“This is why I chose you to handle things, Eli. You’ve always put your head down and powered through the shit. But now, I see how it’s affected you. I’m sorry for the worry I put you and Connor through,” I said as I laid my hand on his shoulder.
“I guess this is what true best friends do for each other, right?” Eli replied before he took a swig of beer.
“Damn fucking straight,” I expressed boldly, with a light punch to his arm.
Eli huffed a laugh. “Yeah, but you’re not all that straight anymore, are you?”
I barked out a boisterous laugh. “Touché, buddy.”
We sat in friendly silence, nursing our beers before I finally said, “I’ll chat with Connor about what went down, but you’ll both share the responsibility for now as far as I’m concerned.” Eli agreed with a nod.
I was grateful I had two lovely men in my life—one my best friend and the other my lover and life companion. I just hoped Connor believed in the life companion part too.
I spent the next week reviewing my finances and meeting with my accountant. Connor and I had played with the idea of starting a business together once he graduated while I was still in the hospital. Still, I wanted to have some ideas and conditions in place before we discussed what type of business venture we’d eventually partake in.
Spring was upon us, and with it, my life was beginning anew, and I was fast approaching ‘the big five-o.’ Connor would graduate soon, and he was finishing up the main draft of his thesis to turn in for his advisor’s review. There would be refinements, but I was certain he’d have no problem defending it before the thesis committee. He still had a few more weeks left to perfect it.
But first, I needed to figure out what to do with ‘Big Red.’
44
CONNOR
The term had flown by, and my attention had been focused on my thesis. I’d spent endless hours in the library, endured a few all-nighters, eaten junk food, and paid little attention to my well-being—just a typical graduate student barreling to the finish line to get a thesis completed.
I rarely saw Spencer, and our regular swim and workout sessions had become a memory. He was in the same state of crazy, and I knew once we had our initial drafts turned in for review, we could reconnect and celebrate. We even had to end our tutoring sessions to stay focused on our work.
The one joy I had was my daily chats and video calls with Mason. But about a week ago, I had to put a stop to him surprising me with naughty video calls, appearing on my laptop completely naked. I’d been in the library at the time. It was late at night, but with the volume down low, I answered it, and my reaction was one of horror.
What filled my screen was his erect, uncut cock, dripping precum. I almost had a heart attack. At least I was at a table by myself amongst rows of bookshelves, with no other people in sight.
“Jesus Christ!” I cried out in a whisper. “We can’t do this, Mason. I’m in the library. Tilt the camera up to your face,” I commanded in a hushed voice. I heard his throaty chuckle over the speaker.
His hand came into view and tilted his screen up, revealing a shit-eating grin that looked like trouble. My heart had begun to beat wildly in my chest, not only because of the handsome man on the screen but also because of the display I had inadvertently revealed in public.
“Sorry, babe,” he whispered back, probably because I was in the library, and he wanted to keep his voice down. He looked slightly dejected.
“As much as I love you and our webcam visits, can we curtail them until I get this thesis draft finished?” I asked, not wanting to hurt his feelings. “I’m happy to have our daily chats, but let’s keep it to phone calls for the time being, okay?”
“Okay…Again, I’m…I’m sorry,” he replied. “I felt a little frisky and thought with it being late, you’d probably be in your dorm room.”
I smiled at him and licked my lips seductively. “I think that little accident you had jarred your horny lobe.”
Mason’s eyes went wide, and he laughed loudly. “Perhaps you’re right, babe. I’ll let you get back to it. Talk to you tomorrow.” He blew me a kiss, said goodnight, and ended the call. After that distraction, I’d lost my concentration and decided to head back to the dorm.
It was just before midnight when Mason sent me some photos of himself on full display. The last pic showed his fist covered in his release. At least I’d get a good night’s sleep after satisfying my lustful needs using Mason’s lascivious images. They fueled thoughts of our past escapades, and I shot my load quickly. As I lay in bed, thoughts of our summer together came to mind. That also reminded me I hadn’t been to Elmer and Ruthie's store since I’d been back. I needed to remedy that.
I spent the next week refining my thesis and finishing up its formatting and proofing. I was ready to turn it in to my advisor and had become a bit emotional. Almost two years of research, analysis, writing, and rewriting had finally come to an initial close. There’d be revisions for sure, but I was proud of what I’d accomplished. During my time at EOU, I’d gained a best friend, experienced family drama, and acquired a hot, sexy boyfriend who I hoped wanted to continue planning our future together.
It was a lazy Saturday morning in May, and after I’d turned my paper in the day before, I was able to convince Spencer to walk to Elmer and Ruthie’s store to get cappuccinos. He’d turned in his paper earlier in the week. The morning was bright, with hardly a cloud, as we walked and talked about our academic lives and how they were about to change.
Spencer held the door for me, and Ruthie saw us right away. Her grandmotherly demeanor hadn’t diminished in the least. She came around the counter and greeted us both with hugs. She’d gotten to know Spencer through me and our occasional coffee runs to their store during our school terms. Not more than a minute later, Elmer emerged from the back room and greeted us as well. He had been toting some cases of snacks, and Spencer immediately ran over to help.
Ruthie got busy making our coffees, and I told them both what happened to Mason before Thanksgiving. I noticed Ruthie was quite shaken up, but I assured her he’d healed up nicely. Elmer took the more positive approach, saying that Mason was ‘a tough old bird’ and knew he wouldn’t be down and out with such a minor mishap. His response made me laugh.
When Ruthie handed us our coffees, I could tell something was on her mind. I took a quick sip of my coffee and teasingly asked, “What’s cooking in that head of yours, Ruthie?”
“How are things with you and Mason?” she asked timidly.
