Later, I ran into Jeremy alone in the kitchen. He was quietly nursing his beer. At that moment, I… I dunno. I felt bad that on a beautiful day outside, he seemed to be trapped in here, almost hiding. “Hey man,” I offered companionably, “how goes it?”
He looked up, somewhat surprised. It was like he was caught off guard that someone was talking to him. Which made me feel worse. I went on. “You probably don’t remember me, I’m Trevor… Steve’s son. You’re Jeremy, right? It’s been a long time.”
The initial surprise having worn off, Jeremy brightened. “Oh yeah. How are you? Yeah, it’s been like… man, 15 years at least? Nice to see you again.”
“Yeah, a very long time.” Something inside me told me that he could use a kind word. “I gotta say, I’m not trying to hit on you or anything, but man… you look great. Seriously. I wish I had your build–what’s your routine?
Jeremy gave a shy smile. “Wow, man… thanks! I….” He trailed off as he looked at me, now properly taking me in. “It really isn’t anything special. I mean, you’re looking good yourself. Mostly biking, I guess. I ride every chance I get.”
“Really?” I responded, surprised. “I wouldn’t have guessed that. I mean, all the bikers I know have tighter builds. I mean, they have crazy-ass leg muscles, but… you know, tiny little arms. You’ve got some serious guns, too.”
Jeremy laughed. “Yeah, the biker’s famous T-Rex look. Nah, I also lift to balance myself out. Just at home. I started when I was younger–it helped when I was, well… you know… getting bullied.”
A bit of a dark cloud drifted over his face as he said that. Bullied. I didn’t have to think too hard to consider where it came from.
There was a slight pause, but Jeremy pivoted fluidly. “It’s good seeing you again. I don’t remember seeing you at one of your dad’s cookouts before.”
I grimaced. “Yeah. I’m… terrible at keeping up. Especially after I met my wife. It doesn’t help that I live like an hour and a half away in the city, and it’s… just… you know. I end up feeling out of place.”
“Oh no, I wasn’t trying to bust your balls or anything, I just… it’s….” He drifted into silence. “Well, I hate to admit it, but these cookouts are tough for me, too. I mean, not tough… I mean, they’re fun and everything, it’s just that….” He drifted into an unsettled silence.
I let it go. Instead, I raised my beer bottle. “To the misfits. Cheers!”
Jeremy shot me a smirking half grin. It looked good on him. “To the misfits!” he responded, and clinked my bottle with his. He looked at me, and his demeanor… softened. “So! You live in the big city? What part?”
“In Steward, do you know it?”
Jeremy brightened. “Really? No way… I work there! I’ve been living in the next neighborhood over, in Lincoln. I know the west side pretty well.”
“Wow, I didn’t know. What kind of work do you do?”
“A bike shop–Fast Eddie’s on Lake.”
“No shit, seriously? I live just a few minutes from there, I go by it all the time. And every time I do, I think I should stop in.”
Without realizing it, I had said the magic word. Jeremy had been cordial, but the minute he heard I had some sort of a connection to biking, I was suddenly his best friend. I tried to backpedal, saying that I hadn’t been riding in a long time–pretty much since I met my wife. He wasn’t having it. He wanted to know all the details, and was adamant that I bring my bike in to tune it up so I could get back out there. I kept trying to back down, but Jeremy was insisting. Way too excited to let it go.
At this point, the mood changed sharply when Jeremy’s dad Gerald walked in, apparently to grab a bag of ice from the freezer. You could just feel the contempt rolling off him, and Jeremy start to slink back into his shell he had only just now come out of. “God Almighty,” Gerald sniped. “Is he going on about those stupid bikes again?” Gerald glowered as he pushed past us to get to the freezer. “Why don’t you talk some sense into him, Trevor… no real man would ever go near one of those pansy-ass things after his voice cracks. I keep telling him to get a man’s job, but there he is!”
I was taken aback. “Huh? What are you talking about? Biking is really taking off. And that shop is like an anchor of the neighborhood. And as they add in more bike lanes so….”
“Those goddamn bike lanes!” Gerald exploded. “You can’t even drive in the city anymore, with these goddamn bike lanes. And no one ever uses them, anyway! Just buy a car for Christ’s sake, and drive like a normal person.”
“Sorry, gotta disagree. We need to get more people biking, and Jeremy’s on the cutting edge. In fact, he’s going to get my bike in shape, and then he’s promised me some rides around the lakes!”
Jeremy looked at me. Gerald looked at Jeremy, then looked at me. I just gave them both a contented, happy-go-lucky smile. Finally, Gerald marched off… I think he was muttering something about a “bunch of pussies,” but I let it roll right off me.
Jeremy looked at me, with an expression I couldn’t quite place. Almost like a puppy. It suited him, making him… boyish. Like he was… I… I dunno. He looked good. And I got the feeling that he didn’t have a lot of people stand up for him.
And so it began. Just like that, Jeremy and I became fast friends. Not just at the party, but afterwards. I realized that away from his shitty family, he was a totally different man. It was funny… he was so reserved, so wary when I first met him, and he still had a quiet streak to him. But once we broke the ice, he… like, gushed. Like with endless bounds of enthusiasm. He was a good guy… a really good guy.
Whenever we hung, we had an absolute blast. He was always up for anything, and spending time with him was just… easy. And pretty physical. Jeremy was not afraid to sweat. True to my word, I brought my bike in, and he got me pulled into the world of biking. I pulled him into my world, too… sucking him into a world of playing ball, paintball and a crapload of outdoor activities. We were close in terms of strength, drive, and stamina. He may have had a bit more bulk to him, but I’m no slouch. And knew how to push each other. It was a great release for me… something I didn’t even know I needed as so many other parts of my life became tamed.
The more I spent time with him, the more I admired his form. He was… like, the perfect male. Shirts hung off his pecs just right. And fit well around his arms. A barrel chest dusted with the right amount of hair–looking masculine, without looking like a Yeti. And I’m not creeping on him or anything, but the guy’s ass filled out his jeans perfectly, to the point that women openly ogled him… although he never seemed to realize it or care.
But Jeremy wasn’t just some brainless hunk. The guy had the soul of a poet. Well… shit, that’s not quite it. But he was… thoughtful. Amazingly so. And I mean that literally. I guessed that growing up he had a lot of time to himself, and he thought about things, with a curiosity that was contagious. While he physically looked like a mindless brute coming over to kick sand in your face and take your girl, he was completely the opposite. A quiet gentleman if there was ever such a thing.