It was an unusually cold winter in New York this year, one for the record books. Blizzard like storms had shut down roads, airports and schools alike. Chris wove his way through the crowded sidewalks that were busting at the seams with tourists, all but blind and numb. He didn’t want to spend another night flipping through channels, listless, tossing and turning on Michael’s couch. Braving the artic temperatures and the crowded New York streets seemed like a far better option when he left the house, leaving his best friend and his boyfriend alone for the night, instead of being the constant third wheel.
Chris kept his head down, his eyes only scanning his surroundings, making sure he didn’t bump into anyone or worse, walk into a street sign. He chuckled at the thought, he’d seen the video on TV a while back of a famous rapper walking right into a street sign while trying to avoid the paparazzi. Chris didn’t much care for the guy anyway, always rude to his fans and generally everyone around him, he thought it was karma and was certain even the street sign laughed that day.
Karma, that thought stopped him in his tracks. Chris tried hard not to think about the accident five years ago, the accident that took Amanda from him and alienated him from damn near everyone in his life. He lost his girlfriend, his family, most of his friends and his football scholarship in one fail swoop. The only person that stood by him through it all was his best friend, Michael.
Waking up in the hospital alone because no one you knew could bear to be in the same room with you. The trial that not only tore apart Chris’s once close knit family, but rocked their small Alabama town. Losing his dream of playing football for the NFL, partly because of his poor decision making abilities, and partly because of the permanent injury to his spine in the accident. While he remembered every event with striking clarity, nothing tore at his soul more than what he did to Amanda.
Michael and his boyfriend Max were the only shining light in Chris’s otherwise dark life. Michael left for college in New York not long after the trial, and convinced Chris to come with him. Chris quickly agreed knowing there was nothing left for him in Alabama. Truth be told, he didn’t really feel like he belonged anywhere, still convinced his life should have ended the night he killed his girlfriend. Michael was his strength, the brother he never had, and he helped Chris find some semblance of a life in New York.
Chris was drawn out of his miserable memories by the loud music shaking the windows of the building he was passing. Looking up, he was drawn closer to the building by the bright lights that flashed and matched the beat of the bass perfectly. The closer Chris got to the doors the louder the music got, and the lights were almost blinding. Oddly, once he entered the building the music became hypnotic, and the darkness would have enveloped the large space within if not for the pulsating light show coming from the middle of the room.
Slowly circling the room, he took in his surroundings. There were different sized cages circling the lights and the DJ in the middle of the room, cages that held nearly naked men in various stages of undress. They were dancing, kissing, groping and in one cage, Chris was certain they were fucking. As he came around behind the center stage he saw there were several chairs and couches lined up against a back wall, and there was a man between another man’s legs, head bobbing up and down keeping time with the beat of the music.
He stood frozen in place for a minute, staring at what was obviously a man giving another man head, right there out in the open. He wasn’t staring out of disgust, more disbelief. How was it, these men were so brazenly open about what they were doing, and the place wasn’t swarming with cops. And how was it Chris lived just a few miles away and had never noticed this place before. Michael and Max would be in heaven here, he thought.
Making his way over to where he saw a bar set up, Chris ordered rum and coke then turned and leaned back against the bar, just watching and taking it all in.
“Well hello there gorgeous! Haven’t seen you round these parts before.” A petite blonde had walked up to the bar next to Chris and was eyeing him like Chris usually eyed a steak.
Chris laughed out loud, “So gay men’s pick up lines are just as bad as us straight guys eh.” Chris smiled at the smaller man.
Chris thought he may have offended the little guy for a minute, but then he threw his head back and barked out a high pitched laugh, then straightened and smacked Chris harder than he would have thought possible on his much larger bicep. He mock flinched, “Ouch!” and grabbed his arm, still smiling though.
The little guy shoved his hand toward Chris’s chest and he took it before shaking. “Names Colby, and who says I’m gay?” he winked at Chris before turning toward the bar and ordering a Cosmo.
“That right there little man, that says you’re gay.” Chris laughed.
“Oh ha ha, and what is your beverage of choice Jolly? Jack and coke? Budweiser?” Colby was trying hard to come across as serious, Chris could tell, but the smile never left his eyes, so Chris knew he was messing with him.
“Close, Rum and coke. Jolly?”
“You know, the jolly green giant.” Colby winked at him again.
“Funny. Names Chris.” They both turned and watched the mass of bodies dancing, writhing, kissing and touching on the dance floor just in front of where they stood. Chris didn’t know what else to say, so he didn’t say anything. He kept stealing glances out of the corner of his eye at the man that stood next to him, Colby stood there with his head bobbing to the beat of the music, smiling and watching the scenery before him.
Just about the time the silence bordered on awkward, Colby nudged Chris’s arm with his elbow, “So,” Colby leaned closer to Chris, making sure he could hear him over the loud music. “Are you really straight? Or are you bi? OH, is it my lucky day and you are bi-curious?” Colby waggled his eyebrows.
Chris laughed at him, shaking his head. “Nope, sorry man, I’m as straight as a board. But don’t worry, I got no problem with the lifestyle, my best friend and his boyfriend live together so I’ve spent a lot of time around gay guys and couples. Doesn’t bother me in the least.”
Colby nodded his head as he tipped back the pink drink and took a large swig, the silence was creeping in on them once more, and then Colby nudged Chris’s shoulder again. “Can I tell you a secret?” Chris simply nodded. “My names not Colby, its Colton.”
“So you use a fake name just in case you don’t like a guy or something.” Chris asked.
“Or something.” Colby, no Colton said. “Gay boy 101 when you live in the big apple, never use your real name unless it’s family or someone you know you can trust.”
“And you think you can trust me?” Chris asked, attempting to leer at his new friend. Colton threw his head back and laughed again, but this time Chris dodged the swipe at his arm.
Colton frowned at Chris when he sat his empty glass on the bar and ordered a glass of water instead of another drink. “You driving?” he asked. Chris shook his head. “Then why the water?”
“I have a one drink rule, and before you ask, don’t. Let’s just say, alcohol and I have a history, an ugly one, so I consume in moderation when I drink.” Chris stared down at the smaller man, waiting to see what his reaction would be.
Colton just eyed him for a few seconds before smiling and shrugging his shoulders. “Ah, well, more for me then!”
Chris laughed at his new friend. After a few more rounds of water, cosmos and some pleasant conversation, Chris asked Colton where the bathrooms were and they headed off in that direction. More than once Chris had to hold Colton up, the cosmos working their magic, turning Colton’s legs to jelly. When Chris was washing his hands after, he noticed a stack of fliers sitting on the counter. Grabbing one he skimmed over it then turned to Colton, “What’s this place? Do you know?” he asked.
“Ah yes, All Cocks, the end all be all of gay porn.” Colton sort of sang the words instead of speaking them. “I thought about it once, its good money, but I have this fear of public speaking, so I don’t think I could even be on camera much less have sex on camera. Jesus, but the models on that site are H.O. double T… HOT!” Colton fanned himself with his hand and Chris just laughed.
Colton shook his hands out instead of drying them, and then ran his damp fingers through his hair, taming the unruly blonde locks. He continued to ramble on as he headed out of the restroom with Chris following behind, but not before grabbing a flyer and folding it, tucking it into his back pocket.
