After adding Sam as a friend on Facebook, Pat sat back in the computer chair. He'd been easy to find, as the man's profile photo was a head shot, showing him wearing a tie. Pat liked reviewing the man's life, seeing the photo's of where he'd been. It seemed to be in sharp contrast to Pat's own simple life. He didn't even have his own computer; this one belonged to his older sister Cindy. It was in a quiet nook off the dinning room, where he was afforded some privacy. Cindy allowed Pat to use the computer when she didn't need it, while her boyfriend Dan had no interest in the machine. Pat only had a few friends on Facebook, a couple of relatives, and a few kids from the high school he used to attend, some of which he'd barely ever spoken to. He did, however, have a couple of friends in school, but he never saw them, now that he was working. In fact, the people he considered his friends today, were online gamers. The excitement of being friends with Sam made Pat giddy; he had been friendly with guys at work and the gym before, but he just didn't seem to fit in with people his own age. He just hoped that things worked out with Sam, and that he didn't turn out to be one of those guys who was just pretending to be nice; Pat had gotten ahead of himself before.
It was a few days before Pat saw Sam again; the man was disappointingly absent on Monday, but when Pat arrived at the gym on Tuesday, his new friend was already there working out. His excitement got the better of him, as he pranced over to greet the man.
"Hi, Sam!" Pat beamed.
Sam nodded, as he continued lifting weights, making it clear, in his mind, that he was busy, although he was pleased to see his eye candy once again.
"You weren't here yesterday," Pat pressed, wondering why Sam wasn't responsive.
Sam completed his reps, as the kid waited; there was no way that he was going to stop just to talk; after all, this was a gym.
"Hey, kid. Yeah, I was busy with work yesterday," Sam answered, as the boy clearly wasn't leaving without a conversation.
"I'm here at the same time everyday . . . well, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Not Friday, though; that's when I see my mom," Pat blurted excitedly.
"Yeah, you mentioned that. Why don't you get going on your workout?" Sam suggested, as he thought the kid was overly friendly today. He wondered if accepting him on Facebook was wise after all. On the one hand, he did want a link to Pat, but he was concerned about what the other guys at the gym would think of him being friends with someone so much younger.
Pat complied, and carried on with his lifting. Thankfully, he positioned himself so that Sam could get a good look at the young lifter, carefully and casually, of course.
When Sam got up to go the shower, Pat was close behind. Just as the man turned the water on, he heard a young voice next to him.
"What's Hawaii like?" Pat quizzed.
It seemed like an odd out-of-the-blue question, until it dawned on him that Pat must have been reviewing his online vacation photos.
"Lots of beaches and surfer dudes," Sam replied, as he glanced around to ensure they were the only two in the showers again today. This mid-morning time-slot seemed to work out perfectly, in terms of there being a lull in gym activity. Sam wondered if Pat would get the inference of surfer dudes, although he hadn't mentioned how cute they all were, many right around Pat's age. Most men would talk about the hot chicks on the beach, but having mentioned surfer boys, Sam was hoping to gauge Pat's reaction. Would he ask about the numerous hot bikini babes, or would he be brave enough to admit to being interested in surfers?
"I don't know how to surf," Pat replied disappointedly, as he figured that Sam must be into the sport.
"Oh, I don't surf myself; it's just something I noticed," Sam mentioned, making a second attempt to get a reading from Pat. The fact that he hadn't yet asked about the babes was at least a neutral indicator of his sexuality.
Sam turned to allow Pat to see his body, while still moving in a casual fashion. He hoped to catch Pat looking down to see what awaited him, if he wanted it. He also checked out the boy, as Pat rambled on about video games, likely because it was a subject that he was comfortable with, but Sam did have to give him some credit for at least trying to find a topic of discussion by mentioning Hawaii. Pat was indeed fine looking, even when wet, where his hair turned into a mop. The kid wasn't hot in the usual sense of the phrase, but he was cute in his own youthful way. Sam imagined Pat with his pubes shaved, just like the boys in the videos he downloaded. He knew that he was getting semi-erect, but with no one else around, it didn't seem like much of a risk. The question was . . . would Pat either react with words, or a hard-on of his own?
Sam was a bit disappointed that Pat seemed oblivious to his albeit subtle cues. It made him wonder if Pat had noticed, and, to hide any embarrassment, went on about the video games, and kept his focus well above the belt. He dressed, with his young friend beside him, lamenting that it was likely a fantasy relationship that would never see fruition. The consideration now would be the exit strategy: would he want to just be friends with Pat and get his shower time with him? It would be something at least, but would Pat eventually turn on him at some point and shout 'dude, stop perving me,' or some other just as embarrassing phrase?
As they left the building, he used the same technique as before, flipping his phone out to make a call. Pat lingered, wondering if they were done. He liked Sam a lot, and wanted to hang around with him, but he knew the man had his own life, and wouldn't be going to the mall with him. He should just leave now and not look like a goof waiting to be told to go, but Sam's back was to him as he used his phone; it felt too rude to just walk away without even a wave or something. Pat decided he'd stand a respectful distance, until Sam turned toward him, and then he'd wave and head off.
Focused on Sam, Pat didn't see the three young men surround him.
"Hey, there, Pat-tard," they greeted him, as one snatched his gym bag off his shoulder.
It was three kids he'd gone to high school with, and none could be considered his friend.
"Give it back!" Pat snapped, as he grabbed for his gym bag, held out temptingly by one of his tormentors.
"Oh, too slow, Pat-tard," the boy teased.
Suddenly, the bag was snatched, and was in Sam's hand, as the assailant hadn't paid any attention to the seemingly random adult. The three boys bolted, as they appeared out-classed by the larger man.
Sam considered that they likely posed no real threat to Pat; they were just kids tormenting another, but they weren't kids anymore - they were young men now, and this kind of behaviour should have been long past them. Pat took his bag back from Sam, and started walking away without a word. He was clearly upset, but whether he was embarrassed or afraid, Sam couldn't determine.
"You want to get a coffee or something?" Sam offered, hoping to console the kid. Whether he intended it or not, he did care about Pat.
Pat stopped and turned to face Sam. The question seemed completely separate from what had just happened, as though the man was pretending it didn't happen, which was fine by Pat.
"Ok," Pat replied softly.
"My car is over this way." Sam pointed to the parking lot, as Pat hadn't moved.
As the two walked to Sam's car, Pat broke the silence; Sam knew he would, as the kid wasn't one to stay quiet for long.
"Sorry you had to deal with those guys," Pat mumbled.
"It wasn't your fault; three against one isn't a fair fight," Sam replied, in a tone that he hoped would make Pat feel that it was no big deal. In fact, Sam considered that their going for coffee was the bigger deal. It wasn't how he'd expected it, but he knew that Pat was likely just interested in having a protector around, until he settled down.
"This is your car?" Pat exclaimed, as they stopped by a green Porsche. Sam got in, thinking the question rather stupid; of course it was his - he had the key, after all.
"It's the 911 GT3," Sam informed, when Pat got in. He considered that it was the first time that he'd had a young man sitting in the seat beside him.
"It's really nice," Pat gushed, as he mentally compared it to his sister's car. The leather seat seemed to grip him, as he reclined, with his legs disappearing under the dash. Pat knew that Sam must have a lot of money to afford a car like this, and vacations like Hawaii; certainly more money than he'd ever have.
"Thanks, but it doesn't have a built in Xbox," Sam joked, as he drove off, heading for a café he knew, not too far away. He touched Pat on the middle of this thigh. It was just a brief reassuring little squeeze that a man might give to his son, but certainly not something a man would give to another man. It was another message to the kid ? we're going on our first date.
"You could get a Play Station Portable," Pat suggested, only half joking. He would enjoy teaching the man how to use a game machine, and it would give them something in common, other than the gym. Pat felt comfortable with Sam's driving, and just being in his car.
Pat followed Sam into a Starbucks; he'd never actually been in one, simply because he'd never had a reason to. He had, of course, walked by one, and understood what they sold, but had none of the details.
"What do you want?" Sam asked Pat, as they walked to the front counter.
"Whatever you're having," Pat replied, thinking it safer than trying to find something on the menu.
"Two grande vanilla lattes, please," Sam ordered.
Pat had no clue what he was getting, and was happy to not have to decipher the cryptic ordering process. He figured Sam would have thought him a little kid if he ordered a hot chocolate or something. The total came to almost nine dollars; Pat had no idea coffee could be so expensive, and was thankful that Sam paid for them both, without even asking.
When they sat at the table, Sam was the one to break the silence, as they sipped on their lattes.
"So who is Pat?" he asked, hoping to get his young motor mouth going again.
The question seemed strange to the young man; the only answer he could come up with was, 'me', but that just seemed a stupid thing to say, so he said nothing.
"Where do you work?" Sam continued, when faced with the boy's perplexed expression, even as cute as it was.
"At the grocery," Pat replied, thinking it a lame job that wouldn't impress anyone.
"What do you do there?" Sam pressed.
"I stock the shelves ? help customers ? and stuff like that," Pat replied, wondering why Sam had any interest.
"That sounds interesting," Sam offered.
"It's not," Pat chuckled, with a smile.
"You have to remember where all the products are; that must be challenging," Sam suggested.
"It's easy," Pat countered, not really wanting to dwell on his stupid job.
"When did you finish high school?" Sam carried on.
"I dropped out two years ago," Pat said, as he looked away, embarrassed to admit what should have been obvious to his older friend.
"You ever considered going back?" Sam wondered.
"No!" Pat snapped with finality; there was no way he would go back to that torment.
The force of the response took Sam aback. He wondered if the kid was tired of the interrogation or if he'd just hit a sensitive subject. Pat's normally loquacious personality seemed to have disappeared, forcing Sam into the question and answer session.
"I own a computer consulting company; it's just a few guys that work for me on contract, and I live alone. Do you live on your own?" Sam attempted to restart things by telling Pat a bit about himself.
"I live with my sister; well she's not really my sister; and her boyfriend," Pat reported.
"That sounds interesting," Sam said, to try and keep the kid talking.
"Well, my mom adopted me when I was little kid, but she got sick, and she's in a long-term care place, so her daughter moved into our house, with Dan, her boyfriend," Pat explained, as his tone returned to normal, happy to be off the subject of returning to school.
"Is your sister around your age?" Sam asked, figuring she had to be older.
"Oh, way older; she's in her thirties," Pat informed.
"How old do you think I am?" Sam asked, wondering if the boy realized just how much of an age gap there was between them.
"I don't know, thirty-five?" Pat guessed, hoping he hadn't insulted the man; he really had no idea how to estimate someone's age.
"Would you be surprised to learn that I'm forty-two?" Sam replied, as he carefully studied the boy's expression for a real response.
"Wow! You look really good for forty-two!" Pat complimented, with his expression showing that he really believed that.
"You look really good, too," Sam replied casually, hoping to get a sign from Pat of what he really wanted to know.
"I don't," Pat blushed. "That's why I work out," he shrugged.
"You're getting there; I can see muscle definition on you," Sam offered in response, hoping the blush meant something.
"So where do we go from here?" Sam asked in his business speak.
"I have to be at work by two. I work 2 p.m. until close, Monday to Thursday," Pat explained, pre-empting more questions on the topic.
"Good; then we can see a movie Saturday night," Sam said, going all in. This was it; would Pat commit to a proper date?
"What movie?" Pat wondered. It had been a long time since he'd gone to a theatre; it was before his mom went to the care facility. His sister and her boyfriend never invited him when they went, but he understood; that was a date night for them.
"You pick one," Sam replied, hoping it wouldn't be just some random violence flick.
"Ok," Pat agreed.
"Awesome! I'll pick you up at seven?" Sam exploded with excitement, but tried to keep his tone level.
"I'll just meet you at the theatre," Pat suggested, as he felt insulted that he needed to be picked up like some little kid.
"Whatever works; Saturday at seven then. Here's my card - call or email if anything changes," Sam said, not wishing to be left standing around waiting for a kid who would never arrive.
The pair separated, leaving Sam euphoric, as he considered the movie night to be his first date in years, and it was going to be with someone right out of his impossible fantasies.
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