Off Campus

Seth’s Perspective

The coach kept the team behind por a post-game huddle, Zach’s parents went back home, and Kev and his family went on to visit Randy’s mom. Having the boys here was an awesome diversion, and I missed them already. I was up in the flat alone tapping away on my laptop working on a paper for my Psychology class when Max walked in.

“Whaddup big red?” I said without taking my eyes off the computer screen.

“Hey” Max said quietly “Can we talk?” His tone was serious.

I looked up from my laptop and saw the very sad look on his face, closed my laptop and gave him my full attention. “What’s wrong?”

Max sat in the chair next to me and I set my laptop down on the end table between us. “Nothing really” he said in a quiet, thoughtful tone. “I need to talk to someone in confidence” he said making eye contact. “This stays between us.”

“Absolutely” I said. I was nothing if I wasn’t loyal to my friends.

“I heard you and Zach talking about your future in the hallway last night” he said sheepishly, then added, “I swear I wasn’t eaves-dropping I just walked in at the right moment.” I smiled at him, I didn’t care, there was nothing to hide. “I want what you have” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked, unsure where he was going with this.

“Someone to love and plan your future with. You two are working on a future together, you have shared goals and you’re blazing a path together.”

“You have that too, times two” I answered, not really knowing what to say.

“No. We have now. That’s it. How long can three of us be in a relationship like this?” Max asked rhetorically. “We’re starting to make plans for Thanksgiving and it’s just weird. I mean Eric wants us all to go to his parent’s house, but what do we tell his relatives? We’re friends? One of us is dating him? Cam and I are a couple? What would the sleeping arrangements be? It’s all fine when we’re in our own apartment, but once we leave the duplex we have to make up lies and hide everything. If we have to hide our reality, then what kind of fucking future do we have?” He looked up at me hoping for some magic answer.

I just shrugged “Well, what kind of future do you want?” I asked.

Max was thinking as he spoke “One like Kevin and Randy, or like you two were talking about last night. A husband, kids, a career.”

“And you don’t see that with Cam and Eric?” I asked

Max laughed, “Are you kidding?! Can you imagine our kids showing up at a parent teacher conference with Daddy, Poppa, and Father?!” He scoffed. “The throuple idea is hot and sexy, but the practicality of it for the kind of future I want isn’t realistic. I love both these guys, but I don’t see this as long term, and I’m in it pretty deep.” I could see the panic building in his eyes and on his face as he confessed his fears to me. “I want one guy to spend my life with, Seth.”

I thought for a minute, still not sure how to react. “Is that one guy either Cam or Eric?” I asked.

Max looked down and quietly said, “no. I don’t think so.” It was silent for a moment, then he added “I love them both, but not the forever kind of love Kev and Randy, or Brad and Scotty, or even you and Zach have. It’s more of a deep friends with benefits kind of love I guess.” I could read the pain on his cute face. “Eric and I had issues when we were a couple, that’s why he cheated on me with his ex-girlfriend last Christmas break. Then Cam showed up, and I love the guy, but getting the shit beat out of him last year left him scared and needy. Together, they’re good, for me but individually neither of them seems to fulfill me…” he paused, then added angrily “god, I’m an asshole.”

“You’re not an asshole, you’re in a relationship that you thought was right for you, but you’re having doubts and you don’t want anyone involved to get hurt. That just makes you a decent human being.” I said trying to keep him from beating himself up.

“Well, I feel like an asshole” Max retorted with a disgusted look on his face. The poor guy was really hating himself.

I was pausing a lot to buy myself some time as I thought through the best way to approach this. “I assume you haven’t talked to Eric and Cam about this” I said.

He shook his head “nope, I have no idea how to approach it or how they’ll react. I mean, this is fine for now, we’re all having fun. But for how long? And frankly, those two are really good for each other. They belong together and sometimes I feel like I’m in the way of that.”

I got the sense that he was starting to feel left out, “I think the three of you are good together” I said sincerely, “They need you to keep them in line.” I paused to gather my thoughts “Listen, Max. I don’t get it at all… the whole throuple thing. But it seems to have worked for you guys, you all seem happy. Those guys truly care about you, so if it’s not working talk to them about it.”

“What if they kick me out”

“They’re not gonna kick you out, they love you and will want you to be happy.” I truly believed what I was saying. I didn’t understand their relationship, but I knew they cared about each other. “I mean isn’t one of the reasons you got such a big place just in case there were issues?” I asked because I knew that they had that discussion before we signed the leases. Besides, if things go bad you can always stay in our spare room. Listen. Lovers, soulmates, couple, throuple, single, gay, pan, all those are just labels. Whatever the hell any of us in this house are, we are friends first and foremost and friends have each other’s backs.” I said trying to support him and ease his conscience. He was obviously struggling internally. He obviously loved the guys and what they had, but he was starting to think long-term and that scared him because he didn’t see a future with them.

“Yeah, I know. But it’s hard” he said in a sad tone.

“So, what do you want? Do you want out?”

“No, I couldn’t bear losing them as friends” he said thoughtfully. “We’ve all talked about this being an experiment. I mean if this isn’t going to be forever, then I kind of want to be free to date. What if I meet the one and I pass him by just because we’re having fun right now?”

“Well…” I said thinking out loud “You guys always say you’re making up the rules as you go, why don’t you tell them what you’re thinking.” I looked at him, there was something else he wasn’t saying. I looked into his eyes and scrunched my face “What aren’t you telling me.” It was quiet for a while as Max just looked down at his hands in his lap. “C’mon, Max. You can tell me.”

After a little bit he took a deep breath and said, “I think I may have already met the one.” Then he looked up at me, his face ridden with guilt and sadness. I just stared at him waiting for me. He sighed again, rolled his eyes at me, and then lifted head and looked up towards the third floor… at Brody’s studio.

BRODY?! I mean I knew they were flirting, and I knew about the massage, but was something else going on. “Brody?” I said calmly, “Are the two of you…” He cut me off.

“NO!” He yelled defensively. “We haven’t done anything, I wouldn’t… he wouldn’t… he doesn’t even know I feel this way, but… well, damn! He’s sweet, kind, sensitive, talented, smart, and adorable as fuck. I could really see myself with him, but… well… you know. I can’t…” He was cut off by the front door opening and Zach walking in. Max mouthed the words ‘don’t tell Zach’ to me. I reluctantly nodded. I hated keeping secrets, but I understood where Max was coming from.

“Hey Maxi-pad” Zach said to Max as he dropped his gear on the floor, then came up behind my chair and kissed the top of my head. “Hey, you wanna go out for dinner tonight?” he asked me.

“Hell yeah” I responded.

Max got up and said “I was just leaving. I’ll talk to you guys later” then he went through the kitchen and down the back steps to his place before we had a chance to finish our conversation. Poor guy, he was hurting. Zach was on an adrenaline high from his game and didn’t seem to notice.

“You wanna take a shower with me, I’m sweaty and stink” Zach said as he leaned over the chair shoving his armpit in my face.

“Gross” I said, although I kind of liked it, I loved his scent.

“Gross my ass. You love the way I smell” he said snickering and pulling me off the chair by my hand. He wasn’t wrong. “C’mon, shower with me.” Oh hell, I wasn’t about to say no and he knew it. We left a trail of clothes from the living room, through the dining room, down the hallway and into the bathroom.

We stood in the middle of the bathroom and made out, me in my teal striped boxer-briefs and Zach in his sweaty jock. He reached into the shower and turned on the water. He broke from our kiss, got onto his knees, and pulled down my briefs, my semi-hard manhood sprung out and slapped him in the face with a ‘thwack’. “Damn” he muttered under his breath before he took me in his hand and brought the tip to his mouth. He licked around the crown as he looked up at me with those incredible eyes, oh my god! I threw my head back and got lost in my own thoughts as he took me down his throat. I started thinking about the first time I saw Zach when we first moved into the dorms. I was sure he was straight and probably homophobic; I never could have foreseen our current reality. ‘But here we are’ I thought to myself. I got out of my thoughts and back into the moment as I looked back down at him, he was still looking up at me. I let out a sigh… well, it was a sigh and a moan combined. Whatever the heck it was, it was a real, guttural response to the pleasure this hot jock was giving me.

When the water was warm and I was on the verge of shooting my load, Zach pulled my underwear all the way off and I stepped out of them, then he lost his jock on the tile floor and we got into the shower. I stood under the showerhead and let the water cascade over me as Zach kissed my wet face and we fondled each other. I soaped his hard body up and down getting every crack and crevice as the water washed the sweat and funk down the drain. When he was clean, he returned the favor. I don’t think our lips ever parted as we just reveled in being together. The shower was quick and we finished by drying each other off, then off to the bedroom to dress for dinner.

“Dress nice” Zach said. “I’m taking you somewhere fancy.” After we got dressed in our khakis and sport coats, we jumped in the little blue GTI and whirred off through the east side and into downtown Milwaukee. He took a turn just on the other side of downtown and we went a couple of blocks into a kind of shady neighborhood. He stopped in front of a little free-standing building and parked on the street. There were no signs on the building, but cars were parked up and down the street on both sides. He walked up to the door and pressed a buzzer. Someone came to the door to greet us. “Reservation for Mayor Hall” Zach said, then turned to look at me and said, “my dad made the reservation, you gotta know someone to get in here.”

We walked in and I was convinced we had walked back in time about five or six decades. This place was awesome. It was all brass, red velvet and totally pristine. The décor probably hadn’t been touched since the place opened in the fifties or sixties. It was seedy but sophisticated and could’ve easily been the set for any gangster movie. They showed us to our table, poured the water and said “We don’t have a menu, we have steak. That’s it. You tell me your cut of choice, how many ounces, and how you want it cooked and we bring it to your table.” Then he rattled off our side dish options and we ordered. He left and was back in a flash with a basket of bread, a simple, but fresh as hell salad and a little caddy holding all the dressing choices in little carafes. The place was dimly lit and there was a candle in a red glass holder in the middle of every table. It was romantic as hell.

“How did you find this place?” I asked Zach.

“It’s an old neighborhood icon, it’s been here for decades… way before the neighborhood went bad. You need to know someone to get reservations and you know my dad… he knows everyone.”

“This is amazing, I didn’t know places like this existed anymore” I said as I looked around taking it all in.

“I wanted tonight to be special” Zach said. I shot him a confused look. “Listen, I’m about to break our rule” he added. I shot him another confused look. “I want to talk about forever,”

‘Oh shit’ I thought, ‘he’s gonna propose, we promised each other we wouldn’t jump into this, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! I’m not ready to answer this question. Why the fuck is he asking me now. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. We’re too fucking young.’ I was freaking out inside. I was not ready for this.

Zach spoke “and before you freak the fuck out, I am NOT proposing.” He said. A feeling of relief with a tinge of disappointment came over me. I wasn’t ready, but I knew I would be someday. “But I do want to talk about our future” he said in a serious tone as we stared into each other’s eyes. “Seth, I love you. More than anything. Last night was amazing. The two of us with Matty and Scotty, all I saw was our future. I know, I know, I know. We’re too young to get engaged, but I need to say it out loud…”

I wasn’t sure what was coming. He said it wasn’t a proposal, but it sure as hell sounded like the perfect lead up to one.

“I intend to spend the rest of my life with you and I hope you feel the same” Zach said and then just looked at me. Was I supposed to answer? I didn’t know… so I did.

After a long pause, I spoke, “I love you too and intend to spend the rest of my life with you too.” His smile lit up the freaking dark, candlelit restaurant.

“It may sound stupid, but I had to say it. Last night excited me and scared me. I saw what I want. You and a family, then I thought… shit we avoid talking about the future because we know so much could go wrong, but I want you to know what I’m thinking.” He was speaking from his heart, proposing without proposing. Trying to ensure we were truly on the same path. “If it goes wrong, it goes wrong. But I just thought it was important to tell you that I plan to be with you forever, I’m not just playing house with you.”

I smiled. I already knew all that, but hearing it made me feel perfect, especially after my conversation with Max. THIS is what Max was trying to tell me. He wanted what I so obviously had sitting right across the table. “That makes me happy because I feel the same way. I love you so much and want all those things with you too. I don’t care if we end up in a small Wisconsin town like your parents or living in Arizona raising kids like Kev and Randy or blaze our own freaking path and end up in god only knows where. As long as we do it together.” There. I said it out loud. I planned on spending my life with him.

He smiled, leaned across the tiny table, and kissed me. “That’s what I wanted to hear, and that’s all I had to say” he said as he reached for my had and gazed into my eyes. Wow, it was just a powerful moment, like we had just solidified our future. As happy as I was, I couldn’t help but think of Max and how lost he must feel. I tried to shake that thought and be back in the moment. This wonderful, magical moment with this amazing guy.

“Damn, I love you” I said involuntarily as I looked up at that incredible face smiling at me. After a little love-struck gazing into each other’s eyes, we started talking about other stuff. Eventually they conversation turned to Thanksgiving. I had been thinking a lot about Thanksgiving and something was on my mind, so I said it. “I don’t think you should come home with me at Thanksgiving.” The smile left is face and was replaced with this awful look of rejection.

“Why not? Don’t you want me there?” He asked in a deflated tone. Shit! I had just pissed on his perfect night.

I wasn’t sure how to word it. I loved him and absolutely wanted him there, but with my father there, this wasn’t going to be pretty and I didn’t want anyone getting caught in the crossfire. “Of course, I want you there, but it’s not going to be like last year.” I said hoping that would be enough of an explanation for him. It wasn’t.

“So?” is all he said.

“So… my brothers haven’t talked to him in almost four years, for Brad it’s been more like six years. Kev and Randy reminded me that Scotty has only met him once and he punched the guy in the face and broke his nose. It’s gonna get tense” I said.

“So?” Zach said again. “Did you totally ignore everything I just said to you?” He almost seemed pissed. “What part of together aren’t you getting? I want to spend my life with you, not just the good shit. Plus, I’m guessing that I will be the only person in that room that has had only positive interactions with your dad, maybe that will help.” He said staring at me and gripping my hand a little tighter than before. I just stared back. “Don’t shut me out, Seth.”

I smiled; I DID want him there. “okay” I said weakly giving in. “But you’ve been warned.”

He smiled broadly “I’ll break his nose too if I have to” he said breaking the tension and making me laugh. I knew he was kidding, but I also knew he’d do it too, he was protective like Scotty, in fact… it hit me at that moment that he was a lot like Scotty which was probably part of the reason I loved him so much. With that settled we went back to the romance. It was a perfect night.

The waiter came with the bill and I reached for my wallet but Zach beat me to it. “Let’s split it, it’s too much” I said.

“Randy stuffed two bills in the waistband on my uniform at the game earlier and told me to take you out for an awesome night since you took the boys and gave them one. He knew you wouldn’t take the money.” Zach said. “Dad overheard him and made reservations for us here, then handed me a couple of more bucks. So, this is on them.”

“And here I thought you were just being romantic” I said.

“Well, I am. I just have investors funding our romance” he chuckled., then added, “beats McNuggets by tealight” referring to our first official date. I laughed and thought back to that night, damn he was so perfect for me.

When we got home, we just sat on the couch in the dark with a small fire in the fireplace and listened to music. I had my head on his shoulder and one thing led to the next, then to the next, then to the next until we were lying naked on the rug in front of the fireplace. I just lay there looking into his beautiful eyes.

We were laying on our sides and I kissed him, he pushed his naked groin into mine and started grinding. The warmth of his manhood was electric against mine and our kiss became frenzied as I rolled him onto his back and got on top of him. I broke our kiss, straddled him and crawled up his hard, muscled body putting my hard member to his lips. He opened and tried to take me down his throat but the angle wasn’t working so I moved into a push-up position and started pistoning in and out of his throat. He moaned and gagged slicking me up with his throat slime for what was to come. When I was close, I moved down between his legs, pushed them up high into the air and ate his sweet, pink hole. Once I had him slicked up, I got into the missionary position and entered him using just the combination of our saliva as lubricant. He put his arms around me and pulled me tight, digging his nails into my back.

“Fuck” he said directly into my ear in a deep, breathy tone. We kissed passionately in front of the roaring fireplace as I made love to him, moving in and out of him slowly and burying myself deeply. I would hit bottom with my balls nestled against his perfect ass, then pull out leaving just the tip in, occasionally pulling all the way out. When I did, Zach would immediately reach for my ass and pull me all the way back in. We had nowhere to be, no reason to hurry, so we took our time and made love to each other slowly and tenderly. It felt so good, so right… just like it always did with Zach. We both lasted so ridiculously long! Whenever either of us got close we’d stop for a minute and breathe, then kiss and start back up again. At one point we moved to our bed, it was probably more than two hours before we both came. First, I shot deep into his bowels as we moaned and kissed and I continued to move in and out of him until I went soft. After I pulled out of his tight hole, I went down on his cock and milked every drop of sweet cum from his balls.

After we finished, we just laid there, my ear on his chest listening to his heartbeat. God, I loved this guy and I should’ve been right there in the moment with Zach, and nowhere else. But dammit I couldn’t shake what Max had told me earlier. I wanted all my friends to be as happy as I was, and frankly I thought they were. But now I wasn’t sure Max could truly be happy with Eric and Cam, and I wondered if they could be truly happy without Max.

“What’s wrong?” Zach asked looking into my eyes.

I wanted to tell him but couldn’t, I had promised Max. Fuck I hated secrets. “Nothing. It’s a perfect night. Thank you.” I said convincingly. Shit! I had a feeling that our happy home was about to be turned upside down.

To be continued…