Percy

Jude's mother must have been given an exorbitant amount of money, more money than Jude and I could ever imagine. Why else would she do what she did? My parents would never have sold me or my sisters to anyone for any amount of money. She must have been desperate or just a despicable person. No matter how desperate, I'd never understand how a mother could abandon her child, leaving him to die. There had to be a way to find out who did this to Jude. I bet there were others out there like him.

But why Jude? Why was he chosen? And what connected me to him?

In his apartment, Jude settled onto his worn-out couch, ready to dive back into work. "I'll just be a few minutes," he said, opening his laptop.

"I guess I'll take a shower." I didn't know what else to do with myself. As I stood in the shower, I noticed mold in the corners of the ceiling. This place was such a dump. I bet Jude paid eight hundred or a thousand dollars a month for this place, too. Rent was astronomical in this state. I considered inviting Jude to stay with me. My parents were pains in the ass, but they wouldn't want anyone living in a place like this.

Without knocking, Jude entered the bathroom. When I pulled back the shower curtain, I saw him standing at the toilet, his back turned towards me. "Sorry. I had to go. I can't work. I tried, but I can't. I'm too fucking tired." After flushing the toilet, he undressed and stepped into the shower. "I'm tired, Alonzo." He fell into my arms, resting his head against my chest. "I can feel your heart beating. Thump... thump... thump."

"That lets you know I'm alive." Jude relaxed in my arms as I lathered his hair with shampoo.

"I'm glad you're here. I might not act like it, but I am."

"I know." He tilted his head down, letting water beat down on him as I combed my fingers through his hair, rinsing the suds out.

"When I go to sleep tonight, I'm gonna find you. I don't know how, but I have to. It's the only way."

As I pressed my lips on Jude's neck, he let out a soft gasp. He moaned quietly as my hand slid down his body. "You make me feel really good," he said.

"It's good to know I can do something right."

"You do lots of things right." His body shuddered as my hand brushed over his groin. He placed his hand on top of mine and pressed it firmly against him. "Let's get outta here." Turning off the water, he reached for a towel. With the towel wrapped around his waist, he shot me a flirtatious grin over his shoulder. At least we had something to look forward to.

As I dried off in the bedroom, Jude lay on his side, watching me. "I wonder how much money they gave my mom. I bet it was a shit load, huh? I hope she blows it all on junk and ends up homeless and penniless... or dead. I fucking wish she was dead. I sure as hell won't help her if she comes crawling back to me, begging me for help like she's done a million times before."

Approaching Jude, I carelessly dropped the towel on the floor.

"You have a nice body," he said.

"You don't have to flatter me." I lunged forward, pushing him playfully on his back. As I straddled him, he ran his hands up and down my chest

"I'm not."

He caught me by surprise, pinning me down and wrestling me onto my back. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer as his lips met mine in a passionate kiss. My hands shook as I squeezed his ass. "Why are you so nervous? You wanted to do it again this morning, remember?" He kissed my lips again before scooting down my body.

"You're the only guy I've ever been with... the only guy I've kissed or hugged. My dad doesn't even hug me. You're the only guy who's ever done that." Holding my thighs, he planted kisses all along my pelvis, culminating in the middle. He slid his hands up and down my chest as he sucked.

He reached for the bottle on the nightstand and squeezed the clear liquid on his fingers. My heart beat faster and faster in excitement and anticipation as he doused his dick with lube. "I really like you, Percy. When this is all over, maybe I can be your boyfriend and you can be mine. I don't know why you like me, but—"

"Jude, it's okay. Relax. Let's just fuck and forget about all this bullshit."

I was so nervous I couldn't bear to watch, so I averted my gaze as he prepared himself, rubbing against my backside. As he made his way inside me, he leaned over, kissing my mouth. My breathing grew faster and faster, his dick pulsing and throbbing inside me. "Ssh. Just relax. I won't hurt you."

"It's weird." I burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. "It's fucking weird." Jude stopped moving, grasping a clump of hair. "I didn't say stop." I shifted my hips upward as Jude yanked my head back. "Keep going. It's fun."

He slowly moved in me, playing with my hair. "I never had sex that meant anything," I said. With Lyndsay, I just went through the motions. I assumed all sex was like that. I'd been with other women in college, but those were mostly drunk encounters or hook ups.

"And this means something?"

"I think so."

He knelt upright, holding my ankles as he thrust back and forth. I almost lost it when he brought my big toe to his mouth. No one had ever done that to me before. As soon as his hand brushed against my dick, I lost it. Jude covered my mouth with his hand, smiling against my cheek, holding my dick as I let loose in his hand. I'd never had such an intense orgasm in my entire life. "Ssh. Relax. Calm down or you'll give yourself a heart attack."

"Shut the fuck up. I'll be all right. Oh my God, that was fucking awesome. Weird, but awesome."

Jude nodded, collapsing on top of me. "I've never been with anyone who laughed as much as you did. Actually, no one's ever laughed before."

"Sorry," I said, patting his back.

"Don't be sorry." Jude pushed himself up on his palms, looking down at me. "You've worn me out, so I'm probably gonna fall asleep tonight. I don't believe in God, but maybe a little prayer will help get me to you. I'm thinking 2022 or the beginning of 2023, right before the accident. I'll stay right here and fall asleep."

Jude relaxed on top of me again, resting his head on my shoulder. As I held him in my arms, his body grew heavier. He breathed heavily, his chest moving up and down, a sign he was sound asleep. Any minute I thought he'd vanish. I watched him sleep for at least an hour and nothing happened. Maybe he couldn't leave as long as I held him.

No, that didn't make sense, either. I looked forward to the day when things would make sense again.

***

I fell into a deep sleep. Whenever I slept deeply and soundly, I'd have the strangest, most vivid dreams. Last week I dreamt Ed Sheeran was playing in my backyard, but the backyard had turned into a carnival with a carousel. I wasn't even an Ed Sheeran fan, yet there he was, singing and playing his guitar in the center of the carousel.

Minutes ago I was in bed with Jude, the next minute I woke up in a meadow on a bright, warm sunny day. It was perfect weather, unlike the miserable cold weather of February in Massachusetts. I was naked, the tall blades of grass shielding my nudity. The whiff of fragrant marijuana caught my attention. In the far distance, people congregated around a giant bonfire, singing folk songs. Some of the men were shirtless, their chests exposed and covered in a layer of dirt and sweat, while their long, unkempt hair added to their untamed look. The women, with their long hair cascading down their backs, were dressed in either tank tops or sundresses. Was this some kind of mini music festival?

"Percy?" a familiar voice said. No... it can't be him. This is my dream. Eager to join the fun, I made my way towards the circle of hippies. "Percy, stop!"

I stopped in my tracks and turned around to see Jude standing in the field, also naked.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"It's my dream. What are you doing in my dream?"

"This isn't a dream. We traveled together. Has this ever happened to you?"

"What are you talking about? I'm gonna get high. Are you coming?"

"This is bad... really bad," Jude said, trailing behind me. "We gotta go back to sleep, Percy, and find those doctors. I was supposed to be finding you. Maybe you brought us here. Why did you bring us here?"

Convinced Jude trespassed into my dream, I ignored his rambling, making my way to the young hippies.

"Percy, this isn't a dream. This is fucking real."

The aroma of marijuana and burning wood was so lifelike, I had to remind myself that this was only a bizarre dream. "Whoa, man!" a hippie called out to me. "That was far out!"

"Yeah, what a trip!" a girl added. "Come join us!"

If this was a dream, what was the worst that could happen to me? I figured I might as well get high while I was there. Ignoring Jude's pleas to stop, I ran down the hill and to the small group. The campground was filled with tents of various shapes and sizes, scattered haphazardly across the area. Seven hippies: three men and four women stood around a campfire. I spotted another couple sitting in front of a tent, sharing a joint.

"Hey, these guys are nudists," another hippie said.

Never in a million years would I consider myself a nudist.

"We don't want to cause any problems," Jude said.

"Where are you guys staying?" one of the young women asked. "We saw you appear out of nowhere."

"You guys can totally crash here," another hippie said, passing a joint to me.

They each introduced themselves, but seconds later I forgot their names. Jude stood behind me, shielding his nudity from the group, strangely ashamed or embarrassed. I'd never seen him embarrassed of his nudity before.

"Your friend's shy, huh?" the blond male hippie said. Jude gripped my waist, digging his fingers into my skin. I winced, swallowing hard. A woman came up behind him and draped a hemp blanket over his shoulders.

"Thanks," Jude said. "What's the date?"

"Date? It's Wednesday, August fourth," the woman answered.

"The year?"

"Year?" she laughed. "Are you trippin'? It's 1971, man."

"I've never been to the seventies before," Jude said to me as I took a puff of the joint. I took another puff and passed it to him, forcing him to let go of me. Jude took two more puffs before passing it along. They invited us to join them around their campfire.

Jude and I sat in front of the fire as one guy played the guitar. Despite the mellowing effects of the marijuana, I found myself increasingly uneasy with my nudity. As we sat close together, Jude and I shared the blanket. I'd never had a dream like this. It felt as if I had stepped into a time machine and become a character in a retro film. The hippies were too high to realize we weren't really nudists, but strangers from a far away land.

The woman beside me was slightly older than the others, her long graying hair in braids. "Are you two lovers?" she asked us.

"Sometimes," I answered. Jude elbowed me hard in the ribs.

"That's so beautiful," she said, opening a clear baggie. Its contents intrigued me. "Would you like to go on a trip?"

"It looks like they've already been on one," the woman who gave us the blanket said.

"Don't eat that," Jude whispered to me as I accepted the baggie from the woman. "They're mushrooms... you know, psilocybin mushrooms."

"Cool," I said, reaching inside the baggie. I'd never had mushrooms before. I popped a few in my mouth.

"Oh, fuck it," Jude said, taking the bag from me. He shoved a handful in his mouth. "This is fucked up."

Within a few minutes, my body felt like a feather floating in the air. I'd never been so relaxed in my entire life.

"I feel so funky," Jude said, bringing his arm around my waist.

"I think I love you, Jude. I mean, I think I really fucking love you."

I fell on my back, the bright sun blinding me. In my altered state, I liked being naked again and contemplated living a nudist's life. I wouldn't have to spend my hard-earned money on clothes or constantly stress about what to wear. I could spend money on other things.

"I've never traveled to such a cool place," Jude said, lying beside me. "How did we get here?"

"I closed my eyes and fell asleep."

In that moment, it seemed like Jude and I were the only ones there, isolated from the rest of the world. Jude's touch on my arm intensified my already blissful state.

"Hey, you guys wanna borrow a tent?" a hippie offered, making us realize we weren't the only ones out there.

Upon accepting his offer, we found ourselves cramped in a tiny two-person tent. Jude threw himself at me, hugging me as we devoured each other in hungry, desperate kisses. "I love this dream," I said as Jude ground against me.

"It's not a dream," he insisted, rubbing his dick against my entrance.

He flipped me over and propped me on my hands and knees. Kneeling behind me, he pushed a finger inside me. It wasn't as smooth as it was in his bed. "If this were a dream, do you think it would hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt," I said. "It's just different."

"How about this?" he asked, adding a second finger.

I gasped, gritting my teeth. With a quick movement, I turned my head, my heart pounding as I kissed him hard, moaning into his mouth. No matter what he said or did, I didn't believe this was real. He spit on his hand, using his saliva for lube, not something I'd ever recommend, but Jude wanted to make a point. I cried out as he thrust hard inside me. "Sorry," he whispered. My hands balled into fists as my body tensed. The pain was so real, but was it enough to convince me this wasn't a dream? 

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