Spar

by Nikko Lee

  Tyler didn’t want to define it, which is what he would have to do if he dared tell Randy. He couldn’t imagine the words crossing his lips. What were Jaime and he? Lovers? Fuck buddies? Neither felt right. All Tyler knew was that he got hard thinking of Jaime and wanted nothing more than to see Jaime smile.

  “You’re late.” Jaime looked up from his smart phone. Even though his eyes were inviting, he made no movement from his car.

  Even after all these weeks, Tyler could still sense a reserve in Jaime. He was always cautious not to make the first move unless they were in private. Then he became a different, more confident person. Tyler wondered if he would ever break down that last wall.

  “I didn’t know I was on the clock.” The grin on Tyler’s face widened as he leaned against his car. Only a few feet separated them, yet it was all he could do to keep himself from closing that distance and taking Jaime in his arms. Tyler could almost see himself pinning Jaime against the car, kissing the length of his neck until his knees weakened. That third person view reminded him someone could be watching, and that Tyler had to be careful. “You get a good workout tonight?”

  Jaime rubbed his ribs. “Steve got in a few good shots.”

  Ever since Steve had been chastised for his lack of control, he had shown a marked increase in his tolerance toward Jaime. They weren’t each other’s first choice of partner, but Steve seemed more cautious than ever not to do anything that could be interpreted as aggression toward Jaime. Still, Tyler’s fingers twitched into a fist whenever he thought of Jaime being hurt.

  “Let me see.”

  Jaime pulled up his shirt. The light from the streetlamp highlighted the purplish bruise.

  “Just a little love tap.”

  “Does it hurt?”

  “If I say yes, will you kiss it and make it all better?” The look Jaime gave Tyler ignited the air in his lungs. Even at a distance, Jaime could kindle Tyler’s passion with a word or a glance.

  “Maybe.” Tyler pushed off his car and took a step toward Jaime. “But the parking lot isn’t exactly the place to play doctor.”

  Jaime mimicked Tyler’s movement and halved the space between them. Tyler’s fingers that were eager to defend him now twitched with the need to feel Jaime’s naked skin beneath them. He took another step toward Jaime. He had to look up to keep hold of Tyler’s gaze.

  “Your place or mine?”

  “Your place?” Tyler asked.

  In the weeks that they had been fooling around, they had never gone to Jaime’s place. It had been hard enough to convince Jaime he could sleep over at Tyler’s. Tyler didn’t think Jaime wanted Tyler to know that much about him. Everything Jaime did seemed designed for Tyler’s comfort and ease. Tyler hadn’t ever asked Jaime if he would prefer to go to his apartment. Tyler was suddenly struck with the desire to see the place Jaime called home.

  “Unless you aren’t comfortable with that.” Jaime quickly tried to retract his invitation. “We can go to your place.”

  “Oh, no.” Tyler wasn’t going to pass up the chance to get to know a little more about Jaime. He wondered what Jaime’s apartment would look like. Tyler doubted he would find any piles of dirty clothes like he was always cleaning up every time Jaime came over. “Definitely your place.”

  * * * *

  “It might be a bit messy,” Jaime said as he hovered at the door to his apartment. “I wasn’t really expecting you to come over. Normally I’d clean up.”

  He still wasn’t sure what possessed him to invite Tyler over. He never invited guys over. Tyler had a way of inspiring Jaime to do a lot of things he never did. Maybe he’d said it as a witty comeback, but the truth was, Jaime wanted to let Tyler into his life in any way Tyler wanted to be a part of.

  “Then you’ll have to find some way to distract me so I don’t notice.”

  Jaime nodded and opened the door to his place.

  “Oh yes, so messy,” Tyler said as he looked around the small apartment, decorated in black glass and chrome. “I don’t know how you live in this sty.”

  Jaime slammed his fist into Tyler’s shoulder before he headed to the bedroom.

  “Let me just pick up a few things. Make yourself at home,” Jaime said as he disappeared behind the door.

  By his standards, the place needed a going-over. Last month’s issue of Studio was on the coffee table along with a stray cup of cold coffee. The baseboards had a layer of dust on them. And he was certain he spotted some dust bunnies under the white mid-century sofa. None of those things seemed to matter to Tyler, who made a beeline for the mirrored cabinets lining two of the living room walls. They contained a massive collection of DVDs organized by genre and title. The collection was something Jaime had prided himself on; it held everything from Bogart classics to new releases.

  “Sorry about the wait.” Jaime returned from picking up the dirty laundry he’d left on the floor to find Tyler lingering in the section devoted to video game-based movies. “Find anything interesting?”

  “Do you actually watch these?” Tyler asked.

  Jaime nodded. “Of course. They’re awesomely bad.”

  “I’ll take your word on that,” Tyler said as he wrapped his arms around Jaime’s waist and pulled the man close.

  “You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy Johnny Cage’s defeat of Goro.” Jaime swayed his hips against Tyler’s. They hadn’t come here to watch movies after all. “Or Sonya snapping Kano’s neck.”

  Tyler shook his head and laughed. He pulled Jaime closer and kissed the man. Tyler’s lips captured Jaime’s with a gentle but urgent pressure. Jaime moaned in response and undulated his hips.

  “We never got a chance to spar tonight,” Jaime whispered in Tyler’s ear after he’d left a trail of kisses along the line of Tyler’s jaw.

  “I couldn’t wait to get you alone.”

  “And now you have me.” Jaime pulled back just enough to look into Tyler’s eyes as Tyler thrust his growing erection against Jaime’s. His body reacted as much to the feel of Tyler’s arousal as the hunger in the man’s eyes.

  “I want to taste you.” Tyler pulled open the button fly of Jaime’s pants in a smooth motion he’d perfected after weeks of getting Jaime undressed.

  Jaime was amazed at how into it all Tyler had gotten. He pulled his shirt over his head as Tyler knelt and unzipped Jaime’s pants. He was as aggressive and tender as any man Jaime had ever been with. No wonder Jaime couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so turned on by the simplest acts of affection. Tyler held Jaime’s gaze as his fingers traced a line down the ridges of Jaime’s taut stomach. Jaime’s muscles flexed in anticipation as Tyler neared his navel.

  Then a gurgling sound rumbled from Jaime’s stomach. The last recording session had run late. Jaime had barely made it to class on time. With the workout and excitement of another evening with Tyler, he had completely forgotten to eat.

  “Sorry.” Jaime smiled sheepishly. “Even my stomach is hungry for you.”

  “That sounds more like hunger for food. Did you eat?”

  Jaime shrugged.

  Tyler stood and tapped the tip of Jaime’s nose. “I can wait until you’ve eaten before I maul you.”

  Jaime frowned. “I’m not sure I have anything in the kitchen. I usually eat out.”

  “You’ve got to have something.”

  Jaime hadn’t gone grocery shopping in weeks. Another rumble from his stomach and Tyler was practically dragging him into the kitchen in search of food.

  “You weren’t kidding.” Tyler closed the fridge door to half a case of imported beer and an impressive assortment of condiments. The cupboards had yielded even less promising nourishment.

  “I can just order something later.” Jaime snuggled up to Tyler. “Now where were we?”

  “What about the freezer?” Tyler opened the door to see one lone box of frozen pizza amid empty ice trays and frozen drink mixes. Jaime had more alcohol in his apartment than food. “I don’t want you passing out on me.”

&
nbsp; “But it will take time to cook.”

  Tyler scanned the box. “I think I can keep my hands off of you long enough to cook a frozen pizza and eat it.”

  Jaime pouted, even though it was sweet Tyler was worried about him.

  Tyler turned on the oven and started the pizza before they headed back to the living room. “How about a movie?”

  “This is my favorite bad movie,” Jaime said as he put in the DVD of Doom. “It’s even got scenes straight out of the first person shooter viewpoint. You’ll love it.”

  “If you say so.” Tyler looked doubtful, but he still smiled so warmly it made Jaime weak.

  Tyler stretched out along the short couch as Jaime loaded the DVD.

  As soon as the movie started, Jaime plopped down in the armchair ninety degrees from the couch. If they were going to watch a movie, Jaime would need some distance between them or they would end up in the bedroom.

  “Do I stink or something?” Tyler asked.

  “What?”

  “Come here.” Tyler gestured for Jaime to join him on the couch.

  Jaime wasn’t much for holding hands or snuggling, but Tyler was the kind of man who seemed to love expressing affection. Jaime’s cheeks burned. With a shy smile on his lips, he slowly made his way over to Tyler.

  “You sure that isn’t too friendly?” Jaime asked as he stood beside the couch.

  No matter how many times they were together, Jaime always felt like he needed to make sure he wasn’t making Tyler uncomfortable. He knew their boundaries in the bedroom and outside the privacy of their time alone, but it was that middle ground that worried him. When did they stop being casual sex partners and just became partners? As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was getting used to being with Tyler. When they were together, nothing else mattered.

  Tyler grabbed Jaime’s hand and pulled the man onto the couch to sit between his legs. With Jaime’s back on Tyler’s chest, he felt Tyler wrap an arm around him and nip at his earlobe. It was all so wonderful, Jaime felt a little sad knowing it would have to end at some point. When Tyler’s experiment was done, Jaime would be alone again. He let out a sigh as he relaxed into Tyler’s arms.

  “Isn’t this better?” Tyler asked.

  Jaime knew Tyler was going to break his heart, but he still couldn’t help himself.

  “Perfect.”

  * * * *

  The rest of the evening was spent on the couch eating pizza and watching movies. Sometime during the evening, Tyler fell asleep and woke to the soft sounds of Jaime snoring. The sky was gray with the approach of the morning sun. The realization that he and Jaime had spent their first night together without making out sent a rush of panic through him. Only the weight of Jaime against him kept Tyler from moving. He didn’t dare wake Jaime up. Then Tyler would have to explain what he didn’t even understand himself. The more time he spent with Jaime, the closer they were getting emotionally. They couldn’t get any closer physically. When Tyler was dating, this would have been about the time Tyler started thinking about making a commitment. Only Jaime wasn’t a woman. Tyler’s erection wedged against Jaime’s back was an aching reminder he could not deny his desire for Jaime. He wasn’t sure when that desire had become something more.

  Tyler could have left, made some lame excuse about having to get home. As uncomfortable as it made him feel to admit it to himself, he wanted to be here with Jaime, sleeping in the man’s arms. Not having sex didn’t change the fact Tyler wanted Jaime more than anyone he had ever been with.

  Chapter 14

  The night of Sarah’s grading came quickly, and Tyler was busy making sure all the students were on their best behavior. A black belt grading was one of the few occasions when Sensei Melissa’s teacher, Shihan Harrison, visited the dojo. He scrutinized every student, especially those who were testing. The few colored belts that were also testing milled about nervously, stretching and whispering to each other.

  “Don’t worry, it’s just like any other grading,” Tyler said to Jaime, who nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Tyler’s voice.

  “Hai, Sempai.” Jaime managed a shaky reply.

  Jaime’s eyes darted across the room to the gray-haired man talking to Sensei Melissa at the front of the dojo. Tyler remembered the first time he’d graded in front of Shihan Harrison and how he’d tripped on the mats just getting up to bow.

  “You’ll be fine as long as you remember your kata.”

  Jaime gave Tyler a petrified look.

  “And even if you don’t, it will be all right.” Tyler tried to reassure him. “Just do your best.”

  “Hai, Sempai.” Jaime nodded and produced a weak smile.

  Once Tyler was sure Jaime wasn’t going to freak out, he went over to give Sarah some words of encouragement. Randy stretched with Sarah; probably offering her similar words of encouragement to those Tyler had shared with Jaime.

  “All set?” Tyler asked Sarah.

  “Hai, Sempai.” Sarah bowed. “Thank you for all your help.”

  “You’ll do fine.”

  “How’s Jaime holding up?” Randy asked. “It isn’t too often the colored belts get to grade in front of Shihan.”

  “He’s nervous as hell, but he’ll survive.”

  “I know the feeling.” Sarah said, just as class was called to attention.

  The grading went well. Sarah only messed up her katas a few times but recovered her composure once Sensei Melissa told her to take a moment to clear her mind. Karate was about so much more than physical proficiency. It was as much about conquering the fears and insecurities within as it was about blocking and punching. Tyler was as nervous for Sarah as he was for Jaime. Not that Jaime would face the same scrutiny as her, but it was hard to watch him make mistakes and get flustered without being able to comfort him.

  When everything was done, Sarah became the dojo’s newest black belt with the praise of Shihan Harrison. She wasn’t the only one to impress the testing board. Jaime received a rare double promotion to brown belt. Tyler felt so much pride he could barely stop himself from giving Jaime a big bear hug in front of everyone. Instead, Tyler waited patiently for the appropriate time to congratulate Jaime.

  “Well done,” Randy said as he shook Jaime’s hand after class was dismissed. “Your katas are really getting sharp.”

  “Thank you, Sempai.” Jaime looked like he had just woken from a dream.

  Tyler crossed his arms over his chest to keep from crushing Jaime against him.

  “This calls for a celebration,” Sarah said and hugged Jaime. Tyler was a little jealous of how freely she could express herself. “Great job, Jaime.”

  “Thank you, Sempai.”

  Sarah looked about to correct him when she caught herself.

  “Get used to it,” Randy teased her. “You’re one of us now.”

  “It’s going to take me a little while to get used to that,” Sarah said. “Now, about that celebration—any objections to Chummy’s?”

  “Sure. First round is on the new sempai.” Randy said as he sidestepped Sarah’s swat and headed to the men’s changing room.

  Tyler was reluctant to follow Randy before he made sure he knew what Jaime’s plans for the night were.

  “You coming out with us?” Tyler asked as low-key as he could, even though he knew the celebration wouldn’t be complete without Jaime.

  “Hai, Sempai.” Jaime said with a smile then glanced at Sarah. “If it’s all right with Sempai Sarah.”

  When Sarah cringed at the use of her newly earned title, Jaime bowed deeply. He seemed to enjoy teasing her as much as Tyler and Randy did. Most everyone in the dojo had warmed up to Jaime in the months since he’d joined, with the exception of Steve and his testosterone buddies. They mostly avoided working with him but had learned to treat him like any other student no matter what they felt about his private life. It would have been more reassuring if Tyler didn’t see the resentment and prejudice lurking just below the surface of their barely acceptable politeness. Ty
ler wasn’t sure how Jaime was able to ignore it. Even when they didn’t treat him badly, he had to know what they thought about him. It wasn’t right but there was no way to change a person’s way of thinking unless it was their own idea.

  “We should get changed,” Tyler suggested to Jaime.

  Jaime was about to join Tyler when Sarah grabbed his arm.

  “You can’t change until you’ve thanked Shihan Harrison. It isn’t every day a student earns two ranks in one testing.”

  “Hai, Sempai.” Jaime replied obediently, even though Tyler detected a note of resistance in his voice.

  Jaime seemed to like changing with Tyler as much as Tyler did. Even though the changing room was a completely nonsexual zone just like the dojo floor, Tyler wasn’t going to begrudge Jaime taking a peek. Most of the time, it was Tyler who was doing the peeking and Jaime who was doing his best to memorize the grooves on the locker doors.

  Tyler got dressed quickly, wanting to get to the bar early. The sooner Jaime and he parted ways with Randy and Sarah, the sooner they could be alone, and Tyler could give Jaime proper congratulations. One with fewer clothes and more roughhousing. Jaime’s technique was improving so quickly it wouldn’t be long before he was testing for black belt.

  “Testing went well,” Randy said as Tyler entered the changing room. All the other students had finished and were headed home.

  “Sarah did great.” Tyler wanted to say something about Jaime, but he worried what Randy might think.

  “So did Jaime.”

  “He’s come a long way.” Tyler tried to sound as impartial as he could, even though he couldn’t have been happier about Jaime’s advancement.