Casual (Sex) Friday (66 Faces) (4 page)

Ben took the bus to Calvin's on Sunday. He would have taken his car, but the bus gave him a reason to leave before midnight if he needed one. He didn’t anticipate staying so late, but just in case. He knocked on the rust-colored door and examined the sky while he waited. It would be another pristine Seattle summer day.

The door opened and Calvin stood across the threshold with an amiable smile. He'd traded business casual for very casual. He wore an old green threadbare shirt with a rocket on it. The shirt showed off the shape of his torso tapering down to his hips and thighs, and the green brought out the hazel in his eyes. The frumpy khakis had been exchanged for a worn pair of well-fitting jeans.

Calvin turned and walked further into the house, leaving the door wide open and Ben on the outside. Ben quickly entered and shut the door behind him. He kicked his shoes off then followed Calvin into the kitchen. A warm, gentle breeze flowed through an open window. The house was sunny and airy and smelled like summer.

"Did you eat? I'm making an omelet."

Ben sat down. "Nope, haven’t been awake long enough to eat."

Calvin cracked three eggs into a bright green bowl and whisked the contents. While Calvin was paying attention to his omelet, Ben paid attention to Calvin. He was relaxed and smiling, and Ben imagined this was a normal scene on Sunday mornings. Maybe because the sun was out, or maybe it was because of Calvin's humming, but Ben liked being a part of this laid-back Sunday morning.

After five minutes or so, Calvin placed a giant omelet, some bacon, and hash browns on the table. Ben helped himself, dug in, and couldn't stop eating.

"I'm glad to see you enjoy it."

Ben looked up and smiled sheepishly, but quickly returned to the food. He should slow down; otherwise the good flavors would be gone too soon.

"Here's what I think, Ben," Calvin said out of nowhere.

Ben stopped eating and glanced up. He'd been lulled into a sense of contentment by the food and sun, but the tone of Calvin's voice warned him the conversation might not be to his liking. Which was a shame, because everything had been so perfect.

"I think we started off on the wrong foot—dating wise. I wanted the first date to be perfect. And, I think, instead of trying to impress you, taking you to a fashionable restaurant and talking about mundane, but appropriate, first date topics, I should have just … pulled you along through a normal Friday night out for me."

Ben hoped that Calvin didn’t normally spend his Fridays dragging reluctant men to his favorite bar and talking about Pretty Boy's piercings. It had been more interesting than their date, but it was a little creepy.

"You like to be in the thick of things, don't you?"

Ben gave Calvin a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Anyone can watch porn—or normal people jacking off—at home. But you chose to do it in a park. Why? My theory is that you want to be in the middle of everything."

"I, uh, guess that you could maybe say that." Ben didn't think that was really it at all.

"Instead of telling you about me, I should have let you experience it."

"I don't really like baseball."

"Of all the things for you to find fault with in safe conversation." Calvin shook is head. "I understand now that you don't like baseball, which would have been better to find out at the baseball game rather than over appetizers."

"If you say so."

Calvin smirked and took a bite of bacon. "So. Sunday with Calvin. Every Sunday when it's not raining, I play ultimate Frisbee in Ravenna Park. Then I get groceries for dinner that I host every other week. I do some laundry, take a nap. I make dinner, Michelle comes over, sometimes she brings a friend, and sometimes a couple of other guys show up."

Grocery shopping? A nap? Was Calvin serious? Were they really going to do that? Coming to Calvin's had definitely been a mistake. He should have stayed home.

"You done?" Calvin pointed at Ben's plate.

"Yeah, thanks. It was good." When Calvin started gathering dishes and taking them to the sink, Ben helped. He rinsed food off the dishes and passed them to Calvin, who put them in the dishwasher.

"So who do you play ultimate Frisbee with?" Ben asked in an attempt to break the awkward silence.

Calvin shrugged. "I went for a walk one day and there was a group of guys playing ultimate Frisbee. I saw them there again the next week and joined them. Apparently they're a bunch of artists who play every week. Nice guys. Originally there were just six of them, now there's about ten of us who show up." Calvin opened a cabinet and grabbed two Nalgene bottles. He filled them with water. "Do you need to use the bathroom or anything?"

Ben shook his head.

"Want to borrow some clothes?"

Ben looked down; he'd rather not get grass stains on his shirt, but Calvin was taller and more filled out than he was. "Sure, if you have some that will fit."

Calvin disappeared up stairs and came back down with a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt. After Ben changed into clothes that were only slightly too large, he rejoined Calvin by the door. Calvin handed Ben one of the Nalgenes. "Ready to go?"

"Sure."

They walked to the park and talked of very non-consequential things, like the trees, and landscaping of houses, and the area in general. Calvin related funny stories about some of his less successful hiking trips—like the time he got lost and ended up on a winding and never-ending trail, then had to hitch a ride back to town with a 10 year old driving an ATV. "It was supposed to be an amazing trek through the rain forest, and I ended up being rescued by a kid."

Ben told Calvin about volunteering at the Pacific Science Center and the craziness that went on there.

"Wow," Calvin said, laughing. "I can't imagine. You. Keeping the peace among hundreds of kids."

"It's a lot of fun," Ben said. "It's basically a giant playground, and I love playing with the water guns."

"Yeah, those are pretty cool." Calvin kicked a rock off the sidewalk and into the street. "Think we could go there together?"

Ben was beginning to think he'd misjudged Calvin. Maybe he should try to get to know Calvin in different settings—which sounded suspiciously like dating. But Ben was enjoying himself, and Calvin's company, more than he had in a long time. "Yeah."

They arrived at Ravenna Park and an ultimate Frisbee game was already underway. The men playing saw them and stopped. A chorus of "Hey Calvin" reached them across the field, and suddenly Ben was playing Ultimate Frisbee. It had been years since he'd played. Ben and Calvin were on the shirts team. Pity, since Calvin looked so stunning shirtless.

The game was fun. Being around many people, enjoying the day, running, competing—they were all things in which Ben hadn't indulged in years. What he found particularly interesting, though, was how Calvin interacted with his friends. He wasn't saying what they wanted to hear, acting they way anyone would expect him to act. He joked, gave them a hard time, collided with them—he was engaged and genuinely happy and nice, and it was clear that the others responded to the fun that Calvin seemed to exude.

After ultimate Frisbee, they returned to Calvin's house, sweating and covered in grass stains. Ben changed back into his own clothes and explored Calvin's kitchen while Calvin took a shower. He looked in all of the drawers and, once he found it, rifled through the official drawer of random crap. A garage door opener. A bunch of batteries. Some string. Rubber bands. Washers. Matchbooks with well-endowed naked men on them. Ben was admiring the naked men when Calvin came in with a towel wrapped around his waist and the purple plug that went unused Friday. Ben threw the matchbook back in the drawer and shut it.

"Are you going through my drawer-o-random-crap?"

"Yes."

"Are you looking for something in particular?" Calvin looked like he was fighting a smile. "Other than naked-man matchbooks?"

"Well. You know what they say," Ben teased. "The junk drawer is a window into a man's soul." Calvin snickered at that. Ready to change the subject, Ben pointed to the plug. "What's that for?" Ben asked. No way was he putting that in. He had a strict one-month dating policy before using another man's toys. And since he never really dated, that meant he never used other men's toys. Ben took a step back and Calvin took a step forward.

"Relax." Calvin chuckled. "It’s for me."

There were way too many ways to interpret that. But Calvin stopped at the table and set the plug on top. He opened a tube of lube and squeezed some onto his fingers before he turned around, let the towel drop to the floor, and braced one hand on the table.

Calvin circled his hole, getting it shiny and slick. "You know," Calvin said lazily as he stretched himself, "if you'd agreed to go out with me the last three hundred times I asked, this could be you."

Calvin removed the finger and squeezed some lube onto the plug and placed it on the chair. "A little show to tide you over 'til tonight." Calvin swung his leg over the seat. He grabbed the plug and adjusted its position. Slowly, so very slowly, Calvin lowered himself over the purple piece of rubber. Ben watched his hole stretching and stretching around the plug. Calvin slowed his descent when he reached the widest part, and then he dropped to the seat of the chair. He turned around and grinned, cheeks flushed and eyes shining at Ben.

Ben dropped his hand from his dick and took a step forward, but Calvin shook his head. "Sorry, Ben. Gotta hit the grocery store." Calvin slowly stood and shifted his body around. "Let me get dressed; I'll be right back." Calvin disappeared up the stairs again. Ben fell back against the counter, flipping through mental images of Calvin and the plug. He was starting to think he should have agreed to a second date months ago.

Calvin returned dressed in a pair of jeans and another T-shirt, this one with an image of red robots decimating a city. He sauntered up to Ben until a mere inch was all that separated them and then grabbed Ben's hand and pressed it to his cock. Ben looked down at the prominent bulge and his hand moving slowly over it. Calvin pressed forward into his hand, and Ben pushed back harder.

"Do we really have to go to the grocery story?" Ben asked.

"Yes." Calvin huffed and ground himself harder against Ben's hand. "Fuck Ben, you better feel special, because I do not normally do this."

"But you like it, right?"

Calvin pressed against Ben's hand. "I am so fucking turned on right now."

Ben gave Calvin's cock a quick squeeze. "O-kay. Grocery store." The sooner they moved past this ridiculous item on Calvin's to-do list, the faster they could move on to other things.

"Then laundry and nap." Calvin's breath wafted against Ben's skin, and Ben still didn't understand why they couldn't skip the grocery store.

Calvin squirmed the entire five-minute drive to QFC. Ben suggested they park in the back of the lot. For some reason completely unknown to him, as they walked across the parking lot, Ben put his hand on the small of Calvin's back and scratched his skin lightly through the shirt. Ben coaxed him to walk faster with the pressure of his hand.

While Ben pushed the cart, Calvin walked around the produce, meat, and dairy sections. He made sure to direct Calvin to the lowest shelves when he could, just to watch Calvin bend over and the flush that intensified on his face ever so slightly each time he stood back up. When they were standing in line to check out, Ben suddenly had a craving for watermelon, and Calvin kindly hurried back to the produce area to get one. "You're mean," Calvin said as he handed Ben a beautiful oblong watermelon.

Ben couldn't help the giant grin on his face. "Thanks."

They paid and took the groceries back to the car. "Where to now?" Ben asked as he fastened his seat belt.

"Home." The finality in Calvin's voice made Ben want to laugh. He was enjoying this way too much.

"What?" Ben teased. "No more errands? Or surely there's another Frisbee game we can join."

Ben's hand was grabbed and once again pressed onto Calvin's crotch. "Home," Calvin said, voice strained. Ben refused to remove his hand; instead, he gently exerted pressure, moving his hand in circles. Calvin groaned. "This was the worst idea ever."

"Uh-uh. Best idea ever. I love that plug. Teasing you. Every move. Every squirm. You do such a good job of keeping your face unaffected—for the most part." Ben squeezed a little harder. "But I know—how hard you are." Ben leaned over and placed his mouth next to Calvin's ear. "I like knowing. It's fun."

Calvin threw his head back against the headrest with a thud. Ben lifted his hand and sat back in his seat, waiting for Calvin to start the car, satisfied that Calvin was thoroughly uncomfortable. Calvin took a couple of deep breaths and started the car.

Back at Calvin's, Ben unpacked the grocery bags and handed the food items to Calvin to put away. Ben gave Calvin three oranges. Now that they had more privacy, he wanted to do more than just tease. He wanted to touch.

When Calvin came back and reached for a head of lettuce, Ben put his hand on Calvin's arm. He slowly drew off Calvin’s shirt and threw it into the hallway. He placed his hands on Calvin's chest and moved them over the skin. Goosebumps followed in their wake. Ben ran his fingers over the dips and rises of every muscle exposed. Calvin's hands settled on Ben's waist as he leaned forward, letting Ben support his weight. Ben ran his fingers through the light-colored hair covering Calvin's chest before he stepped back; he picked up the head of lettuce and held it out to Calvin.

"You're killing me here." Calvin pushed himself off and headed back toward the fridge. He was smiling, so Ben didn't think he was too upset. Ben watched the play of his muscles as Calvin turned, reached out his arm and bent forward to open and close the produce drawer.

When Calvin returned, he pulled the groceries quickly to him and put them away. Ben just watched.

"Like what you see?"

"Yeah." Ben imagined taking off Calvin's pants and underwear and then what he would be like naked, putting away groceries. The image wasn't to be, though, because Calvin put the last of the groceries away before Ben could act on the daydream.