Fin & Matt by Charlie Winters Read Free Book Online Page A

hardly time to get shy.”
    His words were low, but I glanced around regardless.  “I’m not nervous,” I lied.
    “You are.”  He leaned in and kissed me softly, resting his hands on my shoulders.  “It’s just a bed cover.”
    “I know—”
    “Then let’s pick one out… together.  And if you’re a good boy, I’ll buy that underwear you liked.”
     
    ♂♂
     
    We kissed more than we watched the first film.  Regardless of our differing sizes, our bodies aligned together perfectly.  Our limbs tangled as my lips found his every minute or two, a symphony of vibrations and moans from our mouths.
    “I don’t even know what’s happening,” he admitted, gesturing to the screen.  “What if your mom quizzes me?”
    “Okay.”  I sat up and moved to the side of the couch.  “Let’s separate for a few.  Watch the next scene.  Memorize it.  We’ll watch it twice if we have to.  You can talk about the scene and she’ll move on.  She’s less attentive than most humans.  She changes subjects every fifteen to twenty seconds.”
    Matt watched the screen, committing the epic fight between Scott and Todd Ingram to memory.  The bass fight, the coffee, the telekinetic vegan powers, and the imminent stripping of said powers.  Once defeated, I replayed Scott’s line to Matt.
    “You once were a ve-gone, but now you will be gone.”
    Matt laughed aloud.  “Can we go back to making out?”
     
    ♂♂
     
    “Matt, this is my dad.”
    Matt stretched out his hand, welcoming my father in a warm handshake before pausing to look at my mom.  “Are we hugging?” he teased.  “I’ve heard that the MacAuliffe family hugs.”
    My dad put his arms out and pulled Matt in for a tight squeeze.  “We do.”
    “It’s great to meet you.  I feel like I already know you.  Chloe gushed for an hour this morning about how you met.”
    “She was a knockout,” my father answered.  “Prettiest girl in all of New York.  Still is.”  He swatted her on the backside, causing her to yelp.
    “Patrick!” she scolded.  “Not in front of the kids.”
    “Later then,” he promised.  “Matt, what’s your poison?”
    He looked at me.  “Um… beer?”
    “I went down to the Bottleworks and got some of that new Oktoberfest.  You like it?”
    “I can’t say that I know much about beer, actually.  Most of the time, I just drink domestic.  I drank porter for the first time last night.”
    I pictured our kiss.  The way his tongue tasted of coffee when it touched mine.
    “I’ve got some of that too, if you like,” my dad answered.
    “Yeah, that sounds great.”
    When he walked away, Matt brushed his hand against mine, barely touching.
    “You don’t need to hide that here, Matthew,” my mother said.  “We are keeping it all out in the open these days.  Right, Fin?”
    I nodded.
    “Baby,” she squealed suddenly.  “Play something.”
    Matt looked over at me.  “On the piano?”
    “Maybe later, Mom.”  I was embarrassed.  I’d played my whole life, a thousand times in front of my parents.  Somehow, in front of Matt, it was like being naked for the first time.  Stripped down.  Vulnerable.
    “Please?” he pleaded.  “I’ve never seen you play.”
    “Not even at school?” my mom asked.
    “We teach at the same time.  I’ve never seen him.”
    “Well, you’re in for a treat,” she gushed.  “Fin has been playing since he could walk.”
    “Mom—”
    “Oh, jeez, Fin.  Don’t be a whiny bunny.  Play something.”
    “Fuck,” I muttered, slowly making my way to the Concert Grand in the corner.  I sat on the bench and cracked my knuckles.
    “You know I hate it when you do that,” she chastised.
    “I know,” I spat.  I looked up at Matt.  “What do you want me to play?”
    He shrugged his shoulders.  “I don’t know.  What do you like to play?”
    I started with a song I’d loved for years.  No one (I knew) actually ever recognized it, but it was beautiful and had