by Caldon Mull
His thousand-watt smile was my reward.
Chapter Three
The next few weeks into 1993 were crazy. Christmas and New Year had gone, spent quietly with either Michel, or Kyle. Mostly it was Kyle stopping in for some company on the way back to his folk’s backwoods farm. Seasons changed, Fall was long gone, Winter was over, Spring was well into setting in, and Michel and I decided to lighten up on the program we had set ourselves to just maintenance. Tuesday, Kyle and I went swimming, and the weekends he stayed over. Saturday night, after some nagging, Kyle managed to get Michel and I to agree to go to the Action Bar in Town with some of his friends. I had already met them once or twice, mostly on Saturdays when I’d saunter into the Pool, either with Kyle or alone.
They were good kids, but very young in some ways. Bobby was the dark haired guy about 6’4”, and Steve was the redhead, about 5’9”. Patricia and Mandy were the cute girls they were all kinda seeing, and Marcie was the plain girl. The way this little group played itself out was that Patricia was seeing Bobby, but obviously had something going for Kyle. Kyle was dating Mandy, but Steve had something for her, and no one took Marcie seriously. It was a shame really, but I liked them all and Marcie definitely was smarter than all of them. Kyle and I had talked things through about how we were going to play with what we had going, and both had agreed to date girls because we were interested in them and also it wouldn’t really affect what we had.
Bobby and Kyle were friends from way back, Bobby was the quarterback at the local school, Kyle the swimmer. Steve was on the baseball team. Patricia and Mandy were cheerleaders and Marcie ran the local school newspaper.
All average, normal and completely above board. Except for me. I wasn’t sure what I was anymore, and Michel had thought hard about it for some time. We couldn’t decide if there was a name for us, but Bi seemed to be what we had going, all neatly sorted out. I tried the word out a couple of times to hear what it sounded like, and it wasn’t too bad. I could live with it. Kyle just couldn’t give a shit about any of that, he was just happy he had met us and enthusiastically enjoyed the sex. In fact, Kyle was enthusiastic about everything. That was just Kyle.
Kyle managed to get Michel and me to agree to go out as a group. Marcie and I had a lot to talk about most times, but they hadn’t met Michel and I was worried about how this would shake their little group. Kyle wasn’t worried but it had been so long since I had gone out anywhere, I was plain anxious.
Kyle had picked me up and we had arrived at the Bar. It wasn’t crowded yet, but not many of the townies went out that early, so we found seating easily. Bobby and Steve joined us soon afterwards and we chatted pleasantly for some time before Marcie arrived. Shortly after, Michel joined us and it was introductions all around. It had been nearly six months since we had done the Poster together, and no one seemed to remember it much anymore. The boys were a bit strange with him, but we chatted as easily as we always did, and this seemed to warm them up. Patricia and Mandy arrived later, and there were more introductions. Michel and Marcie hit it off, and he was as relaxed as I had ever seen him. We took turns dancing to the music with the small group of people who were that energetic, and Marcie was an excellent dancer. Michel, Marcie and I were enjoying ourselves, but I noticed some tension at the Table.
About Ten PM, June walked in with a group of the people at our work. My heart jumped in my throat, she had seen me. I dithered for about ten minutes and half a beer when I decided to walk up and greet her. It had been about eighteen months since she had dumped me and I had managed to stay out of her way for all that time. It would have been cowardly to just sit and cringe. I took a deep breath and walked forward. The guys around her parted like the Moses and the Rea Sea.
“Hey, June.” I started “How have you been?”
“Andy! Fancy meeting you here.” June smiled, pulled her hair away from her face. “I’ve never seen you here before.”
“First time, I guess.” I shrugged “Having fun?”
Most of the guys hanging around her were average looking guys, most working in Engineering. I knew most by sight, but they stuck together and were definitely working on the honey-pot effect with June. Hanging around her, hoping to get a look-in. It was stupid, but none of them were local guys, most came into Storyville when The Company opened an ‘all hire’. They didn’t mix with the townies, or go out of their way to meet any of them.
Most were contractors like me, some were lifers. They seemed content to hang around June. Even when we were engaged, I used to have angry words about her going out when I was stuck on shift. After we split, she just carried on doing what she wanted, and so did I. I guess whatever changes I had gone through didn’t leave their mark on the outside.
“Sure. You?” She looked around seeing where I had come from. “That table there. The girls, the boys and Michel.”
“Michel?” She shrugged.
“My gym partner. You might’ve met him once or twice.” She obviously didn’t remember him. I bit down an angry retort. Left it alone. Typically self-involved, she wouldn’t give a damn second glance to the person I thought my best friend in the world for the last year past.
“That’s nice. The others?”
“All sports contacts. Swimming and jogging, mostly.” I shrugged, playing her game. “Did I tell you I made ten miles in forty-five minutes last week.” I glanced at the pale skin and puffy cheeks of her gang of guy-groupies “I guess all I do is work and work out.” I played the stupid jock for all it was worth.
“That’s nice, Andy.” June shrugged and accepted a cocktail from one of the guys, George from Accounts. “You never had much time for anything else, really.”
“Guess not.” I suppressed a smile. I could see I had gotten to her. “See you around, sometime.”
“Sure.” The audience was over, the petitioner dismissed. I ground my teeth on the way back.
Walking back to the table, I saw Michel looking at me. I smiled for him. He relaxed and carried on chatting to Marcie. I sighed and cracked another beer from the ice bucket.
“Who was that?” Patricia asked.
“June.” I smiled at her. “We moved here together.”
“Oh? Bobby has been eyeing her all summer.” She smiled sweetly. Bobby cringed suddenly. “We were engaged. We broke up.” I sipped the beer, wondering what was going on. “I’m sure I’ve mentioned it.”
“Yeah, me too.” Kyle broke in.
“I was wondering if it was her clothes or her make-up. We’ve never been able to copy that look.” Patricia simpered. I figured she was as jealous as hell.
“Probably something you can only get on the West Coast, whatever it is.” Kyle grinned. Somehow I don’t think Patricia and Mandy shared his sense of the joke. I could almost see them pouting in unison.
“Ummm, what’s she like as a person?” Bobby tried to steer the conversation away, failed miserably.
“She works in accounts. She likes the job. She got a promotion to come here, I didn’t. She likes TV soaps, counting things, fashion and shopping and Italian Food.” I grinned behind my beer. “She prefers Jazz to Blues, is a Taurus and is pretty uptight about a lot of things that aren’t done exactly right.”
“Sounds like you didn’t have much in common.” Marcie chipped in from the far side of the table. Clever girl. “From what I know of you, so far.”
“Yeah, well.” I shrugged “It lasted four years through ‘Varsity. There were good times and I’m glad she seems to be happy. Nothing much more to say about it, really. We just didn’t survive the move.”
“I’m sure she’ll find someone.” Michel grinned from next to Marcie “Hey, want to catch this one?”
They left to dance and a weight seemed to drop onto the table. I looked up. Patricia was obviously sulking with Bobby, and playing up to Kyle. Steve was mooning over Mandy.
“Hey, guys.” I muttered “Lighten up, Ok? It was over a long time ago.”
“Yeah, sounds like it.” Bobby said sulkily.
/> “I’m going to the John.” I moved around the table, not feeling like getting stuck in this little groove. I joined Michel and Marcie on the dance floor for some line dancing, and when we got back to the table, sweaty and laughing, the girls and Steve were gone. June and the company boys were gone, too.
“Hey, what gives?” I muttered, tying my hair back.
“Patricia remembered she had to do something, and so Steve took them home.” Kyle muttered into his beer.
“Ah, heck!” Bobby groaned, grabbing for another beer. The ice bucket was nearly empty. He was slammed.
“Hey!” Kyle snapped “Enough for you, already.”
Michel turned and shrugged. “Well, I must be off. It’s nearly midnight. Thanks again, guys.”
“Me, too.” Marcie smiled “Take care, Bobby.”
“I’ll walk you to your car.” Michel offered.
“Thank you.” Marcie grabbed her purse. “He can’t drive, you know.”
“Yeah.” Kyle growled “I know.”
“C’mon guys, just one more for the road.” Bobby slurred. “Bye now.” Michel and Marcie left together.
“This is a fine time to do this, Bobby.” Kyle snapped “I gotta get to the farm tonight and you go and fuck it up.”
“Hey, Kyle.” I soothed “Don’t sweat it, man.”
“Sorry, Andy.” Kyle sighed. “This has been coming for some time. I guess I’m just fed up with it, is all.”
“Well, what do you want to do?” I nibbled on a hangnail.
“Steve took the car to drop Mandy, Patricia took hers home. It’s just my van, and I gotta drive a long way in the opposite direction to get him home.” Kyle scowled, annoyed.
“Well, drop us off at my place, he can bunk there and I’ll ask Michel to drop him off tomorrow. Or something.”
“You’ll do that?”
“Hey, you haven’t been home for awhile. Don’t put it off. He’ll be safe enough.”
“Thanks, Andy.” Kyle shrugged, relieved.
Getting Bobby out to the Van proved to be a mission. Not only was he a dead weight, but he squirmed as well. I thought I had a light head for booze, but he was way wasted. At my place, I threw him into a fireman’s lift, and saw Kyle off, then trudged him up the steps.
“Andy, where’s Kyle?” He muttered from behind my back.
“Gone home.” I fumbled with the keys. “You gonna dry out here for awhile.”
“The rooms spinning, I think I’m gonna be sick.”
“Shit, Bobby. Not now.” I rushed through to the bathroom and got his head over the bowl as he spewed, but not fast enough to stop him spilling over his front and down the side of my shirt.
“I’m sorry, man I’m sorry.” Bobby moaned, looking green around the gills. “Stay here, I’ll put on some coffee and get you some water.”
“Sure, man. Thanks.” Bobby said between hurling.
I sighed and took off the shirt, bundled it and took it to the kitchen to soak. I boiled the water, made extra strong grounds and checked in on him again. He was weaving, but looked much better.
“Take off those things Bobby, I got a soak going. I’ll get you some shorts.” I muttered annoyed.
“Sorry, I’m sorry.” Bobby muttered.
I walked through as Bobby was taking off his Levy’s. He started as I walked in and handed me his stuff, stark naked. “Here, Andy.”
“Sure, here’s the shorts I promised.” I handed them over, trying not to check out his body too much.
“Thanks.” He stepped into them, self-conscious. His cock popped through the open fly, glared at me with its dark-red head. He pushed it through and flat quickly.
“I got coffee out front, Join me?”
“Sure, thanks Andy.” He followed me through the house. I tossed his stuff into the soak on the way past.
I put on the candles for the bugs, not that there were many this time of year and by the time I had poured two cups he was sitting quietly. I put in two sugars to be safe, and handed him the cup.
“So what happened?” I stretched out on the bench, kicked my boots off.
“Aww, nothing.” He muttered sipping. “Good coffee.”
“Thanks.” I waited while he fidgeted.
“Well, see.” He sighed, staring at his feet. “I think June is a stunner, and I told Patricia that once. Then she gets on my case, and now everything I do is wrong.”
“Ok, I see.” I didn’t but I thought the heck with it, just listen to him.
“I think she doesn’t really want to be with me, but every time I bring it up, then she carries on as if I’m the one who’s guilty of something.”
“Well, that’s one for the books. I bet she’s the only girl who ever did that.” I smiled into my cup.
“Yeah, well.” Bobby sighed. “She asked me what I think and then she rubs it in my face for months. I’m sure she’s trying to dump me.”
“What if she is?” I sighed. “Do you think you’ll mind after all this?”
“Not really.” Bobby sighed and leaned back. “When Kyle first brought you over I thought I was gonna be sick, because all she talked about was you for a week. I was jealous as hell, Andy.”
“I’m sure you had no reason to be, I’m kinda fond of Marcie.” I shrugged surprised.
“Yeah, and that burns her too.” Bobby grinned wickedly “Then you bring this guy Michel along and he also fancies Marcie.”
“Sounds like Patricia can’t stand a little competition and a little ignoring?” I laughed.
“Right on!” Bobby chuckled. “The two best looking guys in town, and they both bee-line to Marcie. Right wicked.”
“So this June thing isn’t really your problem, is it?” I sipped the dregs, poured another. “Thanks.” Bobby took a refill, leaning over. “I guess not.”
“And Patricia is not used to being passed over by good looking guys, is she?” I prompted. “Guess not.” Bobby shrugged.
“How you feeling, now?” I swilled my cup.
“Still slammed, but much better, thanks.” He grinned.
“I think Patricia’s got a problem there. She’s so used to being the honey-pot and always getting the best stud that she can’t get over being the second-best looking girl in town.” I laughed “Or having all the best looking guys in town after her two friends.”
“Yeah, funny.” Bobby laughed long and loud. “So what’s it feel like to be good looking?”
“Hey, you should know. You and Kyle gotta be top five.” I wondered where he was going with this.
“You think so?” “Yeah, I do.”
“You think the girls like me?”
“I think you’re a catch.” I grinned reassurance.
“What about the body?”
“C’mon. Stand up and hold your arms at shoulder length, let me look at you.” He did so. I got a sudden wicked feeling, but left it alone.
Bobby had curly brown hair, a square jaw and blue eyes. His forehead and his nose made a straight line, and he had high cheekbones. His skin was pale, but tanned around his forearms and his mid-thigh. He must wear shorts and a tea-shirt out in the sun. He had a thin line of thick curly brown hair running up the middle of his abdomen, past his navel to join a thin line running from rosy nipple to rosy nipple. His areola were huge, cracker sized red-brown circles on his chest. He had broad shoulders, deep chest and a slim narrow waist. Great smooth, flat muscle.
“Turn around.”
He did so, grinning shyly. His back was deep, curved into a bunched ass like a swayback pony. His upper thighs were meaty and well defined, hamstrings like quarter-pound fillet, and ripped with it. He was nice, really nice in a smooth frat-boy muscle-jock way.
“Yup, turn around, I’m finished.” I leaned over and poured another cup for myself. “In my honest and professional opinion, and after some consideration, I reckon you got a great body. I still think you’re a catch.”
“Sure?” he muttered shyly.
“Yup. Another cup?” I leaned over to pour, pass
ed the sugar.
“Thanks.” He balanced the cup between his knees and fumbled with the spoon. His fly had opened while he was busy and I could catch a glimpse of his shaft and a tangle of dark hair through the thin fabric. I remembered him naked in the bathroom, and reckoned he could boast some wood.
He passed the sugar back and I sipped in silence, thinking about what he had said. Deep inside, this was the last thing I wanted, to run around town screwing all of the hot guys while I already had a very comfortable series of relationships and friendships. Also, I had great hot sex at least twice a week from Kyle and also Michel every three or four weeks. It would seem the three of us weren’t actually after a homosexual relationship, but just couldn’t pass up the sex, and it suited all of us just fine.
I had only just got used to the idea that my healthy interest in my own body also meant I could admire other men’s bodies without shame. I had only, even more recently got used to the idea that I could have sex with guys and feel good about it and myself. It was something that was probably slumbering deep inside me, invisible to me for my entire life. I was struggling for balance and thought I had just only found it.
What would Bobby do to that balance? I didn’t want to think about it.
“There’s someone out there for you, Bobby.” I sighed, feeling tired all of a sudden “If you’ve met her or not, you just gotta hang in there.”
“I reckon I could do better, Andy.” He sighed and sipped the luke-warm coffee “Sometimes I think I’m expecting too much, married, kids, take over the farm.” He hiccoughed suddenly “I mean, I want it. But I think I will probably get stuck in hick town bored as hell before I’m thirty. I don’t want that.”
He tried to speak through his hiccough, I thought it hilarious and sniggered while he was finishing. “Hey, no fair.” He laughed.