Act II

Stewart drove around the campus feeling like he was lost. Nothing was the same. Where once a parking lot existed, two buildings now sat. The concourse that cut through campus was different, wider, more landscaping along its path. And roads in the center of campus were now pedestrian paths. He had made two wrong turns before finally getting to the small parking lot he had been instructed to park. It was a visitor’s lot located near the Theater Department and he strolled around the red brick building and along the main walk, passing the small amphitheater among some trees till he came upon the Architecture Department. He had not been back since graduating nearly sixteen years prior, but this building looked the same. An oasis of familiarity among all the new buildings and hardscapes.

The department offices were quiet when he entered, only a couple of students waiting to talk with someone and the receptionist behind her desk taking calls. He waited patiently till she was free.

“Good afternoon, I’m Steward Garland. I’m here to give the lecture…”

“Yes, yes, the lecture for this afternoon. I’ll let Mr. Jacobson know you’re here. If you’ll just have a seat, he shouldn’t be too long.”

The lecture hall was starting to fill up. Stewart was on the stage off to the side talking with the Head of the Department and two of the faculty, one of which had been a classmate that he struggled to remember. The students and other faculty came in and the hall began to buzz with the conversations. He watched some of the guys come in, still surprised to see some openly gay. It should be so common by now, something he’s seen in major cities, including his own, but to see it here, on campus was still a surprise. It would be like seeing it at a family reunion or in the small town his grandmother lived in. Two came in holding hands and sat near the front, to the left. One of the guys reminded him of Ian, who he had dated when he was a student of this department and he wondered what Ian was doing now. Did he still live in Boston?

Stewart remembered what it had been like, his coming out in his freshman year and then the dating of different guys till he met Ian in third year. Ian was a year behind him, and their different schedules had made it difficult, but they remained together up until the fall of his fifth year. Over the years he thought about what happened, and how they had just grown apart. It should have been no surprise when Ian broke up with him was soon dating a guy from another department. There had been two professors openly gay and one talked about what it had been like when he had been in college some fifteen years earlier, and how very few were open about being gay, with the stigmas and prejudices so prevalent. Looking over the hall and seeing two more guys come in holding hands, one leading the other down as close to the front as they could get, he smiled at how somethings did, in fact, change.

Mr. Jacobson took the podium about five after the hour and made the introductions, something that always embarrassed Stewart, this praise of him in a way he never would do himself. He always let his work speak for him and in doing historical renovations, he felt like he was just doing his job. Wasn’t an architect supposed to protect buildings that were still maintainable, sound in structure, and give him new uses if their old use was no longer viable. Applause brought Stewart back to the room and he stepped over to Mr. Jacobson, shook his hand thanking him for the introduction and moved behind the podium. He looked out over the hall, the upper rows falling into darkness with the lights turned on him. But down front he could see the students and faculty looking up at him, waiting for him to start.

“Thanks for having me and it is an honor to be back here after all these years where I was a student, struggling to stay awake and worrying about how many classes outside the studio I was skipping.” A little laughter for most knew what he referred. “I’m going to present the Linwood Theater located in the town of Spencer. It was built in 1916 and operated successfully up until the late 1960’s. Sometime in the late seventies it was converted to a music venue and had been as such off and on for the next few decades. When we were approached about renovating the building….”

The next afternoon, Steward walked into his home and stood a minute as he looked around the kitchen and living room. There was a quietness that was alien. The room so quiet he could hear the refrigerator running. And the room was just as he left it the morning before when he departed for the college to give his lecture. Nothing had been moved. No rearrangement of the shelves that lined one wall of the living, or the small appliances and containers that lined one countertop in the kitchen. How long had it been, now? Four months…and two weeks and three days.

Stewart knew things had not been right for a long time, but they had let the routine of daily life drag them from day to day, until the day it didn’t. The day Matthew confessed he had taken a job overseas and would be leaving by week’s end. It had been the longest week of Stewart’s life. Matthew in the guest bedroom at night and during the day, off from work, packing up the things that was his. The books that emptied three shelves, still bare, and left others with books leaning from gaps within their line. The clothes from one side of the closet, the rods and shelves still empty. The small items like the old Kodak Model 3a, the old pendulum wall clock, its outline still visible where it hung. And all the other things that spoke of Matthew, who he was, this physics instructor who was going to some college in England to do theoretical work.

Stewart grabbed the handle on his suitcase and rolled it through the kitchen heading to his bedroom. He was going to toss it down and head back out, for the first thing he needed to do, had to in his mind, was get to the boarders to pick up Corbu and Rachel, his two Border Collies, one named after a famous architect and the other after a biologist and environmentalist. Without them in the house, it was too quiet, and he needed them, their boundless energy and their need of his attention.

Dinner was in the oven, the smell of the garlic and seasonings filling the room, when the phone rang. Stewart hit the speaker button.

“Hey Jason, what’s up?”

“Just checking on you. How was the trip?”

“Quick. I went down yesterday morning and returned this afternoon.”

“Everything go okay?”

“Yes, yes, it was good. The students didn’t fall asleep while I spoke and clapped nicely when I finished. What more could a man ask” Stewart replied, chuckling.

“Would you like to grab dinner? I know its late, but I thought I’d take a chance and ask.”

“Sorry, I’m here at the range as we speak waiting for dinner to finish cooking.”

“Well then, I’ll let you go, but don’t forget, tomorrow night. We’re going to Red Leaf for dinner.”

“How could I forget?”

Jason laughed, then replied, “yeah, it’s not every day you turn forty.”

“Don’t remind me” Stewart jokes back.

“See you tomorrow.”

Stewart opened the oven to take out the dish, as he thought of it. His birthday was tomorrow, and he would be forty. On one hand it seemed like such a big deal. Forty. This nice round number that meant probably half or more of life was behind him. But then again, he didn’t feel it. Yes, it was harder to keep the weight off and he had noticed a few wrinkles and some gray hairs, but it didn’t really bother him. He wasn’t going to dye his hair or do anything about the wrinkles. It was just part of life in his view and based on all the history of great architects, he hoped it held for him the satisfaction of his best work was yet to come.

Seated at the dining table with his plate and a glass of wine, something he felt he deserved on this night, he used the remote to turn the music up, let the Glenn Miller Orchestra fill the room. It wasn’t his favorite music, but tonight, it seemed the best for the occasion. He ate slowly while thinking about age. Matthew had been five years younger, a difference that never seemed very much at all. It wasn’t like with Sean, who was now thirty-one or thirty-two, who’s partner, Jacob, was older than him by a year. Jason was his age, the two of them having met while interns with the same firm. His other closest friend was Mark, who was sixty-three, still active with marathons and exhibits and sponsorships of charity events. Mark was probably the most active person in their group, always setting up something new or traveling to meet with one organization or another.

He set his plate by the sink and took down the two leases, the sound of the clips clinking together bringing Corbu and Rachel running to the front door, where they waited impatiently for him. They needed to be walked before calling it a night and he needed the exercise after traveling the last two days. The dogs led as they always do, down the street till they came to the main road, then turning left to make a large loop back through the neighborhood. The dogs walked at a good pace, ears back, leashes slightly loose. It never fell to amaze Stewart how good the two dogs were, the way they walked side by side, knowing where to stop and turn. The only times he needed to tighten up the leashes was when their ears stood up. Usually a child playing with a ball in a front yard, or some kid on a skateboard approaching, or just another dog at a fence or coming their way on its walk.

Lying in bed that night, Stewart stared off into the dim glow of his room, the blinds not blocking all the streetlight out. Everything had a silvery hue about it, with edges softened to the eye. Another deep breath, trying to relax enough to fall asleep, he lay thinking of Matthew and what it had been like when they first met all those years ago. He considered their relationship that he had thought would be his last, the one that took him to the end of his life. But his recollection of the last few months before Matthew left had been a warning, one he should have seen coming.

Rolling over on his side, he faced the dark corner to the side of the window, knowing the spot nearest the brightest area would look the darkest. His college days came back to him, his first time with another guy, or the one that was the most serious and he considered each in comparison to the boys he saw in the lecture hall. He smiled at the way he considered them boys, something that would have been an insult to him back in college, but now seemed so quaint, harmless in a way.

It was frustrating the way life had thrown him this curve ball. This unexpected change in his plans. The old saying of ‘life isn’t fair’ reared up time and time again. Tomorrow night was his party, one he needed to be all smiles and good natured. His friends were trying to make him feel better and he knew it. He had overheard their planning. Whether to go all out, rent some events space and have a large party, or do something with just the core group. Something more intimate and personal, and Stewart was glad it was the latter. They were to meet at the restaurant, hang out at the bar for a while then get seated for a leisurely dinner. He had to admit, he was looking forward to it.

The Red Leaf was located in the Belmont neighborhood, one that began as a mill town on the outskirts of the city, but over the last thirty years evolved from an arts district to one of hip bars and restaurants. The music scene was strong with the Opus Room and Belmont Theater being the main venues. On the main drag in an old storefront that was originally the hardware store, the restaurant was the second one to occupy the space, and to date the most successful. The high ceilings allowed for vines and plants to be suspended over the dining room and the bar ran along one wall near the front.

Stewart entered only five minutes late, and was glad that was all it was, for traffic in Belmont had become so heavy walking on the sidewalks was faster on weekends. He strolled into the restaurant, scanning the crowd, finding the guys sitting at the far end of the bar. Making his way through the other patrons, he saw everyone had made it. Sean and Jacob sat at bar closest to the front, next to them stood Mark and Jason and in the last two stools were Peter and Bill, two friends he had met through Mark. Standing next to them was Tony, whom he had met last year at a charity event he had helped Mark set up. Tony was at one of the banks and responsible for their local donations and thus someone to know.

“You made it!” Sean and Jason said in unison as Stewart took a position next to Mark and Jason.

“Yep, but for a while I wondered. Damn, the traffic has gotten worse in this neighborhood.”

“Have you been over to Hillcrest lately? It’s worse” said Mark, motioning to the bartender. “What will you have? Your usual?”

“That works; thanks Mark.”

“Don’t mention it. Bartender! Get this man a martini. Nolet’s Silver and make it dry.”

The evening progressed with the guys hanging out at the bar till their table was ready, their reservations not until nine thirty. They went through the motions of ordering another round of drinks, then food. As the night wore on, empty plates removed, they settled down to the casual banter of old friends. Jason excused himself and left the table, Stewart assuming he was going to the bathroom. A few minutes later Jason came back carrying a cake, forty candles ablaze as he eased to the table. One of the wait staff followed carrying a bag.

Happy Birthday sung, and the gifts inside the bag spread out before him, Stewart thanked the guys for a lovely evening, telling them how much he had been looking forward to it. He opened the gifts, thanking each person. There were architectural books, a trashy novel that Mark knew was something he liked to read when feeling down and gift cards to his favorite stores.

The night wound down and the guys weaved their way out of the crowded restaurant and onto the busy sidewalk. They said their goodbyes, and Jason and Stewart made plans for a lunch the next Tuesday. Stewart strolled back to his car smiling at how nice the evening had been. In his car, pulling out onto the street, he suddenly had that restless feeling, one that has plagued him since Matthew left. He saw it was after midnight, but he didn’t want to go home. He didn’t want to sit in the empty house after such a nice night.

Stewart came up to Metropolitan Avenue and it made him think of the bar down at the old warehouse district, one that converted back in the nineties to shops, restaurants and bars, and the particular one he was thinking of was a small gay bar tucked in the back of the development. He turned and made his way to it.

It was busy, but not crowded, most patrons gone on to some club or more popular bar for those that liked to stay out most of the night. Stewart made his way to the bar and called out to the bartender. As the bartender mixed the drink, he scanned the room, first looking down the bar, then across the room where table and chairs sat in the middle and along the opposite wall a row of booths. He saw a few familiar faces but no one he knew by name.

“Hey, can I buy your next drink?”

Stewart turned to see the guy that was to his left looking at him. There was the evaluation of the guy, the casual look from face down. About his own height, five ten or so, with dark hair cut short, real short showing the shape of his head. It was hard to tell in the bar but he thought the guy had brown eyes and there was that perfect five o’clock shadow, neatly trimmed, speaking of regular visits to a barber or very adapt with a razor trimming it each morning. And then down he looked at the rest. Nice build evident in the tight t-shirt and black jeans, and black boots he knew immediately the brand by the yellow threading around the soles.

“I could be persuaded” Steward replied, “Stewart.”

“Tobias. Nice to meet you.”

“I’ve not been here in some time” said Stewart not sure why he was admitting to being out for the first time in a long time.

“Well, welcome back. You live in the city?”

“Yes, yes, not far from here in fact; the Hamilton Park neighborhood.”

“I live over in the Steel District” Tobias replied, and Steward thought of that area, one that was old empty warehouses twenty years ago but is now loft apartments, shops and restaurants. It was one of the trendier areas of the city and one he had done several projects over the years.

“I know the area.”

“Oh yeah, a past boyfriend live there?”

“No, no, I’ve had some projects in the district.”

“What do you do?”

“Architect. What do you do for a living?”

“I have a furniture restoration shop and a little showroom.”

“The Drawknife?”

“Yeah, that’s the place. You’ve been in?”

“No, but I’ve passed your place numerous times and always wanted to stop and check it out.”

“Well…maybe I can give you the grand tour sometime?”

Tobias smiled and his teeth were nearly perfect, any more aligned and Stewart would have wondered if they were fake. Tobias was coming across as really nice. Not ‘in-your-face’ and desperate but casual, just flirty enough to show interest.

“Buy you that drink now?” Tobias asked as Stewart sat his empty glass on the bar.

“Sure, but I have to warn you, this has to be my last. I’ve been out with friends for dinner, but if you’re interested, maybe we could get together soon, and I buy you a drink?”

“Like a real date? Not sure I’d know how to act” Tobias replied, laughing. It made Stewart laugh along with him, but he was curious about the reply.

“It’s been a while?”

“Yes. Up until four…no make that five months ago, I was in a relationship. And then I wasn’t.”

“I know what you mean. Same here.”

Tobias leaned in closer, suddenly serious, “how long were you together?”

“A little over eleven years.”

“Wow. We were only together four years. Long enough to get tied up with a house and all the trappings of a couple.”

“Matthew made it easy. He signed over his share of the house and flew overseas for a new job and life.”

“So, you got the real estate” Tobias joked, and it made Stewart laugh about it for the first time. It felt good, this release from where he had been holding it in.

“Are we supposed to be talking about this?”

“Oh, hell no, but then again I feel like a fish out of water in here.”

“You don’t look it” Stewart replied, flirting a bit on his own, and Tobias smiled in a way that made him relax, enjoying the company of another.

“Thanks. I’m not sure what the etiquette is now but what do you say we finish these drinks and go to the all-night diner over on Commonwealth. You know the place?”

“Oh hell, I use to go all the time when going out with friends or those early dating years.”

“Well, maybe you’re starting to date again?” Tobias replied, holding up his glass. Stewart clinked his glass against it, and they took a drink, the two of them smiling like young men out for the first time.

The diner was busy. Late shift workers, those who had been out to bars or clubs that close at two in lieu of four and the night owls all crowded in, filling the diner. It was noisy, staff running back and forth from the kitchen and people waiting to be seated. Stewart got them on the list and went to stand by Tobias along the wall near the hall that led to the toilets.

“I forgot how crazy it could get late at night” said Tobias as he scanned the dining room.

“It’s part of its charm” Stewart replied, making the two of them chuckle.

“So, what do you order at this hour? Breakfast or dinner?”

“Breakfast…breakfast, of course.”

“Same.”

“Do you remember that club that faced Commerce, but you entered off the street behind it? What was the name of that club…its was…”

“I know the club you’re thinking. It closed six years ago, or has it been longer than that?”

“Longer. I think it closed back in 2010, if I remember correctly. It was a fun place, but way past its heyday.”

“I remember leaving that place and the sun coming up when we came out. A bit disorienting when you been in a dark club with lights spinning around” said Tobias, laughing to himself at the memories of the club.

“It’d kill me to do that now.”

“I doubt that.”

“Well, I do like my sleep a bit more.”

“I must confess I don’t sleep much some nights, but when I do, it’s like I die. I can then sleep for nine or ten hours.”

“Stewart…Stewart Garland?” the hostess called out.

“We’re up.  Here!” said Stewart, pushing off the wall.

It was a small booth along the back wall. No window over their table like those along the side or front walls. Just some tacky fake metal sign for a soda and a bead board wall finish that appeared to have so many coats of paint the bead was no longer round in profile. Stewart followed Tobias and eased down on the vinyl seat opposite.

They went through the process of ordering drinks, then food, while talking about their professions, the amount of work they had going on and some of their more colorful clients or some project that gave them a problem to work out. As they finished, plates cleared and drinks refilled, talk turned to childhoods, where they grew up, the differences in their past. Stewart had grown up in Macon, Georgia and Tobias in the city. There was the comparison of how they got to where they were in life, Stewart going to college, interning with a firm until he was able to start his own firm. Tobias had worked in construction, first as a teenager helping a neighbor who had a small firm, then working his way up to larger construction firms till he finally took a chance and took a job with a cabinetry and wood shop. Six years later he opened his own shop, specializing in furniture.

It was like they were the young men in their first real job, the young men who dated and partied and hung out with friends till late into the night. They were like their old selves of twenty-eight, or thirty or thirty-two who were finding their own way, the career paths that would lead to this night. The men who were getting more serious about their dating while still going out with friends. Laughter from a nearby table surrounded by young men and it was infectious. Tobias, then Steward, laughed along with them for the sheer joy of it.

Outside, standing by Stewart’s Audi, Tobias lay his arms over the top and leaned toward Stewart.

“Will you do something for me? Just one more thing before calling it a night” Tobias asked.

“A night? It’s almost morning, but yeah. What are you asking?”

“Walk with me.”

“Huh?”

“Come on, walk with me.”

“Okay” Stewart replied, shutting his door and locking the car. “Where to?”

“You’ll see.”

Stewart fell in beside Tobias and slowed his stride, a slow casual pace, as they made their way down the street.

“You’re not going to tell me where we’re going?” Stewart asked, smiling at how two grown men were playing at this game.

“You’ll see soon enough, Stewart. We just don’t want to be too early.”

“Too early?”

“I was thirty-one the first time. No not that; the first time I made this stroll. I had been dating this guy for a couple of months, thinking ‘this is the one’. You know what I mean. That feeling you get with some guys. Well, I had been wrong. Oh, so wrong,” Tobias scoffed as he shook his head. “Turn here” he said as he led them down Park Avenue.

“We’re going to the park?”

“Not exactly. Where was I? Oh, being wrong. It was the first time, you see. Me being wrong.”

Both laughed, loudly, without holding back.

“Well, I had gone out with some friends a couple of weeks later. We did the usual routine. Dinner, then one of the bars, Jake’s if I remember correctly, and afterward dancing, of course. We ended up at the diner at three thirty in the morning and soaked up all the alcohol with food. Oh look, they’re tearing down these houses to build bigger.”

“Fuck. It’s a shame we’re losing those houses that had such a nice scale for these large boxes with their faux finishes and…sorry, you were saying.”

“A man of passion. I like that. Anyway, when we were leaving, I wasn’t ready to go home. It had been such a nice night with my friends, I didn’t want it to end yet. I wanted to savor the moment; you know. Just sit and think of it. So, I left my car parked behind the diner and started walking. That night I took a more circuitous route, but in the end, I found himself here” said Tobias pointing toward the raised platform for the light rail line.  

“The light rail station?”

“You’ll see” replied Tobias as he led Stewart across the street, and up the stair leading to the platform. “I had never been on this platform before that night, but for some reason I was drawn to it. It was a Sunday morning and deserted, just as it is now. Come, let’s sit over there” said Tobias pointing past the artwork installed on the platform to the small cantilevered area in one of the waiting areas that overlooked the park across the road. Benches faced the park and Stewart sat next to Tobias. Tobias leaned back on his hands, legs stretched out in front of him and Stewart let his eyes roam over him.

“You said you had been out with friends. Anything special or just a dinner night?” asked Tobias

“Well…”

“What?”

“It’s my fortieth.”

“Really. Happy Birthday. That is supposedly some milestone. Do you feel different?” Tobias asked and Stewart heard the joking tone, knowing he wasn’t serious.

“Oh yeah, I feel different. Single and wondering what in the hell” Stewart replied, chuckling. 

“I hope it has been a good one.”

“It has…is…what about you. I’d guess you have a way to go before hitting this milestone.”

“Not much. I’ll be forty in October. Look, this is what I wanted you to see.”

Stewart looked in the direction Tobias was pointing. It was over the park and toward the horizon which was growing lighter. The black of night transitioning to a dark blue, then slowly, gradually a blue-violet, then red-violet. The colors along the horizon grew wider and higher. Red, yellow, orange and blue mixed as the day slowly began. Then the colors dissipated as the sun broke the horizon, the fiery ball coming into view and the night was pushed from the sky and day began.

“I’ve not watched a sunrise in a very long time,” said Stewart.

“I find it one of the most peaceful moments of the day. Sunset always has so much going on in the city but the sunrise…”

“Now if the day will only live up to it.”

“I’d like to try to do my part, if I’m not being too forward.”

Stewart looked over and saw Tobias was serious, waiting for his response. “What do you have in mind?”

“Come back to my place. Leave your worries here and for the day, just live in the moment.”

Stewart looked at Tobias and the fact he had been up all night didn’t seem to register. He felt alive. He felt like he could do anything.

“Sure, I’d love to.”

Light poured in through the tall windows, over ten feet in height. The old, hardwood floors, scared and marked from the heavy industrial use of decades of use reflected the light with their renewed finish. An open living and dining area with old wood working tools, art and photographs hung on the walls and underneath the mezzanine that overlooked it, the kitchen, foyer and other rooms not yet explored. On the mezzanine lying on the bed that afforded a view out the windows and the space below, Stewart lay back, naked, stripped of all garments.

It had been a casual thing, nothing rushed, none of the usual nervousness of youth. Only the nervousness of a man with someone new, someone Stewart didn’t know yet. He didn’t know what Tobias would like, or dislike. What things turned him on. Only knowing the same was true for Tobias made it endurable. They were in this together, this moment of sexual conquest where the discovery was part of the experience. Part of the joy, this exploration of another person.

Stewart closed his eyes thinking of their first kiss, how he captured a hint of the bourbon Tobias had consumed earlier. Then there was the simple passion of it, how Tobias had undressed him so easily while distracted by the kisses, to his lips, along the side of his face and those on his neck, the ones that make his cock grow the hardest. Now those lips manipulated him, made him even harder, as they moved along his cock. He felt every touch. Every press of flesh against flesh, as those lips moved up along his erection until they were wrapped around the head of his cock. He shivered when tongue swirled around the head, then bore into the slit. He bucked up, pushing a few inches more in Tobias’ mouth and hands pressed down on his hips, holding him in place. It had been so long since he had been this erect. So aroused, he didn’t think he could take much more of Tobias’ manipulation. Then the mouth released him, and the bed rocked, and he felt Tobias move over him.

Opening his eyes, Stewart watched Tobias knee walk over him. He watched the naked body move confidently, muscles flexing with every move. Tobias was lean, muscular, with the body Stewart knew wasn’t from a gym with perfect chest and stomach definition but one from manual labors. He reached out and ran each hand up a thigh.

“Suck me” Tobias whispered as he settled over Stewart’s chest.

Stewart took the elongating cock in hand, his fingers growing apart as it swelled thicker and longer. He leaned up and swiped his tongue over the head then brought it to his lips. Tobias rocked his hips forward letting him take the head and more into his mouth. Forward, then back, he worked his mouth on Tobias, sliding his lips along the thick shaft. He pulled back and tongued the head till Tobias pleaded with him to stop. He sucked on the head and pushed forward taking as much of it as he could.

Tobias grew thick and rock hard in his mouth, then pulled back. Stewart felt a hand toy with his cock, bringing him to full hardness. Then he watched Tobias lower himself down to it. The head of his cock pressed against Tobias, pushed against the tightness till he saw and felt the head squeeze through it. He struggled to hold still as Tobias sank down, slowly, so painfully slow. He watched his cock disappear inside Tobias. With Tobias adjusting to the penetration, he stroked him till his hand was wet and Tobias’ cock bobbed up and down with the head flared out wide, the slit open, threatening to shoot.

Tobias moved on Stewart, slowly, raising upward till only the head was inside him, then he eased back down, over and over and over. Stewart watched how Tobias’ body took him, his cock disappearing from view, then revealed once again, so hard he wanted to push upward. He felt it too. The squeeze of the tight opening sliding along his shaft. Up and down. Up and down. He clutched at the bed and held tightly to it struggling with his desire to increase their pace, letting Tobias set it.

“Fuck” Tobias uttered and began to move faster. He increased his pace till the bed rocked beneath them. It squeaked and shook in rhythm to their fuck. Faster and faster till it was banging against the low wall of the mezzanine. It increased Stewart’s arousal, this movement and sound that mimicked their own.

Stewart sat up and hugged Tobias’ body, held it with desperation and need. He held Tobias still, letting him calm down some, then rolled Tobias onto his back, and moved over him. They kissed while roaming hands over bodies. A hand moved between them and Stewart felt Tobias take his erection and guide it to the only place both needed it to be. He pushed through the tightness and sank all the way inside Tobias and began to fuck. Hard, fast, driving cock into the depths of Tobias’ body. There was no holding back, not this time. He drove with his hips, pushed inward hard, then pulled out with an urgency not felt in a long time. Tobias urged him on, begged him to fuck harder, and Stewart rose on his hands, body hovering over Tobias, only his cock connecting them, and he fucked with primeval need. The room shrank around them till it was only the rocking, squeaking bed and the two of them. Just the two of them, moving together, undulating with their arousal.

Tobias pulled Stewart down till their bodies moved against and with each other. Stewart thrust into his depths and ground hips against him. The kisses to his neck, the manipulation of his right ear, the hands clinging to him, running up and down his back, then down to his ass, grabbing each cheek, pulling him to shove in deeper and it pushed him over the edge. He cried out while shoving inward, hard, jamming his hips against Tobias’ ass, and came.

They lay still only a minute and Stewart wanted more, pulling Tobias over on top of him. “Do me” he pleaded and soon Tobias was inside him, pushing gently into his depths. Tobias fucked slowly and Stewart felt every inch slide through his tight opening till he loosened to it. He felt his body take Tobias, felt the fullness of each penetration and he whispered pleadings for more.

Tobias increased his pace, drove into Stewart’s depths faster and faster, till once again the bed rocked in rhythm to their fuck. It wouldn’t take Tobias long, not after being fucked. He was too aroused, his cock already leaking when he penetrated Stewart and he was soon hammering his cock inside Stewart’s depths till he was coming.

Stewart rolled to his back and opened his eyes to the warmly lit ceiling. Light came in through the tall windows and reflected around the room making the whole space feel even larger. He heard stirring around below then the smell of coffee brewing. He told himself to get up, not to be so lazy. It was Sunday, and by his watch already past noon, and he had laundry to do, and he needed to go the grocery store and he wanted to get his car cleaned up and…

“You up?” Tobias called from below.

“Sort of.”

“How do you take your coffee?”

“Black.”

“Good man; I’m coming up.”

As Tobias climbed the stair, eventually coming into view, Stewart sat up and wondered how this night could have turned out so nicely. The birthday dinner then meeting Tobias, watching the sunrise, then coming back to his loft.

“Here ya go.”

“Thanks.”

Tobias eased down in a chair dressed only in boxers and Stewart kept glancing over to him. The lean muscular body with a scare on one shoulder. He wondered how he looked to Tobias. He was fit, but not like Tobias.

“What are you thinking?” Tobias asked, smiling.

“How nice turning forty turned out to be.”

“It was a nice evening. I hope mine is as nice.”

Stewart laughed instead of saying what he was thinking. How he hoped it involved him and a night like the one he just experienced.

“Can we see each other again?” Tobias asked, then sipped coffee, watching Stewart over the raised cup.

“I was going to ask you the same. I’d love to go out again.”

“Like a real date.”

“Yeah…a real date.” Stewart laughed, nearly spilling his coffee.

“What’s so funny?”

“Just the idea of dating again. I didn’t think I would be doing this again.”

“Me neither.”

“Well, I guess it’ll be an adventure for both of us.”

They laughed, then fell silent as each finished their coffee.

“Stewart?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have plans Wednesday evening? Say, around six thirty?”

“No, why?”

“A friend has her next gallery show opening on Friday and she wants me to swing by Wednesday to look at the final arrangement and give her my opinion.”

“Want she mind someone tagging along?”

“Nah…I’ll call her and let her know I can make it and will be bringing someone. Afterward we can go for dinner. There’s this little Thai place around the corner that is incredible.”

“Sounds good. Should I come here or…”

“Yes, come here around six thirty and that will give us time to get there by seven.”

Stewart wandered around the gallery space looking at the pastels. It had been some time since he saw someone work in pastels and was amazed at the use of color. The bright colors seemed to lift off the canvas as he stared at each one. They were landscapes and he was surprised how simple the scenes in each piece. But the use of color gave them some exotic nature. Rolling hills, a river snaking through marshland, a wide plain with mountains on the horizon, and in the back of the space, one of the widest pieces, a flat terrain that hits a hard-vertical mountain range. The use of violet, red and green made it one of the most vibrant pieces.

“You like that one?” Claudia asked as Tobias strolled up next to her.

“It’s definitely one of mine” Tobias interjected.

“Yes, it is one of mine, too” said Stewart. “I’m curious why it is not the piece at the entry? Why not put it in the most prominent location?”

“I put a piece that the patrons will expect there, something familiar that will welcome them in. And this piece of the Flatirons in Colorado and that one over there of the western desert in Texas will be the ones for them to discover.”

“I see.”

“Tobias, what do you think?” Claudia asked as she scanned the room again.

“I think it looks great. I would suggest the Everglades piece and the that one over there be switch around, but I’m not convinced of it.”

“I actually agree” Stewart added, wondering if he should have stayed silent.

“I did debate those two, and those over there. Let’s switch them around and let the guys get everything up” replied Claudia.

Once the two pieces were switched, Tobias took Stewart by the hand and led him toward the front with Claudia leading.

“Claudia, we’re going for Thai around the corner. Would you like to join us?” Tobias asked.

“No, no, I need to stay and make sure everything gets done. You guys go ahead. Stewart it was a pleasure to meet you and I trust I’ll see you Friday night for the grand opening?”

The way she said grand caught Stewart’s attention. The jesting nature of it by someone who had done this before. “I’d love to if Tobias will let me tag along.”

“Let’s see how tonight plays out first” Tobias replied, chuckling.

“Oh Tobias, you’re mean” Claudia replied smiling at him. She gave him a hug and unlocked the front door. “Stewart, once again it was nice to meet you and Stewart, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

It was nearly eleven o’clock when Tobias and Stewart pulled up to the loft. They climbed out of Tobias’ old SAAB, a model even older than Stewart realized, a late seventies 99 Turbo model with wheels that fascinated him every time he saw them. Tobias had referred to them as turbine wheels and he saw why they would be called that with the way they were shaped.

“You want to come in?” Tobias asked, his tone hopeful.

“It’s not too late?”

“Listen to you. Come on in.”

Stewart lay on his stomach, Tobias over him, while he clutched at the edge of the bed. He clung to it as he felt Tobias push into his depths. Over and over, the penetration pushed inward giving him a sense of fullness, a connectivity to Tobias that fueled his desire. His cock was pinned beneath him, hard, and with every push inward by Tobias it flexed with arousal. Tobias fucked him with a steady rhythm, cock pushing and tugging his opening and he began to push upward trying to get Tobias even deeper.

Tobias laid on Stewart’s back, wrapping an arm around his neck. Their bodies moved together as the bed rocked softly with their movement. Tobias pushed into Stewart’s depths till he was grunting and crying out. His body shook and Stewart knew he was coming.

Then Stewart was on his back and Tobias riding him. This time Tobias moved roughly, his pace increasing rapidly, till the bed banged against the low wall and sweat beaded up on his body. Stewart toyed with his slick cock, keeping him hard. He ran a hand up the left thigh feeling the tightening muscle as Tobias moved up and down. Tobias grew fully erect, his cock leaking, and Stewart rubbed the head making him shudder and ride him faster.

Cum ran down on Stewart’s chest and stomach as he felt Tobias’ cock flex within his hand. It was too much, all the stimulation and now the smell of Tobias filling the air. He bucked upward and came.

Spent, laying side by side, Tobias tracing a finger over Stewart’s chest, they were silent for a long time, just savoring the moment. Tobias nestled up next to Stewart, resting his head on Stewart’s chest.

“Will you stay the night?”

Stewart almost said no, suddenly thinking of his busy day to follow. The meeting at noon on the south side of town and the site visit he had to do in East Hills, but he released a deep breath and kissed Tobias on the forehead. “I’d like that” he replied.