Wrestling With Desire (9 page)

His dream where Scott had kissed him played in his mind.

Sometimes it was triggered by something like the couple on the blanket, and other times it came to him for no reason at all. Each time it did, Derek had to work harder and harder to 74

Wrestling With Desire

by D.H. Starr

push the image away. Looking at this couple by the bank, so casually showing their affection, no thoughts or worries...it burned inside Derek like a fire. A fire that angered him and left him feeling hollow. How many times had he wanted to kiss Scott? How badly did he wish that the couple he was watching could be the two of them?

Tension crept into him. His breathing became labored, and a stitch began to form in his side. Concentrating on his breathing, he began the slow process of reclaiming control of his body. It always started with breathing. Measured breaths, in and out. Then, he focused on the rhythm of his feet hitting the ground. He imagined that his legs were driven by pistons, pushing him forward at a steady pace. His arms pumped, propelling him even faster and helping his body flow harmoniously. He concentrated on his running, his body, the mechanics. It always worked to calm him and slowly he felt the stitch dissipate and his tension subside.

When Derek looked around to get his bearings on where he was, he was surprised to find that he had already passed the last bridge and only had a few hundred yards left for his run. He slowed his pace to begin his warm-down process and ended up crossing the street to the school at a slow jog. He was covered in a sheen of sweat and salty drops began to trickle down the back of his shirt, tickling his spine as they rolled over the sensitive skin. Sitting on one of the benches which lined the walkway to the main entrance, he dropped his head into the palms of his hands.
Man that was a good run.

"Hey, earth to Derek. You ok?" Derek looked up to see Scott standing over him. He had been so focused on his run 75

Wrestling With Desire

by D.H. Starr

that he hadn't been paying attention to anything else. Scott walked over and sat down on the bench next to him. "I was just saying that you look like you just had a good run."

Derek looked at Scott. "
You
said that? I thought..." Derek stopped when he saw the confused look on Scott's face. "I mean, I was just thinking the same thing. It
was
a good run."

What the fuck? Now we are thinking the same things at the
same time?

Scott was still looking at him with concern. "You sure you're ok? You're acting kind of weird."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Derek said, wiping his forehead with the base of his shirt, exposing his abdomen and chest. "I just pushed myself really hard today. Don't know why. I just need a few minutes for my brain to start working again." Derek finished wiping his face then dropped his shirt and looked up at Scott. Scott's eyes darted up to meet his and Derek could swear he saw a flush in Scott's cheeks which hadn't been there before.
Was he checking me out?

"Uh, wow...yeah. Working brains are good." Scott was fumbling for words.

Derek tilted his head and stared at him. "Deep."

Scott laughed, giving Derek a playful shove. "Hey, before I forget, the guys wanted me to tell you that they're planning a party for this weekend and they wanted to know if you could DJ for it." He looked at his hand, and then wiped it on his pants. "You are so totally gross."

Scott seemed to have returned to his normal, literate self and was clearly forming sentences which consisted of a subject and predicate. Derek turned his head slowly to face 76

Wrestling With Desire

by D.H. Starr

him and summoned his driest, most sarcastic voice. "You were telling me about some party?"

Scott's eyes lit up, remembering his original train of thought. "Oh yeah. They said you should record a mix ahead of time since you always miss out on the party itself when you DJ live."

"I actually prefer to do the parties live. People come and hang out with me, so it's not like I'm bored or anything, and I can control the music to fit the mood of the party." Derek knew this wasn't the real reason he liked to remain at the mixing table, but the excuse was never questioned. Mixing meant that he was constantly busy during parties and therefore, had a perfect excuse to maneuver his way around advances from girls.

Derek got to his feet and stretched down to touch his toes.

When he stood back up and looked at Scott, his eyes darted to his face as they had before, the same flush rushing to his cheeks.
He
is
checking me out.
The tension that Derek had just burned off returned. This was the yo-yo game that they had been playing since the first day they met.
That my mind
has been playing
, Derek corrected himself.
Scott is just being
Scott
. "Thanks, I'll start picking out music tonight to load into the mixing board's memory."

"Load music into the mixing board memory? Don't you just have, like, a turntable or something? Whenever I see DJs at parties, they have two turntables and headphones and switch between the two."

"Yes, most do, but not me. I like to create the music right then and there with what I'm feeling at the moment. You 77

Wrestling With Desire

by D.H. Starr

want to come over and see what I'm talking about?" Derek froze. He hadn't intended on inviting Scott to his house. It just came out without thought or warning.

I'm breaking the routine.
As soon as he thought it, his heart went into overdrive.
I'm breaking the
routine! Scott was going to be in his home. They were going to be alone, and he was going to learn about Derek's mixing, the only other thing Derek loved besides wrestling. It was perfect.

Scott's eyes lit up. "I would love to see how you mix music. I've never seen it done before."

Derek beamed, hardly able to contain his excitement. "You can try it yourself too if you want. It's not that hard once you know what to do." He wasn't sure if he was more pleased by the fact that that Scott was going to be in his house or that Scott was so genuinely interested in his favorite pastime.

Either way, Derek got the feeling that something good was going to happen. This was the chance he had been looking for to get some answers to the questions that had been torturing him for the past month.

* * * *

Scott was smiling that sly grin that always turned Derek on. "Seriously, man. You stink."

Derek laughed. "Fine. I'll take a shower when we get home."

78

Wrestling With Desire

by D.H. Starr

When they entered the front door, the smell of roasting turkey overwhelmed them and they could hear Derek's mother humming in the kitchen. Derek shed his jacket and slung it over his shoulder, motioning for Scott to follow him up the stairs. His mother was facing the sink, washing and drying some dishes.

"Hey Mom. I want to introduce you to Scott. You know, the guy who just moved here from Iowa."

Derek's mother turned around and leaned towards Derek.

He dutifully planted a kiss on her cheek. With a broad smile, she extended her hand to Scott. "It's nice to finally meet you.

Derek talks about you so much I feel like I already know you.

Welcome to our home. I'm Claire."

Derek felt heat rush to his face for the third time in the last half hour. Damn it, Mom! How could you possibly think that telling him I talk about him is a good thing?

Scott was taken aback for a moment by how warmly he had been instantly welcomed, but quickly took her hand.

"Scott Thayer. It's nice to meet you as well."

Claire covered Scott's hand with hers, patting it a couple of times, then turned to the oven to check on the turkey. "We'll be having turkey for dinner. Would you like to join us?"

Scott stood and stared for a moment, not sure how to answer. Derek came to his rescue. "My mom always cooks enough to feed an army. We'll be eating leftovers for the rest of the week. And you don't want to miss one of her dinners if it's offered."

Scott hesitated, but looking at Derek and seeing his smile, he agreed. "I'd love to, but I have to call my mom and let her 79

Wrestling With Desire

by D.H. Starr

know I won't be home for dinner. I don't think it should be a problem." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell.

"Thanks so much."

"Of course. Any friend of Derek's is always welcome in our home." She turned to Derek and gave him a peck on the forehead then wrinkled her nose. "Oh dear, I think you may want to take a shower before dinner, honey."

"Mom, you're embarrassing me." Derek could practically feel the color of his face change. Glancing at Scott, he was confronted once again with that crooked, devilish smile and his dimple staring back at him. He shifted uncomfortably as his crotch began to squirm in his shorts. Panic set in.
These
shorts won't hide anything.
"Scott can call his mom from my room. I'm going to show him my mixing equipment."

"That's fine. I'll call you down when dinner is ready."

Derek rushed Scott down the hallway to his room. Scott sat on Derek's bed and shucked his jacket, tossing it on the floor where Derek had dropped his. "Your mom is really friendly. Do you think she was just being nice by inviting me for dinner?"

Derek turned and faced Scott with a sincere look on his face. His cock had settled down so he wasn't worried about what Scott might see. "No, she prides herself on feeding me and my friends. Just wait until wrestling season begins. You're going to find it hard to keep within your weight limit."

Derek pulled off his shirt and tossed it into the hamper next to his closet. Leaning his head down to sniff his armpits he gasped. "Woof! The two of you weren't kidding. I'm ripe. I better take a shower
now
." He glanced over at Scott and saw 80

Wrestling With Desire

by D.H. Starr

his head snap down to stare at the floor.
He watched me take
my shirt off.

The realization made him feel sexy. "You can turn on the TV if you like or you can feel free to explore my room. I won't be long." Kicking off his shoes, he leaned against the wall so he could pull off his socks. Although he wasn't looking at Scott directly, he used his peripheral vision to see if Scott had shifted his attention from the floor to him. There was no movement.

Scott flipped open his cell phone. "Ok, well, if you're sure, I better call my mom and see if it's ok."

Still watching Scott though side glances, Derek pushed his shorts down over his waist. They slid off his hips and bunched at his feet. He was only wearing a jock strap now and knew his ass was one of his best features. Scott's head tilted slightly towards him and Derek was pretty sure that Scott was trying to look at him without being obvious. Encouraged, he kicked his shorts to the hamper where he had thrown his shirt and walked directly past Scott to grab his towel off the back of his desk chair which was located next to his bed.

Derek lingered there for a moment, taking time to wipe his face and to give Scott a moment to stare. When Derek dropped the towel over his shoulder and looked at Scott, there was no question where Scott's attention had been. His head snapped up and panic played across his eyes.

Derek had no idea what had come over him. He was never this bold. Taking a deep breath, he slid his fingers beneath the waistband of his jock strap and lowered them, first pulling one leg out, then the other. It took all of his self-control not 81

Wrestling With Desire

by D.H. Starr

to tremble as he provided this final display for Scott. Once his jock had been kicked into the hamper with the rest of his clothes, he grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his waist. "I'll only be about five minutes. Do you need anything?" Surprisingly, his voice came out steady and strong.

Scott sat perfectly still on the bed. "I, er, uh. N-No. I'm fine. I just have to call my mom is all."

Derek nodded and turned to head to the bathroom. He looked back once more before he left his room and saw what he had been waiting to see for a month. Scott was adjusting himself, completely absorbed in untangling whatever mess had formed in his pants. A wide grin spread across Derek's face as he sauntered to the bathroom and took his shower.

Five minutes later, clean and no longer stinking to high heaven, Derek returned to his room and quickly threw on a new pair of jeans and a threadbare Mickey Mouse t-shirt. He would never wear the shirt in public but it was his favorite and most comfortable shirt nonetheless. "So, you gonna be able to stay for dinner?" It stunned him that he could remain so calm after the show he had just given Scott and the reaction he got from it.

Scott also seemed to have regained control of himself, looking much more comfortable than he had a few minutes earlier. "Mom said it was fine, but not to be home too late."

"Awesome. So, you want to check out my mixing equipment?"

"Hell yeah! Where is it?"

82

Wrestling With Desire

by D.H. Starr

"I keep it up in the attic. I can spread my records and technology out and my dad let me haul the old couch up there when he bought the new one for the living room. No one bothers me, and my stuff doesn't clutter the house. It's pretty ideal actually. C'mon, I'll show you."

Scott hopped up from the bed and followed Derek to the stairs at the end of the hallway which led up to the attic.

Derek first showed Scott his records. They weren't the kind with regular songs, but contained all sorts of beats, sounds, instrumentals, and vocals. "What are all these records for?"

Scott asked.

Derek knelt beside some records on the floor that he had been using and motioned for Scott to come sit with him.

"When you mix, you take the various parts of the song, and put them together however you feel. Actual songs are only one component of the mixing process, and I use my iPod for those. Here, listen to this." Derek grabbed a record that was lying next to his turntable and handed it to Scott.