Virgin [sʜᴀᴍᴇʀᴏɴ]

V

Repent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Acts 3:19

     Shawn had made it obvious time and time again, he hated having supper with his father's clients. His father's clients who were wealthy men. Wealthy men that brought their beautiful daughters who Manny hoped to help him court. Beautiful daughters who weren't so shy when it came to being coquettish. And flirt they did, with Shawn, with Cameron [who Shawn no longer invited to such events] with Jack, with Aaron.

And someone was taken with Aaron, some girl named Harlow or Harriett. Shawn couldn't ever remember, it seemed that her name had been something different every time that Aaron spoke of her.

It didn't help though, that she supposedly lived in North Carolina and only came out west for the summer. Shawn hadn't seen photos of her, he hadn't asked no, but Aaron hadn't offered the common courtesy.

He knew that she had two brothers and one sister. He knew that she seemed unreal in almost every aspect, but he also knew that Aaron had been hiding something about her.

     No matter how much Shawn loathed those classy dinners with his family, he sat through them, clad in formal dress, nibbling at the back of his lips in an effort to distract from the desire to frown. His brow was set though, and it was undeniable that he felt misplaced, as everyone at least conversed well, or pretended to bear some deep seated interest for the night, Shawn just couldn't fit in.

Shawn knew the family that his father had invited over; the Gilinsky clan. And as luck had it, maybe Shawn wasn't alone. Maybe.

His Jack came stumbling in behind the Gilinsky's Jack, and they were both a state, like they had rushed the entire way and failed to recollect themselves. If there was one thing that Shawn was sure of, it would have to have been the fact that Jack Gilinsky and Jack Johnson spent most of their time together.

When Shawn and Jack weren't together, Jack and Jack were. And it turned out really, that Shawn only consumed about two percent of the lad's time. He didn't fuss about it though, he was with Cameron for hours among hours. He made it his business to ride the bus up to his lover's workplace when he was free and Cameron was not. He wanted Cameron ninety-eight percent of the time.

The pair took their seats and no one paid them much mind. They kept to themselves, greeting Shawn and asking him questions as the night went on, but they were an unbreakable unit it seemed. Jack didn't mean it really, Shawn was a good mate of his and he normally would be all for chatting and joking, but Jack Gilinsky was reeling, he made Shawn feel almost as paper as his parents.

     He so desperately wished to call out to Cameron, but it'd be his own folly. He was the only one in the room that had chosen to show even a modicum of anguish in reference to the events laid out for the very night. He could invite Cameron as a latecomer yes, but Manny would have his comments about disrupting his night.

     He was like an unsettled bride on her wedding day; insistent on things going just right, come hell or high water. He'd hold the chapel by the very beams if he had to, just to ensure the solidity of his night.

     It was almost like an all out war. Shawn didn't want to impose really, but had his father considered him? What about Shawn? What about his interests and his needs, his desires and preferences, and quite frankly, his feelings. Had his father shown even a morsel of concern for the explicit leitmotif that the night had brought to life once more?

     In Shawn's mind, the answer was a plain and simple no. The man wasn't concerned with any of the aforementioned. He had only in mind what he could achieve and how it could be done.

     Manny loved his children, yes he did, but he was a man of his work, and men of their work left little to their survivors; save for finance that is.

He had other hobbies yes; like hunting, which he proudly displayed with his rifles that he had strung along the wall in the common room. The same rifles that he'd threatened Alana Cartwright with when she began dating Shawn at age fourteen. The head of the household showed her how one of his classics had a working bayonet, how it wasn't just for show and then he told her the story of how he had sliced the arm of Olivia's ex-boyfriend; Cody Wiley who practised infidelity.

Shawn could remember the scenario quite vividly, and the lad all, but ran for the hills in a haste to escape the Mendes clan. It settled an ever present fear though; what would Manny do if he found out about Cameron? More specifically, what Cameron had done to his baby boy, in those sheets, during seminars, in the church of all places, all of where what had gone down had gone down.

Shawn feared for Cameron's safety in that aspect. He was so unaware of the truths of the situation and yet, he was a main player, the key to a door that he never knew existed.

The dinner had most concluded and Karen spent her time collecting dishes and washing them up in the sink. The two Jack's settled on the couch and the head Gilinsky joined them in conversation before he and Manny further discussed business endeavors and the wives enjoyed tea and cut out slices of Karen's homemade turnover.

This was the thing about wives of company men, they all did things most alike; talked alike, walked alike, acted in ways that were up to par with one another, and most assuredly thought alike. They were classically conditioned, and adhered to their roles in a predominantly patriarchal society. They kept busy with daytime jobs such as real estate or being secretary to some business firm. They volunteered even, at blood banks, county fairs and all. They were poster wives; their husbands respected that.

Shawn retreated into the confines of his bedroom after swiping dessert and topping it with ice cream. He predicted that maybe it was a good time for Cameron to make an appearance, but he was mostly just raging at the heavens by harbouring desires to throw off the flow of his father's afternoon. He settled though, it would be much more fun if he played the role of a sneaky teenager and had Cameron steal into his chambers through the window.

Cameron called it mundane and quite frankly revered it as childish, but he understood Shawn's anguish, and so he -being the outstanding boyfriend that he is- rose to the challenge and obtained his bearings prior to mounting the three story home and climbing over the balcony that wasn't much of a window at all.

He was exhausted and lay flat on his back for a moment before Shawn opened the double doors that lead to his balcony and looked down at the heaving mess before him.

"Jeez babe, what'd you do? Run a marathon?" Shawn settled on his knees, leaning over to hug his boyfriend who's breaths appeared to be evening out.

Shawn roped the lad along and they found comfort on his bed before Shawn began raving about the night, and how it had been unfair of his father to have forced him to conform. He explained this all whilst stripping from his clothes, laid back on the bed and making what could have been easy; difficult.

He knew that he could find solace in Cameron, be it relieving his lungs to capture his essence, be it doing the unspeakable and sending his mind off or, be it girding his loins, and speaking of the things that plagued him to no end. But he felt weak, and he wanted Cameron's oxygen.

It was done slowly, tentatively almost, but it was done. Shawn's hand found the prominent line of Cameron's jaw bone and he made the man's lips his home. And Shawn couldn't help, but notice that everything between them suddenly seemed so new; kisses, love, passion. All of it.

And it was new as well, to the person who's footsteps thudded up the staircase, to the person who turned the knob, to the person who gasped, to the person who was frozen.