A SUMMER IN THE FARM PART II

BETWEEN COCKY TEASE AND HIMBO SMILES

“Noooo shiiiiiit!” Mark exclaimed, clutching his head from the bedroom door, surprised to see Kyle and Jeremy cuddled together on the mattress.

The two friends woke up; Kyle slowly lifted his head from the pillow, and Jeremy from his chest, both of them blinking heavily at the daylight filling the room.

At Mark´s guffaws, leaning on the wall, Jeremy attempted to pull away, but Kyle´s arm remained firm around him. Jeremy checked Kyle´s face out and met a drowsy but imperturbable smile.

With their friend´s noisy laughter still around, Kyle kissed Jeremy on the temple—a moment that Kyle used to whisper, “Just follow my lead.” Then, at a normal volume, he said, “Jam, baby, did you sleep well with your daddy Kyle? Mhm?” His voice was full of a playful, mellow tone as he patted Jeremy´s shoulder.

Jeremy mimicked his mood and answered, “Oh yeah, I´ve never spent a better night!” and rested his head on Kyle´s chest with an exaggerated expression of happiness.

Mark, still laughing, said, “C’mon, guys, you´re not fooling me with your jokes! What´s going on here?” His gaze shifted between Kyle and Jeremy, expecting an answer.

Kyle, with a serious face, looked at Jeremy, “Jam, there´s no point in hiding it anymore. I think we should just tell him the truth.”

Jeremy replied, “I think you´re right. Let´s tell him.”

Kyle looked back at Mark and said, “Are you sure you’re not gonna get pissed at us?”

Mark reacted impatiently, “C´mon, tell me!”

Kyle insisted with a warning tone, “It´s just that you might not feel comfortable anymore changing clothes around us … or sharing a room with us.”

”Fuck, stop messing around!” Mark urged his friends, “ What are you up to, guys?” he asked with an amused smirk, clearly guessing what was going on.

Kyle finally said in a resigned tone, “Jam came to my room at night cause … your feet stink like hell, man.”

“What?!” Mark asked, surprise and anger painted on his face. “That’s not true, you assholes!”

Kyle exploded in thunderous laughter, mouth wide open and eyes widened. “HAHAHA, he’s already pissed off, Jam!"

"Hahaha, and you snore like crazy," Jeremy added. "No biggie — I can always plug my ears with cotton, but where am I supposed to find a gas mask?"

"Mark, trying to get back at Kyle for the embarrassment, said, 'And you two need to sleep all cuddled up like some lovey-dovey couple?!"

Kyle, with his teasing, indelible smile, answered, “Man, can’t you see I take up the whole mattress? I have to hold Jam, or he’ll fall off the bed.” Then Kyle said to Jeremy, “Jam, I think this guy got marked by Brokeback Mountain — he gets hot way too easily!”

Mark shook his head and threw up his hands in exasperation. “Whatever. I’ve had enough of you, clowns!”

“Already?” Kyle asked with a mock expression of disbelief as he checked the time on his phone. “Well, it’s only nine-thirty in the morning, man!”

“And you two,” Mark said, pointing at them with a rigid gesture, “you’re gonna end up married!” Then he left the room, hearing Kyle’s last joke echo down the hall: “Don’t go mad, Mark. We’ll let you be our flower girl!” followed by his and Jeremy’s laughter. 

Mark, Alfred, and Bertha were already sitting at the table when Kyle and Jeremy, joking and laughing, went downstairs to the kitchen, making a merry fuss.

“Look at the two of them, Alfred!” Bertha said, “Happier than two little brothers on Christmas morning!”

Alfred took a sip from his coffee. “Yeah, they are!” Then the old man looked at Mark, “And you, Mark, why the long face? Oh my! I can tell you must be the one they’re pulling your leg.”

Kyle and Jeremy, already seated and serving sausages and toasted bread from the platters, shared a playful glance and held back giggles so they wouldn’t spit out their food.

Bertha spread some jam on his toast. “We all know Kyle is a full-blown goofball. Has he given you so much of a ‘hard time’, Mark? Haha”

Mark just said, “Better keep quiet so I don’t give clown Kyle and his ‘minion’ any chance to keep messing around,” and served himself some sausages.

After a fresh wave of repressed giggles, Kyle swallowed to clear his throat and said, “You know us too well, man!” Then he gave Mark a friendly slap on the shoulder and said with enthusiasm, “But c’mon now, dude! Are you really gonna keep that sour face with such a great breakfast?” Kyle reached out one of the platters to Mark. “Look at these scrambled eggs, check out that orangey color—try them!”

Just the first bite put Mark in the right mood, who said, “That´s the only reason I´m gonna put up with you these days! It tastes amazing, Bertha!”

The woman smiled softly at Mark and explained, “Just one of our quail eggs here has more substance than a whole carton of hen eggs from any supermarket. That’s why it has that orangy color, dear.” Then Bertha smiled at Jeremy, “Do you like them too, darling?”  

“Oh, yeah,” Jeremy said, picking up his next forkful, “it tastes amazing!”

Kyle wrapped his arm around Jeremy’s narrow shoulders and said, “And that’s a good reason to thank my auntie and uncle with one of your great impersonations!”

Jeremy got frozen.

Kyle insisted, “C’mon, buddy. You’re enjoying the best breakfast in the world, thanks to them. Are you gonna be naughty and let the nicest people you could ever hope to meet miss it?”

Bertha, Alfred, and Mark couldn’t help but chuckle at Kyle’s playful extortion. Bertha, noticing Jeremy’s growing blush, said in a gentle, reassuring voice, ‘Kyle, let Jeremy enjoy his breakfast; he can do it later if he wants.”

“Yeah, Jeremy”, Alfred backed up his wife with a friendly smirk, “Don´t pay attention to this lunatic.”

But Kyle just kept pushing his little friend with lighthearted annoyance, 'Aww, look at that cute face of yours, you’re already red as a tomato. Well, in your case, a cherry tomato,' Kyle added, making a small pinch gesture with his thumb and index finger. 'Haha. So red and so tiny!"

Jeremy began fiddling with his hair and looking down, as if trying to hide his blush from everyone. Bertha and Alfred, doing their best to stifle their laughter—according to the sternness their age demanded—and despite their genuine anticipation for Jeremy’s impersonation, they insisted that Kyle stop. Meanwhile, Mark’s chuckles echoed in the background.

But Kyle didn´t give up, “You know me already, Jam, haha! I won´t stop til you do it. You choose, man! One minute of C3po, or you can prolong your suffering!” Kyle reached out to give Jeremy a gentle pinch on the neck and let out an exaggerated, affectionate "Aaaaiiiiiiiii! My sweet little cherry tomato! Haha, so cute and tiny, I could just eat him up!”

Jeremy remained stiff for a few seconds, then slowly stood up, looking at Kyle with meek resignation.  

Mark said with playful disbelief, “Jam, man! I had to wait weeks for you to mimic C-3PO for me, and you're gonna do it for them right away?!"

Jeremy stumbled over his words, 'Well… uh… anyway… You know what? I’m gonna do the clown from It—that one’s new for you too, and I did it for Kyle just yesterday."

Given Jeremy’s occasional tendency to take things literally—and his urge to ease his friend’s mock indignation—Bertha and Alfred couldn’t help but join Mark and Kyle in their laughter, making Jeremy’s performance even funnier before it had even begun. That, combined with the surprise of seeing such a shy boy burst into lively mimicry, turned those few seconds into a rare moment of pure joy. Right after, Jeremy quickly retreated into his usual quiet reserve.

His audience was shaking with laughter and praising his impersonation when Kyle leaned toward Jeremy and wrapped him in a tight hug—his way of apologizing for the ‘awful’ push. Jeremy’s small smile peeked out between his hunched shoulders and Kyle’s chest, aware that, more than anyone, Kyle found a kind of irresistible cuteness in his shyness and vulnerability—one that just made him want to tease him all the more, and always with affection.

“Haha, oh my, Jeremy,” Bertha said, “You’ve got more patience than a saint putting up with such a pesky friend! You deserve heaven, honey.”

They were halfway through breakfast when Alfred, already buried in his newspaper, tapped one of the columns with his index finger. “Look at this, Bertha,” he said, then read aloud: “Government recommends eating insects due to their smaller environmental impact compared to other livestock.”

Kyle chuckled, grabbing a slice of toast, already bracing for Bertha’s outrage- “Not on our farm... not in my kitchen!” the old woman snapped, shaking her head.

Alfred grumbled. “This smells like another way for the government to squeeze a few more pennies out of us.”

Spreading butter with a playful grin, Kyle added, “You bet! Pretty soon, we’ll need a hunting license just to squash a cockroach with a slipper. Big game hunting!”

Jeremy followed up, “And if your slipper’s not regulation—only flat soles allowed! Grooved soles might cause unnecessary suffering. That’s a $600 fine!” He went on, “Things are really gonna change. Right now, at a restaurant, someone goes: Hey, there’s a fly in my soup! But soon it’ll be: Hey, why does that guy have a fly in his soup and I don’t?”

Kyle and Jeremy kept telling joke after joke on the occasion of the press article, having fun and making the whole table laugh.

Mark shook his head at the farmers. “Haha, these clowns just love to say silly things at the slightest chance!”

Kyle tapped Mark on the shoulder. “Man, what are you complaining about? You laugh your head off around us all the time, dude! Haha.”

Alfred said, “Well, it seems shy Jeremy finally loosened up!”  

“Sure did!” Kyle confirmed. “See, Jam, after I gave you a hard time with my jokes to get you to do that Pennywise impression, now you’re finally out of your shell. I only give you those little ‘pushes’ for your own good, haha”.

The breakfast continued on the same good-mood note until Kyle polished off all th the scrambled eggs, sausages, crispy bacon, and golden hash browns from all the platters.

Kyle stood up, rubbing his torso up and down with both hands. “All packed on!” His T-shirt rolled up randomly, unintentionally, while his plaid pajama pants slipped down carefreely under his hips, exposing his full, bloated belly.

“Good boy!” Alfred said. “You’re gonna show Mick and his friends who’s boss when you see them again.”  

The empty plates clanked as Bertha stacked them. “Kyle, stay out of trouble, okay?”

Alfred insisted, “Relax, Bertha. Those bicker boys are good guys. They just like big boys’ games — competitive eating like at Bob’s last summer. Some arm wrestling, burp contests, and stuff like that.”

“I’m always down for big boys’ games, uncle! And me, the mighty Thor, I´m gonna crush those giants!” He impulsively raised his arms to the ceiling and then flexed his guns in a passionate double-biceps pose. “Right, Jam?!” His T-shirt stuck across the bulk of his chest, unable to drop back into place.

Jeremy didn’t answer right away. He just looked at him—eyes bright, lips parted in a little smile—taking it all in, as if he didn’t want to miss a single second. Then he nodded a soft, “Yeah, yeah, hehe!”

Kyle just stood there, holding the pose for his friend. A warm smile, meant only for Jeremy, bloomed across Kyle’s face; he tilted his head, soaking in Jeremy’s quiet adoration.

Jeremy’s gaze drifted from Kyle’s huge biceps to his belly for a brief second—then back to his face, like he’d caught himself staring.

Kyle smiled, catching the glance, “Looks like the stuffed belly’s here, right, Jem?” and let out a low chuckle, “Kinda comes with the whole package.” He gave a couple of easy thudding belly-pats, “Only huge cheat meals every day make muscles this huge. That´s what we’re talking about, Jem.” 

Alfred chuckled, shaking his head, “Aye … that one´s sure soaked up the whole thing of feeding up a good bull to fatten him up massive, haven´t he, Jeremy?”

Bertha patted Jeremy´s shoulder, “And it looks like this post-meal muscle show was all for you, his favourite admirer! Hehe”

With breakfast finished and the table cleared, the playful energy of the morning gave way to the day’s farm tasks and errands. Everyone agreed that Mark and Jeremy would drive to town to buy household supplies, while Kyle, Alfred, and Bertha would stay back to finish some farm chores—including milking the cows.

“I’m stunned, Kyle!” Bertha said as she watched her boy milking one of the cows. “We got Dolly just a few days ago, and you’re doing really well with her!”

Bertha sat down next to another cow. They both continued milking in silence for a few minutes, accompanied by the animals' chewing and the occasional sound of their bells as they shook their heads. Then Bertha asked with a knowing smile, “So, you’re having fun with your friends now that you’ve finally met up after so long, huh, sweetie?”

Kyle chuckled. “Oh yeah, I’m definitely making up for lost time. Just catching up on playing pranks on my bros — giving them all the hard time I didn’t get last year!”

“Even so, they still come around. Haha, you can tell they really like you. But they don´t like the type of boys who hang around your parents´ country club.”

“Those aren’t my friends, Auntie,” Kyle replied with a tone of detachment. “If my family had less money, they’d just turn their backs on us.”

Bertha confirmed his words with conviction, “I believe you.”

Kyle said, “Jam can’t even tell the most popular luxury car brands apart, and Mark can’t stand bougie people, so it’s clear to me they’re my true pals.”

Bertha agreed, “I get what you mean, sweetie; Jeremy doesn’t care what you have; luxuries don’t catch his attention. And to Mark, being bougie is more about being conceited than about how much money someone has.” Then she added, “But you’ve barely told me about them. How did you come to know them?”

Kyle put down the bucket he had just filled and placed a new one under the cow. “Since my father works at a public college, he wanted me to go to public school. In a way, he means he values the community he’s part of. That’s where I met Mark. We’ve been friends since we were kids. Jam’s family moved to Detroit, and I met him in high school, so I only got to know him a couple of years ago, but in that short time, he’s shown me a lot.”

Bertha stated, “For someone as shy as Jeremy, moving to a new city must have been really hard.”  

Kyle chuckled, “Haha, our friends always say I’ve adopted him. Yeah, at first, Jam would lock himself away in the classroom during recess.”  

Bertha said, “Poor little thing. Good thing he has you — or like you said, you adopted him.”  

“Yeah, it sounds like a joke, but the truth is I taught Jam how to swim properly, took him to his first ever electro party… Man, I remember he was all stiff, just standing there like a lamppost. I had to drag him into the crowd with me—Five minutes later, he was jumping and dancing with his arms up, like he’d been doing it forever—He lost all his shame dancing with me. Kyle gave a fond smirk, “And that weekend trip to the coast? First time he went anywhere without adults. Just us. I think that’s when he realized he could actually breathe on his own.” He paused a second, then added, “And yeah, I also taught him how to deal with any asshole trying to mess with him.” Kyle chuckled as if his last words had triggered some funny memory. 

Bertha, without stopping milking her cow, smiled at Kyle with raised eyebrows, anticipating a funny story. Kyle straightened up on his stool for a second, ran his hand through his hair, and wiped his forehead, getting ready to share his anecdote about Jeremy as he continued working with his cow, which went something like this:

On the way to the padel courts, Preston stopped to refuel the almost empty tank of his Audi. When he got out at the gas station, he said to Kyle, Mark, and Jeremy, who stayed inside the car, “Guys, I’m gonna hit the restroom. Jam, if you need to take a leak, wait until I get back—I don’t want you staring at me... By the way, when are you gonna have that surgery to become a woman?”

Jeremy just shrank back, unsure of what to say, but Kyle was quick to reply, “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that, man. You’re not the only guy in the world. Besides, Jam’s a boy with exquisite taste; if he likes men, he’ll never look your way,” he said, nodding with mock dismay and a sly smirk.

Preston blinked with a lost gaze before leaving with an uncomfortable feeling of vague irritation at Mark´s and Kyle's chuckles in the background.

Kyle turned to Mark and Jeremy, who were in the back seat, “Jam, next time someone comes up to you with an attitude, don´t get dazzled, and you don´t even need to get pissed off either, like hothead Mark. Just show you don´t give a shit, and if you can turn the tables just like I did, even better.

Jeremy tried to excuse himself, “But … but I wasn´t sure if he was insulting me or if he was just kidding.”

Kyle insisted with a knowing smile, “You don’t need to know that, Jam! You’re just joking, and if someone gets upset, that’s their problem! By the way, Jam, you know we’re in an Audi, right?”

“An Audi?” Jam wondered.  

“This car brand, man! It’s a luxury one, expensive!” Kyle explained, “But you’ll see Preston won’t spend more than five bucks on petrol, haha.”

Mark laughed in response, too. Jeremy’s gaze shifted between his two friends with a strange look. At that moment, Mark said, “Preston and his family act like they’re rolling in cash, but they’re kinda broke. You’ll see, Jam.”

And that is how it happened. When Preston got in after refueling and started the engine, Kyle turned his head back at Jeremy, pointing with mocking eyes at the gas meter, which barely moved. Then, Jeremy leaned forward and said to the driver, “Preston, about that transsexual stuff — I expect someone like you to be respectful toward transgender people.”

Preston asked, “Like me? What do you mean?”

“Well,” Jeremy explained, “just like there are men who think they’re women, you’re a broke-ass guy who thinks he’s a tycoon. And yet, we still love and respect you.”

Bertha burst out laughing at the rhythm of his hand slapping her thigh, “Hahahaha, Jeremy just said that right to Preston´s face?”

“Yeaaaah! Hahaha”, Kyle confirmed, “and then he asked me like nothing, with that innocent little voice of his, ‘Like that, Kyle?’ Hahaha. But Jam´s slips are even funnier!”

“Really?” Bertha asked, eager to hear some.

“Yeah!” Kyle answered, “Jam sometimes tends to take things literally. One time, Jam had a problem with his high school basketball uniform and showed up with another outfit, so our coach sent him to the principal’s office. When Jem came back, Mark and I asked him how it was, and he went, ‘Fine! The principal was very nice to me!’ and I said, ‘Seriously?’, because our principal is a real pain, and Jam went, ‘Yeah, he told me that this is not the school uniform, so they’re gonna notify my parents and take measures; they’re gonna make a uniform that fits me just right! Isn’t that cool?’ Our coach expelled Mark and me from the training ‘cause we couldn’t stop laughing.”

Bertha shook her head, laughing. “Haha, oh my, Kyle! What a funny character your Jeremy is! I laughed so much when he mimicked the clown from ‘It’. I’m so glad he’s made more friends through you since moving to your city.”

Then Kyle stopped milking his cow and rested his elbows on his knees. His cheerful expression turned into a serious one. Looking at the ground, and said, “Yeah. But ever since I left Detroit, no more impersonations have come from him.”

“You three are very good friends, but the friendship between you and Jeremy is something very special.” The woman spoke in a tone that suggested she was well aware of the nature and depth of their bond.

Kyle straightened up and looked at her with a smile of curiosity. “Oh, yeah? Why? What do you mean?”

Bertha turned to milk her cow and answered, “You know very well, sweetie. Your Jeremy is the kind of friend who always sticks by your side, no matter where you go. He never takes your jokes and antics the wrong way, and he never gets tired of applauding and admiring you every time you play around and show off—even if you did it all day. Jeremy would follow you blindly to the ends of the earth.”

A confirmatory smile spread across Kyle’s face as Bertha went on, “And you’re really glad you found him. Jeremy’s funny slip-ups, his unusual talents, and his unique way of seeing things have always helped you get through the daily grind of high school — which you’ve always hated.”

“That´s so true, Auntie”, Kyle admitted, “History class was so damn unbearable to me! Our teacher mostly just read from the textbook. Jeremy and I used to sit in the back, and he’d draw awesome caricatures of whoever I asked for. It made the hour fly by! He’s just so good at drawing people—you’ll see when he draws you!"

"And even though you’re the only one he feels comfortable with and has such fun, I’m sure he’s never been clingy or demanding with you—he understands you, he cares for you, and you actually feel free around him."

Bertha fixed her eyes on Kyle’s, as if silently asking for confirmation... The boy shook his head and replied, “Jam never did."

“Jeremy is so selfless, he’s simply incapable of being even the slightest bit possessive with the person he adores most — and in such a genuine way.”

Kyle then said in a thoughtful tone, “Selfless... genuine adoration... freedom … plus lots of fun. That kinda sounds like true love to me!” he added with a soft chuckle.

Bertha raised her palms, “I didn’t say that, sweetie.”

Kyle shrugged, “Just kidding, Auntie. People like Mark say Jam has a crush on me, but whatever—it´s a joke to me.”

Then Bertha asked, “And has no one ever said that you are the one with a crush on him?”

Kyle let out a noisy laugh, which we couldn’t tell if it was natural or forced, and said, “Haha, yeah… the girls I hook up with and then blow off when they try to tie me down—they’re the ones who end up the craziest for me and come up with the dumbest shit” Then Kyle turned his face to Bertha, “But why do you ask?” Looking into her eyes as if he wanted to read the true intention behind her question in them.

“For nothing, sweetie,” Bertha answered, nodding casually. “I expected some jealous people to say that.” Then she flicked her cow to move, got up with her bucket full of milk, walked over to Kyle, and rested her hand on his shoulder. “That bond between you and Jeremy is really something special.” 

Kyle just stayed silent, following Bertha with his eyes as she disappeared around the corner of the barn. Then, a few moments before leaving, he pondered what interpretation he should give to her words.

At midday, Kyle had his snack after Bertha confirmed she wouldn’t spare either him or Mark from their punishment of no apple pie for dessert at lunch.  

Enjoying his sandwich and sitting with Gus in the cool shade of the apple tree, Kyle, triggered by his earlier chat with Bertha, recalled the years he’d shared with Jeremy ever since moving to Detroit.

Ever since they met in high school and from the very moment Kyle 'adopted' him, Jeremy was never heard to say ‘no’ whenever Kyle hit him up to hang out, no matter the plan. And Jeremy was never seen with a bothered face whenever Kyle played a joke on him, no matter how annoying.

Jeremy’s unconditional availability and the meekness with which he dealt with Kyle’s cheeky, joker temperament had always fueled the buzz among friends, classmates, and acquaintances. Some saw signs of a poorly concealed love in Jeremy’s behavior—a love confirmed to them when Jeremy’s funnier version faded away after Kyle’s departure, like a moon losing her will to shine, turning invisible without her main sun.

Nonetheless, it wasn´t until his last conversation with Bertha that Kyle took any of these rumors seriously, if only for a moment; It was the first time someone credible suggested to him he was the one in love with Jeremy and not the other way around— someone like Bertha, who was not any of those many girls speaking out of spite towards Kyle´s indifference for their commitment desire. For a fleeting instant, Kyle contemplated the possibility that—while he may not have been fallen in love with Jeremy yet—that shy, simple boy was the one furthest along the path toward his heart, moving at a slow but steady pace, ahead of all those frustrated girls who never got a single fiber of his being to respond to love, despite having offered their favors to him.

Kyle chuckled and took a big bite of his sandwich, shaking his head with a mix of amusement and disbelief at his momentary credulity in even considering the idea. He tore off a piece of his sandwich and tossed it to Gus, who caught it mid-air. “You know your buddy always shares his food with you,” Kyle said while chewing. “So what do you think, Gus? Is Auntie losing her marbles, or did she get too much sun today?”

To be continued.