Abandoned Honor

Untitled Part 1

That dark-haired kid was Nathan Palmer. Mark had met him two years ago when he started university. He went over to the Palmer's place on Gilmore Street after the new couch had been delivered. It was on a quiet dead-end street lined with mature trees and cracked sidewalks. Naomi opened the door for him. "Hey, Nate, Mark's here," she yelled as Mark walked into the house. She was one year older than her brother and was taking Interior Design at Carleton. Mark had actually met her first in the school library and they had become instant friends. Nathan was studying Architecture.

Nathan stepped out into the hall from his bedroom and motioned to Mark. As Mark walked past the double-wide doors into the living room, he noticed their parents in there watching television. Joan Palmer smiled at him as he passed. Alan's eyes were glued to the television. They were the most unorthodox parents Mark had ever known. Their kids had no boundaries, no rules, and were treated more like friends than their kids.

Mrs. Palmer had long blond hair with grey in it. She usually wore loose-fitting garments that were adorned with bright colors. Several strands of beads hung down in front of her. And she was always smiling. Mr. Palmer's hair had started to thin out. It was dark with grey showing at his temples. He wore it long and in a ponytail. Mark had been told that he was a retired professor. And that they traveled a lot with Frank and Patti Zenti, the couple that they changed partners with. They had a daughter, Vivian, who looked more like Alan than Frank. And Naomi took after Frank. But the husbands raised their wives' kids as their own. Because nobody knew for sure who the real fathers were. And that's the way they all wanted it.

Naomi followed him into her brother's room and sat down on the bed beside him. She put her arm around his and gave him a hug. Mark pulled away. Nathan gave his sister a look of disgust. "Leave him alone, he's not into you."

Naomi smiled at Mark. "Why don't you come to my room, handsome? I'll make you happy."

"No, Naomi," Mark said. "You know I don't like doing that kind of stuff when your parents are home."

She pouted. "You never want to have sex with me." She stood and looked down at him. "It's okay, I don't need you." She kissed him then left the room.

Mark sighed. "I wish she would quit doing that."

Nathan shut his door then sat down where his sister had been. "She's testing you."

"What do you mean?"

Nathan ran his hand up and down Mark's leg. "She wants to know what team you're on."

Mark swallowed hard as he watched the hand on his leg getting closer to his private area. "Um, I've had sex with girls before." Yet, he didn't move, or push that hand away.

"So have I. But I've realized that I want to be more than just friends with you. You do something to me, Mark."

Mark looked into Nathan's eyes. "I've never thought of having sex with a dude before." He lied. Mark had wet dreams at night, thinking about the male species. Ever since he could remember, he liked boys better than girls. But he had never acted on that urge.

"I'd like to try it with you," Nathan's voice was husky. "I've had a hard-on ever since you walked into my room." He leaned back to show Mark the bump in his pants. "See? That's been happening a lot lately whenever you're around."

"What would your parents say if they found out that you liked dudes?"

Nathan shrugged. "Nothing. They have friends who are gay, or lesbians. They don't care, as long as I'm happy."

"Um, let me think about this, okay?" What was there to think about? He'd had a crush on Nathan ever since they met.

"Sure," Nathan said as he smiled down at the bump in Mark's pants.

Mark left shortly afterward and drove over to his father's other restaurant that was near the center of the city, called Maggie's. This one stayed open until midnight and accommodated a lot of the university students. As he sat at a table nursing a pop, he thought about Nathan's proposal---and about his own body's reaction. It was the first time a guy expressed interest in him like that. And Mark had been afraid to approach any guys with his desires. But wasn't that what university was all about, to explore new avenues? Wasn't he supposed to find himself? Why was he so turned on about that prospect? Was he gay?

Girls chased after him all the time. Yet he didn't seem to favor one over another, they were all the same to him. He wondered if he had sex with them because it was what was expected of him. Two of them were in the restaurant now, one of them was watching him. He smiled at her and she brought her drink over to his table. "Mind if I join you, Mark?"

"Not at all," he said. "How have you been lately, Christine?"

"Fine." She shrugged then took a drink of her pop. "You're up late tonight."

"Yeah. I was just heading home."

"Want to come over to my place? My parents are out of town."

"Sure." Mark left with her. This was the reason he stopped in there, he was hoping to end up with a girl. He wanted to find out if she could turn him on as much as Nathan had.