Puppy Love by Jeff Erno
I told before, there are some books I read, and even like, but that, sincerely are way over my level of comfort. The story of Petey, 19 years old boy who worships the same age jock Matt is one of them. If I was in Petey’s shoes, I couldn’t tolerate Matt’s attitude towards me, if I was Petey I would pretend from Matt to be treated with much more respect, if I was Petey I would love myself more… I, I, I… this is the point, I’m not Petey and what I like and want from a relationship apparently is not what Petey likes and wants. I can’t judge the book, and Petey, basing my judgment on how I’m, I have to try to understand Petey and his needs. Is it Matt wrong for him? Matt is good or bad for Petey?
When the story starts, Petey is a 19 years old boy, quite shy and not so much happy; I think he is still grieving from the loss of both his parents, and I don’t think the loss was faced in the right way. Oh yes, Petey has the love of an older sister, with whom he now lives, but probably he needed something more professional, like a grief counsellor. Plus, I think that, when the drama happened, Petey was also dealing with his personal emotional growth, he was starting to wonder his sexuality, and in a way, the drama abruptly stopped that growth, leaving him like suspended,
Basically Petey is a nice guy, but not a leader. He doesn’t feel like to be the one in command, he likes the feel to be protected and cherished. For this reason he was always attracted to the boys who, to his eyes, were stronger, and to his young eyes, stronger means bigger, and so, here it’s his attraction for the jock type. So when Matt enters his life, all jock attitude and quite self-assured, Petey is all over him. As I said at the beginning, I don’t think that Petey simply “loves” Matt, he “worships” Matt, Matt is the center of Petey’s universe. Petey is also totally innocent, he has never had a sexual relationship of any sort, and so, when Matt starts to “train” him to be his “pup”, Petey has not comparison, he can’t really understand if what he wants is really what Matt is giving him.
I think a good definition of Matt is “little Dom is growing”; basically Matt is not a bad guy since he is upfront with his faults: he is spoiled, he has too easy money, he has no trouble at all. And he knows it all. He has his life all planned in front of him, inheriting the family’s business, probably marrying in 10 years and so. What is Petey for him? Another “accessory”, another “toy”. Matt is not bad, he is not voluntarily a negative presence for Petey, but he does feel to be superior on Petey. I sincerely think he has not the maturity to be a Dom, basically since he is still too young and he has never once experienced how it is to be a submissive. With this attitude, I also feel that, when he will be tired of Petey, he will have no trouble at all to leave him, maybe even considering that he has done a favour to Petey being with him for the time past.
I also feel like to warn the reader on the sexual games Petey and Matt undertook in the story; I read pretty heavy stuff in my past experience, but what Petey and Matt did, I think to have only found hinted somewhere, but never actually read beforehand. I think the “mild” definition is watersports, and here you find plenty.
Often when I read a story with characters so young I wonder on the possibility that the story is a truly happily ever after: how many chances do have the characters to be really together forever and ever? In Matt and Petey’s case, if something doesn’t change, I don’t think it is possible. I really feel like Matt and Petey are still in a growing stage, Petey in his discovering of the gay scene, and Matt as a man; my feeling is that, sooner or later, Petey will pretend something more from Matt, and Matt will realize that he wants the 2.5 kids and a suburban home. On the other hand, maybe I’m too cinic, and Matt will instead realize how much a treasure Petey is and will do everything to not let him go.
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