Page 29 of Poolside

Jesus Christ. Come on, Chuck. Please say something.

“Uh.” Chuck’s voice sounded breathless. “A lot of things. Shape, muscle tone, that kind of shit. Probably the same stuff you look for in a woman’s ass.”

Tommy nodded. “Sure, I guess. But I like a big, wide and soft ass on a woman. I want it to have a mind of its own, ya know?”

Chuck made a high-pitched sound Tommy thought might be a laugh. “Definitely haven’t seen a dude with an ass like that,” he said. “I guess I like an ass that’s strong. Tight when flexed, but, um, has a little bit of bounce when it’s relaxed.”

“Huh.” Tommy looked back at the screen. “Interesting.”

Again, Chuck let out a quiet laugh. “Is it interesting?”

Tommy glanced over at his friend.Fuck, was he making him uncomfortable?“Sorry. Am I being weird?”

Chuck shook his head and shrugged, a small smile on his face. “It’s a little bit weird. I just don’t know why you care.”

“I,” Tommy started, but then he actually thought about it and stopped. Why the fuckdidhe care? Did he ask his other friends about what they liked in women? Sure. But he didn’t go around asking his straight friends what kind of vaginas they were into. He cringed.

All of the lights were off, so when he shifted to face Chuck, his friend’s freckled face was illuminated by the sliding flashes of light from the TV screen. But Tommy ignored that, directing all of his attention on the man beside him.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” he started. “Really, I think that I just…I want to understand you and all of this, because even though David isyourbest friend, you’re mine.” Chuck’s mouth twitched. “All this time I thought I knew what it meant to be your friend, but now I know there’s a whole other part of you I don’t know yet.”

Chuck rolled his head to the side, looking over at Tommy with a soft look on his face. “You’re already a good friend, Tommy.”

The light in the room shifted as the screen went dark, the music shifting as the dimmer light of the credits started to scroll.

“Another?” Tommy said, reluctant to leave.

“Nah, it’s getting late.”

Tommy glanced at his phone and frowned. “It’s only nine, man.”

Chuck scrubbed his hands over his face, and Tommy noticed his cheeks were flushed. “I’m pretty tired.”

“Well, let’s at least start another one, and if you pass out, I’ll get everything locked up and put a blanket over you before I head out.” It was no big deal. He’d done it for Chuck before.

Chuck let out a loud sigh. “Tommy.”

“What?”

“Go home.”

Hurt flared in his gut, followed immediately by panic. “What? Did I do something?”

“Dude,” Chuck said again, drawing the word out like Tommy was missing something obvious. “I need you to get the fuck out of my house because I’m horny from watching this shit and need to jack off.”

Oh.Oh.

Tommy jumped to his feet. “Right. My bad. I’m out, then. See you for the game this weekend?”

Chuck didn’t look at him as he nodded.

Tommy made quick work of grabbing his things, barely pausing to shout a “Later” before he was out the door and climbing into his car. He tossed his things into the back seat and started the ignition.

He could ignore his hard dick.

* * *

Tommy made it about half a block before his brain circled back to the fact that Chuck had kicked him out of the house so he could masturbate.

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