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The Guy Across The Hall Ch. 01

By: RimPig



I was 18 when I got married. I didn’t want to. I’d pretty well floated through high school. Being a jock, a member of the football team and the wrestling squad made life really easy in the small school, White Mountains Regional High, that I went to. I made some good friends who all left town for college as soon as they graduated. Me, I wasn’t interested in college. I preferred to work with my hands and loved cars so I ended up at Gallen Regional Vocational Center learning to become a mechanic. It was in the middle of that training when it happened.

I could understand them wanting to leave. The only real ‘business’ in the town was tourism - for the skiing and for sight-seeing. Carroll was the home to the Mount Washington Hotel which was the town’s biggest employer. The town’s only real claims to fame are that the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank were started at a conference in the Mount Washington Hotel in 1944 and the Mount Washington Cog Railway which has been climbing to the top of Mount Washington since July 3, 1869. That is, unless you also want to count that the top of Mount Washington is the sight of the world’s worst weather - literally! Hurricane force winds occur at the summit on average every third day and the world’s highest wind speed ever recorded - 231 mph - was recorded at the summit. The weather on Mount Washington has accounted for the deaths of over 100 people - not exactly what you’d call ‘paradise’. 

My ex-wife had been my girlfriend in high school. Not that I really wanted one but she’d done most of the chasing after me. I mean, I thought girls were okay and I liked sex and all but there just seemed to be something missing in all of it. I guess we were stupid because she got pregnant. This made my parents somewhat disappointed in me and her parents furious. Seems they wanted there ‘little princess’ to marry somebody with more ambition than a ‘grease monkey’. I’d known they didn’t want her dating me and, frankly, if she’d broken up with me I don’t think I would have been that broken up about it. I think mostly she held onto me because it pissed off her parents.

Because Carroll one of the smallest towns in Coos County, the population only 689, her parents didn’t want to have a wedding there so we ran off and got married in front of a Justice of the Peace in Bethlehem which was down in Grafton County, came back the same day and moved into an apartment that my parents had helped me rent and her parents had helped furnish. I noticed it was pretty cheap furniture - almost as if her parents figured we wouldn’t last that long so there was no use in buying anything of good quality or that would last.

The only thing good about the whole situation was that six months into the pregnancy, after we’d already gotten married, she lost the baby. I say good only because I just couldn’t see bringing a child into what turned out to be a completely loveless marriage. I remember I’d talked to my Dad when the whole thing happened with her getting pregnant to begin with.

“Son, you don’t have to marry this girl if you don’t love her.” Dad had said to me.

“But, Dad, she going to have my baby. I can’t just walk away from a kid of mine. Could you?” I asked.

“I’m not saying just walk away. I’m just saying there’s other ways of being a father.” Dad insisted.

“Not and be any good at it.” I groused.

“Look, son, I’m only thinking about your happiness here. Ending up married to someone you don’t love is the worst kind of hell on earth.” Dad informed me.

“We get along okay. Maybe I’ll learn to love her.” I mumbled.

“Love ain’t something you ‘learn’, son. It’s something that grows. But it’s got to have a start. I just don’t see that here. A baby ain’t no way to start a relationship.” Dad said.

“No, Dad. It will be all right. The relationship will work. I’ll make it work.” I said, full of teenaged bravado and stupidity.

Those words came back to haunt me many times over the next three years that we lived together. The relationship never grew. I never fell in love with her nor she with me, really. Most guys think that marriage is for sex. Well, let me clue you! I don’t think we had sex 10 times in those three years. She would fuck my brains out when we were dating but after we married and after she lost the baby, she lost all interest - either in sex or me or both, I was never sure. The one thing I was sure of was that I was miserably unhappy and didn’t know what to do about it. Then Dad stepped in.

He dropped by the garage I was working at one day right at quitting time. He asked me to go have a beer with him. Since my wife was working second shift at a plant outside of town that made plastic containers, I was just going home to an empty apartment anyway. She and I were spending almost no time together over the last six months because they supposedly changed her from first shift to second shift but I wasn’t all that sure that the change had been forced on her. I got the feeling she requested it so that she could more easily avoid spending any time with me.

Dad and I drove to a local tavern where we grabbed a couple of drafts and Dad led me to a table in the back corner where we would have privacy. I could see that Dad had something he wanted to talk to me about and I figured it might be about my marriage but I was still totally floored by the first words out of his mouth.

“Son, your Mom and I have decided that we should hire an attorney and get you a divorce.” Dad said.

I sat there in shock, just looking at him with my mouth hanging open.

“I know this is a bit forward of us but, son, we just can’t stand to see you so miserable any more!” Dad said, looking me right in the eyes when he said it, daring me to tell him different.

I couldn’t of course. He was right. I was miserably unhappy. I had been ever since I’d gotten married. It was a wretched situation that I didn’t see ever getting any better. Though I couldn’t admit it at the time, I was more grateful to my parents than words could ever express for what they were willing to do.

“Now, Tommy, you’re over 21. You’re an adult and if you want to tell me to butt the fuck out of your life, I will. But we love you son and watching you is tearing your Mom and me apart.” Dad said and I could see the truth in his words by the pain in his eyes.

“Dad, I could never say that to you! You’re the best Dad a guy could ever hope for. I should have listened to you when this whole thing started. You were absolutely right. I had no business getting married to someone I didn’t love. And what you said about a marriage without love being the worst kind of hell...well, Dad...I’ve been there, done that and bought the t-shirt now.” I said, hanging my head.

“Son, we all make mistakes. You did what you did out of the best of intentions and a sense of honor. There was a baby involved and, I have to tell you, though I knew it was a huge mistake, I had a great deal of respect for you, son, for standing up the way you did and taking responsibility for what happened. However, that’s all changed. There is no baby and before there is one, you Mom and I just feel that now is the time to end this before it goes on any further.” Dad said.

“Ain’t much chance of there ever being another baby, Dad.” I said quietly.

Dad looked at me sympathetically.

“Yeah. I kinda figured that, son. It don’t take a whole lot to make a man happy and usually when he’s as miserable as you are all the time it’s because he ain’t getting his ashes hauled the way he ought to.” Dad said.

I know I blushed at this, because I could feel my face heat up. It had been a long time since Dad and me had ‘The Talk’ when I was about 13 and he caught me jacking off one night, and we really hadn’t talked much about sex since then. Actually, like most guys, Dad and I didn’t do a whole lot of talking. We would always spend time together, though. Dad loved to fish and so we’d go out to a lake nearby and go out in Dad’s small boat. We never caught much but that wasn’t the reason we went. The fishing just kind of gave us an excuse to be together, drink a few beers and talk. I’m not exactly sure why guys always feel they need an excuse to be together like that but they evidently do.

“So we’ve got an appointment set up for Friday afternoon at 3:00 o’clock. Can you take off from work?” Dad asked.

“Yeah. That won’t be no problem. Marty, my boss, he’s a good guy. He’s said a few things to me about seein’ me so miserable, too. I don’t think this will come as any surprise to him. There’s just one thing, Dad. I don’t want to move back home. No offense, but I want to live on my own.” I said.

“I understand completely, Tommy. No offense but I hadn’t counted on you movin’ back home. Your Mom and me have gotten used to being alone since you got married and we like it that way, if you get my drift.” Dad grinned at me with a twinkle in his eye.

I blushed again! There’s just some things that kids - even adult kids - find difficult knowing about their parents! Even if you know intellectually that at some point in time your parents had to have had sex because you exist - still, it isn’t something that’s real comfortable thinking about!

“Yeah. I get it, Dad!” I said ruefully. “It’s just that well...I don’t really have enough money to get a place of my own. We don’t have a lot put away and I’m gonna have to give her half of it.”

“Don’t worry about it, son. Your mom and me didn’t do much in the way of gifts when you two got married. I guess maybe it’s because we saw this day comin’. We can well afford to rent you an apartment. You just look around and find something you like.” Dad said.

The next afternoon, after work, I did exactly that. I’d bought a newspaper at lunch and started looking thought the ‘Apartments for Rent’ ads. I’d already told Marty, my boss, about what was going on. He just smiled at me and told me to take all the time I needed until this thing was over. He told me that he’d gone through the same thing when he was my age and he knew what it was like. 

By the time Friday had rolled around and it was time to meet my parents at the lawyer’s office, I’d found a place that I wanted to rent. It was in an old but very well cared for building downtown over a small grocery store. The building was three stories and only had four apartments, all of them one bedroom units - two on the second floor and two on the third floor. This apartment was one of the two on the second floor which meant in the evening, after the grocery closed, I didn’t have anybody under me. Not that I was gonna do any break-dancing or anything, but I just didn’t like havin’ to worry about somebody downstairs bein’ disturbed.

We met with the lawyer that Dad had chosen. It turned out to be a young guy - not much older than me. He was the son of one of Dad’s poker buddies. He’d only been practicing law for a couple of years but this was not a very complicated divorce. In fact, it hardly seemed worth having a lawyer at all. We had no children and there were no ‘marital assets’ to speak of. My wife and I each had cars but they were both over five years old. Our bank account was barely over five figures and the only other asset was the furniture her parents had bought which I’d just a soon give to her anyway.

Because it was a ‘community property’ state, marital assets were basically just divided down the middle and there was no such thing a alimony. The state also had what was called ‘no-fault’ divorce, so all that had to be stated was that the parties no longer wished to be married and that was about it. The attorney told us it would take about six months, unless my wife contested the divorce - which was highly unlikely. The lawyer said he would serve her with papers on Monday.

After leaving the attorney’s office Mom, Dad and I headed over to the apartment that I wanted to rent. They were both impressed by how clean and well maintained the building was and at the size of the apartment. For a one bedroom, it was larger than the two bedroom I shared with my wife now and the rent was much more reasonable. My wife had demanded that we move into this ‘young adult’ complex which had a lot of amenities - most of which I never used, nor did she - and cost a great deal per month. The new apartment would run me less than half of what the one I presently shared cost. The landlord was the guy who owned the grocery downstairs so after he showed us the apartment, my Dad wrote out a check to him for first, last and security. I told Dad I’d pay him back, but he insisted that, like the attorney, this was something that he and Mom wanted to do for me.

All that was left was to tell my wife that I was filing for divorce. When she finally got home that night, she was surprised to see me up waiting for her. I rarely did that anymore. She looked at me funny and asked why I was up. I told her that we needed to talk. She seemed somewhat disconcerted and also somewhat wary and defensive at this announcement. We sat in the kitchen and I just flat out told her that I’d seen an attorney that day and that I wanted a divorce, that the papers would be filed on Monday and that I was moving out the next day. I told her I was quite willing to split the bank account with her and she could have all the furniture that her parents had bought.

She sat there looking somewhat dumbfounded - like this all came as some kind of surprise. Finally she just shook her head and began laughing. I asked her what was funny.

“I already have an appointment with an attorney on Monday. I was going to file for divorce. I had intended on telling you tomorrow. I guess we both know what a mistake this has all been.” she said.

“Yeah. It has been. I don’t know if it was yours or mine or both and, frankly, I don’t care. I just want out.” I said.

“I plan on moving back in with Mommy and Daddy.” she said, so I really don’t need the furniture. “If you’re moving to your own place, you probably will, so you’re welcome to it. It will at least save you some money.” she said.

I thought for a second about that and decided she was not only right, but she apparently was trying to make some kind of generous gesture now that she knew that I wouldn’t fight her on a divorce and I was just as eager as she was to end this farce we called a marriage.

“Okay, I said, but the law says we’re supposed to split everything and there ain’t nothin’ really to split.” I said.

“It’s okay. My car’s newer and better than yours - that should even things out.” she said.

“I guess I’ll sleep out here on the couch, tonight.” I said.

“Why? There’s no reason for that. I think we can trust ourselves enough to sleep next to each other one more night.” she said.

Knowing how little had gone on in our bed other than sleep - especially for the last year - I supposed she was right. We went to bed and in the morning, she was gone when I woke up. There was a note on the kitchen table telling me that she’d went to see her parents to give them the news of the divorce and that she was looking at moving out that afternoon or as soon as she could get her father to come and get her things. I decided to stay in the apartment one more night and called some of the guys at work to come and help me move on Sunday.

Deciding I didn’t want to be around when my soon-to-be-ex-wife came back with her parents to get her things, I went over to the apartment and decided to look around it and decide where I was going to put the furniture. I drove over to the apartment, walked up the stairs to the second floor and I no more put my key in the door than the door opposite mine opened.

There in the doorway stood a big guy! Now, I’m no slouch at about six foot but this guy had me by three or four inches and with shoulders a mile wide and a chest and upper arms showing in his ‘wife-beater’ that said he either did very physical labor or he very seriously worked out. His hair was black and his eyes a crystalline blue. I could tell that he was about my age - maybe a couple of years older. He was wearing an old pair of gym shorts along with the wife-beater and was barefoot.

“You the new guy?” he asked.

“Yeah! My name’s Tommy. Tommy Driscoll.” I said.

“Pete.” he said, sticking out his hand “Pete Blackstone.” 

His hand shake was firm without being over powering. It was clear that this young stud had nothing to prove. I noticed, immediately, however, that he wasn’t from around Carroll - or anywhere in New England for that matter. He didn’t have the distinctive ‘twang’ of the New England accent.

Now a lot of New Englanders have a strong resistance to ‘outsiders’ but I wasn’t that way. I welcomed anybody that would move to Carroll. After all, it was a pretty small town and, to my mind, it need some new blood in it! I just couldn’t place his accent because basically, he didn’t have one. At least, not to my ears.

“So how come you’re moving here? You just getting out of school?” he asked.

“No, just out of a marriage.” I answered.

“Oh, fuck! I’m sorry.” he said. “Me and my big feet that always seem to end up in my big mouth!”

“Nah! Don’t worry about it. I ain’t broken up about it. It was a mistake from the beginning. I should have known it wouldn’t work. I was too young and too stubborn to listen.” I said. “You ain’t married, I take it?”

“God, no! And don’t want to be - ever!” Pete laughed.

“Smart man!” I laughed. “Well, it ain’t gonna happen to me again - ever!” 

“So when you movin’ in?” Pete asked.

“Tomorrow. I got some friends movin’ my stuff.” I said.

“Say, why don’t you come on in. I got some coffee just brewed. That is if you ain’t busy.”

“Nah! Ain’t got a thing in the world to do.” I said, realizing that it was true.

Besides, there was something about Pete that I just instantly liked. I don’t know what it was. I mean, it wasn’t his looks or nothin’ - not that he wasn’t quite a stud! He was just about what women called ‘drop-dead gorgeous’. I mean, even as a guy, I could see that! But there was just something there - something so nice - that I just wanted to get to know him. Somehow I had the feeling that we were going to become really good friends.

God knows, I could use a friend about now. I’d lost all my friends when they moved away to college and then to jobs in the big cities. Small town life wasn’t what they wanted. I don’t know why, but I didn’t have the same hankering to go chasing after money and living in smog-blanketed cities surrounded by millions of strangers. I’d grown up in this small town and it’s where I wanted to stay. Close to my family, close to my roots. But it was lonely with nobody to really talk to. There was always the guys at work and sometimes I had gone out with them to get a beer after work but nothing seemed to ‘click’ with any of them. I don’t know why.

But now with Pete, that was a whole different story. Something seemed to ‘click’ almost from the moment I met him. When he ushered me into his apartment, I was amazed at the place. It was a mirror image of the one that I’d just rented but configuration was where all similarities stopped. The living room was furnished with a long couch and what looked like two, deep comfortable chairs all upholstered in leather of a deep, rich reddish brown. The three leather clad pieces were grouped around a large coffee table in dark wood facing a wall on which hung a huge plasma screen and what looked like enough electronic sound equipment to outfit a good-sized Best Buy! A huge rack of CD’s and DVD’s also occupied space against the wall. I could see the pieces of what looked like (and which were) a very good home theatre sound system. The walls were stark white and the only color in the room came from two large modern paintings on the other walls adding slashes of color from deepest red to shocking blue. The floors had been stripped to their hard wood and polished to a high gloss with no rugs covering them to hide the beauty of the wood.


The Guy Across The Hall Ch. 01



At the other end of the long room, rather than a dining room table, the entire dining area had been turned into a home office with a huge computer desk and what looked to be a rather extensive and powerful computer system. The one outstanding thing about these apartments were the kitchens. They were large by apartment standards - big enough to eat in with lots of cabinets for storage and fairly modern appliances. However, Pete’s kitchen was very different from mine in that his cabinets were all dark wood and leaded glass so that the contents could be seen behind the small panes of glass and the counter-tops were all a deep red granite - as was the sink.

He motioned me over to a good-sized kitchen table of dark wood that looked like it was an antique (it was - over 150 years old, I found out later) and brought over two cobalt blue mugs filled with what turned out to be some of the richest, most flavorful coffee I’d ever had. There was a cut-glass sugar bowl on the table and Pete pulled from the refrigerator a matching cut-glass pitcher filled with cream. Adding both to my coffee and looking around the kitchen, I couldn’t help but be impressed by my surroundings.

“This is really quite a place you’ve got here! Either you or the landlord has been doing some upgrading!” I said.

“Well, I guess you could say we both have. The landlord is a particular friend of mine.” Pete smiled.

“You mean the guy who runs the grocery downstairs?” I asked.

“Oh, no. He’s not the owner of the building. He simply manages the apartments for the owner.” Pete said.

“Oh!” I said. “Well, I wonder if I’ll get to meet the owner?” I asked.

“I would expect you will, in due time.” Pete answered.

“So I guess that’s why your place looks like this, huh?” I asked.

“Well...you might say that. Eventually the landlord wants to redo all of the apartments this way but before he could do your’s, you rented it.” Pete said. “But maybe, if you don’t mind putting up with the mess, it could get upgraded while you’re living there.”

“Sure! I don’t mind, especially not if it would end up looking like this!” I enthused.

“Well, I’ll have to see what I can do about that.” Pete grinned. “So, you’re getting divorced?”

“Yeah. The marriage was really a mistake. I didn’t love her but she got pregnant. I stuck it out for three years, but finally my Dad offered me a way out. He and Mom are paying for the divorce.” I said.

“Really? That’s quite unusual.” Pete said.

“Well, Dad said they’d never given me a wedding present.” I grinned. “I guess a divorce was the best present they could give me. That, and this apartment.” 

“They rented the apartment for you?” he asked.

“Yeah. I wanted out and we didn’t have the money for that. I can pay the rent but Mom and Dad did the first, last and security so that I could move quickly.” I explained.

“I understand. Did you ask them to do all this?” he asked.

“No. Dad came to me. They saw how miserable I was and wanted to do something to change it.” I smiled.

“Well, it seems to have worked. You don’t seem miserable to me.” Pete smiled back.

“No, ever since we saw the lawyer and rented this place, it’s been like a thousand pound weight was lifted off my shoulders.” I said.

“Well, it looks like you could almost hold that much. You must work out with all those muscles.” he grinned.

I was shocked at first. I didn’t think of myself as muscular - especially not looking at him. And that was part of the shock. I found myself looking at him - a lot. I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes away from his muscular body. I’d never had this happen with another guy before and I couldn’t understand why it was happening to me. I found myself blushing hard - whether from what he said about my body or from the embarrassment of not being able to tear my eyes away from his form.

“No. I don’t. I guess it’s from work. Throwing around engines and transmissions will keep you pretty well toned. And I do still run every morning. I do about three miles a day to stay in shape.” I admitted.

“It definitely shows.” he said, eying me.

“How about you! I’d say you must work out pretty regular.” I said.

“Well, I have to!” he smiled. “It’s one of my professions.” 

“One of your professions? How many do you have?” I asked.

“Actually, I have two. I’m a male model and I also am a writer. But sitting in front of a computer for hours at a time doesn’t do much for your body so I have to work out to stay looking good enough to do the modeling gig.” he said.

Well, that certainly made sense considering how handsome he was! In fact, I don’t think I’d ever seen such a good looking male in my entire life! And the fact that I noticed that bothered me as well! What the fuck was wrong with me?

“So you don’t model around here, do you?” I asked.

“No, I moved here about five years ago. I wanted to live somewhere small and quiet - away from the big city where I’d been raised.” he smiled.

“Where was that?” I asked.

“You mean you can’t tell? Most people say that my accent gives me away!” he laughed.

“No, I can’t say that I can. I really can’t hear any accent.”

“That’s because I’ve had enough speech courses to basically train it out of me! I was born and raised in New York City. That’s where I still do some modeling - that and in California. Sometimes, I’ve been on shoots in Europe but mostly I only accept assignments in the United States now. Unless the money is just too enticing.” he said.

“Fuck! That must be fun! Traveling all over the place!” I said.

“Yeah, you would think it would be, but it’s not. It’s a very lonely life. The only people you spend time with are other models and, I don’t like to seem elitist, but models - by and large - are about the most egotistical and boring people on earth. All they seem to be concerned about are themselves and their looks. I didn’t seek out a career in modeling. I just kind of fell into it so I’ve never been that hung up on how I look.” he said.

“What do you mean, fell into it?” I asked.

“Well, I was walking down the street one day in Manhattan and there was a photo-shoot going on. The photographer spotted me and got his assistant to give him my name, address and phone number. The next thing I knew, he was contacting me and offering me $250 and hour to do a layout for a men’s fashion magazine. That’s how I got started. It was money I just couldn’t pass up.” he said.

“You make $250 per hour just for standing around getting your picture taken?!” I exclaimed.

“Well, it’s a little more work than that, but basically, that’s it. Only I now make over $1,000 per hour.” he said.

“Fuck! $1,000 per hour! That’s incredible!” I said.

“Don’t be too impressed. It won’t last. I’ll soon be too old to get that kind of money. And I’ve been considering retiring anyway. Since I moved here and my writing career has begun to take off, I’ve been less and less inclined to having to travel to New York or LA. So, what about you? What is it you do?” he asked.

“I’m just a mechanic. I work on cars.” I said.

“Hey! That’s a really important profession! Shit! I can’t do anything nearly that practical. Engines and such are a complete mystery to me. Whenever I take my car into the shop, I’m sure that they’re ripping me off because I have no idea what the fuck they’re doing!” he laughed.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that anymore. You need your car fixed, you just let me know. I’d be glad to do it for you.” I said.

“Oh, I couldn’t impose on you that way!” he said.

“Why not? It’s just the neighborly thing to do.” I said.

He looked at me for a moment like he couldn’t figure out what I was talking about. Then he smiled.

“Yes, the neighborly thing to do. You have to understand, I wasn’t raised here like I guess you were.” he said.

“Yeah, I was. I love this little town. Never wanted to live anywhere else.” I said.

“You see, in New York, where I was raised, the ‘neighborly thing to do’ was often to rip off your neighbor. Not exactly the same kind of ideas there as here. That’s one of the reasons I moved here. I wanted out of that rat-race, the dog-eat-dog world. But I find it’s been hard here as well, making friends. People here seem to have a distrust - a standoffishness - where strangers are concerned.

“Well, there is that. This is New England, after all. But it ain’t just because you’re a newcomer. I don’t have any friends either. I had friends when I was in high school, but they all took off for college after graduation and none of them ever wanted to come back and live here. Can’t say as I blame them, really. There ain’t much here in the way of what you might call a ‘career’.” I explained.

“You’re the first guy I’ve felt comfortable talking to.” Pete said, giving me a shy smile.

“Same here! I don’t think I’ve ever felt this comfortable with somebody when I first meet them. I hope that we’re going to be friends.” I said eagerly.

I was afraid that I’d said it a little too eagerly! I didn’t know what the fuck was up with me. It was like I really wanted Pete to like me more than anything else in the fucking world! I’d never felt that way about anybody before! But he just gave me this really bright fucking smile!

“Yeah. I’d really like that, too.” he said and his voice showed just as much eagerness as mine! “So, now that’s settled, have you had breakfast yet?” 

“Nah. I was gonna go over to the café and have some in a little while.” I said.

“Well, there’s no reason to do that. I was just about to cook breakfast when I heard you. It’s just as easy to make it for two.” he said, smiling.

Wanting to spend more time with him - for reasons I couldn’t explain even to myself - I looked at him and smiled.

“Yeah! I’d like that - if it’s not any trouble.” I said.

“No trouble at all!” he smiled.

He got up and went over to the refrigerator and started pulling stuff out. Before I knew it, I could smell the wonderful smell of bacon cooking and onions and green pepper as well. In not a lot of time, Pete was laying out a full breakfast of western omelets, home fries, bacon and toast. There looked like there was enough to feed an army but between the two of us, we devoured it all.

“Damn! That was good!” I grinned at him, finishing off the last of my home fries.

“Thank you! It’s always nice to cook for an appreciative and hungry audience!” he laughed. “And now that I’ve fueled up, I feel like working out. Why don’t you join me?”

“Uhh...well...I don’t have anything with me to work out in.” I said. “I should probably just get out of your way and let you get to it.”

“Nonsense! I’ve got stuff that will fit you easily.” he said.

“Where do you work out anyway?” I asked.

“Come on. Let me get you some thing to change into and I’ll show you.” he said.

He led me into his bedroom. If I thought the rest of the apartment was impressive, it was nothing compared to this! The central feature of the room was the bed. King-sized with a dark wooden canopy and long, heavy velvet drapes in deep burgundy gathered at the four dark wooden posts carved in intricate details at the corners. The bed was covered in what looked like (and I later found out was) a black leather cover. At the foot of the massive bed, was what looked like a massive carved wooden chest which looked ancient. Indeed, I later found out it was from a Spanish Galleon and was from the 1600's. There was another plasma screen television on the wall opposite the bed and I could see speakers suspended from the ceiling in all four corners of the room. The floors were again highly polished wood but there were small rugs which looked like old Arab prayer rugs on both sides of the bed.

The headboard of the bed itself was a bookcase and filled with books. Above it was a mirrored wall and when Pete hit the light-switch by the door, not only did lamps on dark wooden night stands on each side of the bed go on but spotlights from up inside the canopy illuminated the bed as well. I could also see small halogen reading lights on swing arms sitting on top of the bookcase headboard. On the other two walls, rather than paintings or artwork, there was displayed a collection of swords, the likes of which I’d never seen before. Swords of every shape and size! There must have been at least a hundred of them between the two walls. My eyes were particularly drawn to a large, curved sword which I knew from reading and movies was more than likely Japanese in origin. I walked over to take a closer look at it.

“You have a good eye.” Pete said, coming up behind me. “That is the prize of my collection. A true Japanese Katana sword dated to around 1535. The sword of a Samurai in service to Ashikaga Yoshiteru who was the 13th Ashikaga Shogun who reigned from 1546 to 1565.” 

“This is really amazing! How did you get interested in swords?” I asked.

Pete laughed.

“The usual way, I guess. I studied fencing when I was in high school and college. Got to be quite good at it but not enough to enter the Olympics.” he said.

I was quickly deciding that there were so many sides to this very attractive man - so many sides that it would probably take years to learn them all!

“So let me get you something to change into.” he said, walking over to a tall chest of drawers against one wall that I hadn’t noticed. It, too, was of the same dark wood as the night stands and bed.

He pulled out a pair of gym shorts, a clean jock and a sweatshirt with the sleeves cut off so that there was only about a two or three inch sleeve.

“You can change in the bathroom over there if you’re shy.” Pete said.

Even though there was no belligerence to it and it was said gently, this sounded like a type of challenge. A challenge that I couldn’t quite understand. I just knew somehow that I was just supposed to change right there and so I did.

“That’s okay. We’re both boys.” I joked as I quickly stripped out of my t-shirt and blue jeans and donned the jock, gym shorts and sweatshirt. 

I noticed that Pete’s eyes never left my body as I did so - as if he wanted to see me naked. I just figured that this was just my mind playing tricks on me. That couldn’t be the case!

Once I changed, Pete led the way out of the bedroom and then out of the apartment. I followed him downstairs and then down to the basement. The first room we came to was a small laundry with a coin-operated washer and a coin-operated dryer. There was a concrete-block wall which made the room very small. I wondered at this because, if this were a full basement, the room beyond the metal door set in the middle of the wall had to be huge.

Pete pulled a key from his pocket and opened the metal door and reached inside to turn on the lights. The ceiling lit with rows of fluorescent lights show the room to be, indeed, huge! Huge and filled with work out equipment. More than I’d ever seen before. More, in fact, then there was in the gym at White Mountains Regional High!

“Holy shit!” I exclaimed looking around.

Pete just grinned at me.

“My little home gym.” he said.

“Some fucking home gym! You could train for the fucking Olympics in here!” I said.

“Well, perhaps. It would depend on what sport.” Pete laughed. “Come on, let me show you the rest of it.”

“The ‘rest’ of it?!” I exclaimed.

Pete didn’t say anything, just led the way to another door in a back wall past all of the equipment and free-weights. He opened the door, turned on more lights and we stepped into what would be termed a ‘wet’ area. There was a huge shower with four heads coming out of the walls, two on each side. Next to this, was a glass door which was fogged with condensation. 

“Steam room.” Pete said, pointing to the glass door.

Next to this was a small wooden door which Pete pulled open to reveal a small sauna, basically big enough for two and finally a large hot tub. Pete reached over to the side of the hot tub, threw a switch and the water began to churn and bubble. 

“There’s also bathroom facilities here.” Pete said pointing out a urinal and toilet along with a sink and mirror. 

All in all, in a compact area, was everything you would think to find in a good health club.

“This is incredible! Don’t tell me, your good friend the landlord built this for you?” I asked, wonder in my voice.

“Well, you might say that. Look, Tommy, if we’re going to be friends, there’s something I need to tell you. I’m the landlord. I own the building. I bought it when I moved here to provide not only a home for me but some income. I let the grocer, Tony, handle the rentals and act as my agent for a reduction of his rent and I don’t tell the tenants that I’m the owner. That way, they don’t bother me with problems. If their sink overflows, I want Tony to call a plumber. I don’t want to have to deal with it because there’s not a whole lot I could do other than that. I don’t know anything about plumbing or electrical, for that matter.” Pete admitted.

“Well, that at least makes sense! For a minute there, I was thinking that the landlord must be a very wealthy woman and you were her kept ‘boy-toy’!” I grinned.

Pete almost collapsed, he was laughing so hard at this. I didn’t think it was all that funny but it must have struck him that way.

“No, no way, guy!” Pete said when he’d finally calmed down. “So, how about we work out?” 



The Guy Across The Hall Ch. 02



It wasn't a ‘heavy' workout like I expected. Pete was very careful about what he had me do. He told me that since I hadn't worked out in a few years, I needed to take it easy the first few times. He told me that a lot of people who went to the popular ‘chain' gyms got put through long exhaustive workouts by the untrained staff which not only caused a great deal of unnecessary muscle pain but could also do damage to their muscles, joints and ligaments. Not to mention the fact that the pain made you less likely to want to work out again. The way to start was slow, causing no pain or damage and build up until you could do those heavy routines without causing any physical problems. What he said made a great deal of sense to me and I followed his instructions to the letter.

After hitting the free weights and apparatus that he had, we spent time in the small steam room, sauna and in the hot tub. At first, this was a little uncomfortable for me because, of course, we did them naked. I'd never had this kind of reaction - this shyness - around another guy before but, I rationalized it that in other situations, I had been around a bunch of guys, all of us naked. This time it was just one guy and this was a very private and intimate setting. No one else around and no possibility of anyone else interrupting us. I found out that the only key to the gym door was the one that Pete had. This was not part of the amenities offered to the residents of the building. It was, however, one that Pete made very clear was offered to me. He, in fact, told me he had a spare key to the gym upstairs that he would give me when we went back up.

The hot tub was wonderful, relaxing my muscles and making me feel so light and weightless. The steam room and sauna were a little more difficult for me to deal with. Not that they didn't feel wonderful, they did. But in the hot tub, because of the bubbling water, I couldn't see any part of Pete's body except what was above the water line. In the steam room and sauna, I couldn't miss his entire body! Miss it? I couldn't take my eyes off it! His body was, in two words, fucking beautiful! There were dark swirls of hair across his very well developed pecs with a trail that led down the center of his abdomen to his ‘innie' belly-button and then continued on down until it joined the bush of dark hair around his cock and nutsack. His cock, however, was what seemed to get to me the most! I mean, all guys check each other out. It's normal. What wasn't normal was that I just couldn't stop checking Pete's out! First of all, even soft, it was huge! It hung down at least five or six inches. God only knew what it was hard! It was also very thick. Now, I didn't have anything to be ashamed of in the dick department. I had between seven and a half and eight inches and I was quite thick but nothing compared to Pete! Not to mention, he was uncut, just like me. But where my foreskin just covered the head of my cock when it was soft, Pete's foreskin hung down in a nipple at least an inch below the head of his cock.

Pete's legs and arms had the same dark curly hair as did his butt cheeks about halfway up. His back, however was smooth, broad and heavily muscled. The cleft over his spine was deep because of the build-up of musculature on each side of it. All in all, Pete was one of the most handsome and beautiful men I had ever seen in my life - not that I was in the habit of judging that! But it was the fact that he was so overwhelmingly attractive that made me notice it. Why I couldn't stop noticing it - THAT was another situation all together! I just didn't know what the fuck was the matter with me! It was like I was turning ‘gay' for Pete! 

Okay, like most guys, when I was in middle and high school, I fucked around with some of my friends. You know the kind of thing - mutual jack-off sessions with your buds, maybe jack-off contests and circle-jerks. A couple of times I even traded blowjobs with one guy. But that was all. Strangely enough, looking back, I realize now that those encounters were often way more exciting than anything that had happened between me and my wife! But I just put that down to the fact of being so fucking young and full of hormones and that fact that it was all so new to me.

But it was like I was back to those teenage years, sitting there in the steam room and sauna with Pete. It was all I could do to (a) keep my eyes off his body and especially his package and (b) keep my own package under control and soft! Or at least not obviously hard! I couldn't help a certain amount of ‘thickening' that was happening. Finally, Pete said we should hit the shower and head upstairs.

When we got back to Pete's apartment, I changed back into my regular clothes and figured I should head out then but, again, Pete had other ideas. First of all, it was almost noon so he suggested that we have lunch. I figured that was a good idea but I told Pete I didn't want him to have to cook again.

"Didn't plan to! Ever been to The Clamshell Restaurant over in Littleton? I love the place! Great steaks and great seafood. I figured we'd head over there." Pete said.

"Yeah. I've been there. It is a great place. Ain't been there in a long time." I said not mentioning that one of the reasons I didn't go there was that I didn't like eating alone and my ex-wife didn't like to eat out.

"Well, then! All the more reason! Come on, I'll drive!" he said.

We went downstairs and got into his car. I was a little shocked at what he drove - a BMW X5 SUV. It was an incredible car - black with tan leather interior and just about every ‘bell and whistle' that BMW offered. We sped along and, while I didn't usually enjoy riding shotgun and not driving myself, riding in the X5 was a really enjoyable experience. We took exit 43 off I-93 into Littleton to the restaurant. We sat down and the waitress brought us a couple of beers. Then we looked at the menu. 

"So what are you going to have?" I asked.

"I figured I'd start out with Crab and Artichoke Saute. It's my favorite." Pete said.

I looked at him in amazement!

"That's mine, too!" I laughed.

"Well, see! Great minds think alike! What about as an entree?" he asked.

"Well, that's another favorite of mine - Steak Neptune. It's sirloin steak with scallops, shrimp..."

"Crab meat in a Bearnaise sauce! Yes, I know! It's my favorite, too!" he laughed.

We sat there looking at each other.

"I can't believe this!" I finally said. "We both like the same things! I wonder what else we agree on?" 

Over lunch, we started talking about it and found out that we had a lot in common besides food. We both liked the same kind of music (Country), we liked the same colors (Blue and Black), we liked the same football team (The Patriots) and we liked the same authors (Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum). We, of course, liked working out and feeling our bodies were fit. There were differences, of course. I couldn't write and he didn't like mechanical things but that wasn't a problem at all. In a way, we not only were a lot alike, we were also complementary to each other. Inside, I was incredibly thrilled by this which really bothered me! I don't know why this should thrill me so much.

We ended up going back to the apartment again and Pete helped me measure walls and decide where I was going to put my furniture when I moved in the next day. We basically spent the whole day together and then Pete cooked dinner for us. I didn't want him to do it, but he insisted. After all, he pointed out, it was either that or both of us would just have to eat dinner alone. He made this really great dish I'd never had before, Beef Stroganoff, with a salad and accompanied by a really good red wine. We sat there talking after dinner, still getting to know each other. I couldn't believe how comfortable I felt with Pete after knowing him such a short time.

"I want to thank you for today. I have to admit, I was avoiding going home." I said finally.

"I kind of guessed something like that." Pete said.

"Yeah. My ex-wife was going to come with her parents to get her things. I just didn't want to be there for that." I said.

"That's completely understandable. Hey! We single guys have to stick together!" Pete grinned and I grinned back.

"Yeah! I guess we do! I know I'm really gonna love living here. I mean, finding a nice apartment is one thing. Finding a nice apartment and a new friend at the same time -that's really special." I told him.

Pete smiled this really amazing smile at me.

"Thank you! I have to tell you, Tommy, I feel exactly the same way. This is one of the best days I can remember having since I moved here. Spending time with you has been a really great experience and, as far as I'm concerned, this is just the start of a really great friendship!" he grinned.

"Yeah! I feel exactly the same way!" I agreed.

"Well, then, here's a toast - to friendship!" Pete said, holding up his wine glass.

"To friendship!" I said, clinking my glass against his.

We drank and then sat there grinning at each other.

I finally went home and found that all of my wife's stuff had been cleaned out. I took a few boxes I had gotten on the way home and put what little stuff I had in them then I watched some TV until I just couldn't hold my eyes open anymore and went to bed.

Sometime during the night, I started dreaming. I didn't know where I was. It was in a garden. There were all these people walking around. At first it didn't hit me but suddenly I realized that all the people were guys. Not only that, but they were all naked. They were all young, about my age and they were all fairly good looking though I couldn't tell you what any of them actually looked like. I just knew they weren't anybody I knew. I didn't know what the fuck was going on but I saw some of the guys walking around hand in hand! It was then that I noticed something else - I was naked, too. And not just naked, but harder than hell! My cock was standing up so hard it was dripping cock-honey. I looked up to see if anybody noticed that I had a hardon and saw that all the other guys did. 

I didn't know what to do. I found myself staring at all the hardons around me. I'd never seen so many in my life. It was like a forest of male strength and I was incredibly turned on by it. It was like all my adolescent fantasies come to life. Here were all these guys naked, just like in the locker room but all with hardons and, best of all, I got to look all I wanted and nobody cared. I don't know how I knew that. I just did.

I just stood there gawking at all the beautiful muscular bodies and all the large, hard cocks until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and there stood Pete, his handsome face and his beautiful smile beaming at me. Without saying a word, he reached down and gently stroked my cock and I groaned. Then he took my hand and led me deeper into the foliage. 

He brought me to a bower, surrounded by flowering bushes that formed walls around us. There was a blanket on the grass and Peter lay down on the blanket, pulling me down with him. He pulled me into his arms and I could feel the warmth and strength of him surrounding me. His lips came down gently on mine as I felt his hard cock pressing against mine. I was thrilled by the feelings of his strength and hardness. I wanted him, I needed him. I couldn't understand why but the questions of the day - my own shock at the realization of my attraction to Pete did not enter into my mind. It was simply there and I was more involved in my arousal and the sensuous feelings that I was feeling than in what it all meant.

I don't know what caused me to do it, but I started to lick down Pete's neck and onto his lightly furred chest. Without even realizing it, I ended up with my face in his crotch, his hard cock pressed against my face and licking up and down the long, thick staff. I was fucking licking another guy's cock! With that I shot my load, just like I was a fucking teenager, all over my sheets.

This woke me up and, for a few moments, I just lay there panting, trying to get my breath back after what had been probably one of the most mind-blowing orgasms I had ever had. But then the reality of the dream hit me! I had a fuckin' wet dream about NAKED GUYS! Worst of all, I'd had sex with Pete! I'd fuckin' licked Pete's fuckin' cock! I was definitely losing my mind!

It took me hours to get back to sleep that night. I couldn't figure out what the fuck was wrong with me. I'd never been attracted to guys...well...at least not that I was aware of. I mean, I did fuck around with other guys when I was young but, I was a jock and most jocks did that. It was just part of being a fucking teenage horn-dog. But this was way beyond that! I really got off on this! It was even way more exciting than fuckin' around with my jock buds had been. I hated to admit it, but I really loved it! That's what was really fuckin' my head over.

I finally did get back to sleep and when I woke up, there was a pounding at the door of my apartment. It was the guys from the garage. Within a couple of hours, we had everything into their trucks and were on our way to my new apartment. When we got there Pete met us with coffee and donuts which we wolfed down and then started moving my stuff into the apartment. With Pete's help, the stuff was arranged and I was all moved in within another two hours. The guys left and Pete and I were left sitting there on my couch.

It was then that the memories of the dream last night came flooding back and my fuckin' cock started getting hard! It didn't help that we were both sweating from all the exertion of moving and I could smell his scent strongly. It was driving me fuckin' nuts! I think he noticed that something was wrong because he looked at me funny.

"What's the matter, buddy?" he asked, his voice full of concern. I didn't know what to say. How could I tell him? Tell him that I was fuckin' dreaming about lickin' his dick! Yeah, right!

"Nothin'." I said quietly.

"You missin' your ex-wife? Feeling bad about the divorce?" he asked.

That's when I made the mistake. I looked up at him and into those incredible blue eyes of his. I don't know what it was. I just couldn't look at him and lie.

"No. It's me. I think I'm goin' nuts." I said softly.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his eyes softening as he looked at me.

"Look, I can't expect you to understand this. I don't understand this. I had this...well...this dream last night." I said.

"Yeah? A nightmare?" he asked.

"No....not exactly." I said this last softly.

"What kind of dream was it?" he asked.

"It...it...it was...well...it was...a wet dream." I said, turning away, unable to look at him.

He didn't say anything for a long time and I couldn't turn around. I was just about to get up and leave when I felt his hand on my shoulder. Almost like in the dream. I looked around and he was gently smiling at me.

"Hell, guy! I've had those before! Is that the first time you've had a dream like that?" he asked.

"Yeah. Well...I had them when I was young but I don't remember them. I'd just wake up and I was a mess, you know? I'd never had one like this before - never!" I said.

I felt his hand grip my shoulder firmer and I hated to admit it to myself, but I thrilled to his touch and my fucking cock got harder than a rock!

"Well, fuck. It happens, you know? Probably you ain't been gettin' your ashes hauled regular now that you're not married and your balls are backin' up, you know?" he grinned.

"Yeah, but this dream was real weird. I was doin' shit I ain't never thought of before!" I exclaimed. 

"Maybe your mind is trying to tell you something. Maybe there was something in the dream that you really want." he said. I just sat there, looking over my shoulder at him, feeling his hand on me, loving the touch, wanting something to happen but not really knowing what. What he said, however, caused me to shiver. Could that be it? Could I want to have sex with him? The way my cock was twitching, it sure seemed that way.

"Maybe your right. I don't know." I said, not really sure.

"Well...don't worry about it. It was just a dream. You'll probably never have it again." he laughed.

But he was wrong. I had the same dream, or a similar one, every night for a week. And every night for that week, I spent with Pete, working out and having dinner. I'd come home from the garage, all filthy with grease, shower and then meet Pete down in the gym to work out. I didn't want to. I kept telling myself every morning, after I'd woken up from another dream, that I wouldn't. That I'd avoid him. But all through the day, all I could think about was Pete. The closer it got to quitting time, the more and more anticipation built up in me, wanting to be with him, wanting to be close to him.

And working out together was certainly close. Close enough to continually smell his musk, that male scent that I remember from high school locker rooms and that had always had an effect on me - an effect that usually caused my man-tool to tingle and sometimes get completely out of control when I was young. I never thought about it. It never really bothered me because I didn't quite get that I was reacting sexually to other males. I didn't get what that meant. I just accepted it as part of being a jock. After all, I saw plenty of half and full hard cocks in those locker rooms - other guys evidently reacting the same way I did.

Finally, however, it was on Friday night, I just couldn't take it anymore. We were in the middle of our workout and I was doing bench presses. Pete stood above me, spotting me, and I was looking right up his gym shorts and could see his over-stuffed jock. I could tell that it had been a long time since it had seen the inside of a washing machine and I could smell the ripeness of it and could see the dark dampness from Pete's sweat as well as smell the waves of hot musk rolling off his body. 

Lying there, my cock became totally hard and I knew that I wanted Pete, wanted him the way I had never wanted another male in my life. I didn't know what to do! I didn't want to screw up what was my only close friendship in a long time. Nor did I want to lose my place to live. But, at the same time, I just couldn't continue on this way, either! There was only two things I could think of to do. Either, I had to stop seeing Pete, cut off all interaction or I had to find out if it were possible that he was feeling any of the same things I was. The idea of just going on the way things were and repressing my feelings for Pete just weren't an option to me.

But I didn't know what to do. I mean, if Pete were a woman, I'd have some idea how to start. How to let her know that I was attracted to her, that I wanted to...well...become lovers. But how did you do that with a guy? Especially a guy you didn't even know was gay! I mean, I didn't see any indication that Pete was gay but, at the same time, I didn't see any indication that he was straight either. Unlike most guys, Pete never talked about the sexual side of his life. Never talked about women at all. Never pointed out women who he was attracted to when we were out together. It was like he was totally asexual or something.

There was also another problem. I didn't know how he'd handle me having feelings for him. I mean, I'd never heard him say anything negatives about gays but I'd never heard him say anything about them at all. This was all so new and confusing to me. I needed somebody to talk to about it but the only person I could talk to was Pete - the very person I couldn't talk to about it...or could I?

We finished working out and showered. I had a hell of a time keeping my cock under control until the shower was over. But, being deep in thought and fearful of what I was planning to do managed to keep my cock soft and me distracted. I guess, however, it was noticeable.




The Guy Across The Hall Ch. 02



"So what's eating at you, buddy?" Pete said, as we were finished eating and sitting at the table drinking coffee.

I wanted to instantly deny that anything was bothering me, but it was a perfect direction for the conversation to head for me to do what I planned.

"It's that dream I told you about." I admitted to him.

"But that was a week ago. It can't still be bothering you!" Pete said.

"It wasn't just a week ago." I said.

"What? You've had it again?" Pete asked.

"Every night." I said, the misery showing in my voice.

"Is it the same dream every night?" he asked, curiously.

"Essentially. It varies slightly but it's essentially the same." I said.

"So what is it that bothers you about it?" he asked.

"Well...it's not like any dream I've ever had before. I'm doing stuff in it I've never done. Never thought I'd want to. But it's driving me crazy because, in the dream, it turns me on so much." I said.

"What kind of ‘stuff'?" he asked.

"Uhh...sexual stuff." I said.

"Is it kinky, like tying somebody up and beating them or something like that?" he asked. "No! Nothing like that. No, it's almost normal sex." I said.

"Almost?" he asked, curiously.

"Yeah...uhh...it's just that...well...it's with...uhh...another guy." I said, quietly, my voice so low I'm sure he had to strain to hear me.

"Oh! I see. And you've never done anything with another guy, I take it?" Pete asked.

He didn't sound disgusted or anything. Actually he just sounded interested, like I'd told him I just rebuilt an engine or something.

"Well, when I was a kid. You know, the typical kind of stuff. Jack Off contests, that kind of stuff. Nothin' like this though." I said, suddenly very embarrassed.

I could feel my face heating up. I knew that I must be blushing a bright shade of red.

"What kind of things were you doing in the dream?" Pete asked. Again, his voice neutral.

"Well, you know...uhh...oral and...uhh...like that." I said, unable to verbalize what was really going on.

"By ‘oral', I take it you mean that he was giving you a blow-job?" Pete asked.

"Yeah, and...well...I was giving him one, too." I said.

"Hmm...mutually, like 69 or taking turns?" he asked.

"Both. Sometimes it was 69, sometimes taking turns." I said, my head bent down, unable to look at him.

"What about anal? Did you fuck him? Did he fuck you?" Pete asked.

"Yeah...both." I said quietly.

"Well, one thing to remember. This was just a dream. It didn't really happen. You've got nothing to feel ashamed or guilty about." Pete said.

"But you said that I was probably having these dreams because it's something that I want to have happen." I said.

"I said that before I knew what they were but, I have to say, considering that you've had the dream every night, it just might be something that you sub-consciously want to happen. Tell me something - is it just a ‘guy' or is it somebody in particular? Some guy that you know, maybe?" Pete asked. I was silent. I was very afraid of this. It was bad enough that Pete knew that I was having these gay sex dreams, I didn't know how he'd handle them being about him!

"Uhh...it's...it's somebody in particular. It's the same guy every time." I said quietly, still not able to look at him.

"Is it me?" Pete asked quietly.

My head shot up and I looked at him. His face had this really gentle look on it, like he had somehow known this all along. I stared at him, not knowing what to say. I guess that me not saying anything and the look on my face told him all he needed to know. He smiled a very knowing smile at me. I finally found at least part of my voice.

"How did you know? How did you guess?" I asked, hoarsely, my voice rough and barely above a whisper.

"I noticed how you couldn't take your eyes off me. I noticed how deeply you would breathe in my scent whenever I got close to you. I noticed how you reacted whenever I touched you. But, most of all, I noticed how much you seemed to like being around me - as much as I love being around you." he said softly, smiling at me the whole time.

This hit me like a fucking ton of bricks! Had I been THAT obvious? I guess I had. But how the fuck was I to know? I was never in a situation like this before! 

"So what do you want to do now?" he asked, gently. "Do we go on with this or do we just forget it? Would you like to see how your dreams stack up to reality or would you just like to run away and we never see or be near each other again?"

"Fuck! NO! I don't want that! That's the one thing I've been fucking scared to death of! I didn't want to lose you! I didn't want to stop seeing you, stop spending time with you." I said, the misery showing in my voice at the whole idea.

"Tommy, I don't think you really understand yet what you're asking here. Is it just sex you're looking for? Is that's what's turning you on - the idea of doing something that is ‘different' because you've been burned by a woman and want to try the other side? If that's all you're looking for, then you're barking up the wrong tree." he said, his voice and face very serious.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused by this. 

Yeah, I wanted to have sex with Pete. I wanted it like I'd never wanted sex with anybody in my whole life. But it wasn't about something ‘different' - though different couldn't be any worse than what I'd had. It wasn't about being ‘burned' by my ex-wife. It was deeper than that. I wanted Pete on a whole lot of levels other than just sex. We were friends. Pete was a better friend to me than anyone I'd ever known. I loved being around him. I loved talking to him. I felt relaxed around him the way I'd never felt around anyone. "Look, you've just gotten divorced. You've been hurt. It's only natural that you'd want to shy away from women because of what your ex-wife did to you. But, Tommy, I'm not straight. I've never been attracted to women. I'm gay. Always was, always will be. What I'm looking for is a partner - long term. I want someone to not only share my bed but my life. I'm not looking for a quick ‘roll in the hay'. I can get that anytime I want." he said.

"Yes, the way you look, I can believe that. I wish I only looked half as good as you. I guess that's part of the problem, isn't it? I must not be very attractive to you." I said, my head, once again, slumping down - not being able to look at him.

"Oh, my God! You're kidding me, right?! Tommy! Look at me!" he said and I slowly looked up. "You have no idea how incredibly beautiful you are, do you?" 

"Me? You're joking, right? Beautiful? Man! You must need glasses!" I said gruffly.

"Tommy, you are one of the most beautiful men I've ever met. Maybe you're not on the cover of magazines, but you've got a beautiful, smooth, lean, muscular body, a really handsome face with the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen. I love your blond hair, in fact, I love everything about you! Not to mention your scent drives me fucking nuts! I've had a hell of a time being around you without getting hard all the time! But more than that - you have something that I've looked for forever and thought I would never find." Pete said.

Now I knew I was blushing about six shades of red! I didn't see any of those things that Pete said, but I also didn't think he was lying to me either. Why would he? He knew he could have me, if he wanted me, without ever saying any of that.

"What's that?" I asked, curiously, finally finding my voice.

"You are one of the sweetest, most loving men I've ever met. How that idiot ex-wife of yours couldn't see that is beyond me, but, frankly, I'm grateful she couldn't. Tommy, you're everything I've ever looked for in a man. That's why I can't just have sex with you. I would fall in love with you harder than I've already fallen and the pain of you not being anything more than a ‘fuck' is just more than I could take." Pete said, his voice now faltering and low.

"You...you're...in love with me?" I asked in shock.

This was something I never even dreamed of! Pete, in love with me? Fuck! But, what did that mean? Was I in love with him? I knew I had feelings for him, very strong feelings. Feelings that came out in those dreams but I'd never put words to them. I knew in the dreams that Pete and I weren't just having sex. I knew we were ‘making love'. I guess that's what was really so disturbing about them. I'd never been in love - not really. Was this it? Was this what it felt like? It sure the fuck fit everything I'd heard about love - the pain, the fear, the craving, the desire. Wanting to be near him all the time. Wanting to spend all my time with him. Wanting just to be close to him.

And that's when it hit me - I was in love with Pete! Me! Tommy Driscoll! In love with another guy! Oh, fuck! What the fuck was everybody going to think about that?! But, what the fuck did that matter? Who fucking cares about what anybody else thinks...well, except for...Oh, fuck! My Mom and Dad! How the fuck would they take this?!

"Yes, Tommy. I'm sorry but I am. I was prepared to never tell you any of this. If you hadn't brought it up, I never would. I doubt that you're in love with me, however, since I doubt that you're really gay." Pete said, a dissolute sigh in his voice.

"What makes you think that?" I asked, a bit angry at his assessment.

"Tommy...you're married. To a woman. Remember?" he said gently.

"Let me tell you something! I didn't want to marry her. I only did because she was pregnant. When she lost the baby, I wanted out but I didn't know how to get out. I never loved her. I was only doing what I was taught was the right thing. I had sex with her before we were married but it was like I was expected to do that. I was living up to what I'd been told I was supposed to do. The entire time we were married, I doubt if we fucked 10 times - and that's what it was - fucking! There was no love. I've never made love to anyone - except in my dreams! And that was making love to you!" I practically was screaming by the end.

"But, Tommy, you've never even really done anything with another guy except, by your own description, some jack off contests with other high school jocks." he said quietly.

"Look! You were never a jock were you?" I asked.

"No. Not in the conventional sense of the word." he admitted.

"Well...let me tell you something. There was more than just jack-off contests. The most exciting sex I ever had was with other guys. I actually sucked a couple of guy's cocks - guys who sucked mine. It's not something you ever talk about or admit to, but there were other jocks on the team that would play around as long as it was just the two of you and nobody knew about it. I guess I'm not as ‘straight' as you think." I said defensively.

"My apologies! I never meant to insult you by thinking you were heterosexual!" Pete grinned at me.

It was at that point that it suddenly hit me - here I was, arguing how ‘not straight' I was! What a fucking reversal! I had to start laughing, it was so crazy and Pete started laughing with me. I guess all the tension of what had been happening between us need to break somehow.

"Pete, I don't really know how to say this. I ain't good with words but, I really think I love you. I really think, for the first time in my life, I'm in love with somebody and that somebody is you. I don't know how to handle this, I mean, I don't know what I'm supposed to do or supposed to say. I never thought I'd be saying this to another guy. But what you said, about wanting a partner, wanting someone to share your life with? That's what I've wanted all my life. I guess I was just looking in the wrong place for it." I said.

Pete sat there looking at me, not saying a word and then I saw a tear, a single tear, roll down his face. I didn't know what the fuck I'd said that was wrong and I was just about to try and apologize. He must have seen my reaction and held up his hand to stop me.

"You know, for a guy who doesn't think he's any good with words, you sure know exactly the right things to say, Tommy. I guess I'm not exactly handling this too well, either!" he said, wiping both his eyes. "But I want you to know, that what you said is exactly what I've been waiting all my life to hear."

We sat there for a few moments just looking at each other. I didn't know what to do at that point. I think he was waiting for me to do something, make some kind of move. Finally, it dawned on me! I wanted him, he wanted me - what the fuck was I just sitting there like a moron for?! I got up and walked around the table until I was standing next to him. When I got up, he did too, but he just stood there waiting for me. When I reached him I did the only thing I could think of. I slipped my arms around his waist as his went around my shoulders. He started lowering his head towards mine and I tilted mine back as I watched his lips come closer and closer to my own. When his lips finally touched mine, my eyes closed and a deep, unexpected sigh escaped my lips. 

Pete's kiss was gentle at first. Just the pressing of our two lips together. But then I felt his tongue begin to lick at my upper lip and I quickly opened to him. His tongue rushed into my mouth and I began sucking on it, tasting him. My mind was reeling! My cock had surged to full hardness and I could feel Pete's pressing against mine. My hands began to travel, up his muscular back and down to his muscular ass, just as his hands were moving on my body as well. How long we stood there, kissing and touching each other, groaning into each other's mouths, I don't know. It could have been minutes, seconds or hours. Finally, however, Pete pulled his mouth from mine.

"Follow me." he said, his voice husky with desire.

He let go of me and grabbed one of my hands, pulling me towards the bedroom. Once there, he began to undress me, pulling my t-shirt off and then squatting down and sliding my workout shorts to my ankles. I stepped out of them and kicked off my trainers at the same time. He reached out and grabbed my hips, pulling me to him and putting his nose into my sweaty jock which was tented by my leaking cock. I could hear him taking deep breaths of my scent and then his mouth opened and he began to suck on the head of my cock through the mesh fabric, tasting my pre-cum and growling deep in his throat.

He ripped my jock down my thighs and my cock popped out and slapped my abs, leaving a trail of pre-cum there. Pete reached up, pulling my cock down until it was level with his mouth. He slowly let my cock slide into the warm wet recesses of his mouth. The heat and wetness caused me to groan and almost collapse as my legs became weak from the intense feelings that were flowing through my body. I was afraid that I would cum any second, it felt so good! I think Pete realized this because he quickly pulled off me and pushed me down until I was sitting on the leather cover on his bed.

He stood up and quickly stripped off his clothes. I finally got to see him hard and I was somewhat intimidated by his length and thickness. His cock was massive! The biggest one I'd ever seen in my life - not that I'd seen that many. In fact, the last time I'd seen another guy hard was in high school so I'd never seen an adult male's cock except for my own. Now, I had about eight, thick inches, but he had me by at least two inches! I thought about being fucked by it and an involuntary shiver when through me. Something that big HAD to hurt! Hurt bad! But, I knew that somehow, I'd get through it! I wanted him to fuck me. I wanted to fuck him! I wanted to live out all my dreams of what we had done together - and anything else that he could teach me about one male loving another. 

And that's what happened. We spent the night, making love to each other every way possible. I did learn to take his cock and learned how wonderful that cock could feel inside of me. I also learned how incredible it could feel to put my cock into his hot, wet hole. Within a week, we realized that this was not going to end - this was for the rest of our lives. It was at that point that Pete started working on the design to join our two apartments into one and give us a home big enough for both of us to truly enjoy.

As to my parents, well...I never would have expected it but, I guess they were so happy to finally see me happy that they accepted Pete, not only as my lover and partner but as another son. I never would have guessed that any of this would have happened when I rented an apartment - but I guess you never know.



The Guy Across The Hall Ch. 03



Hi! 

It’s Tommy again. You remember? Tommy Driscoll? I was telling you the story of how I met my partner Pete. Well, a lot of you guys out there didn’t like that my story was so short and that it ended before I gave you any of the ‘details’ of what Pete and I did that night. 

To be honest with you, I was gonna write about that but...well...I just didn’t feel right about it until I talked to Pete. You see, Pete didn’t know that I was writing the story. He was a little freaked out when I posted it because I didn’t disguise who we are or where we are but he finally calmed down about it. After all, there’s very little chance that anybody in Carroll reading it and, if they did, they had to be gay or bi to be reading on Nifty anyway. Plus, I’d done one other thing. 

To keep it more anonymous, I didn’t post the story myself. I asked one of the Nifty writers - RimPig - to post if for me. I’d been writing him off and on for about a year. I’d found a couple of his stories and liked them and had written him telling me about Pete and me. He was the one who urged me to write our story. He even helped me with the editing before it was posted. I really want to thank him, too. He’s a real easy guy to talk to and loves hearing from people and sometimes helping them. He used to be a social worker so I guess it’s like in his blood.

RimPig got the e-mails you guys sent in and forward them on to me. I was really shocked and very happy that so many of you wrote in. I shared all of them with Pete and he was really pleased, too - and very proud of me. You remember, Pete’s a writer besides being a model. That’s why I wanted to do this. I wanted to see what writing was like for him. I wanted to better understand what it was he goes through to write and what it feels like. I thought it was a way for me to better understand him. Funny thing is, in writing this, it’s like I’m finding a better understanding of me! 

Anyway, I asked Pete if it was okay for me to share with you all the more...uhh...intimate side of our relationship - especially the beginning. At first he wasn’t for it at all. He said it would be like putting a web-cam in our bedroom and being exhibitionists for the voyeurs out there. I kind of understood this but I argued that he didn’t have to ‘perform’ or anything - he didn’t even have to ever read it. That calmed him down some. He finally said that if I really wanted to write it, it was okay with him only he didn’t want to ever see it. (Wanna bet he sneaks onto the Nifty website when this is posted and reads it? HEY THERE, PETE! I LOVE YA, BABE! GOTCHA!)

Anyway, enough explanation. What follows is, to the best of my recollection, what happened next. I hope you all read it and enjoy it.

Tommy

There I was, sitting naked on the black leather cover on Pete’s bed, staring at what had to be the biggest, thickest cock I’d ever seen in my life! Not, mind you, that I’d seen all that many. In fact, the last time I’d seen another guy’s cock hard had been in the locker room in White Mountains Regional High. Though I was somewhat intimidated by it (Fuck that! That thing scared the hell out of me! The idea of that goin’ up my hole was just way too scary a thought!), I just sat the staring at it, it was so beautiful to me. I don’t know if that’s because it’s really that beautiful or because it’s a part of Pete who I was so in love with that every part of him was beautiful to me!

Now, Pete is really beautiful. Remember, he made his money as a male model and appeared on the cover or in the fashion spreads of some pretty major magazines around the world. And I’ll be the first one to admit, the moment I first saw him I realized that he was the most beautiful male I’d ever seen in my life. I guess my lust for him started right there, though I didn’t realize it at the time. Later, because of who he is and what he is as a man, I fell totally in love with him - and that’s got not one fucking thing to do with how he looks.

“Hey! You look like you’ve never seen a hardon before!” Pete said, pulling my eyes and attention away from his cock and up to his face.

I blushed at him catching me so openly staring at his hardon. It would be a while before I got used to the fact that it was okay for me to do this and that Pete didn’t mind at all.

“Not that big, I haven’t!” I told him. “What fuckin’ horse did you have the transplant from?”

He chuckled at this.

“It’s not that big.” he said. “I’ve seen bigger.”

“Bet they weren’t as pretty as yours.” I said quietly, not knowing where I got the courage to actually say this.

He looked at me for a moment. I think I shocked him but then he smiled at me and walked closer until he was standing in between my legs and his cock was right in front of my face.

“You think it’s pretty?” he asked, quietly, looking down at me. I looked up into his crystalline blue eyes.

“No. I think it’s beautiful. As beautiful as you are.” I said, meaning every word. 

And with this, I leaned forward slightly and began running my nose up and down it as well as into his dark pubic hair. The scent of him was strong - sweat, musk and that scent that comes from a male being in rut. I breathed it in deeply and my cock grew harder than it already was! Fuck! I loved the smell of this man!

“Mmm! And it smells really good, too!” I moaned.

His hand reached out and he gently placed it on my head, running his fingers through my hair.

“That’s good. You just smell it all you want, babe. It belongs to you now.” he said softly.

The thought went through my brain - ‘Mine?! This is mine?! All mine!? Forever and ever?!’ - and I couldn’t help myself. I grabbed his hips and pulled him even closer so that my face was pressed up against his groin and I was nuzzling his body. I love it! I loved his smell! I loved the soft feel of his skin. I love the slight scratchiness of his pubic hair against my face. I loved the warmth of him. But above all, I loved HIM! This incredibly beautiful, warm, loving male! This guy who had befriended me when I didn’t have anyone to turn to. This man who offered himself so simply and so openly. This male that opened me to the truth of who I really am. I loved HIM!

Suddenly, I felt wetness on my cheek. At first I thought I must be crying and not know it, but it wasn’t me. I pulled back slightly and saw that it was his cock that was weeping pre-cum. So much of it, that it was flowing down the shaft of his cock and onto my cheek. I took my finger and wiped it off my cheek and then, without even thinking, stuck my finger in my mouth and tasted another guy’s cock-honey for the first time in my life. I’d tasted my own. I guess every guy has - especially when we were young and just starting to shoot cum. But where mine was somewhat sweet but salty, Pete’s lived completely up to the nickname for it - cock-honey! Sweet, thick, slick - it was delicious and I instantly wanted more! And I knew exactly where to get it!

I stuck out my tongue and began to lick up the shaft of his cock. I finally got to the head and licked across the piss-slit, gathering up all the cock-honey that was gushing out. But I no sooner slurped it away and more bubbled out. I opened my mouth and put my lips around the head of his cock, licking and sucking more of the delicious fluid from him. He groaned at this and grabbed my head in his hands, quickly pulling me off.

“Don’t, Tommy! Please! I’m about to cum and I don’t want to yet.” he groaned.

I grinned. I was proud of myself! I’d hardly touched him and he was ready to cum!

He pulled away from me and walked around the bed. Then he crawled onto it and lay down on his side facing me. He patted the bed right next to him and I quickly got onto the bed and lay down on my side facing him. There was maybe six inches between us. “You’re too far away.” he said grinning and his eyes twinkling.

I scooted over so that my body was pressed up against his, our hardons and our torso’s touching. His arm came around me and he drew me even closer. So close, in fact, that to be any closer, I’d have to be inside him.

“There! That’s better!” he sighed.

Then his hand came up, grabbed the back of my neck and brought his mouth to mine in a deep passionate kiss. I melted against him and lost all track of where I was and how long we kissed. I think if it had gone on any longer, I might have even forgotten who I was, the kiss was that intense. It was like no kiss I’d ever had in my life. 

As we kissed, he slowly rolled me over onto my back and he moved over me until his body was covering mine. Now that was a completely new experience! Almost always during sex, I had been the one ‘on top’. Even when my ex-wife would get on top of me to ride me ‘cowgirl’ style, she was a lot smaller than me so it never felt like she was ‘covering’ me or anything. But Pete, on the other hand, was bigger than me, not just taller but bigger in every way. Me being covered by him, at first, brought back feelings of wrestling in high school and began to bring out those competitive feelings to gain the upper advantage back. But I stopped. This wasn’t a competition. Pete was making love to me, something no guy had ever done. It was interesting to watch him make the same exact moves I would make before.

For a moment, I freaked a little. After all, I was, for all intents and purposes, lying here in the same position as a woman. ‘Is that how Pete sees me?’ I wondered to myself. But that was silly! Pete didn’t go for women. Why would he think of me as anything but the way I thought of him - as a man. But it was still weird, being in this position, feeling his body covering mine, feeling him moved against me, thrusting his cock against mine. 

The, all of a sudden, I had like this ‘flashback’ to when I was maybe 3 or 4 and I was in bed with my Dad. I remember that on Sunday mornings when I was real little, my Mom went to church but my Dad stayed home and looked after me. When I would wake up, I’d always go and crawl into bed with him and cuddle up to his large, warm, adult male body. I remembered his scent - a scent that I learned to associate with protection, security and love - in other words, Daddy. Feeling Pete’s body covering mine like that same male love, protection and security suddenly made things feel very differently for me. Oh, I didn’t think of Pete as my Dad but somehow those same warm feelings that I had then were streaming back to me now and I began to feel more comfortable and more loved than I had at any other time in my life except for maybe those early Sunday mornings with my Dad.

I sighed and Pete began nuzzling my neck, licking and nibbling at the skin, causing ‘goose-bumps’ to rise on me from the intense stimulation. I suddenly realized that I had never in my life really made love to someone - much less have someone make love to me. That’s why this all felt so really different! But it was a difference that I loved! My hands began to explore Pete’s body, running across his shoulders and upper arms, feeling the tautness of his muscles beneath the soft velvet of his warm skin. I did not expect his skin to be so soft! There was nothing ‘feminine’ about it, not with the hard steel of the muscles beneath it but it was so warm and so soft that I thrilled as my hand moved over it, sensing the softness and the power beneath at the same time.

Suddenly, Pete moved down and did something that totally shocked me and almost had me cumming! Never in my life had I, or anyone else for that matter, ever touched or played with my nipples. Sure, I’d done it to girls, but none of them had ever done it to me! Pete, however, moved down and started sucking and nipping at one of my tits and, except for the weight of his body on top of mine, holding me down to the bed, I would have come off it vertically! As it was, my back arched and drove my chest harder against Pete’s sucking mouth. I groaned loudly at the intense feelings that shot through my body and straight to my dick! It was like my tit was directly connected to my cock - so intense were the feelings!

“AHH! FUCK!!!” I screamed out and clutched my hands tightly to Pete’s body in the agony/ecstasy of feelings.

Pete stopped sucking my nipple and, pulling his face up, looked down into mine.

“You like that, I take it?” he grinned.

“What the fuck are you doing to me!?!” I exclaimed.

“I’m sucking your nipple! Haven’t you ever had that done?” he asked, looking at me curiously.

“Fuck no! I’ve sucked on girl’s tits to get them hot but none of them ever did it to me!” I exclaimed.

“So, do you like it?” he grinned.

“Oh, fuck yeah! It’s making my cock harder!” I told him.

“It’s supposed to.” he grinned again. “I get the feeling that there’s a lot of stuff that you’ve never experience.”

I blushed deeply, ashamed at my evident ignorance. Young guys all like to think of themselves as accomplished studs. To admit to another guy that you don’t know shit about sex, really, is just not done!

“Hey! It’s okay! I love the idea that I get to introduce you to things you’ve never experienced. It’s a fucking turn on - almost like I’m making love to a virgin.” he smiled.

“Well, at least where sex with another guy is, I guess I am a virgin, really. I mean, the stuff I did when I was a teenager wasn’t all that much. Can I ask you something?” I said.

“Uhhh...do you really think this is the time for questions?” he grinned. “I got to know this, please?” I begged him.

“Okay. What do you want to know?” he asked.

“Uhh...well...you’re layin’ on top of me and I’m like under you...” I said, stumbling over my words.

“Ohh! And you want to know if just because you’re in the same position that you’d have a woman if I think of you like one...is that it?” he asked, his voice low and tender.

“Uhh...yeah.” I admitted.

“Tommy, you are definitely all man. That hard fucking cock shoving me in the gut would tell me that even if nothing else did. Women don’t turn me on at all. Neither do effeminate guys. I only get turned on to guys who are masculine. Does my hard cock tell you how I feel about you?” he asked, shoving his hips forward and pressing his hard cock into my gut.

“Yeah...it does.” I grinned. “It’s just that it feels a little weird to have someone bigger than I am on top of me.”

“Would you like to be on top?” he asked.

“No. It’s cool. It feels weird, but it feels good, too. It kind of...uhh...” I faltered.

“It kind of what?” he asked.

“Well, it kind of feels like when I was a little kid and would be in bed with my Dad.” I said quietly, my eyes looking away, afraid to meet his.

“Tommy, look at me.” he said softly and I did. “Do you mean that you have feelings of being safe and protected and loved right now?”

“Yeah. It’s all that and a lot more.” I said softly to him.

“That’s the way it’s supposed to be.” he smiled gently. “We can talk about this later and I’ll explain it to you. Right now, I want to make love to you and I think you want me to, right?” 

“Oh, fuck yeah!” I grinned.

“Good!” he grinned back and the next thing I knew, he was sucking on my other tit and I was groaning and writhing beneath him.

Once he had that tit hard and standing up, Pete did something that totally blew me away. He reached up and grabbed my arms from around him and pushed them up above my head. I lay there like I was being arrested or something but on my back. He moved over to where he started running his nose up and down my exposed armpit, his soft breath and the movement of my underarm hair making it somewhat tickle and cause my cock to harden more at the same time. He was breathing deep and I could tell from the moans and soft growls coming from him that my sweaty scent was really turning him on - just as his did me! As if that wasn’t enough to drive me straight up the wall, his tongue started licking through my pit hair and then his mouth covered my pit and started softly sucking on the skin while his tongue continued to lick and taste my sweat.

I was in heaven! This felt WAY better than I would have ever expected it to! I had no fucking idea that my pits were sexually sensitive. Like most straight guys, the only fucking ‘erogenous’ I knew that I had were my cock, my balls and maybe my ass (I found out from Pete later that a lot of straight guys stroke and finger their butts while they jack off but will never, ever admit it because of the implications of being a ‘fag’ and wanting to get their ass fucked.). I had no idea that places like my tits and my pits could be just as erotic! 

When my pit was soaked in Pete’s saliva, he moved to go after the other one. On the way, he leaned down and kissed me passionately. I could taste my sweat and funk on his mouth and it turned me on all to hell! I was really loving this! Everything that Pete did just made things get better and better. He went after my other pit then, soaking it with his spit so that there I lay, my arms above my head, totally submissive to him in a way I could have never dreamed of being submissive to another guy. And the funny thing about it was, I loved the feeling! I didn’t feel effeminate or anything. I just felt safe and loved! I just knew that Pete would never do anything to hurt me and that all he wanted to do was make me feel really good - and he was doing that!

He moved down from my pits and began licking down the center of my body, stopping to lick through the ridges of my abs before heading further south on my body. For some reason, I left my arms above my head. It felt good that way for reasons I couldn’t begin to understand but decided not to question. I had decided to just ‘go with the flow’ and allow this all to happen to me. I seemed to enjoy it more that way.

Pete got down to my groin and shoved his nose in my pubic hair. I could hear him taking deep breaths of my musky scent there, just as I’d done to him. I thought he would go after my cock next, but I was wrong. Instead, he moved down to where he was between my now spread legs, laying flat on the bed with his nose shoved right up against my sweaty ball. I against heard his deep breaths as he snorted my nuts and then felt his tongue licking them. I groaned in ecstasy! This felt so fucking good! Sure, I’d played with my nuts when I jacked off. Most guys do. But nobody had ever taken a tongue to them before! Fuck! What a great feeling! I was almost cumming from it!

I didn’t think things could get any better...well...that’s not true. I’d hoped that eventually Pete would get around to sucking my cock. This was something that I loved but could only get my ex-wife to do on very rare occasions. I figured that Pete would not be quite so adverse to doing it and I also figured that he had to be better than my ex-wife at it! Even the couple of blowjobs I traded with other guys in high school had been better than my ex-wife could do! 

I expected that Pete would probably stop licking my balls and maybe head upwards for my cock but I got the shock of my life. Instead of moving up - he moved down! He started by moving down and licking the back of my nut-sack which also was incredible and then moved down to where he was licking that little patch of skin between the nuts and the ass (the perineum, I learned later). That felt incredibly good as well. I figured, naturally that he’d stop there so imagine my shock when he took my legs in his hands and pushed them up and back so that my knees were practically wresting on my chest and my entire groin and ass were spread and exposed to him!

“Hold them there for me.” Pete said, and I quickly grabbed behind my knees with my hands.

He lay down flat on the bed and I heard him taking deep breaths. This confused me because the only thing that he could be smelling down there was my butt! I just couldn’t believe that’s what he was doing but when I felt his wet, rough, raspy tongue gliding up my butt-crack, I had no reason to disbelieve anymore! I groaned in ecstasy and shock at the feelings that were emanating from my butt!




The Guy Across The Hall Ch. 03



“AHH! FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!?!” I screamed out.

He looked up from between my legs, grinning at me.

“Licking your ass, what’s it feel like?” he asked, his voice conveying that this was probably one of the most stupid questions he’d ever heard.

“It feels incredible! But...well...isn’t that nasty?” I asked, embarrassed because I didn’t know how I smelled down there.

“No! It’s hot!” he said and went back to licking me.

I groaned again and just lay back and experienced the sensations of something I had never even dreamed of! I had no idea that somebody would do this to another person! But I could sure feel why somebody would want to have it done! It was the most intense feeling! And when he started sucking on my actual hole and trying to drive his tongue inside me, I thought I’d go out of my mind! I started to babble - not really knowing what I was saying - just reacting to the feelings.

“Fuck yeah! Eat my butt! Shove that fuckin’ tongue in me! Fuck me with your tongue! Fuck me!” I exclaimed.

And then it hit me what I was saying. I’d just asked him to fuck me! Did I mean that? I mean, I figured that eventually we’d get around to fucking but, frankly, it wasn’t me that I was picturing getting fucked when I thought about it! After all, I’d seen his cock! I didn’t think there was any way he could fuck me with that thing without killin’ me! But the more he ate my ass, the more relaxed I became. I felt his tongue slow slide all the way inside me and groaned at the feeling. Then he started moving his tongue in and out of my hole like a little wet cock, tongue-fucking me. This felt SO good! So good, in fact, that I relaxed more and felt my hole opening up more.

The next thing I knew, he was taking his tongue out of my hole and replacing it with a finger. It burned a little at first but then he got it all the way in and it started feeling good, too! He moved his finger in and out of my ass and I started groaning with pleasure. My ass opened up more and I started to get this feeling that maybe it was possible for something like his cock to fit inside me. 

Now, there are guys who will tell you that all guys wonder what it would feel like to be fucked by another guy’s cock. BULLSHIT! I never wondered about that, at least not until Pete started playing around with my ass. I’d never had any thought about it and maybe that’s best. Coming as a complete shock, as it did, may have been for the best, because if I’d had time to really think about it, what came next may never have happened.

Pete got off the bed for a moment, telling me to stay exactly like I was. He opened the drawer of one of the bedside tables and pulled out this bottle of clear liquid called Astroglide®. He got back on the bed and began to coat my butt with it. I jumped a little when he first put it on me because it was cold but it gradually got warmer as he began to lube my hole with it. It made putting his finger in my ass much easier than just his spit did. Within a short time, he was sliding two fingers up my hole without me feeling any pain at all. In fact, Pete was pushing around up inside me and hit something that almost made me cum and made me cry out in rapture!

“Fuck! What the fuck did you do?!” I exclaimed.

Pete chuckled. 

“That’s your prostate! It’s sometimes called a “Guy’s G Spot”. When it gets stroked it can make you cum without touching yourself.” he grinned.

“Yeah! I almost did!” I replied.

Pete kept working on my butt, relaxing it, opening it, getting more fingers inside until there were either 3 or 4 - I lost count. It was feeling so good finally, what with the stimulation of my prostate that I was finally opening begging for something that just about blew me away!

“Pete! Please! Fuck me! Fuck my ass! Use your cock man! Shove it in me!” I babbled. 

I just couldn’t believe it! I mean, here I was - the first time I ever really make love with another guy and I’m beggin’ him to shove his fucking horse-cock up my ass! I had to be out of my mind!

Pete took me at my word and began lubing up that big boy of his. He added more lube to my very open hole and then rose up on the bed, kneeling with my legs thrown over his shoulders while I was laying on my back looking up at him.

“I’m going to take this very slow and easy. I just want you to push out with your muscles like you’re going to the bathroom. That will help loosen you. Let me know if it’s too much for you. I don’t want to hurt you. Remember, we don’t have to do this. There are other things we can do.” Pete said, his voice calm and steady giving me a lot of confidence in him.

“No! I want to do this! I want to give myself to you this way! I want to feel you inside me and know that you are a part of me.” I insisted.

At least that’s about what I remember saying. My mind wasn’t tool clear at that point. It’s what I was feeling, anyway. I did want him inside me. I did want to feel like we were ‘one’. I wanted all those emotional/mystical/spiritual sides to love that people are always talking about. I wanted what I knew I’d never had. And I wanted it all with Pete.

And I got it. In spades!

I felt the large head of his cock nosing it’s way into my hole, spreading me, making my chute 2-way for the first time. The feeling was like nothing I’d ever felt in my life. It wasn’t painful - that was a shock in itself. I felt ‘full’, I felt ‘spread’ but I didn’t hurt. Quite frankly I felt like I had a telephone pole growing out of my butt - but I felt fine! Then his cock shoved far enough inside to graze over my prostate. FUCK! That was WAY more than fine! That was AWESOME!!! Even his fingers hadn’t done the job that his thick, long cock could do! 

Pete moved slowly but solidly on. He didn’t stop until his whole cock was buried in my hole and his pubic hair was resting against the opening to my butt. Then he just stopped. I couldn’t figure out why. I didn’t know what the fuck he was waiting for?! 

“Pete! Fuck me!” I begged. 

“Not yet.” he said quietly, leaning down over me so that his face was above mine.

“Why not?” I asked, confused.

“You’ve never fucked anybody in the ass, have you?” he asked.

“Uhh...no.” I answered.

“This ain’t like pussy, babe. You’ve got to let the muscles relax and get used to having something so big coming in and out. Okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. Okay.” I said, figuring that made sense.

Then I stated to feel exactly what he was talking about. While his sliding inside of me didn’t hurt, I could still feel my ass relaxing and opening more while he waited. That made having his cock inside me feel better and better. I still felt full, but not uncomfortably so. He felt it too and began slowly sliding his huge cock out of my ass. Just a few inches and then he slowly shoved it back in. I moaned at the feeling as his huge cock slid over my very sensitive prostate. This was feeling REALLY GOOD!

“Like that?” he grinned down at me.

“Oh, fuck yeah! Fuck me! Fuck me, Pete!” I moaned.

He grinned again and began to fuck me. He started out slow but steadily built to a faster speed. His cock was sliding faster and faster in and out of my ass. It was feeling so good! I loved the power of his body as he fucked mine! It quickly went through my head that this must be what a woman felt when I fucked her. No wonder they loved being fucked! I couldn’t believe how good it felt! What I really couldn’t believe was my cock - harder than hell, dripping cock-honey in huge amounts and I could feel that something was about to happen which, if you’d told me could happen I would have told you that you were crazy! I was going to cum! Without touching myself! For the first time in my life - other than wet dreams - I was going to cum without anything touching my cock - just from Pete fucking me!

“Oh FUCK! YEAH! FUCK ME! FUCK ME HARDER!” I heard myself begging Pete.

He assented to my demands and began slamming his cock into my butt like a piledriver! Faster and faster, he was fucking and I was getting closer to cumming. Then he did something I never expected. He reached down with one hand and grabbed hold of one of my tits and twisted it! That’s all it took!

“FUCK ME!!!” I screamed as my cock shot load after load of cum.

The first shot literally went over my head! That hadn’t happened since I was a fucking teenager. The rest covered my face, neck, chest and finally my gut. I had almost stopped shooting finally when, all of a sudden, I heard Pete yell.

“YEAH! FUCK! UP YOUR ASS!” he screamed and I could feel his cock throbbing in my butt as he unloaded inside me.

His orgasm was incredible - at least what I could see of it. The look on his face, the jerking of his body, the trembling of his cock in my ass - all of it was the most exciting thing I’d ever seen. I’d never seen another guy get off before and had no idea how exciting it could be. More - it was a man that I loved and he was getting off on me! I was overwhelmed with feelings at being the reason for his cumming. 

When he finally finished, he collapsed over me - sweaty, panting and exhausted. He had every right to be. He’d done all the work and I’d laid there and enjoyed it all! I reached up and wrapped my arms around his sweaty body, loving the feeling of him. He licked at my neck as he slowly came down from the high of cumming. I could still feel the twitches of his cock in my ass as the ‘after-quakes’ of his orgasm hit him. 

Finally, he relaxed on top of me and his mouth sought mine in a gentle yet passionate kiss. I returned it with all the love that was in me. Never had I ever thought that sex could be like this! Never did I realize what another male could do for me or how being with someone that you truly loved could change things. 

“So how was that?” he murmured, nibbling on my earlobe.

“So incredible that I don’t have words for it!” I groaned.

“You have the most amazing butt!” he chuckled. “ I don’t think I’ve ever gotten off that hard with anybody.”

“Was it just my butt?” I asked quietly.

“You know it wasn’t. I love you, Tommy. Making love to you is so moving. I guess I don’t have the words either.” he said.

“Is it always like this?” I asked.

“I have no idea! I’ve never made love to someone before. I can’t see it ever being bad!” he chuckled. “I can’t wait to feel you making love to me!”

Mmm! That sounded really good to me! I’d wanted to feel what he’d felt fucking me. I wanted to know what it was like to make love to this incredible male.

“I think I need some rest before I can do that - at least do it as well as I’d like to.” I said.

“I agree. I don’t know about you, but I’m starved!” he grinned down at me.

“Yeah! Food sounds really good!” I grinned back.

“Well, just let me finish here and let’s go out to the kitchen and see what’s available!” he said.

Finish? What did he mean ‘Finish’? We’d fucked, we’d both gotten off, what was there to finish? I felt him gently pull his still somewhat hard cock from my butt and then move down on the bed, still holding my legs up until he moved down far enough to reach my butt. Then his mouth went to my butt-trench and I could feel him licking and sucking at my hole again! GOD! Did THAT feel good! He was sucking his cum from my butt and his tongue was soothing the sore opening. I groaned at this very intimate act.

He finally lowered my legs and again climbed up over me and his mouth came down on me. I opened my mouth to him, expecting his tongue. Instead, his cum began to slide from his mouth to mine! He was sharing his load from my ass with me! I guess if I’d thought about it, this would have seemed a little gross to me but it was just too intimate, too loving, too exciting to think about. I loved it!

He broke the kiss and got up off the bed. He reached out his hand to me and pulled me up from the bed and into his loving, warm, strong arms. we stood there hugging and I knew that this was what I had been missing all of my life. This love, this affection, this strong, masculine feeling from another guy. I looked up into his eyes. “I love you. I never thought I could feel this way about anybody - especially not another guy! I can’t even begin to tell you how happy you make me.” I said.

“That’s good because I feel exactly the same way about you.” he said softly and then gently kissed the very tip of my nose, pulled back and grinned at me. “Now let’s go eat!”

“Yeah!” I grinned back.

Pete made sandwiches for us and we each had a beer before retiring back to the bedroom. We got onto the bed again but this time, I got on top of Pete. As exciting as it was, it was still strange to me to feel his large, hard muscular body beneath me. But it was a difference that I loved! I attacked his body with my tongue and mouth, just as he’d done mine. I loved burying my face in his pits and smelling his strong, masculine, sweaty scent. I loved worrying his small nipples and having him moaning and squirming beneath me as I did. I loved burying my nose in his pubic hair and licking the cock-honey from his cock. I loved smelling his raunchy balls and tasting the salty muskiness of them. I loved it all, but I didn’t expect one thing.

I loved his butt! Until he’d done it to me, I never thought about eating anybody’s ass. But when I licked Pete’s balls and he raised his legs, pulling them back and giving me access to his butt, I dove into his trench, my nose running up and down the hairless cleft. The heavy, musky masculine scent drove me crazy! I couldn’t keep from tasting him. I dragged my tongue through is crevice and tasted the tangy sweatiness of him. My tongue could feel the soft, smoothness of his hole and I was soon licking and sucking at it. I pushed against it with my tongue and slowly it began to slide inside him as he groaned out his love of what I was doing to his ass.

The taste of his butt, especially inside was driving me crazy - that, and the thought of my tongue actually being inside of him! I licked out his hole, reveling in the tangy taste of the smooth walls of his anus. As I did, his hole seemed to open more and more, flowering open like the petals of a rose. As it became easier and easier for me to shove my tongue in and out of him, I began fucking his ass with my tongue. This got him moaning louder.

“Yeah! Eat my ass! Come on, Tommy! Fuck me! Shove you’re fucking cock in my butt!” he begged. 

I was all for it! I finally pulled my face out of his fragrant and tasty butt and he handed me the bottle of lube.

“Just grease up my hole and your cock and then shove it in! You’ve got me already prepared.” he told me.

Following his directions, I lubed up his ass and then my cock. I rose up and placing his legs over my shoulders as he’d done mine, I put my cock at the entrance to his body a pushed. There was some slight resistance from his sphincter and then I felt my cock slowly sliding into his ass. I couldn’t believe how tight, hot and wet it was! He was right! This was NO pussy! No pussy had ever clung so tightly to my cock - not even my ex-wife when I had taken her virginity. The feeling was so intense, I was afraid that I would cum before I even got all my cock inside him. I concentrated on other things, however - football stats and other sports esoterica - until I could feel my pubic bone pushing against the outside of his hole and knew my cock was completely buried in him.

Like he had done, I rested there, letting him get used to the size of me. While not his ‘horse-cock’ my dick was of substantial enough length and girth to let him know that he was well and truly skewered on a man’s cock! I looked down at him and he looked up at me with such a grin of pleasure and satisfaction at the feeling of being fucked by me that I almost lost it again!

“Fuck! You feel so good inside!” I groaned.

“Yeah! You’re cock feel so good! Like it was made for my ass!” he groaned back.

“Or maybe your ass was made for my cock?!” I grinned.

“I’d say that we were made for each other.” he said, smiling gently at me.

“I really believe that!” I assured him.

I could feel his hole relaxing and the demand to cum backed off so that I knew I could fuck him. He knew it, too.

“Yeah! Fuck me, stud! Gimme that cock! Make me feel it!” Pete growled.

And, taking him at his word, I did just that. I began somewhat slowly but soon attained full ramming speed. I fucked him as hard as I dared. You see, I’d only fucked women in my life and most of them can’t take being really pounded by a guy - the way a guy was meant to fuck. I was quickly disavowed of any notions like this where Pete was concerned.

“Come on! Fuck me! Fuck me HARD! Really SLAM my ass!” Pete exclaimed.

Okay! If that’s what he wanted, I’d make him sorry he ever asked!

I slammed his butt with everything I had, over and over again. All Pete did was groan in ecstasy and urge me on to greater and greater feats of brutal fucking! I fucked the way I’d never been able to before! I took his hole and made it my own! But that kind of fucking can’t last long - the feeling is too intense for both partners. I could feel the tingle in my balls that told me I was gonna cum any moment when all of a sudden, Pete started crying out and I could feel his ass-chute grabbing at my cock and his cock began shooting hot, white sperm everywhere! All of him, all over me and all over the bedcover.

“FUCK YEAH! FUCK ME! FUCK MY ASS!!!” Pete screamed out as he came.

That’s all it took for me! I started unloading all of my hot baby-batter deep in his clutching butthole!

“FUCK! I’M CUMMIN’!! TAKE MY LOAD!!!” I screamed as I shot load after load deep in his ass until it started to shoot back out around my cock.

I collapsed on top of him and he held me in his arms just as I had held him. For a while, my mind was totally gone. All I could do was react to sensory perceptions; the heat of his ass surrounding my cock, the wetness of his hole, the scent of our sweat and the scent of our fucking. I lay there, totally spent as Pete crooned in my ear and gently kissed me.

“Oh, fuck! That was great!” I finally murmured.

“You are quite a fucking stud, aren’t you?” Pete murmured back.

“You think so?” I asked, surprised at this compliment.

“Well, considering the fact that no man has ever gotten me off just by fucking me before, I’d say you are!” he chuckled.

“Really?! Never?!” I was amazed.

“Never. Of course, I’ve never been fucked my a guy I was in love with before.” he said.

“Me either.” I replied.

Gradually, my cock, sated by two orgasms, softened and fell out of his butt. Remembering what he had done to me, I moved down his body until I could get my face in his ass. I began licking at his swollen and well-used hole, drawing out all of my cum that I could find. Then I moved back up over him, capturing his mouth with mine and kissing him passionately, allowing my sperm to flow from my mouth to his. He groaned and sucked it all down. I then moved off him and, laying my head on his muscular chest and putting my arm around him, drifted off into deep sleep - in a man’s arms for the first time since I was a little kid.



The Guy Across The Hall Ch. 04



I was dreaming again. This time, it wasn't a garden. This time it was the bed in Pete's apartment and I was fucking his tight, wet, hot ass! I loved the feeling. It was so intense - so REAL! I didn't want to wake up but, as I did, the feelings, rather than diminishing, seemed to intensify! I didn't understand what the fuck was going on until my eyes opened. I was behind Pete, spooned to his back, my arms around him and my cock buried in his hot ass, fucking the shit out of him! I had no fucking idea how this had happened but I had to admit, it was the nicest ‘wake-up' of my entire life!

"Oh fuck!" I groaned.

"Yeah! ‘Bout time you woke up!" Pete laughed. "I been waitin' for you to start really fuckin' ramming my ass!" 

Now, I ain't one for much talk first thing in the morning but if it's ‘action' you want, I've got it for ya! I pushed Pete over until he was on his stomach and I was between his spread legs, my cock still buried to the hilt in his butt. I figured the lube I was feeling must be some of my cum still up his ass from last night. I just let go and began slamming in an out of his butt. He pushed back, meeting each thrust and making it that much harder. We were both too far gone at that point to care about the fine, romantic points of making love. We were fucking - flat out simple! And I loved it. Pete seemed to as well. We must have, because within five minutes we were both blowing out loads - me in his hot ass and him all over the bed. 

I pulled out of his butthole, moved back and then buried my face in his fragrant ass crack, again eating my cum out of his just-fucked hole. I loved the taste of cum that was up his ass. But I wasn't selfish. I shared it all with him as we kissed passionately and then lay there in each other's arms.

"Lemme up!" Pete said after a few minutes. "I gotta piss!"

"Me, too!" I said.

We both went into the bathroom and I didn't quite know what to do. Pete took over. He threw his arm across my shoulders, pulling me close to his side and indicated that I should piss with him, at the same time. I watched as our two yellow streams hit the water of the bowl and foamed up. This was a type of intimacy I'd never imagined and one that could only be shared by two male lovers. Somehow, just the simple act of pissing became a bonding experience between us!

When we'd finished and shaken the last of our piss off our cock, Pete kissed my cheek, nuzzled my ear and asked, "You want some coffee?"

"Oh yeah!" I said. "I need coffee!" 

Naked, we went to the kitchen and Pete fixed coffee for us. When it was done, he poured it into mugs and then led me back to the bedroom and into his big bed. We sat in the bed next to each other, sipping our coffee, our bodies resting against each other, not really saying anything. Finally, I spoke up.

"Pete, now what?" I asked.

"What?" he asked back.

"Well...I'm a little out of my depth here. What do we do now? I mean, I've never been in a situation like this with another guy." I said.

"I thought that was pretty clear, Tommy. I want us to go on as lovers, as partners. Isn't that what you want?" he asked.

"Oh, God! Yes! I just don't know how...I mean...what about my apartment? I don't want to sleep over there. I want to be with you." I said.

"And, trust me, babe. That's exactly where I want you - with me. Forever." he said a leaned over and kissed me gently. "As to the apartment, well...I've been thinking about that."

"Yeah?"

"I think that without too much in the way of work, we could turn these two apartments into one large apartment for the two of us. How does that sound?" he asked.

"That sounds great!" I said.

"Yeah, I want to call a friend of mine in New York who's an architect. I'm going to send him the blue prints of this place and see what he can come up with." Pete said. "And, of course, we're going to have to call my lawyer and get the deed changed." 

"Get the deed changed?" I asked confused by this.

"Well, yeah. It's gotta get your name on it." he smiled.

That's, I think, when it truly hit me! What was happening here was that, for all intents and purposes - maybe not in the strictly legal sense but every way else - Pete and I were getting ‘married'. I hadn't even gone completely through the divorce yet and here I was getting ‘married' again.

"Uhh...maybe we better wait in that deed thing. At least for a few months." I said.

Pete looked at me strangely. "You having second thoughts?" he asked.

"No! It's just that I'm going through the divorce right now. I don't think I need to go owning anything new until that's over with." I said.

"Oh! I didn't think of that! You're right! Thanks for mentioning that. But we can go ahead with the remodeling. After all, we don't have to change this side much so we won't have to put up with a lot of mess from it. That is, as long as you don't mind sleeping with me every night." he smiled.

"Mind! Try and stop me!" I laughed, throwing my arms around him and kissing him passionately.

"I take it you slept well last night?" he grinned.

"After that workout? Who wouldn't! I slept like a baby! By the way, how did I end up fucking you this morning? I was dreaming it and then I woke up and it was real!" I asked.

"You woke me up with your cock poking me in the butt so I figured I just put that big hard thing where it could do the most good. I knew you weren't awake but I figured you wake up eventually. I didn't realize that once you got in my ass, you'd start fucking me in your sleep! Quite a performance, stud!" he laughed.

I laughed with him.

"Well, I gotta say, that was the best fucking wake-up call I've ever had in my whole life!" I told him.

"Yeah, I kind of liked that big hard cock knocking at my backdoor, waking me up!" he grinned.

"Maybe yours will wake me up tomorrow?" I asked.

"You never know! You just never know!" he laughed.

We spent the rest of that day, it was a Sunday, just lazing around the apartment, making love, eating, watching football on TV. I felt ‘married' in the best sense of that word. That next morning, Monday, I didn't wake up with his cock in my butt - but with my cock in his mouth. What a mind-blowing way to wake up, with somebody giving you head! It didn't take long for me to cum either and then I went down on him, something he'd showed me how to do the previous day. Pete then made me breakfast and I went off to work at the garage.

I guess some of my happiness showed because the guys all remarked about it. Even Marty, my boss, the owner of the garage, noticed. But his take on things was different. 

"You know, Tommy, I've known a lot of guys get divorced and some of them were happy, but nothing like you! I swear, if I didn't know better, I'd swear you'd gone and gotten yourself involved with another woman!" Marty said.

"No way, Marty! Trust me - never again will I marry a woman!" I swore to him.

Nothing was ever said again, but as time went by, I got the feeling that Marty was aware that my relationship with Pete was more than just ‘good friends' but he never said anything and didn't seem to be bothered by it.

There was, after a few months, however, something bothering me. My folks. I'd been avoiding them because I didn't know how I was going to tell them about me and about me and Pete. I finally decided, however that I couldn't just keep quiet. I prayed they would understand but, no matter what, I wasn't about to leave Pete. He was the only true love and happiness I'd ever known - except for them. I told Pete that I was going to have a talk with my Dad. He was all for it. He knew how much it bothered me not being able to talk to my folks because of trying to hide our relationship from them. I called Dad and asked me to meet me for a beer after work the next day. That morning, as I left, Pete handed me an envelop. 

"What's this?" I asked.

"It's a check for your Dad." Pete said.

"A check? What for?" I asked, completely confused by this.

"It's the money they gave me when they rented the apartment for you. I don't feel right about keeping it. After all, it's not like you were ever really a ‘tenant'." he smiled.

"No, I guess I wasn't." I grinned back. "Thanks, Pete. I'm sure that they'll appreciate this."

That afternoon, I met Dad in the same little bar where we'd talked about my divorce - a divorce that had become final about three weeks previous. I saw Dad sitting in the same booth in the back when I walked in and ordered us two beers on my way back.

"So what's up, son? Where you been hiding yourself?" he asked.

"I've been home." I said. "I haven't been getting out much lately."

"Well, you sure look happy enough! If I'd known that the divorce would make you this happy, I'd have given you the money a long time ago!" Dad laughed.

"Dad, it's not the divorce." I said. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh, no! You haven't gotten yourself into another relationship have you?" Dad asked. "I don't think you need another woman this soon, son!" 

"I don't think I do either, Dad. That's what I need to talk about. I am in love - for the first time in my life. I'm happier than I've ever been. But I don't know how you and Mom are going to deal with it." I said.

"Well, son, I guess you know what you're doing. At least you're in love this time. I'm sure your Mom and me will love her, whoever she is." Dad smiled.

"Uhh...that's just it, Dad. I don't know how to tell you this but...well...it isn't a ‘her', Dad. It's a him. I'm in love with another guy." I said.

Dad was quiet for a few moments. He didn't say anything, he just looked at me.

"Well, this is a surprise, son. Who is he? Where did you meet him?" Dad asked.

"It's the guy that was living right across the hall from me, Dad. His name is Pete." I said.

"Maybe you ought to tell me about him, son." Dad said.

Dad didn't seem too upset about the news that his son was gay, so I told him about Pete. I told him about his modeling career and his writing career. I told him about how Pete was actually the owner of the building and then I gave Dad the envelop with the check inside that Pete had given me for him. I told him about Pete remodeling the two apartments and making them one. I especially told Dad how much I loved Pete and how much he loved me. I told Dad about how Pete made me feel - how happy I was being loved by him. Dad listened to it all and never said a word until I was done.

"Well, this is not something I ever expected but if this is what makes you happy, Tommy, than I'm happy for you. What you've told me doesn't change a thing as far as I'm concerned. I'm your Dad and I love you. No matter what, nothing will ever change that. I'll be honest with you, you ending up with another guy is not anything I ever expected but I can see how happy and how much in love you are and that's all that really matters to me - that you're happy. I know your Mom feels the same way. Your our son and we love you." Dad said.

"Thanks, Dad." I said quietly. "The only thing I was afraid of was losing you."

"Tommy, that's nothing you need ever worry about. I guess I'll go home now and have a talk with your Mom. About the only problem I can see that she'd gonna have with this is that there won't be any grandchildren. But hell! The way things were going with your ex-wife, there wasn't going to be any anyway!" Dad grinned.

"No, there sure weren't!" I grinned back.

"You do know that your Mom and me are gonna want to meet him." Dad said.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that." I said, hesitantly.

"That's not going to be a problem, is it?" Dad asked.

"Well...no. It'll just make Pete a nervous wreck!" I grinned.

"You just tell him he's got nothin' to worry about. We don't bite." Dad chuckled.

When I told Pete about this conversation that night, he wasn't chuckling. In fact, I don't think I'd ever seen Pete quite that upset before. He was really nervous about the idea of meeting my parents. I tried to reassure him that they would love him but he somehow got it into his head that if they didn't like him, they'd try to break us up - just like they'd paid for my divorce. I told him that them paying for my divorce had nothing to do with them not liking my ex-wife (though, truth be told, they didn't care much for her) but everything to do with seeing me so unhappy. I wasn't unhappy with him! In fact, I'd never been happier in my whole life and even my Dad could see that. 

That seemed to calm Pete down somewhat and I thought it had all been smoothed out until I got home from work the next night. I walked in from work and Pete was sitting on the couch, looking very unhappy. I asked him what was wrong.

"You'll never guess who called today." he said.

"Who?" I asked.

"Your mother." Pete announced in about the same way you'd announce an IRS audit!

"She did? Why?" I asked.

"To invite us to dinner tomorrow night." he said.

"So what did you tell her?" 

"What could I tell her?! That may have sounded like a request but I knew it was a ‘Command Performance'! Show up or else! So I told her we would be there." Pete said, miserably.

"Pete, Mom's not like that! You'll see! She's going to love you. Hell! With your looks, there's hardly a woman on earth that can resist you!" I laughed. "Or guys either, for that matter!"

"Somehow I don't think my looks are going to impress your Dad." Pete sulked.

I was shocked! I'd never seen him like this before! And here I thought I was the one without any self-confidence!

"Dad will be very impressed! He look at you for who you are. My Dad is a fair man. He gives everybody a chance." I said.

"Even guys who fuck his son?" Pete asked.

"Even guys who...well, I'm not exactly sure that Dad would necessarily be all that interested in who fucked who." I smiled at my lover. "Hey! Get up off that couch and come work out with me! You need to work off some of that anxiety you've got building up for no reason!" 

He grumped about it, but he worked out with me and, just as I'd predicted, he did feel better afterwards. There was, however, somewhat of a feeling of ‘desperation' when he made love to me that night. I didn't say anything. I just figured that things would all work out the next night.

When I got home from work, I expected that Pete would be ready to go to my parents house. Instead, I found him naked, in the middle of the bedroom and about half his closet full of clothes strewn all over the place! 

"I can't find anything to wear!" he practically screamed.

"Pete! Sit down!" I finally took over.

He looked at me funny. I'd never raised my voice to him before. But he did what I told him to and sat on the bed. I looked around the room and then walked over to the closet. I pulled out a simple, navy blue polo shirt in a mesh cotton fabric from Lands End and then went to one of his drawers and pulled out a pair of Levi 501 jeans. I tossed them to him.

"Here. Put these on." I said.

"No! These are too casual! I need to find the right suit!" he exclaimed.

"Like fuck you do! This ain't New York! My parents are not going to be dressed any fancier than that! Trust me! Besides, you put on one of those Armani suits and all you'll do is intimidate the hell out of them! Is that what you want?" I asked.

"No. It's not." he said, quietly, hanging his head.

"I'm gonna go take a shower. You can come with me or you can sit here and stew in your juices. What's it gonna be?" I asked.

Without an answer, Pete got up off the bed and walked quietly behind me into the bathroom. I set the water and then pulled him into the shower. I put my arms around him and kissed him. It took a moment but then his arms went around me and he was hanging onto me like I was the last lifeboat on the Titanic! What really got to me was when we broke the kiss and Pete kind of collapsed against me, his forehead resting against my shoulder and he started crying! I'd never seen Pete cry!

"Come on, Pete! It's gonna be okay! I promise! They're gonna love you!" I told him.

"But what if they don't?!" he sniffed, refusing to lift his head or look at me.

"Then they don't. It's not going to change a thing between us! I love you. I'm not going to leave you no matter who objects to us being together! Would you leave me if your parents told you to?"" I asked.

"Fuck no!" he said.

"So why do you think I'm any different?" I asked. "Is it still the ‘straight' thing? The fact that I was married?" 

Pete wouldn't answer so I pretty much figured that's what it was. For some stupid reason, Pete had this idea that I was going to go back to straight life, marry a woman and have kids because that was so much easier than being gay! I don't know where the fuck he got this idea from. I've been married to a guy and a girl. Trust me! A guy is about 1,000 times easier to take and understand! But I just couldn't get Pete to believe this!

"Look, you stubborn jackass! For the 100th time! I am NOT going to leave you for a woman! I am not going to go back to straight life! I can't! I'm too fucking addicted to that ass and horse-cock of yours! I don't want a woman! I don't even want another guy. The ONLY person in this whole fucking world I want is YOU! Even if you do make me nuts at times!" I growled.

Pete finally looked up from my shoulder. There were tears streaming down his face but a huge grin across it at the same time. I grabbed hold of him and pulled him into a deep passionate kiss. Then we finished showering, touching and stroking each other all over. One of the things that Pete had done when he remodeled the apartments was to double the size of the boiler system to create much more hot water. It was a good thing! The way we took showers, spending a lot of time in the doing things OTHER than getting clean, we'd be taking a lot of cold showers otherwise!

We finally made it over to my folks house. Pete was still such a nervous wreck I insisted upon driving. I also insisted on driving because I made him take two or three shots of vodka on the rocks before we left the apartment in an attempt to get him to calm down! It did take the edge off him - but no by much.

I will admit, that when we got to my folks house, it was a little awkward for a couple of minutes. My parents both were staring at Pete and I think he was getting the feeling that they were judging him as fit material for their son. Finally, Pete couldn't take it any more.

"Is there something wrong?" Pete blurted out.

Both my parents blushed in embarrassment.

"No, son." Dad said. "I guess it's just that we've never seen a man quite as handsome as you are, up close and in person."

"Oh, my, yes!" my Mom exclaimed. "You could easily be a movie star!" 

Now it was Pete's turn to blush and I was having the damned time not rolling on the floor, I wanted to crack up laughing so hard! 

"Thank you. I don't really think of myself that way." Pete said humbly.

"I guess I can see in some way why Tommy would be drawn to you." Dad said.

"But you have to understand - I'm very drawn to Tommy. It isn't one sided. Not at all!" Pete insisted.

"That's good, dear. That's the sign of a good relationship - when you each are strongly drawn to one another. And you two do look so very much in love." Mom said.

Now it was time for both of us to blush.

"Why don't we just lay our cards out on the table." Dad, never one to ‘beat around the bush' said. "Look, Pete. It's true that we had no idea that Tommy was attracted to other guys - though it does explain a lot about his previous marriage. And I'll also admit that it sort of threw me when Tommy told me about you and him the other day. But I told him then, and I'll say it again - he's our son and we love him. Period. We don't care that he prefers other men. All we want to see is him happy. When I saw him the other day and he started telling me about you - that was the happiest I'd ever seen him. Happier even than when I got him that 10 speed bike for his birthday!" Dad chuckled and so did we all. "You make him happy like that, Pete, and trust me! You've got our blessing." 




The Guy Across The Hall Ch. 04



Pete just sat there. I think he was stunned. He just couldn't believe it was that easy. All his fear and anxiety for nothing! 

"The only thing I want to do in this world is make him happy!" Pete swore to my Dad and Mom.

I really didn't plan it as a ‘political statement' or something. I didn't even think about what I was doing, it was so natural. I reached over, put my arm around Pete and kissed him gently on the mouth - completely forgetting that I was doing this RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY PARENTS!!!

Pete blushed and I looked over, realizing what I'd just done. But Mom and Dad were just sitting there smiling! Like this was just a common every day occurrence - to have two guys kiss in their living room! My mom was the one to break the silence this time.

"I didn't expect that!" Mom said.

"I'm sorry, Mom! I got carried away! I won't..."

I was about to say I wouldn't do it again when she put up her hand and stopped me.

"No, Tommy! I wasn't talking about that. I just wasn't expecting it to be so beautiful! I couldn't picture in my mind what it would be like to see two males kiss! Now I know! I just didn't expect it to be so beautiful! I can really see how much in love you two are!" she said.

I looked at Pete and he was blushing as deep a shade of red as I was.

"I'm getting hungry!" Dad said, taking charge and ending the awkwardness of the situation.

Mom's dinner was excellent and Pete must have told her that at least 20 times. He regaled my folks with stories of his modeling career and his travels all over the world. They were fascinated by him. More importantly, they really liked him - I could tell. But in case there were any doubts about it, when Mom brought out her all-time-family-favorite rum cake for dessert, Dad brought out a chilled bottle of champagne with four champagne glasses. He poured each one of us a glass and then stood up and raised his glass.

"This toast is for all the happiness in the world for my son Tommy and his friend Pete. May you both have many happy years together and, Pete, welcome to the family!" Dad said.

For once in his life, Pete was speechless. I could tell he was having a great deal of trouble not crying. I could see the tears glistening in his eyes. We all ‘clinked' glasses and then Pete got to experience Mom's rum cake. He went so nuts over it, Mom gave him the rest of it for us to take home.

When we went to go home that night, Mom hugged and kissed me and then did the same to Pete. Dad hugged me and then, much to Pete and my surprise, hugged Pete as well. There was not question now that my parents liked and accept Pete and our relationship. 

Would we have been successful all these years without their acceptance and support? I like to think that we would have but it was thousands of times easier with it. As I said in the first part of this story, we're still together, still happy. I love Pete more and more each day and he says the same thing to me. I know I can't even imagine life without him.