In the Life

by Will Blue

  "Tre, how you doing back there?" Jay yelled back from the driver's seat.

  "Yeah, you have been a little bit quiet back there which is kinda scary." Curtis remarked.

  "Oh damn, I forgot that he was back there." Morris went on to say.

  "Yeah, I am still back here under the bag of tennis shoes." I was actually just chilling in the back writing. From time to time, I like to write songs, poetry, and short stories. Currently, I was on a story writing kick. I had just about filled up my notebook with ideas, revisions, and new chapters of my latest story.

  "But you cool though, right?" Morris said turning back to look at me.

  "Yeah. Everything is cool." I couldn't help the shy, goofy grin I probably had on my face when I was replying. If only y’all could see what I was seeing, you would understand and break out the lotion.

  Once in Chicago, we stopped at the first hotel that was suitable to everyone's particular taste. Hell, Curtis was paying for me so I didn't care. As long as I didn't have to worry about roaches, rats, or robbers, I was fine. We ended up getting three rooms. Brent and Morris occupied a double bedroom, Jay and Curtis was shacked up in a single, and I had a room to myself. Should I feel alienated here? I mean, don't get me wrong. I actually prefer having my own room to myself, but when everyone pairs off for this trip, I will most likely always be the odd man out.

  As soon as we put our stuff down in the rooms, we decided to go get something to eat. We were close to a Chili's so we decided to go there. I guess after a long drive everyone wanted something strong and alcoholic to drink so everyone ordered a cocktail from the bar, well except for me. I was just fine with my water.

  "Come on, Tre." Morris commented after the waiter brought all of the drinks to the table.

  "You aint getting nothing from the bar?"

  "Naw, I am cool." I replied as I looked over to Curtis. He knew where this conversation was going just like I did and his ass was next to me chuckling.

  "You are not a drinker, huh?" That is when Curtis could no longer hold in his amusement. He bust out in laughter. Everyone looked around at us with confused smiles on their faces.

  "BB, what’s so funny?" Brent asked. "Tre, what’s up? You can’t hold your liquor or something? What's going on?"

  "Ummm, I can hold it just fine, but…"

  "He is an alcoholic!" Curtis finally managed to say as he tried to catch his breath from all his laughter. "Baby, you remember when I told you about my friend who drank a whole bottle of tequila and still managed to drive us both back to our apartments?"

  "No, you can't mean that was Tre." Jay said looking at me. I guess they think since I am so little, I wouldn't be able to do that. What Curtis didn't know was that as soon as I got home, I passed out on top of the kitchen table. Don't ask me what I was doing on the table in the first place because I don't remember. As the dinner continued, we all chowed down on our courses, but Brent saw something else worth tasting… our waiter. We all had watched them doing this whole flirting game the whole night. It was funny especially when the waiter passed him a note that caused him to excuse himself from the table for about fifteen minutes.

  We got back to the hotel after our dining experience and split off into our separate rooms. I would have followed Curtis into his room, but knowing him, he had a little sexual dessert awaiting Jay in their room. I changed out of my clothes and just put on some sleep pants and called it a night. I tried flipping through the television stations, but nothing really seemed interesting. I watched this special on Christina Aguilera, but turned off the television as soon as it was done. Since I was feeling a bit inspired at the moment, I broke out my notebook to finish with my story. I had written maybe a paragraph when there was a knock on the door. When I answered the door, I found Morris on the other end bare chested wearing only a pair of basketball shorts.

  "Wassup?" I hope he didn't notice me staring at his abs and pecs. I just wanted to run my tongue all over his body.

  "Can I sleep in here with you tonight?"

  Picture it. Here I am in my solitude when in steps a chocolate Adonis in my room wanting to spend the night with me. Hell, I ain’t no fool. I didn't ask any questions. I damn near shoved him in the room and tucked him under the covers with a bedtime story and a warm glass of milk! I guess prayer does work after all. Note to self: pray for Will Smith's hand in marriage. And back to the scene at hand!

  Morris walked in and laid back on my bed. Once again, I would like to remind the reading audience that the last time I had a nigga in, on, or around my bed, Mariah Carey was fully clothed and Michael Jackson was working on nose job number three. There are Buddhist monks who have seen more action than me lately. Oh, I live a sad, sad life.

  "I am sorry to intrude upon your space like this." Hell, intrude me. Intrude me! "Brent is kind of using our room right now." I started laughing.

  "With who?"

  "The waiter from earlier. My nigga in there right now probably pounding it out. I think that dude wished I could stay and make it a threesome, but I don't get down like that."

  Now, if that wouldn't have been a Kodak moment, I don't know what would be. Three sexy, muscle bound men all sweating, humping away on top of tussled sheets. Carnal juices exploding everywhere while they rear back their heads and scream out obscenities. Woo, sorry. I might need a moment. I kinda got this mental picture in my head that I don't want to let go of. And… I'M BACK!

  There were a few minutes a small talk and then Morris cut the television back on. He turned to Sports Center on ESPN and I am definitely not a sports person so I went back to my notebook and pen. I had lost my creative flow and was having a little writer's block. Plus, Morris' chest, stomach, and sculpted arms were getting my full attention.

  "What you writing up there?" Morris scooted closer to my position at the head of the bed. "Is that a journal?"

  "Actually, it's a story that I am writing, but I am kind of at stand still with it."

  "Oh really? Well, what is it about? Maybe I can provide you with some inspiration."

  Morris licked his sexy full lips. Oooh, that was so sexy.

  "I mean, it's just a story." I tried to find a way to describe what the story was without going too much into it. "It's about a bunch of college students that go to a HBCU and their lives. I could explain it, but I don‘t know if I can exactly."

  "So can I read what you got so far since you won't tell me anymore?" By now, Morris and I were both side by side with our backs against the headboard.

  "Sure if you want. But it’s not finished yet nor do I know if it is any good or not." I looked over at Morris and his beautiful brown eyes were staring right back at me.

  "I will be the judge of that." Morris licked his lips again. "So what is your story called?"

  "And So I Creep."

  "You must be a TLC fan." He laughed and showed me the most gorgeously brilliant smile.

  "How did you ever guess?" I know I was cheesing. His smile was just so contagious. The room seemed brighter and any nervousness I had about sitting next to him dissipated. The horniness didn't, but the nervousness was gone.

  "That's wassup." He replied back. That's when we just started talking about everything and nothing at the same time.

  We talked about everything from our first time having sex to what was the best cereal. He liked Apple Jacks while I was more into Captain Crunch. It was just a great conversation. There was no awkward moments of silence nor did either one of us have to fish for something else to say.

  I learned that he was 26. He is the youngest of five kids with him being the only boy. He was spoiled as hell growing up. He always liked being the center of attention and that's why he was drawn to being an actor. He had a big audition once we got to L.A. That was actually the whole reason for the idea of the road trip in the first place. He talked on and on about his passions and his aspirations and I just listened intently. He told me about his ten year plan and how he had made one of those Life Lists that Oprah always talks about. You know, wh
en you write down everything you want to achieve in life and then scratch them off as you do them. And he had some cool things on his list like winning an Oscar, bungee jumping, and seeing the great pyramids of Egypt. We talked so long that my body began to betray me and I started to yawn every two minutes. I didn't want to go to sleep, but my eyes wanted to close and my head wanted to hit the pillow.

  "Oh, I am sorry for keeping you awake. I have probably talked your ear off."

  "Naw, you cool man. I enjoyed our talk." I slinked down in the bed and got under the covers. Morris did the same.

  "Is this cool? You know, me sleeping in the bed with you?" Normally, some sexual thoughts would have been gone flying through my mind, but I was too tired to even play out those scenarios.

  "Yeah." I nodded my head. "You cool."

  "Are you sure? I don't want to make you uncomfortable." I laughed. He was sweet though. He looked genuinely concerned about my comfort level.

  "I said its cool, dude." I smiled back at him and he returned the smile as he got situated under the covers. I think I might have stayed awake five more minutes before drifted off into a deep sleep. When I woke up the next morning, Morris was still there in the bed sleep with his arm around me. His body felt so good pressed up against mine. I wondered if I should read anything into this position that we were in. Maybe we just gradually ended up like this during some tossing and turning in our sleep. I arched my ass into him and just laid there enjoying every moment. I might as well savor it while I could.

  When I woke up, I felt so refreshed and alive. It was just such a beautiful day. I stretched in the bed and felt the presence of another body. A smile spread across my face as I thought about Morris lying next to me half naked. I turned over to steal a glance at his perfectly muscular body, but was surprised to see a deviously handsome smile and two eyes already staring right at me. Even more shocking was that the beautiful face grinning at me did not belong to Morris.

  "Curtis! How the hell did you get in here?"

  "No, the better question is how Morris did?" I got up and started to gather my toiletries for my shower. I am still mad that Curtis was camped out in here like some damn stalker just waiting for me to wake up.

  "How do you think he got in here? I let him in. Now, once again, how the hell did you get in here? And did Morris say something?"

  "Naw, but he just left here like twenty minutes ago. I knocked on the door seeing if you wanted to go down to the hotel's weight room with me, but he answered the door. I came in and he left out." I looked back at Curtis who was still propped up in the bed. He still had this big smile on his face. I know his cheeks must be hurting by now.

  "And before you ask or jump to conclusions, nothing happened. Brent was using the room last night so Morris asked if he could stay in here. We talked, we laughed, and we went to sleep. End of story."

  "So you didn't even get a taste of his Almond Joy? Nigga, please tell me you at least got your booty rubbed on."

  "No. Like I told you, we talked and that's it. And don't be going around telling folks that it was more than what it was." Curtis got up from the bed and headed to the door.

  "Damn, and I thought there was juicy gossip in here. I should have known."

  "Sorry." I said playfully as he closed the door. I wish there had been more to tell him. I wouldn't have minded getting my feet wet in Morris' sexual pool. After I got done with my shower and put on some clothes, I went over to Brent and Morris' room. No one answered the door so I headed to Jay and Curtis' and found everyone in there. They were talking about the game plan for the day. We were going to go grab something to eat and then perhaps do a little shopping. Later that night, we would hit up a club or three. And by the next morning, we would be back on the road.

  It was strange that for the most part of the day, Morris and I did not talk as much as I thought we would. I didn't know what to expect, but I was really disappointed. You know what, I am probably thinking about this too hard. It's not like the man was dogging me. He is still treating me the way he had been over the course of these two or three days. Nothing had changed. Maybe that is why I was feeling some type of way. Although it was unrealistic to think that we would be all up under each other acting like Jay and Curtis, I had imagined we would be more… I don't know. I am just bugging again. Last night was great, but maybe that was all it was supposed to be.

  Later that night, we found ourselves funky fresh dressed to impress and ready to party. Brent said we were going to a section of Chicago that’s called "Boystown". When we got there, I was surprised at how well the place lived up to its title. I saw nothing but rainbows, dudes holding hands, chicks with dicks, and other flashing signals of obvious gayness. The "kids" were definitely out patrolling the boulevard.

  We bounced around from club to club until we found one that was popping. When we walked in, the DJ was playing Kelis. Brent, Jay, Morris, and Curtis all disappeared onto the dance floor to get their groove on. I, however, found myself up at the bar. I know that I was supposed to be cutting back on the drinking, but one, two, maybe twelve drinks wouldn't hurt. I started off with an Absolut and pineapple juice. I posted up on the bar and just people watched. There was so many fine niggas in this place. I felt like I was in the Destiny's Child video for Soldier. I didn't see an unattractive person yet. But of course, just when I thought that, I saw the definition of a hot, shitty mess.

  This little gay boy had on a long white wifebeater that he was wearing as a dress with a black studded belt around the waist. He had on white thigh high boots and a black leather choker that matched the belt. His head was shaved bald and he had on a hint of mascara. The music changed over to a club mix of one of Deborah Cox's songs as this bitch started vogueing. Now, don't get me wrong. The bitch was doing that damn thing. Unfortunately, it was while he was dancing that I saw that he had on a thong under his "outfit". I threw up a little in my mouth. Just a little. Ewwww!

  I ordered drink number two and asked for a double this time. When I went to pay the bartender for it, a voice came from behind me telling me to put my money away. I turned around to see a tall, dark chocolate man handing the bartender a twenty. He ordered himself some Hennessey. My eyes traveled the length of the man's body and found muscles, sex appeal, and diamonds on his neck and diamonds on his grill. I wonder how many licks it would take to get to the center of his tootsie roll pop!

  "So why are you not on the floor?" The guy asked me.

  "I could ask you the same question."

  "Well, I saw this sexy guy standing alone at the end of the bar and I figured that maybe he wanted someone to talk to. So… does he?"

  "I don't know yet. And what is your name?"

  "Lamont. And yours?"

  "Tre. It’s nice to meet you." After another drink, he led me out on the dance floor. The DJ was playing this Usher song which I wasn't really feeling, but I danced anyway. It wasn't until the music flipped to some Pitbull that I started to really enjoy myself out there. I was popping my ass back at Lamont. I could feel his dick was getting a little hard. I could feel his hands trying to go down my pants.

  "Whoa, whoa. Now you know you wrong." I pushed him off of me. As enticing an idea it was to have his hands groping me, trying to grab my goodies on the dance floor was not cool. After a having a lovely evening or at least supersizing my value meal at McDonald's, then maybe, but not here and now.

  "How am I wrong? You know you wanted it…" And I did, but that's not the point.

  "So I don't know why you playing."

  "Umm, it was nice meeting you." I tried to dismiss him and walk away. Unfortunately, he wasn't having it. This fool had the nerve to grab me by my arm and try to swing me back into his direction.

  "Come on. If you would just give a nigga some special attention, there wouldn't be any problem."

  "Yes, there would be." Morris made his presence known as he stood next to me. He looked down at Lamont's grip on my arm. "And my dude said he don't want your hands on him so unless you want me to bust
your head wide open, I would suggest you back the hell up." Lamont let go of me and Morris pushed me behind him.

  "Oh, I didn't know that was you, homie." He said gesturing towards me. "My bad." Yeah, that bitch was quick to back down. He was one of them play thugs that act like they all big and bad until the real deal gets in their face.

  "Yeah. That's all me, son. So that means you can bounce." Oh, I am his, am I? Uh, I know he is just saying that, but it sounds so good.

  Morris stayed grilling the dude until he disappeared into the crowd. Me and Morris decided to go find the rest of our clan. We found Jay and Curtis right away. They were still on the floor getting their bump and grind on. Brent, however, took a minute to find. When we finally spotted him, he was coming out of the bathroom with this other dude. They both had big smiles on their faces. Brent said something to ol' boy and then came towards us.