It was a perfect day at the beach, and Blake stood enjoying the waves. He was naturally slender, with a long, toned torso and smooth chest. His dark hair and large soulful eyes gave him the appearance of someone who came from the tropics. Dressed in a tank top, shorts, and flip-flops, his youthful casual good looks often drew the attention of the female sunbathers nearby. Blake knew the girls found him attractive, but he never used his attractive appearance to gain favor with them.

The day was coming to an end, and it was time to go home. Blake often drove his convertible jeep down to the beach to get away and clear his head. He was a freshman on summer break from college.

The beach was a short drive from his parent’s house with a series of bridges that connected it to the mainland. The road was desolate, and it was just him and his convertible on the road.

His mind drifted as the colors of the sky delighted him with a spectacular show. Suddenly, he noticed he wasn’t alone. Just behind his car was a blue 1970’s pickup truck. The vehicle kept perfect time with him as he recognized the truck to be identical to the one his best friend drove. He was excited to see his buddy, so he quickly slowed down to yell a big, “WHAT’S UP, BRO?!”

As he gave a big smile to the driver, Blake quickly realized that the guy driving the pickup was not his “bestie” after all. Quickly, he adjusted his greeting towards the stranger, but it was too late; the two men had locked eyes. Blake sped up a bit, anxious not to look silly at the misunderstanding.

Damn, I would have sworn it was my buddy’s car! My bad. But what’s up with that shirtless hunk guy driving it? I’ve never seen such blue, hazel eyes and sexy hair!

Blake was surprised at himself for noticing another guy’s attractiveness. He was still a virgin at twenty years old and, as far as he knew, straight.

As Blake pondered the driver’s appeal, the truck sped up to keep pace with him. The sexy stranger looked over and smiled once again at him. Panicked, Blake exited the parkway in an attempt to lose him.

He was sure he gave the pickup truck the slip as he turned down a small side street. But much to his surprise, in his rear-view mirror, he could see the blue truck still following him.

What’s going on? He wondered. “Perhaps it’s a coincidence? Maybe he lives around here?

Blake quickly pulled into a small secluded beach just down the road off the beaten path. Once at the beach, and sure he was alone, he parked to contemplate what had just happened. At first, he chuckled at his paranoia and then found himself oddly disappointed that the sexy stud in the truck wasn’t pursuing him.

As he observed the gorgeous sunset displaying itself before him, a glance in the rear-view mirror revealed the blue pickup that was parking nearby.

WHAT THE HELL? Blake wondered, Could it be? Is this guy following me?!

The man got out of his vehicle and casually walked to the water’s edge. He was only wearing jeans and flip-flops. His image cast a perfect and muscular silhouette against the setting sun as he gazed out towards the water.

What is he doing? Blake had had to know what was going on with this guy. Slipping on his feet in his flip-flops, he got out of the car and casually walked down the beach.

As he approached the shirtless stud, the guy looked at him and smiled. His inviting eyes and sweet smile instantly disarmed Blake as he stated, “Quite a stunning sunset, right?”

Blake felt obligated to answer, “Yeah, amazing. It makes you stop and appreciate what a beautiful spot this is.”

The fellow continued, “Yes, for sure. It’s nice to meet a fellow admirer of nature’s beauty. My name’s Zane.” Blake was impressed by the guy’s chill nature and straightforward sincerity. Blake laughed at his silliness. How did he ever think this tall, muscular bro was chasing him?

Blake felt the need to explain their exchange on the road, “Here’s a crazy coincidence you drive the same blue truck as my best friend. I thought that was him on the road earlier.”

Zane smiled at the coincidence. “Some people are just destined to meet, I guess. What a funny circumstance that led us to talk.”

Blake and Zane sat and watched the sunset together. The brilliant colors reflecting off the clouds made the evening’s sky more spectacular than usual.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Zane turned to Blake and asked, “Hey, I’m going to run to the gym and crush a quick workout now. Are you up for a beer later? Meet at nine at McGully’s pub?”

“Sure, I’ve got nothing going on this evening. I’m down for a beer later,” Blake agreed, surprising himself once again at how at ease he was with this stranger.

“Awesome. See you then. Nice sharing this sunset with you!” Zane smiled as he entered his truck and left.

***

Blake couldn’t help himself over the next few hours; he was constantly checking the time. At 8:30 pm, he wondered if he should get there early to grab a beer to ease his nerves? Why am I even anxious in the first place?

Blake showed up early to the bar and ordered a beer. As he finished it, he glanced at the time. It’s now 9:10. He’s probably not going to show up. Should I split?

 I’ll give this dude till 9:20, and I’m gone. He decided with a pang of disappointment.

 Blake ordered a second beer. It was 9:25 when he sipped the last of the brew. As he signaled the bartender for his check, a man’s voice called out from behind, “I’m so sorry about this. The gym was packed tonight, and my workout took forever!”

Blake could see Zane’s hair was wet, as was the button-down dress shirt he was wearing. The combination of water and sweat from his workout made his shirt translucent in parts revealing his well-defined abs underneath. Zane obviously put some thought into his outfit and must have come straight from the shower at the gym. Blake recalled he was an attractive fellow, but somehow, standing there dressed in casual night attire; he looked hotter than he remembered.

 “Twenty minutes late is a dick move. My apologies. Beers for the rest of the night are on me.”

“Great,” Blake answered. “Since I just closed out my tab.”

Rather than taking a seat at the bar, Zane remained standing, “We could stay here if you want, or we could get out of this place and have a few beers at my house? Up to you.”

Blake was impressed that Zane had his own place, “How old are you?” he inquired enthusiastically. Zane laughed, “Twenty-six. Is that too old for you?” He teased. Na, I hang with people way older than that. I just was wondering. Not paying for beers sounds awesome. Let’s do it!”

The two men made their way to the parking lot and each to their respective cars. “I don’t live far. Follow me, but careful, a storm is coming.” Blake jumped in his car and no sooner was he inside when lightning and thunder flashed and the rain began.

The two men made their way to Zane’s home. The front of the house had a long walkway, so they were wet from the downpour by the time they made it inside. “I’ll get a towel so you can dry your hair and your shirt if you’d like. In the meantime, make yourself at home. I don’t have any roommates, so there’s no need to worry about that.” Zane disappeared to the linen closet as Blake looked around.

WOW, this dude is loaded. Beautiful furniture, giant living room. His house is bigger than my parents!

Just then, a clap of thunder hit. The wind picked up, and the warm moist breeze blew the curtains, causing them to flutter in the wind.

Wow, that breeze feels good, and the sound of the rain is so hypnotic.

 Music softly filled the room. “I hope you like Anderson Paak; he’s one of my favorites.” Zane had changed his shirt, so he was dry. He extended a beer and towel to Blake.

Blake dried his shirt as best he could and toweled off his hair. “You’ve certainly got an awesome place here. I’ve got to say, I’m impressed.” Zane was mid-sip of beer when he answered as he made himself comfortable on the couch. “Thanks. I’m a landscape architect. It’s modest but cozy.” Blake wasn’t sure where to sit. The seemingly obvious place was to sit next to Zane on the couch since no other chairs were close by. “Cheers,” Zane toasted as he clinked Blake’s beer bottle.

Blake was well on his way to finishing his third beer as the two young men settled in. With the music playing and billowing curtains from the driving rain, the atmosphere was oddly romantic.

Zane leaned closer to Blake and asked, “So if you don’t mind me asking, what are you into?”

Blake finished his beer and replied, “Vintage comics, and I’m going to school to study architecture. Oh, and I love 80’s hip hop music… I never heard of this artist, but it’s great stuff.”

Zane laughed at the innocence of the reply. He then slid closer to Blake on the couch, and casually he placed his hand on Blake’s thigh, preparing to suggest another musician he may enjoy.

What the hell!? Blake exploded as he stood up. Did this dude just put his hand on my thigh? Is he making moves on me? “Whoa, buddy. Not cool. What do you think you’re doing?”

Zane was shocked, “I’m so sorry, I thought this would be okay.”

Zane slid back to the far end of the couch, placing distance between them.

Blake didn’t make eye contact, “I didn’t mean to overreact but, I’ve never been with a guy before. I didn’t know this was how this kind of thing happened.”

Zane attempted to put him at ease, “I didn’t have any plans other than getting to know you better and enjoy a beer with you. It seemed as if that’s what you wanted, so I thought it would be nice.”

Blake wondered if he indeed led him on? Did he want this? Was Zane right to think he was interested?

He looked over at Zane on the couch, his tight jeans and the tee-shirt covering what he knew was an incredible body. He realized that the more he looked at him, the more he wanted to feel his perfectly kissable lips on his face. The idea of feeling Zane’s strong body on top of him excited him in a way he never felt before. The mystery of what was in Zane’s jeans intrigued him.

With a modest, calm voice, Blake took a sip of his beer and said, “You know, if you want to put your hand on my leg again, I won’t freak out. Promise.”

Zane looked at him. Are you sure? Blake nodded a yes and prompted him to place his hand on his leg once again.

He did so, and Blake chuckled modestly, “See? No freaking out.” Zane smiled as his big, warm eyes looked deeply at Blake, gauging if he was interested in him going further.

Zane gently brushed Blake’s leg, placing his hand higher on his thigh, all the time, watching to see how he reacted. Blake comfortably sat back as the excitement from Zane’s touch thrilled him. Finally, he couldn’t stand it any longer. Blake pinned Zane down onto the couch and passionately kissed him. Zane was shocked at the aggressive maneuver that had him immobilized on the sofa.

Blake’s been waiting years for this, and Zane was going to be the recipient of all his frustration!

The two men engaged in a passionate embrace unlike any other either of them had experienced before. For the next few hours, Blake experimented doing all the things he’d only dreamt of doing. Zane was happy to be his first and showed him just how sweet, tender, and gentle intimacy could be.

Soon after midnight, the men parted ways. The storm subsided, and Blake went home exhausted and slipped into his bed.

The following day, he woke groggily from the deep slumber he enjoyed that night. As he laid in his bed, he smiled as he recalled the evening before. It seemed to be a dream. Was it real? The incredibly sexy older stranger, the gorgeous house, the billowing curtains in the rain, and of course, the mind-bending sex with a dude!

As Blake searched for clues that would prove that last night’s sultry sex-capade really happened, his phone chimed. A text. He rolled over in his bed to see who could be contacting him at this hour. The correspondence simply read. “I know it’s early, but I wanted to tell you that last night was a blast. Here’s my cell number. If you ever want to grab a beer again, don’t hesitate to call. – Zane”

Blake smiled as he rolled onto his back and smiled.

Yup. It wasn’t a dream. He would undoubtedly be taking Zane up on that beer again soon.