This is a story of love between two young men. If you are under age, or live in an area where reading stories that include sex between males is illegal, or if you're not into this type of story, please leave. The story begins in 1969. While the characters and their story are completely fictional, it is set at places that are real and is told against a backdrop of some real events. This was a time when all sex was safe. It isn't now, so please respect yourself and others enough to always play safe.
I would like to thank all of those who have written to me with comments, suggestions and encouragement, especially my fellow writers in the Nifty Six. The author retains all rights. No reproductions or links to other sites are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at NJMcMick@yahoo.com.
November 1970
Danny
"I can't believe you let Reggie talk me into doing this, Billy."
"Oh sure, it's all my fault. In over a year of knowing you I've never seen anyone talk you into doing anything you didn't want to. Better start taking responsibility for your own decisions, white boy."
"You know what I mean. I'm too shy. I can't get up and speak in public."
Reggie had been after me all semester to speak at a League meeting about what happened to me last winter. I really didn't want to because I'm afraid of public speaking but he kept after me. He said that violence happens to gay people all the time but no one hears about it because most of the victims are too afraid of coming out to say anything. So he said I had an obligation to speak up because I was one of the few who were already out. While Billy didn't pressure me it was clear to me that he agreed with Reggie. And if it hadn't been me we were talking about I would have agreed as well. So I finally gave in and agreed to do it.
I had a couple of weeks to get used to the idea. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. After all, it was just the same guys we saw every week at the meetings. And then, last week, there I was in the school paper. Not only had Reggie managed to get the paper to do a story on anti-gay violence but he had talked Lucy into giving him a picture of me for the paper. And every day after that they ran a short article reminding everyone of the 'speech' I was giving.
"Danny, I know you don't like getting up in front of people to speak; most people don't. But it's not like you haven't spoken at a meeting before. We've been going to them for almost a year and you always take part in discussions when you have something to say."
"There's a big difference between taking part in a group discussion and being the main speaker. And now with all the publicity who knows how many people will be there?"
"Don't expect standing room only, Danny. I don't think that many people care and most straight kids wouldn't go anywhere near a gay meeting, no matter what. As Reggie said, the real reason for the articles was to publicize the issue of violence against gay people not this specific meeting. Putting your picture in the paper makes it real for the straights. Plus, most gay kids are too much in the closet to come to a meeting, so the articles helped educate them too."
"I understand all that, but I'm still nervous. Besides, you know we haven't told anyone at school about my surgery last summer, not even Reggie. I'm afraid that when I start talking about having holes drilled in my head everyone will think I'm some kind of freak."
"No one will think that, Danny. Everyone will be horrified by what you went through and they'll probably think you're a pretty brave guy."
"I just wish the meeting was over."
"It will be before you know it. Lucy and I are going to sit right up front so any time you get nervous or scared just look at one of us. It won't be so bad."
It wasn't bad, it was worse. The meetings are usually held in the third floor lounge of the Student Center, with maybe fifteen or twenty students attending. Billy, Lucy and I walked into the building and immediately saw Ron, the League president standing by the elevator next to a sign announcing the meeting was being held in the Multi-Purpose Room, a huge room at the back of the first floor. As we passed through the door I saw row after row of chairs, many of them already occupied, and tons of people standing around talking. Reggie was at the front of the room so we went over to him.
"Damn, what a crowd!"
"Yeah, Billy, over eighty at last count and they're still pouring in. It's a good thing this room wasn't being used tonight."
I was horrified. No way I could speak in front of all of these people. Then I looked across the room and froze. There was Gary, glaring at me. I grabbed Reggie's arm and pointed to Gary.
"What's he doing here?"
"I asked him when he came in. Apparently he's under orders from Dean Nash to attend. In fact, I saw the dean a minute ago, He's here somewhere."
"Shit! I don't think I can do this."
"Sure you can, Danny. Don't think about it too much. There's a small podium you can put your notes on. And you have a microphone so you don't have to speak very loud."
"Lucy's right, Danny. Just talk, don't try to make a speech. And don't look at the whole crowd. Just focus on a few friendly faces."
"I'll try, Reggie, but don't expect too much."
The others took their seats as Ron tried to get everyone to sit down and be quiet. Billy and I stood off to one side. He was behind me with his arms wrapped around me, his chin resting on my shoulder, holding me close, whispering words of encouragement in my ear. When I was introduced, Billy gave me a pat on the butt and slipped across the room to the seat Lucy had saved for him. While I waited for the polite applause to stop I looked around the room. I saw Dean Nash sitting a couple of rows behind Billy and then I noticed Jeff and a couple of guys from the dorm toward the back. I didn't see where Gary was sitting, thank God.
I started talking very quietly and even with the microphone everyone had to strain to hear. That seemed to work though, because almost everyone stopped talking so they could hear me. I followed Reggie's advice and kept my eyes focused on a few friends and began to feel a little more comfortable. When I got to the part about my headaches and passing out this summer the room got amazingly quiet. I swore I could hear my heart thumping in my chest. I went through the doctor appointments, the surgery and the recovery. I had planned it as a talk to a few friends, not a speech to a crowd, so I didn't have a big finish. After talking a minute about my recovery at home I just stopped talking, looked out at the room and shrugged.
"That's about it."
I just stood there, uncertain what else to do. Someone started clapping, and then others joined in. Billy got up and put his arms around me, led me away from the podium and just held me for a few minutes. It got really hectic for a while. People crowded all around me asking all kinds of questions. A reporter from the school paper cornered me and we talked a few minutes. Dean Nash approached.
"I wish now that you'd pressed charges against those two thugs who pushed you, Dan. They got off pretty easy considering what you went through."
"I'll admit I was pretty angry during the summer but it's all over now and everything turned out all right. I just want to get on with my life."
"Danny."
I turned around and Gary was standing there. He looked really uncomfortable and was staring at the spot on my head that I'd touched at the end of my talk.
"Yeah, what do you want?"
"I just want to say I'm sorry. I didn't realize what you went through, what I'd caused. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm all right."
He held out his hand. I stared at it a few seconds, then shook it.
"Good. I really am sorry." Gary turned and walked out.
Billy
I knew Danny wasn't looking forward to the program he had agreed to do but I really wanted him to do it. I still had so much anger in me over what had happened to him. While I didn't want him put on the spot, I did want the world, at least our little part of it, to know how much he had suffered. Danny's so quiet and sweet no one thinks anything terrible could possibly be going on in his life. He never complains, never calls attention to himself. But that doesn't mean he doesn't hurt. When he was first attacked, we told everyone it had been an accident. The truth didn't come out until the end of the semester when everyone was focused on the war. Then his medical problems happened after we were home for the summer and were over long before school started again. I thought that if we went public and told our friends everything, maybe we could finally end this and put it behind us.
But neither of us expected the kind of crowd that turned out. I knew Danny was terrified of speaking in front of such a large group. I held him in my arms to calm him and could feel him trembling. I kept whispering reassurances to him, trying to relax him, until they introduced him. He started off slow and quiet. As he continued and got into the story he seemed to relax a bit. Maybe he was on automatic pilot. I could see the audience was getting more into it with every sentence. Most of them didn't know Danny, but it was a very powerful presentation, a shy boy quietly and unemotionally relating a series of horrifying events. When he got to the part about his surgery he absent-mindedly reached up and touched the spot on his head where they had drilled. Several people around Lucy and me gasped.
By then time he finished, I think the whole room was stunned. Everyone reads about muggings in the paper, but hearing such a personal story from such a sweet boy shocked the crowd. Danny looked like he was about to cry when he finished so I jumped up and took him in my arms as the crowd burst into applause. I was the one with tears running down my cheeks. We just stood there a few minutes as people crowded around us. I could tell how drained Danny was, how much that had taken out of him. But he managed to pull himself together and talk to the reporter from the school paper and to Dean Nash. He even held his own in the short but surprising encounter with Gary.
After a little while I made our excuses to Reggie and Ron and we walked Lucy out to the bus stop. Danny was leaning against me as if he didn't even have enough strength to walk.
"I think maybe you should drive home tonight, Billy. Danny is definitely not up to it."
"Yeah, Billy, Lucy's right. Do you mind?"
"Are you kidding? After the night you had? You just take it easy and leave the driving to me."
Lucy
After Danny's ordeal at the Homophile League meeting it was a relief to be able to have some fun and relaxation the next night. Wednesday we went to Records Hall to see a movie as usual. What wasn't usual was the movie. It was something called The Boys in the Band and was all about a group of gay friends in New York. We had been looking forward to it all week because none of us had ever seen a movie with openly gay characters. Plus, Billy and Danny have met a lot of gay guys in New York through work so we thought it might be something familiar.
The first half of the movie was fun. The guys were all bitchy with each other and teased each other a lot. Danny whispered that they reminded him a little of their friends at the poker game. But then it got really serious and depressing. The guys in the movie seemed lost and miserable. The three of us were really bummed out when we left.
"What happened to those guys? One minute they were partying, the next they were crying."
"I don't know, Lucy. The guys Billy and I know are more like the first half."
"Yeah, these guys acted really unhappy with their lives, like being gay was a terrible thing. I can understand feeling like that when you're in the closet. That's what Danny and I both thought but we were just kids and all alone. Once we came out we both felt better."
"I think that had a lot to do with you having each other, boys. If you'd both still been alone you might not have felt so good."
"But we wouldn't have come out either if we hadn't met each other. I don't know which helps more, coming out or having someone."
"Being is love is definitely the best, Danny. But even though those guys in the movie were mostly single they still weren't alone. They had each other as friends. I don't know why they still hated their lives. Tim and Evan and the guys aren't like that."
"Why don't you ask your friends tomorrow night, Billy? Maybe they've seen the movie. At any rate, they're older than you guys. Maybe they know why the characters acted like that."
Billy
Thursday night we got to Plainfield a little early to talk to the guys before the game. The others hadn't arrived yet so we asked Tim and Evan if they'd seen the movie.
"Yeah, and Tim and I saw the play in the city a couple of years ago. It starts off funny as hell but gets kind of depressing toward the end."
"Kind of depressing? That guy Michael was so full of guilt. How come they made it look like all gay men hate themselves? I mean, that one line. 'Show me a happy homosexual and I'll show you a gay corpse.' How can they say there are no happy gay people?"
"I don't think that was the intent, Danny. But you have to realize that there haven't been too many films with gay themes, especially not with openly gay characters. And the way people think of homosexuality you can't have a happy ending and expect people to buy tickets."
"You mean people want to see an unhappy ending, Tim?"
"Of course. That reinforces what they think of us. And to tell the truth, there are a lot of unhappy gay men our age out there. Things aren't great now but they were a lot worse when we were your age. No one came out then. Everything was a big secret. The word gay wasn't even mentioned in polite society. How do you think gay people felt about themselves when society treated it as something so sick and shameful? I don't know if Barbara told you about the rough time I had when I came out. I don't think I would have survived it if I hadn't met Evan."
"But things aren't like that now. I mean, Danny and I have had problems with our families and on campus but for the most part we act the way we want and are left alone. And we have friends and a pretty good life."
"You guys have had a unique experience. You're in college in the middle of the sexual revolution so things are pretty tolerant. And you work in a gay ghetto. But even the Village wasn't an easy place to be openly gay until recently. The bars were routinely raided and shut down and their customers harassed by the police up until the patrons at the Stonewall fought back last year. That's when things started to change dramatically."
"Billy and I have heard people talk about the Stonewall at the Homophile League. It was somewhere near The Restaurant, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, Danny, on Christopher Street right across Sheridan Square. I know it must be hard for you to believe but things like that were happening just a couple of years ago. Ash was arrested in a raid a few years back."
"No way! What happened?"
"Not much, actually, Danny. They hauled in everyone who was in the bar and booked them, held them all night, then let them go in the morning. They really didn't have anything they could charge anyone with; they just wanted to intimidate the hell out of them. It was harassment, pure and simple."
"And it worked with lots of guys. They couldn't go to bars for fear of being found out. I know I'd lose my teaching job if I'd been arrested in a raid, even if the charges were dropped."
"So you couldn't go to bars, Evan?"
"I went to some bars back when I was in college, Billy, way back around the time you guys were born. They were incredibly secretive then. And nobody acted very gay either. There was no open cruising, no flamboyant queens. Mostly it was safer to make some friends and socialize at private parties. I had lots of friends in the city back then. Monday through Friday I lived and taught in New Jersey and was ostensibly straight. Then on the weekends, I went into New York and was gay. I was leading two totally separate lives until I met Tim."
"What happened then?"
"Tim was going through a bad time. He 'd just broken up with a boyfriend in the city and his family had found out he was gay. We hit it off and started spending more and more time together here in Jersey, just the two of us, and after a while he moved in with me. We slowly gathered our little circle of friends. You pretty much know the rest."
"Damn! I thought it was tough now. It must have been really hard living a secret life like that, Evan."
"You got used to it, Billy. And some things aren't that much better now. I'd still lose my job if the school board found out I was gay."
"So since you guys have experience with gay parties in New York, would you say the movie gave an accurate picture, Tim? Most of our customers seem better adjusted than that."
"Maybe it was more accurate when the play was written a couple of years ago, Danny. It's amazing how much has changed in so short a time. But it will be a long time before you can expect to see gay people portrayed as 'normal' in movies. And forget about TV."
"Yeah, you don't even see very many blacks in TV series so I can't imagine a gay character. But if people don't see positive role models how are things ever going to change?"
"Things have changed a lot recently, Billy. Some gay people are having an easier time dealing with being gay. And some straight people are more accepting. I think that as more and more people come out and as people start realizing that we're all around, that some people that they know are gay, things will get better."
"Evan's right. People are going to change one at a time, through personal exposure to gay people like you and Danny. It's slow, but it will happen."
"I don't like slow. When something is right it shouldn't take forever."
"You're young, Danny. Things take time. We're talking about changing attitudes that have been in place for centuries."
"Yeah, look at the civil rights movement. A hundred years after the end of slavery and some black folks still can't vote. I know change can take time but if someone doesn't push things along it can take forever. And Danny and I aren't willing to wait forever."
"It looks like we've got a couple of cute gay activists on our hands, Evan."
Mark
I called Peter a couple of days after we met but between classes and cross-country I didn't have a chance to get together with him. Actually, I wasn't that busy but for some reason all of a sudden I felt a little shy and held back. I hadn't felt that way about Joe, but then again, Billy and Danny knew Joe and I saw him at work so it wasn't like he was a stranger, someone I met on my own. The next week Peter and I went out for coffee again after the meeting.
"It's so good to see you again, Mark. I thought we hit it off well last week but then I wasn't sure you were really interested."
"Yeah, Peter, I do want to get to know you better. It's just that this is kinda new to me. I've only gone out with one guy and he and I just kind of fell together."
"You've gotta lighten up, Mark. It's not that big a deal, just two guys getting to know one another. Maybe it will turn into something, maybe it won't. Doesn't mean we can't have fun finding out."
"I guess you're right, Peter, but when I think of relationships I think of my friends, Billy and Danny. What they've got is so special. I really want to find that and it's hard to go into something with that thought in the back of my mind. It puts a lot of pressure on everything."
"I was thinking about what you said last week about your friends. It sounds like they're a lot more out than anyone I know, and I really respect that, but it seems to me they're stuck in a straight mentality about their relationship."
"What do you mean? I don't see anything straight about them."
"It's just that monogamy was created by heterosexuals to meet their needs. You know, like raising children, passing on property, providing for a non-employed spouse. All of the rules for that kind of relationship are to support their lifestyle. As gay guys, we don't need those rules. We can make up our own, do whatever suits our lifestyle."
"What about love? Doesn't monogamy follow naturally when two people fall in love?"
"The two don't really have anything to do with one another. Sure, sex and love go together sometimes, but they don't have to. Sex can be just physical pleasure, no more related to love than say, playing tennis. Having sex with someone doesn't have to mean anything more than just having fun for a few minutes."
"I don't know about that, Peter. Not that I've had much experience but sex is pretty personal to me. I don't think I'd just do it with anyone simply because I was horny. It means more to me than that."
"That's just because you've been conditioned to think that way. This is a whole new age. Even straight people are loosening up since the invention of the pill."
"I still think that I want what Billy and Danny have. They're in love, they're very happy and they don't seem to be missing out on anything by only having sex with each other. And believe me, they have tons of sex. I don't think either one of them would have the time or energy to go after someone else, even if they wanted to."
"I'm not saying monogamy doesn't work for some people. I just think that it's silly to automatically fall into it without thinking about what you really want. Everyone should make up their own mind about what works for them. And what works for me right now is looking into your eyes. They're really beautiful, you know?"
"Wow, what a change of subject. But I think you're the one with beautiful eyes, Peter."
"Oh, mine aren't so great, they're just blue. Yours are warm, inviting, and so deep. I really see a person when I look into your eyes, not just a couple of brown circles."
I felt myself begin to blush, something I don't do often. How could this guy go from clinically talking about sex as though it were tennis to making me feel so special? I didn't agree with much of his philosophy but he sure did turn me on.
"I know you have to get the bus back to the city, Mark. How about coming over to my place tomorrow night? My roommate's got a class. We can just hang out, talk, fuck, whatever you want."
"Yeah, Peter, I think I'd like that. I'm not sure what exactly, but I'd like to see you tomorrow."
I followed Peter's directions and found his apartment near MIT without any trouble. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I got there. I wasn't even sure what I wanted. After all of his 'free love' talk the night before I was pretty sure he was gonna be making a move on me. And I probably wanted that, too, but I still had mixed feelings.
He made me feel very comfortable once I got there, though. He opened a bottle of Chianti and put out some cheese and crackers. We sat sideways on the couch facing each other, sipped wine and munched, talking for over an hour, just getting to know one another. He didn't seem to be trying to seduce me or pressure me into anything, but when he stood up and suggested we move into the bedroom I followed him without hesitation.
Peter closed the door behind me and took me in his arms, kissing me lightly, then more passionately. He just held me tight and kissed me for a minute, then led me toward the bed. He pulled my shirt over my head, never taking his eyes off mine. He smiled as his fingers began to work on loosening my pants. I snapped out of the semi-trance I was in and began undressing him. When we were standing there facing each other in our briefs he hugged me tight and kissed me again.
"I knew I liked those lips the first time I kissed you." He let out a sexy little laugh.
He reached down and slid my briefs down my hips. I did the same to him, pulling the waistband out in front to free his hardon. I grasped it in my hand, feeling his hard flesh. He was quite a bit smaller than me but still a nice size, maybe a little bigger than Joe. I didn't have any other erect penises to compare him to. He grabbed mine and stroked it lightly.
"Damn, you're huge! I've seen a lot of dicks and that's one of the biggest I've encountered."
I was pleased that he liked my dick but not very thrilled at knowing how many he had to compare it to, so I was glad when he pulled me down onto the bed and resumed kissing me. He rolled me onto my back and lay down on me, kissing my mouth, neck and ears while playing with my nipples. After a while he swiveled around into the 69 position and held my cock upright. He began to lick the shaft from the base to the head. All the while his knees were on either side of my head and his rigid cock was bouncing around a few inches over my chest. I finally reached up and gently bent it down toward my mouth and took it between my lips. As soon as he felt his dick in my mouth he slowly lowered himself, pushing it in further toward my throat. Joe wasn't very big so I'd gotten really good at taking all of him into me. Peter was just a bit longer and thicker but I didn't have any problem with it. He was going down on my dick at the same time and surprised me by how much he could swallow. Joe had only been able to take about half of it. After a few times going up and down on it Peter managed to get it all down his throat. It was amazing, feeling his throat tight around my hard cock. I turned off my brain, stopped the Joe comparisons and just enjoyed the sensations.
We got into a rhythm, sucking cock and fucking each other's mouths. I knew I wouldn't last very long. It had been a couple of months since I'd had sex and everything about Peter had turned me on since I first saw him. In no time I felt the first spurt surge through my dick, shooting deep down Peter's throat. He kept pumping into me as I shot five or six more times into his mouth. As he sucked the last drop from me he really began fucking my face. It was a little rough but I kind of liked it, not that I wanted it to go on forever like that. I grabbed his balls in one hand and gently squeezed them, pressing my thumb into the spot between his balls and his puckered hole. Peter gasped and froze and I felt his cock swell in my mouth. A second later I felt his hot cum in my mouth. He tasted a little more bitter than Joe and he seemed to cum forever. I had to swallow several times to keep it from running out all over my face. Finally he stopped shooting and pulled his rapidly deflating dick out of my mouth. He turned around and kissed me, and I shared the last little bit of his cum with him.
"That was great, Mark. How about spending the night so we can do it again in the morning?"
"I'd love to but I've got an eight o'clock class. We'd have to get up really early."
"No problem, I'll set the alarm."
We got up at five the next morning and had a brief repeat performance before I had to leave to get back to school. It was all I could do to tear myself away from his eyes. Damn, he's hot!
As much as I was enjoying being on my own in Boston and getting to know Peter and making friends with some of the others at Harvard, I was really looking forward to going home for Thanksgiving and seeing the guys. Of course, the holiday itself was pretty much taken up with family, but we made plans to get together for dessert at Aunt Connie's in the evening.
Dinner with my family was tense as usual. Mom and Dad asked lots of questions about school and my classes but carefully avoided the subject of my social life. Comments I made about friends, whether old friends, cross country teammates or new friends, were met with silence. I guess they were afraid of hearing something they didn't want to hear so they didn't ask any questions. When Jamie asked if I'd heard from Joe my mother quickly changed the subject. At one point when I thought I couldn't take it anymore I reminded myself of what Lucy must have been going through in Mendham with Brad and Uncle Bill and Aunt Marcie. I couldn't believe they had invited her for dinner.
Billy and Danny had the best holiday of all, I thought. They got to stay home and spend the day with Aunt Connie and her fantastic cooking. Of course, we all got our fill of her pumpkin pie later on as we commiserated about our family day.
"To be honest I wasn't looking forward to it when Brad invited me to his house for dinner but his parents were actually pretty decent today."
"I sat them down and made it clear that they had to get used to the idea that you are a huge part of my life now and if they want to see much of me they'd better start making an effort to get to know you, Lucy."
"Well, they were a vast improvement over last summer. They were really trying to be nice."
"They can be when they try. So often they are thoughtless and act like assholes, but if I call them on it, they shape up and behave. They know how they should act but it's almost as if they're too lazy to try. Sometimes I think they're just immature, which is a weird thing to say about one's parents."
"That does seem to sum up they way they act though, Brad. They're almost juvenile."
"Yeah, I get tired of being the grownup in the family. But at least from now on they should be better towards you, Lucy. How'd things go with you, cuz?"
"The best part of my day was going to the football game at the high school with Jamie but it was all downhill once we got home. It's so ridiculous. They know I'm gay but don't want to know so they think that as long as we don't mention it it isn't so. I wish we could just get it out in the open and discuss it. Things might be ugly at first but I think that would be better than this silent tension."
"Maybe they'll get used to the idea after a while and then you can talk about it, Mark."
"Maybe, Danny. I kept thinking how lucky you and Billy were, getting to spend the day with Aunt Connie, not having to go through family shit."
As soon as the words left my mouth I wished I could take them back. A brief flash of pain was evident in both sets of eyes. Damn! How could I have said something so stupid?
"I'm so sorry, guys. That was thoughtless of me. I didn't think."
"That's okay, Mark. I think Danny and I both know what you meant. Yeah, we did have a good day here with Aunt Connie. But I'd be lying if I said we didn't have a few bad moments. Holidays are so full of family memories, good and bad. And somehow even the bad ones can make you nostalgic."
"Yeah, Mark. You may think your parents act like jerks sometimes but they're still your parents. And sometimes it's better to have parents who are jerks than no parents at all."
"God, I'm sorry, Danny. I'm such an idiot."
"Don't worry about it, Mark. Billy and I have had a long time to get used to it. The holidays make things a little worse but we'll survive. How about we talk about something happier, like your love life? Tell us all about this new boyfriend."
"Yeah, cuz, when do we get to meet him? You know I have to approve anyone you date."
"Well, Peter's not exactly my boyfriend, at least not yet. We've seen each other a few times but it's nothing serious yet."
"Have you fucked yet?"
"Not that it's any of your business, Billy, but yes, we have. And he's great. In fact, I like almost everything about him."
"Almost?"
"Well, he's very intelligent, interesting, very sweet, socially conscious, gorgeous and great in bed."
"So what's the problem, cuz?"
"No problem, Brad. But I don't think he's looking to settle down. He says he doesn't believe in monogamy, that it's an artificial heterosexual invention."
"He sounds like some of the guys I've dated, and they were heterosexual, at least they acted it. Some guys just like to run around and use any rationalization they can come up with to justify their behavior."
"I don't know, Lucy. He ties it all in with politics and gay liberation. He makes sense when he's talking, but afterwards I still don't buy it."
"It sounds like you're wasting your time, Markie."
"I don't think so, Brad. Maybe he just needs some time. Maybe he'll fall in love and change. I know that when we're together he's totally focused on me, like I'm the only guy in the world. He makes me feel so special."
"You are special, Mark. Always remember that."
"Thanks, Billy. You and Danny get to meet Peter tomorrow night and decide about him. His family lives in Westchester County and he's meeting me for dinner at The Restaurant. Hey, Brad, why don't you and Lucy come along and we'll double date? Then you can all meet him."
"That sounds great but are you sure he won't mind?"
"I don't think so. He's pretty outgoing and likes people. We can all go dancing afterwards. It should be fun."
Actually, the evening went really well and we all had a lot of fun. Peter was a hit with all of the guys, though he and Brad did get into quite a discussion on monogamy and promiscuity over dinner. It was kind of fun to see Brad looking out for me. And Peter was impressed with my friends, though he thought Billy and Danny were a bit old-fashioned. The only awkward part of the evening was when we first arrived at The Restaurant and I introduced Peter to Joe. Peter knew about my summer affair with Joe and was fine with it. Joe seemed a bit uncomfortable and I know I was. That convinced me that I really am monogamous. I've only gone out with two guys, one at a time, and I still felt strange when they met. There's no way I could date two guys at once.