The Apprentice
by and © N Fourbois
Chapter 39
The first thing Kieran thought of after Eric had left was to have some tea. He made a round of ham and a round of cheese sandwiches which he washed down with a mug, yes, a mug of tea. He turned the TV on. One of the digital channels was showing classic comedies all day and he chanced upon the beginning of Only Fools and Horses. After that he read his newspaper. What was the point of all the effort of buying it, if he wasn't going to read it? When he'd finished it, he decided to go upstairs and continue his preparations for the next day. He slipped a CD into the player, slumped down in his black leather executive chair and swivelled round until he was facing the large framed photograph of himself and Orlando. The picture radiated all the happiness their relationship had generated. Yes, he had been in love with Orlando without realising it at the time. Had Orlando been in love with him? He believed he had. The words had never been uttered between them, but love has a way of expressing itself without words. The sociologists would have said that they had bonded. Kieran had been emerging from adolescence. Orlando, two years older, was probably at a similar stage of emotional development even if more advanced physically and mentally. Love was a learning experience which could only be evaluated by looking backwards. The CD had long finished when Kieran came out of his reverie. 'Heavens,' he thought, 'nostalgia at the age of seventeen. I'm old before I've even been young.' He looked at his watch. There had been seventy minutes of music on that CD.
He thought of the task he was supposed to be engaged in, preparing William's crash course. 'Let's get that done and then I'd better reply to Orlando's e-mail. Hey ho, where did that boring Sunday go?' Before he got down to writing notes, he put his camera battery on charge. Finally it was ten o'clock when he'd finished. His body clock told him it was eleven for it would take a week for it to adapt to GMT from BST. Kieran took himself to bed, determined to spend a sexless night to prepare himself for the next day. Except that his dreams would not grant him that wish. They were vivid, contained little else but sex and rendered him so restless that his duvet was thrown to the floor and it was the chill of the night that woke him. Having covered himself with the duvet again, he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep and woke again at seven, just as it was getting light.
He got up and looked at himself in the full length mirror on his sliding wardrobe door. He was content with what he saw. He had no hang ups about his body. It was just a good job that he admired other people's bodies more. He appreciated the progress he had made at the gym. He no longer had to 'search' for his sixpack. There was no sign of a bulge in the lower abdomen, just the two main arteries that fed his lower body from the heart. The chilled feeling he had had from sleeping with no duvet had tightened his balls and his cock, though flaccid, was pointing forwards. He would need to get the blood flowing there, but a hot breakfast and the cycle ride to William's house would sort that out. He pulled his foreskin to and fro a couple of times. 'Just checking to see if it still works,' he told himself. 'I must shave my chest, too.' He walked across the room to fetch his electric trimmer. He set the guard at 5 and ran it through his pubic hair to bring it back to designer stubble level. He lifted his arms. 'Still no trace of any pit hair.' He turned round and pulled his arse cheeks apart and farted involuntarily as he did. 'No fuzz there either. Good. Must fit in a haircut this week.' He went into the bathroom to carry out his ablutions.
Kieran had made up his mind what he was going to wear. Keep it simple and practical, he thought. He pulled on a pair of white lycra shorts. 'They'll keep me under control and they're easy to remove. He put a tanktop on, the tight navy blue one that showed off his nipples and came down to an inch above his belly button, pulled on his black sweats and a loose chunky knit crew necked sweater, also in dark blue. To finish off he pulled on a pair of low cut liner socks and a pair of trainers. He felt good. He pulled the duvet over his bed, having shaken his pillow, tidied round before Mrs Crater saw the state of his room, checked that all his private things were securely locked away and went downstairs. He made himself some porridge for breakfast, easy enough in the microwave, and followed up with toast, marmalade and some fruit. The porridge started to take effect and he warmed up. He put his hand down the front of his sweats and re-arranged his equipment, one bollock either side of the crotch and his dick pointing north.
The front door bell rang and a key turned in the latch.
"Morning, Kieran, love."
"Good morning, Mrs Crater. I've just made a pot of tea."
"Ooh, I won't say no." Kieran fetched another mug.
"I'm off to a friend's for the day. We'll get a snack out somewhere." He told Mrs Crater about the phone call from his parents and a brief outline of what he'd done over the weekend, largely glossing over Saturday. Towards nine he went upstairs, cleaned his teeth, grabbed his small cyclist's backpack which he'd filled earlier with 'supplies' and a notepad and pencil. He said goodbye to Mrs Crater, got his cycle out of the garage and set off for William's house.
Kieran had no difficulty in finding his house in Tabicatt Mews. It was on the other side of town, though still quite a distance from College. 'No wonder he cycles to school,' thought Kieran, 'but didn't he say he was catching the bus until the lighter evenings returned?' It wasn't a proper mews of converted stables, but a small close of modern houses. He walked up to the front door and rang the bell. It was opened almost immediately by a beautiful, smiling adolescent boy with big brown doe-like eyes, dressed in joggers and tee shirt, who kissed him on the cheek. Kieran was so taken aback that he didn't have time to think 'Gosh, what will the neighbours think?' He took William in a hug and carried him indoors before putting him down. William was about to shut the door when Kieran said that he'd better lock up his bike first. That done, William took him up to his room.
"Mum, made me make my bed and tidy up my room this morning because you were coming," and he pushed his lower lip forward in a mock pout. Kieran looked around. William had a single bunk type bed with cupboards above it and drawers below. He had a flat screen television mounted on the wall, a desk to work at along with the normal IT accoutrements. On top of and over a bookshelf were several photos including an official school photograph from his prep school. Another showed him with a man with a similar haircut, large brown eyes and the dominant gene snubbed nose that William had inherited.
"Is that your father?" asked Kieran. William nodded.
"It was taken by his boyfriend in the summer."
"You sounded a bit resentful when you said 'boyfriend'."
"Maybe a little bit because I became surplus to requirements when he came on the scene. On the other hand it does mean that I can have a boyfriend too."
"Anyone in mind?" Kieran wasn't really fishing. He was making conversation.
"Yeah, lots," William answered with a wicked grin. "Starting with Mr Bridgeman." Now Kieran knew he was teasing. He went along the shelf. The next one showed William and Toby Cholmondeley in their gym kit. They both looked so hot. His loins twitched. He looked a little closer and saw that their little fingers were entwined. The next picture showed two boys in claret blazers with silver piping and school caps with alternate claret and grey segments.
"Who's that?"
"Ashley Pennington, my best friend at my last school. Captain of rugby and won a music scholarship to Eton."
"Quite a high flying place then."
"What? Broadwater Oak? You must have heard of it. It's quite local."
"I have, but I don't know much about it."
"Ashley was the first boy in our year to have a proper wank with spunk."
"How do you know?"
"Well, he was my best friend."
"And who was the second?" said Kieran with a grin. William blushed deep red. He didn't have to give an answer. "You didn't go in for any scholarships?"
"Oh, yes," said William quite affirmatively. "I won one to College. It's just that I didn't want to go to boarding school."
"You didn't tell me."
"You didn't ask." The next photograph was of a teenage boy in tights, holding a ballet pose.
"Who's that?"
"I haven't the slightest idea, but isn't he just hot, and look at the outline of his bulge. It beats Mr Bridgeman by a long chalk." They came to the end of the shelf where an empty frame stood.
"Why's that one empty?"
"I'm waiting for the picture to go in there."
"Is it being printed at the moment?"
"No. It hasn't been taken yet. I hope it will be sometime this week." Kieran gave William an old fashioned look.
"We'd better get on," said Kieran or the morning will be gone.
"So, what are we going to do?"
"We're going for a walk."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"It's like so many things. We have to start with the boring bits, lay the groundwork, and I thought that if we went for a walk, we might see something interesting as in boywatching. Is there a park near here or do we have to walk into town?"
"We can go to the rec. That's quite close."
"And is there anywhere nearby where we can get something to eat?"
"Don't worry about that. Mum's left us a whole lot of nibbles and snacks, and there are plenty of cans in the fridge."
"Let's go then." William put on his hoodie and they left the house.
As they walked towards the rec, Kieran said
"I'm surprised to see you in a hoodie."
"It was Mum's idea really. She said us posh kids stick out in a crowd because we wear better quality clothes and are more likely to get mugged or picked on. So if we wear hoodies we can blend in and hide our faces if need be. Have you got a mobile with you?"
"No. I've got no one to ring."
"Any money?"
"A fiver for lunch. You?"
"A couple of quid for emergencies and no phone."
"Let's go," said Kieran.
"These views are largely my own, but I have talked them through with my uncle. We're going to start with philosophy."
"Boring!"
"It will be if you want it to be, but now I know you've got a brain and so I'm expecting you to use it." Kieran explained that the gay people one heard of in the press and on the television were often unhappy with themselves and felt discriminated against. Gay pride meant not so much being proud of being gay, but proud of who you are. Then being proud of being gay follows automatically. There are other gays who want to believe they are the normal ones. They are not normal. They are the minority. The breeders are the normal ones, but that doesn't mean that because you are sexually attracted to men rather than women that you have to make a great show of it, dye your hair pink and wear outrageous clothes. Do that if you want, but don't blame it on being gay. If you are gay, acknowledge the fact and don't fight it. You won't win that battle and so you might as well accept it. Then you can begin to enjoy life in general and being gay in particular. I love being gay," explained Kieran. "I wouldn't have it any other way. If I weren't gay, you'd be just another smelly third former at school, thoroughly insignificant, but because I'm gay, you, William, are an object of beauty whose company I enjoy." William blushed.
"I didn't realise there was so much to being gay. I just thought it was fancying other boys."
"Okay, let's sit on this bench for a while and watch these lads playing soccer." For Kieran it was just like the Sundays he spent with Orlando in the local park. For William it was a new experience to sit there, look at boys, decide which ones were attractive and why.
Their stomachs were telling them it was time to make their way back to William's house. There was rain in the wind. Kieran hoped it would be over by the time he had to cycle home. He'd have to leave William's by four at the latest if he wanted to arrive home in the light. They arrived back at the McLarney house towards noon.
"We'd better leave our trainers by the front door or Mum will bend my ear about mud left all over the house."
They went into the kitchen. There were already all sorts of goodies on the kitchen table and William took some more out of the fridge. Kieran had a choice of drinks and took out a bottle of fizzy mineral water. He hauled a copy of GY mag out of his backpack.
"Have a look at this. You might find it interesting, but I'd better take it home with me." They tucked into their lunch. The magazine fell open at the centrefold.
"Mmm, not a bad looking boy," William said with his mouth full. He tried to turn the page. "Why are these two stuck together?"
"Why do you think?"
"Kieran, you mucky little pup," retorted William and burst out laughing.
"Sounds to me as if you've done it as well, young William.
"Moi?' he answered cockily.
When they had finished they cleared up after themselves.
"So what are we going to do this afternoon?" asked William with a glint in his eye.
"Well," said Kieran "I thought as we spent the morning doing theory, we ought to spend some time on practical this afternoon."
"Why didn't I think of that?" They went up to William's room where he started to get undressed.
"Hey, hold on, young man. This is not a five minute quickie. Didn't you learn anything on Saturday? Slow seduction. Up against the wall. No, that's no good. You've got to grow a bit for that. On the bed, then. Mmm, it's going to be a bit cramped in a single bed."
"Might be more fun," answered William with a giggle.
William and Kieran were lying on the their backs together under the duvet, enjoying the 'afterglow'.
"I suppose if we were in one of those old black and white films," said William "we'd both be smoking cigarettes now."
"No thanks," said Kieran. "I couldn't stand even you with ashtray breath. It's the biggest passion killer out." William leaned over and kissed Kieran tenderly. "Boys don't do that," Kieran said mischievously.
"They obviously do now," and William gave one of his wicked smiles and kissed him again as if to prove a point. They heard a key turn in the latch and a voice call out
"Hallo, William. I'm home."
"Bloody hell!" exclaimed William. "Mum's home early."
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