Page 31

quinn

J T’s parents are in my house. They’re here, making the most awkward small talk known to man but still, they’re here in a place where I didn’t think I’d ever see them. JT is nervous as hell and I’m doing my best to calm him down but truthfully, I’m bloody nervous too.

It's been three weeks since we ran into JT’s parents on the footpath in front of the restaurant. Not a word was spoken between my boyfriend and his parents about it until they shocked the hell out of him a few days ago by suggesting they would like to take up Mum’s offer of a lunch. Mum was so pleased that she immediately jumped into action, pulling this lunch together before anybody changed their mind.

Gran is here too, and I think her presence helps take the sting out of the proceedings because she is able to act all innocent and sweet and patch over the awkwardness in the room.

I’ve just met Benji and Abbie and they are beyond excited to be here which I think is kind of cute. Benji won’t stop talking and he’s so far managed to touch every single knickknack in the house much to his mother’s chagrin, but she needn’t panic. We are not the type of people to worry about that. Still, I think now’s a good opportunity to herd the abundance of energy outdoors.

“Hey, Benji,” I say. “Want to come outside and see JT’s basketball hoop?”

“You have a basketball hoop?” he asks, instantly setting down Mum’s antique china dog.

“It’s JT’s. Not mine,” I correct him. “I don’t have the first clue about basketball.”

“You gave JT a basketball hoop?” I hear behind me. I turn to see Penelope gazing at me, a curious expression on her face.

“Well, it’s second hand,” I clarify. “But yes, I got it for JT.” JT’s at my side then, a soft smile on his face before he steps in and ushers his younger siblings outside. I follow behind them and don’t even protest when Benji forces me to join their game. I am terrible at sports, always have been but JT only half laughs when he sees my attempts at bouncing the ball.

“Like this,” he tells me, snatching the ball from my grasp and doing some impressive manoeuvre before shooting an easy layup. I pretend to scowl at him.

“Show off,” I murmur.

“Lucky I like you for other reasons,” he says in a low voice while his siblings square off at the other end of our makeshift court.

“Lucky indeed,” I agree as Abbie passes the ball to me and JT instantly gets it off me.

“No fair,” Benji calls indignantly while I roll my eyes. “JT has to play one handed. That’s the rule at my cousin’s house.”

“Okay okay,” JT agrees, holding his hands up placatingly but I can see the smile on his face.

I honestly never thought I would enjoy doing anything with a ball, but I find myself actually having fun and laughing a hell of a lot as JT’s two younger siblings and I team up to try to outscore my little basketball star. But there’s nothing we can do even with JT outnumbered and playing with his dominant hand behind his back.

When we finally break, I look up to see JT’s parents’ eyes focused on me and all my nerves flood back into my gut. They’re here because of me and I really, really need them to like me. JT is not aware of our scrutiny as he sidles up next to me, arm trailing over my shoulders as he whispers some dirty words in my ear. When I don’t respond, he looks up and notices all the attention on us. He immediately drops his touch.

Mum calls out when lunch is ready, and we all return to the house to sit around the dining table. JT takes the seat next to me, his knee brushing up against mine. He has always been quite tactile with me, but I guess I never really noticed until now where he’s trying to hold himself back. Our natural state is constantly touching so it feels strange to be all formal like this with him.

The conversation is still slightly stilted but not anywhere near as awkward as when the Sterlings first arrived. And any time there is an awkward lull, Gran is always there to fill it with some sweet quip or anecdote.

“So, Quinn,” David suddenly begins, the first time he’s addressed me directly. “What are your plans for after school?”

“The plan is for university,” I tell him.

“Quinn has applied for law school,” JT cuts in loyally. “He’ll easily get in too.”

“Law school?” David repeats, eyebrow raised in a way I hope might be impressed.

“Yep. Quinn is the smartest person in our whole year,” JT adds.

“Thank you, Jethro,” I say to him, holding his eye as he shrugs a sweet smile.

“You call him Jethro?” Penelope asks.

“Sometimes,” I chuff. “When he’s good.” JT hides his laugh with a swift knock of his foot against mine and I know exactly where his mind has gone.

“I’m so glad,” Penelope sighs. “Nobody but me and his father call him by his real name. It’s always been such a disappointment.”

“That’s because you gave me four syllables and a double barrel to boot,” JT eyerolls. “Nobody has the patience for all of that.”

“JT does have a nice ring to it too,” Gran adds, and I shoot her a smile.

“We’ve long since given up correcting his name,” Penelope sighs. “We just go with it now.”

“Well kind of,” JT adds. “You never call me by my nickname.”

“And I probably never will,” she adds with a small smile.

“We were very proud of JT getting scouted into the Eastern Greys,” Mum cuts in and I know why. She wants JT to be celebrated for his achievements too which I know he doesn’t get at home.

“Yes. That was good news,” Penelope agrees as she cuts into her salad.

“His school coach thinks he could make it to the big leagues,” I add, my turn to brag about my boyfriend. He smiles at me, biting down on that lower lip.

“I never actually thought it was possible to make a career out of basketball,” Penelope chuffs.

“Kids these days make a career out of anything,” Gran adds. “Even taking pictures of themselves.”

“That is true,” David agrees with a nod.

“Don’t start talking about the good old days now,” JT cuts in.

“Hey. We’re not that old,” David snorts.

“Yeah,” Mum agrees even though she’s probably ten years younger than JT’s parents. “You watch your mouth.” JT scrunches his nose at her and Mum laughs. My boyfriend has my mum wrapped around his little finger and they both know it. I’m pretty sure if we were ever to break up, she’d choose him. Not that I have plans to ever break up with JT. I wasn’t lying when I said he was it for me.

By the end of the meal, while I wouldn’t say that things are amazing between our two families, I can certainly say we’ve come a long way from that awkward as hell meeting on the footpath.

JT’s been seeing the school therapist for the past month and I can already see how much it has helped him. But I think being on the outs with his family has always just compounded the issues he’s dealing with. We both know he’ll likely never be back in their inner sanctum, but today’s lunch is going a long way to help mend those bridges. I know how much he needs this which is why I’m making such an effort to befriend people I had a low opinion of prior to today.

It's hard for JT because I know that he still holds a belief in the God he wants to follow. But I also know it’s not the same one as what his mum and dad have pretty much forced on him and I want him to get to the point where he’s okay with that. I know there’s nothing I won’t do to support him with that even if it means swallowing my atheist pride and helping him find some place that is open to accepting people like him. People like us.

That is how much I love him. How much I’d give for him. There is no limit.

We wave goodbye to JT’s family from the driveway of my house. JT is beside me having just hugged his little brother and sister goodbye. We hadn’t planned on him staying over tonight but I think he needs me right now and I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to keep him too.

Mum leaves to take Gran home on the way to her shift and I go back inside with my boyfriend, closing the door on the outside world.

“How do you think that went?” I ask JT as we head upstairs to my room.

“Honestly? Better than I expected,” he replies, hand tight in mine. “They were almost easy going by the end of it.”

“Yeah. I think it went really well,” I agree. I close the door behind us and it’s almost a natural thing that we come back together, never wanting to be out of touching range. JT is hardly aware of the way he reaches for me, clothes shedding to the floor before we’re pressed up against each other on the bed.

“Maybe there’s hope for us yet,” JT is saying, my hand weaving a path down his chest. He’s still talking but I’m finished with that conversation, letting my hand wander down to grab onto his dick while he’s midsentence. “Oh fuck,” he gasps.

“I’ve had enough talking for one day,” I tell him, eyes darkening as he looks up at me, so decadent, so perfect. I’ll never get enough of JT. His body is absolute perfection as I touch him just the way he likes it, rewarded instantly with those breathy moans I love so much.

“Yeah. Me too,” he agrees, reaching for the back of my neck and pulling me down. I go easily, mouth pressing up to his, tongue stroking, my hand settling into a leisurely rhythm.

“So, I have something to tell you,” I murmur, breaking the kiss and leaning back to look at him.

“What is it?”

“I got my test results back from the sexual health van that came to school a few weeks back,” I tell him, trailing my hand back up to his pecs.

“And?”

“And I’m all clear,” I tell him, waiting for him to connect the dots.

“So, does that mean we can get rid of the condoms?” he asks, voice all raspy.

“If that’s what you want,” I tell him, circling his nipple. We never did finish that earlier conversation, the one that’s been circling my mind ever since.

“It’s what I want,” he adds instantly, his enthusiasm adorable.

I huff out a laugh. “It’ll be messier. Especially for you.”

“I don’t care. I want it so much.”

His green eyes are wide and eager, and I know I’ll never deny this boy a thing he wants. So I lean over to my bedside table for the lube, leaving the condoms where they are and holding it up to him.

“You sure?”

“Absolutely,” he whimpers. “Now stop teasing me.”

“So demanding,” I chuckle. “When did my sweet, shy boyfriend get so demanding?”

“Quinn, I swear if you don’t speed this up, I am going to rage.”

“You are adorable when you’re pouting,” I grin, leaning down to graze kisses up his neck. He gives in, rewarding me with those sounds I love, opening his legs wide which I take as an invitation to move into that delicious space he’s made for me.

Truthfully, I am outrageously excited for this too. To be in him completely bare, nothing between us. I’ve done this before with past boyfriends, but nobody has ever come close to what JT means to me. The love I feel for him.

He’s as impatient as I am as I carefully prep him for me, spending a few extra minutes just to string this along until he’s huffing at me to hurry up.

“You want this on your back or your front?” I ask.

“Front,” he replies, shifting onto his stomach, spreading his knees for me, his chest on the bed.

And when I finally give in and give us what we both want, I swear on all that I am that nothing has ever felt better in all my life. He’s pure sweetness as he clenches around me, the sounds he’s making like it’s the best moment of both our lives. And really, it might just possibly be as he looks back up at me from the pillow, so much love and trust in his big green eyes as I push all the way inside him.

I don’t move for a moment, taking my time to enjoy him until I can’t take it any longer. I run my hand down his spine, holding him in place, his sounds like a gift as we start to move, slow and sweet before the inevitable heat catches us both up in its wake. I give him everything I have and he gives me even more in return.

We both collapse afterwards, exhausted beyond anything but more satisfied than I have ever been. I have always loved everything JT and I have done but that felt even more special.

“I can’t believe how good that feels. Just so you know, we are doing that again. Immediately,” he sighs.

I laugh. “I wouldn’t expect anything else from you, my insatiable, sweet, sexy as hell boyfriend.”

“I’m obsessed with you, Quinn,” he says. “You make me crazy for you.”

“I know,” I agree. “You make me just as crazy.”

“We’re kind of perfect for each other, aren’t we?” he mulls, eyes still glazed, skin flushed. I’m sticky and warm and I kind of want to go to the bathroom but I can’t move either, basking in the afterglow with JT.

“We are perfect for each other,” I agree. “And I don’t plan on ever letting you go, JT. Jethro .”

He sighs, the sound so content and pleased that I feel a welling of love for him. “That’s good. Cos I’m not going anywhere. Ever. I’m going to be like one of those stage five clingers you can’t ever get rid of.”

I laugh, smoothing my hand down his soft skin. “You know, I was thinking maybe next time you could be the one on top,” I mention, keeping my tone casual. I don’t know what JT thinks of topping but I also want him to know I’m open to it if it’s something he wants. He hasn’t responded so I look across at him, seeing the contemplative way he’s looking at me.

“Really?” he asks.

“Of course,” I tell him. “If it’s something you want. I love the way we’re doing things now but I’m open to everything with you.”

“Yeah, Quinn,” he replies. “I would like that.”

“Okay then,” I grin. “Give me some recovery time and we can go again.”

“Deal,” he grins, the light springing to his eyes.

I huff out a laugh, pulling him in for a kiss because words are never enough when I am with him. And I know I’ll never stop telling him or showing him exactly how much I love him, something I just know is never going to end.