Yes (7 page)

800 feet away

27 years old

5’9” 145 lbs

White

Toned

Single

Grindr Tribes

Geek

Headline

Looking for my Samwise.

About

Out of my mind and into the light.

Looking For

Chat, Dates, Friends, Relationship

Ian continued to the message screen.

Frodo: Does that stand for Ryan Parker?

Ian noted the complete sentence with proper capitalization and punctuation. He typed back:

RynPrkr: You’re cute AND smart.

Ian waited for over a minute but got no response. He returned to the home screen and checked Frodo’s status. The green light indicated he was still online, but another minute went by and still nothing. Ian almost gave up and closed the app, but then an alert sounded. He tapped through to the message screen.

Frodo: Haha! Thanks. I’m Jeremy.

RynPrkr: Hi, Jeremy.

Frodo: You’re pretty cute yourself. Am I too old for you?

Ian almost choked on the question until he remembered Ryan was several years younger than this kid.

RynPrkr: Not at all.

Frodo: I’ve never seen you on here before. You visiting?

RynPrkr: House-sitting for my uncle. Looks like you’re close. You want to hang out?

Frodo: Well, I’m not usually into hookups, but I’ll make an exception. Do you mind if I ask your status?

Nice. Straightforward, polite, no stigma.

RynPrkr: I’m negative.

When Ian saw the words on the screen, they felt like a lie. But they weren’t, and he had the test results to prove it.

Frodo: Me too. Are you cool with keeping it safe? Maybe some kissing and a little oral, if we click.

RynPrkr: Sounds perfect. You want to host or travel?

Frodo: Travel if that’s okay.

RynPrkr: That works. Here’s the address. It should be just down the street from you.

Twenty minutes later Jeremy knocked on the front door. He had dark brown hair and eyes and wore a black T-shirt that read: “One does not simply Telnet into Mordor.” He had a cute smile and a shy charm that Ian found incredibly sexy. They introduced themselves, and Jeremy stepped into the living room.

“This is a great house. Your uncle must do pretty well for himself.”

“He owns a coffee shop over on Guadalupe,” Ryan said.

“Cool. Which one?”

“La Tazza Magica.”

“Oh, I’ve been there. They have an excellent mocha latte.”

“It’s the Italian chocolate he uses. I’d offer you a beer, but my uncle didn’t leave any in the fridge.”

“That’s okay,” Jeremy said as he looked through the sliding glass doors and into the backyard. “Is that a Ping-Pong table?”

“It sure is. Do you play?”

“I used to, in high school. We had a table in our rec room.”

“Let’s take it for a spin.”

They went outside, and Ryan pulled two paddles and a ball from the shed. Ian loved any kind of tennis—table or hard court—but his speed and reflexes had deteriorated over the years. Jeremy served the ball, and Ryan returned it with a lightning-quick backhand shot. The ball skimmed the table and then flew into the grass.

“Come on,” Jeremy said as he retrieved the ball. “You didn’t tell me you were a pro.”

“I’m not a pro. I just play a lot.”

“Great. Why do I have the feeling I’m about to get my ass kicked?”

And that’s pretty much how it went. After his 21-6 win, Ryan peeled off his tank top and asked, “You want to get in the Jacuzzi?”

“You have all the luxuries, don’t you?”

“Courtesy of my uncle.” They removed the cover on the aboveground hot tub, and then Ryan turned the knob to start the jets. He dropped his shorts and said, “It takes a few minutes for the water to warm up.”

Jeremy toed off his sneakers, undressed, and threw his clothes into a pile on the grass. He brushed his floppy bangs out of his eyes. Ryan stared down at the massive uncut cock dangling between Jeremy’s legs. He dropped to his knees and took it into his mouth. Jeremy braced himself against the edge of the Jacuzzi and moaned. Ryan sucked his dick until it got nice and hard. Then he stood up and they kissed. Ryan stepped to the side and dipped his hand into the water to check the temperature. “It’s ready.”

“Good thing your uncle put up a privacy fence.”

They climbed in, and Ryan sat down. Jeremy straddled him and rubbed their cocks together while they made out. It felt so sweet and innocent that Ian started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Ryan said. “You’re just really cute.”

“Me? Come on. We both know you’re the hot one in this tub.”

“You underestimate your appeal.”

“I wish more guys shared your opinion. Sit up on the ledge so I can suck your dick.”

Ryan did as instructed. Jeremy gave a world-class blow job with a lot of tongue swirl. Ryan closed his eyes, and it all came flooding back. Ian had a frustrating sex life in college because he always came too fast, and now it appeared the second time around would be no different. Ryan felt his balls tighten, and he stopped Jeremy.

“Was it that bad?”

“No,” Ryan said. “You give an excellent blow job. But we need to switch, or else this will be one of those annoying thirty-second clips on XVideos.”

“You’re close?”

“I’m twenty-one, remember? I come quickly but often.”

Jeremy sat on the ledge, and Ryan returned the favor, looking up into Jeremy’s eyes as he sucked. Jeremy ran his fingers through Ryan’s hair and grinned. He threw back his head and thrust his hips. Ryan deep-throated Jeremy’s cock, a technique Ian had not yet mastered twenty years ago. He ran his fingers up Jeremy’s legs, then cupped his balls with one hand and stroked his cock with the other. Jeremy stood up on the seat and fucked Ryan’s face. He must have gotten close too, because he stopped and said, “Let’s switch again.”

“Why don’t we go inside?” Ryan said.

“Even better.”

They exited the Jacuzzi, gathered up their clothes, and went into the house. Ryan grabbed a towel from the bathroom, and they dried each other off. Then he led Jeremy into the bedroom. Ryan dropped the towel on the floor, and they jumped onto the bed. They made out some more and ended up in a sixty-nine position, which brought them both to the brink of orgasm within a matter of minutes. Ryan stroked Jeremy’s cock until he shot a healthy load all over Ryan’s chest.

“I want you to come on my face,” Jeremy said.

Ryan knelt on the bed and obliged. After a few seconds of recovery, he retrieved the towel from the floor and offered one end to Jeremy. As they wiped away the semen, Ryan asked, “You hungry?”

“I’m always hungry after sex.”

“I have some cold pizza.”

“That would hit the spot.”

Ryan put on his shorts and Jeremy his jeans. They went into the kitchen shirtless, and Ryan pulled the pizza from the fridge. He opened the box and set it on the kitchen island. They sat on the stools and each took a slice.

“Best after-sex food ever,” Ryan said. “Do you have a house in the neighborhood?”

“No, I wish. I still live in an apartment.”

“What do you do for a living?”

“I teach algebra and calculus at one of the local high schools.”

“Ah,” Ryan said. “No wonder you still live in an apartment.”

“Don’t get me started. When did you get into town?”

“Today. You’re my first Austin conquest, if you don’t count the pizza boy.”

“You had sex with the pizza boy?” Jeremy asked.

“No, but he asked for my number, and I gave it to him.”

“I could never do something like that. I’d be too embarrassed. How many messages did you get on Grindr?”

“Sixteen.”

Jeremy shook his head. “Jesus.”

“It’s the fresh-meat syndrome. Give it a few weeks and I’ll be just another tired face.”

“I doubt that. How long you house-sitting for?”

Ryan held up his hand and chewed, which bought Ian enough time to organize his thoughts. He swallowed and said, “Undetermined. My uncle is in Phoenix with my dad, taking care of my grandmother. My dad can work from anywhere and my mom can take care of our house, but my Uncle Ian doesn’t have anyone to watch this place or La Tazza. So I offered to do it for him.”

“That was nice of you.”

“Not really,” Ryan said. “I love this town. I spent a summer here after I graduated from high school. I’ve been dying to come back anyway.”

“Where are you from?”

“San Diego.”

“Ah,” Jeremy said. “I’ve been many times but never ventured much beyond the convention center. Heard the beaches are nice, though.”

“Amazing beaches. I started surfing before I started walking.”

“Wow. Can you teach me?”

“Sorry, I don’t think Lake Travis has the waves for it.”

“Is San Diego pretty gay?” Jeremy asked.

“It’s super gay. Hillcrest is what they call the gayborhood, but it also has some of the best restaurants in the country. You have to try the OMG French Toast at Snooze.”

“Do you look like your uncle?”

“I don’t think so,” Ryan said. “I suppose there’s some family resemblance. Why?”

“Does he have a beard?”

“How did you know that?”

“I think I’ve seen him on Grindr,” Jeremy said. “You two have similar eyes.”

“You’re very observant. I came out to him when I was sixteen, and he helped me tell my dad. We’ve been pretty close ever since. He never had too much luck in the boyfriend department, unfortunately.”

“Nice guys always finish last.”

Ryan shook his head. “I refuse to believe that.”

“You’re optimistic. That’s how it should be at your age, I suppose.”

“At my age? You’re only twenty-seven, Jeremy. That’s a little too young to be jaded.”

“Maybe you’re right. So why aren’t you in school? Since you’re free to take a gig of undetermined length in the middle of April, I assume you’re not enrolled anywhere.”

“No, I’m done with school for now, unless it’s the school of life. I did a year at UC San Diego. That was plenty.”

“So, now what?” Jeremy asked.

“No idea. I’m here for a little while at least, so we’ll see what Austin has to offer.” Ian knew he needed a simple story that would explain why Ryan had the financial resources to do whatever he pleased. “My parents are kind of loaded.”

“Ah. So are mine, but they cut me off two years ago, when I turned twenty-five.”

“That sucks,” Ryan said. “I try not to be a brat about it, but they’re not pushing me to grow up yet. I think my dad sees a lot of Ian when he looks at me, and I’m not even talking about the gay part. Ian never fit into the corporate world either. He wandered aimlessly for years before he bought La Tazza. I’d like to do something like that. Be my own boss. I enjoy building things. I’ve thought about becoming a carpenter and selling handmade furniture. Only this time, I’m not going to wind up alone.”

“This time?”

Ryan choked on a piece of pizza. “Oh. Did I say that? Sorry, must be the jet lag.” He got off his stool and pulled a bottle of water from the fridge. He held it up and asked, “You want one?”

“Sure.”

He handed it to Jeremy and pulled another for himself. Ryan sat back down and took a drink. “I take it you’re a Tolkien fan?”

Jeremy laughed. “Pretty obvious from my profile, huh?”