Jamie Lawrence

Jamie Lawrence - Chapter Eight

Warning

This story contains graphic description of sex acts betweens members of the same sex. If accessing material such as this is illegal in your country/province/state, please do not continue reading.

The characters contained within this story are entirely fictional and should be taken as such. Any resemblance to any person(s) living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Please remember to donate anything you can spare to Nifty. The link to do so can be found on their homepage and on all directories.

For the American readers amongst you; This story is set in England. The use of the word "College" refers to the institution attended by children aged 16-19.

Jamie Lawrence - Chapter Eight

To say that Jamie was nervous about his upcoming meal with the Carters would have been an understatement. Frequently he would find himself giving his reflection a pep talk, only to turn away a moment later and have his heart rate double.

He knew that Shane and Diane had their own trepidations about the dinner. Their familial happiness depended on Jamie's performance as a straight person. Given that Jamie had known that he was gay since before he had hit puberty, he had no idea how to act like a straight guy.

Shane consistently swore that Jamie did not need to change his behaviour, promising him that his mannerisms were not the campest he had ever seen. When that failed to comfort Jamie, he had sworn that any ramifications would be dealt with without any blame being aimed at him.

Of course, that had simply made Jamie feel worse. It was at that point that Shane had offered the only comfort he had left in his arsenal; his embrace. Jamie had accepted gladly and without realising that he had fallen asleep, he found himself waking on Tuesday morning alone in his own bed. The smell of bacon wafted up the stairs and Shane was singing 'Never Gonna Give You Up' at the top of his lungs in the kitchen.

Jamie stretched and smiled to himself. He felt his heart warm at the thought that his beautiful boyfriend was downstairs cooking him breakfast. The domesticity of it made him so unbelievably happy that he didn't even notice the terrible quality of Shane's singing voice. He joined in the next verse of the song as his way of announcing that he was awake.

He slipped his feet out of his blanket and was bracing himself to get up when Shane came bounding into the room in his pajamas. "Don't you dare get out of that bed!" he said, brandishing a spatula like a weapon.

Jamie put his hands up in surrender. "Don't shoot!"

Shane wagged the spatula at Jamie. "The shooting comes AFTER breakfast." He winked and grabbed his crotch. "And breakfast will be served in bed, so get back in." He came over as Jamie pulled the quilt back over himself. Shane tucked him back in and gave him a kiss on the forehead before stroking his cheek and staring lovingly into his eyes.

"You're going to burn the bacon," said Jamie.

Shane's eyes widened. "Shit!" He bolted from the room, Jamie's giggles chasing after him. From downstairs, Jamie heard him shout "It's okay! Just well done!" Jamie giggled again. He pulled Shane's pillow up to his nose and inhaled deeply, feeling his crotch respond.

The morning would have been perfect if it weren't for the memory that nagged at the bag of Jamie's mind. He still hadn't decided what to do about the 'Matthew' situation, although it was becoming increasingly clear to him that he needed to tell Shane. It felt to Jamie that he was making a mockery of his own relationship in keeping the secret from the boy he claimed to love.

All he had to do was figure out the best way to do it. Over bacon and eggs didn't seem appropriate, so at least he had the morning. Shane's voice was travelling up the stairs again, this time sounding angry. "For fuck's sake! This damn cat is going to be the death of me!" Jamie laughed again. Sometimes his boyfriend was a walking punch line.

"I'm sure Rosie doesn't like you all that much either," Jamie shouted out to him. Shane came into the room carrying a tray of food, Jamie's tortoiseshell cat clinging to the leg of his pajama bottoms. "Morning Rosie." The cat purred softly before jumping on the bed and snuggling up next to Jamie.

Shane deposited the tray on the nightstand. "Oi! That's my spot you furry little..."

Rosie hissed at him.

"Now, Rosie. Is that any way to talk to your new Daddy?" Jamie admonished the cat.

"I am not that beast's family! It just tried to kill me!"

"She didn't mean anything by it. Now, give me my breakfast." Jamie rubbed his hands together. He didn't often eat bacon and eggs; it took too much effort to make and was unbelievably unhealthy. That didn't stop it tasting amazing though. Shane perched himself on the edge of the bed and hefted Jamie's plate over. "So what brought this on?" asked Jamie.

"You told me I had been slacking in the romance department. I thought I would start small. Breakfast in bed seemed like a good jumping off point."

"Yes, very good." The pair shared a chaste kiss. Jamie was very aware that he would have morning breath and was reluctant to share it. "Are you not having any?"

"Already ate." He was still giving Rosie the evil eye as he spoke. "So what shall we do today, lover boy?"

"Well," said Jamie around a mouthful of bacon. "I seem to recall you promising me some shooting." He gave Shane's crotch a squeeze. "Then I thought we could go and see my Nanna. She's in the retirement home near Heaton Park."

"And then it's crunch time."

Jamie shoved Shane's shoulder. "Not helping! What if I screw up at dinner tonight?"

"Then my Dad will probably put me through the blender." Shane laughed at the look on Jamie's face. "Stop worrying, baby." He stroked Jamie's cheek. "I'll love you no matter what happens tonight. Gerald Arthur Carter will never change that."

Jamie felt himself relax under the loving gaze and gentle touch of his lover. A small catch formed in his throat at Shane's promise. They shared a passionate kiss. Pulling away, Jamie said "I'm going to brush my teeth, and then you and I are going to have some fun in the shower."

Lots of soap suds and a couple of very vocal orgasms later, the two meandered up the broad driveway to the Bethnall Green Retirement Home under the beating rays of the sun. It was a rare warm day, and Shane was not looking forward to spending it cooped up in a smelly old folks home. He would have much preferred to go to Heaton Park and make out with Jamie on the grass.

Jamie walked straight to the reception desk. "We've come to see Agnes Williams."

Just then, a nurse walked up having spotted Jamie. "James, so good to see you again. Come with me; I'm just on my way to check on your grandmother."

"Thanks, Sheila. How is she?" Shane fell into step behind the pair.

"Not much change really. Good days and bad days. She asks about you a lot though. She forgets who WE are, but she always remembers her little James."

Jamie had briefed Shane on his Nanna earlier. She had started to suffer with Dementia several years earlier. She had not strictly speaking been bad enough to warrant a care home, but given that she was also struggling with the physical difficulties of advanced age, Beth had felt it best to place her where she would have around the clock care.

The trio entered room Thirty and found a wisp of a woman reading the Daily Mail. She looked up at the three through glasses as thick as milk bottle bottoms and her face lit up. "James! My little angel!"

"Hi Nanna." Jamie gave her a kiss on the lips and wrapped his arms around her skinny frame. Shane thought he could see Jamie's eyes behind his grandmother's glasses. "This is Shane, my boyfriend."

"Oh, how wonderful!" She clapped her frail little hands together. "How is he in the bedroom?" she asked as if she were inquiring about the weather.

Shane, who had been taking a sip of Coke at the exact moment she said it, sprayed the drink around the room and started to choke. The nurse was trying to hide her smile. Agnes and Jamie, however, were giggling their arses off. In between convulsive coughs, Shane mused that they had the same laugh.

Jamie wiped a tear from his eye and patted Shane on the back a few times. "Second to none, Nanna."

"Well then, welcome to the family, Shane." She motioned for him to come over and hug her. Shane obliged. He could feel the bones in her back. Shane was not accustomed to being around the elderly. All four of his own grandparents had died before he was born and he was finding that the frailty of Agnes' body was making him feel very cautious, as if he would break her if he held on too tightly.

He released her and stepped back while the nurse attached a BP cuff to her arm and pumped it up. "I always thought that you and that Matthew boy would end up together." Out of the corner of his eye, Shane saw Jamie shift uncomfortably. "I'm glad you chose this one, though. Much cuter." Agnes gave Shane a wink.

Nurse Sheila stood up. "All normal, Aggie. See you in a bit." Agnes nodded and Sheila left, giving Jamie a small smile as she did.

Shane was still wondering about Jamie's reaction at the mention of Matthew's name, so he gently pushed the issue. "What made you think that Matthew and Jamie would end up together, Mrs Williams?"

Jamie's face flushed.

"Oh, call me Aggie, or Nanna. Let's see, Matthew appeared three years ago, about the same time I came here. I never saw James without Matthew after that." Jamie looked like his face was on fire now. "James always had this 'hero' look in his eye when he looked at Matthew. It was sweet really, but I'm glad it passed. You two are a better fit."

Agnes started to wilt into her chair. "Ooh, dear. I'm coming over all tired." A few minutes later she was snoring softly.

Jamie, his face still scarlet, whispered to Shane "Let's go. She'll probably be down for a couple of hours now."

They wandered out into the noon sun. Jamie took Shane's hand and started to trace designs on the back of it as they walked. Shane was about to ask the question that was burning in his mind when Jamie spoke up.

"I need to tell you something. It's not good." Shane swallowed. All sorts of things ran through his mind, the most frequent of which was that Jamie was leaving him for Matthew. He tried to assure himself that it wasn't possible. Matthew was straight, but he kept wondering about Jamie's shifty demeanour, and the nervous fingers he was running over Shane's hand. He could feel his throat closing as the idea of life without Jamie filled his heart with dread.

"When I went to Matty's house the other day, something happened between us."

Shane's mind was in overdrive. He couldn't bear it any longer. "Please don't leave me!" He started to cry and gripped Jamie's hand a little tighter.

Jamie looked shocked. "Why the hell would I leave you? You're the love of my life!" He stopped walking and pulled Shane around to face him.

"But, you said something happened between you and Matthew!" said Shane, sniffing back more tears.

"Yes, but it was all him! He told me that he wants me to be with him and then he kissed me. HE kissed ME. Not the other way around."

"So, you don't want to get with him?"

Jamie touched Shane's cheek. "Not for all the money in the world." He kissed Shane then. The relief ran through Shane like a tidal wave. He swept Jamie up in his arms and twirled him around.

"Don't you bloody well scare me like that again." Shane just looked at Jamie for a moment before something Jamie had said actually registered in his mind. "Wait, Matthew kissed you?"

Jamie looked pained. "Please, don't fixate on it. I only told you in the interest of full disclosure."

"Well, in the interest of full disclosure, did you enjoy it?"

Jamie avoided Shane's eye. "Um, well."

"Oh my God! You did!" Shane dropped Jamie and clapped his hand to his forehead and started to pace in the middle of the pavement. For the second time in two minutes, he felt like his world was falling apart.

"What did I just tell you? I have no intentions of choosing him over you, so enjoying a kiss is irrelevant!" Jamie grabbed both of Shane's hands. "Yours are the only lips I want, and one little snog isn't going to change that." Jamie grinned mischievously. "You could always kiss him too. Even the score." He winked.

Shane shuddered. "Me? Kiss the behemoth? You must me joking!" Jamie nodded, laughter in his eyes. Shane sighed. "I don't suppose I can ask you to stay away from Matthew?"

Jamie sighed. "Maybe we should talk about this another time. Like, when we don't have the most important dinner of our relationship looming over our heads?"

Jamie's earlier fears about dinner being an horrific catastrophe appeared to have been unfounded. Everything was going swimmingly. He had shaken hands with Gerry without any comments about him being limp wristed. He had listened attentively whilst Gerry talked about his school days and he felt that, save for any major disasters, dinner would be a great success.

Gerry was halfway through a story of his childhood and was flinging his arms about the dining room in his exuberance.

"So, anyway. I've got my hand up the mare's floozy, trying to grab onto the foal and I can see that the stallion has gotten OUT of his enclosure, and INTO her's! My dad's chasing after it, but of course the bloody thing is ten times faster." He laughed to himself. "I literally JUST manage to shift the foal into the right position when the stud crushes my left leg."

Jamie cringed. "What did you do?"

"The only appropriate thing. I prayed that the stallion would stay away, gritted my teeth and tried to save the foal. Of course, after all that, the stallion lost interest and wandered off again, and I'm there with a broken leg."

"And the foal?"

"Oh, she was fine. Up and about in no time. She's still alive; I called her Olivia." He seemed to be looking through Jamie for a moment. "Then my Dad went and left the farm to my faggot brother. I haven't seen my horse in nearly four years."

"I learned to ride on Olivia," said Shane. "She's getting on a bit now; twenty five years."

Gerry looked a little sad. "So, Jamie. Do you have a girlfriend?" he asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

Jamie's stomach tightened but he answered calmly. "No, sir, no girlfriend."

"Good looking lad like you? You should have a string of beauties chasing after you! Still, plenty of time when you start college. Two weeks away isn't it?"

"Yes sir."

"Which one have you chosen?"

"Bury College. It's got one of the best Modern Language programmes around here." Jamie felt that as long as the subject stayed academic, nothing could go wrong and he was willing to encourage this line of questioning if it meant that he could avoid anything more personal.

"Languages, eh? Which ones do you like?" He took a sip of wine.

Jamie reached for his own glass which contained decaffeinated Cola. He didn't need anything to give him any more jitters. "As long as I've passed the right GCSE's, I want to take French and German. Probably psychology too, since that's what my Mum does. Maybe English Lit as well." Jamie dabbed at the corners of his mouth with his napkin.

"Are you a big reader?" asked Gerry.

"Gerry, darling. Stop interrogating the poor boy! You'll give him a nervous breakdown," said Diane.

Shane, who was sitting between Gerry and Jamie laughed quietly into his empty plate.

"It's alright, Diane. Yes, I do enjoy a good read, but my passion is languages; like I said, French and German are my first choices. Eventually I would like to teach them."

Gerry looked impressed. "So young, and yet you've chosen such a valiant path. I admire anyone who wants to teach today's youth! Some of the deviants around; well, I wouldn't want to teach some of the nancy boys out there!" He laughed. A look crossed his face as he surveyed his family and guest as if he were waiting for a murmur of agreement.

Diane cleared her throat and rose from her seat. "Well! It looks like everybody's done with dinner. Shane, would you fetch the dessert while I clear the table?"

Jamie jumped to his feet. "Allow me!" He started to pick up the plates.

"A gentleman as well!" Gerry sounded shocked and impressed. The truth was that Jamie was just looking for a brief respite from the table.

Jamie walked into the kitchen and started stacking the plates into the dishwasher. Shane took a tub of 'Exquisite' icecream from the freezer and started gathering the various toppings.

"You're doing great, babe. A little longer and we'll be done." He leaned in and kissed Jamie's cheek.

Jamie shoved him back, hard. "What are you thinking?" he whispered. "Your Dad could walk in."

"I know, but..." He grabbed Jamie's arse. "These jeans don't leave much to the imagination." He ran a hand over Jamie's crotch.

"Yeah, yeah. Just get the damn icecream before your father comes looking for us."

Shane sighed dramatically. "I'd rather be eating it off your belly, but I guess a spoon will do."

The streetlights were just beginning to flicker on as Darren rounded the corner onto Mauldeth Road West and started heading towards number 132. He rubbed at his nose, feeling a drop of blood there. He pulled a small bag from his pocket and took a quick hit of coke.

He walked to the door of the Carters' home and rang the doorbell.

Diane started to liberally scoop mint icecream into four bowls and deposit them about the table. Shane attacked his with gusto while Gerry started to squash his, turning it into mush.

"Jamie dear, would you like some crushed nuts?"

Jamie was about to respond when Shane, through a mouthful of icecream, answered for him. "He's allergic." To anybody else, this would have been nothing, but Jamie was on high alert. He panicked, thinking that Gerry would read something into the fact that Shane knew this about him.

He breathed a sigh of relief when the doorbell rang and Gerry rose to get it. "Always during dinner." He rolled his eyes, giving Jamie a goofy wink, much like Shane's.

From the kitchen, Jamie, Shane and Diane could hear Gerry open the door. "Darren, we're just in the middle of dinner."

"This won't take long, Mr Carter. I think you need to hear this."

Jamie and Shane exchanged a frightened look. Jamie turned to Diane who, oblivious to the fact that Darren knew about the pair, was happily sampling her icecream.

"Do something!" Jamie whispered urgently. Shane bolted from his seat and headed for the hallway.

"What's going on?" asked Diane looking worried.

"Are you okay son? You look agitated," said Gerry, his tone fatherly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Oh, look. Here's the faggot now."

"Now Darren, I will not tolerate that in my house," said Gerry sternly.

"What? The truth isn't allowed in this house?" Darren sounded belligerent, and with Gerry's observation that he seemed agitated, Jamie wondered if what Shane said about him using Cocaine was true.

"Truth? What truth? Shane, what is he talking about?"

"Your son's a fag. A cock sucking homo. Doesn't it just make you sick?" He was right; Jamie felt sick. Darren sounded immensely proud of himself. "He's even got himself a little boyfriend. Maybe you can have him round for tea!"

There was an odd sound permeating the air. For a moment, Jamie thought somebody was crying, but as it got louder he realised it was Gerry laughing. It was the hearty chuckle of a man who has never heard anything so funny. Jamie had cause to hope.

"I'm sorry Darren, but how can you cast aspersions on MY son? You've barrelled down here, clearly high as a kite, and made an accusation with no evidence." He chuckled again. "As a lawyer, if I was to try a case with you as a witness, I would be laughed out of the court!"

"But it's true!" Darren sounded desperate. "They made out at Prom and then they left together."

"Prom? Shane, isn't that the night you spent with Jenny?"

"Mmhm." Jamie wished that Shane had sounded a little more convincing, but it seemed to satisfy Gerry.

"And what do you have to say here?"

Jamie willed Shane to come good. "Dad, Darren has been using cocaine and other stuff for over a year. He was taken into hospital after an overdose recently. He hates me because I threatened to tell his father all about it." Shane said all of this very quickly.

"And what would make him say you were gay? Why not say you were doing the drugs? Or in a gang? Why specifically this?" Jamie liked Gerry's tone. It sounded like he had already made up his mind who to believe and was simply clearing up a last detail. He must be a great lawyer.

"He knows about Uncle Tom. I know you didn't want me talking about him, but Darren WAS my best friend. Now he's claiming that I'm the one thing you truly hate."

"Okay, Shane. Go and finish your dessert." Shane came back into the kitchen and sat down next to Jamie. He seemed to be shaking. "Darren. I don't want to see you around here again. Go home and get some help."

The door closed and locked, Gerry came back to the table. "Jamie, I'm sorry you had to hear that. Although, I must say, I'm happy that Shane has decided to spend his time with a good young lad like you."

"Thank you, sir."

"Please, call me Gerry." He sighed. "It's a shame about Darren. He seemed like such a good kid. I guess you never really know about people until they let you down."

Darren felt horrible as he wandered the streets of Manchester. The one little light he had had left was his revenge on Shane, and that had just been turned on it's head.

He sat at a bus stop and buried his face in his hands. It was dark, and the sky had become overcast. He had to laugh; The atmosphere was the perfect metaphor for his soul. As he felt the darkness press in on him, he started to cry. A light drizzle began to fall.

"What should I do next?" he called out into the night.

The light drizzle turned to a torrential downpour that blotted out anything more than fifty feet away. The only thing Darren could see was St Clare's church. He headed for the door to escape the rain.

Inside, he paused. He remembered from his childhood that when you enter a church, you touch yourself with Holy Water. He didn't believe in God, but it would have been impolite not to do it.

He made his way into the Nave and selected a pew near the back of the church. He genuflected, which felt strange to do, and seated himself.

A gentle voice spoke from behind him. "I'm afraid you've missed the evening mass."

Darren looked around and saw a man of about fifty. He was in a priest's informal wear and bore a gentle smile. Darren made to speak, but found that his voice was barred by tears. He felt two fall.

"What is it, my child?" The priest took a seat.

"I've lost everything, and it's all my fault." Darren sobbed.

"Child, this is not true. You have your life, and you have God's love."

"Ha! I don't believe in God." He hadn't meant to laugh, but he was so distraught that he couldn't hold it back.

"That's a shame, but he believes in you. Tell me, how is it you came to be here?"

"Honestly? The rain. I couldn't see anywhere else to take shelter."

"So the heavens opened and erased everything but a church. A church where a priest happened to be making his final checks for the night, just as you came in."

"It's just a coincidence. I could've been sitting at the next bus stop and I would have gone into the library."

"Who's to say that God doesn't work through coincidences? Earlier this evening, I was thinking that I should pop down to the library to talk to a friend of mine. Perhaps if you HAD gone to the next bus stop, I would have decided to visit that friend after all. So given that we are both here, and it is raining, why don't you tell me how you ruined everything?"

So Darren did. He told the priest how he had started taking drugs. How he had ruined his family in doing so. How he had stolen things to get money for drugs. The horrible things he had done to his friends and family. He finished with what he had done that afternoon at Shane's.

The priest was a good audience. He nodded and listened patiently while Darren cried, and yelled, and punched at his knees, all the while his face beckoned for Darren to keep talking.

When Darren finished, the priest simply took his hand in his own. "The path to forgiveness is a long one, but it starts when you forgive yourself. You are not evil, just misguided. Do you know the Lord's Prayer?" Darren nodded. "Good. Join me."

He took to the kneeler and indicated that Darren should do the same. They began to recite the prayer. As they did, Darren felt a little calmer. Perhaps it was the set ritual of it that took the necessity of individual thought away, or maybe there was a touch of God in the prayer, but he felt that things could get better.

The pair said Amen and settled back onto the pew. The priest took Darren's hand. "Go with God, my child. Know that you are loved, and that there is always a place for you here." He kissed Darren's forehead and left the pew. Darren sat for a moment longer, feeling stronger by the second.

"I'm so glad you were able to join us tonight, Jamie," said Gerry, turning the car onto Jamie's street.

"I'm so glad you drove me home. This rain is unbelievable!"

"It DID just appear out of nowhere, didn't it!" Gerry pulled up and yanked the handbrake up. "Before you go, I want to ask you. Did you hear what Darren said earlier?"

Jamie nodded. "I wouldn't believe a word of it. Darren has had some troubles this year."

"So you don't believe it either?"

"No."

Gerry seemed satisfied. He proferred a hand, which Jamie shook before hopping out of the car. He watched Gerry pull away and bolted into his house.

He pulled out his phone and wrote a quick text to Shane. 'I love you. Sleep well. x'

I hope you enjoyed this.

Any comments, questions, or even suggestions are welcome. Please feel free to email me with your thoughts at thebobbyfish@gmail.com

Special thanks to David, and especially to Bill.

Your emails are all very welcome, and I will try to answer ever single one of them!

Keep an eye out for Chapter Nine!