Beach Boys (17 page)

Friends told him Dave he was a flirt by nature, but he’d decided no guy was off limits. Gay, bi, or straight meant little to him, as long as he wasn’t hurt. First there was Randy, who had seemed wonderful, but decided that time was too short for love. Evan, who promised to start a life with him and then split, had done nothing to boost his confidence. Since then, indulgence had been his path to happiness.

He jerked his bathing suit up, and tucked his dick away, but he was stopped by those impenetrable brown eyes.

Never one to back away from a challenge, Dave found himself on the prowl.

“I’m sorry.” Dave struggled not to sound embarrassed. “I won’t say that I’m trying to get an all-over tan. Straight up, I have this thing about being naked, and being looked at if the right guy comes along. How ’bout you? Ever like to just feel naked and free?”

“I’ve thought about stuff like that, but I’ve never done it. . .and I’ve never talked about it to a stranger before.”

“Who do you think I’m gonna tell?”

The man looked both ways. “My mom and dad, for one. Then there’s everyone else around here who’ll think I’m a pervert for dropping my shorts in public.”

Dave fought his astonishment at the man’s fear. “I’m sorry, but how old are you?”

“Twenty-six.”

“And you’re still. . .what’s your name?”

The man stuck his hand out. “Name’s Shane. You?”

“Dave.” Shane’s strong, meaty hand compelled Dave to make his move. “I take it you live around these parts?”

Shane smiled. “For the summer. I know what you’re thinking, but I like coming up with my mom and dad. There’s plenty to do ’round here.”

“Seems pretty dead to me.”

“Depends on what you call dead, Mister . . . mean, Dave. You’re an American, aren’t you?”

“How could you tell?”

“Think it was the accent, but you guys always say you don’t have accents.”

When Shane sat next to him on the towel, Dave hoped he could get him to ease his shorts down and join him in a nudist session, but he worried Shane was too prudish for that. He inched closer until their hips brushed together.

Canadian boys had marked a special place in Dave’s heart. Ontario accents aside, they always embodied a wholesome and rugged sexiness that he adored.

Oftentimes, Dave would press full steam ahead with the right guy, unfazed by potential consequences. Still reserved, he chose to take the risk.

“Think we can take a walk?” Dave asked.

Able to judge by Shane’s expression, Dave hopped to his feet. He stayed at close reach, hoping to bump into him now and again, or anything that would create contact. As they strolled, Dave slipped his fingers between Shane’s, and Shane no longer seemed tentative.

“You seemed so nervous before,” Dave said. “Glad to know you’ve chilled out a little.”

“I’m afraid to be seen like this.” Shane’s head drooped. “But you seem like such a nice guy that I don’t mind throwing the rules away.”

“Take it you haven’t come out to your family yet?”

Shane paused and lifted his right eyebrow.

“You don’t plan on ever telling them you’re gay?” Dave asked.

Again, Shane seemed unable to answer, and Dave wondered if the subject was too great to handle.

“If my family ever knew . . . ” Shane’s head drooped lower.

Dave wondered if Shane was only with him to rebel against his family. If that was the case, Dave meant to distance himself, so he wouldn’t be hurt again.

“I’ve got to head back,” Shane said. “Dinner’s soon and I can’t be late.”

If their stroll was the most that would happen, Dave decided he’d still had a pleasant afternoon to reflect on. Still, the summer was young, and he knew that he’d have plenty of time to know Shane more intimately.

“Think we can ever see each other again?”

“Tomorrow night I’m free,” he said. “No one else will be around, I promise. Sorry if I’m so secretive. . .got to be, least for now. But come meet me out here on the beach, so we can be alone, and not have to worry.”

“I’ll be there.”

Dave leaned in to kiss Shane goodbye. Their lips brushed each other, but Shane didn’t pour himself into it, which made Dave wonder if it was his first kiss.
Impossible for such a stud
, he thought. If it was, he considered it to be even more romantic.

Tomorrow night, my love
, Dave thought.
One more night and you’ll be all mine
.

* * * *

Just as Dave had promised, he arrived at the beach the next night, ready. He checked his watch; no Shane, but he felt confident. The last twenty-four hours had been filled with fierce resistance and indulgence. Imagination had carried him through the toughest moments, those seconds in which he thought he might scream. He would shut his eyes, feel himself, and pretend Shane’s hand was cupped over his crotch. The fingertips of their free hands touched one another. Shane’s lips were pressed against his. Only now, he needn’t pretend anymore.

Enveloped by the night air, he waited. Another five minutes had passed. He turned, and found Shane waiting behind him, but Shane had done nothing to announce himself. Quiet and subtle seemed to be the name of his game, which piqued his interest more.

They kissed, and Shane took a firm grasp of Dave’s hands. Deep down, Dave wanted to lunge at him, to devour him, but he knew he would be more satisfied if he waited. Experience in that game had taught him how patient he could be.

“You’re back,” Shane said. “I knew you would be.”

“I wouldn’t miss you for the world.” Dave pulled out the towel that he’d kept under his arm. “I thought about bringing food, you know for a late-night picnic? But I figured just sitting out underneath the stars would be nice.”

“Anything with you is perfect.”

Dave rolled the towel out in the sand, sat, and patted the space beside him. Shane crumpled next to him and Dave helped to pull his shirt off and rubbed his shoulders. Shane’s eyes closed, and his neck tilted at the feeling. Dave enjoyed the touch of Shane’s smooth flesh and firm muscles. Dave’s dick poked against his shorts, but that was fine for now. He knew he would be satisfied soon.

His lips brushed Shane’s neck, but he didn’t try and seduce him right away. He let Shane quiver at his touch and then melt a little.

Shane said, “I want to give it all up for you. I know that talking about what I really am is impossible, but I’m willing to give it all up for your love. This feels like my last chance, my only chance. Anywhere you go, I’m willing to follow.”

Frozen, Dave wanted to believe him. This would need to be much greater than his average fling, even though he wanted to enjoy the physical intimacy. Most of all, he wanted a relationship that would endure.

Dave took Shane’s hands. “Whatever you want, I’m willing to do for you for eternity.”

His fingers at Shane’s waist, he ran his hands up and down his chest and abs. He leaned in and nibbled on Shane’s nipple, and his head fell back.

He squeezed the ridge in Shane’s shorts. Shane caressed Dave’s hand and kissed his cheek. Dave tucked his thumb under the band of Shane’s shorts, peeled them down, and let his cock spring free. Bushy pubic hair shrouded Shane’s cock and balls, unlike the smoothness of Dave’s other partners, but he liked the difference. Dave found virtue in almost anything, it seemed.

With Shane’s cock deep in his mouth, Dave twisted with screwdriver motions, and worked his shaft with flits of his wrist.

Shane’s hand pushed Dave’s head deeper into his crotch. His groan sounded like a lungfull of pent-up air evacuated at once. He said, “My God, where did you learn to suck like that?”

Dave didn’t answer, and instead lunged deeper into Shane’s crotch, but not so much that he would come too soon. No, he meant to make Shane last, and explode only when Dave did, so they could create a magic far greater than anything he’d experienced with his other flings.

After, Dave stroked Shane’s cock to keep him hard. “You want more than this, don’t you? You want all of me, right?”

Shane’s eyes widened, but he still looked taken back.

“No worries if it’s your first time,” Dave said. “Just take ’er in your mouth and go slowly if you need to.”

Dave tugged his shorts down, let his own cock spring free, and lay back on the towel. Shane took him in his mouth and, like most guys sucking dick for the first time, he held the knob between his lips before he devoured the whole cock. Still, Shane’s mouth was warm, wet and soothing.

While Shane sucked, Dave shut his eyes again, and imagined the beach as it was. The smell of popcorn and cotton candy filled his nostrils again and the sounds of parents and children echoed in his ears. As he caressed Shane’s shoulders, he thought he would climax right then, but Shane stopped.

With his cock loose, Dave felt Shane explore his body with his tongue. His hand rested on Shane’s back first, then he trailed lower to cup his ass.

Dave said, “Hold on, let me take over.”

Shane smiled. “I’ve never done anything like this before. Go easy.”

“You’ll love it, I promise.”

Dave fumbled his shorts, then fished into the pocket for a condom and bottle of lube. The foil torn, he squeezed a dollop of grease into the rubber and rolled it to the root of his dick. Shane looked hesitant, so Dave helped him to grease his ass, positioned him on all fours, and slid into him an inch at a time.

Gentle thrusts into Shane, when he’d worked his way in, seemed best, as he wanted Shane to enjoy and remember the sex as much as he would. Dave knew how skilled he was but he knew he would need to slow down for Shane’s sake. To him, the best sex should be savored, and he wished all of his encounters could mirror this one.

When he turned Shane over and burrowed between his legs, he shut his eyes and heard footsteps, but he didn’t open his eyes to find out whose. Music from brass instruments played almost on key, and fireworks erupted. Whistle, pop, and fizzle noises were separated by short pauses.

As Dave’s lips met Shane’s, he realized it was the Fourth of July. Only it couldn’t be the Fourth of July on that beach. It must have been Canada Day and everyone seemed eager to celebrate. Dave held his breath and pumped deeper into Shane. Oftentimes, he gauged his own readiness by the sounds of his lover, except that measurement was impossible now. Shane made no sounds, and Dave climaxed sooner than normal, and emptied into the condom.

Eyes opened, he found Shane still in the throes of ecstasy. He rubbed Shane’s stomach, then leaned in to kiss him.

Shane said, “That was absolutely amazing.”

“Magic,” Dave said, “and we can recreate it any time we want.”

“Tomorrow. Tomorrow we create our own magic on the beach. Our beach.”

Sleep meant he would close his eyes and drift off to another place, if only a separate state of consciousness, but Dave couldn’t do anything so simple. He closed his eyes, drifted somewhere, but didn’t fall asleep. Rest, but not sleep the way he understood it.

Whenever he tried, he dreamed of Shane and the magic they shared. He never thought he’d find someone to call a soul mate, but last night’s experience changed his mind. Instant transformation had never seemed possible.

Back on the beach, he awaited Shane. They hadn’t exchanged cell numbers or instant messaging addresses the way Dave had with other guys which for some reason made this relationship feel more special. Shane offered a sense of trust that always went missing with other guys. Dave knew he could wander to the beach any time to find Shane.

After twenty minutes, he checked his watch and kicked a mound of sand. No firm time had been set, but he felt so in sync with Shane that he could intuit when he wanted to meet. Words seemed so petty to him.

Crumpled, wet cloth washed up at Dave’s feet and he reached for it. He stretched it out into a burgundy bathing suit, which made him worry even more about Shane. He only hoped he’d taken the shorts off himself first.

He rushed into the water until he was waist deep, but saw nothing save for a flock of seagulls and the horizon. He shouted Shane’s name but was answered by his own echo. Dave never considered abandonment for a moment. Not his Shane. Unsure of what had happened to him, he was determined to know the truth, despite the cost.

In the library, Dave gathered his printouts from the microfilm machine, as if information printed on paper will convince him. He’d looked up articles on the amusement park that once stood on the beach and, by accident, found something unbelievable. Impossible, he decided.

The article that he’d found was surreal. Yellow-paged articles seemed irrelevant to his life, but one article grabbed his attention. When he read closer, he realized what’d happened to Shane.

According to the paper, a man had taken his life in Lake Erie during the summer of 1937, with no note, nor any signs of depression or suicidal behavior. Dave checked the obituary section and found that the Shane pictured in the paper and the Shane whom he loved was a spot-on match. Dave wondered if he’d witnessed a tragic event repeat itself, as a spiritual cycle, throughout eternity.

At first, Dave fought tears, until he decided he shouldn’t be sad. He realized Shane had lived in a different time, when his true desires would never have been accepted. Everything became clear to Dave. He understood hane wouldn’t have met his true love in his natural life because the opportunity didn’t exist.