Just a note that I'm introducing new characters inspired by some of my readers... If you think you see yourself in the story, you probably do. All names changed to protect the innocent.
Here's the end of part 5 first...
"I could see tears appear in his eyes. Oh shit. I had gone way too far.
`Mr. McClintock, this week is an exception, I believe. Please don't give up on us! I already don't know if I can live without you, I love you so very, very much. I'm not being a drama queen saying that. That's the absolute and honest truth.'
Fuck, I had to relent. I already loved him too much to lose him now, although I was starting to wonder about the state of my common sense.
`OK, man. Let's keep working on us. I'll go catch the bus back to Carrboro. You'll be late for dinner if you drive me.'
I reached for him and we gave each other the best hug we could in public. We even gave each other a quick kiss. I looked at him then. He had tears in his eyes still. I did, too. No words came to me then. I nodded at him, turned around and walked toward the bus stop. When I got there, I looked back. He hadn't moved. He was starring after me. Only when I passed him on the bus did he start to turn towards the athletic dorm.
Well, tomorrow is another day, isn't it?"
My mood didn't improve during the long bus ride. I got "home" to my small, dark apartment. I looked at the evidence of Kevin's and my love making in the bedroom and bathroom and almost decided to go stay in a motel. If I had had a good friend at UNC I would have called them up and begged to sleep on their floor. Instead I cleaned up efficiently and quickly. I was well trained in that, too, from the Army. I got out my rations, I mean a frozen dinner, and ate it in silence. Just was not in the mood for TV or music. I decided I had better wash the sheets at the apartment complex Laundromat to get rid of any lingering scent of sex before I tried to go to sleep. I realized I had a bunch of dirty clothes that had piled up, too. Fuck, why not do the laundry? It wasn't as if I had anything better to do, did I?
It was hard not to be bitter as I thought about doing the laundry on a Saturday night. I mean, I knew, intellectually, that Kevin really had no choice about tonight. But the contrast between the passion, love, and even giddiness of last night compared to now was too much to deal with.
I stripped naked, hung up my uniform (that would have to be dry cleaned at some point), and put the underclothes in with the rest of the laundry. I rummaged around and found an old pair of shorts that had shrunk a bit and an old sleeveless tee shirt in the same state. No need for anything else. Still a very warm evening... And who gave a shit about underwear when washing clothes anyway?
I trudged down to the Laundromat. It wasn't very far. No surprise that no one was there. I took up three washers and decided just to sit and wait until the wash was done. I had actually bought my own (very used) dryer and hooked it up in the apartment since Laundromat dryers are pretty worthless. So, I'd do the wash and then cart back the wet clothes when done.
As I listened to the sound of the industrial washers working away, I sort of stopped thinking at all. I went numb and let my subconscious work away. I knew I'd come up with some kind of answer to the question of Kevin and me at some point. I also knew that I was down for no real reason except that I was so bitterly and unexpectedly disappointed. Oh well, tomorrow watching Kevin play soccer might be fun anyway. Guess I could look if I couldn't touch. Oh fuck, that thought didn't help!
I had shut down so completely, just listening to the machines gush, pour, cycle, plunge, roar, and drain that I didn't notice someone else had come into the Laundromat. It was only when a voice said pretty loudly, "Hey are you in there, somewhere?" that I jumped and realized I wasn't alone.
I finally focused and realized the person talking to me was a young kid. Not that short, maybe 5'7 or 5'8, but pretty thin. He'd probably weigh 130, if that. I finally heard him say, "I've been talking to you for five minutes and I was beginning to think you were having some kind of seizure or fainting episode. Was wondering if I should call out the EMTs or something?"
I shook my head, no, still rejoining the conscious world.
"Anyway", he said. "I was just introducing myself. I'm Patrick Joyner, from St. Louis. I'm one of your neighbors. I've seen you a lot going in and out but never got the chance to say hi until now."
"Jacob McClintock", I automatically responded. He thrust out his hand and I took it in mine to shake. I knew I was still out of it, but I dimly realized he didn't let go of my hand very quickly.
"And no", he said, "I'm not one of the UNC Joyners either, at least as far my family knows. I'm here on a debate scholarship."
I shook my head. I didn't realize they gave scholarships for that. Well, live and learn I guess.
He kept chattering as I woke up fully. I finally looked him over and realized that he was a pretty cute guy. His blue eyes were very bright and alive and his brown hair was thick and slightly curly. It was a little bit long, but that added to his cuteness. Oh shit, Jake, please don't even think anything beyond that. Talk about robbing the cradle for real! I guess I shook my head physically as well as mentally.
He looked at me quizzically, but said, (evidently continuing a conversation I had been oblivious to) "...and next weekend I'm going to be nineteen. I'm trying to figure out how to celebrate. It's too far to go back to St. Louis and none of my friends would be around anyway. They're all gone to other colleges out of the area..."
I must have been even more obvious about my surprise at his age. I thought he was fifteen or sixteen at most.
He suddenly ran down and looked at me sadly. "Sigh", he said, "you, too, huh? Everybody thinks I'm a boy. I'm not!" he yelled. "I can't help looking like this! I'm a man. I'm a man. I'm a man! Feel this!" He took my hand and put it on his naked bicep and flexed it. I suddenly realized he was in a sleeveless tee and shorts like me. He did make a cute muscle when he flexed, I had to admit. "I've got a six pack and a rack, too." He took my hand and made it feel his stomach and chest. He did feel nice. "I mean, I'm not a fucking he man like you" and proceeded to feel my chest and abs and made me make my biceps flex for him to feel them "but I'm not a boy, I'm a man, too!"
I suddenly realized that we were much too close to each other and that we had just been "feeling each other up", very underdressed, in a public place. What must that have looked like?
"And I can tell you I'm a man everywhere, too!" I suddenly had a fear that he would put my hand on his crotch to demonstrate his manhood and shrank back a bit. That was so not going to happen!
He suddenly changed the subject. "So, why are you doing laundry on Saturday night? Lost your girlfriend or your best friend?"
"No", I stammered a bit.
"Just stood up then?"
Look, whose business is it of his to ask me this? I don't know this dude from Adam. I don't care if he is cute. (What was that thought all about?)
He noticed the flash of anger cross my face and was immediately contrite. "I'm sorry", he said, "I always say the wrong thing. I know I've got a bad case of verbal diarrhea. I am so sorry. I can shut up if I work at it." He really did look contrite and cute (why do I keep thinking that?). He reached out his hand to shake mine again and asked, "forgiven?" I nodded yes. I shook his and was sure this time he held my hand too long.
"I just thought you'd be out with that dark-haired guy I saw you with this afternoon. You guys seemed like good friends."
OK. Now I was fully awake. "We are but he's busy tonight." I tried not to glare at the young guy, Patrick, is his name?
He had a sudden, serious, look cross his face that finally did prove to me he wasn't 15. "Busy, huh, and you didn't expect that, did you?"
I looked at him with surprise.
"Tell Uncle Patrick all about it."
That did it! I looked at this kid who was offering to console the Army guy and burst out laughing.
"That's better", he said, and gave me a hug and held it. Damn he felt good. I had been so looking forward to being with Kevin tonight and I was so horny and frustrated and this very cute kid (admit it!) was giving me a very sexual hug. I started to get hard and could feel him get hard, too. I let him go very quickly and pushed him away. But damage done! The tip of my cock poked out of my little shorts. Couldn't help but notice his did, too. No underwear there either. Even his cock was cute and yes, it was a man's and not a boy's! I hurriedly put my cock back in my shorts. He took longer to do so.
"Well", he drawled. "Your clothes have been done for a half hour. Mine are now done. Let's take them and go back to your apartment and dry them in your dryer. Of course you have one! Then you're going to give me some beers and drink some yourself. You're going to tell me about this guy. We're going to get a bit drunk and we're going to become best friends, although", and here he sighed and a brief, but intense look of sadness crossed his face, "without benefits."
We lugged our baskets of clothes up the hill. I started my sheets first and then indicated his basket would go into the dryer next. I got out the first round of beers. Yeah, always have beer in the fridge, even if nothing else! Grin.
After a couple of beers I started to open up about Kevin. Although Patrick was certainly young in appearance it soon became clear that he was sharp as a tack. I began to understand the debating scholarship. He gently led me to talk about Kevin through very careful questioning. Future defense lawyer here I wondered?
After enough beer, I admitted that I loved Kevin and that I was falling in love with him as well. Once again, I saw that brief, intense, deep sadness. I told him that Kevin had told me he loved me and talked about how deep Kevin said his love was for me. After another beer I told him, with no details, about how great our lovemaking had been already and that I had even learned new things from Kevin! That got a chortle from Patrick. After that he led me through my history, and my time in the Army after leaving Carolina, He even got me to talk about some of the grim moments in Iraq. He metaphorically pulled me up from that to talk about my studies, and my plans for the next few years. Finally, he hit me with a sucker punch. "And so how does Kevin fit into your next three years with the Army. How do you fit into his plans for professional soccer?"
I was KOed. Tears came to my eyes again. Damn, what a long day that began so well and ended so badly. The beers were making me emotional, too. And Patrick's sudden and unexpected friendship now wasn't helping.
"I don't know", I said. I fucking don't know." Patrick came over to me and we took each other into the other's arms and just held each other in silence for a while. I heard the dryer buzz again. I dimly realized that his clothes as well as my sheets were done. He disengaged himself and packed up his clothes in his basket. He threw the last of my clothes in the dryer, set it, and started it.
He stood up to leave. I stood up, too, rather awkwardly, not knowing what to say and feeling a bit of guilt for being so open about Kevin, especially with a relative stranger. I hadn't known how "needy" I was. I guess I could try to blame it on the beer, but knew that wasn't the answer.
He looked at me, again with a brief expression of deep sadness. That quickly disappeared. He finally grinned at me.
"OK, Jacob, here's your best friend's advice. Go for it. Give Kevin all you have. Give him your love, all of it. See what happens. See where this goes. Don't worry about the future. It'll happen no matter what you do. Live for now. There's no point in living for any other time. And if he mistreats you in any way, I'll pound the shit out of him, soccer star or not!"
The thought of Patrick beating up Kevin made me burst out in laughter, despite myself!
"OK, that's better. Before I go, I'd like to ask a favor of my best friend."
I sobered up quickly and look at him dubiously.
"No, no, gutter mind. This will not involve sex on your part. Come over here. OK, take that stupid tee shirt off." I did what he asked. "Much better." And then he stripped his own shirt off. Wow, really cute body. He did have a rack and real abs. "Now pick me up and bear hug the hell out of me! Do it!"
In a daze I did what he asked. I picked him up and pulled him up and squeezed his tight little chest against my big one, but not too hard. Not what he wanted! "Squeeze me, pussy. Squeeze me hard, asshole!" he yelled at me and slapped my face. That made me mad and I did squeeze the little fucker hard. "Oh fuck yeah", he yelled. "Aaahhhhhhh", he yelled again. I suddenly realized he had cum in his shorts while I was bear hugging him! I felt his cum drip down into my shorts! I almost dropped him then.
I put him down none too gently and said, "what the fuck was that if not sex?"
"Well that was a long-term fantasy fulfilled on my part since I started watching wrestling at the age of six. As an aside, you look a lot like my favorite wrestler from then. So, thank you, my best friend. And it did not involve sex on your part, did it? Although" and he reached and grabbed the tip of my half-hard cock that had, again, escaped my shorts, "I am happy to meet your friend".
And with that he gathered up his clothes, didn't bother to put on a shirt or wipe up his cum, smiled at me and left!
What the fuck? I was so incredulous I didn't know what to think. Had I been used or what? And then I thought about how ridiculous Patrick and I must have looked with this hairy muscular, older, guy holding up this smooth boy in the air and squeezing the life out of him, I started to laugh and laugh and laugh.
What a little shit, still, I thought, even if he is hot, funny, smart and my "best friend".
I made up my bed, dropped my shorts, and decided to jack off to the day and everything that happened. In my head Kevin was pounding the shit out of me once again and declaring his love. I was panting and in heat as I pulled him into me and then I thought I saw another's eyes in lust watching us, and then came and came and came all over me!!!!
Well tomorrow is still another day, isn't it? But I was much happier now, relieved, comforted, and sated for the time being.
However as I fell asleep, I had a sudden jolt when I realized that I didn't know if the eyes that had been watching Kevin and me were really lustful. Thinking back I thought they were actually hateful. Couldn't be hateful, could they? Left over paranoia from Iraq, I thought. If I only knew...
Mikedave01@yahoo.com. All emails answered!