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“Rough day?”

Andrew snapped his head up, unaware he had an audience. He met the gaze of the shirtless bartender, heavily muscled with broad shoulders, thick arms, and a sculpted chest and abs. His skin was far too tan for this time of year. Must go to a tanning salon.

He had forgotten the bartenders went shirtless down in the East Village. Well, in most gay bars, but more so in the East Village where the clientele was a bit more laid back. In the West Village and in Chelsea where the clientele was more of a business crowd, the bartenders didn’t remove their shirts until later in the evening when the patrons were well on their way to drunk and horny. It increased tips tremendously for them.

Taking another moment to appreciate the man in front of him, he observed the close-cropped haircut, dark hair, contrasted by blue eyes. Quite handsome. “Yeah. I guess so.”

The bartender extended his hand and Andrew took it in his. “Name’s Peter. Peter Somers. Want to talk about it?”

He lifted the glass to his mouth, taking another gulp, more tension slipping from him. As he drank, he allowed his eyes to take another glance at Peter, surveying him more closely. He wore tight-fitting jeans. His thick arms were complemented by trunks for legs and a powerful ass which caused the seams of his pants to scream in protestation. Andrew loved working out with weights and had a body to show for it as well, but this guy put him to shame. Well, maybe not to shame, but he’d certainly make a great gym partner. “No.” He finished his beer and slid the glass across the counter.

Peter smiled, took his glass, and refilled it, never taking his eyes off Andrew for a moment. Sliding a fresh glass across the bar, he winked. “Suit yourself.” Instead of walking away, he rested his elbow on the bar and leaned his head in his palm. “I haven’t seen you in here before. Of course, I just started a couple of weeks ago, so I’m meeting everyone and trying to remember names. What’s yours?”

Andrew chuckled. This guy would do well. He was hot and friendly, the perfect combination. “Name’s Andrew.”

“Nice to meet you, Andrew. You live around here?”

“No.” Andrew reached across the bar and took Peter’s hand. He had a firm grip and the muscles of his forearms rippled as they shook in greeting. “I used to, but just moved to midtown near Central Park.”

“That’s a shame.” Peter smiled, revealing perfectly white teeth and stunning dimples which gave him boyish good looks. “It would be nice if all the guys who come in here looked like you. How often do you go to the gym?”

“I dunno. Usually three times a week. I’m a member of New York Sports Club and usually go after work.”

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“Well it shows.” Peter made a show of admiration. Andrew took in the expression and it filled him with pride. This was a handsome, well-built man, one who could grab him, take him, make him do things that— What the fuck. I’m a top. Yet he couldn’t deny the physical response of his body at the thought of Peter entering him, controlling him.

The image caused Andrew’s cock to strain in his pants. “So what brings you down here on a Saturday?”

The question, the beer, the handsome man who seemed to care, Andrew wasn’t sure which sparked it, but words started pouring out of him. “Normally I wouldn’t be down here, but my boyfriend is out running, or doing something, with a friend of his, and he was supposed to be home by noon. By one o’clock, and after several unreturned phone calls, I decided to head out on my own and ended up here.”

Peter’s eyes maintained contact with Andrew’s. “You have a boyfriend? Bummer.”

The comment caused his pants to become just a hint tighter as his bits and pieces continued to shift. “Yeah, but lately I’m beginning to wonder.”

Peter grabbed a rag from behind the counter and began to wipe down the bar.

Andrew noticed he was cleaning the same spot without making a move to clean anywhere else. “You’re beginning to wonder what?”

“I’m beginning to wonder whether we really are boyfriends anymore, or if we’re growing apart.” As soon as the words came out, he snapped his mouth shut, surprised he had shared such personal information. Despite his surprise, he continued. “We seem to want different things.”

“What is it you want?” Peter continued wiping the same spot on the bar top.

“I want to be able to enjoy myself. Isn’t that what everyone wants? I want to be able to spend the money I earn without worrying about how it’s going to piss someone else off, especially my boyfriend.”

“Your boyfriend gets pissed off at you for spending money?”

“He teaches. I work in the financial industry. There is a financial gap between us which has never bothered me, but it’s become the source of our problems. Well, not so much the money itself, but…” Andrew raised his glass to his mouth, taking another gulp. This had been what he had wanted to avoid thinking about.

“But you make more money than him and want to do things that he can’t afford.”

“Exactly. I don’t ask for anything. I don’t push for him to contribute financially. All I ask is that he jump on board and move forward with me.” Listening to himself, he cringed, realizing how selfish he sounded. “God I sound like a jerk.”

Peter laughed. “No you don’t. Money is a powerful thing and splits lots of people.

At least you don’t care that he doesn’t make as much as you do. My last boyfriend did and that was what broke us up. He never appreciated me for me.”

“I’m sorry.” Andrew reached out and placed a hand over Peter’s which hadn’t stopped cleaning the same spot. “I think you managed to clean that spot, unless you want to rub the finish off the countertop.”

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Peter laughed. “You caught that, huh?” His cheeks flushed. He must have been seriously embarrassed for Andrew to notice the red in his cheeks in the dim room.

“Busted. I wanted to seem like I was working, but you’re cute and I wanted to keep talking to you.”

The words sent a surge of electricity through Andrew. His cock filled out and became fully erect inside his pants, forcing him to shift his hips to relieve the uncomfortable pressure. “Thanks.”

“So this boyfriend who doesn’t want the same things as you. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.” He took another sip of his beer, the effect beginning to calm him.

Peter was attractive and no one had listened to him, understood him, like this for quite some time. An image of Robert popped into his mind. Robert had understood him perfectly. He recalled how good it felt to talk about his work and his hopes with Robert.

Maybe I need someone like him.

Before Peter could speak again, his phone vibrated. Glancing at the caller ID, he saw it was Jeremy. “Jeremy. Nice of you to call.” Peter walked away, cleaning the rest of the bar top.

“Hello to you too. I’m at Sidewalk and you aren’t here. Where are you?”

“I decided to go to Phoenix instead.”

“Oh. Okay, want me to meet you there?”

“No, stay where you are. I’m hungry. I’ll come join you. See you in a few.” He snapped his phone shut and turned to Peter. “Thanks for listening.”

Peter smiled. “Good luck.”

Stepping back outside, Andrew squinted until his eyes had a chance to readjust to the brightness. Rather than dulling his thoughts, going to Phoenix had shoved more things to think about into his overcrowded head. Peter had been openly flirting with him and it felt good. He seemed like a great guy, someone Andrew could have fun with. But that would be jumping from one person who couldn’t move forward with me to the next.

He thought of Robert again. Robert was handsome and shared his professional interests. They were far more compatible. If he and Jeremy were growing apart, someone like Robert was a far better choice for him. And Robert had seemed interested.

There had been a hint of flirtation that evening as well. At the time he had written it off as just being friendly, but re-examining the evening through a new lens, he could see how Robert had sent out signs of invitation.

He turned left and headed South on Second Avenue. Only a few blocks to go and he would be at Sidewalk Café, with Jeremy. The thought filled him with a sense of frustration. He had just snapped at Jeremy on the phone. Would Jeremy start an argument about that? Would he complain that Andrew had gone out without him? His frustration sparked a hint of the anger, the same anger he’d been trying to escape.

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He shook his head, a faint humming behind his ears. I need food. Drinking on an empty stomach was a bad idea. Whatever reaction he faced when he arrived, he would deal with it, like he always did.

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Craig was sitting at his computer Sunday night, working on a project for one of Boris’s clients. It was a condo job near Jeremy’s place by Central Park. Ever since his run with Jeremy, and their shower, he hadn’t been able to think of anything else. Since he had blown up at Robert the day of Boris’s party, they had barely spoken to each other.

No wonder I let him in the shower with me. I haven’t had sex in over two weeks.

Staring at his screen, his attention was diverted by the continual images of Jeremy and his naked body, his erect cock, his climax, their kiss. He got up and walked into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of wine. Several times the night before and during the day, he had wanted to call Jeremy, but was afraid to. What if Jeremy had second thoughts about what they had done? What if he realized they had made a terrible mistake and didn’t want to have anything to do with him anymore? Craig knew he wouldn’t be able to stand it if he lost Jeremy again.

Just as he finished pouring the wine, his phone rang. He picked it up without checking the caller ID. “Hello.”

“Hi, Craig.” Jeremy’s voice sounded cheerful. “Seriously, why do you keep taking so long to answer the phone?”

A warmth filled him. It was nice to have someone who was playful to talk to. “I told you. I have to keep you on your toes.” Relief flooded through him. Jeremy called me. He shook his head, both amused and annoyed for having worked himself up so much.

“Very funny. Listen. I was wondering if you still wanted to visit the kids. I wasn’t kidding about them asking for you.”

“Of course I do.” He wanted to kick himself for having allowed himself to get so worked up, but his sense of relief outweighed any criticism he could give himself.

Jeremy not only felt comfortable with him, he wanted him to visit his class. I should have called him last night instead of worrying myself into next week. “When would you like me to come?” Jeremy was silent for a moment. “You there?”

Jeremy laughed on the other end of the phone. “Sorry. I was just deciding whether to go with that opening you just gave me or to simply answer your question about when to come.”

Heat rushed to Craig’s cheeks. “Geez Jeremy. I’ve been spending the last twenty-four hours worrying that you wouldn’t want to see me again after our little…experience…and here you are joking about it.”

“I told you. No weirdness. We’re fine, Craig.” He remained quiet for another moment. “But it’s kinda cute that you worried about it.”

“Quit it!” Craig laughed to release some of the nervous energy building up inside of him. “So when do you want me to come…I mean visit your classroom?”

“We agreed on Tuesday, right?”

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“Right, we did.” Craig flushed and was glad Jeremy couldn’t see his embarrassment.

“Perfect. And Craig, don’t worry so much. That was always your problem growing up. You worried about everything.”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind. See you Tuesday.” Craig flipped his phone shut and held it against his chest. A simple phone call and all of his concerns were gone. Jeremy wasn’t uncomfortable at all. And yet, maybe things would be easier if he were uncomfortable. He raised the glass to his lips and took a sip of his wine.

* * * * *

”Craig. Wait.” At the door, Janet handed him a container filled with cookies. “I made these for the kids. Can you tell them I said hello?”

“You baked?” Craig summoned as much surprise into voice as he could muster.

Janet smiled sweetly, stepping forward and handing the container to him. Once his hands were occupied, she reached up and flicked him hard between the eyes. “Yes, I baked! Now get your fuckin’ wise ass out of here before I do something that will really hurt.”

“Should I share that message with the kids too?”

Janet took a menacing step forward, forcing Craig to jump back. “Peace. I’m kidding. That was sweet of you.”

A dazzling smile replaced her warning glare. “Okay, call to tell me how they liked the cookies.” Craig headed out, chuckling to himself. I never would have thought of Janet as motherly.

The short walk to Jeremy’s school was filled with a nervous tension as Craig replayed Saturday in his mind. He hadn’t seen Jeremy since the shower and had only spoken to him once the next day. He wondered if seeing him again would cause Jeremy to realize what they had done had been a terrible mistake, and to shy away from him, despite his reassurances that everything was fine.

When he arrived at the school, he had wound himself into a bundle of nerves. The fact the front office was expecting him only marginally eased his anxiety. Upon entering the classroom, his concerns evaporated into thin air. Jeremy’s beaming grin greeted him, warm as ever. Unfortunately, the comforting welcome was short lived as all the kids jumped up from the rug where Jeremy had been reading them a story and huddled around Craig, to give him hugs.