This is a story about some young gay men and their families, and what they experience learning about gay life. Thanks to Tim Mead for all his help. Comments welcome to Cgard43@hotmail.com
THE OTHER BOYS OF SUMMER
-6-
Drew and Eric went out twice during the week. On Tuesday, they had a couple of beers and bowled and Eric reported having a great time. On Wednesday, Eric called and invited Drew over for dinner on Friday.
"I'm not a great cook," he'd said, "But I stick with what I make best and I've had no complaints." I laughed and could almost hear Rafe chuckle too at his 'Breakfast/Dinner' meal.
I didn't hear the report on that evening until the next day when Eric called.
Eric's Report
[I have to tell this as Eric told me, so pardon me if I slip into first person on his behalf; it would be too awkward to write it otherwise.]
"It turned out that Drew loves breakfast and he especially liked the omelet I made for him. I put in ham and cheese and it really did turn out very well. I even fixed a salad to go along with it. We talked about everything and about each other. We shared some of our experiences. After he helped me clean up the kitchen, we sat together and had a beer. How homey is that?
"Drew sat next to me on the couch and after a few minutes he spoke very quietly.
"I really, really like you Eric. I think I did when we first met but of course I never got the chance to get to know you very well back then. Now that I have, I'm so glad that you're in my life again."
"That made me feel really good, and all I could do was to tell him that I felt the same way. We just sort of looked at each other for a few minutes. Then came the big moment; he asked if he could kiss me?
"Wowee, it was the best thing ever. I mean I learned how to kiss from you that first night, but doing it with him was even better than I'd remembered. We kissed for ten or fifteen minutes and I was hard in my shorts and I could tell that he was too."
"I think I'd better go," Drew then said, "Otherwise I won't be able to stop and I respect you too much to lose control."
["Good guy," I interjected to Eric - Andy]
"So we both just kind of adjusted ourselves and then Drew thanked me again for dinner and left. But before he did though he kissed me again at the door, long and hard, and he asked me if I'd think about the two of us maybe spending a night together at his place. I said I would.
"To tell the truth, that's about all I thought of for the rest of the evening."
Andy's Report
"Well done, my boy," I said. "That's just about perfect for that kind of a date. I'm so very proud of you." Eric chuckled at the compliment, but then he got one of those looks on his face.
"It was really wonderful, but now I think I need more help, tutor." I laughed.
"No problem. When are you seeing him again?"
"I'm going back to church with him on Sunday and then out to brunch again. This time I'm taking him to my folks' country club. They have a very nice brunch too. How about you and Rafe joining us?"
I told him I'd think about it and talk to Rafe. I suspected this was a bit of matchmaking on Eric's part, but I also knew that he liked Rafe and had been very grateful for the help about the counselor. So, after I rang off with Eric, I called and got Rafe's phone mail. I told him of the Sunday plans and asked him to call and let me know what he thought.
Later that evening I found a message on my answering machine: "Brunch sounds terrific. Call and let me know what I should wear, please!" I chuckled at Rafe's little bit of insecurity. He never really makes mistakes about clothes, but he's always very cautious about it. There was more to the message.
"And, by the way, if you'll go too, I'll go to church with them also. It will give me some more time to meet Drew and to observe Eric as well." I laughed; Rafe was in this almost as deeply as I was just because he's such a great guy.
I passed the message along to Eric that Rafe and I would be joining them for church and brunch. Eric seemed delighted. We made plans to get together that afternoon to talk about dating again, particularly since the three-week date for his parents was coming up pretty darn fast.
"Eric," I said when we got together, "I don't think I can actually tutor you about deciding if you want to have sex with Drew or not. It's not like I can give you permission, is it?" He got that 'poor me' look on his face.
"What I mean is that a decision like that has to be made by you, not by me or anyone else." Suddenly his face brightened, as he understood what I'd said.
"I'll be honest," Eric said quietly, "I really would like to have sex with Drew but I don't want to mess it up. I want it to be wonderful for both of us."
"Well," I said, "Let's just start by talking about your prior sexual experiences and how they might be different with Drew." Eric nodded.
"I remember you told me most of the guys you dated were unaffectionate. Isn't that right?"
"Yep," he answered.
"But Drew does show affection when you're with him?" I asked. That's when he grinned.
"Oh yeah, he seems to like to kiss a lot. And I love doing it with him too." Eric blushed slightly at that admission.
"Okay, that puts that issue away," I went on, "Now, and I hate to ask this so bluntly, but how did you have sex with these other guys when you were seeing them?"
"Oh, just the usual things," he said with another shy grin.
"That doesn't help me, Eric," I said with a smile, apologizing again for the directness.
"Okay, I'll tell you," he said blushing. "Mostly we just stroked each other off by hand or else we did oral or frottage like you and I did. I've never gotten into anal." Then he stopped and his face flushed again.
"That's not absolutely true. I topped a guy once. That was pretty good, but I wouldn't dream of doing it the other way. That scares me too much."
"Did the person you did it with hate it?" I asked. Eric shook his head vigorously.
"No, but I know it wasn't the first time he'd done it either."
"Sorry to ask, but you were safe, weren't you?"
"Yes, of course, Andy," Eric said quickly, "I know to use a condom when you do that."
"Well, don't worry about anal; many gay men never do that, even if they've been together for awhile. On the other hand, most gay guys do oral and some enjoy frottage, or they do both. Some guys even like sharing hand jobs, though that doesn't do much for me. So it sounds like you're fine on that score."
"But what about Drew? I mean, what if he wants to screw me?"
"Simple," I answered, "You tell him 'no.' Rule number one about any sex is you never do anything you don't want to do. That's an absolute, by the way. If at some time in the future you're willing to explore having anal sex, then that's the time to think and talk about it. You want to be sure that you trust the guy you're with if you get into that kind of sex."
"I understand," Eric said.
"Remember, buddy," I said, "Dating is supposed to be fun...and so is sex." That's when he giggled.
"Could you teach me how to suck really well?" he asked. Now I chuckled.
"No, I don't think I could and I certainly won't," I said, "Remember our rule."
"Okay, then," Eric said and I could see his eyes flashing, "How about if I suck you and you tell me what's good and what's not." That caught me so off guard that I laughed aloud.
"Or maybe I could ask Rafe?" he said and then I knew he was on a campaign.
"No, Eric," I said, "You'll learn to get better by doing it with your buddy just like the rest of us did. But look, Drew's not going to impose himself on you. And, if you end up having oral sex or frottage, just go with the flow. As to oral, believe me, you'll know when you're doing it right."
"How?" Eric asked. He also had a big grin on his face.
"Simple, if you're having oral sex with a guy and he's not making good, positive noises, then change the way you're doing it." Eric laughed.
"Now, in my limited experience, most guys do it the way they like to have it done to them, so take your cue from that. Is that clear enough?"
"You mean suck him like he sucks me?" Eric asked with a bigger grin. I just nodded.
"What about swallowing?" Eric asked. I could see he was pushing the envelope here.
"Do what you think is right," I answered, "All of what I've read has said that it's okay, but you should probably also have a chat with Drew about sexually transmitted diseases at some point. I feel sure he wouldn't allow anything to happen that he thought would put you at risk." I knew my face was terribly flushed as I said all that.
Now Eric was outright laughing at my discomfort.
"You're embarrassed, aren't you, my tutor?" That just cracked me up.
"Not exactly, Eric, but I just suddenly realized why it was so difficult for my Dad to talk to me about sex. That was straight sex, of course, but it is kind of awkward to talk about it at all."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Well, I think the point is that what you feel during sex is so incredible that you just can't explain it easily in words. It's almost impossible. So, just go with what happens and follow your instincts. But remember what I said about not doing anything you don't want to do."
"Okay, but I'd still really like to suck you off and have you critique me," he said. He was grinning and I knew he was teasing.
"Trust me, Drew's going to think you're the hottest dude to come down the pike in his whole lifetime. And that's what matters." Eric smiled and reached down to rearrange himself in his pants. I looked away.
We decided to drive to the bar and have a drink with Fred. He was his usual friendly self and we had a good time there. At one point, Eric went to the bathroom and Fred approached me.
"Is this a thing you two have going or what?" he asked.
"No, no," I assured him. "Eric is just learning his way around in some gay circles and I've been trying to help him. He's started dating a guy as a matter of fact." Fred smiled and seemed pleased for Eric.
"He is a hottie, but not really my type," Fred said with a smile. I nodded.
"And what about you and Rafe?" he asked quietly, "Are you too still just being best friends?"
"Yeah, for now anyway," I murmured, "I'm still crazy about him, but he seems to be going through some confusion or something. I'm still praying for things to work out."
"Me too, Andy, I'm on your side," Fred said. "You two deserve each other and I mean that in the nicest possible way." I grinned at him as Eric returned.
We finished our beers and went home. I assured Eric that I'd pick up Rafe and we'd meet he and Drew at church the next day.
To be continued.