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Mike raised an eyebrow as he looked over at Nancy, the both of them carrying watermelons in their arms as they walked up the stairs towards a building where he could hear music playing. It was the kind of music he knew his parents didn't like.
The kind of music his dad would call the devil's music if he heard it right at this moment.
"Exactly where are we headed?" Mike questioned as he looked over at his twenty-one year old sister, a girl he rarely saw much of now that she was off at Boston for college during the fall months.
Though she always came home every summer, after all, she'd never miss their family vacation to the Kellerman resort in the Catskills mountains of New York.
It was a tradition every summer and he knew Nancy loved it as much as he did. It was the only time that it seemed their parents were happy with each other and they could pretend at least for the summer that things were okay in their family.
They could pretend their parents loved each other and that nothing was wrong.
"It's just this place where the employee's hang out," Nancy answered with a small shrug. "Steve invited me along and I mean how could I not come?" she questioned with a smile and Mike wanted to roll his eyes at her words.
Of course Nancy would do anything that Steve wanted because Nancy had been infatuated with Steve since the summer she was sixteen. Though Mike wasn't sure Steve even noticed or realized that Nancy was infatuated with him.
If he did it didn't seem to stop him from flirting with all the daughters of guests here at the resort.
"And we're carrying watermelons, why?" Mike questioned with a bit of a whine to his voice but he couldn't help it. He was a known klutz and carrying watermelons as he went up the stairs was a damn feat for him.
He was surprised he hadn't fallen and dropped the one he was holding yet. Though he also hoped he didn't jinx himself with that thought. But well, that would be just his luck really.
"Steve asked if I could bring them when I came," Nancy answered like that, explained everything and Mike guessed in a way it sort of did.
Steve had asked and Nancy was the puppy always eager to please him.
"And because Steve asked, you just had to agree?" Mike asked though it was more of a statement than anything else.
Nancy shook her head at his words, "Yes, but you wouldn't understand why I do things for Steve," she said as they finally reached the top of the stairs and she stopped, looking at him with a look that he hadn't seen from her in a long time.
It was a look she gave him when she wanted an understanding from him. When she wanted him to know her just a bit better.
"Then why don't you tell me?" Mike asked her though he doubted she'd tell him. Even if she wanted an understanding from him he really doubted she'd be so open.
At least not right now as they walked with watermelons to a building whose music only seemed to get louder the closer they got.
Loud enough now that Mike could make out the words of the song playing. It was something about a Love Man. It was also something he'd probably get stuck in his head now too and he only hoped that on days when it was stuck in his head that he wasn't anywhere near his dad.
The last thing he needed was his dad lecturing him on the cons of listening to the devil's music.
Though Mike really liked the kind of music his dad called the devil's music. Mike thought it was some of the best music out there and it was one of the many reasons Mike would be glad once he graduated school and could leave his parents house like Nancy had.
Then he'd have his own freedom to do whatever he wanted. No more getting babied by either of his parents.
"It's hard to explain," Nancy sighed as she chewed on her lip briefly. "But I promise one of these days when we have a bit more time I'll do my best to explain," she said and Mike knew from her tone that she was being honest.
She indeed would find the time eventually to tell him what it was about Steve that made her act the way she did.
Though Mike still suspected it had something to do with love and feelings. All those emotions that even now at seventeen were confusing to him.
Feelings that he wasn't sure he'd ever get to feel because in the past year maybe he'd realized he didn't actually like girls. Not if his crush on Eddie Munson, a fellow senior at his high school and the leader of his DnD group was anything to go on.
Mike wasn't normal and well, of course that meant he'd never get to fall in love like Nancy and if he did he'd have to keep that love a secret.
It wasn't like he could announce to the world he was gay. Being gay wasn't the norm and he was likely not to be accepted.
He knew his father wouldn't accept him and while his mother might, she'd probably stay quiet on her acceptance so as to not make his father upset.
"Whatever Nance," Mike sighed as they finally made it to the building. "Just..I mean I don't dislike whatever loyalty you have to Steve and why. I guess I just don't see the appeal of Steve," he said before following Nancy into the building and as he did he found himself coming to a stop a few feet behind her as he became mesmerized by the sight around him.
Most of the people here he knew were staff members and most of the staff members were dancing to the music in ways he hadn't seen before. In ways where he was pretty sure they left no room for God, Jesus or the Holy Ghost between them and Mike couldn't help but swallow hard and blush at that realization.
He couldn't help but feel like maybe he was watching something really intimate and maybe he shouldn't be here for this. Maybe he should just deposit his watermelon off with Steve and his friends and leave.
But at the same time he wasn't sure he wanted to leave. Not when the scene in front of him while seeming intimate almost seemed free. Like no one here had a care in the world about what people thought of them or the way they danced.
Mike half wished he could let go of his cares and be able to dance like that. Even if it meant dancing with a guy because well in the end that was who he'd want to dance with.
Especially if he was dancing as close as these people were with someone. He'd rather it be a guy than a girl.
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Letting out a small sigh as he sat at a table away from the dance floor, Mike watched as his sister danced with Steve and he was half wondering why he didn't just leave already. He'd been here for an hour and all he'd done since getting here was deposit the watermelon with Steve and his friend Carol and then come to sit down at this table and continue watching as the people danced on the designated dance floor.
He wasn't sure why he was surprised when Nancy went to go dance with Steve. Not sure why he was surprised that Nancy was okay with dancing and moving her hips so close to Steve's but he was. He was surprised and he had the feeling that tonight probably wasn't the first time his sister had come to this place.
Mike suspected that all those times in the last few summer's when she would claim to be off with Barb, a friend she'd made here at the resort that maybe she really snuck to this place for employees. That she'd probably danced with Steve like she currently was dancing with him, far more times than Mike really wanted to know about.
Before he could stand to leave though, Mike heard someone sit down beside him and he turned his head, raising an eyebrow as he saw that he'd been joined at the table by another boy. Someone who had to be around his age.
Someone who Mike was sure he hadn't seen before and if they were a guest he was sure he'd have seen them. Most guests were families who came back every summer without fail and this boy well he wasn't among the kids of the regulars.
Nor had Mike really seen him with the staff either, though he was here in a building that was supposed to be for staff only. So obviously, he had to be staff just some of the staff who Mike knew stayed hidden. The ones who felt it was better to just do their work and not be seen by the guests at the resort.
"I'm Will," the boy who'd sat down beside him said and as he spoke Mike saw a smirk playing on the other boys lips and well fuck it seemed that smirk was enough to set Mike off kilter. Mainly because the smirk brought out the boy's beauty.
A beauty that hadn't been lost on Mike since the boy who he now knew was Will had sat down next to him.
"And I don't think I've seen you here before," Will continued in Mike's silence. "Are you an employee like the rest of us or one of Steve's friends who he lets sneak in?" he questioned and his words confirmed that apparently Nancy wasn't the only girl Steve let come to this building.
Though it seemed that for tonight she was the only one. She was the only one and Mike didn't have it in his heart to go over and ruin her happiness with that information.
"I carried a watermelon," Mike blurted out before he even had time to think over his words and once the words came out of his mouth he blushed, knowing that his words didn't answer what Will had asked nor did they make sense and Mike hated himself.
Hated how a cute boy could make him a bumbling mess. Make him forget everything it seemed, like how to talk or have proper conversations.
Will let out a small chuckle and his chuckle only made Mike's blush grow. "I'm going to guess you're a friend of Steve's he snuck in then," he said and well he was sort of right.
Mike was a friend by association thanks to his sister.
"Only by association," Mike clarified, still feeling somewhat dumb over his watermelon slip. "My sister is friends with Steve and she roped me into helping her bring..." he started but was stopped by Will.
"A watermelon," Will finished for him and all Mike did was nod his head. "So do you have a name Mr. I carried a watermelon?"
Mike blushed more as Will teased him about his slip and right at this moment he swore he wouldn't mind if the floor opened up and swallowed him whole.
"Mike," Mike answered and well at least it seemed his brain and mouth were both cooperating now.
Will nodded at his words as the smirk on his lips grew. "It's nice to meet you Mike," he said as he held his hand out and Mike took it, doing his best to ignore the way shaking Will's hand did something to him.
Doing his best to forget that he was acting like a schoolgirl with a crush. He didn't have a crush this fast, he just found Will attractive that was all.
That was all it had to be or otherwise this summer was going to be very hard on him.