Comforting Discoveries

By Sky

As I sat in the hotel room, the weather on that mid-summer early evening in Atlanta told it all. The humidity made the air uncomfortably heavy with moisture, and it was already a little too warm for my taste. On top of that, an early evening thunderstorm blanketed the city with rain, thus adding to the discomfort. This was my life, so it seemed. Discomfort and
heaviness in the midst of a storm.

It had been a turbulent nine-year relationship with a wife that was supposed to be the "woman of my dreams" and "the love of my life". The truth of it all was that the marriage had never been as loving or fulfilling as I'd always hoped it'd be. We'd always fought, but over the years, the trust and respect had totally departed, leaving behind it a shell of now empty hopes and broken promises. Physically, I guess, it had been . . . okay, but it had never been what I had envisioned . . . the ultimate extension of love and caring. I don't know . . . even still, something was missing.

So . . . after all that time, it was finally over, and here I was . . . miserable. It was like trading one pain for another. Which is
better . . . a toothache or a deeply buried splinter? Both are unbearable when you're in the middle of the situation, so, relatively speaking, I was hurting as much as I had ever hurt. Perhaps more.

I sat on the bed in the luxury suite that I'd picked as my new, temporary "home" pondering these things for a moment, then did what I'd begun to do instinctively over the past few months. I reached over and picked up the receiver of the phone to call David, my best friend. As I dialed, there was a slight tremor in my breathing in anticipation of the words that would be uttered in a few, short seconds. I didn't know if I could actually speak aloud and hear myself say what had just happened.

"Hello."

David's familiar, friendly voice on the other end of the line was all that it took, and the floodgates were opened. I sobbed and couldn't find the control to even respond to his initial utterance.

" . . . D-Danny? Is that you? Are you . . . okay?" His voice was awash
with concern.

After some time, I was able to control my sobbing enough to finally speak.

"No, I'm not. David . . . It's over. I left her." My voice declined to barely more than a whisper as my words progressed. "I hurt so much. I don't know if I can take this."

"Don't worry. I'm here. Can I come and pick you up? Are you still at the house?"

My voice grew stronger as control returned. "No. I checked into the Regency Suites on Peachtree Albercorn Street. I had to leave."

David's calm voice was reassuring. "Well, I think you need to stay with me. You don't need to be alone right now. Keep your things packed, and we'll check you out when I get there. Okay?"

"Yeah." I responded.

"I'll see you in fifteen minutes . . . Danny, it's going to be alright." David hung up the phone after getting my room number.

Not even fifteen minutes later, there was a slow knock on the hotel room door. I raised myself off of the bed where I had remained and walked over to the door. I opened it and found David standing there with an expression that evidenced the concern he was feeling. By the fact he was dressed in a tank top and running shorts, I could tell that I must have interrupted his evening workout when I called.

I signaled with a gesture of my hand that he should enter. After the door shut, David turned toward me.

"Oh, Danny, I'm so sorry."

He walked over and his arms encircled me as he pulled me into an embrace. I placed my forehead on his shoulder as the tears renewed themselves briefly.

"God, I've got to stop this." I said with slight frustration at my constant flow of emotion.

David released me and stepped back to look me in the eyes. "Don't worry about it. You've been through it today. Cry or yell or whatever if you need to . . . it's fine with me."

I glanced around at the room. "I just want to get out of here. This place is too sterile and unfamiliar to me. I feel like a total stranger to my life in here."

"Well . . . let me grab your bag, and we'll go right now." David walked over to my belongings, which remained stacked in the pile in the center of the floor where I had initially deposited them. He then grabbed everything and motioned with a glance toward the door for me to lead the way out.

We headed toward the lobby and I checked out while David went to load my things in his car before he picked me up.

"My car is here. I can drive." I stated to him as I sat down in the passenger seat of his sports car without shutting the door.

"We'll come back and get it tomorrow. You need company right now, and I'm worried about you, so you're riding with me tonight."

"Okay. Thanks." I shut the door and David drove down the hotel's entrance drive and toward his condo.

As the wipers did their job of rhythmically removing the rain droplets from the windshield, I allowed myself to be mesmerized as I reflected on the past few months.

I had met David eight months ago through a mutual friend. She had known that we were both interested in pursuing careers in the music industry and thought that we could, potentially, collaborate on our efforts since our talents seemed so compatible. I think that she also knew that I needed a good friend.

David was an exceptional pianist who had spent most of his part-time efforts arranging pieces for local cover bands. He wasn't much of a showman with his playing talents, but I had discovered quickly that it had nothing whatsoever to do with his abilities. He was amazing. I, on the other hand, was a semi-professional singer, my main outlet for use of my "talent" being an occasional call from a studio to do backup vocal work for a local recording artist in immediate, desperate need.

Our initial common interested had quickly paved the way to close friendship. David and I, both in our early thirties, shared a number of common interests, not the least of which was a penchant for deep conversation. It was as a result of this discovery that we both began opening up to each other and sharing "burdens" with each other. I began to come to David on a regular basis to unload about my troubled marriage, and he shared with me, among other things, his feelings of constant loneliness as a result of being "terminally single". It wasn't whining on either of our parts, mind you, but honest, candid conversation between true friends. A strong bond had developed between us as a result.

Along the way, David had encouraged me to drop my "I don't care" attitude that I had inadvertently adopted and start doing things to improve the wayn I felt about myself. I began working out with him three to four days a week and had returned myself to prime physical condition. I had also coordinated several music "gigs" with him so we could stretch our comfort zones in exercising our skills and do more things together as well. David had become the closest friend that I had ever had, and I owed thanks for any positive thing I felt about myself recently to him. Everyone else called me plain old Dan, but, to David, I was "Danny", and I didn't mind. It reflected how close we had become.

We pulled in to the parking deck under the high rise condominium complex in the heart of the Buckhead Community, where David lived. After we pulled into his assigned "spot" and David cut off the engine, I climbed out of the car and waited for him to release the trunk so I could retrieve my things.

"No, sir." David exclaimed as he shut his door. "You are my guest, and will be treated as such. I'm carrying the bags."

I shook my head. "Please let me carry some. I need to connect with what's happening so I can move through it."

"Okay. I get that. I just want you to be able to relax and know that someone cares and is there for you." He smiled slightly in an affirming manner.

"I know. Thanks." I grabbed a duffel bag and started to reach for my suitcase.

David reached to get it before my hand had arrived. "I said you can carry some, not all. Now come on."

I shook my head at him and gave a slight smile, thankful that I had such a good friend to rely upon.

We headed up to the condo, which was on the ninth floor of the fourteen-story building. As we walked in, just being there brought some peace as a result of the familiarity. The rich, dark wooden furniture and brass lamps, the picture of friends and family that ornamented the side table and corner bookshelf, the black mini-grand piano that rested by the large window that owned a commanding view of the Atlanta skyline. It wasn't my home, but it was a place I knew well from many hours spent there, and I was comforted by it.

David took my bag into his room and motioned for me to hand him my other things.

"What are you doing? I'm not staying in your room." I said, looking at him with an expression of obvious puzzlement.

"Danny, please take my room. I'll stay in the spare room tonight." David's look was almost pleading.

My eyes met his as I spoke. "I really need for some things to be normal, at least somewhere in my life. I'll stay in the spare. I've crashed there before when we've worked on music projects, so it'll almost seem normal in a way. I'm clinging to every ounce of 'normal' that I can find right now. I don't want to sound desperate . . . it's just where I am."

I think that David was able to read the sincerity in my statement, and he paused for a minute to study me before acquiescing.

He nodded silently, then turned around and moved the suitcase per my needs.

"Have you eaten?" He asked.

"I'm not hungry. Can we do something, like work out? I need to get my mind off of things." I responded.

"Works for me." David said, then pointed towards my room. "Go change and we'll hit it hard, if that'll help."

I went to the room and unpacked until I found the clothing I needed for my workout. Quickly changing, I headed out and met David in the room where he kept his weights. Then, we began to work out. Both of us were what you'd consider "toned", not "built" with the emphasis being on 'fitness' instead of on 'muscles'.

In reflection, David's 5'10" frame seemed to reap the benefits more readily than mine, possible because he had been doing it longer, but his build seemed to lend itself toward a more muscular body tone than my 6' body did. It was fun seeing how, over the months of working out together, both of us had improved in appearance.

The workout was a nice escape, and, by the end of it, you would have thought that I was preparing for Mr. Universe the way I was pouring myself into each exercise that we did, hitting it twice as hard as usual. We were both sweating profusely and our chests heaved with our labored breathing as we walked out of the workout room.

"You really pushed me today. I don't think I've ever worked it that hard."

David said as we moved into the kitchen to get some water.

"Sorry, man. Just had too much energy to get rid of. I hope you don't mind." I replied, as my breathing began to begin slowing to a more normalized pace.

"No." He chuckled. "I'll just need to take extra vitamins or something to make sure I can keep up if you ever want to hit it like that again."

I shook my head and smiled at him.

David broke from the subject. "Listen, buddy. When you're ready, you can use my shower. I'm replacing the shower head in the other bathroom, so you can only take a bath in there for now."

"Actually, a shower would be great. If you don't mind, I'll head back there now." I responded.

"Okay, I'll get a towel and washcloth for you." David said as he walked toward his room, then motioned for me to follow him in that direction.

David's burgundy and gold colored master bath was massive. It contained a huge shower, which sat beside a nice garden tub. A dual, marble sink with brass fixtures sat across the room and a large mirror sat above, covering the entire wall.

David grabbed a towel from the linen closet as I looked at my arms in the mirror, admiring the benefits of the workout. The muscles, flexed from the 'abuse' they had taken during the workout, seemed to accentuate the definition that I had worked so hard to gain.

"Pretty cool, huh?" David said. He stood to the side mirroring my own observations. "It's awesome to see how much the hard work has paid off, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I know. I never though I'd see myself looking like this again." I smiled at him and slipped my shirt off, enjoying the fact that I was, once again, proud of my physical appearance. My pecs had nice definition, and I was just starting to show signs of a washboard stomach. The little bit of dark brown hair that I had between my pecs and below my navel looked sexy with the tone and definition . . . not that anyone would care at this point.

"I know what you mean." David stated, then removed his own shirt before turning to gaze the mirror alongside me. "I'm proud of the way I'm improving. Having a workout partner has been great motivation for me."

David was right. He did look great. His rugged looks had only become more handsome over the past few months with the effort he had put into his routine. His chest was nicely proportionate to his abdominal area, and the almost black hair that covered his chest almost disappeared to a trail before continuing down his rippled stomach. His arms, shoulders and neck were equally as defined. In all, his upper body was incredible.

As I admired the fruit of our efforts, slowly glancing back and forth between the two of us, I slid out of my shoes and socks, I then removed my shorts to look at my underwear-clad buttocks in the mirror.

"That, I don't mind either." I said as I nodded toward the butt in the mirror.

"I know." David mirrored my action and soon stood beside me in only his jockstrap. "We've got some nice buns, if I do say so myself." He turned around to show me his bare, firm butt. I looked at it, then looked up to meet his eyes in the mirror as he smiled at me.

Turning back around, David then reached up and brushed his chest hair with his hand. "I wish I didn't have all of this. I'd rather have a little, like you." He reached over to casually brush the hair on my chest with his finger before returning to his own.

He added, "I've thought about shaving my chest and thinning out my pits. What do you think?" He lifted an arm and fingered the bush of dark brown hair that grew there while looking at me intently.

"I'd leave it. You look good." I responded. Thoughts about my friend started to slide in to my mind. 'Why does he care what I think? What's going on with this intimate, physical thing that seems to be happening between us? Why do . . . I like it?'

"Well, listen," I started abruptly, "I need to go ahead and get in the shower now. I won't be too long, and I'll call you and let you know when I'm done." I nervously looked away and moved toward the shower to start the water running.

A momentary look of shock and hurt seemed to appear on David's face before being replaced by his typical, friendly demeanor. "Sure, Danny. Just yell when you're done."

He bent down to gather his shed clothing and then hurriedly departed, leaving the door cracked behind him.

I slid off my underwear and stepped into the shower. The water hit my chest and I quickly stepped under the nozzle to soak my head. Confusion flooded my thoughts as the water made its way down my body and toward the drain. 'Am I so lonely that I'm looking at a guy in a sexual way?' But, this wasn't just any guy. This was David. It was different. In him, there was a comfort . . . no, a closeness that was never apparent in nine years of marriage. I cared about him more than, I think, anyone.

' . . . Am I gay?' The thought lingered. It wasn't a totally uncomfortable thing to ponder. 'Do I want men . . . am I attracted to them that way?' I don't know. I'd never really actively thought about it. The question, more importantly, is 'Do I want David . . . that way?' The answer came quicker that I would have anticipated. 'I think I do . . .'

The revelation shocked me. I though back to the exchange that had only occurred moments before with David. I had (unconsciously?) given him signals . . . and he had, very obviously, returned them. Then . . . I had hurt him. The thought reverberated within me as I grasped the potential damage that I had just delivered to a close friendship. I couldn't stand another loss . . . not two in the same day.

Sobs caused my body to convulse under the cascade of water as tears started to run freely down my face. I stepped out of the flow of water and leaned my head against the tiles that covered the shower wall to steady myself as grief overwhelmed me.

I cried openly, repeating between sobs "David. Oh, shit . . . David. What have I done?"

I barely heard the voice behind me.

"Danny. Hey . . . are you okay?"

I glanced back at him, tears streaming down my face. David stood there, his own eyes puffy and reddened. He remained in his jockstrap, and he held open the door to the shower.

David looked at me, noting my emotional condition, and tears started running down his own face. "Oh dammit, Danny! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm such a jerk. I let my emotions get away from me and let my . . . shit! . . . my attraction to you get in the way of our friendship. You really needed a friend tonight, and I took advantage of that. I just don't know what to do to fix it. I'm sorry . . . so sorry!"

I looked at him and, listening to his honest words, knew immediately that . . . I . . . loved him. I loved David.

"I know what you can do to fix it." I said, then turned to face him, naked and unashamed. "You can come over here and hold me."

After a pause to replay what he heard within his mind, the look of surprise and then uncertainty on David's face gave way to calm acceptance. David walked slowly toward me and reached to slide his arms around my waist and rest his head against my shoulder. I embraced him and pulled his body tightly into my own, letting our chests and lower bodies press into each other.

After a few moments, I lifted David's face to face my own and our lips met, parting as our passion was finally allowed to manifest itself. My groin began to stir as my feelings for the man in front of me began to awaken. We broke the kiss.

"Oh, Danny." David paused for a moment, then continued. "I had always hoped, but I never really thought . . . then a while ago . . ." He looked at me in a way that showed me his feelings were as intense as my own.

"It was my mistake. Call it an error in judgment on my part. I'm sorry. Now, let me make up for it."

I kissed his lips tenderly, then made my way down the chest and stomach that I had admired only minutes before until I eyed the jockstrap that remained in place. David's cock was hard as a rock, like my own, and was now sticking out of the top of the waistband. I peeled the now wet article of clothing off, and David's shaft danced freely with excitement. His dark brown pubic patch framed his seven inches nicely, and his large balls hung freely below.

I glanced upward and said, "Please be patient. This is all new to me. Okay?"

He caressed my wet hair as he answered. "Don't worry, babe. Whatever happens will be wonderful."

I took his head into my mouth and slowly swirled my tongue around the very tip. A moan from David told me that following my instincts was paying off. I slowly started to inch my way down his penis, keeping my agile tongue in motion constantly. I paused briefly on a couple of occasions to fight the urge to gag, but soon has his entire tool in my mouth and throat. His pubes tickled my nose. I pulled off slowly, then licked my way up the bottom of his shaft.

I paused. "Is this okay?" I asked.

"If it gets any better, I'll only be able to hold my excitement in check for another minute, tops." David stepped back before kneeling down on the tile floor of the large shower to face me. "I want you in my mouth at the same time that I'm in yours, though."

We leaned toward each other to embrace and kiss briefly before lying on the shower floor side by side in the sixty-nine position. The warm shower water danced on and around us. I felt David pull closer as he took my seven and a half inches into his mouth. The feeling was incredible as his mouth and tongue gave me a passionate bath. I reached and directed his cock back to my own mouth and I resumed my own efforts.

As I allowed myself to get caught up in the moment of passion with my best friend . . . my lover? . . . my David, I became overwhelmed. I felt my nuts tighten as I exploded without warning into David's awaiting mouth. David moaned as he caught the torrents of cum and immediately exploded within my own mouth.

We stayed locked in place as we milked each other dry, and then, after a pause, David swung his body around to face me. We exchanged a passionate kiss, sharing what each other tasted like as our tongues and bodies expressed emotions that words couldn't adequately capture. After a few moments, we stood and helped each other bathe before removing ourselves from the shower.

As we toweled each other off, David spoke. "So, do you think you might stay in my room tonight after all?"

I nodded silently, then met him in an embrace that affirmed to him that his bed would be where I spent more than just one evening, and this living arrangement would be more than just temporary. My body, and my heart, would reside with him for a long time.

I hope you enjoyed the story.

Please send your comments to gaspikefan@yahoo.com