutes. Is that okay?" Bjorn asked.
"Sure that'll be great. I'll see you then." I hesitated for a moment but leaned in and kissed Bjorn on the cheek. I don't know why I kissed him there instead of the lips, but he had soft, milky cheeks, why not kiss him there too. He didn't seem to mind at all, he just smiled and replied.
"See you then" before returning back inside his house.
I practically skipped back to my house. This was turning out to be a great day but it was about to get even better. Tonight was my first date with Bjorn and my first date ever!
I darted inside my house so quickly I almost forgot to shut the door behind me. My father was no where to be seen so I assumed he was in his room. My mom was standing in the kitchen cooking dinner.
'Uh oh. She's not going to be happy that I'm asking to go out after she already started cooking.'
I made my way towards her, thinking of the best way to ask and get her to say yes. I put my hands on the counter and stood next to her, leaning forward just a bit so she would notice me.
"Hey mom?" I did my best attempt at my innocent voice again. If I played the part of her sweet little boy then there's no way she could say no... right?
"Yes Keaty." My mother didn't seem to be fazed by my voice nor did she even look over in my direction. That thwarts my plan to use puppy dog eyes on her.
"Well I was gonna ask if I could go out with Bjorn tonight. He wants to go to a movie and dinner." I decided that the straight forward approach was best, I had no time to waste anyways.
"And you thought it was a good idea to ask after I started cooking dinner."
"Well I forgo-"
"Oh did you."
"I'll eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow but can I please go out? Pllleeeeeeeasssee!!!"
My mother stopped stirring the vegetables in the pan and glared at me out of the corner of her eye. Here's my chance, puppy dog eyes activate!
They probably didn't work nearly as well as I thought they did, but I was determined to get a yes out of her. I threw in the exaggerated pouty lips just for good measure.
She turned her attention back to the pan and sighed deeply.
"Fine. Go. Whatever you go and eat won't be as good as what I cook though." My mother finally gave in and gave me her blessing.
"I know I know. Thanks mom." She was right, her cooking was amazing. I rushed up the stairs and entered my room, it's time to make myself presentable.
I stripped to my underwear and started rummaging through my closet and drawers looking for something to wear. I decided on a black hoodie with a white splatter print on it, white skinny jeans and a pair of gray Vans. I chose the hoody because it was a little chilly outside, also it didn't make me look so scrawny. I guess in the mirror I looked like a skater boy, even though I've never skated before. I spent a few minutes combing my hair back and to the side so it would look well kept and cute-ish.
When I was finished I heard the door bell ring and knew it was for me. I bounded down the stairs and was met by my mother who made it to the door first. She opened the door and greeted Bjorn at the doorstep. I didn't want to waste any more time and have her invite him in, so I shimmied my way past her so I could get outside.
"You two look adorable!" My mother screeched. I was lucky my father wasn't in the room to hear her because I wasn't quite ready to tell him about this. But to be honest the whole block probably heard her, she wasn't great at being discreet.
She was right though, at least about Bjorn. He was wearing a very loose fitting white graphic tee, the kind that was long enough to hang below your butt, but still slim enough that that shirt doesn't seem oversized. He was also wearing black skinny jeans and a pair of white and gray sneakers. He looked like a pop star, I'm just glad he didn't act like one too.
"We're gonna go now mom." I said quickly. I really wanted to avoid any additional embarrassment by letting her get more comments out.
"Oh okay honey go ahead. You really shouldn't rush your date, it's not an attractive trait to always be in a hurry." My mother teased.
"Mooom! Stop it." I grabbed Bjorn by the wrist and lead him away from our porch. As I dragged him along I could my mother shout out to us.
"Have fun sweety! No drinking! No drugs either! Oh and use protection!" She shouted.
"MOM!" I quickly stormed off now, I couldn't let her get another word in. That last one was just pure evil, but the situation was made worse by Bjorn joining in on my demise.
He turned and shouted back at her "Don't worry we will!" as he smiled and waved goodbye.
I was literally dying at this point as I drowned in a pool of my own embarrassment. It was already bad but now Bjorn was encouraging her.
We started our walk down the cool dark street, only illuminated by the moon and a few dim street lights. The positive side to living where we did was we could walk to almost anything. It would probably only take 15 maybe 20 minutes to reach the theater.
"Did you eat today?" Bjorn asked.
"No, did you?" It was true I hadn't ate anything all day and I was starving. We were supposed to get lunch at Bjorn's but we took a nap instead.
"Nope not a bite. Want to go eat first?"
"Yeah that sounds good. Where do you want to go." Bjorn has lived here longer than I have so maybe he has a good idea of where to eat.
"Well there's a great place that serves stuff like burgers and fries and shakes. Does that sound good?" Bjorn asked.
It seemed rather simple and straightforward but honestly it sounded great. Nothing beats a good burger and I could go for a chocolate shake too.
"Yeah sounds good, I really want a chocolate shake anyways" I could hear my stomach growling already.
This part of our night was a bit awkward. A lot had happened in just a few short days and today especially. We were boyfriends now but I don't think either one of us has any idea what that entails. 'What exactly do boyfriends do? Should we be holding hands or kissing all the time? Is it okay to just talk about normal stuff or is there stuff that only boyfriends talk about?' This was all new to me.
I decided the best course of action was to strike up a conversation and avoid any further awkward silence.
"So. Umm am I your first boyfriend?" I was genuinely curious, Bjorn was my first and it would be nice if I was his too.
"Yep. First and only." He chuckled a bit. "I'm guessing I'm your first too."
"How'd you know?"
"You seem just as lost as I am." Bjorn smiled and looked over at me. We both laughed in unison. I was relieved to hear that it wasn't just me.
"So Keaton, can I hold your hand?" Bjorn seemed nervous. His voice was firm and serious, almost like he had practiced saying it in his head for awhile now. It was cute to hear him ask so seriously, I chose not to even answer, I just stuck out my hand in front of us as an invitation. He accepted it of course and interlocked his fingers with mine, now we were walking down the sidewalk on a cool California night, holding hands under the stars.
It was a surreal moment. Before I came here I was hopeless in the love department. I spent my nights jacking off in the shower and envisioning a day when I would have someone to hold. But now I was here, holding his hand, the vision I once had didn't seem like a distant future anymore. To be honest I didn't think it was going to be a boy. My mind was too afraid of the idea of being gay at the time. This feeling I've got now however, has completely changed my perspective.
Bjorn was the next to speak.
"You know, I wasn't really sure what America would be like. I didn't know if people would accept me. I didn't think I would find someone like you especially so quickly. But I'm glad I came here. I'm glad you came here too. The odds of the Norwegian boy moving across the world to fall in love with a boy who moved to the same place from across the country, it's almost good enough to write a story about us. Too bad it took you a few years to get here haha."
Bjorn's words surprised me. They were sweet and endearing. You could hear the lovestruck tone in his voice. But one thing he said stood out more than the rest.
"You said... you fell in love with me?" I stammered. My heart was beating fast again and I think my palms were starting to sweat.
Bjorn didn't respond immediately. All you could hear was the occasional car horn in the distance and the sound of our shoes shuffling against the concrete. Finally he replied after what seemed like ages.
"Yeah I did. And yeah I am. At least I think I am. I know it's really fast for me to say that so early but I just have a good feeling about you. Sorry if that's too much for you." Bjorn sounded defeated again, worried that I would be uncomfortable with how he felt.
"You're right. It is fast. I didn't think you were supposed to feel that way so soon. Especially with how little we know each other. That's why I was so scared to tell you I feel the same way." It took a lot to get that off my chest. But with Bjorn saying it first, I had more confidence in my own feelings.
"Wait. So you feel the same way as me?" Bjorn asked sounding surprised.
"Well yeah duh. I mean you are perfect after all." I was giggling now. But I did mean what I said.
"I'm not perfect." Bjorn stated bluntly.
"Of course you are. You're hot, you're tall and strong, you speak two languages and have a cute accent. And you're sweet, and funny, and gay. All those things seem pretty perfect to me." Bjorn laughed at my barrage of compliments but suddenly got serious again.
"Well you're right about us not knowing each other very well at least. I'm not perfect, you'll find that out eventually." Bjorn stated firmly.
His words made him sound very mysterious, like a secret government agent or something. Or maybe he had a dark secret he was keeping from me. Whatever it was it seems like I'll just have to wait and see to find out.
We finally made it to the restaurant by now. We instinctively let go of each other's hands once we were visible to the public eye. Both of us weren't quite ready to take that step yet. The place Bjorn chose just screamed old fashioned American diner. It had a 1950's feel to it like a Johnny Rockets or a Steak n' Shake. This of course came with chrome metal trim to every table top and bright two toned booths that adorned vertical red and white stripes.
Me and Bjorn chose a booth in the corner of the restaurant, even though there was maybe only 3 other people here excluding the waitress and kitchen staff, we still wanted maximum privacy.
Our waitress, a teenage girl about 16 or 17 years old greeted us shortly after we sat down.
"Hi my name is Rachel I'll be serving you two tonight. What can I get you two cuties to drink?"
"Well I'll take a vanilla shake." Bjorn said. And then he pointed his finger at me and said "And this cutie will have a chocolate one."
At this point I didn't even feel embarrassed anymore. It was obvious Bjorn enjoyed doing things like this in front of people and there was nothing I could do to stop him. I still haven't forgiven him for agreeing with my mom's joke to use protection earlier.
I just closed my eyes and sighed deeply. "Yes. Yes I would, please." I muttered.
Bjorn and the waitress were both smiling now. He knew he had got me and she must of thought it was a pretty cute comment.
"Okay one chocolate shake and one vanilla. I'll be back in just a second to take your orders." The girl walked back to the kitchen to make our shakes.
"You're a dork you know that." I said teasingly.
"Sure but I'm not just a dork, I'm your dork now." Bjorn grinned and then stuck his tongue out at me.
He had a good point I couldn't argue with that. This was my first true experience with an unfamiliar feeling. That feeling of being annoyed or frustrated by something your partner does, but you love them so much that you start to love those things that annoy you too. Bjorn liked to embarrass me and tease me slightly, but for some strange reason I loved it. I loved hearing him call me dork, and that comment about "protection" from before did more to excite me rather than annoy me. But of course I couldn't let him know this, what would be the fun in that.
The waitress returned with our shakes. Me and Bjorn bad taken a moment to look at our menus. I decided on the western burger with fried onions and barbeque sauce. While Bjorn went with an extra cheesy burger that had cheese inside the patty. I got the feeling that Bjorn really likes cheese.
While we waited on our food we took this time to get to know each other a bit more. Bjorn asked about Florida and my old life. It felt weird to describe it like some ancient history when in reality it was a short time ago. I talked about the differences in our beaches, what central Florida was like and the difference in weather. He was listening to every word I said, nodding along and asking questions to each of my comments, it was the first time anyone has ever showed me this kind of attention. I felt invested like he was invested in the conversation, I only wish I had more to tell.
"So what about Norway, how's that compared to California?" I asked. I was trying to make it so every conversation wasn't about me, but I was also very curious about his past too.
"Well it was definitely colder. The beaches here are definitely nicer than the ones there. It's nice, different but nice." Bjorn seemed to talk very quickly about Norway and wasn't very descriptive.
"Do you miss it?" Might as well try to get him talking a bit more.
"Sometimes, but I'm happy here, especially now." Bjorn smiled at me again.
Damn he was smooth, just like that he flipped it back to me and even snuck in a subtle compliment.
Maybe I shouldn't ask about Norway anymore, he didn't seem interested in talking about it.
"What school will you be going to." I asked. I silently prayed he would be going to the same school as me.
"Redondo High. What about you?" Bjorn answered.
"Thankfully the same as you." I was smiling on the outside but my true inner emotions was more along the lines of a high school pep rally. Thank god Bjorn would be going to the same school, now let's hope that we get the same classes too. Finally our food came and it was time to chow down.
We were both so unbelievably hungry that we didn't waste any time with normal table manners. Instead we just devoured the food with huge bites and giant slurps of shake. Once our initial hunger levels went down we started to take it slow and finally get back to conversating while eating.
"Okay so you take the fry and dip it in the shake like this. And boom you've got the best tasting thing on planet earth." I did my best to explain to Bjorn the delicacy that is a french fry dipped in a shake.
"Eww no way." Bjorn obviously wasn't having any of it but I knew I could sway him.
"What if I feed it to you. Will you try it then?"
Bjorn paused and pondered the idea. He even stroked his chin for comical emphasis.
"All right, deal." Bjorn leaned forward and opened his mouth wide.
I dipped one of my fries into my chocolate shake and proceeded to feed it to Bjorn just as we agreed upon. At first his face turned up in a look of disgust but as he chewed and swallowed his expression softened.
"Can I try another?"
'I've got him now.' I thought triumphantly.
I dipped my fry again and fed him once more. I'm pretty sure our waitress was watching from across the room and laughing at us but I didn't care.
This time Bjorn chewed and swallowed but paused afterwards to think of a proper response. He hummed and stroked his chin once again to exaggerate his thinking process. Finally he spoke up and gave his review.
"I like it. Salty and sweet at the same time. Kinda soggy though."
I was satisfied with Bjorn's response, this was definitely a win for me and all french fry shake dippers across the planet. Also I got to feed Bjorn, which was definitely a cute memory I would hold onto and document in my fictional scrapbook of 'first times' with him.
We finished our dinner pretty quickly and just sat there talking. I started to doubt we would ever see a movie but it didn't bother me, I was enjoying just talking to him too much to care.
We talked about school and our favorite subjects, sports and our favorite teams, and eventually we talked about each other again.
"So I told you a few reasons why you were perfect earlier. Can you tell me a few reasons why you decided to pick me?" I asked curiously.
"Well you're cute for one. But uhh... Well you just seemed different." Bjorn stammered.
"Different how?"
"Like when we first met you didn't just nod and wave like a normal kid. You introduced yourself and told us your name, I thought your name was cute too. And then the next day when you got hit in the face you didn't get angry or yell at us, you just accepted our apology. And when I held your hand for a second to check out your eye, I didn't even really look at the area you got hit in at first, I just stared into your eyes. You didn't pull away or get creeped out, you just looked back into my eyes and I felt something different about you in that moment."
I could feel my heart melting at this point. Bjorn kept note of a lot of little details, things that I didn't even notice. I looked around to make sure there was no one eyeing us. With the coast clear I leaned across the table and grabbed Bjorn by the shirt, pulled him towards me and planted a kiss on his lips.
It felt like the right thing to do. I couldn't exactly put into words how he made me feel so I decided that a kiss would have to do instead.
He seemed a little surprised at my sudden boldness, he almost looked flustered even. I might have been the one getting embarrassed before but it seems Bjorn isn't all that comfortable with the boyfriend stuff in public either. It was worth it though, just a brief moment of lip contact to thank him for his sweet words and gestures.
"So when did you feel that moment with me?" Bjorn asked.
"I guess in that same moment. I was interested in you the first time I heard you speak, but I remember getting completely lost in your eyes that day on the beach. I didn't think it was normal for a boy to hold my hand like that and look at me the way you did, but it didn't feel creepy, it felt special." I said matter-of-factly. It was the honest truth, I knew that's when my crush on Bjorn started.
He smiled and lightly pushed his silverware around, fidgeting in any way he could to try and mask his emotions. Bjorn didn't like to seem flustered or overwhelmed by the looks of it. Honestly it was just cute watching him try to hide it while still unable to remove his big grin.
At this point we were both eager to stretch our legs and get out of the cramped booth. We decided it was time to go. The check had already been left here but neither one of us had paid it any attention until now. It was about 18 dollars total. I reached into my wallet and pulled out some money when I felt Bjorn's foot slightly kick me.
"What are you doing?" Bjorn exclaimed
"Paying the bill dork."
"Nuh uh. I am" Bjorn said proudly.
"Just let me pay for it this time." I pleaded.
Bjorn reached across the table and snatched the receipt from hand.
"Nope" he stuck his tongue out at me in defiance and pulled his own wallet out.
I rolled my eyes until I almost felt them pop out of my head. 'Looks like I'm not winning this one.' I thought to myself. I can already see the he was a stubborn one and this was going to make things... interesting.
I decided on a compromise. Bjorn would pay for the meal and I would pay the tip, it was the least I could do and the only thing he was willing to let me do as well.
Once the meal was paid for we headed back out onto the city street.
"So umm... do you wanna maybe skip the movie and do something else?" Bjorn asked gingerly.
"Like what?" I really didn't want to see the movie anymore but I wasn't sure what else to do.
"Well it's too late to see the sunset but we could go to that spot and hangout. Look at some stars, maybe listen to music."
I felt my stomach flutter a little at the thought of this. It sounded like a lovely and romantic scene, I wonder if Bjorn intended for it to be this way.
"Yeah that's sounds great. Lead the way." I smiled at Bjorn and stuck my hand out so he could take ahold of it.
We joined hands once again and made our way to Bjorn's secret spot. We followed the boardwalk until we came to a path that led up a small cliff. Venturing off the path and through some vegetation we found a small grassy spot hidden away from the rest of the world. There was a decent view of the ocean, and since this was a sea turtle hatching ground there wasn't any lights around us. You see when baby turtles are hatched they instinctively head towards light, usually the sun or moon, because this leads them to the ocean. It's illegal for people and businesses to have lights in areas like this because it draws the turtles inland.
The low levels of light made the stars shine brighter than I've ever seen before. We also had complete privacy here, something we were both excited about.
I took a seat on the grass and Bjorn did the same. At first we were both sitting and star gazing but then Bjorn laid down in the grass and invited me to do the same. I was never good at star names or constellations. I had no idea where they were or the stories behind them. Bjorn was the opposite, he knew all the constellations and waisted no time pointing them out and explaining them to me. As he started to tell their stories I scooted in closer and let him rest his arm behind my head.
He told stories of ancient philosophies and gave me a brief history on the zodiac signs as well. I did my best to keep up but honestly I was more interested in just hearing his voice. Whenever he spoke passionately you could hear this child like excitement in his voice. It was lively but still soothing and calm.
After some time had passed we were now just telling jokes and stories about our lives. I talked about the one time I got a bead stuck in my ear for a few hours when I was four and he told me about the time he ran naked around his neighborhood as a dare when he was ten. The idea of a ten year old Bjorn running around naked in the snow was too much to bear and I found myself giggling uncontrollably.
We both had fun laughing at each other's stories and telling jokes. With the beautiful and peaceful atmosphere, the mood was just perfect. It wasn't long before we shared a kiss under the stars.
Eventually Bjorn grew quiet. I was curious so I was about to ask him if he was okay, but he spoke up before I got the chance.
"Your mom seems really nice." Bjorn whispered.
"Yeah she's cool." I was about to ask Bjorn about his mom but I remembered to stay away from that subject for now.
"Don't forget to tell her that. Sometimes we forget to say it even when we feel it." Bjorn spoke very softly. You could hear a sense of reminiscence in his voice.
I thought it was a strange thing to bring up. But maybe this is Bjorn's way of bringing up his own mother indirectly.
"Yeah I know. I will. Did you tell your mother that?" I knew it didn't come out the way I wanted it to. I just wanted to find a way to make him comfortable talking about it.
There was silence between us now. The crickets still chirped in the background and the waves still crashed against the shore, but besides that it was completely quiet for a few moments.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that." I was going to try my best at damage control to avoid upsetting Bjorn again. I didn't want him to think I intentionally broke my promise not to ask him about it.
"It's okay. Can I tell you a story? Something that stays just between us." Bjorn spoke weakly now as if he was afraid to continue talking.
"Of course you can. Just between us." I grabbed Bjorn's hand and waited patiently while he found the strength to speak. After a minute or so I could hear Bjorn finally start his story.
"I guess this is the story of my childhood, and Norway." ************************************
End of part 7:
Another cliffhanger I know I know I'm an evil bastard. I promise this won't be a regular thing but I just needed to break this up here.
What did you guys think of this part? Is the story heading in the direction you expected or wanted?
Remember to email me your comments, questions and concerns at openhearts1999@gmail.com
******IMPORTANT NEWS******
I just launched a Tumblr for Open Hearts!
For anyone who doesn't know, Tumblr is a media sharing website that allows people to share links, videos, photos, and really any kind of media you can think of.
This allows me to share my stories, artwork and ideas on a whole new platform that supports more than just stories.
On this Tumblr you can follow my page and see everything I post, such as links to my stories and updates on each part. You can even submit photos or stories to me and I can post them as well. This gives us the opportunity to communicate in a way other than email and even share things as a group.
If you would like to follow my page then just search the username "openheartsworld" on Tumblr. ************************************
Thank you guys so much for the feedback and support. I hope this wasn't too long of a wait for chapter 7. I'll see you all next time for Part 8 of Open Hearts.