My best buddy from college and I always stayed in touch, even though we lived across the country from each other. I've lived in Boston for quite a while now and do pretty well for myself. I work out several times a week and have a pretty jock-y build. My chest is my favorite part of my body; it's broad and bulging, covered in a soft dusting of brown hair. I'm 6'3, have a very sharp jaw and a full manicured beard. I make enough to rent a nice apartment with an extra bedroom and some beautiful large windows. Anyways, my buddy ended up moving to California and starting a family, who I'd never met. I'd seen photos of his kids as they've grown up, and it was clear they inherited his wife's angelic beauty. He had a son (18) and a daughter (14), both just gorgeous. They weren't as well off as me, my buddy isn't great at holding down a job and his wife is a teacher, so they didn't have the money that I did.
I never married and only recently came out. I have been enjoying hooking up and exploring my sexuality, finding that I'm really into dominating my partners. I've only been with men my age (35) and older, mostly because I don't want to take advantage of some kid. I hadn't mentioned any of this to my buddy, we mostly talk about sports and the good old days, so I guess it just never came up.
One spring day I get a call from my buddy Mark.
"Hey Benjamin, life treating you well?"
"Hey buddy, things are great! How are you and the family?" I answered.
"We're doing great, I am more in love with my life every day. Actually, I'm calling about my son, Sasha! He's about to finish his junior year and got accepted to an early college program!" He said.
"Oh hell yeah, congrats to him! What college?"
"Thank you! The program is at Boston University if you can believe it!" Mark said excitedly.
"Oh sweet, does that mean you'll be bringing him down here and we can meet up for a drink?" I asked.
"Well, not exactly. The week he leaves my wife and I are traveling for a wedding, so I'm actually sending him on his own. The program offered a scholarship to cover the tuition, but it doesn't cover room and board. I just thought I'd ask if you'd mind him staying in your extra bedroom so we can save some money. He's a good kid, shouldn't be any trouble." Mark said.
I was almost taken aback that he felt like this would burden me whatsoever.
"Hey buddy, your family is my family. Of course, he can stay here. I'd love the company and I'd love to spend time with your boy." I said.
"Benjamin, you're a god. Thank you so much, really. I'm so grateful Sasha gets to experience this program. I just want the best for my kids, even if we don't have a lot." It always touched me how much Mark loved his family.
We said our goodbyes and Mark gave me more details. Sasha would be arriving in three weeks, and living with me for a month. The program would be Monday-Friday, weekends off. The time flew by and before I knew it, it was time to go get Sasha from the airport.
I'd only ever seen him in photographs, but I knew he was a tall, lanky kid with a cute face and a bit shy. I pulled up to the arrivals and took out my phone while I waited. I scrolled Grindr for a minute before getting a text from a number I didn't have saved.
"Hi Benjamin, this is Sasha. I'm outside, what does your car look like?"
I skip texting back and just hop out, scanning the crowd. It's mostly families returning from their vacations and businessmen, and then I spot him. Backed up against a wall, his head poked out above the rest. I immediately could see how cute he was, and how timid. He looked around anxiously until our eyes met. There was about ten seconds of a mutual confusion - "Is that him?" I smiled and waved and he did the same before making his way over to me. The closer he got, the more my stomach filled with butterflies. God, this kid was gorgeous. His dark brown hair blew in the wind with perfect ringlets, his face was soft yet chiseled, and his neck was long and defined.
Once he got to me, he extended his hand for a shake, which I slapped away. I grabbed the boy by his shoulders and threw him against my big chest for a hug.
"Sasha! It's so great to meet you! I'm Benjamin, I'm your dad's buddy from college!"
He was about an inch shorter than me and looked up into my eyes with a coyness that made him even cuter.
"Hello sir, it's nice to meet you. Thank you for letting me stay with you, I really appreciate it." He said, not breaking eye contact.
"Don't even mention it, buddy. Seriously, I'm really looking forward to having you around! Maybe you can tell me what the kids think is cool now, haha."
"If you want!" He said, humoring me.
"All right bud, let's get your shit in the car," I said, grabbing his luggage from him and throwing it in my trunk in one big swoop.
I walked around to the driver's side and hopped in, putting my phone in its holder on my dashboard. He jumped in the passenger seat and we were on our way. For a while we just had some small talk, I asked about his flight, and he asked about my job, just boring shit. We were interrupted when my phone buzzed and lit up. It was a Grindr notification. My heart sank and my palms got sweaty. I kept looking at the road, trying to see out of the corner of my eye if he was looking.
"Maybe he doesn't know what it is," I told myself. Yeah right.
There was silence for a moment, and then he spoke.
"Can I ask you something, Benjamin?"
"Of course buddy, anything."
"Are you gay?"
I was a bit shocked by this confirmation that he knew what Grindr was, but I took a breath and said yes, still looking at the road.
"My dad never mentioned that to me."
"Well, that's because I never mentioned it to him. We don't really talk about that stuff, and it's a pretty recent thing for me."
"Oh, okay." He said, looking at his feet.
"Is that okay Sasha? Are you uncomfortable with that?" I asked.
He snapped his head around to me and blurted out "Oh my god! Absolutely not. No not a problem at all, I was just wondering."
I chuckled at his generation's panic around saying the wrong thing. I just said cool and we continued our small talk for the rest of the ride home. Although, I did keep asking myself why he would ask if he didn't care either way. That just seemed a bit interesting to me.....