JJ needed to get away from the crowds and all the noise of the party. JJ always had trouble focusing when there was noise all around him. Some people found solace in the noise and debauchery of a party like this. JJ never liked these kinds of parties since they always made him feel like a fraud. Parties filled with rich kids made JJ feel like he was wearing a mask that didn’t quite fit him right. JJ honestly felt like an outsider at places like this. JJ never had made the attempt at truly talking to any of his fellow students. He had this image of pampered rich kids who were all by their very nature, snobs. In his mind, every one of his fellows were just miniature versions of his stepfather. They were all a self centered lot with their own little worlds and never had any issues. Outsiders like JJ, had to bite and claw their way just to get noticed at the school. JJ came to conclusion that Kids like that seemed to float over everything and that bothered JJ to no end. Talking to Matt had been the first time that he truly tried to get himself out there in the social world. He figured that “no man was an island “ and that meant that he needed to get himself out there no matter what.
JJ sauntered down the beach next to Matt keeping his eyes on him. JJ still didn’t know why Matt had agreed to go on this walk with him but he didn’t care why. He was just happy that Matt had not slapped him in the face for suggesting it. JJ took a sip from his beer as he kept quiet for a bit before he suddenly found the courage to speak.
“Awwready then! I’m sure glad you came out here with me, Matt. Pretty sure if I went out here alone I would have walked into the ocean by accident. I would get lost in a cardboard box by myself.” JJ joked as he ignored the party behind them. His whole focus was only on Matt. “ So when did you come back here. If I may be so bold to ask. I mean I have never seen you and I like to think I’ve got eyes like a hawk.” JJ asked trying to truly understand the other guy because there was something special about him. He just couldn’t place why he felt like that.
Matt listened to the boy in front of him quickly finishing the beer he was given. JJ could certainly talk quite a bit. Not that he minded, he himself was not much of a talker so if someone else could talk while he listened in a conversation. Although based on how his parents portrayed him to the public eye you would think he was some sort of conversationalist. Then again, the public saw him as a completely different person than he was. Something he had no say in and had to participate in spreading the lie.
Unfortunately, he would have to use the lie on the guy in front of him, who in so little time had some effect on Matt that made him not want to lie to him. Something he typically just shrugged off, but this time around he was having trouble shrugging it off. He had no option though, he wasn’t going to get sent back to the horror he escaped just for this guy he just met.
“Yeah, the beach sounds good. The party is a bit overwhelming.” Matt agreed as the two walked down towards the beach, the blonde getting another beer before they headed down. At JJ’s joke about getting lost, Matt chuckled slightly a small smile on his lips as he looked over to the boy, taking a drink of his second beer as he was asked about when he got back knowing his time to lie had arrived.
“Well…” Looking out towards the ocean he continued, “just over a year ago I left for a mission trip with my church. While there I also studied abroad to keep up on schoolwork. I just got back a few weeks ago so that’s why you haven’t seen me around. Chances are you may have seen my sister around but if you were lucky you didn’t meet her.” Matt decided to joke at the end; with a slight laugh he took another sip of his beer trying to drown his guilt for lying. A feeling he was still confused by.
JJ was chatty only with certain people. For some reason, Matt was on his list of people JJ could just babble with. Whenever JJ got nervous or worried about anything, his accent would suddenly get extremely thick and he would start talking in Texan talk. Most people would think that he was completely insane with the way he talked. Most people would have no idea what he was talking about but it always made him feel like he was bringing a little bit of Texas home with him. People back home used a whole different language than they did in Beverly Hills. Matt seemed to be different than the people he had met here and that seemed to loosen JJ’s tongue. It was either that or the beer he had just finished. He was not exactly wasted but he was feeling the buzz.
“ I never was much of the religious person. I know it’s odd for a good old boy not to be religious. A mission trip sounds nice. Ma is the more religious type. Goes to some church called Pulse or something. I have never been there but my mother wants me to go there with her. She says it will put me straight or something. I don’t need some religion to fix me.” JJ said as he looked out at the ocean when he suddenly had a crazy idea. He wanted to swim in the ocean even though he hated it. It had to be the beer talking and thinking for him. JJ looked over at Matt with a crazy look in his eyes. JJ usually was better at dealing with his booze but he was drinking on an empty stomach and that one beer seemed to be working it’s magic on him.
“ I want to go for a swim. Want to join me?” JJ asked as he undid his shirt. JJ just felt bold right now and stripping down in front of a complete stranger did not feel odd to him. JJ’s shirt came off and JJ threw it onto the sand with a soft slap of the fabric. JJ looked over at Matt asking him to go in with him. Regardless of Matt’s answer, JJ went running into the surf clearly not caring about his jeans getting wet. JJ ran into the surf with a yell as he dove under the surf. He stood out of the water and walked back towards Matt still without his shirt. “ That felt great. I needed that swim. “ JJ said like what he did was the most normal thing on the Earth. He used to do things like this with his friend Wally and for some reason Matt made him feel crazy. That spontaneity was new for JJ but he loved it. He was the kind of guy just to do things when he wanted it. He didn’t seem to mind the water on his bare torso.
The mention of Pulse along with JJ’s wording of his mother wanting the church to set him straight caused Matt to internally wince but he kept the emotions from showing on his face. He was having a good time for the first time in forever and wasn’t going to let his family’s church ruin it. He decided to not comment on anything regarding Pulse or religion; it was not a topic he wanted to get into. Instead Matt downed the rest of his beer.
After downing his beer, Matt was met with the sight of JJ stripping off his shirt. While it was not a sight he was expecting, he sure was not bothered by it although it did have his cheeks heating up from shock of the sight. When he was asked to join the boy in the water he decided to pass for the time being. Matt didn’t really feel like getting wet right now.
”You can go ahead. I think I will just stay here.” He watched as the boy dove under the water and when he stood up and began to walk back towards Matt, he felt his whole body just get a bit warmer. The water dripping on JJ’s bare torso with the moonlight reflecting off the water and his chest, yeah it was a sight Matt could get used to. Matt couldn’t help himself as he let his eyes trail down JJ’s body, his confidence boosted by the two beers he drank. He didn’t know what he would do with his decisions and confidence all being impaired and changed by the booze in his system.
JJ had not really touched his beer since he had taken it earlier. He had never been much of a beer drinker but it was the style of a place like this to be drinking till you dropped. He knew that he was a bit of a lightweight when it came his drinks. He could hold his own with most things but beer was one of the things that he was terrible with. His mind had told him to start swimming and, as usual, JJ obeyed the voice in his head. This was the same voice that told him to try bull riding without pads or anything to keep himself from breaking his neck. It was that voice that told him that he needed to go talk to Matt. The voice sometimes made him do extremely dumb or it made him do great things like this.
JJ sauntered down the beach with Matt with that same silly look on his face. JJ looked over at Matt just watching him for a second still ignoring the water going down his chest. “ That water felt great! It was so refreshing. Shame that I am the only shirtless one. It doesn’t seem quite fair. He teased as he looked back at the sand. He felt oddly jittery around Matt and he couldn’t explain why he felt so odd with him. JJ had talked to so many guys but none of them felt like he understood the other person. Matt made him feel like he could talk to him all night if he had to.
“So Matt, what brought you to the party? I know I only came here to get away from the King of Sobery.” JJ asked honestly curious as to why a guy like Matt was here. Matt just seemed like a candle in all of the chaos of the party. For the first time, he felt like he was at peace while talking to him. JJ still seemed not to care about his lack of a shirt. It was as if he was used to walking around shirtless with a guy he just met.
Everything else in the world seemed to disappear as Matt continued to stare at the attractive boy in front of him. He could see JJ’s lips moving but his words just weren’t reaching Matt’s ears. The rush of hormones mixed with all of Matt’s emotions and the fact he was definitely even more of a lightweight since before his ‘mission trip’, were making his thoughts go in directions he knew could get him in trouble. But at this moment he didn’t care, his mind and body wanted him to do only one thing, so that’s what he did.
Matt approached JJ with quick strides before putting a hand on the back of his head, pulling him in and connecting their lips. The kiss was short lived though as it snapped Matt back to reality within about ten seconds. He quickly released his hold on JJ and stepped back turning around. Running a hand through his hair he began to curse under his breath, closing his eyes and shaking his head before turning to look at JJ, quickly losing eye contact due to his discomfort.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me. I think I drank too much. That was never supposed to happen so let’s pretend it never did and pretend we never met. Okay? Good.” Matt quickly turned on his heel and made his way back towards the party. He was going to find Miriam and they were going to get the hell out of there.
JJ had been ready to just keep talking for hours with Matt because the voice kept telling him to do so. He didn’t know why he couldn’t look away from Matt despite the small voice in his head wondering why he couldn’t say no to Matt. His brain kept telling him to stay with Matt. JJ was just about to turn away when he heard shouting from the party. During the time that they had been walking through the beach, midnight was coming up. JJ’s mind instantly ran towards the idea of kissing Matt for midnight since he didn’t want to say he was alone on New Year’s Eve. JJ had this plan of being subtle about kissing him. He was going to pretend that he tripped before kissing Matt. Or he was going to pretend that he was drowning from his swim in the ocean. That did not seem possible as.
As he was planning his master plan, Matt seemed to be reading his mind. Before JJ had time to react, Matt was kissing him. Despite the short time, the kiss felt like it went on forever. He instantly reacted by returning the kiss as if his life depended on it. JJ was about wrap his arm around Matt to keep him there for longer. His brain wanted to hold Matt there all night and he wanted to keep him on this beach. Before he could try and get Matt’s shirt off, Matt had already run off. JJ’s mind was far to muddled to try and stop Matt from leaving despite his desires.
By the time JJ was capable of speaking, Matt had vanished into the crowd. JJ tried to look for him but the guy was gone. The Texan looked out at the ocean one last time and made a promise. “ I will never forget you… I am gonna find you again.” He promised as he turned to go back into the party. Joshua Stone always kept his promise and this one felt important. Matt felt like the kind of person that he could chase to the ends of the Earth if he had to. That kiss made this a walk to remember.
