BEST FRIENDS 4NEVER || bxb

35: NEVER ON HALLMARK (JASON)

"Johnny had to live with the other cadets in a dorm, and some of them were girls. He was really hot stuff and, of course, the girls wanted him. I used to tell him, date the girls, fool around with them, keep them happy, act a little bit normal and it'll keep the peace. But no, he didn't give a hoot about them. He had me and that's all he wanted."

I snorted and punched Johnny's arm. "See dude. Like father, like son," I laughed.

Silly as it was, I was so fucking proud of him. I could've kissed him right then and there in front of everybody. He was just like his dad!

"Soon enough, things started kicking up," Uncle Ted continued. "I'm sure you boys know what it's like. When you're a hot stud, shit just happens. The girls were getting pissed. Johnny had no interest in them. The gossip started. Some of the male cadets joined in. Jeez, give the girls a tumble, they'd tell him. The girls were all lusting after him and the other guys were getting jealous. But Johnny wouldn't listen. Your dad was as hard-headed as you are, Johnny. He just didn't give a fuck."

Johnny smirked. "He had a lot of balls, let me tell ya. He didn't care what they thought. Even in the Army."

"I couldn't help admiring him for it," Uncle Ted admitted, "even though it was making things a little bumpy at the time. His fellow cadets saw us together a lot. I had a small apartment near campus and Johnny stayed there when possible. But because we looked alike and had the same name, we passed as brothers and got away with it. That is, until your mom came into the picture, Johnny."

Uncle Ted shook his head and laughed. "Maria Sanchez was one little hot tamale and she was going to get her way with Johnny Sands no matter what. She was the daughter of a high-ranking Salvadoran general and she was here at Ohio University studying military law. She was in the ROTC, one of the cadets, and Johnny lived with her in the dorm."

Johnny shook his head in disbelief. "Man, I didn't know any of these crazy details. I thought they just met at college and fell in love."

Uncle Ted laughed. "Yah, it was love all right, but not the kind you were thinking of. There was a gay bar here in Athens at the time, just a small joint with a jukebox, not a big club like they have today. Johnny and I would go there now and then, hang out a little, dance with each other. Especially to the slow songs. It was great to get a little romantic somewhere else other than the apartment.

"One night we saw Maria there and that's when it all started. She'd already had the hots for Johnny but seeing him with me, dancing with me, drove her pretty crazy. She was one of those women who love gay men, and love gay men together. She'd been suspicious of Johnny like some of the others and, now seeing the reality, it made her even crazier about him."

I punched Johnny's arm again. "She was like Ginny. Your mom was a fangirl shipping your dad and Uncle Ted."

Johnny agreed. "Right. Damn, that's awesome. This is all so amazing." Then he explained to his uncle's questioning look, "Mark Rydell's sister Ginny is like that. She loves gay guys and she's nuts about me and Jason together. She's our number one fan. She had the rally for us on the square earlier this week."

"Then you understand what Maria was like," Uncle Ted said. "She was also a real looker and her dark Spanish beauty went well with Johnny's striking good looks. She kept our little secret because she wanted to be a part of it. From then on she was our best bud, always with us, always on Johnny's arm whenever there was an event to attend. It did him a lot of good socially. That was the era of Don't Ask Don't Tell. It was illegal to be gay in the military. With Maria hanging all over him, even home in the dorm, the rumors stopped. He got a reputation as a ladies' man. It made our lives a hell of a lot easier than things could've been."