It had been about a year since Mr. and Mrs. Stone divorced. Even though it was still a new development on paper, the two hadn’t been living as husband and wife for some time. Long enough that Logan didn’t even remember what it was like to have them in the same house.
Logan stayed with his mom all through school, wanting to stay in his familiar setting and be with his friends. It was hard on Mr. Stone, but he knew it was for the best. He missed having the close bond with his boy, but he always believed they’d make up for the lost time.
Then one summer came when everything changed…
Logan’s mom was having a hard time being a single mom. Especially after Logan got into some fights, she needed a break and for Mr. Stone to start playing a more active role. After all, the two hadn’t spent more than a few consecutive days together since Logan was in middle school.
They’d become somewhat estranged, but of course Mr. Stone was happy to take in his son. The first day was a bit weird. Logan had yet to visit his old man’s new house in the country. It was bigger and more open than he was used to. He didn’t really know what to do to fill his time, but Mr. Stone made sure that Logan couldn’t get into trouble.
Before the young man had even fully unpacked, Mr. Stone explained that there would be strict rules while he was there. And that he was expected to do his chores and help out around the house.
Logan wasn’t expecting to be on vacation, necessarily, but he was surprised by his dad’s tone. It wasn’t the familiar, soft voice he remembered. Mr. Stone was talking to him like a man, like an adult.
For Mr. Stone, this was understandable. His natural increase in muscle mass was one of the first things Mr. Stone noticed. Somewhere over the last few years, Logan had sprung up about 6 inches and added a significant amount of mass to his body. Mr. Stone even thought he saw a five o’clock shadow beginning to emerge.
It caught him off guard, and also filled him with a sense of pride that his boy was becoming a man. Despite having missed out on some quality time with him as a boy, Mr. Stone felt more comfortable approaching him as a man.
The day was coming to a close and Mr. Stone told Logan to mow the lawn. Logan did so, happy to get some time alone and to think. Mr. Stone watched from the window. First to make sure that he was doing it correctly and not going over any of his plants. But as he continued to study him, Mr. Stone became more fascinated by the new man he saw…
When Logan came back in, he was exhausted and sweaty, needing a break from the intense summer heat. There was hardly a breeze and the lawn was massive. Mr. Stone looked up from his book, seeing the dripping young man before him, and happily offered him a seat next to him in the air conditioned room.
He could tell Logan was working hard, so he instinctively leaned over to massage the deltoids of his son and asked playfully, he thought when Logan put on so much muscle. For Mr. Stone, it happened overnight, but for Logan, it was hard to say exactly when this change had occurred. His arms were thickening into those of a man’s, but his round eyes and clean expression still carried with it the innocence of youth.
Logan shrugged, embarrassed. It was very paternal and sweet for him to say it, but he still felt like a stranger around him. Mr. Stone sensed his son’s embarrassment, paused, and turned his eyes back to his novel. He figured the young man didn’t want that kind of attention. He remembered how he was at that age. But before he got a line into his book, his concern was replaced with intrigue.
“Don’t stop,” Logan pleaded under his breath. It was the first time anyone had touched him like that… and he didn’t want it to end.