Disclaimer: This is written by ChatGPT. If you don't like it, just look for another story. -- There are 5 parts to this story and it's a slow build. All characters are 18+.
Matthew came out of the kitchen carrying two bottles of beer, one in each hand. His T-shirt clung slightly to his chest from the heat, dark hair pushed back with a hand towel draped over his shoulder. The five o’clock shadow on his jaw caught the last orange glow of daylight.
“Figured it’s about time,” he said, offering one bottle to Finn. “You’re twenty-one now. Legally corruptible.”
Finn smirked, reaching for the beer. “Thanks. First one ever,” he said, tongue-in-cheek.
Matthew arched an eyebrow. “Right. Of course. Never touched the stuff.”
They clinked bottles. The gesture was casual, easy, but something passed between their eyes—something that had no name but had been there since day one. Matthew looked away first, settling into the chair beside Finn with a quiet grunt, stretching out his legs.
They drank in silence for a moment. The cicadas had started their nightly chorus, and a breeze stirred the trees just enough to keep the heat from sticking to their skin. Finn tilted the bottle to his lips, taking a slow sip. The beer was cold, crisp. His eyes flicked sideways to Matthew, watching him as he drank. The lines at the corners of Matthew’s eyes softened when he smiled, and the curve of his mouth was easy to read even when he wasn’t.
“You’ve grown up a bit since last summer,” Matthew said, not looking at him.
Finn raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“Just... different. Sharper. More settled. Not just the muscle,” he added, smirking. “Though there’s that too.”
Finn felt his face warm, and not just from the alcohol. “I’ve been working out. A little. Mostly walking to class.”
Matthew glanced over at him now. “Yeah? Whatever it is, it’s working.”
That was new. A compliment that sat right on the edge of something else. Finn wasn’t sure whether to brush it off or lean into it. So he just smiled and took another sip of his beer.
They sat like that for a while—just the two of them, a couple of feet apart, the silence increasingly less comfortable and more electric. Finn noticed the way Matthew’s shirt clung to his chest, damp where it curved around his collarbone, the shadow of hair visible through the fabric. He remembered how he used to find it awkward when they were left alone together. But lately, the awkwardness had turned into something else—curiosity, maybe. Or expectation.
“You miss it?” Matthew asked suddenly.
“College?”
Matthew nodded.
“Yeah,” Finn said. “Sometimes. But being home’s not bad either.”
Matthew gave a short laugh. “You mean being waited on hand and foot by Char.”
Finn smirked. “She likes having me back.”
“You both do,” Matthew said, eyes still on his bottle.
That line hovered between them for a second too long.
Finn turned to look at him. “You and my mom... you guys doing okay?”
Matthew looked over, eyes holding his for a moment. “We’re fine,” he said. “Marriage is... different than I expected. Char’s amazing. Just... busy.”
“Yeah, she’s always been like that,” Finn said. “It’s kind of her thing.”
Matthew nodded. Another sip of beer. Another pause.
“I don’t mind the quiet though,” he added. “Gives me time to get to know you.”
Finn blinked. “Me?”
Matthew’s gaze held steady now. “You’re not a kid anymore. It’s different now.”
There was something behind those words—something unspoken, but felt. Finn didn’t know what to say. The air between them was thick with tension, and not the kind that could be laughed off.
He cleared his throat. “Want another?”
Matthew stood. “I’ll grab them.”
As he walked back inside, Finn watched the way his body moved, the shirt clinging just enough to hint at the muscle beneath. The door swung shut behind him, and Finn let out a slow breath.
This summer was going to be different.
He could feel it.
Part 1: The First Beer
The back deck was bathed in a soft amber light as the sun slipped beneath the horizon. The air was warm, a quiet kind of warmth that came after a long summer day, when everything slowed down and even the trees seemed to hush. Finn sat back in one of the weathered wooden chairs, his legs stretched out, one bare foot resting on the edge of the table. He wore a loose gray T-shirt and shorts, his blonde hair still damp from a quick rinse in the outdoor shower after lying out earlier that afternoon. A faint line of freckles had started to reappear across his nose and cheeks.Matthew came out of the kitchen carrying two bottles of beer, one in each hand. His T-shirt clung slightly to his chest from the heat, dark hair pushed back with a hand towel draped over his shoulder. The five o’clock shadow on his jaw caught the last orange glow of daylight.
“Figured it’s about time,” he said, offering one bottle to Finn. “You’re twenty-one now. Legally corruptible.”
Finn smirked, reaching for the beer. “Thanks. First one ever,” he said, tongue-in-cheek.
Matthew arched an eyebrow. “Right. Of course. Never touched the stuff.”
They clinked bottles. The gesture was casual, easy, but something passed between their eyes—something that had no name but had been there since day one. Matthew looked away first, settling into the chair beside Finn with a quiet grunt, stretching out his legs.
They drank in silence for a moment. The cicadas had started their nightly chorus, and a breeze stirred the trees just enough to keep the heat from sticking to their skin. Finn tilted the bottle to his lips, taking a slow sip. The beer was cold, crisp. His eyes flicked sideways to Matthew, watching him as he drank. The lines at the corners of Matthew’s eyes softened when he smiled, and the curve of his mouth was easy to read even when he wasn’t.
“You’ve grown up a bit since last summer,” Matthew said, not looking at him.
Finn raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“Just... different. Sharper. More settled. Not just the muscle,” he added, smirking. “Though there’s that too.”
Finn felt his face warm, and not just from the alcohol. “I’ve been working out. A little. Mostly walking to class.”
Matthew glanced over at him now. “Yeah? Whatever it is, it’s working.”
That was new. A compliment that sat right on the edge of something else. Finn wasn’t sure whether to brush it off or lean into it. So he just smiled and took another sip of his beer.
They sat like that for a while—just the two of them, a couple of feet apart, the silence increasingly less comfortable and more electric. Finn noticed the way Matthew’s shirt clung to his chest, damp where it curved around his collarbone, the shadow of hair visible through the fabric. He remembered how he used to find it awkward when they were left alone together. But lately, the awkwardness had turned into something else—curiosity, maybe. Or expectation.
“You miss it?” Matthew asked suddenly.
“College?”
Matthew nodded.
“Yeah,” Finn said. “Sometimes. But being home’s not bad either.”
Matthew gave a short laugh. “You mean being waited on hand and foot by Char.”
Finn smirked. “She likes having me back.”
“You both do,” Matthew said, eyes still on his bottle.
That line hovered between them for a second too long.
Finn turned to look at him. “You and my mom... you guys doing okay?”
Matthew looked over, eyes holding his for a moment. “We’re fine,” he said. “Marriage is... different than I expected. Char’s amazing. Just... busy.”
“Yeah, she’s always been like that,” Finn said. “It’s kind of her thing.”
Matthew nodded. Another sip of beer. Another pause.
“I don’t mind the quiet though,” he added. “Gives me time to get to know you.”
Finn blinked. “Me?”
Matthew’s gaze held steady now. “You’re not a kid anymore. It’s different now.”
There was something behind those words—something unspoken, but felt. Finn didn’t know what to say. The air between them was thick with tension, and not the kind that could be laughed off.
He cleared his throat. “Want another?”
Matthew stood. “I’ll grab them.”
As he walked back inside, Finn watched the way his body moved, the shirt clinging just enough to hint at the muscle beneath. The door swung shut behind him, and Finn let out a slow breath.
This summer was going to be different.
He could feel it.