Matthew Edwards stared across the table at the two of them. Kit smiled back. This wasn’t nearly as awkward as he thought it would be. It was still awkward, but it could’ve been worse.

Bentley had already downed two glasses of water and they hadn’t even gotten their menus yet. His mother hadn’t even shown up yet. Kit thought he was going to be the nervous one of the pair, but clearly, Bentley had him beat.

Today was going to be a long one. Kit acknowledged that this part was likely to be the easiest. What he was nervous about was the pool party at the Red Bull mansion later on. Besides the fact that he’d never really been great in large social settings such as parties, Kit knew that Bentley was the new guy on the block when it came to this BMX thing. All eyes would be on him. Beside him would be his new boyfriend. That would probably draw a lot of attention, and the last thing Kit wanted to do was draw attention.

He smiled at his father when he saw Matthew staring at him with a rather bland expression. “Are you okay?”

“I’m hungry,” Matthew said. He then turned to Bentley. “And I know why I’m here. It’s obvious.”

Bentley had recently found his fingernails to be rather interesting. He looked up at Matthew now, though.

“My son and the guy who never shuts up about him invites me out to a nice restaurant. The guy who never shuts up about him also invited his mother. Bentley’s wearing your bracelet, you’re wearing his necklace. He has a hickey on his Adam’s Apple. It’s clear. You’re dating. You didn’t have to bring me here to say that.”

Kit turned to look at Bentley who was merely staring back at Matthew. To avoid from laughing, Kit turned his attention back to his father and smiled.

“We know you’re not an idiot, Dad. Congratulations. But this lunch was also an opportunity for me to meet Bentley’s mom and for us to tell her. She wants to meet you as well, right Bentley?”

Bentley nodded.

Matthew stroked lazily at his beard. His eyes began to follow someone moving throughout the restaurant, and Kit turned to see who it was.

That had to be Bentley’s mom.

She looked like an older Ariel – her curls, bright brown eyes, and that smile. Kit nudged Bentley to get him to pay attention, and when he saw her, he stood up and waved her over.

The woman was still dressed in her work scrubs, but she smiled when she saw Bentley and hurried over.

Now Kit could feel the nerves.

“I’m so sorry, I got stuck at work.” She allowed Bentley who was much taller to pull her in for a hug. She seemed shocked, but didn’t fight it. Bentley pulled away and gestured to the both of them.

“Mom, this is the man who’s been letting me stay with him, Matthew Edwards. Mr. Edwards, this is my mother Clarissa Williams.”

“Pleasure. Call me Matt,” Matthew said, standing to his feet and shaking her hand. Clarissa thanked him as she squeezed his hand, staring at him for a while before continuing.

“I can’t say thank you enough, actually. I appreciate what you did so much.”

“He’s a great kid,” Matthew responded. “It wasn’t a problem.”

Bentley turned to Kit and smiled. “Mom. This is Matthew’s son, and my boyfriend, Kit Edwards.”

Clarissa turned to Bentley first; her hand now limp in Matthew’s. She then looked at Kit and her eyebrows moved a little higher on her forehead. “Boyfriend?”

Kit stood to his feet, though his nerves were eating at him. It felt like the room was spinning. “Hi, Mrs. Williams. I’m Kit.”

Clarissa pulled her hand away from Matthew and took Kit’s hands. “Hello, there.”

Bentley looked at her. “Yeah. We invited you two here today to let you know we’re together and give you the opportunity to meet one another.”

Clarissa stopped staring at Kit so she could look at her son instead.

“Sit, sit.” Matthew handed out the menus that the waiter brought over, and it was clear as to what was on his mind: food.

Kit sat down as instructed and picked one up. It gave him something to do besides think about the fact that they’d just come out to their parents, even though his father wasn’t fazed at all.

“How long have you two been together?” Clarissa questioned.

Kit was grateful that she didn’t use a judgmental tone.

“A week tomorrow,” Bentley said with a small smile. “I know it isn’t a long time. Kit doesn’t want us to go public just yet, so you and our close friends are the only ones who know.”

Matthew sat back and looked at Clarissa. “It’s honestly not all that hard to tell.”

She chuckled. “I’m just thrown for a loop.”

Matthew nodded. “I’ve been watching this play out the last few weeks. I saw it coming.”

Kit looked at Bentley who seemed slightly relaxed now. 

“I came here expecting to hear some more about your riding,” Clarissa began. She placed her purse in her lap and looked at her son. “I thought you were going to tell me that school is officially off the table now that Red Bull offered you that contract.”

Bentley took a deep breath. “Well, school… football… all of that is off the table at this point. I didn’t come here to talk about that. I just wanted to introduce you to Kit, and to his father, and I wanted to see you, too.”

Kit looked at her. She slowly began to smile at him.

“You know, Bentley. You have a lot of your father in you. That scares me every day.”

Bentley looked up from the menu and found her eyes.

“But I can say I’m proud of you. I’m happy that you’re doing what you want. And while I’m confused about this, as long as you’re happy, I am.”

“I know I’ve never introduced you to a guy before –”

“You’ve never introduced me to anyone,” she interrupted.

Kit looked up. He was curious to hear the rest.

“I didn’t know what Zoey even looked like until six months into the relationship, so for you to let me meet Kit so soon is what’s throwing me.”

Matthew hummed. “Maybe that means he’s serious. And he better be.”

Kit looked at his father. “Dad.”

“No,” Bentley said, smiling at Matt. “I am serious. We all wouldn’t be here today if this was a joke. I need you guys to know that.” He looked from Matt to his mother and took Kit’s hand. “And I need you to know that.”

Kit smiled as he nodded to Bentley. “I know. I don’t doubt you, Benny… I just don’t want you to experience what I’ve been through.”

Matthew and Clarissa were attentive now.

Kit never wanted to bring attention to his fears in front of them. He didn’t want to cause any room for doubt. This relationship was what he wanted. He just – it was scary. 

Bentley leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “We’re going to be alright.” 

Kit nodded. He truly hoped so.

??

They decided to wear matching outfits to the party. It was actually Tawny’s idea, and once it left her mouth on their video chat, Bentley wouldn’t shut up about it. Kit thought it was an adorable idea, he just didn’t want to admit it.

Bentley picked out burgundy and white striped tank tops and navy blue trunks. The trunks were mid-thigh length with a white brim. Bentley mentioned how excited he was to be able to look at Kit’s thighs all night long. Kit was actually excited he’d get to check out Bentley, too. He was also excited that Bentley had good taste in outfits.

The party began at seven, but Bentley told him that they couldn’t show up on time. No one showed up on time. They ended up hanging out in Kit’s room and actually watching John Wick until it was time to get dressed. They talked about how nice it was to have their parents get along at brunch earlier. Matthew and Clarissa hit it off well, though Clarissa kept insisting he looked familiar and they’d met somewhere before. But what was cool was that she seemed intent on getting to know Kit.

They also talked about how Bentley wasn’t going to be around for Homecoming. Kit said he was going to have to hang out with Abel instead, and that immediately resulted in a tickle-turned-pillow fight that Kit absolutely lost. They did end up agreeing to come out as an official couple when Bentley got back from his tour. Kit felt that they should take it easy now, saying that he wanted his tour to be about him as a rider, and not about his new relationship. Bentley could understand that. He was scheduled to leave on Tuesday, and would be back the day before Halloween. When he got back, he was officially going to be finished with all of their hiding, but for now, he’d oblige to Kit’s wishes.

Before they got dressed, Kit pulled out his body tape measurer and took Bentley’s measurements. Kit was almost done with his designs, and he’d soon have to put the work in and create two amazing outfits for the fashion show quickly approaching. He ignored Bentley when asked if he’d need to measure his cock and instead focused on recording his neck, chest, waist, arms, thighs, and etc. measurements.

They left for the party at a quarter to nine. The Red Bull Mansion was forty minutes away, and their Uber driver dropped them off right in front. The party was in full swing by the time they’d gotten there – loud music, kids their ages, skaters, bikers, snowboarders, the media – it was wild. Kit looked around the huge place with wide eyes. There were people dancing on one another, people doing tricks on the ramps, and the DJ kept playing hit after hit.

They were still in front of the mansion when people began to flock over. Bentley shook someone’s hand and introduced himself before gesturing to Kit.

“This is my…” Bentley trailed off, obviously unaware of what to say.

Kit quickly finished for him. “I’m his friend! Kit. Hello!”

The man looked between the two of them and nodded. He wore a BMX Union lanyard and the nametag on it said Alex. “Okay. Can I take a pic of you for the blog?”

Bentley nodded. “Yeah, sure.” He was about to reach for Kit, but Kit took a few steps away.

“Go ahead. If I’m in the pic, I’ll only pull all the focus.”

Bentley smirked at what was said, but Alex shook his head no.

“You can get in the picture, too. Friends are allowed.”

Kit looked at this guy and wondered why he’d even want him in it. There was no need for him to be in the picture because Bentley was the star here. Before he could voice his opinion, Bentley pulled him forward and threw and arm around him in a broish way. Kit found himself throwing up the peace sign just to make it look like they were mere friends going to a pool party together to look for chicks. He wasn’t in a rush to cause any speculation tonight.

Alex snapped the photos and then smiled. “Thanks, man. Have a blast on your tour!”

Bentley shook his hand again. “Thanks.”

After Benny greeted the crowd, they ended up making their way around the mansion towards the pool in the backyard. Kit went over to the bar and got them a couple cranberry ginger ales and found himself back at Bentley’s side. He looked around at all the girls in their bikinis and the guys all over them, wondering what would happen if he weren’t here right now.

He trusted Bentley. He just couldn’t help but wonder.

Bentley accepted the drink and winked at Kit. “I’d kiss you, but I know we’re just friends tonight.”

Kit smiled and took a sip. “So, what do two bros do at a pool party?”

Bentley looked around. “Sneak off to a room in this huge mansion for some alone time.”

Kit hated that he laughed. “Stop.”

Bentley gestured to one of his friends with a head nod. “Come. I’ll let you meet Frankie. He’s pretty cool.”

They walked over to the other side of the backyard where a group of guys were standing. Bentley nudged the shoulder of a shorter man until he turned around. The guy was Mexican-American with a tattoo on his neck and even more covering his arms. He immediately smiled when he saw Bentley, moving in to hug him.

“Hey, vato! I thought you weren’t coming. What’s up?”

“Chilling.” Bentley smiled. “I didn’t want to show up while the sun was up. Only the losers do that.”

“I did that.”

“Exactly.”

Frankie shoved him away with a smile, and then he turned to face Kit. “Oh, man. Isn’t this your bae?”

“Shh,” Bentley said, shoving him back. “It’s my friend.”

Kit stared at Bentley. “You told him?”

Frankie smiled. “I actually saw your name in his phone. The kitten emoji that has those heart eyes, followed by the peach emoji, followed by the eggplant emoji, and then another kitten heart-eye emoji. Wasn’t hard to guess.”

Kit thought that was actually subtle for Bentley. “It’s nice to meet you, Frankie.”

“You too! I’m 21, I can get you guys real drinks if you want.”

Bentley nodded before Kit could answer. “Yeah. We’ll take a double shot of D’ussé with some Coke. Please.”

“Actually,” Kit held up a finger as he interrupted. “You’re 19 and there are reporters everywhere. Maybe you shouldn’t…”

Frankie cupped Kit’s shoulder. “Hey. One small drink. It’s all good. Be right back.”

Bentley grinned at Kit and stepped forward. “I promise I’ll only have the one drink. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

Kit wanted to kiss him so fucking badly when he was this adorably stupid. He looked around, spotting Gary Lipton dancing on a girl. No one else seemed to care about these reporters, but Kit knew better. “One drink.”

It wasn’t long before people realized that Bentley had arrived. Kit watched him pose for selfies. He watched blog people ask him question after question. He watched girl after girl ask to dance, but Bentley politely declined. He even watched Bentley down the drink Frankie gave them as he slowly sipped his own. It was interesting watching everything go down, and Bentley appeared to be in his element as these people crowded his space. He’d do well as someone in the spotlight. That comforted Kit.

“Kit?”

He turned away from Bentley who was talking about his father’s legacy with a couple fans. Alex was standing there – backwards cap on and huge camera hanging from his neck.

“Hey…” Kit smiled at the shorter guy. “What’s up?”

Alex smiled back. He looked to be of Korean descent, and had a shiny gold nose ring. “I hope I’m not coming off too strong, but I was wondering if you’d like to dance?”

Bentley looked over from the conversation he was having as a new song came on. Frankie continued to talk to the fans, commenting about when he first began riding.

“Uh…” Kit trailed off as he smiled. “I’m sorry. I’m not much of a dancer.”

Alex nodded. “Well maybe we can talk –”

“Hey,” Bentley said, cutting in. “Do you want to go look around inside?”

Kit turned his attention from Alex and nodded to Bentley. “Okay. Um,” he looked at the photographer and smiled. “I’ll be back. We can talk then.”

Alex looked between him and Bentley and nodded. “Sure.”

Bentley reached for Kit’s hand, staring at Alex as he did so, and then led him around the pool towards the mansion. People tried dancing on them as they went, and Kit effectively avoided them all. He pulled his hand away from Bentley and tried to get him to relax.

“We’re bros tonight. Turn down the PDA.”

Bentley slid open the door and stepped into the kitchen. Something told Kit they weren’t supposed to be inside. It might’ve been the fact that everyone was outside, and inside looked pristine.

“That guy was flirting with you.”

Kit nodded. “He was. I wasn’t interested.”

“I still don’t like it very much.” Bentley looked around before taking a few steps farther inside. Eventually, he was in another room, and gestured for Kit to follow him.

Kit followed him. “There were girls all over you tonight. These things happen…”

“I didn’t flirt back.”

“Neither did I,” Kit said. “The guy was just talking to me.”

Bentley reached for Kit’s hand again, and this time he didn’t fight it. No one was in here, anyway.

“I’m sorry,” Bentley said. “I … I’m not normally possessive. I swear I’m not a possessive guy. It’s a turn off to me, actually.”

Kit laced their fingers together. “You could’ve fooled me…”

Bentley smiled. “I deserve that.”

They found themselves walking through the huge living room towards the stairs. Kit wondered if tonight would be the night they finally got arrested. At least this time, they weren’t breaking and entering. An invitation to this place had actually been extended. Still, they had no business walking around the mansion like this.

The place was fucking awesome, though.

“You have no reason to be insecure. We’re here together even if we’re just broing it out tonight. You know that.”

“Oh?” Bentley pushed him against the banister and smiled. “So, you’re saying you’re all mine?”

Kit bit his lip as Bentley completely invaded his personal space. He looked around the quiet living room as Bentley began to kiss his neck. “Something like that…”

Bentley’s hands moved down to Kit’s waist.

“I don’t think we should do this here…” Kit said, trailing off as Bentley’s lips met his.

It was hard to speak now that he had a tongue sliding into his mouth. Kit told himself to relax. For one, Bentley knew how to make him feel so good, and he was at a party for crying out loud. Everyone else was having a blast, shouldn’t he?

But Kit hadn’t drank enough to unwind the way Bentley had, apparently. He was still hyper aware of the fact that they hadn’t come out, and they were making out at one of the biggest BMX parties of LA.

He pulled away, trying not to laugh as Bentley chased the kiss. Eventually, his boyfriend opened his eyes and stared at Kit quizzically.

“Everything okay?” Bentley asked.

Kit nodded. “Peachy. I just think we should slow down.”

Bentley took a step back and let go a deep breath. “Baby… let’s just…” he looked around the mansion. “Let’s go in that room.”

Kit turned in the direction that Bentley was pointing and saw a closed door. “What is that room?”

Bentley shrugged. “Let’s go find out.”

The room appeared to be a rec room with a pool table and arcade games and even vending machines. Bentley whistled as light flooded the room. He closed the door behind them  and led  Kit over to  the sofa at the end of the room. Kit sat down, against his better judgment, and Bentley plopped down beside him. Before he knew it, Bentley was moving in close and his mouth was on his once again. Kit couldn’t help by moan into it. He clutched at Bentley’s shoulder as Bentley’s hand snuck up his thigh, playing at the skin beneath his swim trunks. Kit told himself to calm down. What he didn’t want was for things to go past a little making out, or to have to go back out to the party with a hard dick. Both seemed likely, though.

Bentley gasped into his mouth, almost pushing him back against the couch, and Kit sucked on Bentley’s tongue, pulling on his hair to urge him to calm down. Bentley pulled away with dilated eyes.

“Yeah?”

“I…” Kit took a deep breath. “You’re a little tipsy, I think. And you know, here and now is not the place for this.”

Bentley was about to respond when they heard a noise from outside the room. Kit pulled away quickly and Bentley stood to his feet. He looked back at Kit and raised an eyebrow.

“Did you hear something too?”

Kit nodded. “It sounded like the door closed.”

Bentley adjusted himself before jogging over to the door. When he got there, he pulled it open and looked around. Shaking his head, he turned back to Kit.

“It’s still quiet.”

Kit stood to his feet and slowly walked over. He knew for a fact that he heard something.

“Relax,” Bentley said. He ran a hand through his hair and smiled. “Come on. Let’s go hang out at the party and be just bros. I can wait until we get back to your dads to finish what we started.”

Kit couldn’t deny that going home sounded a wee bit better than a pool party right now, but he played it cool. “If you think I’m letting you get to second base with my father in the next room, you’re mistaken.”

Bentley turned off the light to the rec room. “You can bite down on the pillow to stay quiet. He doesn’t have to know a thing.” He looked Kit up and down, winked cockily, and then sauntered through the mansion towards the backdoor. Kit licked his lips, walking much slower. Hopefully the cool air outside would heal the hard on that he desperately wanted to go down.