The Trouble with Love

by Max Hudson

  “The Trouble with Love”

  M/M Gay Romance

  Max Hudson

  © 2017

  Max Hudson

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is intended for Adults (ages 18+) only. The contents may be offensive to some readers. It may contain graphic language, explicit sexual content, and adult situations. May contain scenes of unprotected sex. Please do not read this book if you are offended by content as mentioned above or if you are under the age of 18.

  Please educate yourself on safe sex practices before making potentially life-changing decisions about sex in real life. If you’re not sure where to start, see here: http://www.jerrycoleauthor.com/safe-sex-resources/ (courtesy of Jerry Cole).

  This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner & are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Products or brand names mentioned are trademarks of their respective holders or companies. The cover uses licensed images & are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any person(s) that may be depicted on the cover are simply models.

  Edition v1.00 (2017.09.12)

  http://www.maxhudsonauthor.com

  Special thanks to the following volunteer readers who helped with proofreading: Ann Attwood and those who assisted but wished to be anonymous. Thank you so much for your support.

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Free Book “A Tale of Two Quarterbacks”

  Chapter One

  On the morning of May 6th, Tony Wilkes, history teacher, bachelor and resident of Haverfield, Wisconsin, found himself alone in bed on the morning of his thirtieth birthday.

  Tony had been single for about a year. He wasn’t antisocial; he had a small circle of friends and he had used all the dating apps, but there seemed to always be a little something missing. His last relationship had been nice, but there had been no fire, no passion. It was after the break up that he decided he was no longer interested in nice - he wanted something else. He just had to figure out what.

  “I need to change something,” he thought to himself as he washed his thick, black hair that morning. “I can’t stay in this rut. Time to try something new. Get out of my comfort zone.” He stepped out and wiped off the fogged-up mirror and took in his face.

  Tony knew that he was handsome, but he had a hard time believing it made much of a difference. Sure, good looks were great on a guy, but chemistry trumped everything. He studied his square jaw, his soft, olive skin and big, brown eyes and sighed. He could be the best-looking guy in the world, but it wouldn’t count for anything if he never made a connection.

  He pulled on his workout clothes and grabbed the keys, did his usual morning walk to the park. After a quick run on the paths and a round of sit ups, pull-ups, and planks, he texted his friend Marcia to ask if she would join him for breakfast. She answered right away.

  You sly man! I completely forgot it was your birthday. You have to talk about it constantly like I do. Of course we’ll come.

  We. That meant she had already invited her husband Hal. He had been looking forward to having Marcia to himself, but there was nothing he could do about it. Hal was a perfectly nice guy; he just didn’t add much to any conversation. His specialty was listening while wearing a bemused smile on his face. Tony found it a little frustrating, but Marcia loved him, so what could he do?

  They arranged to meet at his favorite little Mexican cafe, Los Primos. He walked in and the guys behind the counter waved at him. He gave a little wave back and grabbed a table by the big windows so he could watch the people walk by. He didn’t know when people watching had become his favorite past time, but it had. He hated to sit in spots where he didn’t have a clear view of the public.

  Haverfield was out in all its Saturday finery. The weather had just turned warm, so the local women were sporting new sundresses, the men wore knee-length shorts which showed off their thigh muscles as they walked. To a man, they all had on crisp new shirts, either light cotton button-downs with the sleeves rolled up or even lighter T-shirts.

  Marcia trotted in with Hal right behind her. The two of them were much more casual. Both wore their favorite band shirts, no sleeves for either, and a pair of worn jeans. Marcia had her long, auburn hair pushed back with a pair of shades while Hal had just opted to wear his bedhead out of the house. Together they looked like teenagers trapped in adult bodies.

  “Hey! Happy birthday,” Marcia gushed.

  He laughed and pushed her away. “Oh, thanks.” She laughed and slid into the booth. He and Hal had an awkward hug which included Hal patting him just a bit too hard on the back. They settled in and perused the menu even though they had been there enough to know exactly what they wanted.

  The waiter José approached and immediately lit up at the sight of his regulars. He walked over to Tony first, clapping him on the back.

  “Hey, Tony! Good to see you, man. How are you?”

  Marcia leaned over him, shoving her head between the two of them. “José, you have to make something special for Tony. He’s turning thirty today.”

  “Thirty!” José put a hand to his chest to show his sarcastic shock. “I can’t imagine being that old.”

  Tony laughed, but it smarted all the same. “Listen, José, I really just want a plate of chilaquiles with a couple of eggs on top. That would be great.”

  José nodded, not even bothering to write the order down. “And Hal, you want the breakfast burrito with chorizo, and for Marcia, I think it’s going to be the huevos divorciados. Everyone want coffee?”

  The group fell silent and nodded a confirmation at José. He smiled and walked off while each of them looked at each other and then at the table.

  “Ugh,” Marcia said under her breath, “looks like we may be in a little bit of a rut.”

  “You’re telling me,” Tony agreed, slumping down in his seat. “I’m so set in my routine I can’t even ask someone out on a date.”

  “I thought you were killing it on the dating apps,” Marcia countered as their coffees arrived. She passed them out and then handed Hal his two creams and one sugar packet. She drank hers black.

  “I was. I mean, if by killing it you mean I was texting day and night. I couldn’t seem to move from texting to talking in person. It drove me crazy.”

  From the other side of the booth, Hal made an interested, “Huh.”

  Both Marcia and Tony jumped at the sound of his voice.

  “What’s on your mind, sweetheart?” Marcia sipped her coffee slowly, held with both hands. “Do you have some advice for our friend Tony?”

  Hal cleared his throat and toyed with an empty creamer cup. “I guess I just figured that gay men,” he gestured at Tony to assure there was no confusion, “had the opposite problem. I mean, don’t you guys get laid left and right? You know, rest stops, clubs, that sort of thing?”

  “Here’s your food,
guys.” They all turned to find a shocked José beside their table with a tray packed with food. He blushed as he set down each one. They all nodded their thanks and smiled politely.

  “Tony. If you want, I can make you some deep-fried ice cream as a birthday present.” José looked a bit sweaty and had a hard time making eye contact with the birthday boy.

  “You know, if you’re offering,” Tony said patting his already toned stomach, “I will take a green juice. The last thing I need is deep fried cream.”

  José nodded and made a quick exit. As soon as he was gone, everyone laughed into their hands. Tony looked over at Hal and then reached over to grab his arm.

  “Hal! You are so bad. And just so you know,” he pointed at his friend’s face, “it’s not the seventies anymore. Rest stops are very passé.”

  Hal smiled down into his burrito. “Well, I guess you need to find something off the beaten path. Some other way to meet people.”

  “Oh!” Marcia’s fork clattered down onto her plate so she could flap her hands in excitement. “I’ve got it! You should join our guitar class at Music World. I bet it’s full of cute guys.” She picked her fork up again and took a triumphant bite of eggs with green salsa. “Cute musicians, Tony. Think about it.”

  He did consider it. Tony crunched through his chilaquiles and tried to picture himself as one of those guys who always showed up to parties with an acoustic guitar, someone who spent his afternoons in the park, strumming on a bench.

  “What sort of music do you guys play in there?”

  His friends frowned and looked off into the distance. “Well,” Marcia said, stretching the word as far as it would go, “we just signed up so we don’t know yet. I think it will be chords and scales and stuff like that. It’s a more classic approach.”

  “Yeah,” Hal added, and Marcia patted his arm in recognition of his effort.

  Tony nodded, still trying to picture himself as a musician. “Okay. Maybe I should. It’s not a bad idea. It would be something new. And at the very least, it would give me an ice-breaker with new people.”

  Marcia bounced up and down in her seat a bit. “Wonderful! I can’t wait. We meet every Tuesday and Saturday. Oh, today.” She knocked back the rest of her coffee and the caffeine appeared to take effect within seconds. “So, you’ll need a guitar, a pick, strings, and a strap. And a case. That’s important. We’ll go early and get you all set up.”

  Tony’s mouth dropped open. “Hang on. That all sounds incredibly expensive.”

  She shook her head and wagged her finger in a no. “They sell it all second-hand in one part of the store. And they’ll give you a discount for signing up for the class. It’s totally within your budget. Besides,” she reached across the table to pat his cheek, “it’s your birthday! The big three oh. You should treat yourself.”

  A big sigh built up and then escaped from Tony’s lungs. “Fine. I’ll buy myself a present. I guess this is what adults do at this age.”

  “Sure,” Hal interjected. José walked up and presented Tony with a tall glass of emerald green juice, then waved over the staff.

  “Happy birthday, Tony!” Together, they sang the traditional birthday song from Mexico, ending it with a little “Rah, rah, rah!” Everyone clapped and shook Tony’s hand, wishing him a good year. It was all very sweet, but something about having a group of waiters celebrate his big day made Tony all the lonelier.

  The group separated after hugging in the parking lot and agreeing to meet at the music store in a few hours. Tony wandered off by himself to his car and felt his phone buzz in his pocket as he went. He pulled it out to see a message from his school’s official group chat.

  Just a quick announcement. Unfortunately, our dear Vice Principal Mathers has resigned from our institution. His replacement will be announced shortly. Anyone wanting more information about the situation is encouraged to visit with Principal Sloan.

  Tony smirked. That was no surprise. The man had barely bothered to show up for work the past few weeks and lots of parents had complained about his reluctance to speak with the students when they needed help. His guess was that Mathers had been fired but had agreed to say he’d resigned. It looked better for the school.

  He wondered if the new vice principal would be a step up from the last one or if it would just be more of the same. Even the act of thinking about administrators made him tired. He put his phone away and told himself not to think about it. Why ruin a perfectly nice day?

  As he took off down the street, he felt much better. He put one hand out the window and felt the breeze between his fingers. One of his favorite songs came on the radio and he sang along, imagining himself singing and playing on his own instrument, bashfully calling himself a musician in casual conversation. It felt very natural.

  He pulled into his driveway and for just a moment imagined that a handsome, smiling man was about to open the door to come out and greet him. Maybe he would have blond hair and clear, blue eyes. He could be tall and witty, smell like he’d just come out of the shower and have a little dimple in his right cheek.

  Most of all, he would be madly in love with Tony. That was all the birthday boy could ever want.

  Chapter Two

  Guitar class took place in a large music store with a mix of electric and acoustic instruments hanging down from the ceiling. Tony walked in a little early and was sorry to see his friends had yet to arrive. He wandered around the store, eyeing the keyboards straight out of the eighties and the massive cellos and basses.

  A handsome guy with long, sandy blond hair and a camel coat was trying out a red electric guitar. He was clearly a professional musician; he played a high-pitched, fast-paced solo as if he had been born with a guitar in his hand. Tony froze as he listened—the sound gave him flashbacks to his first crush, his first party, the time he had driven out into the woods with friends and got a kiss from Gary Turnblad in the trees.

  Without meaning to, he walked a little closer to the man playing. He felt the floor and his feet, but also felt as if he had been pushed from behind by an invisible force. He told himself to be calm, just say hello.

  Before he could even get a chance, the man looked up mid-solo and flashed a pair of perfect, clear blue eyes at him and a little sexy smirk. As his lips curled into a half-smile, Tony noticed he had a dimple on one cheek.

  Certain he was about to faint, he opened his mouth to take in a breath. Before he could get a word out, a hand clapped him on the shoulder.

  “Hi, hon! Ready to shop?”

  He blinked and turned to find Marcia behind him with Hal just a few feet away.

  “Marcia. Hi. Yes, of course. Let’s go.” They wandered over to the far side of the store, a long way from his dream man, he was sorry to see. His friend gave him a side hug as they walked.

  “Who was that guy you were staring at?” she whispered.

  “I don’t know. I was about to find out until my wonderful friend decided I didn’t need to meet him.”

  She put a hand over her mouth as her face turned bright red. “Oh my goodness. Here I’ve promised you men galore and I get right in the way of your first love connection. You want to go back?”

  He shook his head. “That’s okay. With any luck, I’ll see him again. Besides,” he glanced over his shoulder to see the man was already paying and would be headed out soon, “it would be way too obvious. I can’t.”

  Marcia jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow. “That’s your problem right there - no confidence. You’re a great looking guy, you’re sweet, and you even keep up with current events. What’s the problem?”

  Tony didn’t answer. He wanted to tell Marcia he had thought the same thing on many occasions. Plenty of men in the area had assured him he was a catch, but he just didn’t feel special in any way. Every guy he encountered felt just a little too far away. He couldn’t quite reach them.

  The store helped him pick out a good acoustic instrument, some nylon strings, “good for beginners,” the elderly salesman assured him, a
strap, and a case.

  “You’re all set, cowboy,” the gray-haired man assured him. “All you have to do now is practice.”

  Tony thanked him, wondered if he looked like an actual cowboy, and then walked into a back room for class with Marcia.

  As he waited, a few others trickled in. The first was an older guy named Bob who was already fluent in guitar. He brought in his own, unlocked the case, and pulled out a gorgeous cherry-stained instrument and picked out a tune. Tony wondered why he wanted to be in a beginner’s class but then decided not to ask. Instead, he just listened to him play while he carefully put his guitar on his lap.

  Next was Kim, a mom whose kids were off at college or married and who had too much time on her hands. She giggled constantly as if she was amused by everything, and Tony found her hard to talk to despite her best efforts. Her high-pitched laugh grated against his nerves.

  Then came Trey, a beautiful man who smiled and blushed at the tiniest of eye contact. He had a new guitar and explained that his wife had bought it for him and now expected him to play. “I guess she’s hoping to get me away from the computer,” he explained to Kim.

  “Oh! What do you do for a living?” She loudly strummed all her strings, a terrible, out-of-tune sound that filled the room.

  He mumbled something under his breath when he realized everyone was looking. Kim’s loud strum had announced their conversation to the room.

  “What was that, Trey?” She started tapping out a rhythm on her guitar’s body with her pick. He cleared his throat and said a little louder that he was a professional gamer.

  Kim cocked her head and blinked at him for a moment. “Oh. Sure. Sounds fun.” She turned away and went back to making as much noise as possible while Trey’s ears turned a bright red.

  “All right, my musicians,” their teacher began. “My name is Star. I’ve been playing and teaching guitar for over twenty years and I have a special place in my heart for beginning musicians. Welcome to Guitar for Beginners. Can everyone please put their guitars on their laps so the strings are facing up at you? There we are. Now, let’s go through the anatomy of our instruments-”