I wish to retain all rights to this story. However, I am delighted to grant permission to any person to publish this story as long as there is no charge to the reader and as long as no changes are made to the story.

Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.

SEA CHANGE

CHAPTER 35 — Gay Like Me

By suppertime Saturday afternoon, I had finished one paper and made excellent progress on my next short story for Tom. I had eaten little all day, but I was dead-tired of dorm food.

I thought about Daniel on his field trip, probably eating meals out. I thought about him doing Sammy and I was resentful that the only gay guy I even knew of in San Antonio was a busboy who worked at the Tower of the Americas restaurant; and I wasn’t even sure about him.

I was hungry and I was horny, and I decided that I was in the mood to treat myself. I’d jerk off later to take care of the horny part, but in the meantime I could at least treat myself to a good meal. And as important as it was to save my money to buy Daniel’s ear stud, I needed the break.

It was already close to 6:00 PM, so I drove the short distance to Broadway where there were several trendy restaurants and decided on a nice looking Italian one.

A couple with a teenage son entered the restaurant just ahead of me, and then I held the door open for an elderly couple before going in myself. The family with the teenage son was talking to one of the two hostesses as I let the door close behind me. Both of the hostesses were good looking young girls.

There was a third host, a guy. He was short with a small face and a thick head of black hair. He had creamy-white skin and very large, very wide-set eyes. At first glance, those eyes and his fine features made him look no older than sixteen or seventeen, but studying him, I decided he was probably closer to twenty. His hair had a wet look that, until then, I had only seen in magazine ads. It gave him a certain elegance, despite his short stature.

His eyes were on the teenage son of the couple in front of me. One hostess led the family in to be seated while the second hostess approached the elderly couple. The eyes of the young host followed the butt of the family’s teenage son. Only after the family turned a corner did his eyes return to his desk. That was when he noticed me. I was smiling right at him. He turned red. I flashed him a thumbs up that the couple and hostess ahead couldn’t see. He looked down at his desk, blushing scarlet.

I knew there had to be other gays in San Antonio. I decided I had just found one. Finally!

The elderly couple followed their hostess into the dinning room and it was my turn to approach the desk. The young host had recovered well and looked up at me with a smile. “One for dinner, sir?”

“Yes,” I smiled down at him and read his nametag. “Michael.” Our eyes met briefly. His were dark and intelligent. He had long lashes and fine eyebrows. And for a brief moment, we gazed into each other’s eyes. His pupils dilated like a guy’s do when he’s looking at someone he finds attractive. I’m sure my pupils dilated too.

“Follow me, please,” he said after swallowing hard.

Under his black dress pants Michael had a bubble butt, nicely rounded, and I enjoyed watching it as he led me to a booth at the rear of the restaurant. I sat down, and Mike laid a menu down on the table in front of me. “Your server will be Brian,” he said. “He’ll be right with you.”

“By the way, my name is Sean,” I said as he turned to leave. “Thank you, Mike.”

He paused and smiled. I smiled. I decided that I liked Mike. Especially when he blushed again. It might be fun to get to know him; to get to know another gay guy close to my age and so close to Trinity.

As Mike left, Brian walked up to introduce himself. He was an outgoing, thirtyish, guy with a friendly smile. He asked what I would like to drink. “Water,” I said.

Brian brought my water as Mike led a couple to a table just past mine. He glanced quickly my way. I smiled. He blushed.

“A great looking guy like you shouldn’t be eating by himself,” Brian said.

I shrugged. “Been studying all day.”

“School?” he asked.

“Yeah, Trinity,” I answered.

Mike came back past our table. A couple of menus slipped from his hands and he bent from the waist to pick them up. My eyes went to his ass. As he was picking up the menus, he glanced back up at me and caught where I was staring. It was my turn to blush. He smiled.

“You’re close to here then,” Brian said, leaning against the booth. “Living in a dorm?”

I glanced back up at Brian and nodded. Mike left.

“Don’t study so hard,” Brian encouraged. “Get a girlfriend and bring her here. Girls love this place; it’s romantic… Oh well,” he said, pushing off the side of the booth. “Guess I better take your order.”

The meal was pleasant. Brian was a friendly guy, though he visited with me less as more of the supper crowd arrived. The food was good and I took my time. I enjoyed watching Mike lead people to their tables. Every time he did, he swung by my table on the way back to the front desk; our eyes would meet, he would blush, and we exchanged smiles. It became a game.

I tried to think of a good way to really meet him, at least to talk.

When I had almost finished eating, Mike stopped at my table. He was blushing again. “I heard you tell Brian that you’re new to San Antonio.”

I nodded.

Mike cleared his throat. “I could show you around a little.” He was turning violently red and looked down at his shoes. “I get off at nine.”

He was so shy that I wouldn’t have wanted to let him down even if I didn’t want to meet him. I waited until he lifted his eyes back to mine and then smiled. “Can I meet you here?”

Mike smiled back happily and nodded. He touched my forearm and left. Brian, coming up with my bill, had observed the interchange. “You really need to be careful with that dazzling smile, guy,” he said with a chuckle. “Little Michael there is a fairy. He’s probably got a crush on you now.”

I laughed. “Well I’m a fairy, too. That’d be fine with me.”

“Whoa,” Brian said, stepping back. “You sure as hell don’t look… gay.” He studied me, then glanced over at Michael who was standing at the host desk. “Well, Michael is a shy guy. If you’re interested, you’ll have to do the asking.”

“Actually,” I said, taking the bill he held out, “he’s already asked me.”

Brian’s jaw dropped, then he grinned. “Gotta be that smile of yours. I bet you melt girls with that thing.”

I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter.”

When I left, Mike was busy with arriving customers. He smiled and waved quickly.

I pulled back into the restaurant parking lot shortly before nine and waited on one of the benches out front. It was much closer to 9:30 than 9:00 when Michael walked out. He looked bummed until he saw me. His face brightened immediately. “I thought you decided not to come.”

“Sorry,” I said. “Guess I should have leaned in to let you know I was here.”

Michael sat down beside me. “It wouldn’t have made a difference. They only just now let me off. It’s been sort of busy.”

Brian must have worked the same shift. He came out of the front door and recognized me as he was walking past. He laughed. “So that’s why Mike here was so nervous tonight.” He winked. “You guys have a good night.”

I could tell Michael was blushing, even in the dark. “Do you have a car?” he asked. “I walked.”

“Yeah, I have a Bronco. You live close by?”

“Yeah, a couple of guys and I live in a small house just up the street. If you take me by to change clothes real quick, I’d be glad to show it to you. I know you ate earlier, but I can fix us a snack, too. Then we can go out and I’ll show you around San Antonio.”

“Do you want to go out?” I asked. “Because honestly, I’d probably be just as happy to sit and visit with you and your friends. I don’t know any other gay guys in town yet, and it’d be nice to just let my hair down.”

“Seriously?” he asked.

“Yep, seriously.” I slapped his knee and got up, “Come on. I’ll drive us.”

“Sean?” he asked, catching up, “Can I ask, uh...”

“What?”

“What’s wrong with your leg? Why do you use a cane?”

“I’d say I was in a fight over my lover, but it wasn’t much of a fight.”

Michael’s eyes widened. “Over a guy lover or a girl?”

“Over my boyfriend,” I said.

Michael looked stunned. “I never heard of two guys fighting over a guy before,” he said. “Sometimes, all three just go to bed together.”

“I’m not sure that would have had any fewer complications,” I chuckled mirthlessly. “The guy I fought wasn’t the sharing kind.”

We reached the Bronco. I unlocked the passenger door and walked around to the driver’s side. Michael leaned over from his seat and unlocked my door before I could.

“Thanks,” I said getting in.

“So the other guy won, huh?” Michael asked. “Did you lose your lover?”

“No, he’s still my lover. His name is Daniel, and he goes to UT.”

I started the Bronco and Michael guided me out of the parking lot and down the street, then over two blocks. “There it is; the white stucco. Just pull up in front.”

As I pulled to a stop alongside the curb, Michael turned to me. Even in the dark, he looked flushed. “So like, you have a boyfriend already?”

I switched off the ignition and turned to face him. “Yeah,” I said, honestly. “Daniel and I have been lovers since we were sixteen. We’ll always be lovers. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t need friends; gay friends. I don’t know a single other gay guy in town.” I cocked an eyebrow. “And it doesn’t mean that Daniel and I don’t get it on with other guys, because we do… sometimes.”

He studied me a moment and he looked disappointed. With a sigh, he turned away. “How old are you now?” he asked.

“Eighteen.”

He nodded. “You didn’t look any older.”

“How old are you?” I asked.

“Twenty-two,” he said.

My mouth dropped. “You look a lot younger,” I said.

He shook his head. “Yeah, well, I’ve thought of growing a beard to look older.” Without looking at me, he opened his door. “Come on inside he said.” But then he stopped, just as he was about to step out. “But don’t expect anything to happen.” He glanced back at me. “You’ve already got a boyfriend.”

“Would you rather I not come in?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No, of course not. I’d still like to be friends, too. OK?”

“Sure,” I said. I smiled, but I was a little disappointed. I was honest about being happy to just be friends. But I had thought that I found my Sammy; one much classier than Daniel’s. And I would have enjoyed that. Michael was hot.

I followed him up to the concrete porch and stopped when he paused with his hand on the door. He turned toward me, his eyes down. “If you really want to be friends,” he said. “I’d like that.”

“I really do,” I said. As much as I would enjoy having almost any gay friend in town, I found myself particularly interested in friendship with Mike. His shyness in a twenty-two year old guy intrigued me. His reluctance to get it on with me because I had a boyfriend impressed me. Actually, it made me feel a little guilty that I was willing to. But instead of becoming angry, it occurred to me that Michael might be more the way I wanted to be.

Michael led the way inside. As I stepped in and the door closed behind me, someone across the room cried out in a falsetto voice, “Oh gawd!”

Two couches faced each other across the living room floor. Between them on one end was a large TV. Between them on the other end were two armchairs. On the floor in the middle of the square they all formed, was a stack of throw pillows.

Two people sat on the far couch. One was a chunky Hispanic guy with a big, round face. The other was a presence. The face was feminine, with high cheekbones, fine features, and skillfully applied makeup. The voice could have been a girl’s. But the body under the long-sleeve robe was clearly a guy’s.

The robe was white silk, and contrasted dramatically with the color of his skin, which was a deep, copper tone. His eyes, however, were light gray and piercing. His hair, which was black and thick, was swept back into gold clips from both sides of his face.

He rose to his feet and came toward us. His movements were fluid and graceful, but not overtly effeminate. He moved as though conscious of his body, and it made me conscious of it as well.

“Gawd,” he repeated looking me over from head to foot. “Michael, honey, where did you find this one?”

He was slightly shorter than me; close to Daniel’s height. He appeared to be nicely built under his robe. His legs, or what I could see of them, were tightly muscled. Stopping in front of me, he struck a decidedly feminine pose with his hip out to the side, and he looked up into my face. A smile played on his lips as he extended a limp hand, almost as if I was supposed to kiss, rather than shake it. “Hi,” he said in a softer version of his falsetto. “My name’s Lettie, or, if you catch me without my makeup, Lenny.”

To my credit, I never missed a beat, though I’d never run in to anyone like Lenny before. There was something about him – perhaps the fun he was obviously having – that made me comfortable despite the makeup. I took his hand, and with a smile, raised his knuckles to my lips.

Without taking his hand from mine, Lenny spun, faking a swoon, and fell back against me. I laughed and gave him a little shove back onto his feet.

Pouting, he took his hand from mine.

“His name is Sean,” Michael said. “And give him a break, Lenny. He’s only eighteen and just started at Trinity.”

“A freshman?” Lenny mused, and stepping back he cupped his elbow in one hand and rested his chin on his knuckles where I had kissed them. He cocked an eyebrow. “A virgin?” he asked quietly.

“Lenny!” Michael said, taking my hand. He started to lead me through the living room toward what I assumed was the doorway to the kitchen.

“I’m Richard, the guy on the couch said and waved.”

“Hi,” I said, waving back.

Lenny followed us.

“Leave him alone, Lenny,” Michael said. “He already has a boyfriend.”

Michael sat me at an old, formica-covered kitchen table. “Want a soda? Juice?” he asked.

“Sure,” I nodded. “Whatever you’re having.”

Lenny leaned back against the counter with his legs crossed at the ankle, and then crossed his arms. I’d say it was almost a feminine pose except that leaning back that way made it obvious Lenny had quite a package under his robe. Richard came to the doorway.

“Boyfriend, huh?” Lenny said. “Well you’re still almost a virgin if you’ve never done me.”

“Hands off, Lenny,” Michael repeated, setting two glasses and a pitcher of grape juice onto the table.

Lenny smirked. “Oooh, our shy little Michael is suddenly a lion.” He stepped over to Michael and put an arm around his shoulder. “I don’t blame you. He’s worth fighting for.”

Michael blushed, angrily. “I told you,” he said, “Sean already has a lover.”

Lenny’s look toward me was playfully combative, “A lover better than Michael? Girl! Look at this beautiful boy,” he said, putting his hands on Michael’s shoulders and spinning him in front of me, “A perfect little body.” Then in a confidential voice, “but not little everywhere.” He hugged Michael by the shoulders. “A wonderful personality, a little shy...” Then confidentially again, “You may have noticed he blushes a lot.”

Michael reddened even more.

“But,” Lenny continued, “faithful, and very selective. You’re the first boy he’s brought home in.... goodness knows how long.”

Lenny stepped closer to me; leaned over, his face close to mine, challenging. “You can’t tell me your lover can measure up to Michael. And if you do, why, we’ll just haul out our little tape measures and see.” He winked, and then stepped back as Michael took the chair next to mine.

“Ignore him,” Michael said, pouring our juices.

“Where is your lover?” Richard asked me.

“Yeah!” Lenny said. “Good question. If your lover is so wonderful, where is he?”

“He’s at UT,” I told him. “I’m at Trinity.”

“UT,” Lenny squealed. “There are so many gay boys up there...He didn’t tell you he was going to save himself for you did he?”

I frowned. I never liked thinking about how many gays must be in Austin.

“Uh, huh!” Lenny cried triumphantly. “No promises I see. Well while he’s up there ‘doing Austin’ and you’re down here…” he stepped up behind Michael’s chair and patted his shoulder, “this beautiful little boy could use a good friend.”

“That is,” he said, suddenly frowning down his nose at me, “if we decide you measure up.” He looked me up and down speculatively. “Maybe we should see what you look like naked.”

Michael elbowed Lenny in the gut.

Lenny dodged back. “Well Michael, Honey,” he chided. “We’re just looking out for your best interests.”

“My best interests are fine, Lenny. Sean’s just a new friend.”

“Oh, just a friend?” Lenny purred. “In that case…”

“Weren’t you and Richard about to leave?” Michael asked.

Lenny huffed and crossed his arms. “Come on, Richard, darling. You can help me get dressed.” Richard backed out the door, but Lenny stopped behind my chair and leaned over to whisper very quietly in my ear. “You treat our Michael right, Mister Sean,” he warned seriously.

Then he stopped at the door and turned back, cocking his head, curiously, “Are you a bottom or a top?”

“Go on, Lenny,” Michael said. “Go dress up. You know how much you enjoy doing that.”

Lenny huffed and walked from the room, swaying his hips dramatically.

“Almost,” Michael called after him, “as much as you like getting undressed.”

A moment later, a door slammed.

“I hope you don’t mind Lenny. He really is a nice guy and sometimes he’s pretty funny.”

“So is he like… a drag queen?” I asked.

“Oh yeah,” Michael said, taking a drink. “Lettie is the prettiest drag queen in town.” He looked toward the old, white refrigerator. “I think I’m hungry.”

“You’re hungry after you just worked for hours in a restaurant?”

“Too busy to eat,” he said. “And besides, I’ve gotten tired of Italian food.” He frowned, deciding. “You like fish sticks?”

“Sure, but I’m not really hungry.”

“Well fish sticks are fast to fix and I like them.”

We talked while Michael fixed and ate his fish sticks along with reheated rice. I found out that Michael liked his job; he and Lenny had been friends since right after high school; Michael had grown up in San Antonio, and he knew he was gay from an early age – an older boy from next door began sucking his cock when he was only six.

“So,” I asked, “did that make you permanently oral?”

He blushed and cast his eyes down. “I’m a bottom.”

“I don’t think you have to choose… top or bottom,” I said.

Michael took a sip of juice and turned even redder. “So are you both a bottom and a top or neither?” he asked, smiling nervously.

I shrugged, “Both, of course. Don’t you like both?”

He shook his head, still blushing. “I’m a bottom. I like it that way.”

Lenny and Richard stepped into the kitchen at that moment to say goodbye and flirt before Michael chased them off. Lenny was in a short skirt and a button-up, long-sleeve top that left the midriff bare. Michael was right. Lenny was strikingly good looking as a girl.

Michael gave me a beer and we moved to the living room where we sat at each end of one of the couches.

“By the way,” Michael said, “I’m not as shy as everyone makes me out to be.”

“Yeah, right. All that blushing you do is because of some kind of medical condition.”

“OK, maybe I’m a little shy,” Michael acknowledged. “But when I have to be, I can be as outgoing as anyone. That’s how I became a host at the restaurant. And I haven’t been shy with you.”

“No,” I admitted, “you haven’t, if you don’t count all the blushing.”

Michael blushed. “Tell me about your lover.”

And so I told him. I told him everything, from when I first knew Daniel, to our first lovemaking. I told him about Stef, and then the beach trip when Daniel gave me my first kiss from another guy and how it blew me away.

Michael brought more beers and we each pulled our feet up onto the couch, relaxing. I told him about how Daniel and I became lovers and spent all our time together. I told him about the first bike tour. Then about Daniel’s move to Houston; and about Aaron and Jorge, and even Ry. The beer relaxed me. And it was cool to have another gay guy, an older gay guy, that I could open up with and talk to.

Michael was a good listener, drawing me out with questions, making occasional comments. He might have been quiet and shy by nature, but he wasn’t dumb.

I told him about the second bike tour, the last summer, and about how Dan and I made up. I even told him about the promises we had made and how we intended to pierce our ears.

Realizing that I had gone on for quite a while, I paused. Michael was silent.

“Did I bore you?” I asked. “I think I just gave you my whole life story.”

Michael smiled. “No,” he said. “Not boring at all. I was just thinking that you were like me.” He smiled nervously. “You aren’t interested in, well, just sex.”

That struck me as a matter of opinion.

“I don’t like just picking guys up,” he explained. “I’ve had boyfriends before. But even when I don’t, I only make it with friends; not strangers. You seem to be that way too.”

I was flattered that he thought so. I understood what he was saying. And, I wondered what it might imply. “So, are we friends yet?” I asked.

He smiled. “Yeah,” he said and nudged my foot with his. “Would you like to stay tonight?”

I nudged his foot back. “Yeah.”

Michael stood up and held out his hand. I stood and took it.

He led me from the living room and down the hall. On the way, he showed me Lenny’s room, which was messy, but tastefully decorated with show posters on the wall and a thick denim comforter on an overstuffed bed.

There was another bedroom that Michael said belonged to a guy named Adam, who was evidently out of town. Finally, Michael showed me his own room. It was large, and like Adam’s room, had French doors that opened into a walled garden, private to the two bedrooms.

What made Michael’s room unique were the floor to ceiling mirrors behind the king size bed and the mirrored ceiling over the bed. “Damn, Michael,” I said looking at the mirrors, “Maybe you aren’t shy.”

Michael chuckled. “They came with the room.”

“Who had it before?”

“A hustler,” Michael said simply.

“A hustler? You mean a...”

“Male prostitute. Yeah.”

“He move?” I asked.

“When he got out of the business,” Michael said as he opened the doors to the garden. Cooler air came in. He put his hands on his hips and looked up at my reflection in the ceiling mirror. “The room belonged to Lenny, Sean. But he doesn’t turn tricks anymore. Lenny owns this house. When one of the guys living here, moved, Lenny took that room intending to charge extra rent for this one.” He smiled. “But then I took it.”

“He didn’t charge you extra?” I asked, looking around the room. Besides the bed, there was an overstuffed chair, along with a chest. No bath.

“No,” Michael said, walking back toward me. “Which was amazing because Lenny’s really tight with money. It’s just that we were friends by then.”

“Friends?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “Were you ever lovers?”

Michael shrugged. “Not the way you’re thinking. But we have a special sort of friendship. We get it on sometimes.” He yawned. “Bathroom first?” he asked.

We hit the john together. Michael let me have a finger of toothpaste, which I used to clean out my mouth. Then he took a piss with his back to me and left before I took mine.

He was sitting on the edge of his bed when I returned to the room. He had stripped off his dress shirt, shoes, and socks, and sat casually on the edge of his bed, in trousers and a muscle type undershirt. Not that he was that muscled. But the effect was sexy, nonetheless. He had a slender torso, nice arms, a flat belly, and angular shoulders. He crossed his arms and smiled.

I closed the door behind me and kicked off my shoes. Then I pulled off my shirt, and his smiled faded.

“Oh, damn,” he said, quietly. “What does the rest of you look like?”

So I pulled off my socks, unfastened my pants, and let them drop.

His eyes went wide as he looked me up and down, lingering on my neckchain, then riveting on my briefs.

I stepped from my trousers and pulled off my socks. Then I draped my pants over one of the chairs and Michael watched me the whole time with an increasingly hungry look.

He stood as I approached the bed and ran his hands appraisingly over my shoulders and chest. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered.

“I’m a runner,” I said, and pulling his undershirt from his waistband. “Let’s see what you look like.”

“You’ll be disappointed,” he said, looking up into my eyes. And it struck me that he was about Ryan’s height and only slightly stronger; about like Ryan might be when he reached twenty-two.

“No,” I said, softly. “I’m already not disappointed.” I pulled his shirt off to find that his torso was as pleasing as I expected after seeing him in his undershirt. But I was surprised to see that a fine line of hair ran up the midline of his belly and fanned lightly over the white skin of his pecs.

He sighed and leaned in to me, the top of his head coming only to my chin, and the scent of his hair and cologne filled my nostrils. I wrapped my arms around his slender back and pulled him to me, and between us, his hand shoved into the front my briefs. He closed it over my erection and when he sighed, his breath tickled my chest.

He looked up at me, and I held him by the shoulders to kiss him while he fondled me. I caught a glimpse of us in the mirrored wall behind the bed. His back was to the mirror. I looked taller and stronger with him in front of me. He looked male, but… yielding.

Reaching between us, I unfastened his belt and pants. They dropped, revealing black, bikini briefs. On his white skin, they were striking. I ran my hands into the back of them, grabbing Michael by the globes of his butt. He had a nice butt, fleshy, just the right size for my hands… or my loins. He had leg hair and I moved one of my legs between his to feel it; to feel the light tickle of it.

I pushed his briefs down, and he pushed down mine. His cock wasn’t as long as Ry’s, but it wasn’t small for a guy his size. It would be nice to suck on some time if his smell was anything like Ry’s… or Daniel’s.

Tugging me by the cock, he backed to the bed, but before climbing onto it, he handed me a small glass bottle of lube from his nightstand. Then he pulled back the bedcovers, turned out the light, and climbed onto the bed, rolling onto his back.

I followed him up, laying my cock down on his. We kissed and his legs parted; his knees pulled up. I knelt up and opened the lube. In the dim light from the garden, I looked him over as I fondled him and smoothed lube into his crack. He had slender legs, and a belly that sank between his hipbones. His small patch of pubic hair was thick and black.

He shoved a pillow under his butt, and I smiled; it was the way Ry and I always did it.

Rubbing lube onto my cock, I lifted one of his legs and both knees came up. I positioned myself and entered him easily; his warmth enveloping me, almost pulling me in until the hardness of his bottom bones was snug in the V of my legs, and the tightness of his opening pressed around the base of my shaft.

Keeping myself pressed all the way in, I lay down on him. He ran his fingers into the back of my hair and pulled me down for a kiss. He fit me like Ry, almost exactly like Ry, except that he didn’t make himself as flat down there as Ry did; he didn’t spread his legs as flat out to the sides.

But the fit was good, his lips directly under mine. I slid my left hand behind his shoulder and grabbed on for leverage, while I slid the fingers of my right hand into the back of his hair and cradled his head in my palm. We kissed and I moved in him slowly.

He didn’t match my thrusts the way Ry or Daniel did. He wasn’t as active. But his body did respond to mine, and he constantly moved under me, writhing, tightening on my cock. His hands roamed my back and hair, and his mouth stayed open, hungry.

We moved to a slow, erotic pace. I kept my belly taut, pressing it to the underside of his cock. But whenever he drew close to a climax, I backed off, easing the pressure. And I slowed my thrusts whenever I felt close to coming.

We climbed very slowly, closer and closer to the edge, until we couldn’t stop, and like going over the rise of that first big descent in a roller coaster, we plunged head-long into a mutual orgasm We clutched each other tightly as I pounded us both dry, completely dry; pounding until Michael whimpered mindlessly and I was ready to go again.

But he arched under me, his hands pushing up on my shoulders as though he were trying to get away. So I pulled out, sliding my cock up alongside his, and he immediately relaxed.

With a sigh, he wrapped his arms over my shoulders, and our bellies slid on each other, lubricated by his cum. I slid off to the side, pulling him into my arms, and he nuzzled into my neck. “Wow!” he said, breathlessly. That was all. And then his breathing grew quiet, and before long, he was asleep.

For my part, I would have liked to go again. Daniel and I almost always went twice. I just hoped that Michael would be up to another round in the morning. It was going to be a long week before I saw Daniel again.

Michael was up before me in the morning. He kissed my cheek and patted my butt when he slipped from bed. I thought he might just be hitting the john, but he didn’t come back and I dozed off again.

It wasn’t much later when I decided to get up. I needed to hit the john myself. And since it was just guys who lived in the house, I pulled on only my briefs to pad down the hall to the bathroom.

There were voices coming from the kitchen when I came out, so before bothering to get dressed, I decided to see who was up.

“Oh… my… gawd!” Lenny exclaimed when I came to the door. He looked me up and down and said it again. “Oh, my gawd! Mikey! Did you sleep with that?”

The two of them were sitting at the kitchen table. Michael had on shorts and his undershirt. Lenny was in his robe. He was more natural in the morning; no makeup, no falsetto voice, though his voice was naturally higher than most guys.

He rose from the table as I stepped into the kitchen, and then he walked around me, looking me up and down.

“Damn,” he said. “He’s smooth as a marble statue.” He pressed the skin of my back with his fingers. “Firm as one too.”

“So when have you felt up a statue?” I asked with a grin.

He came back around do my front and leaned close with a mischievous grin. “Careful Baby or I’ll remove your fig leaf.”

Lenny was almost my height, and close like that, without makeup, he was downright handsome, and his light grey eyes were beautiful. For a moment, our eyes met, and his softened. Then he smiled, copped a feel of my crotch, winked, and returned to the table. He leaned toward Michael. “He feels like he’s hung,” Lenny said.

Michael wriggled his eyebrows.

Lenny hooted, then winked at me as I joined them at the table. “How do you stay in shape, Baby?” he asked.

“I’m out of shape,” I said. “I haven’t run all summer.” I combed my fingers back through my hair, and Lenny’s eyes went to my chest. I smiled. “I do swim,” I said. “Actually, water therapy. And I do sit-ups and push-ups. Plus, I don’t eat a whole lot when I’m not running.”

Michael got up from the table and came around, hugging my neck from behind. “You should eat now. Would you like some cereal?” he asked and kissed my cheek. “I can fix you eggs and bacon if you’d rather have that.”

“Cereal would be great,” I said. “I get all the eggs I want at school.”

“Speaking of eggs…” Lenny said with a wicked grin.

“Shut up, Lenny,” Michael told him as he went to the pantry.

Lenny laughed and nudged my foot beneath the table.

Michael set three cereals down in front of me, along with a bowl, spoon, and milk. I chose the granola.

“So do you have a boyfriend?” I asked Lenny.

Michael smiled to himself.

“Ha!” Lenny said. “I had a boy friend, but he wanted to be a girlfriend! Uh-uh Baby! I’m the one that wears the skirt in a relationship.”

Michael winked. “Conner, his boyfriend, got turned on to the whole drag thing.”

“He butchered it!” Lenny protested. “He borrowed my clothes and make them look terrible. No matter what he did, he always looked like a guy -- a stupid guy -- wearing chick’s clothes… AND THEY WERE ALWAYS TOO TIGHT! He stretched my best shorts and panties!”

“Ha!” Michael exclaimed. “You stretch your panties yourself.” He turned to me. “Lenny’s hung like you are and there’s no way he can get that all tucked away.”

Lenny grinned. “All us transvestites are, Baby.” Then he frowned. “But don’t even think about trying it!” he said. “You’re much too pretty as a boy.”

Michael leaned back, eyeing me. “He’d probably be pretty as a girl, too. With just a little makeup.”

I shook my head. “I like being a guy,” I said. “And I like guys who like being guys… no offense, Lenny,” I quickly said before he could respond. “Actually, I’ve never been with a… a… guy in drag before. I’m just saying I’m happy to be a guy.” I decided that I needed to change the subject. “Hey, would you like to see a picture of my boyfriend?”

Michael flushed slightly and looked away, and I realized that it was a mistake to bring up Daniel after spending the night with Michael. But Lenny responded quickly. “Sure, Baby. Let’s see if he measures up.”

So I quickly retrieved my wallet from Michael’s room and returned to the kitchen. Pulling out both class pictures of Daniel, I set them before Michael and Lenny.

“Oh, Baby,” Lenny said. “He is cute.” Then Lenny wriggled his eyebrows. “You need to bring him over for us to check out in person. I’ll see if he can pass the Lenny test, just to make sure he’s good enough for you.”

“He passes the Sean test,” I said, “with flying colors.” I pulled out the picture of Dan and me sitting naked on the bed.

Michael leaned toward Lenny to get a look too. His eyes widened.

“Oh baby,” Lenny said. “I’ll just keep this one.”

“Like hell you will,” I said.

“What else do you have in that wallet?” Lenny asked.

I glanced at Michael, not sure how he’d feel if I started hauling out a bunch of guys’ photos. But he looked up from the picture of Daniel and me, as expectantly as Lenny.

And so I pulled out the pictures, one by one, telling them about Stef, and Aaron (whose picture Lenny loved), and Jorge, and Colin.

“This is your brother?” Lenny asked with a gasp. “He’s cuter than you are!”

“Yeah, he is,” I agreed.

Lenny looked up from Colin’s picture. “Did you two ever… get it on?”

Michael glanced up at me.

I nodded. “Yeah, some.”

“Oh, shit,” Lenny gasped, fanning himself as if he were having a meltdown. “My pussy’s getting all damp.”

Michael looked back down at the photo. “Seriously? Your brother?”

“Yeah,” I said, and decided I better pull out the next picture. It was the small version of the one of Linda and me hugging topless.

“You do girls too, Baby?” Lenny asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I have,” I said.

Lenny cocked an eyebrow. “Let me go get my bra and panties.”

“Linda’s the only girl I’ve done in a long time,” I said. “And that was only once. She’s more like a big sister. In fact, she calls me her little brother.”

“What a coincidence!” Lenny exclaimed. “I need a little brother.”

“You have a little brother,” Michael said. “You have three little brothers.”

“Step-brothers,” Lenny corrected.

“Well I don’t have any,” Michael said. “Sean can be my little brother.”

“Both of ours,” Lenny said, then reached over to pat my forearm. “You’re adopted, Baby. You’ve got two new big brothers.”

“Brothers, huh?” I said. “I should have never told you that Colin and I get it on.”

“Get it on?” Lenny exclaimed. “As in still getting it on?”

Definitely time to pull out the next photo, but all I had left was Ry. “This is Ryan,” I said. “The picture is a couple of years old; he’s really only a couple of years younger than me.”

“He’s a baby,” Lenny said.

“Nah,” I said. “He’s just a small guy who looks younger than he is. Like someone else we know.” I nodded toward Michael. “Actually, he’s sorta like a second boyfriend for Daniel and me… I told Michael last night that Daniel and I have known all along that we were always going to be together. For almost that long, Ry’s wanted to be with us, too. So we adopted him, but seriously adopted, not kidding around like you guys were just doing.”

“Who was kidding?” Michael asked.

Lenny studied Ry’s picture. “So like the three of you get it on.”

“We have,” I said, and from its hiding place in my wallet, I pulled out the picture of Daniel, Ry, and me sitting together, naked. I only intended to show it to them. But when I held the photo in my hand and saw the two of them, Ry and Dan, I suddenly missed them badly. All the talk of adoption, and going over all the photos had set me up to be acutely homesick for my family and friends for the first time since leaving for college.

But it wasn’t just homesickness. I didn’t just miss the way things were; I wanted things the way they were supposed to be. I was supposed to be a runner at UT, being with Daniel every day, sleeping with him every night, not sitting here with two guys I barely knew.

As Lenny took the picture from my hand, I felt myself start to choke.

He and Michael studied the picture of Dan, Ry, and me, and Lenny whispered, almost silently, “Oh, shit.”

My eyes were watering. I wiped them quickly, but Lenny noticed and frowned. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Sorry. I’m just tired.” I said and wiped my eyes again. “I seem to cry easier these days. It’s just that I had a hell of a week and I was suddenly missing everybody… funny, huh? I saw Daniel only last weekend.” Michael reached over and patted my back. Lenny leaned back studying me.

“They’re both really cute, aren’t they?” I asked, pointing to the picture.

Lenny nodded. “Yeah. All three are…. why did you have a hell of a week?”

I shrugged. “It’s funny now, but at the time, it was really embarrassing.” And then I opened up to those guys. I told them what I hadn’t told anyone else; that I had been deeply humiliated Monday when Ferg and his buddies stripped me. I could have never told Dan; the eyes he had drawn were a big part of my feeling humiliated. “I’m OK now,” I told Lenny and Michael. “It’s just that my feelings are still a little raw.”

“Talking about it helped,” I said. “Thanks. It really is funny now.”

Michael stood, kissed my cheek, and patted my back. “I’m sorry, Baby, but I need to get ready for work.”

“Yeah,” I said, rising to my feet as well. “I need to get back to the dorm. I’ve got more studying to do and I may sit in the lounge to do it. The Cowboys are playing Washington today.”

“Don’t tell me you’re a Cowboy fan,” Lenny said, disdainfully.

“Don’t tell me you’re a football fan,” I replied.

“What? A girl can’t enjoy football?” he protested in his falsetto. “All those tight pants.”

I frowned. “You aren’t going to tell me you’re a Redskin fan.”

“Born and raised,” he said with a grin. “Stay and watch the game with me.”

I thought about it. It’d be more comfortable than the dorm lounge, partly because I still felt a little naked around people at school, but also because this was a gay house.

I couldn’t explain it. Lenny and I might not talk about anything remotely having to do with sex. But I’d be incredibly more comfortable with him. I glanced quizzically at Michael.

“Sure,” he said. “Lenny never can get anyone to watch football with him. Go for it.”

I glanced down at my briefs. “I’ll go put my pants on.”

“How about shorts?” Lenny asked, obviously pleased. “I’ve got some that’ll fit you.”

When Lenny handed me a pair of nylon running shorts, he held them tightly before letting go. “They have an inner lining,” he said. “You don’t use underwear with them.” He smiled and patted my belly. “And you don’t need a shirt. Just be comfortable.”

Michael hugged and kissed me before he left. “Lenny may want to have sex,” he warned me. “Just tell him you don’t want to… unless of course, you decide you do.”

My emotions were still uneven from the morning, but after getting it on only once with Michael the night before, if Lenny wanted to, I might. “You wouldn’t mind?” I asked Michael. “Us Texans are supposed to dance with the one who brought us.”

Michael wrapped his arms loosely over my shoulders. “Lenny’s a force of nature,” he said with a resigned smile. “If he wants to, sooner or later he will.” His eyes searched mine. “Will you come back?” he asked.

I pulled his belly to mine and kissed him. He melted into me and I squeezed him tightly in my arms. “I’ll be back, if you’ll let me.”

He held my face in his hands and kissed me hard. Then he smoothed back my hair. “Don’t wait too long.”

Michael was barely out the door before Lenny came into the living room, clad in only running shorts like the ones he had given me. My mouth dropped. His body was totally unlike what I would expect of someone who liked to dress up as a girl. His physique was splendid. He was ripped, tight, and damn well hung. He was as slender as me, and if anything, he had even less body fat. His pecs were high; damn I liked high pecs.

And there was one other thing I liked; his forearms. I hadn’t seen them before because the robe and the top he wore the night before were both long sleeved. But I saw them now. His forearms were long, hairless, but strong, with veins that stood out over the muscles. I could understand why he wore long sleeves when his was in drag; there was no way those forearms could belong to a girl.

“Take a couch,” he said. “I’ll fix popcorn. You want a beer?”

I swallowed hard. “How about a soda?” I asked.

“Coke?”

“Do you have a red pop?”

Lenny grinned. “You like red pop?”

“Of course. I’m Texan.”

“Well at least you have good taste in soda, even if the Cowboys suck.”

I took a couch and, Lenny returned as the game started. He handed me a bowl of popcorn and a red soda. Then he took the far couch with a bowl of popcorn and a red soda of his own. “Redskin bleachers,” he said, patting his couch.

“Loser bleachers,” I replied.

Washington scored two touchdowns quickly. After the second, Lenny cheered for a solid minute. So I crawled off the couch to the pile of throw pillows in the middle of the floor and beaned him with one.

“Hey,” he protested. “Careful of my soda.” It sat on the floor beside his couch.

Careful of the soda, I beaned him with a second pillow.

He grabbed a pillow to throw back.

“Wait!” I said, holding up my hand. “You may not be as good a shot as me.” I moved my soda around the side of the couch.

Lenny did the same with his, and then hit me right between the eyes with the pillow.

We forgot the football game as we beaned each other with pillows at point-blank range. Since we couldn’t miss, we threw the pillows hard and before long, I was sweating and panting for breath. When I chased a pillow that bounced back onto the couch behind me, Lenny fired every pillow he had. And suddenly I had all of the pillows.

He held up his hands defensively. “Wait. We’re missing the game!”

I fired the first pillow and when he went for it, I fired the second, then the third, throwing them hard. As I threw the fourth, Lenny howled in frustration and came off his couch at me.

Lenny was strong and I didn’t fight him when he rolled me to my back. He pinned my wrists to the floor beside my head and straddled my hips, holding me down. We laughed as I struggled under him, trying to buck him off. He had a good laugh, a happy laugh, and his light gray eyes twinkled. He slid his bottom back, trying to hold me down. And when he did, the pouches of our running shorts came in contact.

Our laughter died and our cocks hardened against each other. Our struggling slowed and became a mutual grinding. Lenny’s smile became one of delight and he rocked on me, pressing his crotch to mine.

“Does that feel good baby?” he asked quietly.

“Oh yeah.”

He smiled and shook out his hair. “What do you like, Sean? You like anal? Oral?”

With a grin of my own, I let my eyes travel from his face, down his neck, down his chest and belly to where our crotches pressed. Then I returned my gaze to his face. “With you,” I said, “I’d like it all.”

“Really?” he asked and bent to kiss my neck.

“Really,” I said. “My boyfriend and I like to do it all. We even like this a lot – rubbing like this; but naked, of course.”

He grinned. “Are you a top or bottom?” he asked, stretching my arms higher up over my head, his nose coming almost to mine.

“Both,” I told him.

He smiled, pleased, and lowered his lips to mine. He lengthened his body on me and let go of my hands. I opened my mouth to him and wrapped my arms over his shoulders.

His back muscles were hard as stone. I grabbed his butt and even his butt was hard. His whole body was hard; harder than any I’d felt before. And that excited the hell out of me. I spread my legs for a better fit between our crotches and clutched his butt.

His mouth was hot. He held my head tightly in his hands and probed into my mouth with his tongue. I sucked, moaned, and ground up against him.

“Oh, Baby,” he said breathlessly and rubbed his cock on mine through our running shorts. “I wanted you the moment you walked in the front door.” He took a deep breath and covered my mouth with his once more.

I shoved my hands into the back of his running shorts. His skin was smooth and tight over his butt. I pushed the back of his shorts down.

Without taking his mouth from mine, he reached down and pulled off his shorts. Then kneeling, he pulled mine off. His eyes locked on my cock and mine locked on his. He was as long as me, and as thick as Aaron. His cock curved up from his lap to a crown slightly smaller than the shaft.

His hand closed around my shaft and bending, he kissed the underside. “Beautiful, Baby,” he said.

“You too, Lenny.”

He smiled. “Let’s use the mirrors.”

He stood and pulled me to my feet. I started to reach for my cane. “Here,” he said, turning his back to me. “Climb on and I’ll carry you.”

His back was perfect, and his butt, irresistible. Instead of climbing on, I pressed myself to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. Then I sucked his neck as he leaned back into me.

“Don’t you want to climb on?” he asked breathlessly.

“Oh yeah,” I said, rubbing my cock over his butt.

He leaned back into me. “Oh, Baby,” he said. “This is going to be hot!”

. . . . .

We lay on Michael’s bed, spooned; my cock buried all the way inside him. And the two of us watched in the mirror overhead as we moved together, slowly, erotically. At times, Lenny let me pull back without him so that we could see my cock between us. My hands roamed the smooth skin and hard muscle of his shoulder, his side, the slenderness of his waist, the curve of his hip.

I had watched myself jerk off in front of a mirror before, but I’d never watched myself fucking somebody; certainly not in mirrors like these. I sucked in my gut and pressed the whole length of my body to the back of his.

He moaned. I chewed his neck and stroked him and wrapped my arm under him, pulling him back by the waist.

. . . . .

He had turned, rolling onto his back without me slipping out, and dropped his legs over my hips. It was easier to stroke him, and fondle him in that position. I slid my hand, palm up, between the pillow and his ass, cradling his left butt cheek in my hand. And we watched in the mirror above as I stroked him and thrust my hips while he made circles with his hips to meet me.

. . . . .

I rubbed my hand in the cum on his belly and chest, then spread it over his cock. I wanted to keep him hard because I was still hard and wanted to go again. I lifted his legs and pulled out, then knelt at his butt, positioning my cock again. Looking up, my eyes met his in the mirror overhead. Then we both looked to where I was about to re-enter him. I grabbed his narrow hips with both hands and pulled his butt up into my lap until my cock was fully buried in him again.

Veins stood out over his lower belly. I spread my hands over them, feeling the tautness of his loins. I rubbed his hips and legs, then up his stomach, and sides. I tweaked his nipples. He grabbed the sides of my legs and rotated his hips, moving himself on my cock.

I leaned back again and watched my hands in the mirror as I caressed his balls and stroked his cock. His hips circled wider and his eyes rolled up. And then, like him, I forgot the mirror. I lay myself down onto him, burying my mouth in his neck, and I grabbed on to the back of his shoulders.

He fit me almost like Daniel did, and so I made love to him like I would to Daniel, sucking his neck, moving my knees back, lowering my hips in relation to his butt to get a better angle on his prostate. And Lenny responded, whimpering, moving under me, matching my thrusts.

His hands roamed my shoulders and back and I hardened my muscles for him. I hardened my gut to rub his cock between our bellies, and I felt his fingers dig into my back. I thrust several times deeply, grinding at the end of each one. Then I slammed a thrust home really hard and pressed myself deeply into him. He arched under me. “Oh, Baby,” he gasped.

“You OK?” I whispered.

“Do it again,” he said.

. . . . .

I moved up alongside and we kissed. “Thanks,” I said. “That was great.”

He smiled and stroked my face. “You’re a good lover, Baby… a really good lover.”

“Practice, practice,” I said with a smile.

“I believe it,” he said with another peck on my lips. “You’ve got stamina. I’m glad you could go a second time.”

I rubbed his arm. “Daniel and me usually go twice,” I said. “Sometimes we go several times in a night, taking turns.”

He rolled me to my back and moved up onto me. I spread my legs for him to settle between and combed his hair back from the sides of his head with my fingers. His cock was still thick and heavy. It felt good on my belly. But even better, his balls lay comfortably on mine.

“Several times?” he asked with a smile.

I smiled. “Sometimes.”

“I almost always like to bottom,” he said, rubbing himself on me. “Almost always. But Baby, you’ve got a great butt.”

I smiled, thinking that by the time Lenny got done with me, it’d be at least a week before I was horny again. I smiled even wider thinking there was no way Sammy could do that!

“Give me a second to rest,” I said, “and I’ll be ready.”

“I need a rest, too,” he decided. “You want another red pop?”

“I’m OK,” I said. “I just wonder who won the football game.”

“Washington, of course,” he said.

Despite his poor choice of football teams, I gently scratched his back. “Do you go to school?” I asked. “Or do you have a job?”

He rolled off me and propped his head on his elbow. “I’ve got a company,” he said.

“You’re kidding!”

“Why?” he asked with a frown. “Just because I like dressing up doesn’t mean I’m an airhead.”

I shook my head. “I would have never thought that,” I said. “I was just surprised because you’re young. What kind of company?”

“Green Guy,” he said. “The name of my company is Green Guy. I provide a plant service for businesses and restaurants.”

“A plant service? What’s that?”

“Plants,” he said. “Green plants. Potted plants. The kind you see in restaurants and hotels, and offices. I place them and take care of them.”

“You like plants?” I asked.

“Sure, I’ve got a green thumb… among other things.” He said with a grin, absently tweaking my nipple. “I’ve got a greenhouse out back. I’ll show it to you later.”

“Cool, but we better do it soon,” I said. “I need to get back to campus.”

“First,” he said, moving back up on me. “I get my turn. How do I turn you on enough to go again.”

“You could just do it,” I suggested. “You don’t have to get me excited first.”

“That wouldn’t be as much fun,” he said with a pout.

I rubbed his muscular shoulders. It wouldn’t take a whole lot to get me going. “There is something that always turns me on,” I said. “Only my lover knows.”

“Oh? Tell me Baby.”

Taking his head in my hands, I did to him what he had done to me earlier. I tongued his ear. Then I held my mouth next to it. “Rub my balls,” I whispered. “… with your balls.”

. . . . .

It surprised me; how hot it was to watch myself get fucked. On my back, knees out to the side, I watched in the mirror above; I watched the muscles in Lenny’s back, butt, and legs flex as he thrust into me. I ran my hands over his strong shoulders and back. I felt his balls slapping under my butt, and his pubic bone bumped my perineum over and over, pleasantly.

Especially with those mirrors, I could love being a bottom. And though Lenny’s big cock was a challenge to take in, once I had, it felt awfully good. Sammy certainly couldn’t do that.

. . . . .

Having each come twice already, we lasted a long time. But eventually, Lenny moaned loudly and drove in harder and deeper. He pushed my butt higher until my bottom was high and he pounded almost straight down into me.

Stroking myself, I tried to keep pace with him. When he came, he drove into me hard and I stroked fast, wanting to join him. He stayed in me, and I came, and came, and came. But I couldn’t finish, not with him in me, not with Lenny’s big cock filling me.

It had happened with Daniel inside me. It had even happened with Aaron. And I knew I’d have to get Lenny out of me to be able to stop. But his weight was over me and at first, I wasn’t anxious to end it. My orgasm stretched out, seconds and then a minute. My whimpers became cries and my ass spasmed uncontrollably until I finally pushed up with my back muscles, flipping us over onto our sides and I slid off him.

I collapsed, exhausted.

Lenny crawled up beside me as I rested on my stomach and waited for my bottom and insides to calm down. He stroked my hair back from my cheek and kissed me softly. He covered me with his body, caressing me, cradling me. “We’re good together, baby,” he said. “Stay here tonight.”

“I can’t,” I said. “I have homework.”

“But you’ll come back?

“Depends,” I mumbled, sleepily.

“On what?” he whispered.

“On whether the Cowboys won.”

He slapped my butt. Then he kissed me again. “Let me fix you supper before you go. I make great hamburgers.”

“Nah, I’m OK,” I said.

“You haven’t eaten anything but a bowl of cereal,” he said. Then he kissed my temple. “Somebody needs to take care of you.”

“I’m OK,” I repeated.

“Why don’t you sleep a little, while I fix hamburgers,” he said, gently. “All you’ll have to do is pretend you like it.”

. . . . .

Not knowing when Daniel would be back from his field trip, I didn’t call Sunday. I waited to phone until Monday night when Eric was out.

“How was the trip,” I asked.

“Fun. I had a good time.”

“Any new friends?”

“No,” Daniel said. “Not the way you’re thinking. And I’m sorry about Sammy last week. I could have waited.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, trying to sound cheerful. “I found my Sammy.” Funny, but now that I was telling Daniel about it, I didn’t feel so cheerful.

“Oh?” Daniel asked quietly. “You going to tell me about it?”

“Well, actually, it’s like two Sammys,” I forced a chuckle. “I feel like Aaron; I’ve got a harem.”

“Two? You’ve done two guys?”

“One at a time… well, one I did three times.”

“OK, you better tell me about it.”

So I told him.

He was quiet when I finished.

“You OK?” I asked.

“I don’t know.”

“You want me to not do them?” I asked.

“No,” he said, thoughtfully. “Just don’t fall in love with them, OK?”

“I won’t,” I said softly. “In fact, I got a little teary-eyed Sunday morning when I was telling them about you and Ry… I miss you… Danny.”

He didn’t say anything.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

“That I’m going to go find Sammy and bang him good. And then maybe I’ll go find Adrian.”

“Hey,” I protested. “Don’t get carried away, OK? I won’t fall in love with any guys, and you don’t start sampling them like chocolate.”

Again there was silence on the other end of the line. Then I heard him take a breath. “I miss you,” he said, “Seanny.”

. . . . .

After that call, I didn’t feel like studying. So Eric found me sitting in my underwear, playing my guitar, when he returned to the room.

“I don’t know why you bother with that thing,” he said with a frown, plopping down his books. “You never play country. Having a guitar and not playing country is like having a cock and not doing girls.” He cocked an eyebrow and smirked.

“Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it,” I said, exasperated. And put my guitar aside.

“What makes you think I never tried it?” he asked, disappearing into the john.

I wasn’t entirely surprised. A lot of guys have messed around. I just didn’t expect it of Eric. And I wasn’t at all sure I wanted to follow up on his remark; as much as I liked the guy, he was hardly my type.

“Surprised I’ve tried guitar?” Eric asked with a grin as he came back into the room.

“Asshole,” I said.

“How do you feel about chickens?” he asked, taking off his shirt.

“Oh shit,” I said. “Don’t tell me you’ve tried them too.”

“Fuck you,” he said. “I meant, have you ever handled chickens?”

“Obviously not the way you have,” I said with a grin.

He jumped me, and getting me almost instantly into a headlock, he noogied my head.

“Alright, already!” I cried out, poking his back, hard. “I won’t tell anybody about you and your chickens.”

Eric made a bear claw of his hand and dug into my belly.

“Ayeee!” I howled, trying to pull away from him.

Wrestling my neck, he got me onto my stomach like a cowboy might wrestle down a steer. “You ready to hear about chickens he asked.”

“Do it fast,” I said. “Your armpit’s going to black me out.”

He noogied me again.

“OK! Tell me about you and chickens. Just don’t get mad if I get grossed out.”

He sighed and rapped my forehead with his knuckles. “Just listen. We’re going to really get Ferg back. I’ve got a rooster and three hens in a cage outside. We’re going to put them into Ferg’s room in the middle of the night.”

“We’re going to do what?” I asked.

“You heard me.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Haven’t you ever been around chickens?” he asked. “They’re dumb and noisy as hell when you rile them. We’ll slip them into the room and then in the morning, when the rooster crows, all hell ought to break loose.”

I groaned. “You’re going to get me killed.”

“It’s a great idea,” he said. “Ferg pissed off Simmons the other day, and Simmons is Ferg’s suitemate. He’s going to make sure Ferg’s door is unlocked, and then he’s going to lock the door from their room to the bathroom. You’ll hold Ferg’s door open and I’ll put in the chickens. Then we close the door and wedge it with pennies.”

I laughed in spite of myself. “Damn, I wish we had a camera in the room.”

The phone rang at two in the morning. Eric took it.

“OK,” he said. “Sim unlocked the door.”

He had covered the cage with canvas and the birds were quiet as we carefully carried the cage to Ferg’s door and set it down. I got out the pennies.

One of the chickens clucked and Eric shushed at me and the chicken. He nodded and I tried the doorknob. It turned, but I kept the door closed

Eric quietly pulled back the canvas and opened the cage. When he reached in, the hall erupted in a cacophony of chicken squawks.

We glanced in horrified alarm at each other, and then Eric reached in farther and grabbed the first chicken. I threw open the door. Eric threw the chicken into the room, and I pulled the door back closed. The chicken protested loudly from inside.

Eric grabbed the next chicken quickly, and I opened the door again. He tossed the chicken in. The third took a little longer, but we got it into the room as well. The fourth bird was the rooster, and he dodged from Eric’s hands. Eric cursed.

There was a scream of outrage form inside and the squawking of all three chickens.

“Hurry!” I cried.

Eric cursed the rooster under his breath and was finally able to get a hold on it when suddenly the door was jerked from my hand. Ferg stood there in his underwear, looking down at me, sleepy and outraged at the same time.

Eric threw the rooster into Ferg’s face. With a howl, Ferg and the rooster fell backwards into the room. I grabbed the door and pulled it shut. Eric quickly pushed hard on the top of the door and I wedged the pennies in beside the deadbolt.

Then we stood, watching the doorknob. From inside came a riot of noise; squawks, yelling, cursing. The doorknob turned, but the pennies worked. The door wouldn’t open.

Eric jumped, pumping his fist and we both cheered silently.

We left the cage leaning against Ferg’s door and ran back to our room as we heard people stirring and doors starting to open.

It was hard to catch our breath because both of us were rolling with laughter.

. . . . .

I woke up in a great mood the next morning. That is until I got a call from an assistant DA at Inks Lake. He wanted me to know that the trial was still on for Monday.

“Are you still using a cane?” he asked.

“Yeah, but I’m doing better. I might be able to get by without it.”

“No, bring it,” he said. “And dress conservatively. I told you before that I thought the defense would hammer you on your homosexuality. Be sure you look like a young all-American jock. And use the cane; we want the jury to understand how violent the attack was.”

“OK,” I said, wondering once again whether this was going to be worth it.

I guess he heard the caution in my voice. “We’ve tried to keep this under the radar, Sean,” he said. “But there are always reporters around the courthouse. You need to know that they could pick up on the story. If they do, it’s the type of thing that might make news in other cities.”

I took a deep breath.

“We need to put this guy away, Sean.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said. “When we talked before, I didn’t worry so much about people knowing that I’m gay. But now I’m at college and I’ve got a lot of friends. I really don’t want everyone finding out about me yet; at least not from a news story like that.”

“We’ll do our best to protect your identity. I promise.”

. . . . .

That night I called the twins to tell them I was still coming.

And then I called Ry. After talking about him on Sunday, I missed him. And I wanted to talk to someone different, about things other than school, Sammys, and trials.

“You’ll like my roommate, Sean,” he told me. “I’ve told him all about you.”

“All about me?” I asked.

“We have sex together,” he whispered. “Lots of guys do here. But Nate and me… well we take care of each other that way.”

“And you told him about me?”

“And Daniel. He wants to meet you guys.”

“Well, fair is fair, I guess,” I told him. “I showed your picture to a couple of guys this weekend.”

“Cool,” he said. “Nate’s seen your picture, and Daniel’s. Maybe I’ll send you his. He’s really cute, Sean. He’s taller than me… well everybody is taller than me, but he’s like Colin… about that tall and thin. And he’s only my age, oh, and he’s black. He’s really, really cute. And I told him about us; you know, how we’re all going to live together.”

“Yeah, he sounds hot, Ry. I’d like to see his picture.” I took a deep breath. “Ry,” I said. “I need to tell you about something Dan and I are planning to do…”

I told him about the ear piercing and what it would mean.

“But I made the promise, too,” Ry complained.

“It’s not the same promise,” I pointed out. “Our promise was to hang in there with each other. The ear piercing is even more than that.”

“But you guys said I belong to you.”

“You do, Ry.”

“But you’re acting like you’re going to do this without me.”

“Ry,” I said, thinking that there was no way I could explain things to Ry’s satisfaction. Dan and I would always be special, always the “senior partners.” And yet, we had promised Ry. And we loved him; I loved him. I sighed. “Are you still planning to attend UT?” I asked. “And live with us?”

“Yeah, of course I am. You know that.”

“How old will you be when you come to UT, Ry?”

“Ummm…. eighteen I guess.”

“Exactly,” I said. “That’s what Dan and I are; eighteen. That’s how old you have to be to legally enter a contract. Dan and I are each doing that; we’re each making a life contract. It’s major. But no way are we forgetting you, Ry. In fact, we were talking about it just last week. The way Dan looks at it is that the three of us will be like a family… wouldn’t you like that Ry?”

“When I’m eighteen, you’ll pierce ears with me?” He asked quietly.

“When you’re eighteen, and we’re living together, we’ll see if you still want to.”

“I’ll want to,” he said.

“Are you sure?” I asked. “You could always fall in love with Nate, or somebody else.”

“I already fell in love with you,” he said.

Ry was about to turn sixteen, and sixteen is an age for love and romance… and Ry truly loved me. I was eighteen, the age for dreams and great ideas. And to my mind, I could see the three of us being special, even unique someday; a mating of three lovers, three life-friends.

“I love you Ry,” I said quietly. “It’ll all work out.”

He was quiet.

“Are we OK for now, Ry? Maybe you can be like our witness, or best man or something… well you and Colin. I want him there, too. We can wait to do it till you come home. Will you be home at Thanksgiving?”

“No.”

“OK. Christmas… will you be home at Christmas?”

“Yeah.”

“If we do the ears then, do you think you could come?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know if my dad will let me. Where will you do it?”

“Geez, I don’t know. I guess I had thought we’d do it in Houston. But if we need to, we can do it back home, OK.”

“Maybe.”

“Well, be thinking about it.”

. . . . .

It was late, but I called Dan next. “Have you called Ry yet?” I asked.

“No, we’ve just exchanged letters. Why? Did you tell him about the ear piercing?”

“Yep, and I think he’s ok, but you need to talk to him, too, Dan. It could be really important.”

“Sure,” he said. “I’ll call him.”

“Get him to tell you about his roommate, Nate. He sounds interesting.”

. . . . .

“Twelve hundred dollars,” Tom said on Wednesday night. “That’s what I’ve got for you. It’s really scholarship help and you’re supposed to apply it to expenses, but spend it however you need to. You’ll actually do a little work to earn it; mainly research and editing, like this.” He placed a folder in front of me. “I need to mail this article off next week, and it needs a fresh set of eyes.”

The “article” looked to be at least two dozen pages. And I had to leave for Inks Lake no later than Sunday afternoon. With all the other schoolwork I had to do, driving to Austin that weekend as well would be almost impossible. But I needed the money. Twelve hundred dollars was a lot. It would definitely buy a fine ear stud. “I’ll try to have it for you by Sunday.”

. . . . .

I felt bummed after leaving Tom’s and so I drove by the restaurant. If Michael would be getting off soon, I wanted to go to his house. I wanted to be able to just relax with some other gay guys. And if Michael or Lenny wanted to get it on, that’d be fine with me. It didn’t look like I’d be seeing Daniel that weekend either.

Michael wasn’t at work, so I went over to their house.

Michael answered the door in shorts and an undershirt. When he saw me, his eyes lit up.

“Can I come in and relax a while?” I asked.

I took a seat on the couch while Michael went to get me a glass of water. “Where is everybody?” I asked.

“Adam and Lenny went out to SA County,” Michael answered from the kitchen.

“What’s that?”

“A gay bar.”

“How come you didn’t go?” I asked.

“I’m not really into that as much,” he said, coming back into the room. He set my water down on an end table. “You stressed, Baby?” he asked, looking down at me.

“Yeah, I said, letting my head drop onto the back of the couch.”

Facing me, Michael knelt onto the couch and straddled my lap. He took my shoulders in both hands, massaging, squeezing, rubbing. “Why are you stressed?” he asked.

“Umm,” I said. “That feels good.” I closed my eyes and told him about my work, the trial, not getting to see Daniel, and now having to worry about Ferg popping out at me from behind every bush. As I talked, Michael settled onto my lap until our crotches pressed together.

I realized I was holding his butt, and that I was getting hard.

“You want a backrub?” Michael asked.

I shook my head, lifting it from the back of the couch. Michael really did fit me like Ry. His eyes were at the level of mine. “Thanks,” I said. “I’ll be OK.”

He moved his knees slightly forward, making the fit even snugger. “Lenny and I talked it over,” he said. “We’re going to take care of you.”

I smiled. “You are?”

“We’re your gay big brothers,” he said with a smile. “We decided that whenever you come over, we’ll make you comfortable and make sure you eat and if you’re horny, we’ll fight over who gets to take care of you.”

I smiled and pulled on his butt. “I’m getting horny now.”

He grinned. “I know. That’s something else Lenny told me. He said you’re like Aladdin’s lamp; if I rub your balls the right way, you’ll grant my every wish.”

“Ha!” I said, pushing him back so that he was lying on the couch, and then settling onto him, my legs between his. “You’re trying to seduce me!” I playfully growled.

His eyes twinkled and he smiled happily, almost like a little kid. “Yeah. Is it working?”

. . . . .

He came back with a towel and wiped his cum from my belly and chest, and then his. He had let me leave on the light so that I could watch in the mirror and I discovered that Michael didn’t blush only when he was embarrassed.

He was still flushed from our lovemaking as he crawled into bed beside me and turned out the light. He backed into me and I spooned him, sliding an arm under his head and draping my other over his waist. His soft butt filled my lap and the scent of his shampoo filled my nostrils.

I pulled him close and nestled into the pillow. If I couldn’t sleep with Daniel, this wasn’t bad. But I reminded myself that I needed to guard my heart. It was so damned easy to get attached to someone when I made love to them, and I really liked Michael.

I kissed him behind his ear. Michael sighed and snuggled back against me.

Emails are always appreciated at btomandback@hotmail.com