Camp Echo - Chapter 3

second edition

 

Max woke up with a black boy in his bed. What had happened? Geoffrey was right about one thing, Alex had a large fat dick, and right now it was sticking into Max’s balls. Something that wasn’t entirely disagreeable. Alex opened his eyes and a look of shock transformed the previous soft expression of his face. Max grinned. 

“Your cock is poking my balls!” 

Alex moved away a little, but still looking at Max surprised. 

“Did we?...”

“Yeah,” Max pulled back the duvet, revealing the naked boy next to him. “I think you broke my arse with that giant weapon of yours.” He looked down, starring at it.

“Nah, I don’t remember anything after Nads left." Alex looked shocked.

Max couldn't resist. He reached out and grasped Alex's cock, then squeezed, tightening his grip. “Nothing happened. Get up!” He let go, turned, and jumped out of bed.

 Alex watched him, noting the other boy’s stiffy. Whilst nowhere near his own size, it wasn’t bad.

Max turned, “I know just what you’re thinking,” he grinned and walked out of the bedroom.

 

Aeriol was in the kitchen standing next to a boiling kettle. He looked... thoughtful. 

“Morning,” Max smiled. 

Aeriol picked up the kettle and began filling two mugs. “Pass the milk would ya.” 

Max opened the fridge door. 

“You slept with Alex then?” Aeriol grinned smugly.

“You slept with Mayaan then?” Max threw back.

“I fucked her,” Aeriol announced rather full of himself.

“Yeah, I bet you did.”

Aeriol put the milk down and picked up the two mugs. 

“And I bet you’re walking funny today.”

“Fuck you, Aeriol!” 

 

But he’d gone. Back upstairs to the sleeping Mayaan. Still he heard. Alex came up behind him as Max was getting a couple of cups out of the cupboard. 

“You're the perfect host," Alex said.

Max glanced at him. 

“He’s an arsehole. Don’t pay him any attention,” Alex smiled.

If it were that simple, but despite Aeriol being an arsehole, a prick, and an egotist, Max did pay him attention.

 

“Sugar?” Max asked. He filled the mugs and replaced the kettle.

“No thanks. If we weren’t so spaced last night.”

Max looked at him and passed a mug. “Yeah. You know... Aeriol told me.”

“Told you?” 

“Yeah, Alex. It’s the kind of guy he is.”

“Told you what?” Alex asked.

“That you wanted to fuck me.”

“Oh shit. I see. But... it wasn’t like that.”

“He made a point of it.”

“But it wasn’t like that at all.” Alex looked mortified. 

“It wasn't?” Did he really care? Max had not made up his mind. It was too early in the morning.

“I just said... well when we were... it was Aeriol.”

“Aeriol?”

“Yep, he said ‘I bet you’d like to fuck him,’... and well...”

“You said yes.”

“I like you Max. It was... anyhow, I like you.”

 

Max took his coffee and sat down at the table. Hadn’t he been in exactly this position with Aeriol yesterday, and they’d finished in bed. That was then, he wasn't doing it today. “I’m taking a few days off. I’ll get May to phone in a sickie for me. It’ll look better if she does it," Max said.

“She’s still here?”

Max could not help thinking that Alex, despite his attributes, was naive. “Yep,” Max nodded towards the ceiling.

“You mean?”

“Alex... please. Where the fuck do you think she slept? They drank their coffee in silence.

 

“So you and Aeriol are an item now?” Nadia had that expression that was supposed to be nonchalant, but it didn't work.

Mayaan smiled as she adjusted the shiny sunglasses that rested on the end of her nose. She peered over the top at Nadia. “Nads, I don’t think so.”

“So what then?”

“He’s a good fuck!”

Nadia looked away, as if the brutal remark were a stone cast through the air. Then she recovered and stepped up to Mayaan. Her hand lightly touched the other girl’s long silky blond hair. She breathed in her perfume. That unique fragrance. Her rosy pink lips formed into a perfect pout as she moved in to plant a kiss full on Mayaan’s mouth. Nadia's hand wandered down between Mayaan’s tall slim legs. Their bodies were touching. 

“Was he as good as me?” Nadia breathed heavily into Mayaan's ear. Her hand was touching skin now. Smooth warm skin. Her fingers began to play with Mayaan, exploring, seeking a response.

“No,” May told her.

Nads pushed her tongue into Mayaan’s mouth, one hand once again playing through her long hair.

 

“Have you moved in?” Aeriol demanded, seeming annoyed and irritated. 

Alex looked at him, but said nothing. 

Max was moving around the kitchen aimlessly opening cupboards. “There’s nothing in this place," he said.

Alex watched him and Aeriol.

“You need to go shopping then. How long you off for?” Aeriol asked.

“Till Thursday, why?”

“You got time then.”

Alex turned and walked out.

“Why aren’t you at work?” Max was watching Alex leaving, but talking to Aeriol.

“Day off.” Aeriol gave Max a strong look. “How long’s he staying here?”

Max closed the last cupboard door. “Why?” Max frowned.

Aeriol stood up and brushed past Max. “Because it’s crowded.” 

He walked out. Max didn't reply. He didn’t really know.

 

“I suppose I should go?” Alex said. He was sitting on the bed looking at Max.

“I can call round your place.” Max told him.

“Yeah, okay.” Alex appeared happy at that, almost enthusiastic.

“Right now I need to go get some supplies. Can’t live on scraps and takeaways.”

Alex smiled and stood up to go. “Later then.”

 

“You need to be careful,” Gavin was telling Max as he pulled same change from the cash register. “Tell Aeriol to play it cool for awhile.”

“I don’t think it’s a big deal," Max told him.

There were no other customers in the little corner shop. Max looked at Gavin, examining his scruffy beard and pony tail, before his attention wandered to the trail of smoke rising from a stick of incense in a jar on the shelf behind the counter.

“Just be cool man. You might get a visit from the pigs.”

Max’s attention was drawn to the brightly coloured book next to the incense on the shelf. He read the spine, ‘The Psychedelic Experience, Timothy Leary.’ He remembered that cover from somewhere. Taking the change Gavin handed, he replied, “We'll be careful.” He knew that wasn’t true. 

 

He remembered that time Jules had come round with a long plastic window box full of cannabis seedlings. 

“What the fuck we gonna do with that?” Aeriol had demanded. 

They’d ended up walking to the waste ground that used to be an old tip. Nobody went there much. He’d had the idea to plant the seedlings hidden amongst the overgrown vegetation. Wait for them to grow, then harvest the crop. He never counted on meeting a policeman as the three of them walked across the highway carrying the plants. 

“Just play it cool. Act normal.” Aeriol told them. 

Incredibly he walked straight past. They spent that whole morning planting the seedlings all over the place. 

“We'll never find them,” he told Aeriol. 

“They’re fucking weeds idiot. They’ll grow real tall. It’ll be easy," was Aeriol's reply.

And it was. For once Aeriol was right. Some months later, they’d been back there at least three times, harvesting the plants. It was cool. 

 

When Max got back Aeriol wasn’t there, but Jules was.

“Can I help?” Jules asked him.

“Why not. How are your cooking skills?”

“I’ve done a few shifts at the Whole Earth Cafe. Does that count?”

Max grinned, “Not really. "But I guess if you never got any complaints and no one died.”

Jules laughed. “If they did, I never heard about it.” 

He picked up some of the vegetables and turned on the tap. “I’ll wash these. We can make a veggie casserole.”

“We? I thought you’d just volunteered,” Max looked at him.

“Many hands,” he turned and smiled.

“Too many cooks,” Max retorted. 

But he stayed in the kitchen, watching Jules wash the vegetables. It occurred to him he’d never really looked at Jules. I mean looked. The boy was kind of cute in his own way. Maybe because he never considered himself too much. He didn’t prance and preen, but was simply, naturally, Jules. 

“You just gonna watch? Or maybe help?” Jules looked at him.

That snapped Max from his fantasising. “Yeah, okay.”

 

Lunch was a vegetable and red bean casserole seasoned with Kikkoman soy sauce and a touch of miso, curtesy of Max and Jules. More Jules than Max.

“It’s good,” Aeriol savoured the hot dish. “We haven’t eaten properly in ages.” 

“Don’t blame me,” Max looked annoyed.

“You boys need a woman around the place.” Mayaan delicately tasted the food.

Max glanced at Jules and almost choked. That’s the last thing we need, there are enough ladies here without the real thing, he thought. Jules said nothing, just raised his eyebrows. Aeriol smiled. He was touching her hand under the table. 

 

Finally Jules spoke up. “Would that be you volunteering? I’ve a pile of laundry needs doing.”

“I said you need a women about the place, not your mother!” May laughed.

“Now, now, let’s be nice,” Aeriol poured himself a glass of water. The food was hot and he’d eaten too quickly.

“Thank you for a wonderful lunch,” Mayaan looked over at Jules.

 

“Bitch!” Jules whispered under his breath. 

Only Max heard him. Made him think he liked the boy even more. The rest of the meal passed in silence. When Aeriol and Mayaan had left and Jules was collecting up the dishes, Max watched him, before saying, “I’ll wash up.” Whilst standing at the sink he said casually, “I didn’t know that was how you felt about May?”

“She pisses me off.” Jules admitted.

“Why?” Max asked.

“The way she is.”

“The way she is? You mean with Aeriol? Because she’s with him?”

Jules was quiet a moment. “Yeah, I s’pose. I don’t know, she has a habit of saying stupid things.”

“She’s kind of hooked him in." Max put the last plate on the drainer.

Jules took a tea cloth and started drying and putting the plates away. 

 

Aeriol poked his head around the door. “I’m meeting Chester this afternoon and we’re going to the ashram. You wanna come?”

“What about May?” Jules asked.

“She’s going home.” Aeriol told him.

Jules looked like he was thinking about it. 

Max nodded. “Will Michael be coming?”

“You perve!” Aeriol joked and left.

 

“Who is Michael?” Jules returned to drying the dishes.

“Chester's son.”

“Oh, I didn’t know he had a son.” 

“Yeah, and he’s gorgeous. I mean he could be a model. So beautiful.”

“Really?” Jules looked at him.

“Ah huh, but...”

“What?”

“Well, he’s only thirteen.”

“Aeriol was right,” Jules finished putting the dishes away. “You are a perve.” 

Max punched him playfully on the arm. “You wait till you see him.”