“Hey Matt! Good to see you!”
Alex had just walked into the Grumpy Goat late on a Sunday morning. This would be his second brunch with his new group of friends. He extended his right hand in greeting. Matt shook his hand and replied, “You too, Alex.”
Alex looked at the table to see who had already arrived. He didn’t see Rhys and Jesse. ‘Hmm, they said they were coming…I wonder if they changed their minds, or if they’re just running behind…’ Alex thought to himself. He also noted a few new faces. A sudden wave of nervousness rose rapidly from the pit of his stomach. ‘God, I know most of these guys…why would a new face or two make me nervous? I really need to get a grip. Uhh, okay, where to sit? Well, I guess I need to make a decision before I look stupid…’
Alex decided to head toward the closest empty chair. When he reached it, he realized he hadn’t met the person sitting to the right of the chair. Or to the left. He gulped. Several butterflies fluttered upwards from his stomach to his esophagus. The decision to sit had been made, however. He’d really look like an idiot if he suddenly turned and sat elsewhere. Besides, he did this just a few weeks before, and he didn’t know anyone at all that time.
As he sat, Alex introduced himself to the person on his left. In response, he heard “Hi, I’m Anthony. Pleased to meet you.”
“Pleased to meet you as well.” Alex then turned to the person to his right. “Hi, I’m Al…Alex. I…uhh…I’m pleased to meet you.” Alex was quite certain he’d met the person to his right before, but he couldn’t recall where.
The man introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Ben. Pleased to meet you as well.” Ben looked at Alex quizzically. Alex then saw Ben’s eyes widen ever so slightly. Clearly, Ben had also recognized Alex. Ben…the name wasn’t familiar, but the face was. Then Ben winked at him. What?
Just then, a rather cute waiter stepped up to Alex, interrupting his train of thought. “And do you know what you’d like to drink, sir?”
“Umm…could I get an iced tea with lemon, please?”
Alex intended to turn back to Ben to ask where they knew each other from, but Ian spoke first.
“Anthony and Ben, you weren’t at the last karaoke night. Alex sang. It was great! He started off, and we all thought it was going to be a disaster…”
An animated discussion involving several of the men began, the topic of which was Alex’s debut performance at The Ranch. Shortly thereafter, Rhys and Jesse arrived. The conversation continued, with Rhys and Jesse adding their comments.
The conversation broke long enough for everyone to place their order, then resumed. Alex tried to keep his attention on the conversation, all the while wracking his brain. “Ben. I just can’t place it! I know I know this guy…but from where?”
“Alex? Earth to Alex…come in, Alex,” he heard Ian say. He looked around to see several faces turned in his direction.
“C’mon, Alex, get your head out of the clouds! We all want to know if you’re planning on singing this Friday.”
“Well, if I’ve got a designated driver, I probably will,” Alex replied.
Anthony gave Alex a questioning look, but Rhys replied before Alex had the chance to. “You see, Alex thinks he needs to be three sheets to the wind to sing publicly, Anthony.”
Anthony giggled as Jesse added, “Alex is pretty entertaining when he’s had a few.”
“Ignore him, Anthony,” Alex interjected. “You can’t believe a word that man says.” The grin on Alex’s face told Anthony that Jesse’s words held at least a grain of truth.
Just then, the cute waiter, along with another server, arrived at the table, laden down with plates of food. Conversation lagged as everyone began to dig into their meals. Alex attempted a few glances at the man to his right, hoping that he would be able to recall where this Ben person fit into his past. Sitting next to the man, however, he was unable to get a look directly at his face. The length of his glances gradually increased. Ben eventually caught Alex looking at him. As he did so, a mischievous smile crept across Ben’s face. Alex looked quickly away, but not before noticing the smile. Still, Alex couldn’t place the face.
As they began to finish their meals, Alex felt a hand on his right leg, just above the knee. Surprised, Alex nearly jumped from his seat. “Why on earth does this guy have his hand on my leg?” he thought. He looked to his right to see Ben looking directly at him, the mischievous smile replaced by a devilish one. Then he winked again. Alex suddenly remembered where he’d seen Ben before.
Well, he more than remembered. A flood of memories suddenly filled Alex’s mind. Memories of a series of encounters that had occurred, boy, how long ago, now? Alex guessed at least fifteen years prior. Ben’s hand was still on his right leg. It was now at mid-thigh. When did that happen? Ben gave Alex’s leg a gentle squeeze.
Alex leaned over and, softly, said to Ben, “Drake University library. Second floor men’s room. Right?”
Ben responded, but not with words. As he nodded yes ever so slightly, he moved his hand up from Alex’s mid-thigh to directly on his crotch, gave another gentle squeeze, then left his hand in place. Alex’s eyes widened noticeably, even if just for a second. The butterflies returned to Alex’s stomach, but for a completely different reason than before he’d sat down at the table. He was now beginning to get hard. Shit just got real.
Ben leaned over, and quietly said to Alex, “I have fond memories of the second floor. I’m glad you remember, too. And from the feel of things, you find those memories to be fond as well.”
Alex replied in a hushed tone. “How could I forget?”
“Well, you know, you were my first. You taught me everything.”
“I thought I might have been your first, Ben. You know, I’ve always wondered about your name. You always took off before I could ask you.”
Alex was not prepared for the next thing that Ben whispered into his ear, motioning with his head in the direction of the restrooms as he did so. “Do you want to reprise our roles from the library?”
Alex gulped, then asked, “Are your nipples still pierced?”
“Absolutely.”
Alex muttered, “Fuck,” then simply nodded yes. Once again, Ben gave Alex that devilish smile, along with another squeeze of his crotch, much less gently than before.
“How about I go to the men’s room, and you follow me a minute or two later? That should be enough time for your erection to go down.”
“I don’t think it will be going down anytime soon.”
“Well, I think I know one way I can get it to go down. But first, I’ll have to make it even harder.”
Before Alex could respond, Ben pushed back from the table, then stood. He uttered a brief excuse that he was heading to the little boy’s room, then walked to the side hallway where the restrooms were located. Alex willed his erection to fade, at least partially, then excused himself. Rising from the table, he walked in the same direction that Ben had walked some ninety seconds earlier. Most people were lost in conversation at the table and paid little attention. Matt, however, noticed. He’d noticed the whispered conversation between Alex and Ben. And he’d noticed that Ben headed in the direction of the restroom, and that Alex headed in the same direction a moment later.
Though he’d willed his erection to go down before he left the table, by the time Alex pushed open the restroom door, he once again was rapidly hardening. He glanced around the washroom, and saw that it had two urinals, two sinks, and a single stall, the door of which was open a crack. Ben pushed the door of the enclosure open. Alex entered the stall, then Ben closed the door and latched the lock.
As soon as the enclosure door had latched, Alex and Ben all but attacked one another. As Ben began to fumble with Alex’s belt, Alex pulled up Ben’s shirt and placed his mouth over Ben’s pierced left nipple, his tongue flicking the small, round hoop back and forth. Seconds later, Ben had completed pulling down the front of Alex’s pants, and Alex began to unfasten Ben’s. As Alex moved from Ben’s left nipple to his right, he said the same thing he’d said some fifteen years before, plus one word, “God, your pierced nipples are still so fucking hot.”
Ben’s response to Alex was also the same as long ago except with only one additional word. “Everything about you is still so fucking hot.” While Alex really didn’t think Ben’s statement had been true fifteen years earlier, he most definitely knew that Ben’s current assessment was a complete load of horseshit. Even if it was untrue, it was nice to hear, nonetheless. Flattery will get you everywhere.
Seven minutes later, Ben and Alex emerged from the privacy enclosure and walked to the two adjoining sinks. Ben spoke first. “Alex, umm, you…you swallowed.”
As Alex moved his hand beneath the faucet, starting the water flow in the sink, he looked at Ben’s reflection in the mirror and replied, “Yes, and I’ve always felt guilty about not swallowing. You always did, and I never did. The one time you came in my mouth, I know I spit it out, which I still feel guilty for. I think if you’d given me a bit of a warning back then, I might have been ready for it. I’m glad I was able to correct that injustice.”
“I was never offended.”
Alex shook off his hands into the sink, then as he moved to the paper towel dispenser, he commented, “Like I said before, I’d always wondered your name. It’s nice to finally know it.”
Ben replied, “We were hooking up in a tearoom. You weren’t supposed to know my name.” He then added, “You go ahead and sit down. I’ll follow in a minute or two.”
The bill was being divvyed up when Alex returned to the table. He waited his turn to find out the total he needed to Venmo to Matt, hoping his new friends couldn’t tell what he’d just gotten up to when they looked at him. Shortly thereafter, Ben returned to his seat.
“Where’d you disappear to?” Rhys asked Ben.
Without missing a beat, Ben replied, “I went to the men’s room, and then stepped outside for a cigarette.”
“I thought you’d quit smoking,” said Ian.
“It’s still a work in progress.” Ben then leaned over and whispered into Alex’s ear. “I haven’t had a cigarette in at least six months.”
The men gradually rose from the table and said their farewells to one another. Jesse had invited Alex to join him and Rhys, Ian, and Kevin at Peace Tree Brewing downtown. As Alex prepared to take his leave, Matt said to him, “Alex, could I see you for a second?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
Matt motioned for Alex to sit down in a chair next to him. Though nearly all the group had already left, Matt asked in a hushed voice, “Alex, did you hook up with Ben this afternoon?”
Alex’s eyes widened and his face reddened. After a second or two, he lowered his head to stare at the table in front of him. He nodded and softly said, “Sorry.”
“Alex, there’s no need to apologize. I really don’t care if you hook up with anyone or not. However, I just want to let you know that if you’re looking for a relationship, do not pursue one with Ben. He’s a nice guy, but he is not dating material. He’s probably hooked up with half the guys in our group. That includes me.”
Alex looked up. “At first I was going to ask if you had, but I am not at all surprised that Ben’s hooked up with others in the group. You see, Ben and I have a bit of history.” Matt gave him a quizzical look. Alex continued, “We hooked up a few times a long time ago. Actually, Ben told me I was his first hookup. I guess I taught him too well the art of anonymous sex.”
-----
After his conversation with Matt, Alex thought about skipping Peace Tree Brewing as he walked to his car. The encounter with Ben was not something that he thought would have happened when he arrived at brunch. And then to have been found out! Though Matt had assured him that he wasn’t in trouble, he still felt guilty. And embarrassed. He suddenly realized that someone knew something about his past that he wasn’t very proud of. Then Alex proceeded to volunteer more details! On the other hand, though, Alex realized he wasn’t the only one in his group who’d cruised for sex. Matt had even admitted he had hooked up with Ben. ‘Likely that wasn’t the only time Matt had hooked up with someone, either,’ he reasoned. By the time he was behind the wheel of his car and pushed the ignition button, he’d decided to follow the original plan. He was on his way to Peace Tree.
The encounter with Ben had stirred up lots of memories, which he reflected upon as he drove east toward downtown. He’d had lots of fun visiting tearooms around the country. In fact, he frequently thought back on some of his more memorable hookups with fondness. Even now, he smiled as he replayed a few of his favorite tearoom trysts, including his past encounters with Ben. Sometimes he’d struck out, but many times he did manage to find someone to get off with. He remembered a time or two where he was actively cruised by two different guys at the same time.
He also thought back to when he quit cruising sometime around his fortieth birthday. He had only quit because he feared being rejected. He thought back to one encounter not too long before he quit. He’d followed a really cute college student from a washroom, thinking the twink was leading him somewhere more private for a little fun. It took several minutes before he realized the cute college student was trying to lose him. It was a sobering moment.
Alex had always been selective about whom he hooked up with, and whom he didn’t. He always wanted to see the person’s face first before he committed to hooking up, even knowing that their interaction would only last a few minutes and that he likely would never see the person again. He had always shied away from guys who were much older than him. That of course meant his pool of potential co-conspirators gradually grew as he aged. The likely age of the participant was the primary reason he liked cruising on college campuses. Of course, the first time he’d had a tearoom hookup was on a college campus. That, he was sure, also played into the equation. But he’d always liked ’em young. “Young but legal,” he told himself. He remembered a time or two when he’d turned down a proposition from someone he thought might not be out of high school. In general, he didn’t care too much about their appearance. Well, except he never wanted to hook up with someone who was overweight.
Alex knew he’d looked quite a bit younger than he was, at least until around forty, when the grey hair that he’d always plucked from his head became too numerous to remove with a tweezer. If he hadn’t looked younger than his age, the rejections might have begun even earlier. It was around the same age when his weight went to hell. That first cruising rejection really did cut to the quick. It was a shock when he realized that he was now a person he would’ve rejected just a few years earlier. ‘I guess I was guilty of ageism, too,’ he thought. ‘And weightism, if that’s even a word.’
Alex had been on autopilot while lost in his thoughts. He suddenly realized he was in front of Peace Tree Brewing, and he needed to find a parking spot.
Five minutes later, he walked into Peace Tree. He saw that his friends were already enjoying their first round. He waved so they would know he’d seen them, then headed straight to the bar. He handed over his debit card and placed his order.
“Hey, Alex!” Jesse called out as he walked to the table his friends were seated at, a pint glass of IPA in his right hand. “We thought you weren’t coming. What took so long?”
Alex’s cheeks reddened. He replied as he sat down, “I was talking for a few minutes with Matt before I left.” As he spoke, he was already thinking, ‘Please, don’t ask about what we were talking about.’
Rhys then said, “We were just talking about you.”
‘Whew, dodged a bullet there,’ thought Alex. ‘At least, I think so…’
“Yes,” added Ian. “We were wondering if you were going to sing karaoke on Friday.”
“I am planning on it.”
“So, what are you going to sing?” enquired Jesse.
“Well, you’re just going to have to wait until Friday to find out, aren’t you?” he said with a smile. Alex then added, “Last time, I know I’d talked to Ian about what female singers are overdone by gay men at karaoke. And yes, I realize that I’m stereotyping, but I’d never been to a karaoke event before, and I still managed to predict Respect and I Will Survive. I’m planning on doing a song that’s in the vein of those classics but is something no one will likely have heard before.”
“No hints?” asked Jesse.
“Nope.”
“A man of mystery. I like it!” They all giggled at Jesse’s comment.
“So…are any of you planning on singing?” queried Alex.
“When hell freezes over!” said Jesse.
‘Wow, Jesse’s a little punchy today. I wonder how much beer he’s had to drink?’ thought Alex.
Rhys simply said, “Same.”
Ian said he hadn’t decided, but that there was a good chance that he would. Alex turned to Kevin. Since he’d joined the group, Alex had gotten to know Rhys and Jesse, and to a lesser extent, Ian, reasonably well. He didn’t know too much about Kevin, as he hadn’t had the opportunity for an in-depth conversation at brunch, and Kevin hadn’t gone out to the brew pub after Alex’s first brunch outing with the group. For some reason, Alex found himself curious about Kevin. Though his question was offered to the entire group, Alex was most interested in Kevin’s response. He’d pretty much already predicted the other three men’s responses.
“I have before,” replied Kevin, “but I’m not feeling it this week.”
“Matt and Eli generally sing, too,” commented Ian. “I don’t know why Eli didn’t sing last time.”
“I guess he knew he’d offer no competition when Alex decided to sing,” suggested Jesse. The younger men laughed. Even Alex smiled at the comment.
Rhys then added, “You know, Alex, since it’s a gay bar and all, most guys sing songs made famous by women. Certainly nothing wrong with singing a song by a man; it’s just not as common.”
Alex chuckled. “I’m glad to hear it. I wasn’t going to give any clues, but the song I’m planning on singing was recorded by a woman.”
Changing the subject, Alex then said, “Hey, guys, I know it’s not June, but there’s a Pride festival coming up, not next Saturday, but the one after. It’s at one of the parks in Ankeny. It’s aptly called Autumn Pride. It starts at noon and goes on until four, I think. Any of you interested in going?”
“Maybe…I don’t think I’m busy,” replied Kevin. The other three men offered similar responses. Kevin then added, “You should send out a group email or text letting everyone in the brunch crew know about it.” Alex nodded in agreement.
“What do they have at the festival?” asked Rhys.
“To be honest, I’ve only gone once before. I think it was the first year they held the festival. All I really remember there was a band and food, and Charlotte got her face painted.”
“You took your kids to a Pride event?” Ian inquired.
“Well, it is family friendly. What, did you think they’re going to have gay Mardi Gras in a park in Ankeny?”
Everyone at the table laughed at that thought.
Posted 4 December 2024