Graham’s schedule for the week felt too good to be true. Now that he’d had a chance to work with all the major trade groups, his final few days of consulting were reserved for the administration team to cover things like budgeting, metrics, and high-level reporting. He hated these conversations the most. It’s not that they were any more detailed or difficult than the actual trades, they were just…empty.
Graham liked dealing with the people who were out on the frontlines doing the work, dealing with the application on a daily basis, trying to make it work best to meet their actual needs. Working with the admin team was just a bunch of numbers and fabricated KPIs, subjective standards they’d made up and now acted like the world depended on. It was tedious and superficial and vain.
However, it was also quick.
Graham met with the administrators in the mornings, leaving him large chunks of the afternoon to work on dashboard creation and report writing. He still had a lot of work to do to actually build out all the things that had been discussed over the last four weeks, so he appreciated that time was set aside for him to do this, as opposed to the typical expectation that he’d do all this at night from the comfort of his hotel room. To be fair, that had been Graham’s original intention, but these days he found his nights at the hotel room to be rather booked up.
“What are you doing right now?” Graham fired off the text message as he climbed into his rental car. To his surprise, a reply came in almost immediately.
“Not much, just hanging at home before I have to get ready for work.”
“I’m done at the office for the day,” Graham sent back. “Thinking of finding a coffee shop to post up. Care to join?”
“Absolutely! Just tell me where.”
Fifteen minutes later, Graham walked into Metric – the shop Charlie had recommended a couple weeks ago. Of all the places he’d tried, this had been his favorite. He liked that it was local, that it was stylish and quality, that it made him feel like it could be his spot. He ordered an iced Americano and snagged a small, two-top table by the front window, setting up his laptop and typing the wifi password the barista had highlighted on his receipt.
Archie arrived a few minutes later.
He came straight over to the table, resting his hands on Graham’s shoulders and planting a kiss on the top of Graham’s head. It was a tender gesture, intimate and familiar, and instead of any of the self-consciousness he might expect to feel from this public display of affection, Graham beamed with pride. Much like last night at the bar, Graham suddenly wanted to be identified with Archie, to be associated with him in some noticeable way. This seemed like as good a place as any to start.
“Hey there,” Graham smiled up at him.
“Hi,” Archie grinned back. “I’m gonna order and then I’ll join you.”
He returned with a stemless wine glass full of bright, pastel green – an iced matcha, Graham deduced.
“It’s weird seeing you out and about during the day time,” Archie quipped.
“You make me sound like a vampire,” Graham smirked.
“Hmm. I bet I could find some other supporting evidence for that theory,” Archie cocked an eyebrow.
Graham’s mind replayed images of their second round last night, when Graham had gotten a little enthusiastic with his mouth. He wondered if the hickey was still visible beneath Archie’s collar.
“Well, unfortunately my skin does not sparkle in the sunlight. However, I am glad I don’t burst into flames.” He chuckled. “No, but this week is going to be nice. Meetings in the morning and afternoons as a free man!”
Archie’s face lit up.
“Nice! Sounds like a pretty great week.”
“For sure.”
“What kind of stuff are you working on?”
Graham gave Archie a rundown of his to-do list for the week, not wanting to bore him with too many details. It was plenty to do, but Graham wasn’t worried about getting it all accomplished.
“Damn,” Archie observed, his eyebrows raised. “So basically you do everything for these people.”
“Basically,” Graham laughed. “I guess I don’t think about it like that. We’re a small company, so I’m used to being a one-man show on these projects. We kind of have to know the whole system inside and out.”
“Well, that’s impressive,” Archie mused. “They’re lucky to have you.”
“Thanks,” Graham smiled, flattered.
“I, uh, didn’t tell you this last night,” Archie began, shifting in his chair. “But, over the weekend, I started looking at re-enrolling in school.”
“What?” Graham exclaimed, his heart swelling. “That’s incredible!”
Archie just shrugged, but his smile couldn’t be repressed. “It's whatever. It's just the community college here, but…I could still finish my degree and I think I could afford it. So that helps.”
“That's amazing, Archie. Do you know what you’re going to study?”
“I’m not sure yet. I’m talking to two of the programs. One is just a general business admin track. I could probably do it in a year and then I'd at least have a degree. I don’t know, seemed like a good place to start.”
“Yeah, definitely And the other?”
“It would be a pre-med program,” Archie said self-consciously. “Maybe for a pre-physical therapy track. It would have to be two years, but…I would be able to look at PT schools by the end of it.”
“Oh wow,” Graham observed.
“I know, me going from bartending to PT school sounds like a stretch,” Archie began.
“No,” Graham cut in. “I didn’t mean that at all. I just meant…that’s awesome! I could totally see it.”
“Really?” Archie asked, his smile betraying his vulnerability. It was one of the rare moments he actually looked as young as he was.
“Absolutely,” Graham said with confidence. “Doctor Esposito. It’s got a nice ring to it.”
Archie blushed, and looked away.
“Thanks. It’s basically just a daydream at this point.”
“It’s not, though,” Graham interjected. “Because you’re doing something about it. You’re taking the first step, Archie, and that’s huge. I’m proud of you.”
Archie looked back at him, his eyes shining.
Graham realized then how true his words were. He wasn’t just placating Archie or half-heartedly cheering him along. His heart threatened to overflow with the sheer intensity of Graham’s desire for Archie to succeed, to set out in search of a better life for himself.
Graham pictured Archie coming home after a long day of classes, backpack on his shoulder, a stack of heavy textbooks in his arms. He pictured Archie studying on the couch, curled in a blanket, while Graham made him a fresh cup of coffee in the kitchen. He pictured Archie crawling into bed after burning the midnight oil, moving silently so as not to wake Graham, even though Graham always liked to know he’d finally made it to sleep. He pictured all of this and then felt a sharp pang in his chest as he realized that wasn’t their future.
That wasn’t his future.
Graham’s future was to finish up this project and return home where his real life waited for him – his apartment, his job, his son. These things expected him back at the end of this short stint away. Didn’t they?
“Thank you,” he heard Archie’s voice bring him back to the room.
“For what?” Graham asked, pushing down the sadness in his throat.
“For believing in me,” Archie shrugged. “For not just seeing me as some bartender. For giving me the nudge I needed to change.”
“Of course,” Graham nodded. “Just returning the favor.”
Graham shuffled his feet on the cold, tile floor and flexed his chest and stomach, lining up the perfect angle of his phone camera and waiting for the image to focus. He snapped a few shots, adjusting the frame and making minor changes to his pose. He was naked, his body still damp in a few places from his shower.
He’d got back to the room feeling particularly energized after his evening’s workout, and that energy had quickly settled between his legs. He’d been half-hard his entire shower, but knew he wanted to save his energies for later when Archie got off work. The general horniness, however, he figured he could put to good use.
He snapped a few final photos, then walked into the room and plopped down on the bed, still nary a stitch of clothing. He scrolled through the images on his phone, comparing and appreciating them. He looked particularly toned, no doubt assisted by the glow of the hotel mirror light. His dick looked plump and enticing, and his body hair provided the perfect shading on his muscular body.
He looked really damn good.
He selected a few photos and attached them to a message, typing a quick caption below.
“Why is 10:00 still so far away?”
He sent the message, hoping the bar wasn’t too busy for Archie to get to it. It must not have been, because two minutes later Archie replied.
“I don’t know, but you better still be like that when I get there.”
“Aye aye, cap’n,” he sent.
Graham smiled, chuckled, ran a hand across his bare stomach. He liked this playful sexuality between them, this volley of innuendos, the freedom with which their sex wove in and out of their normal interactions.
During his marriage, sex, while plentiful as an action, had always remained a little taboo as a topic of conversation. In the environment where he and Julie met, sex had been a duty, a marital obligation, a pretty straightforward matter of man and woman, husband and wife. It was presented to them as something so uncomplicated that there wouldn't be questions or doubts or concerns, much less individual tastes and differences. It was simply how they strengthened their marriage, and so long as it accomplished that goal, there was no need for further exploration.
Not that he hadn’t joyfully upheld his end of the deal, but he realized now that he and Julie had never quite outgrown that inherent prudishness, that modesty proclaimed from the pulpit. Until now, he had never felt a freedom to explore sexuality without the pressure of expectation and propriety getting in his way. He'd never been able to ask questions, indulge fantasies, determine what he liked and why he liked it. But now, with Archie, he finally could.
With Archie, sexuality was just a fact of life. It wasn’t something to be managed by shame or fear; it was an important part of their respective selves – an intimate and beautiful lexicon of desire and personality and connection. It was a noteworthy component of their relationship, both inside the bedroom and out, a way for them to connect as men and as lovers. He liked that they got to be silly and horny and unashamed about their urges. He liked that this part of him didn't have to live in shadows or secrecy, carefully scrubbed for the sake of a sanitized, appropriate image. He liked that now, finally, it got to live in the sunlight and breathe fresh air along with everything else.
And so, it was in this cheerful, enlightened headspace that Graham fucked Archie silly on the hotel armchair.
He had directed Archie to strip as soon he'd arrived at Graham's room. Archie had obliged, naturally. Then, he told Archie to go to the chair in the corner. Archie obeyed and took a seat, waiting patiently for further instruction.
“Uh uh,” Graham shook his head. “Other way.”
Archie had been repressing a grin as he stood, turned around, and crawled on the chair on his knees, bracing his elbows rested on the headrest. Graham slowly crossed the room and knelt behind him.
He studied Archie’s hole – the tight, pink slit of smooth skin that rose in fell in small ridges, the tufts of dark hair surrounding it, the patch of skin that traveled down to Archie’s heavy balls. As he drank in every detail, he was reminded of the feeling of it opening up for him, allowing him entrance. His mouth began to water. Placing his hands on Archie’s firm cheeks, Graham leaned forward and stuck out his tongue.
“Shit,” Archie gasped as it made contact. “This is a nice surprise.”
“Wanted to try something new,” Graham mumbled before returning to work.
His tongue licked and lapped and prodded, savoring the new sensations. The taste was surprisingly neutral, warm and clean, and the smell was undeniably Archie, as if his essence had been captured, concentrated, distilled. Archie clearly loved the feeling, rocking his hips back into Graham's face while he moaned into the armchair. Finally, when Graham could no longer resist, he stood, took hold of Archie's hips, and pressed into him.
Afterwards, they melted onto the bed, where Archie cuddled into Graham's arms, his smooth back pressed against Graham's chest.
“I liked that,” Archie said. Graham could hear the smile in his voice.
“Yeah? Me too.”
“I like when you want to try new things with me.”
Graham's heart fluttered a little at this confession.
“Why's that?”
“I don't know,” Archie admitted. “I think it makes me feel like you trust me.”
“I do trust you.” Graham kissed Archie's shoulder blade and pulled Archie tighter against his chest.
“And, this might sound stupid, but I like being the one there for your first time. It's hot,” he chuckled, shaking against Graham. “But it also just feels…I don't know, special.”
Graham pondered this for a moment. He could appreciate the sentiment, but it inspired a question he wasn't sure he wanted to ask.
“Who was your first time with?” he heard himself say.
“I guess I had a few different first times,” Archie replied quietly.
“Will you tell me about them?” Graham asked.
Archie was quiet for a second, long enough to make Graham regret asking.
“You really want to know?” Archie asked. His voice was calm and neutral. Curious.
“Yeah,” Graham nodded. “You got to be here for all of my firsts so far. I think it would be nice to know about yours.”
He felt Archie take a breath, exhale.
“The first guy I did anything with was a guy named Sean. We matched on Tinder and met up for a coffee date one evening. He invited me over to his place after and we made out for a bit. Then he wanted me to suck him off, so I did. He returned the favor. And that was pretty much it. Nothing crazy.”
“But you liked it?” Graham said, his voice somewhere between a question and an observation. “Enough to keep going, at least.”
“Yeah, I did. It piqued my interest, anyways.” He paused. “Honestly, I stuck to hands and mouths and stuff for a while. The first time I topped someone was a guy from Grindr – Matt or Mark or something – was like a year later. It took me a bit to make the switch over to Grindr. That one had no date, it was strictly business. He just came over one night and we went into my room and got to it.” He paused for a moment. “It was good. He…well, he knew what he was doing, so I think that helped. And once I crossed that bridge, it was pretty easy to stay on the other side.”
“So,” Graham said softly. “Your first wasn't a relationship or anything?”
“Nope,” Archie said flatly. “Quite the opposite. Which was nice, in a way. I knew if it didn't go well I'd never have to see him again. But it also made it kind of…performative, I guess.”
“I can see that.” Graham kissed Archie's shoulder again. “And what about…the other way?”
“The first time I bottomed was this guy named Devon. He was older, like twenty-eight or thirty. Pretty buff. I honestly didn’t think I was gonna be bottoming when we met up, until I noticed things started heading in that direction…but he was cool so I decided to just go with it.”
“Dang,” Graham marveled. “I don’t think I could go into that without being very mentally prepared.”
Archie laughed.
“Yeah, I probably wouldn’t recommend it. But it was fine, honestly. Better than it should have been for a first time like that. I had a few other times that…well, didn’t go as well.”
“What do you mean?”
“They just…were kinda rough. Hurt me a little bit.”
Graham’s arm tightened around Archie instinctively, and he felt his heartbeat stutter.
“I hope I haven’t…hurt you or anything,” Graham said.
Archie shuffled in Graham’s arms, turning to face him. His face was gentle, his eyes sincere.
“Not even a little bit.”
Graham’s thumb found Archie’s cheek, his fingers found their way into Archie’s hair. “Just tell me if I ever do, okay?”
“Okay,” Archie nodded. “Deal.”
A new question entered Graham’s mind, one he hoped might lighten the mood.
“What about you and Trey?” He asked. “When you guys hooked up, who…did what?”
Archie flashed a mischievous smile.
“Someone’s curious,” he teased.
“I am!” Graham confessed. “We both know I’ve pictured it, I just want to make sure I’ve got an accurate recreation.”
Archie rolled his eyes and laughed.
“I was the top,” he said matter-of-factly. “Trey is a definite bottom, which is probably good cuz his dick is huge.”
Graham burst into laughter.
“You know, I had a feeling.”
“Speaking of Trey,” Archie cut in. “I took this weekend off from the bar. I thought it would be nice to have some extra time together. What would you think about having dinner with Trey and his boyfriend? Maybe do a little double-date?”
Graham smiled, touched by Archie’s thoughtfulness and excited by the prospect of seeing Trey again after all that had happened. He wanted to show that he had kept promise, that he’d taken good care of Archie.
“I’d love to.”
