Manny's Father - Manny's Story part 8

I stripped off the shorts and t-shirt that I had worn to walk Cesar to his car, so now I was naked again, my body entwined with Manny’s. I felt like this was a dream, but I could tell, looking in his eyes, that his declaration of love was real. I wanted to hear it again though. “You really mean it Manny?” I asked. “Yeah, I really mean it,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine. He said it again, “I really love you Eric,” his hand gently caressing my face. “I feel like I’m the man I’m supposed to be now and it’s because of you,” he said. “You treat me like I’m the most important person in the world,” he continued, “and no one outside my family has ever been so wonderful to me and you never ask me for anything and….,” and I interrupted him by kissing him, slowly, deeply and I felt his soft, warm mouth respond, his tongue and mine embracing, our arms wrapped tightly around each other before I reluctantly broke the kiss and gazed into his eyes. “You are the most important person in the world to me Manny,” I said, “and all I want from you is this, us together like we are right now.” I gave him a gentle kiss on the lips and then said, “It was that text you sent me yesterday that made me realize how I felt about you.” “Really?” he asked. “Yes,” I said, “when you told me you missed me.” “Well, of course I missed you Eric,” he said. “Yeah,” I said, “but it’s been a long time since anyone has ever said that to me.” I paused, kissed him again and said, “That’s when I realized I loved you and I thought about how and when to tell you, but then, well, you beat me to it.” I smiled at him and he gave me a sweet smile in return and said, “Yeah, I guess I did.” He looked at me and asked, “This is real then, isn’t it? You love me, I love you; it’s real, not a dream right?” and the love I felt for him washed over me yet again, surrounding me, enveloping me and I said, “It’s real Manny,” and I kissed him once more, a kiss powered by passion, desire and for the first time, love.

I rolled over so that I was on my back and Manny put his arm across my torso and his head on my chest. We stayed like that for a while, just enjoying the closeness and intimacy, holding each other in a quiet, gentle embrace. Finally, Manny broke the silence. “Eric?” he said. “Yeah baby?” I asked. He turned to face me and asked, “What happens now?” I looked at him and saw emotion mixed with slight confusion and even possibly some fear. I didn’t have a ready answer for him, so I answered honestly. “I don’t know,” I said, “it’s been a long time since I felt this way about anybody.” He nodded and said, “It’s really the first time for me.” He looked at me with a slight grin and said, “That bitch Ana doesn’t really count.” I laughed, then so did he and the intensity of the situation seemed to ease a little. “Seriously though,” he asked, “how does this change our relationship? Or does it? I love you Eric, but now for some reason, I’m scared and I don’t know what to do.” “You don’t need to be scared,” I said, “and you don’t need to do anything that you’re not ready for.” I recognized the confused expression on his face. I had seen it in my own when I was his age and had fallen in love with Rey. “The only thing that’s changed,” I said, “is how we feel about each other and that’s enough for now, isn’t it?” He looked me in the eye, his face somewhat calmer now and asked, “Is it enough for you?” “Yes Manny,” I said, “it’s enough for me. For now, okay?” He nodded and said, “Then it’s enough for me too.” He grinned and said, “For now.” I gave him a quick grin in return, then said, “I only ask one thing of you.” “What’s that?” he asked. “Honesty,” I said. I made sure I had his full attention then I continued, “If anything changes for you, like how you feel or what you want, you tell me okay? Promise me Manny.” His face was serious as he nodded vigorously and said, “I promise Eric. No lies, no hiding anything.” I kissed him and said, “Good. I promise the same in return okay?” “Okay,” he said. I kissed him again, longer and deeper this time.

The buzz of Manny’s phone broke the reverie. He looked over and said, “Oh shit, it’s my dad.” He groaned as he looked at his phone and realized what time it was. “It’s past dinnertime,” he said, “he’s probably wondering where I am.” He answered and said, “Hey dad. Yeah, sorry we were watching TV and I lost track of time. Yeah, I know. Dad, I’m sorry. I’m coming home now. Bye.” He disconnected and said, “I have to go. He’s mad because dinner’s ready and I’m not there.” “Go,” I said, “the last thing you need right now is to have your father angry with you.” “Tell me about it,” he said, “he’s already getting suspicious about all the time I’m spending with my ‘friend’. He thinks we should be out chasing women and having fun.” He paused and said, “I’m going to have to tell him at some point because eventually he’s going to want to meet you and when he finds out who you really are, I don’t know what he’ll do.” “Well don’t worry about that now,” I said, “Go now before he gets even more pissed and I’ll see you tomorrow evening.” He got out of bed, dressed quickly and after a fierce hug and a last passionate kiss, he was gone.

The following night I was waiting for Manny to show up for our usual visit to the gym. Promptly at 7:00 p.m., just like always, I heard Manny knock on the door. I opened the door and there he stood. Along with his father, José, who I hadn’t seen since he and his crew had renovated my kitchen back in April. To say I was stunned would be an understatement. Why was he here and what had Manny told him? Even though in the back on my mind, I knew this encounter was coming, I had managed to avoid thinking about it. Now my brain went into nervous overdrive, though he didn’t seem the least bit hostile, on the surface anyway, despite the hard stare he was giving me.  He was an attractive man, an older version of Manny, but with a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee. He was slightly taller than me, in his mid-forties, deeply tanned, dressed casually in a long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans, with a compact frame that was definitely fit and tough looking, but through physical labor rather than the gym. His hair was cut short just like his son’s, black, but with streaks of grey starting to show. His face, though handsome, had a rough, hard look about it. I noticed he was slowly clenching and unclenching his fists, which made me realize how tense he was and how he could probably beat the shit out of me if he wanted. While all this was going through my head, he said, “Hello Mr. Watson. You remember me don’t you?” “Yes, of course I remember you Mr. Campos,” I said while trying to calm the anxiety in my voice, “how are you?” I looked at Manny, who stood to the side and slightly behind his father; his face looked stricken and he mouthed the words I’m sorry.

“You know why I’m here, don’t you?” said José. I nodded and said, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I know why.” I took a deep breath to try and calm my nerves and said, “Why don’t you come inside and we can talk?” and stepped aside to let him through. He knew where the living room was, having been in my house before during the remodel. He and Manny sat on the sofa and I took the chair opposite. There was an uncomfortable silence, then José refocused his hard stare on me and said, “I’ll get straight to the point. I want to know what you think you’re doing fucking my son.” His voice was intense and emotional, but I sensed no hatred, so I took a deep breath and said, “Manny told you everything, I take it.” “Yeah,” he said, “he told me that you’re the friend he’s been spending all his time with these past couple of months.” He paused, then said, “He led me to believe it was someone his age, not someone older than his own father.” He turned to glare at Manny, who hung his head in shame and embarrassment at having lied to his dad. He turned back to me and asked, “So how did you two actually meet? Let’s see if he was lying about that also.” Oh shit, I thought, now what? If José finds out how we really met, he’ll kill me and disown his son. Knowing that, Manny would have stuck with the lie about meeting at the gym. Jesus Christ, I hope so.

“We met at the gym,” I said, wondering how much detail I should add and decided to go with something vague, “We struck up a conversation one day and well, one thing led to another.” I glanced at Manny; he looked relieved and gave me a barely perceptible nod, which meant that we had our story straight. José looked at Manny, then back at me with a satisfied look. We’d passed the first and definitely worst hurdle and I breathed a silent sigh of relief. “And so what then,” José asked, “you brought him here and he just jumped into bed with you?” “Not exactly,” I said. I was getting angry, but I had to keep it under control. “It happened gradually,” I said. I hated lying to the man, but if he found out the whole truth, heaven knows what he would do. I had to protect not just Manny, but myself. I thought of a way to blunt his questioning. “Do you really want me to tell you the graphic details?” I asked. “No, I don’t want to hear the details, you sick fuck,” he said, then muttered under his breath, “Jesucristo, no puedo creer que mi hijo se esté follando a un maldito maricón (Jesus Christ, I can't believe my son is fucking a damned faggot)” My anger suddenly got away from me and I said, “Mira, sé que estás molesto, pero no uses esa palabra para referirte a él o a mí nunca más. Entendido? (Look man, I know you're upset, but don't ever use that word to refer to me or him ever again. Understood?)”

The stunned look on José’s face was a welcome change in the conversation. He turned to his son and Manny just smiled and said, “Yeah papi, he speaks Spanish.” José looked suddenly embarrassed and had trouble looking me in the eye. “Sorry man, that was wrong” he finally said, “it’s just that this is a seriously fucked up situation for me to deal with, you know? I know you probably think because I’m Latino that I must automatically hate gays. Well, I don’t hate anyone, gay, straight, bisexual, transsexual or whatever but this is my son damn it! This wasn’t what I wanted. It’s not what I had planned for him!” He glared at me, then continued, “I don't want him going through life with others hating him or attacking him! I don’t want our family to reject him! And I don’t want him working for me forever! I want him to eventually have his own life, his own job, maybe go to school. I want him to be safe! Can you imagine how I feel being a father who can’t protect his son?” That remark hit home with me. I realized it wasn’t just anger José was feeling. It was fear. Fear of the unknown future that awaited his son now that he knew who he truly was. Fear that he had lost control over the one part of his life that he was desperate to protect at all costs. “You’re right,” I said, “I’m not a father and I don’t know what it’s like to fear for a son. We know what you want for Manny. I get it, really I do. But have you thought about what Manny wants for himself?” José’s anger suddenly dissipated and his head sagged forward. “I don’t know man,” he said, his head moving slowly side to side, “I just don’t know. I want what’s best for my son. That’s all man.”

Finally he looked up at me and asked, “Do you love Manny?” I looked him straight in the eye and answered honestly, “Yes, I love him. And no, I don’t know where this thing between us is going, but I love and care about him more than anything. If he’s with me, nobody will hurt him. You have my word on that. And the minute that Manny decides that this isn’t right for him, all he has to do is tell me and I’ll bow out gracefully. Okay?” He dropped his gaze slightly, as though lost in thought, then slowly nodded and appeared to come to a decision. “Okay. Yeah, okay I guess,” he said. He was silent again for a moment, then said, “Look Manny is becoming his own man and if this is who he is, then so be it. I still don’t know how I feel about it,” then looking directly at me said, “or about you.” I nodded, but said nothing. He was right of course; he had no reason to trust me, especially with his son. I hoped he would give me a chance. He turned to look at Manny, “but he’s my son and I love him no matter what.” Manny’s face showed immense relief and he smiled at his dad while clearly struggling to hold back tears. José rubbed Manny’s head with affection, then pulled him into a brief, intense hug. I smiled, thinking how much better this had turned out than when I had told my father. José abruptly stood up and I immediately did the same. “I’m going now,” he said and extended his hand for me to shake, “and thanks for your time Mr. Watson.” I shook his hand and said, “Of course and please call me Eric.” He released the handshake and said, “Okay. You can call me José then. We’ll talk again, I’m sure.” I nodded my head and said, “I hope so.” “Come on Manny,” he said, “let’s go home.” “Actually dad,” Manny said, “I’m going to stay with Eric for a while. Okay?” José almost seemed to be about to object, but instead nodded and said, “Sure. See you at home then.” As I walked him to the door, José turned and gave me a very direct, almost cold look. “One last thing,” he said. “Of course,” I said. “If you ever harm Manny, either physically or emotionally,” he said, his voice deadly serious, “I’ll kill you without hesitation. Understand?” I read his meaning loud and clear. “I understand,” I said in the most respectful tone I could muster.

As soon as the door shut behind his father, Manny stood up, came over to me and said, “Eric, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know he was going to do this. He tore into me last night about me being late for dinner and then we argued about me spending so much time away from home and finally I just told him the truth,” he paused, then continued, “I don’t know what made him angrier, the fact that I was gay or that I had lied to him. I thought he had gotten over it today, but when I told him I was going to your place for our usual gym meetup, he said he was coming too and there was no stopping him and I thought he was going to hurt you and I didn’t know what to do and….,” his voice slowly trailed off and I embraced him, holding him close to try to calm him down. “Don’t be upset Manny,” I said, “that actually went much better than I had expected.” He broke the embrace and began pacing around the living room, like he was trying to get rid of the tension. “Yeah, I guess it did,” he said, “but I was so scared the entire time and now I’m relieved and exhausted and drained and I don’t know what to do now.” He went back to the sofa and sat down again. I sat next to him and put my arm around his shoulders. He turned to look at me and said, “I mean four months ago I hadn’t even met you and I was still telling myself that I was straight. Now I’m in love with you and my father knows that I’m gay and yeah, I know he said he’s okay with it, but it’s still a lot to take in, you know?” I kissed him softly on his forehead and said, “Yes, I know. I went through this with my own family and I can definitely say that your father took the news far better than my own did.” “Really?” he asked. “Yeah,” I said, “My own father threw me out of the house, although by that time I was twenty-two years old, finished with school and was planning to move in with Rey anyway.” I smiled ruefully at the memory and said, “I just had to leave home sooner than I planned.” Manny looked somewhat shocked. “Wow,” he said, “that’s fucked up man.” He was silent for a moment, then said, “There’s so much about you that I don’t know Eric.” He looked at me directly and asked, “Will you tell me your story one day, about you and Rey, how you met him, how long you were together, why you came to Texas, all that?” I looked at him and realized that he wanted to know more about me because he really did love me. “Yes, I will,” I said. “One day we’ll sit down, have a drink and I’ll tell you everything. I promise.” He smiled and said, “Okay. When you’re ready.”

He leaned over and kissed my lips, a slow gentle kiss at first. He pulled back, those beautiful dark eyes looking directly into mine. “I love you so much Eric,” he said, then kissed me again, with more passion this time, his tongue thrusting into my mouth. My arousal was immediate and I pulled him close, responding to his kiss by entwining my tongue with his, my cock already getting hard. He reached down and started massaging my groin through my jeans, then he broke the kiss and gazed into my face yet again. “Fuck me Eric,” he said, his tone more lustful than I had ever heard it. “Please Eric, I need you to make me feel good. I want you inside me. Fuck me Eric, please, I need it, I need it now,” and I kissed him again hard and deep, pulling him close so I could feel his body against mine. I kissed him on both cheeks, then his forehead, then looked at him and said, “I love you too Manny. Stand in front of me now okay?” and as he did so, I scooted forward so that I was on the edge of the sofa, my face directly in front of his groin. Looking up at him, I started rubbing his cock through his sweatpants and I saw his face go from desire to arousal as I felt his manhood rapidly harden. “Take your shoes off,” I said and he pried his sneakers off and kicked them aside, then reached down to remove his socks. “Good boy,” I said and I pulled his sweatpants and underwear down and off so that his cock sprang out. I stared at his beautiful, caramel colored, eight inch piece of meat, then opened my mouth and swallowed it all at once.

“Oh God Eric, that feels so fucking good,” he moaned as I took his cock to the hilt, running my tongue over every inch. I raised my eyes to look at him and as he gazed downward at me I saw the lust in his eyes as I sucked and slobbered over his delicious tool. He ran his fingers through my hair, then in a seemingly involuntary move, started to gently force my head farther down on his cock. “Oh yeah baby,” he said, “I love it when you suck my dick, but I want you to fuck me,” and as he continued to look down at me, his expression changed from lustful to pleading. “Are you going to fuck me Eric?” he asked, then he said, “Please Eric, I need your cock in my ass, I need it so fucking bad right now,” and I took his cock from my mouth, saliva dripping from it and said, “Of course, I’ll fuck you baby, anything you want. I just want to taste your cock and balls first, okay?” and he sighed then nodded and said, “Go for it.” I swallowed his cock yet again, loving the taste as always, deep throating it while listening to Manny’s moans of pleasure. Yeah, I was definitely going to fuck him. Sucking his cock had already made my own as hard as concrete. I licked and sucked his balls also, loving the smell that emanated from his perfect head of pubic hair. I looked up and saw that his attention was focused on me. “You ready to be fucked now baby?” I asked. “God yes,” he said, “and fuck me hard.” He paused and then said, “Like the day we met.”

I stood up and pulled his tank top off so that he was completely naked. I looked into his gorgeous dark eyes and saw a level of smoldering lust that I had never seen in him before. He was dead serious. I gave him a brief kiss on the lips, then said, “Let’s go to the bedroom.” I followed him down the hallway, unable to tear my eyes away from his beautiful brown ass. We went into the bedroom and he practically jumped on the bed and got on his hands and knees, his tight, round butt ready and eager for my cock. I was still dressed in the street clothes I had planned to wear to the gym. I started to strip, all the time gazing into Manny’s eyes as he watched from the bed. Shoes and socks went first. I pulled my t-shirt off next, then ran my hands over my torso, playing with my nipples while giving Manny a slightly seductive grin. “God damn Eric, stop fucking teasing me,” he said, “get naked and fuck me.” I got close to the bed, leaned down and kissed him on the lips. “Whatever you say baby,” I whispered. I took off my jeans and underwear and stood there naked, my rock hard cock throbbing and proudly on display for my young stud. I grabbed it and shook it at him. “You want his up your ass baby?” I asked. “Please Eric,” he moaned, “don’t make me wait anymore.” I got the lube from the night stand drawer and whispered in his ear, “My baby gets whatever he wants.”

I got in the bed and positioned myself behind him. I spread his firm cheeks do I could see his gorgeous brown hole. Despite all the times I had fucked him, it was still as tight and sexy as ever. I poured a generous amount of lube on his fuck hole, then worked my fingers inside to get him relaxed and loose. “Oh fuck yeah,” I heard him groan with pleasure, “get my ass ready for that big cock.” I lubed up my dick and pushed the head against that sweet hole. I felt it pop inside him and I heard him gasp and say, “Oh yeah, that’s it, now slam that in me like the day you caught me stealing,” and those words set my lust aflame and I growled like a beast and shoved all eight inches of my cock right into his asshole and started fucking him like I was possessed. “Oh god yes,” he almost screamed, “that’s it Eric, fuck me like an animal. I fucking love your dick in my ass. Yeah, fuck me hard baby.” I pounded his hole like crazy, shoving my cock in and out at a savage pace, his hole giving me just as much physical pleasure as it had that day we met. I remembered how sweet it had felt during that first encounter, when I all but raped him, thinking at the time that he was nothing more than a young punk, a common thief. Now I was fucking him as hard as I could, because he wanted it, because he demanded it and because I loved him.

I looked down at my rock hard cock going in and out of his sexy, compact ass as I continued to fuck him from behind, feeling the tight flesh of his hole massaging and caressing my cock. His lean back muscles were showing a little more definition now from our workouts and his butt was firming up nicely. My cock was throbbing like mad, but I wanted to see his face when I shot my load in him. I pulled out of him slowly, then gently turned him on his back. He looked up at me with adoration on his face, spread his legs wide like a slut and said, “Oh fuck Eric, put that dick back in me, please.” I got between his thighs and started teasing his hole with my cock head. “Yeah baby?” I asked in a low whisper, “you want more of this?” “Please Eric,” he begged me, “please put it back inside me.” I felt the head of my cock once again enter him and I felt his tight hole clench around it. He shuddered with pleasure, eyes closed at first, then opened them and looked at me with lust and love. “Do you love me Eric?” he asked. “More than anything Manny,” I said. “Then fuck me Eric,” he said. “Yes Manny,” I said and drove my cock back in him as hard as I could.

“Oh god yes,” he moaned, “that’s what I need, that dick in my ass. Fuck me Eric, make me feel it.” He reached down and started playing with his own dick, making it rapidly get hard while I started savagely fucking him again, thrusting my cock in him as hard as I could. His handsome face was totally focused on me, his eyes never leaving mine. He smiled ever so slightly as he said, “I love it when you fuck my ass Eric. I love feeling every inch of you in my fuck hole, that big, thick cock pounding my guts.” His dirty talk was driving me wild, so I picked up the pace of my fucking, slamming him so hard that my balls were slapping his ass. “I love fucking you Manny, god damn baby you’re the best ass I’ve ever had,” I said through clenched teeth because I could feel my orgasm building as I kept pounding his sweet hole. “Oh fuck yeah, that’s right Eric,” he said in a lustful tone, “I’m the best, my hole belongs to you, oh yeah, fuck me hard. I want to be your slut, your puta, your bitch,” and my lust for him intensified and I said, “God damn, you horny fucker, you got me so close to cumming.” “Yeah baby, that’s it,” he said, “give me that hot cum load,” and now I was moaning with pleasure and I said, “Damn Manny, I don’t want to cum yet, it feels so good just fucking you.” I was holding off as best as I could, but a few more minutes of thrusting in his tight ass left me unable to stop it. “Oh fuck Manny, I’m about to bust my load in your ass,” I said, still fucking his hole like a madman, “yeah, I can’t fucking hold it anymore,” and he hissed at me, “Give it to me Eric, all your cum, I want it all,” and I felt the familiar pulsing and throbbing in my cock and the pleasure was so intense I could barely stand it. “Oh yeah Manny, I’m cumming, I’m cumming in your ass baby, oh fuuucckk yeahhhh!!!” and my cock exploded inside him, shooting load after load of my hot, thick cum, filling him up as I kept shoving my tool in and out of him; each thrust brought another full load of seed from my cock head into his fuck hole. I fucked him steadily, the cum pouring out of me as if it would never stop, until finally my balls were drained and I was drenched in sweat from the intense energy of ravaging him. I felt my cock start to go limp as I looked at him and said, “Damn Manny, you got it all baby, every fucking drop of cum I had,” and he gave a wicked grin and said, “Yeah and I fucking deserve it, don’t I?” “Always Manny,” I said, “always.” I pulled out of him and collapsed on my back next to him, gasping for breath.

He was still on his back as well and was stroking his own rock hard cock like mad. “Oh fuck Eric, I’m gonna cum,” he said, “I’m gonna fucking shoot my load baby.” “Not yet baby,” I said, “don’t cum yet.” He stopped pounding his meat for a second. “The fuck you say?” he asked incredulously. “Straddle my chest,” I ordered him, “and cum in my face.” “God damn baby, really?” he asked as he got into position and began furiously stroking his cock again, “you want my hot load all over that handsome face?” “Fuck yeah Manny,” I moaned, “cover me with it,” and I heard his breathing grow more rapid as he continued to beat his meat. His beautiful brown cock was aimed right at my face and it was all I could see, all I could focus on. I heard him moan, “Oh fuck Eric, I’m gonna cum. Oh fuck yeah baby. Oh yeah here it comes. Awwww fuuucckk!!!” and a huge load of his young spunk spat from his cock and hit me right between the eyes. He kept pounding his dick and I felt more cum hit my cheeks, my nose, and my forehead. He shot on my mouth and I licked my lips so I could taste him. I felt some of it drip down my chin; god damn I loved that he could always produce a gusher like that. He pumped his beautiful tool until he had shot the last of his load on me, then began rubbing his still hard cock all over my face, smearing his cum everywhere, coating his tool with his fresh, warm seed. He gazed down at me and said, “Lick it clean baby,” and I eagerly stuck my tongue out and licked his cum off his cock, savoring the flavor of him. He lowered himself to me and licked the rest of his load off my face, then locked his lips onto mine, driving his tongue into my mouth, kissing me with an almost desperate passion, his body now lying on top of mine, every inch of his nakedness rubbing against every inch of mine. I returned his kiss with equal strength, driven by the love and lust I felt for this beautiful young man.

Eventually exhaustion overtook us and Manny rolled off me and lay on his back again next to me, breathing heavily as I was. A gradual calm slowly descended over us both and I heard him whisper, “Thank you. God I needed that.” I turned on my side to face him and said with a smile while gently caressing his face, “No need to thank me baby. I think I needed that also.” He smiled back, that sweet, affectionate smile he always displayed after sex and said, “Great stress relief, huh?” I smiled and said, “The best,” and then pulled him close so that I could once again feel his naked body against mine. The touch of his skin made me realize that I wanted one thing more from him, something I had never asked of him before. I asked hesitantly, “Manny?” “What baby?” he said. I kissed him gently on the lips and then looked directly into his eyes and said, “Spend the night with me.” His eyes widened in surprise. “Really?” he asked. “Yes really,” I said, “I want to fall asleep with your body touching mine and I want to wake up with my arms around you. Please Manny, stay the night.” His expression was as tender as I had ever seen it and he looked like he really wanted to say yes. He kissed me, then said, “Eric, I want to, I really do. But I think I need to spend some time with my dad and reassure him that he still has a son.” He paused and then said, “I should probably start by going home tonight and making our working day tomorrow as normal as possible. You understand, don’t you?” I was disappointed, but I nodded and said, “Yes, of course, I understand. Maybe this weekend though?” Manny smiled and said, “Maybe. We’ll see okay?” He got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I followed and after a quick shower he got dressed and headed home.

The next day was Tuesday and Manny and I resumed our routine at the gym. I asked him how things were between him and his father and he said that everything seemed to be somewhat back to normal. He definitely was less stressed and far more at ease than he had been the day before. I also noticed over the course of the next few days that he wasn’t afraid to hide his feelings for me anymore; every time we were at the gym, he would, from time to time, catch me gazing at him and always responded with a sweet, loving grin, not caring who saw. We ran into Cesar several times during the week and by Friday, he had figured out the change in our relationship. I was hanging out downstairs waiting for Manny to finish up his cardio upstairs, when Cesar came up to me grinning and said, “So, I’m pretty certain from looking at you two recently that the word love has finally been said by one of you.” I grinned also and said, “Yeah, it has.” “Let me guess who said it first,” Cesar said, his grin giving way to a slightly bitter smile. “It was Manny, wasn’t it?” he asked. I nodded, feeling somewhat guilty because I knew the reason for his bitterness. Cesar had been hoping over the past few years that I would say it to him. He embraced me suddenly and whispered in my ear, “I’m happy for you baby,” then broke the embrace, but kept his hands on my shoulders before moving them up to gently caress my face. His face a conflicting maze of emotions, he said, “I mean it Eric. I’m happy for you, really. You deserve someone in your life who loves you.” I could tell that he wanted to say, even if it isn’t me, but instead he said, “See you later Eric,” and turned to walk away. “Later Cesar,” I said as I watched him head for the locker room.

I stood there a minute, surprised to feel somewhat guilty and ashamed. I knew Cesar had always wanted more from me than sex and friendship and I wondered (not for the first time) why I hadn’t given him more of a chance over the last four years. I had met him about a year after I had kicked Mark out of my life and despite what I had told Cesar, a year should have been plenty of time to get over a bad relationship, even one as abusive as Mark had been. Cesar was smart, cultured, sexy and fun, with a good job as a paralegal at one of the most prestigious law firms in Dallas. I genuinely liked and cared for him; logic suggested that we would have made a good match. But logic doesn’t dictate our emotional behavior. Fear and uncertainty had held me back. Then when I was finally ready to give love a chance again, along came Manny. I sighed to myself, thinking that Cesar deserved someone to love him also. It just couldn’t be me.

I was so lost in thought that I hadn’t realized that Manny had finished his cardio and was heading in my direction. He gave me a brief hug and a discreet kiss on the cheek. “Everything okay?” he asked with a look of concern on his face. I forced a smile and said, “Yeah, everything’s fine.” Manny still looked a little worried though. “You sure?” he asked, “Because I saw you and Cesar talking and he seemed sad about something….” “Everything’s fine,” I said, interrupting him, “really, I promise.” The last thing I needed right now was to drag Manny into my conflicted thoughts about Cesar. Manny looked unconvinced, but he dropped the subject and said, “Okay then, you ready to go shower?” “Yeah,” I said, still with that forced smile, “let’s clean up and head home.”

Driving home, I was quiet, lost in my own thoughts. Manny was silent as well, almost brooding, but I didn’t notice it until I had pulled into the garage and killed the engine. I looked over at him and realized I needed to do something to distract him from thinking about what had transpired between Cesar and myself. I gave his shoulder a gentle shake. “You okay?” I asked. He looked up, smiled and said, “Yeah, I’m good.” “Feel like joining me for a drink?” I asked, then added, “You know I hate to drink alone.” He chuckled and said, “Okay, one drink, then I gotta head home.” “Great,” I said, “come on then,” and we went into the house. I got tequila for him and rum for myself. As I watched him take his first sip, I suddenly remembered something he had told me on his second visit to my house months ago. “Manny didn’t you tell me once that you liked to draw?” I asked him. He seemed to perk up at the question and said, “Yeah, I love to draw, even though it’s hard to find the time for it these days.” “How come you’ve never shown me any of your drawings,” I asked. He looked surprised. “I don’t know,” he said, “I guess I didn’t think you were interested.” He paused, then looked at me, his voice suddenly eager, “You really want to see them?” he asked. “Yeah baby,” I said, “of course I do.” “Wow,” he said, smiling and happy, “okay, cool. Can I bring them by tomorrow?” “Sure thing,” I said, “I can’t wait to see them.” “Awesome,” he said and drained the rest of his drink. He stood up and said, “I gotta go now, see you tomorrow okay?” and with a fierce hug and a sloppy wet kiss, he was gone. I watched him walk down the street with a definite spring in his step. Feeling much better, I went to my bedroom, stripped naked, fell into bed and was asleep within minutes.

Manny arrived around noon the next day, Saturday, with a large art folder tucked under his arm. “Oh cool, you brought your work,” I said as I hugged him at the door, “bring it over to the dining table so I can take a look.” He set the folder on the table, but before I could open it, he had grabbed my hand and was dragging me to the bedroom. “First things first,” he said as he threw me on the bed, stripped us both naked and fucked me senseless. Later we sat at the table while I looked at his work. “Damn Manny,” I said, “these are really good. The detail is amazing. You use graphite and colored pencil?” “Yeah, that’s right,” he said, sounding surprised that I knew. I pointed to one and asked, “That’s Marcus Park isn’t it?” He nodded and said, “Yup.” I looked at some of the rest. “Wow, that’s the Latin grocery over in Royal Plaza.” He nodded again and said, “Yeah, I actually made two versions of that one. The owner of the store bought the other one.” I stared at him with newfound respect. “So you’re not just a sexy young man that I’m in love with,” I said, “you’re also a talented artist.” He shrugged his shoulders and said, “Not really. I just like drawing is all.” I reached out and held his face in my hands so I could look directly into his eyes. “Manny,” I said, “you created something beautiful and detailed, then sold it to someone who appreciated it. You’re an artist.” I sat back and thought for a second. “Have you ever been to the Dallas Museum of Art?” I asked him. “Yeah,” he said, “on a field trip in grade school a long time ago. Why?” “Because they have some works on paper that are very similar to your work,” I said. “Really?” he asked. “Really,” I said, “in fact, I’m a member at the museum. How about we go next Saturday and I can show you what I’m talking about. It’d be nice to get out and do something different, don’t you think?” “Wow, okay sure,” he said. He gave me a crafty grin and asked, “We can still fuck after the museum though, right?” I just laughed and shook my head at his priorities. “Like I’m really going to say no to that,” I said. “Just checking,” he said with a mischievous grin, then, “so what time should I be here?” “The museum opens at 11:00 a.m.,” I said, “so we need to leave here no later than 10:30 a.m.” “Cool,” he said, “it’s a date then.” He was silent for a minute then asked, “How about I drive us for a change?” Somewhat surprised, I asked, “You have a car?” He laughed and said, “Of course I do. How do you think I get around when I’m not with you? Fly on my broomstick?” “Very funny,” I said, “so what kind of car do you have?” “Actually I have a Jeep Wrangler,” he said. “Really?” I asked. “Yeah, really,” he said, “my dad bought it for me when I turned eighteen.” “Wow,” I said. “You seem surprised,” he said. “No, not really,” I said, “just imagining how sexy you must look behind the wheel, wearing one of your tight tank tops, with the window rolled down and your arm hanging out as you cruise down the highway.” “Well, I don’t know about all that,” he said. “But I do drive fast though,” He grinned and said, “Hope I don’t scare you on the way down there.” “Wonderful,” I said with slight sarcasm, “I can’t wait.”

To Be Continued….