Love in a New City

My name is Jake. I'm about 5' 10" and fairly skinny. I like to stay in shape by running, but have never been into weight lifting or building muscle. That said, I like to think that I'm not scrawny and am fairly easy on the eyes.

I should also say that I am one of those people who doesn't believe that anyone is completely straight or completely gay, but if you asked me which I was I would certainly tell you straight. Throughout college, I hooked up with plenty of girls and had sex with a handful of them, though I rarely dated anyone long term. I never hooked up with any guys, though I got along well with my gay friends. I would occasionally go to parties with them and even dance with them, but the male body just never excited me the way the female body did.

This is the story of when that changed.

I was 22 when I graduated college and took a job in a new city. I was super excited about my job, but also very nervous because I didn't know anyone there.

A few days after graduation found me on an airplane with a backpack and two suitcases of all my worldly possessions. As they were waiting for one late passenger, I was sitting in my window seat catching up on some pleasure reading.

A commotion at the front of the plane caused me to look up. The late passenger had clearly just boarded, panting and joking with the flight attendant.

At first, I could only see his head over the seats in front of me. He had a rich mocha skin tone, but I couldn't quite place his ethnicity. I would discover later that it was Dominican. His head was shaved, though he had stubble across his face. He had dark brown eyes that seemed to be perpetually happy. His broad smile was both genuine and infectious. I found myself taking note of his full lips.

As he came closer looking for his seat, his shoulders came into view. They were broad and strong. His plain green t-shirt strained a little bit to contain his pecs. His entire chest seemed to taper down to his waist. He was very toned, but his muscles didn't bulge in an obscene way.

He walked with an air of casual confidence. Ignoring the angry glares he got for holding up take off, he just seemed happy to be where he was.

It wasn't till he stopped in the aisle next to me that I realized that I was staring. I was staring at a man. And he was making my heart beat faster!

He glanced down from the seat number, and looked straight into my eyes. I felt the heat rise in my face and I drove my eyes back to my book as fast as I could. I'm sure he would have given me a friendly greeting and struck up a conversation, but I was determined to ignore the man that was having such a new and profound effect on me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him heft his carryon into the overhead bin and sidle over to the seat directly next to me!

Oh god, he was so close to me. I could see his muscular thighs through his athletic pants. I could smell his sweat. It smelled somehow both sweet and salty, and it was not unpleasant. Quite the contrary, I thought I had never smelled anything so pleasant.

As he picked up the in-flight magazine to leaf through, I couldn't help but notice his hands. They were large and smooth, strong and elegant. He had neatly kept nails and wore a ring with what looked like a celtic knot on his index finger. I thought about what those hands would feel like running across my chest.

I quickly shook my head and looked once more at the book in front of me. I tried and tried to read what was in front of me, but the letters just seemed like random shapes to me. My head was swirling with this fine specimen of manhood that was just inches away from me.

The pilot came on the intercom to tell us about the weather conditions at our destination and asked us to enjoy our two hour and forty minute flight. How in the world was I going to make it two hours and forty minutes like this? I was totally frozen and unable to function.

The time ticked by as we took off and started to climb. He continued to flick through the magazine, stopping every once in a while to read an article. I was aware of every movement he made and every time he shifted in his seat. Meanwhile, I could feel my butt start to itch and my legs getting sore, but I was afraid to move and attract his attention. At one point, he raised his elbow to the armrest and bumped my elbow. The feel of his skin making contact with mine sent a jolt through me and I quickly pulled my elbow off the rest.

After what couldn't have been more than twenty minutes, but what felt like several hours to me, he put away his magazine, took out his iPod and settled back in his seat to enjoy the music. I hazarded a glance at his face. His eyes were closed, but his eye lids moved ever so slightly in time to the music. His lips were curved into a smile. Those full beautiful lips...

Back to the book. I continued my willful ignorance of the body next to me, and stared at the pages without comprehending anything on them. Time continued to drag by. It became easier to ignore him now that he wasn't moving. He must have fallen asleep. I began to calm down a tiny bit.

My heart rate had almost returned to normal, when I allowed myself to glance over at his lap. I couldn't help but gasp. Along his pant leg was the unmistakable outline of his erect penis! That thick lump emerged from the loose pant material at his crotch and proceeded a third of the way down his thigh and end in a little bulb under the shiny material of his athletic pants.

My mind was in turmoil. It was easy for me to accept that guys can be attractive. I was sort of proud of the fact that I was able to engage in debates with girls about who the most attractive male celebrities are. And while it was weird for me to get worked up over the man next to me, it was one thing to like his face and chest, it was another to thing to like his penis. But I did like his penis. I couldn't look away. My heart skipped a beat when I saw it twitch. I wanted to know what it felt like. I wanted to touch it.

A split second after I realized my hand was moving towards that hard cock, I diverted it up to scratch my head. I took a deep breath and turned my head out the window. I needed to keep that captivating member out of my field of view. I needed to somehow forget the fact that the most interesting thing in the world was within my reach.

Keeping my view out the window, I tried countless ways of distracting myself. I tried to remember the names of all the types of clouds out the window. I tried thinking about the new job that I would be starting in a few days. I pretended that it was a fat hairy man sitting next to me, instead of the god that was actually there. This went on and on and it was with a huge sigh of relief that I finally saw the ground rise up and become larger as we neared our destination.

I was congratulating myself for keeping it together for the entire flight, when I heard a sweet tenor voice next to me say, "So, business or pleasure?"

I spun my head around and again found myself pierced by the gaze of those deep dark eyes. The face was smiling with me, and I noted with gratitude that the erection had disappeared back into the loose fabric of his pants. The word "pleasure" echoed in my head as I took in his broad chest and warm smile.

Thankfully, my social auto-pilot did not fail me. "Actually, I'm moving. I just graduated from college and I'm starting a new job."

"Oh sweet. What'd you study?"

"Art history." I tried to give my response an air of finality, because I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to maintain eye contact with those beautiful eyes.

"Awesome. I took a few art history classes and really liked 'em. All the memorizing for tests was a little much for me though. Does your job relate to art history?"

"It does, actually. I'm going to be helping out at the art museum."

"Oh I totally love that place. I like to go in on quite afternoons. The collection is really nice." He paused and smiled warmly at me. I hoped that he couldn't tell how flushed I actually was. "I'm Michael," he said, holding out his hand. That beautiful strong hand with the Celtic ring.

"Jake," I replied taking his hand. His skin felt so good against my palm. So warm and firm. I didn't really want to let it go, but too soon he broke the hand shake.

"Good to meet you."

It seemed weird to me that he was talking with so much ease when my heart was in my throat just looking at him. All I could think about was how good it would feel to wrap my arms around is waist and nestle my head against his neck.

I smiled meekly and turned away. The plane was landing and I thought I could get away with pretending to be interested in the airport. But he was not done. "Do you have family in the area?"

"No. I don't really know anyone in town. I guess I'll have to make friends at the museum."

"You don't know anyone! Man, it's never good to start life in a new place without a friend. Here." He reached out and tore a corner from the magazine he had been reading earlier. He scribbled some digits on it and handed it to me. "Feel free to give me a call if you need some weekend entertainment. I've got a group of friends I often go out with on the weekends, and I'm sure they'd be more than happy to introduce you to the city."

"Oh, no that's okay." I was a bit flustered by this man offering me his phone number.

"Oh, come on. You'll be glad." He grabbed my hand and stuffed the piece of paper into it. Again, I wanted his touch to continue, but again, it was too brief.

He started telling me about all the things they liked to do on the weekends as we taxied into the gate. I was happy to not say anything and just look at his beautiful face.

When everyone started getting off the plane, I told him that my carryon was in an overhead bin behind me so I had to wait.

"Well it was great talking with you. Good luck with the new job." He smiled warmly and walked on.

When he was out of sight, I let myself catch my breath and went back to get my bag.

What had just happened? This man, this gorgeous man, the only man to ever get me sexually excited, had just given me his phone number. I sort of felt like I was in a weird dream alternate reality. I had a vague sense that everything around me was somehow not real.

Later, as I was waiting for my luggage, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey, Jake. I wanted make sure you knew I wasn't kidding about you calling me. We'd love to have a newcomer to the group."

I whipped my head around to catch that luscious smile once more as he gave me a friendly wave and then turned to walk on.

My god, his bubble butt was the perfect compliment to his muscular legs. So firm and round as it bounced slightly as he walked. I had a momentary vision of sticking my face between those two perfect mounds, imagining the musky warm joy that they must contain.

In the taxi to my hotel, my mind kept alternating between these kinds of lovely fantasies and uncomfortable shock that I was actually entertaining these thoughts. I had never had these kinds of reactions to a male body, but why should I reject them?

But oh, what to do with his phone number? In some ways I wanted to call him so badly, to invite him over for a romantic dinner and confess how incredibly beautiful I thought he was. But how could he possibly respond to that kind of openness. The invitation had clearly been to get together with him and his friends. I had no reason to believe that he was actually gay. I felt like I had detected some homosexual affectation in his voice, but I was equally certain that I could just be imagining it.

Either way, I couldn't imagine how things could go. Either he was straight and wanted to just hang out, in which case I certainly wouldn't be able to handle being around him given how I felt about him and his wonderful body, or he was gay, in which case I would be totally at a loss of how to approach him. I had no experience in this whole gay thing. And even worse, what if he was gay and didn't feel the same way about me. I certainly couldn't understand what a gay guy would see in me. No, the safest thing to do was just to throw his number away and not deal with the horrendous uncertainty.

That night I masturbated furiously, thinking about Michael's wonderful body. That long thick cock that I had seen jump in his pants. I imagined holding it in my hands, feeling the weight and strength of it, slowly stroking him off. I imagined having my own cock pressed up against his as I leaned over his smooth muscular chest, kissing those beautiful full lips and reaching around to knead that fine ass of his.

As I lay recovering from my shuddering orgasm that seemed to go on for minutes, I decided that it might be best if I put his phone number someplace safe. Just in case...

The next couple of weeks I managed to keep Michael more or less in the back of my mind. I had enough to keep me busy with finding a reasonable studio apartment, and a used car that was still drivable. I started my job which was certainly interesting, but none of my coworkers really seemed like people I wanted to hang out with after work hours.

It was the Friday of the third weekend after starting my job, when the creeping loneliness made my mind go back to that phone number I had stashed away in the back of one of my drawers. I really needed to get out of my apartment and have some fun. I just couldn't keep going through the cycle of eating by myself and watching TV in the evenings.

The intense sexual fantasies I had had the first few nights after meeting him had faded a bit in my mind, and what stood out more was his friendly smile and his warm invitation to get together in the city. I wasn't sure how I would be able to handle being around him again, but I knew that I needed to make some effort to get out of the house.

As soon as I made up my mind, I quickly dug his number out and dialed it before I lost my nerve. But as the phone started ringing, I felt my heart begin to beat faster.

"Hello?" a rich soothing voice sounded in my ear. A severe lump suddenly appeared in my throat. "Hello?" the voice repeated.

"H- hi," I managed to choke out. "Mike- Michael? ... It's Jake."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. How could I be so stupid? Of course he wasn't going to remember some stupid little conversation from an airplane trip from almost a month ago.

"You know... from the airplane?"

"Oh! Jake! Of course!" he exclaimed with a warm friendly laugh. The lump in my throat began to relax. "Oh, I'm so glad you called. I was starting to think you were going to."

"Oh, well, you know, I was just thinking about your offer of going out in the city together."

"Yeah, yeah. Totally. Listen, what are you doing tonight?"

"Oh, I didn't really have much of a plan."

"Great! Well, then do you want to meet me and my friends at our favorite bar?"

"Sure, that sounds great."

He gave me the address and told me that they'd be there around nine.

"Thanks so much for the invite," I said a bit awkwardly.

"Oh, no problem! I'm really glad you ended up calling. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Alright. Thanks again. See you soon."

"Bye bye!" he said, and hung up.

I was a bit light headed after talking to him, but overall I thought it had gone well. I was certainly nervous about seeing him and his friends, but I also felt certain that this would be worth doing.

Around eight o'clock, I started to get ready. I found choosing an outfit much more difficult than it normally was. I tried on several things, examining myself in the mirror. I felt a bit silly and kept reminding myself that this was just drinks with a group of friends, not a date. But I couldn't help the fact that I wanted to look my best if I was going to see Michael again. In the end, I ended up deciding on a dark green fitted button down and the my tightest pair of jeans. I thought they showed off my butt better.

After shaving, brushing my teeth, and fixing my hair, I examined myself in the mirror. I felt a bit let down. I looked acceptable, but I knew that no matter how much effort I put into my appearance, my body just could not compare to the lusciousness of Michael's.

It was twenty after nine by the time I drove down to the bar and found some street parking. The bar was dimly lit and noisy. Up front there was a DJ and room for dancing, though there was only a handful of people on the dance floor. In the back it was a bit quieter with plenty of tables and booths.

I found Michael in the second to last booth with a group of girls and one other guy who was clearly there with one of the girls. Michael jumped up to greet me and introduced me to the group. Some of the girls shifted down on the bench to make room for me opposite the table from Michael. I felt simultaneously relieved and disappointed that I wouldn't be able to press up against his legs and shoulders.

"I was just on my way to the bar for the next round," Michael said, looking at me with that same intense stare that I had found so unnerving on the airplane. "What can I get you?"

"Oh, I'd love a beer," I replied. "But I can't go too crazy. I have to drive home."

Michael waved his hand dismissively. "Fuck that. It's Friday night. You can crash on my couch. My place is just two blocks from here."

There was no arguing with his statement. I guess I would just have to see where the night took me.

The girl next to me who Michael had introduced as Vanessa struck up a conversation with me, asking where I was from, where I'd gone to college, and how I was liking the city. I was grateful that she was being friendly, especially when Michael came back with our drinks. Without her questions as a distraction I feared that I might just be staring slack-jawed at Michael, who was more alluring that night than he was on the plane, if such a thing is possible. He had lost his stubble which called attention to his totally unblemished skin and his strong jaw line. His full lips drawing back to reveal shiny white teeth in his perfect smile. While his shirt, tie, and slacks were looser than the athletic clothes he was wearing on the plane, they still clearly revealed how strong his chest and arms were.

As the night drew on and the empty bottles started piling up at our table, I became much more at ease with all of Michael's friends. Both Vanessa and Michael made sure to let me in on all their inside jokes and traditions. I was happy to find out that everyone there was not more than a few years out of college and they all seemed to have interesting jobs and got along great. At one point I told a joke that got everyone laughing, and as she laughed, I felt Vanessa lean into me and rub my leg a bit. I quickly glanced at her and she smiled at me and left her hand where it was.

I felt a bit taken aback. Somehow it was only a gesture as obvious as this that made me realize that she had been trying to flirt with me since I sat down. She certainly seemed nice, and was even fairly attractive. She was a little round, but not in a bad way, and had a pretty face. But somehow, any attraction I might have had towards her was totally eclipsed by Michael's magnetism.

I looked back at Michael, so much wishing that it was his hand that was so close to my crotch; that it was his brown eyes smiling expectantly at me. I resolved to just let Vanessa touch me, but not urge her on at all. I was feeling more than a little drunk by then and was worried that I could find myself in quite an awkward situation if I didn't handle this well.

After the next round had mostly been killed off, one of the other girls pronounced that the time for dancing had arrived. Since I was the last person on the booth's bench, I took this as my opportunity to move away from Vanessa and quickly stood up. I tried to let all the girls go on ahead of me, but found Vanessa staying behind and smiling that goofy smile at me. I looked around for Michael, but saw that he was already well on his way to tearing up the dance floor. I figured there was no helping it and reluctantly allowed Vanessa to lead me to the dance floor.