Aaron Smith's Life Adventures

In the dimness of the back room of the Rainbow club, I was standing in front of my father, the man who had raised me, the father of my older brother. He’d found a younger guy and wanted a third. I wasn’t sure what to say.

“You two know each other,” said Stevie. “That’s cool. Is he as good as everyone says?” Stevie had a dopey smile on his face.

I forced myself to breathe slowly and speak calmly. “Wouldn’t know, but if it’s in the DNA, he’s a nice one that can take care of business.” I wasn’t sure, but I think my father’s cheeks got a little red.

“Why don’t I take you home,” said my father. He directed the statement at me.

“I have my car,” I said quickly. “Do you have your car, Stevie?”

“No, I ubered. I was hoping to get lucky.” He turned and looked at my father as he reached forward and moved his index finger across his upper arm. “Looks like I hit the jackpot.”

I looked back at my father. His face was stoic. “Stevie needs you to take him home. And I think he has other things he wants you to take care of.”

Stevie spoke up again. “Are you both coming?” He looked at me. “What’s your name again?”

“It’s Aaron,” said my father. “And he is not joining us.“

I smiled at Stevie; I don’t believe I was able to fake a genuine one. “He’s right, Stevie. I’m headed back home now. You have a good time.” I said the last part sarcastically. I turned and stepped away. I could hear him talking to my father, but I didn’t try to understand what was being said. I stopped and took a deep breath, and turned back around. I walked up to them. “I’m sorry. That was mean. I do want you to enjoy the rest of the evening. I do mean that.” With that, I turned and left.

On my way home, a seed of anger germinated within me. But I had no right to be angry. My father’s life was his, just as mine belonged to me. Yet, he hadn’t told me, and I had been embarrassed. By the time I parked the car, the anger had mostly subsided, but it had been replaced by emotions that were confusing and rolling around in my brain.

I went into the bathroom and threw my clothes on the floor. The hot water felt good, but it wasn’t enough. Images of Mitch flashed into my head, and overwhelming loneliness overtook me. I reached down and pretended that MItch was touching me. With my other hand between my ass cheeks, I rubbed over my hole. I pushed inside. I wanted it to feel as though Mitch were inside me, but it wasn’t even close.  

I felt cheap and dirty. I fought the tears, but I lost the battle and began to sob. I stood in the shower until the hot water ran out and the jets of water began to pelt my body like sleet on a winter day.

I stepped onto the cold, damp floor and swore because I hadn’t put down a bath mat. Wrapping a towel around myself, I stared into the mirror at my red, swollen eyes. I pointed a finger at my reflections. “This is because you’re upset that your father didn’t tell you that he’s looking for companionship. That was exactly what you went there to do. Shame on you for judging him.” Tears filled my eyes yet again.

Sliding down to sit on the floor, I wailed. “I’m so sorry, Mitch. I should have been there with you to pull you up. I cried myself to sleep sitting on the tile and woke up when I fell over. Parts of me were dry; I wasn’t sure how long I’d been there.

I stood and toweled my hair and finished drying off. I slipped into a t-shirt and some ragged underwear and sat on my bed. My father arrived soon after. I could hear the garage door opening and closing. His heavy steps on the stairs alerted me that he was coming upstairs. The shower in the master bedroom turned on. I waited in my room. About fifteen minutes later, I saw my father’s eyes peek into the room to see me sitting on my bed, my knees under my chin and hands wrapped around my legs.

“I wish I had handled things differently,” I told him...

“It’s OK,” he replied. “We were both surprised and not sure how to act.” He stepped closer. “Are you all right? Have you been crying?”

My jaw began to tremble. “I’m missing Mitch. It comes and goes, but when it comes, it’s like a brick wall falling on me.”

My father sat next to me and wrapped his arm around me. “All I can say is that I love you, and I would take away the pain if I could.”

“I didn’t mean to be so nasty tonight,” I told him.

“You apologized before you left. That meant the world to me. It’s over and done with. We’re both adults now. We can figure things out and move on.”

I nodded. “I love you, Dad.”

“I know you do. But I appreciate hearing it. And I don’t know if I should say this, but I want you to know. I’m bisexual, and your mother knew. I was never with anyone else once we were engaged and not until after she left. I didn’t even go looking when I found out she was having an affair with her boss.”

“When did that start?”

“Before you were born. I’m ashamed to say that I secretly had a DNA test run on you to make sure you were mine even though I knew you were mine no matter what the results would be.”

My heart stopped. The room began to spin. I wanted to throw up. Was I about to find out that my daddy wasn’t really my daddy? I suddenly felt five years old.

“Of course, the results showed that I’m your biological father as well as your real father.”

I nodded and threw my arms around him.

“I just want you to know that I love you,” he said as he hugged me back.

“And I love you,” I said. “And I just want you to know that I won’t take Stevie away from you.” I smiled at him.

“As if you could.” He smiled back. “He’s into older guys with hairy chests, so even if you inherited my prowess, I’d still win.”  

And I’d won back the man with whom I could always talk. “Goodnight, Father.”

“Goodnight, Son.”

***

At the university, the dorm rooms with bathrooms were more expensive. They were corner rooms with more windows, and they were larger. I called ahead to find out their availability, and I was lucky. There was one available just three doors down from the room I had the previous year and was on the list to have again. I decided that I could cover the extra fee, and surprise Jayden when he arrived.

Jayden’s reaction when he arrived was to text me and tell me that he couldn’t afford the extra room fee. I told him not to worry. “My scholarship is covering the price difference, and I still want you for a roomie.” He showed up twenty minutes later with a big duffle bag.  

“Good to see you,” I said.

“I had to put all my stuff in there for the whole year. My parents sold the house and they’re moving to Florida. Sorry, bro.” He gave me a hug that I wasn’t expecting. “It’s just that the bag is so friggin’ heavy.” He looked around the room. “Shit, man. This room is nice.”

“And we’ve got our own bathroom and shower,” I added.

“Fuck, I might want to stay in school and get my masters.”

I chuckled at that.

“Hey, Aaron, how’ve you been? Really?”

“I’m getting better every day. I’ve learned to focus on the happiness I had rather than the pain of separation. Some days are easy.”

“Do you think you’re ready to date?”

I smiled. “You planning to ask me out?” I chuckled a little.

“No, man. You’re my bro. Besides, you couldn’t handle me.”

“Pfft,” I scoffed. “I don’t think you could handle me.”

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. I began to wonder if I needed to tell him that I was just joking.

“Hey, seriously,” he said. “I need to tell you that I’ve been sort of lying about something.” He stared out the window.

I turned my desk chair around and sat down. “OK.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend at home.” He turned and looked directly at me.

 “I did have a boyfriend, but I didn’t want anyone to know. You were so open about things, and I knew I needed to come clean. I guess I was scared. He broke up with me. He was the only guy I ever went with, and we did things on the down low.”

“I completely understand.”

“I want to go out with guys and…” His pause made me a little tense. “I want to have sex. More than just blowjobs, you know. But I don’t think I’m ready to go on dates by myself. I’d feel better if we double-dated. But I know you might not be ready.”

“Well, I could see going on a double date with you, and since you called me your bro, I’m willing to be seen in public with you.”

He smiled and hugged me again. “Want to put this stuff away for me?”

“Fuck you,” I said. “I’m not your maid.”

He leaned in and whispered, “Not even if I let you suck my dick when you’re done?”

“I wouldn’t fuck you with someone else’s dick,” I replied.

“Spoken like a true bro.” He began to laugh.

The first four weeks of the semester when down without a hitch. Jayden and I kept out of one another’s way for the most part. We went to the dining hall together for Saturday breakfast and lunch and did a good job of motivating the other to study. On Thursday I came back to the room early to find a nervous Jayden trying to read an assignment. His furtive glances drove me up the wall.

Finally, I turned to him. “What’s going on? That pen clicking is going to drive me to murder you.”

“Sorry. I’ve got a date for tomorrow,” he said rapidly.

“And?”

“Well, so you have a blind date for tomorrow.”

“What if I already have plans for tomorrow?” I snapped.

“Ha. You don’t.”

I tried to force a scowl on my face. He knew me too well. “I guess I did promise. Who is he? What’s his name?”

“I’ve never met him. I think his name is Harvey.”

I stood up and walked toward him. “And you don’t know anything about him?”

“Maybe his name is Harold.”

“Do you know the name of your own date?” I demanded.

“Of course. His name is Nick. He’s six-one with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He’s got olivey-caramel skin–he spent the summer at the beach because he loves windsurfing. He’s a business major and plans to work in his dad’s and grandfather’s company.”

“How big’s his dick?”

“Really, Aaron. How would I know that? And what business is that of yours anyway?”

“Well, Jayden. When the two of you sneak into the room while I’m asleep, I want to know if I need to wear earplugs. If his dick is big, your squealing might wake me up.”

“It’s a first date. I’m not coming back here to… um…”

“Ride his rod?”

“Come on, Aaron, don’t give me a hard time about this.”

“I guess that is Nick’s job,” I smirked.

Jayden rolled his eyes.

“Don’t roll those eyes at me, young man. I’m looking out for you. I’m holding you to what you said. No sex after the first date.”

Jayden got quiet and didn’t say anything.

“Oh. He plans to take you back to his room after the date.” Jayden’s face turned red. “Do you have condoms? Please be safe.”

“Yes, Mommy, I have condoms.”

“I hope you have some extra small ones in case Nick wants to ride you,” I retorted.

“You’ve been looking. I knew you were looking at me.”

“Only because your dick was so small that I thought it was a clitoris. I thought maybe you were trans.”

Jayden didn’t respond, I could see his brain thinking of a comeback. I was feeling confident that I had won this little battle of wits when he pushed his shorts and underwear down and exposed a thick penis that easily measured at least eight inches. Jayden smiled.

I stared for a moment then looked back into his eyes. “OK. You win. But now I’m wondering how I missed a hunk of meat that big.”

“Because you’ve never been interested; how else could you have missed it? It’s so big that even my Kindergarten teacher told my parents I was stuffing something in my pants.” Jayden laughed. “You should have seen her face when my dad said, “Yeah, that’s just his dick. Big ones run in the family.”

I laughed, too. I wasn’t able to get any more information from him about Herman, or whatever the hell his name was.

Jayden’s plan for the evening was for us to meet the guys at Manny’s Pizza. I slipped sixty dollars into his wallet and used the excuse that I didn’t want to be the one to pay, and I didn’t want the awkwardness if they expected us to pay for the whole thing or thought that they should pay. “It’s just easier if you take care of it.”

After the meal, Jaydens hoped that he’d go home with Nick. He said they had promised to light making out only, and that was if they hit it off. He hoped I’d take the other one home with me and didn’t care how far we took things. As we pulled up, Jayden pointed out the two of them standing near the door. “Nick’s on the right,” he said.

I’ll admit that Nick was a hunk and a half. His t-shirt and shorts revealed a well-made body, and his face was very handsome. The man standing next to him outdid him in every department. From wide shoulders and just right muscles to abs that you could count because his shirt was clingy. The man’s muscular body was an instant turn-on. His leg muscles made me wonder what it would feel like to have them wrapped around me. They’d probably crush me.

As we approached, and I got a better look at his chiseled face, I knew that his name had to be Adonis. Men aren’t made any better looking than he was.  

“Hey, Nick. Sorry, we’re late.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Nick.”

That irked me. We weren’t late. They were early, and so were we.

“This is Aaron.” Jayden introduced me. I waited to hear my date’s name.

“This is Darnell.” A million things ran through my head. “Harvey couldn’t make it this trip, but Darnell’s girlfriend said it was OK for him to come.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said.  

He replied with a nod of annoyance.  

“I’m starving,” I added. His girlfriend? My expectations of sex while staring at a handsome face went crashing to the floor.

“Let’s go in,” added Jayden. He opened the door for Nick, and let the two of them go in first. He turned to me and mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

My thoughts were about Nick. What kind of man sets up a double date and then allows a straight guy to fill in for a gay guy? Does he lack a few brain cells? Was he afraid to let us know, worried that Jayden would cancel on him?

Darnell hadn’t spoken more than five words to me; despite his good looks, he wasn’t very sociable for what I now saw as a guys’ night out rather than a date. While standing in the buffet line, Jayden came up behind me and whispered, “Don’t sit with us, please.”

I put a couple of pieces on my plate and sat at a table near the end of the line. Darnell walked right past me and toward Jayden. “Darnell,” I called out, but he kept walking. He turned his head toward me and nodded then sat down next to Nick and Jayden. I left my plate and quickly moved toward them. “Darnell, I thought you’d sit with me.”

Darnell looked up at me. “We’re not on a fucking date, dude. Or were you hoping to suck my dick later?”

I said nothing as I clenched my jaw. I turned and went back to my food. Fucking asshole, I screamed in my head. I wanted to say it to his face, but I didn’t want to make things uncomfortable for Jayden. At least, not any more uncomfortable than they were at that moment. I looked down at my pizza. I had a knot in my belly and didn’t feel like eating. I was staring into space when a gangly kid who looked about high school age sat in front of me.

“Having boyfriend trouble?” he asked.

I smiled a little. “You mean the prick on the right over there?”

“Yeah, the good-looking one,” he whispered.

“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s not even a friend. And if you’re thinking about asking him out, he's straight. So he’s a straight prick.”

“No, I wasn’t. I just wanted to know what it’s like to go on a date with a guy.”

“Do I know you?” I asked. “You look familiar.”

“I don’t think so. I’m Zach. Zachary Giddings.”

“I’m Aaron Smith.”

“Your name doesn’t ring a bell.”

“I’ll tell you, Zach. With the right guy, going on a date is the most wonderful thing. And it won’t matter what you do or where you go to eat, because just being with someone you like and care about is wonderful. Plus, if you fall in love, then even when you do something stupid, you’ll be forgiven.”

“You’ve been in love, then?”

“Yeah, with the most wonderful guy on the planet. He’s in Heaven now, so I’m trying to figure things out without him.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thanks. So, is there a guy you’ve got your eye on?” I asked.

“I was thinking about you.” Zach’s cheeks reddened as he said it.  

“How old are you?”

“I’m seventeen. But I’m more mature than a regular seventeen-year-old.”

I nodded. “I can tell. I’m twenty-one. I know that’s not that much older, but there’s a world of difference in those few years.”

Zach’s eyes dropped to the table.

“I’ll tell you what. Let me put your number in my phone. We can keep in touch, and once you’re eighteen, I’ll take you out for a birthday dinner.”

“But that’s six months away,” said Zach.

“A mature Zach would say, ‘That will give me plenty of time to prepare.’”

“That’s one for you. You’re right. Are you ready for my number?”

I recorded Zach’s number and sent him a message. ‘Aaron Smith honestly enjoyed meeting you. Let him know whether the Friday or the Saturday after your eighteenth birthday will work best for you. Also let him know whether you prefer seafood, steak, or pizza.’

“Are you writing a novel?” asked Zach.

“Just the start of one.”

“Zachary!” called a man near the turnstile.  

“That’s Mr. Giddings.” Zach laughed. “My dad. Gotta go. Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” I replied. I watched him walk away. Why did he look so familiar to me? His father looked familiar as well. The two of them were joined by a woman and two young girls. I smiled and grabbed a piece of pizza. Zach had helped calm my stomach, and I wanted to have a couple of bites.

Jayden dropped into the seat recently warmed by Zach’s cute ass. That’s right, I noticed it. Jayden did not look happy. I pushed my plate toward him, and he grabbed a piece of hamburger pizza and angrily bit off a piece.

I thought of saying something light and clever, but the daggers being thrown by his eyes convinced me to wait until he spoke. He finished the slice and reached for another. “Sorry,” he said.

“No. It’s OK. Take it. I’ll get some more. What would you like? Pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, or something else?”

“All of them.”

“You OK?” I asked.

“Nothing a slice of pizza can’t fix.”

I filled my plate and brought it to the table. I noticed when I walked back that Nick and Darnell were gone. “I’m ready to listen when you’re ready to talk.”

Jayden took a few bites then looked at me and shook his pizza. “He was an asshole to you, and Nick defended him. I told him he should have called me to let me know that your date was off because it made things awkward and he said it was my fault because I wanted to include my loser friend on the date. That pissed me off. You’re not a loser by any stretch. He’s a fucking asshole. I’m glad I found out before I used a rubber on him.”

“Hey, deep breaths. I appreciate your sticking up for me. That’s the sign of a real friend. You deserve a special treat.”

Jayden scoffed, “Yeah?”

“Ice cream on the way home.”

His eyes narrowed. “And the special treat when we get home?”

“That’s right. Be a dick and see what happens.”

“I love you, bro.”

“I love you, too, Jayden.”

The rest of the semester rocked along at a pretty quick pace. Jayden finally got a date with a guy who was the brother of a woman in sociology class. I went to a few meetings of the Gay Computer Science Geeks club, but too many in the group had visions of social activism and spoke about marching with strap-ons to promote a cause. My suggestion that being dressed liked that would not bring anyone to our side was met with stares. I stopped going to the meetings.

On Thursday nights, I’d text Zach and tell him a little anecdote of something that had happened the previous week. He’d tell me what he was up to or what his parents were doing. The conversations were innocuous and fun.

My father continued to date Stevie; he said neither one was serious, but I knew that Stevie had a good thing. My father had a lot to offer; I wasn’t so sure about Stevie. As Thanksgiving neared, my father said the two of them were going on a brief vacation, and if everything went well, they were going to visit my brother in France over Christmas. I had thought about visiting my brother for Christmas, but having three guests for Christmas in his tiny apartment wasn’t something I wanted to endure. Jayden’s parents sent him a plane ticket, so he would visit them in their new house.

The Epsteins would be out of town, so if I went back home to the empty house, there wouldn’t be anyone to visit or to invite over. I decided to stay on campus. In my weekly text to Zach, I mentioned that I’d be staying in town. He wanted to have his birthday dinner two months early. I refused. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to see him, but I had a feeling we would end up in bed together. I wanted him to be eighteen even though I wasn’t eighteen when I took Jordan into the basement. I realized at that moment that Zach and his father favored Jordan. That’s probably why I wondered whether I knew him. I know my text disappointed Zach, but I let him know that waiting would be worth it. He’d let me know that he loved seafood, especially shrimp. I knew of this little family restaurant in Galveston, and I planned to surprise him with a trip to that restaurant. I was still trying to decide whether a hotel stay overnight in Galveston would be appropriate. He would surely be surprised.

Campus emptied, and I spent a few days shopping for some new clothes and school supplies. I’d scoped out a church near campus for Christmas Eve services and had stocked the little refrigerator I’d purchased with food. I splurged on an induction cooktop and two pans, so I was set for food.

Three days before Christmas found me online again, and while I didn’t chat with anyone I wanted to meet, I did find out about a new gay hangout near campus. Within walking distance, it had sandwiches so I could get a quick meal while I studied the available meat. With my crotch itching for some fun, I put on a new shirt and pants and headed there.

I was pleasantly surprised by the clean atmosphere and the soft music. There were two pool tables and some video games. A few men were toward the back playing darts. I ordered a Rueben and a Coke and took a seat at the end of the bar. It might not have been the night before Christmas, but what to my wondering eyes should appear but my linear algebra professor. I was in his class two semesters before. He was still quite attractive, and I wondered whether he would recognize me.

I took my glass and went over to the booth where he was seated by himself. He was probably waiting for someone, I thought.

“Professor Player,” I said.

He looked up. He seemed confused for a second before he smiled. “Mr. Smith. The man in my algebra class that made teaching worthwhile. You understood what was going on.”

“You remember me.” I smiled back. “I loved being in your class,” I told him. And it was true. He had a sweet ass and this nice package, not too big, but large enough for me to dream about what he had hidden in there.

“Not many people would say that about a math class.” He sat back. His shirt was slightly open, revealing a hairy chest that would be the envy of any man.

“I think that you made it special.”

“Sit down. Join me.”

“Are you sure?” I asked as I sat down. “I don’t want to disturb you. You must be waiting for someone.”

“I was. He canceled on me. In fact, he canceled me.” He turned his head slightly and looked into my eyes.

I locked my eyes with his. I felt my dick stiffen in response.

“If you weren’t my student…”

“I’m not your student. I was.” I stressed the last part.

“I’m going to sit here and get drunk.”

“You were saying?”

The corners of his mouth curled up. “I was saying that if you weren’t my student, you could be my rebound fuck.” He looked down at the table. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’ve had too much to drink already. I’m sorry.”

The man behind the bar brought my sandwich over. “You haven’t eaten, have you?” Professor Player looked up at me.

“You haven’t. Here, Randy, take half of this.”

“You remembered my first name.” His smile was a genuine one. “Thanks.”

“Of course, I remembered it. You’re the only professor I had a crush on.”

“That’s sweet of you, Aaron.”

“No. It’s true. You’re handsome and sexy. Why wouldn’t I have a crush on you?” I reached over and rubbed my finger over his hand. “And you remembered my name.” I felt his eyes studying me as he finished his half of the Rueben. I slowly ate mine and swallowed the rest of my soda. We said nothing else until he stood up. 

“Are you going to follow me or are you driving back home?” he asked.

“I’m riding with you. I walked here. The question is, are you talking me to your place or are you taking me to mine?”

“I share my apartment with my brother. We’ll need to be quiet.”

“My roommate is out of town. You can make as much noise as you want.”

I saw him take a breath and relax. “Your place.”

The drive to the dorm was a short one. Randy looked over at me and said, “I’ve never had sex in the dorm. There was a man at the university whom I was infatuated with, but I was too afraid to say anything to him. We’re friends on Facebook, but I’ve never told him.”

“Maybe you could call him and let him know,” I said.

Randy laughed. He parked the car next to mine, one of only three cars in the lot, and we headed inside. We walked silently to my room and stood outside the door.

“The man who unlocks the door is the top,” I said. “Want to wrestle me for it?”

“Put it in the lock, and we’ll unlock it together.”

He put his hand over mine, and we shoved the key in the slot and turned. As the door opened, he turned to me and smiled. I pushed my face against his and kissed him hard. His hands moved up and held the sides of my head. He shoved his tongue into my mouth. I could taste the whiskey he’d been drinking only minutes before. My hands went down to his shirt, the palms massaging his hard pecs. I felt his nipples budding forward. His head fell back slightly. “Fuck,” he whispered.

My tongue wet his Adam’s apple, and I moved up to his chin, pinching it between my teeth. I forced the tip of my tongue into the little cleft he had. He moved forward, pressing me into the door. I felt his hardness move against my thigh. His hands moved between us and struggled to unbutton my shirt. I pushed him into the room and closed the door. The latch sounded loud as I locked it.

“Oh, Aaron, I needed this. I needed someone who wanted me.”

“I want you, Randy.” I finished unbuttoning my shirt and unbuckled and unzipped my pants. I pulled my shirt off and then grabbed for his.

“Shit. That’s one sexy chest.” He began to suck one of my nipples.  

I gasped for air, and my pants fell to the floor. Randy kicked his shoes off and stripped quickly. He pushed me back onto my bed and removed my sneakers before pulling my pants off. He left them crumpled in a pile as he tugged at my underwear. With those removed, he rolled me over and grabbed my ass cheeks. I felt his teeth gnaw at my buttocks before his tongue took a swipe across my hole.

I moaned into the comforter. Randy’s lips moved up my back, and he kissed the back of my neck. I felt his erection slide into my ass crack and rub across my pucker.

“Oh, fuck,” I heard him say followed by, “Shit, I’m coming.” I felt his body shudder. The wetness expelled from his manhood spread across by butt cleavage. Randy rolled over and sat up on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry, Aaron. I…” He stared down at the floor.

“Come here, silly man.” I grabbed him and pulled him toward me. I kissed him. “I should apologize for being so sexy that you couldn’t hold back.” I shoved my tongue into his mouth and moaned. He kissed me back. “We’ve only started,” I told him.