The door opened before Eric could knock, catching him off guard. There, standing in the doorway was the cute young 12 year old he'd met and had dinner with the night before.

Bryon spoke enthusiastically, "Hi, Eric. Ready to hang out with me?"

Eric focused on the kid. He was shirtless, and Eric saw for the first time that he was indeed quite muscular for a 12 year old boy. Eric spoke with equal enthusiasm. "Yeah, Bryon. What do ya wanna do first?"

Well, I have to finish getting dressed, then we can go."

Bryon ran up the nearby stairs, and Denah came into the living room. "Well, it's been awhile since I've seen him so excited about someone. Do you want anything, Eric? Some breakfast?"

"Coffee.", Eric blurted out matter of factly.

She smiled her pleasant smile, "Can do. Come, sit in the kitchen whil you wait for Bryon."

Eric sat, and looked around as Denah fixed him a cup of coffee. "Where's John?"

"Oh, he's at work. How do you take it....?"

"Black, with sugar."

"Hope ya don't mind French Roast."

Eric perked up at the name of his favorite blend, "That'd be great."

"So, what does John do for a living?"

Denah handed him his mug, and sat down across from him with her own. "Well, he works for a local pharmaceutical company, now. Health and Fitness Division."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's a shame really. He played football in college, and would've gone pro. But he injured himself before graduating. Luckily, he was minoring in Biogenetic Chemistry."

"That is lucky. I'm sorry things didn't work out like he planned. But from the looks of things, it all turned out well in the end."

She smiled, "Yeah. it did, didn't it? Just look at us now. A nice home, a comfortable living, and we're blessed with a wonderful son."

Eric concidered as he sipped his coffee. "He does seem like a great kid."

"So, Eric", she went on, "You haven't told us what a young man like yourself is doing chasing stories of strange happenings. SHouldn't you be in college yourself right now?"

He paused before answering, "Well, it wasn't for me. I...."

Bryon appeared neatly groomed, hair combed, and wearing a pair of jean shorts with a two-tone blue short sleeved shirt. "Ready to go, Eric....?"

He answered, glad to not have to explain his peculiar interest to the woman. "Sure am, Bryon."

Bryon regarded him for a moment. "Know what? Just call me 'Bry'. Bryon feels too formal if we're gonna hang out."

"Okay. Lets go, then." __________________________________________________ ________

The morning had rolled by nicely, plainly, but with no hint of what the boy claimed he could do. It was about noon as they sat in Eric's PT Cruiser looking for a place to eat lunch.

Bryon spoke up, "Is this your car, Eric?"

"Yes. I bought it brand new. Do you like it?"

Bryon bobbed his head to the music on the radio. "Yeah, it's really cool. You must be rich."

"You could say that. So, where do you wanna eat lunch?"

Bryon looked thoughtful. "You buyin'?"

"Of course."

"How much can you afford?"

Smart little kid, Eric thought, "Sky's the limit, Bry."

"Okay. I wanna go there." Bryon pointed out the window at what looked like a ritzy cafe.

Eric smiled tightly. Just the kind of place he'd pick himself. "Have you ever eaten at a cafe before, Bry?"

Bry looked a bit confused. "No. What's a cafe?"

"Well, it's basically a rerstaurant where you can choose to eat inside, or outside. If you've never eaten in one, you're in for a treat."

"Cool! Can we eat outside?"

Sure thing."

Eric found a parking spot, and they exited the car. After putting change in the meter, Eric led him to a table. A pretty young hostess came to the table and handed them menus.

She looked at Eric with an appraising eye, then Bryon. "Can I get you something to drink, sir?"

"Do you have iced tea...?"

"Yes."

"Is it fresh brewed....?"

"Uh-huh."

"Then I'll have an iced tea, sweet, with lemon and a few extra slices if I can."

"Alrighty, then. And your....son?"

Bryon's face screwed up, "He's not my dad. He's waaaaaay too young."

She smiled with a light chuckle, "Oh, I'm sorry. Your brother, then?"

Eric found it amusing. The kid sure knew how to make someone feel god.

Bryon shook his head, "Do we look anything alike? He's just my friend for today."

She looked a bit perplexed at the wording, but laughed. "Alright, what can I get you?"

Bryon peered at Eric questioningly. "Anything you want, Bry.", he said.

Satisfied, Bryon perked up. "I'll have a chocolate milkshake with lots of whipped cream and a cherry on top."

The hostess wrote the order on a pad. "COming right up. Your waiter will be along to take the rest of your order shortly."

As she walked away, Bryon watched agape. "She's really pretty."

"Yes, I suppose she is."

"You don't think she is?"

"Oh, absolutely."

"But, you have a girlfriend, right....?"

"Well, not exactly, Bry...."

As the waiter arrived with their drinks, Eric was thankful for an interruption once again and not having to explain his preference to a 12 year old.

The waiter was a handsome young man with a build similar to Eric's. Bleached blonde short hair cut in a Roman style, with brown eyes and a nice tan. Eric admired him discreetly as he took their orders. He walked away with a smile to Eric. Eric looked at Bryon who was watching him intently.

"What....?"

Bryon looked away, "Nothin'."

After lunch, they got in the car. As they pulled out into traffic Bryon spoke up. "So, that waitress girl was pretty hot, huh?"

Eric was taken by surprise at such a thing coming from such a young boy. He recovered quickly. "Yes, she certainly was."

Bryon's next question completely floored Eric. "Eric, do you like guys?"

Totally flabberghasted and distracted by the blatancy of the question, he slammed on the breaks to avoid hitting the car in front of them. After recovering, he looked at Bryon. "Why would you ask a question like that!?"

Bryon shrugged. "Well, that waitress was really hot. And you barely looked at her. But you looked at the waiter up and down the whole time he was at the table."

Eric had definitely underestimated this kid's intelligence, and observational skills. He decided to be honest with him. "Yes, Bryon. I'm....gay."

"I thought so. My one teacher at school is gay. He thinks none of the kids know. He's like you. Really nice."

Eric had to laugh to keep from losing his mind over this wierd conversation, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. But he's much older than you. And not as good looking."

Despite the absurdity of the situation, Eric felt flattered. Not only that, but he'd been sensing a different vibe from Bryon between last night and today. He decided to keep his suspicions to himself. he didn't wanna ruin his chances of getting to know what he wanted to know, after all.

"Well, Bry, I'm going to have to ask you not to tell your parents."

"Why not? There's nothing wrong with it."

Eric tried to explain. "I know. But gay men have a certain reputation. And concidering what you claim you can do..."

Bryon interrupted, "What I can do!"

"Right. What you can do. Your parent's would probably take my interest in you entirely the wrong way."

"Bryon locked his sapphire gaze onto Eric, "What is your interest in me?"

Eric thought about it. His interst with muscle growth was a fetish. Something physical and more often than not, sexually arousing. Also, completely out of bounds with a 12 year old. This was getting complicated.

He felt sick, guilty. "Bryon...uhhh...maybe I better take you home. I...."

Bryon's response was immediate and emotional, "No! I won't tell! I promise. Please don't leave me. Pleeeease....!"

Eric wanted to cry. What had he done to this poor little boy? "Bryon, I promise I'll come back and spend more time with you..."

"No you won't! I made you feel bad, and now you wanna go away and forget me! Just like all my other friends."

Eric swerved out of traffic into a parking lot. In his current state of mind, he was in no condition to be driving.

"Alright, alright, Bryon. What do you want me to do?"

Bryon whimpered and stuck out his lower lip. "I want you to stay with me. I want you to be my friend." He was on the verge of tears.

Eric looked at this handsome young boy. "Bryon, I can be your friend. But that's all. Anything...else is wrong."

"But..."

"It's wrong, Bry. I know what you mean by 'friend'. Your teacher calls his boyfriend that, doesn't he?"

Bryon only nodded.

"Right. But what you want from me is, in fact, illegal."

Apparently, this young boy was way different from other 12 year olds. Somehow, he was mentally more evolved in some ways. And in other ways very much still 12. And worst of all, John and Denah most likely hadn't the slightest clue that their son was gay and almost sexually totally mature. Eric chose his next words carefully.

"Bryon, I will come back to see you tomorrow. I promise. We can talk about this more then. But I must ask you to promise me that you won't speak a word of this to your parents."

Bryon seemed like a 12 year old again. "But....why?", he whimpered.

"Because. They won't understand you like I do. Can you trust me?'

"Yes."

Can I trust you?"

"Yes."

Good. Now I'm going to take you home." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He removed his driver's liscense, and handed the bill fold to Bryon. "Now, I'm going to give this to you to keep until tomorrow. I can't leave without it. So you know I'm gonna come back for you tomorrow. I promise."

Bryon looked at it, and stuffed it down the front of his shorts. "Okay. I promise I won't show it to Mom and Dad. And I won't tell them anything about you....or me....liking boys."

Eric smiled. He hoped he was doing the right thing. "Alright. We still have time to stop for ice cream on the way back."

Eric pulled out into traffic once more, and headed for the ice cream parlor he'd seen on their way into town. •