Chapter
9
Justin
found himself in a different world. Although he didn’t spend as much time
in class as he had in high school, he spent much more time studying.
Besides that, it seemed everyone was making demands on his time.
When he called his mother with his first progress report, she wanted to know
all about Bailey. Then she insisted that he should bring him for dinner
that Saturday. Not knowing whether he would want to be presented to his
roommate’s mother, Justin suggested that maybe Bailey would have a date that
night.
“Well, check with him and let me know. I’ll expect you unless I hear from
you, sweetie.”
Later, when Bailey returned to the room from the library, Justin tentatively
asked him about going to Higgins for dinner with his mother.
Bailey smiled and said, “Sure, Jus. That’d be great. I’d love to
meet your mom.”
“Uh, you don’t have a date or anything?”
“Nope. Haven’t found anybody yet.”
Supper at the Quinns’ went well. Bailey charmed Moira. It was as
simple as that. The young men stayed around until
The next afternoon Justin’s cell phone rang.
“Justin, it’s Mom.”
“Hi, dear! Thanks for supper last night.”
“Oh, I really enjoyed meeting Bailey. He’s so sexy!”
“Mom!” He elongated and diphthongized the vowel as teens are wont to do
when in a plaintive mood.
She laughed. “Well, he is. He isn’t as handsome as Brody or your
father. Or you, for that matter, dear. But he’s a real charmer!
And, as I said, he’s sexy.”
Justin took a look at Bailey, who was sitting at his computer working on a
paper. Yeah, he was sexy.
“You said he was straight, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, Mom. ‘Fraid so.”
“Well, I hope you two will become good friends.”
“Oh, I think that’s very possible. Even if he is straight.”
Bailey turned and stared at Justin. Then, with just a hint of a grin, he
turned back to his computer.
“Woops! He knows we’re talking about him!”
“Well, just tell him he’s welcome back anytime.”
“Are you sure you’re not smitten with my roomie?”
Moira gasped, and Bailey chuckled.
“Bye, Mom. See you soon!”
* *
*
Justin was also invited to have dinner with Brody and Dave early in the fall
term.
At the dinner table he was surprised that two such macho guys could be gossips.
Dave had mentioned that the Public Information Officer of Colby County,
who was new, and his Deputy PIO, who wasn’t, were both gay.
“Besides that, the deputy, Ben Moss, has a partner. His name’s Toby
something or other, and he used to be the room mate of – guess who?”
“Oh, I know who that is,” Brody said. “He and Bruce Evans are good friends
and lived together until Toby moved out. So he’s with this Moss guy, you
say?”
“Yep.”
“I’ll have to ask Bruce who’s sharing the house with him now.”
“Guys, you’re talking about my English instructor!”
“Yeah, and he’s a damn nice guy, isn’t he?”
“He seems to be. But he’s straight!”
“Yep.
“I’m confused.”
“You? Mr. My Gaydar is Perfect? Relax. You’ll get it all
sorted out eventually,” Brody said, grinning
“Justin,” Dave asked, “tell us about your roommate. What’s his name,
Barney something?” Dave, too, was grinning.
“You know very well what his name is. I’ve told the Sarge, and he’s told
you, I’m sure. His name is Bailey Stone. He’s a big guy, taller
than me but not as tall as either of you, and he weighs 225. He’s not
movie star handsome.” Justin almost said, “Like Brody,” but he managed to
cut that off before it was uttered. “But Mom thinks he’s sexy.”
“Sounds cute. What does your gaydar say?” Brody asked.
“Not a ping. Nothing. He’s a great guy, and I already love him, but
it’s hopeless.”
“Oh, well, you’ll meet some hot gay dude soon.”
“Oh, I already have. Cute guy from the second floor named Hal.”
“Oh, and are you two getting it on?” Brody asked.
“I wish! We can’t find a place. His roommate’s a homophobe and he
seems to always be in the room. Bailey’s cool, but he’s around a lot,
too. One afternoon Hal and I managed to 69 before Bailey got back, and
then Hal went down to his room. When Bailey came in, he sniffed and said
the room smelled like a brothel.”
Both Brody and Dave chuckled.
“Another time we tried using the back of my SUV. It’s parked on the
freshman lot, you know. We went there after dark, drove out into the
country, and parked beside a deserted stretch of road. But the floor was
hard. And cold, too. Then the road wasn’t as deserted as we thought
and cars kept coming by. I just knew my pale ass was sticking up above
the window line and everyone could tell what we were doing.”
“Ah,” Dave said. “The trials of young love.”
“Easy for you to say. You two can make out like bunnies any time you
want. And you aren’t even young and full of spunk like me!”
“Watch it, twerp,” Brody said. “No disrespect to your elders.
Besides, we’re your hosts this evening.”
Justin grinned. “No disrespect to you old farts. And the meal’s
great. But I’m pretty horny and Hal’s hot, and we just can’t find a place
to get it on.”
“What about home?”
Justin looked surprised.
“Yeah, ya know, I’d never thought of that. I mean, I don’t want to take
Hal home for an overnight. Mom would know what that was all about right
away. But maybe some afternoon when we don’t have any classes we could go
to the house. And I could leave her a note saying I’d come home to use
the laundry. We could make out while the clothes were getting clean!”
Dave grinned. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Brody gave him a pretend look of disgust. “To coin a phrase.”
“Watch it, Cox, or you won’t get any nooky this evening!”
Justin felt conflicting emotions after that exchange. He knew Brody and
Dave were solidly a couple. And, though he couldn’t help wishing things
had been different, that he and the Sarge could have been lovers, he saw how
good the two older guys were together. He was happy for Brody. And
he hoped that someday he could find that kind of love with someone. Then
he realized there was plenty of time. He and Hal would manage to have
their fun. Besides, who knew how many other cute gay guys he might meet
in four years at
“What are you smirking at, twerp?” Brody asked.
“Oh, nothin’.”
As Justin was leaving, Dave went into the kitchen briefly and returned with a
plastic bag, which he handed to Justin.
“What’s this?”
“You told us you and Bailey have a fridge in your room, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, this is a care package. There’s leftovers from supper you can
nuke, and a couple of slices of cheese cake – which you definitely don’t want
to nuke.”
“Wow! That’ll be so much better than a meal at the Commons!”
He hugged them both, enjoying being held close by the bigger men, thanked them
for the supper and the take-home food, and left, thinking once more what a good
thing Brody and Dave had, hoping that someday he’d find someone . . . .
* *
*
Justin and Hal still searched for a place where they could make out. It
wasn’t that Bailey was a hindrance. Justin understood that Bailey didn’t
actually disapprove of the guys having some fun, but he was by nature
particular about their room. He meticulously tidied his part of the room,
and Justin couldn’t help seeing the expression on Bailey’s face when he,
Justin, occasionally left a pair of socks or some underwear on the floor or on
his bed. Bailey made his bed as soon as he got out of it. Justin
did so, too, unless he’d slept late and had to dash for class.
Justin had decided after the summer league baseball season ended that he’d let
his hair grow out. He’d worn it in a pony tail before he met Brody.
Although he’d never have admitted it, he got it cut shorter because he
knew Brody didn’t like it long. Then when he began playing baseball with
Brody and Dave on the Higgins Hammers team, he started wearing it in a crew
cut. When he moved on campus, however, he thought he’d like to try the
long hair again.
One day several weeks into the fall term, he and Bailey were having lunch
together.
“Jus, I’m gonna get a haircut this afternoon. You know a good barber
shop?”
“Yeah, Carlo’s, over on Sycamore is good.”
“Why don’t you come with me? You’re looking a little shaggy.”
“Shaggy? You think I’m shaggy? I was planning to let it grow long.
I used to have a pony tail, you know. Thought I’d like to do that
again.”
Bailey shrugged and smiled. “Your choice, man. But why? Is
this some kind of in-your-face gay thing?”
“There’s nothing gay about a pony tail, or shoulder-length hair.”
“I suppose not. Sorry I said anything.”
Bailey was never unpleasant or bossy. Rather, Justin found that he
naturally wanted to please his big buddy. He didn’t get his hair cut with
Bailey, but he was reluctant to invite Hal to use their room on those days when
they wanted each other so badly they were about to explode.
* *
*
Since they lived in the same building, it was inevitable that Justin and Cliff
Thornton ran across each other from time to time. It happened most often
at the mailboxes in the lobby.
A few days after Bailey’s visit to Hal and Cliff’s room, however, he bumped
into
“Why do you wear those fuckin’ earrings? You advertising that you’re a
queer?”
Justin, who had worn a pair of small black studs in his ears since his junior
year in high school, seldom even thought about them. They were simply a
part of him. He turned from his mailbox to see that it was Thornton who
was speaking to him.
“What’s wrong with a little bling?” he asked, smiling.
“Bling’s okay for Blacks. But you’ve got one of those thingies in your
right ear, and it’s not shiny like bling. So I guess you’re advertising,
huh? Looking to be fucked, homo?”
Determined not to slug the guy, Justin grinned. “Not if it’s you that’s
offering.”
“In your dreams, faggot!”
His first instinct had been to deck
After that, whenever they met,
Justin asked Hal if his roommate was keeping to his part of the bargain.
“Yeah. Whatever Bailey told him, he’s letting me alone. He doesn’t
call me names or anything. He just doesn’t talk to me at all. It’s
like I wasn’t even there. I wish I had a roomie I could like, someone
who’d be a friend. But it could be worse.”
So, Justin concluded,
“Jus, how are Hal and Cliff getting along?”
“Hal says Cliff’s giving him the silent treatment, but he’s okay with that.”
“So all’s well?”
“I suppose you could say that.
Bailey chuckled. “I wouldn’t recommend that. Cliff’s into martial
arts. He doesn’t look very scary, but he probably would have had you on
your back before you knew what happened.”
“Gee, Stone, thanks for warning me.”
“You wouldn’t really have slugged him, would you?”
Justin grinned. “Probably not. But he sure is a shithead.”
Bailey returned the grin. “Agreed. But then, there are a lot of
those around. We just don’t let them get to us, right?”
“Right, bro!”
* *
*
Justin got occasional emails from Gary, who was loving
He didn’t hear from Todd at all. But then, looking back on the kind of
relationship they’d had, he was more relieved than unhappy about that.
His stomach still knotted up when he thought about the DVD, but as time
passed he began to think that Todd would keep his promise not to pass copies of
that around.
One day when he and Bailey were having supper at the Commons, the bigger man
said, “Jus, this weekend is homecoming at Strongsville High. I’ve found a
guy who lives in Brecksville who’s giving me a ride, so I’m going home for the
weekend. You and Hal can have the room to yourselves until Sunday
afternoon sometime.”
Justin felt a twinge. He was happy, of course, that he and Hal, who were
always looking for a place to make out, would have the room to themselves.
He had not met Bailey’s parents, however, and he thought it might have
been nice to be asked to go to Strongsville that weekend to meet them.
Moira was always urging Justin to bring Bailey back for another meal.
He managed to grin at Bailey as he said, “Gonna party, huh?”
The skin around Bailey’s eyes crinkled when he answered, “Well, nothing wild.
You know me. But I’m hoping some of my classmates will be home for
the weekend.”
“Yeah? Is there a special classmate, maybe?”
“Actually, there’s a gal in the senior class I used to date. A
great-looking redhead, about your height, but with a much nicer body.” He
grinned. “Cath. I’m gonna call and see if she has a date for the
dance Saturday night.”
Justin knew that Bailey had dates most weekends since the term began, but he’d
never brought any of the girls back to the room. And Bailey had never
mentioned a special girlfriend back home.
“Geez, Stone, you’ve put it off pretty late. If she looks as good as you
say, she’s bound to have a date for the homecoming dance.”
Bailey looked disappointed. “I’m so stupid! I should have thought
of that. I guess I won’t call. Maybe just see if any of the guys
from our class are home and hang with them.”
“Hey, bro, no harm in giving ole Cath a try, is there? A guy’s gotta get
laid! Go for it!”
When they got back to the dorm, Bailey told Justin to go on up to the room.
He was going to call Cathy on his cell phone from the parking lot.
Neither of them had done much studying over the weekend. The plan was to
hit the books right after supper, so Justin went upstairs, kicked off his
sneaks, and hauled out his fat art history text. He and Bailey would read
their assignment and then talk it over before going on to work separately on
their other courses.
When Bailey came in, Justin asked, “So, any luck?”
Bailey shook his head. “No, you were right. She’s got a date.
But I didn’t know until today that I’d have a ride.”
“Sucks not to have a car.”
“Yeah.” He looked for a moment as if he were going to say more, but then
he didn’t. Instead he grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste and went to
brush his teeth.
When Bailey returned, Justin said, “You know, man, you could borrow my car some
weekend if you wanted to go home.”
Bailey smiled. “Justin, that’s really decent of you, but I couldn’t do
that. Then you’d be stuck here without wheels. I’ve got an idea,
though. Maybe you could come home with me some weekend. That is,
assuming you’d be willing to drive.”
“Cool! I’d like to meet your folks.”
Bailey looked down at the book in his lap. “Well, they’re not as warm and
welcoming as your mother. But they’re okay. And I’d like them to
meet you.”
“It won’t bother them that I’m gay?”
“Oh, no. I wouldn’t have asked you if that was going to be a problem.”
Justin reached up for a high five. “Then it sounds like a plan, roomie.”
“By the way. It would be nice if you could go home some weekend so I
could have the room.”
“Oh, sure. I could do that.”
* *
*
“Hey, Mom!”
“Justin, how are you, sweetie?”
“I’m great. How’s the greatest mother in the world.”
“I’m fine. And you want something.”
Justin chuckled. “You are the greatest. But, yeah, I was
wondering if I could come to dinner Sunday. There’s someone I want you to
meet.”
“Then I want to meet him. What’s his name?”
“Henry, but he goes by Harry, and I call him Hal.”
Moira laughed. “Well, dear, I’ve been looking for an excuse to fix a nice
rump roast, but I want to go to the 10:30 service on Sunday morning.”
“Okay, here’s what you do. You put the roast in the oven before you go to
church. Hal and I will be there to keep an eye on it. I’ll get the
potatoes ready and we can start them cooking when you get home. What kind
of veggies will we have?”
“What does Hal like?”
“I dunno.”
“Well, I’d like asparagus, but you check with him. If he doesn’t like
that, we’ll fall back on good old green beans.”
“If you don’t hear from me in about an hour, plan on the asparagus, okay?
And, mom, thanks!”
“I’ll look forward to seeing you, Justin, and to meeting Hal. Is he your
new boyfriend?”
“I don’t think we’re quite to that stage yet.”
Moira laughed. “Yet being the operative word? I suppose that
means you’re sleeping with him.”
“Not much sleep involved, dear. We both have straight roommates.”
“I think I get the picture. And I don’t think I want any more
information. Except about the asparagus. Say hello to Bailey for
me. It’s a shame he’s straight!”
“Mo-ther!”
“Bye, dear.”
* *
*
Justin and Hal went to Bennigan’s for supper that Friday evening. When
they got back to Justin’s room afterward, Bailey’s bed had been stripped.
On it was a note:
“Guys, I’m taking the sheets home to wash them. There are clean sheets in
the closet. That is assuming you aren’t spending the whole weekend in the
same bed. Or, cutie pie could bring his own sheets up. Have fun!
B.”
“Cutie pie!” Hal squawked. “What does he mean by that?”
Justin laughed. “Chill, dude. You are cute. He didn’t mean
anything by it.”
Hal sighed. “It’s just because I’m little. I get shit like that all
the time.”
“You’re not much shorter than me. And you may still grow. Are you
still 18?”
“Yeah, for another six weeks. But I’m so skinny. Next to a guy like
Bailey I look like a little boy.”
Justin gestured for Hal to put his arms in the air. As he pulled Hal’s
shirt off, he said, “I think you look just fine, Jackson.”
Soon they were both naked on Justin’s bed.
Giving one of them a flick with the tip of his tongue, Justin said, “God, I
love your nubs!”
Hal shivered and put his hands in Justin’s hair. “Anything else you love,
feel free to lick!”
With an evil chuckle, Justin allowed his tongue to flick its way south.
Looking back on it, Justin decided the weekend was pretty much a sexathon.
On Friday evening they’d had a nice 69 session. Saturday morning they
woke up late and then humped their dicks against each other’s abs until they
came.
They took time out Saturday afternoon, however, to sit in the student section
and cheer the Cougars in their valiant attempt to beat the Bobcats of Ohio
University, who were having their best year in decades and who eventually won
by two touchdowns. On their way out of the stadium they bumped into Brody
and Dave. After Justin had introduced Hal to the others, he asked, “You
guys wanna come and get something to eat with us?”
“I’ve got a better idea,” Dave said. “The restaurants will all be
overflowing with the football crowd. We’ve got a big pot of chili back
home, and I’ll make some cornbread. Why don’t you guys come eat with us?”
Justin looked at Hal, who’d been staring alternately at Brody and at Dave.
He seemed a bit awestruck. When he realized that Justin was waiting
for him to respond, he managed to nod his head.
“Cool! My car is in the freshman lot. We’ll go get it and be at
your place in about 45 minutes, okay?”
“Let us drop you at the freshman lot,” Brody offered.
“Sarge, we can walk to the freshman lot faster than you can get out of the
stadium lot.”
Brody grinned and nodded. “You’re probably right. So, okay, we’ll
see you at our place in a few.”
In the car Hal said, “My god, Brody is even sexier than his picture.”
Justin grinned. “Uh huh.”
“And that Dave is just as sexy.”
“Well,” Justin said, “almost, maybe.”
* *
*
Saturday night they’d had more sex, with Justin topping an eager Hal. The
next morning, after lots of licking and sucking, they reversed roles.
Justin was happy to find that he still liked going both ways, relived
that he wasn’t the committed bottom Todd had claimed he was.
By the time they got to the Quinn’s just before noon on Sunday, both Justin and
Hal were very tender in the nether parts and were walking carefully. And
both admitted that their balls felt more drained than they could ever remember.
Bailey’s bed had remained un-slept in.
“Maybe it’s a good thing Bailey’s coming back,” Justin said as he peeled
potatoes for their Sunday dinner. “I don’t think I could fire another
load tonight.”
Hal grinned at him. “I wish we were going to be alone so I could put you
to the test.”
Justin grinned back. “Horndog.”
TBC