Staying True (Gay Romance)

by Trina Solet

  Troy turned to look at them. "I have a feeling they'll be leaning there forever if I don't put them up now. Do you have any nails?"

  "I don't but Greg probably does. I'll rummage around."

  When Spencer came back with some assorted nails and a hammer, he got a closer look at the sketches. They were rough silhouettes of naked men. Spencer started to think that Troy was definitely gay. Greg had told him that the new roomie was "probably gay" and promised to double-check that info. Spencer didn't want to question Troy about that. Instead he asked, "You aren't an artist, are you?"

  "Me? Oh, no. A friend gave them to me. They are..." Troy thought about it for a while then settled on one word. "Important."

  "That sounds intriguing. Maybe you'll tell me about them some time."

  "I definitely will. I'm a big blabbermouth." Troy was looking at the sketches kind of wistfully when they heard Greg come in through the front door. Spencer cursed him silently though he had no right to. It's not like he was interrupting a makeout session between him and Troy.

  Greg announced that he had groceries and that his arms were going to fall off, so Spencer went out to help him. As soon as he was standing next to him in the kitchen, Greg started interrogating him.

  "What were you up to in there?"

  "Nothing. What are you accusing me of?" Spencer shot back while he handed Greg the stuff that went in the fridge.

  "Tread carefully. He's a newbie," Greg said in a voice full of foreboding.

  "A newbie at what?" Spencer wanted to know.

  "You'll find out," Greg said with a wink. He was being mysterious, the sadist. Spencer looked toward Troy's bedroom and his head was full of questions. Honestly, he wanted to know every last thing about that man.

  Chapter 2

  Now that he was done unpacking, Troy took a good look around. The apartment was pretty nice and it wasn't too far from his work or the college he'd be starting in the fall. Until then he had most of the summer to do all the things he missed out on in his old life.

  Maybe some of the action would happen right in this bedroom. That's what he thought as he eyed his new room. Both the bed and the room were a decent size. The window was big enough so that he could see past the green of the treetops and get a view up and down the street.

  As for the rest of the apartment, the kitchen was narrow, separated from the living space by an island. It looked OK. Troy didn't cook often so the kitchen didn't interest him much. There were two bedrooms off the hallway and a bathroom that Troy and Spencer would share. Greg had a bigger bedroom and his own bathroom on the other side of the apartment.

  The comfortable looking living room was decorated in brown, beige and some blue. The TV in there wasn't bad at all. Troy could see himself stretching out on that couch while hanging out with Spencer and maybe Greg. Not that he was playing favorites with his roommates.

  OK, he was definitely playing favorites, and that Spencer was easy to be with. Greg was like sitting around with his boss. Troy could already hear him yelling about coasters and not putting his feet up on the coffee table.

  So far Spencer was the best feature of the place. Troy could look at him all day. His lively, dark eyes and slim body already had his imagination in overdrive. Troy wanted to see those eyes look up at him as he was sinking deep inside his tight body. He wanted to see his face blushing and sweat slick as he panted and called out his name in a begging voice.

  Fuck. He needed to get laid so damn hard. Until he met Spencer, he thought anyone good-looking would do. Now he was thinking, he should start by getting his roommate out of his system first, or he wouldn't be able to spend one minute in his new apartment without a permanent hard-on for him.

  That's exactly what he had to deal with the next morning. Troy had to jerk off before he could even take one step out of his room. It didn't take long. Thinking about Spencer while he stroked really lit a fire under him, but he still missed his chance to get into the shower first. Spencer did have to be at his job earlier than Troy, so it made sense for him to be first in line.

  As he stepped into the hall, Troy could hear the shower running. Now he couldn't help imagining Spencer in there. He pictured the rivulets of warm water sliding down his beautifully slender form. Troy wanted to run his soaped up hands up his legs until he took a firm hold of his hard cock.

  To get away from pervy thoughts, Troy went into the kitchen to have some coffee from the pot Greg made for all of them. It was hot and too strong, but it didn't distract him from wishing he could see through the wall into the bathroom.

  What might he see in there? Maybe the soap would slip out of Spencer's hand. So clumsy. Spencer would need to bend way down to retrieve it. If Troy was in there with him, he could come up behind him, let his hard cock brush against Spencer's upturned ass.

  "Good morning. Hope the coffee isn't too strong. Spencer is always complaining about it. He calls it the death metal of coffee," Greg said as he joined Troy in the kitchen.

  Troy stammered that the coffee was fine. To cover his embarrassment, he asked if there was any cereal he could "borrow" until he bought his own.

  "How are you going to borrow cereal exactly?" Greg asked him while handing him a box of some fruit and nut cereal that Troy was willing to eat only in an emergency. "You need me to lend you some milk too?"

  "Yes, please," Troy said.

  Right as he finished his cereal and put the bowl in the dishwasher, Troy heard the shower stop, and a little later the bathroom door opened. He eagerly watched for Spencer to come out, and he was rewarded with quite a sight.

  Spencer was naked from the waist up with a blue towel tucked in around his narrow hips. Water droplets clung to the ends of his hair and to his golden skin. Troy wanted to lick every drop off him.

  As Troy went to get ready for work, he tore his eyes away from him. That wasn't easy while Spencer was still lingering in the hallway, drying his hair with a baby blue towel. The hallway was narrow so the two of them were standing close, kind of getting in each other's way.

  Now Troy had a much better view of him, and his eyes focused on the beads of water that dripped from his hair down his neck. He couldn't think straight with such a desirable guy within easy reach. He could imagine the feel of his skin smooth, warm and still a little damp from the shower. When Spencer looked at him with his eyelashes wet, Troy almost grabbed him and kissed him.

  Spencer was about to go into his room, when Greg started scolding him.

  "Spence, you need to remember you're sharing that bathroom now. Don't take all day in there and don't use up all the hot water," he nagged him then he turned to Troy. "The water heater is kind of small. I'm afraid you'll be taking a cold one," Greg told him.

  "Oh, no. I'm sorry," Spencer said and gave Troy a puppy-dog look.

  How could Troy not let him off the hook? "No worries. I have to make it quick anyway."

  "Sorry," Spencer said again as Troy slung a towel over his shoulder and went into the bathroom.

  At the bathroom door, he inhaled the steam from Spencer's shower. Troy's heart was pounding as he stood leaning against the door with the image of the wet Spencer still burning him up inside. Breathing in more of the scent of shampoo and soap Spencer had used, he imagined smelling them on him mixed with the scent of his body. If he got that close, he would strip him of that towel so fast, tackle him to the bed and bury his face in his crotch.

  Troy got rid of his clothes in record time, hurriedly got in the shower and turned it on. As advertised, the water coming from the shower started out lukewarm then turned cold and stayed that way. Troy let the cold water pour over his head and down his body. That's what he got for being the last to get into the shower. He smiled as the idea came to him that he might ask Spencer to share his shower time with him.

  Turning his back to the stream of cool water, Troy let it soak in and sighed, but it didn't cool him off at all. He took his cock in his hand. With his eyes closed, he pictured Spencer kneeling down slowly right in front of him. Th
en he pictured him opening his mouth and looking up at him with his eyelashes wet and his eyes very dark as his pupils were blown.

  Now Spencer was taking his cock in his mouth. As water ran down his back, Troy moaned and let the wet heat of Spencer's mouth replace his own hand. His cock going in and out between Spencer's lips was a beautiful sight. He came to that image, wishing it was real.

  Chapter 3

  Since Troy moved in, living in the same apartment where he had lived for months was a whole new deal for Spencer. Every time he came home, he was on pins and needles. Would Troy be there? Would he be half naked? Would he be totally naked? Would he ask Spencer to blow him? Would Spencer pass out from the shock or just go to it?

  OK, none of that was going to happen.

  That night, coming back from dinner with his friends, Spencer made another suspense filled entrance. He found that Greg and Troy were hanging out in the living room. Both were fully clothed. Greg was grinning at his phone as he texted and Spencer knew what that meant. Then Greg confirmed it.

  "Good news for everyone. Joao is free and is taking me out for a late dinner, so the place is all yours now."

  Spencer high-fived him.

  "I was thinking of going out," Troy said. "Where do I go to meet guys around here?"

  That reminded Spencer that Greg told him that Troy was new in town. He should have offered to show him around before Troy went out to meet other guys. Talk about a missed opportunity.

  "You want a tour of the local hangouts, Spence is your man." Greg pointed a thumb at him.

  Spencer was ready to jump at the chance, but he didn't like the way Greg put it or that version of his name either. "Don't make me sound like some kind of bar hopper."

  "Just show him around. What do you want him to do, wander the streets alone?"

  Spencer turned to Troy. "I'm not busy. What do you say?" he offered while trying not to sound too eager.

  Troy grinned at him. "I'm ready to get out there. Show me the way."

  He put on his shoes and he was ready to go. Spencer looked him over. The muscles of his chest and arms stretched the blue t-shirt Troy was wearing. Oh, yeah. He was ready.

  "You want to start with the closest one? It's casual." Spencer figured he'd ease him into it.

  "Sounds good."

  "OK. We start with Bottleneck," Spencer said as he and Troy headed out the door. "It's just a short walk from here. If you don't like it, there are some other places not too far. It's mostly college bars, so they won't be crowded like when classes start."

  "That sounds good. I want to go in on the shallow end," Troy said as he went down the narrow stairs ahead of Spencer.

  "You want shallow? Spence is your man," Greg said from the top of the stairs.

  Spencer craned his neck to glare at him. "Would you stop badmouthing me right to my face," he shouted at Greg then went out to catch up to Troy.

  Troy was out on the sidewalk in front, waiting for Spencer to point him in the right direction. "I have to remember not to call you that," he said as they walked side by side down the dark street.

  "What?" Spencer wasn't sure what awful things Greg might have called him, other than shallow.

  "Spence. I can tell you don't like it," Troy said.

  "Maybe I just don't like Greg." And I like you, Spencer almost said. He wanted to give Troy permission to call him whatever he wanted.

  For the rest of their walk to Bottleneck, Spencer told Troy about the other bars he would find if he ventured farther out. It didn't take them long to get to their destination and push open the double doors that said bottle and neck.

  Bottleneck wasn't anything to write home about, but Spencer liked it and not just because it was so close. The lights had a nice amber glow. The voices were happy. He saw plenty of smiling faces and eyes that shone with interest when they fell on Troy.

  The two of them spotted an empty booth and grabbed it. That's when Spencer realized he didn't know how old Troy was.

  "I forgot to ask if you can drink."

  "Just turned legal in April. April 2nd. Missed out on being an April Fool's baby by one day. When I was a kid, I felt so gypped," Troy told him.

  Spencer agreed, "Having a birthday on April 1st would rule." But then he reconsidered. "It would be gag gifts all the time. No. You dodged a bullet, my friend." Soon they each had a beer in front of them and he asked Troy, "How are you liking your job?" That wasn't in the top ten questions he wanted to ask, but it was the one least likely to get him in trouble.

  "It's OK. It's money. I work at this car rental place. Mostly I work the phones. Sometimes I help clean the cars when we have to rush to get them ready. The pay isn't too bad."

  Spencer told him about the sandwich place where he worked. "We do fresh baked bread and other stuff in the morning so it smells like heaven. There's a bakery in the back, but I have nothing to do with that. I just make the sandwiches."

  "Maybe I'll drop by."

  "Feel free," Spencer said to him. To keep himself from dwelling on how gorgeous Troy was, he wanted to keep the conversation going. "So what made you move here? School or something?"

  "I was thinking it might be easier not to be near my family." He paused for a sip of his beer and then he turned the bottle in place a few times before he continued. "I just came out and things kind of went..." Troy shrugged. His eyes darkened and the muscles in his jaw worked.

  He didn't finish explaining, but Spencer saw how it was. "It must be rough. Sorry."

  Troy shook his head like he didn't want his sympathy. "I put it off too long. I let them believe a lie until the truth was a big shock. My brother thought he could talk me out of being gay. My mom and dad don't want to see me until I come to my senses. That's why I can't be near them. From my old college, I could be home in twenty minutes easy. But being there and knowing that they might not even let me in through the door..." He shrugged again and made a face. "From here, it would take me more than half a day to get home. I can pretend it's the long drive that keeps me from seeing them and not the fear that I'll get the door slammed in my face."

  "They might mellow out after they get used to the idea and see that there is no changing your mind," Spencer said to sound a note of hope.

  "That would be nice, but I won't hold my breath."

  Spencer decided to switch up the mood. "OK, let's see who's here that can cheer you up. If you like someone and I know the guy, I'll introduce you," Spencer offered though he was really hoping to keep Troy to himself as long as he could. Maybe he didn't need to worry just yet. The way he looked around, Troy didn't seem eager for an upgrade.

  The atmosphere at Bottleneck was festive. The place was as full as it was going to get this time of year. Quite a few eyes were taking in the sight of the new guy, probably thinking it shouldn't be too hard to peel him away from someone like Spencer.

  After taking a good look around him, Spencer shook his head. "Look at all the sharks circling, smelling fresh blood in the water."

  "You'll protect me, right?" Troy said and pulled Spencer closer to him across the table by grabbing his forearm.

  That was a surprise. The grip of his big hand made Spencer get both tight and wobbly inside. To cover up the sex-crazed need that Troy just jumpstarted, Spencer flexed his arm. That made Troy let go but now he was squeezing Spencer's biceps.

  "Not bad," he said.

  "For a skinny guy," Spencer finished for him.

  Troy nodded and smiled.

  "It's like a mosquito bite compared to yours," Spencer pointed out and Troy flexed his arm to prove him right. The bulge of his biceps had Spencer's full attention. Spencer squeezed his rock hard muscle and shook his head. "You're amazing."

  Troy blushed like he never heard those words before. Maybe he didn't hear it much from guys if he only just came out.

  "Didn't the girls compliment you at least?" Spencer asked.

  "The girls I dated? Mostly they were annoyed that I didn't want to bone them."

  I would be too, Spenc
er thought. He totally sympathized. It was like he was one of those poor, wretched girls, out with Troy on what almost seemed like a date but with no chance in hell of getting any.

  After he had another beer, Spencer started to feel more at ease with his lot in life. He sat back in the booth and gave himself permission to enjoy Troy's company. Troy might be out of his league, but he was nice to hang out with. His voice was rich and mellow, with the best laugh. His eyes were warm. He was probably the most gorgeous guy in the place, but Spencer couldn't vouch for that. He didn't want to look at anyone else to make sure.

  It was too bad his family had been so shitty to him. Maybe his future would make up for it. That's what Spencer was thinking as Troy told him how much he was looking forward to college in the fall. "Next term is going to be different now that I'm out."

  "That will be good news to plenty of guys. Hope you're ready to jump in with both feet." Spencer clinked his beer bottle against Troy's.

  "Hope to be. This summer I'm planning on catching up, getting all the experience I missed out on," Troy told him.

  Spencer wondered what he meant. "Missed out?"

  "I told you. Before now, I was living a lie," Troy reminded him.

  "The whole time?"

  "I played the part 24/7. I've done nothing except with girls." Troy looked down at the tabletop shyly.

  "Wow. Nothing? So that's what Greg meant by newbie," Spencer realized.

  "People are calling me newbie?" Troy said raising his eyes to him with alarm.

  "Either that or fresh meat," Spencer said with a smirk. Troy looked embarrassed. "No worries. Look around. Plenty of guys here would be happy to help you out. Just take your pick. And there's more than a few apps that can help you meet guys."

  "I looked into that. It's not really for me." Troy glanced around but then he just shook his head and stared into Spencer's eyes. "I want to get in there. I don't know what's holding me back."