Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2001 19:37:05 EST
From: Ivrys88@aol.com
Subject: "Class Reunion" (1/2)

CLASS REUNION by K. Nitsua. Parts One-Four copyright 1999 by the author.

PROLOGUE

He had been wrong about what he would feel when he stepped back onto the
campus of his alma mater, Lucas thought. Steelman College was a place where
he had mostly been unhappy. He hadn't fully realized this until he had left
the place well behind him, and what he thought of now as his real life and
career had begun to take shape.

At forty-one years of age, by most standards, Lucas Boatright was a
success--not a man of extraordinary physical beauty, but fit and
attractive; not fantastically rich, but comfortably off; not world-famous,
but well-known in certain circles for his regular writing appearances in a
national publication. Yet he had never shaken off the sense that there was
unfinished business in his life.

He was returning to Steelman for his twenty-year class reunion to try and
come to terms with events that had almost destroyed him. He had wondered
about the wisdom of such a venture. Perhaps it was better to leave old
wounds alone. On the other hand, he had weathered the loss of a beloved
partner a few years previously to the prolonged and painful illness that
had taken so many of them over the last four decades, and that still cast
its long shadow. Having survived that, the prospect of revisiting his
college haunts, and the ghosts that inhabited them, no longer seemed so
daunting. When the literature had begun arriving about Steelman's
Homecoming celebrations that year, he had responded, and now here he was.

He had worried that returning would depress him, but to his surprise his
spirits lifted as he walked on the academic mall on that sunny Friday
afternoon in late October. The campus had changed in appearance. Many new
buildings were up, bright and majestic, all white limestone, glass and
steel. Lucas was especially impressed at the sight of the new Student Union
building. The old Union, now torn down, had been the place where he had
spent many hours as a reporter for the school paper, the Steelman
Banner. The Banner. Lucas chuckled as the memories came back. How he had
sweated blood in service to that rag, how seriously they all had taken
their journalistic mission. He didn't suppose he would see Josephine Scott,
his senior-year editor, this weekend, since she had not been a member of
the same graduating class. He would love to know what she was doing now. As
much as he had wanted to throttle her sometimes, she had, after all,
unintentionally been responsible for bringing him and Will DuBarry
together.

Then again, had he known how that was going to turn out, he might have done
the evil deed then and there.

PART ONE

"What do you mean, I have to interview the swimmer?" Lucas complained. "I'm
not the sports reporter around here. Where's Brant anyway?"

"Lucas," Josephine explained, with exaggerated patience. "You know as well
as I do that Brant is about to flunk out. He has taken a leave of absence
from the Banner until he can get his academic shit together. That leaves
you as our best reporter, and best writer. Ergo, you interview Will
DuBarry."

They were in the office of the Steelman College campus newspaper, a
cramped, uncomfortable set of cubicles in a room just off the first-floor
atrium of the old Student Union building. Lucas sighed. Josephine Scott,
editor of the Banner, could be and frequently was maddening--where did she
get off using words like "ergo," anyway?--but he knew she was right. Their
staff this year was pathetic, and there was no one else who could do the
interview. Josephine had run for and been elected editor though she was
only a sophomore--none of the upperclassmen vying for the chair last spring
had been remotely qualified. Lucas had not run, though by virtue of his
three continuous years on the staff he was virtually entitled to the
editorship. He couldn't face the long hours, the deadlines, the
responsibility, all of which she had freely shouldered. So it was poetic
justice that he, senior reporter, now had to take orders from an
underclassman, and a woman at that.

"Anyway," Josephine was saying, "It really is a story, you know. Steelman
has never been in the running for a Southern Athletic Conference title in
swimming until this year. And it's all due to DuBarry transferring here
last year and single-handedly re-energizing the team. Besides, Boatright,"
she added, her patronizing tone returning, "it'll do you good to have to
interview a jock. You're such an intellectual snob, you think they all talk
in monosyllables."

Lucas thought about giving her the finger, but restrained himself. He knew
that Josephine was often lonely and unhappy, unable to discern the effect
she had on people. It was her one saving grace, he thought. She also had a
disconcerting habit of halfway perceiving truths about himself he would
rather not have admitted. The thought of being face to face with Will
DuBarry did make Lucas uneasy, though not because he was arrogant about his
mental abilities. The truth was, he had no idea how he was going to remain
coherent, let alone coolly objective, around someone whose very physical
being took his breath away.

Lucas had realized early in his freshman year that he was gay. He had heard
of the shattering trauma such self-discovery could involve, the depression,
the suicide attempts. His own moment of truth, in contrast, had been
arrived at with a mental shrug. Already shunned and scorned in high school
for his "geekiness" and "weirdness," tagged with the dreaded label of
"nerd," he remembered exactly what he had thought when he realized he
wanted the company of other men in such a fundamental way: oh well, one
more thing they'll hate me for.

At any rate, there was no immediate danger of anyone discovering and
condemning the social preferences of Lucas Boatright, since he had no
social life. He filled his time with his studies, working at the Banner
and, quietly and inconspicuously, working out. One good thing about going
to Steelman College, Lucas discovered, was that physical education was a
requirement, and the classes were filled with students as uncoordinated and
awkward as he felt himself to be. He had always liked the water, though he
had never been fast enough to qualify for any team. Swim conditioning
classes and Lucas, therefore, were made for each other, and he happily put
in his required miles per week, giving himself yet another reason not to
talk to other people.

After three years of this diligent training, Lucas, though he did not know
it, cut an attractive figure at the pool, goggles temporarily replacing his
heavy, awkward eyeglasses, his slim, toned body clad only in a brief
Speedo. His dark hair, luxuriant on his head and sparse on his chest,
contrasted effectively with his very fair skin. He never thought of himself
as anything but ugly, however. He was lost in admiration of those he
considered far more attractive than himself. For Lucas, the ultimate treat
was a glimpse of the elite users of the natatorium--the Steelman men's swim
team.

He had gone one morning to the pool at eight o'clock to swim laps. During
the competitive season the team held early morning workouts, and would
finish up at that time. It must have been on a Tuesday or Thursday since he
didn't have classes on those days that semester. Lucas often slipped into
the pool area a few minutes early to watch the last few minutes of the
practice, admiring the grace and speed of the swimmers, so different from
his own dogged stroking. He was mesmerized by the broad-shouldered,
slim-hipped, muscularly defined male bodies that paraded before him in
dizzying array. When they got wet, the dark blue Speedos the team members
wore clung to their firm buttocks and emphasized the cracks of their
asses. In front they left equally little to the imagination, revealing
rather than concealing what was underneath. Lucas frequently had to wait a
few moments after the signal had been given for lap swimmers to enter the
pool, until his erection diminished enough that he could stand without
embarrassment.

Although the pool had been cleared on this particular morning as Lucas
entered, one swimmer continued to move up and down one of the center lanes,
freestyling smoothly. Not knowing quite what was going on, Lucas claimed a
lane next to the one occupied by the lone team member and sat with his legs
in the pool. After a minute or two the straggler stopped swimming. His head
emerged from the water and he propped himself at the edge on folded arms,
breathing hard. After a minute, he pulled off his goggles, and Lucas found
himself looking into a pair of brilliant blue eyes.

"Hey," the stranger said.

Lucas felt shyness envelop him. No one on an athletic team had ever taken
any notice of him in his life. He forced himself to nod. The other boy now
removed his latex cap. Blond hair emerged, clipped very short and darkened
by the water. Lucas searched desperately for something else to say.

"Good workout?" he managed, groaning inwardly at the stupidity of the
remark.

Amazingly, the swimmer smiled. "Yeah, not bad," he replied. He hoisted
himself out of the water with long sinewy arms, turned and sat at the pool
edge next to Luke, still breathing deeply. Lucas couldn't believe his good
fortune. Not only was he sitting next to a tall, handsome, and, he couldn't
help noticing, nearly naked athlete, this Greek god inexplicably seemed to
think it was worth his while to converse with him.

The stranger sat a few moments longer, until he began to breathe more
normally. Finally he stood up. "Well, better hit the shower. Have a good
swim, buddy."

Lucas raised a hand wordlessly, then stared unabashedly at the V-shape of
the swimmer's retreating form, the long graceful legs, and the buttock
muscles working in the tight trunks. He suddenly realized that lap swimmers
were splashing in every lane except the one he was claiming, and pushed
down his goggles and slipped into the water. He felt it begin to cool his
burning cheeks and shrink the uncomfortable fullness in his swimsuit.

That was his first meeting with Will DuBarry, whose name he didn't find out
until later. Lucas replayed the encounter in his mind repeatedly for days
afterward. The swimmer belonged to one of the Steelman fraternities and
wasn't enrolled in any of his classes, so Lucas had to content himself with
occasional glimpses, either at the pool, or at a distance on campus. It had
been sheer luck that he taken a few extra laps that day. Lucas hoped they
would meet in that fashion again, but the fates were against him. Either he
would get to the pool a little late and the team would either be already
gone, or, if he arrived early, the swimmer he sought would finish on time,
and leave among a crowd of his teammates, talking loudly and horsing
around.

One day, near the end of the semester, Lucas went to the pool for an
afternoon swim. When he entered the men's locker room, he heard the shower
going. He stripped and pulled on his trunks, got his goggles and banged his
locker shut. He headed toward the lavatory to take a leak before going to
the pool. The shower stalls adjoined the washroom area, and as he stood at
the urinal the sound of rushing water stopped. Lucas couldn't help turning
slightly to see who emerged.

His heart leaped as he saw that it was the swimmer he had met, holding a
towel and a bottle of shampoo, completely and gloriously naked. Lucas' eyes
swiftly took in the chiseled pectoral muscles and the perfectly formed
ridges on the swimmer's stomach. Lower down he caught a glimpse of dark
blond pubes, round tight balls, and a long ropy cock that dangled
entrancingly between his legs. He was rubbing his short hair dry. As he
dried his ears he looked up and saw Lucas. "Hey, it's my swimmer bud," he
said, smiling. "What's up, guy?"

Lucas hastily stuffed himself back in, though he hadn't started peeing. He
was blushing furiously at having been caught checking another man's body
out, but the object of his lust appeared not to notice. His friendliness
was unforced, relaxed.

"I see you around here all the time, don't I? Why aren't you on the team?"

Despite himself, Lucas smiled at the thought. "Have you ever seen me swim?
You'd know why I'm not on the team."

"Well, I think it's great that you work out. By the way, I'm Will DuBarry."
He stuck out his hand. Lucas shook it, feeling giddy as he allowed himself
to look into the blue eyes, clear as the waters of the pool. He said his
name.

Will frowned slightly. "Lucas, what a weird name. Hey, sorry, man, no
offense."

Lucas shook his head. How could he be offended at anything Will chose to
say to him?

"It's just that you don't run into many Lucases these days. Don't they call
you something else? Luke, maybe?" Lucas shook his head again.

"Well, that's what I'm going to call you. Got to get to dinner. See you
later, Luke my man." Will picked up his shampoo, slung the towel over his
shoulder and walked toward his locker, whistling.

Lucas slipped into one of the lavatory stalls. He loosened the drawstring
of his Speedos. Pulling out his own already half-hard cock, he began to
stroke it. He thought of Will, standing naked, only a few feet away,
toweling the water off of his body.

Lucas sat on the toilet and began to jack off in earnest, pushing his
trunks below his knees. He closed his eyes and imagined himself standing in
front of that perfect form, running his hand over Will's chest. He imagined
leaning forward, touching his tongue to a firm pink nipple, catching the
faint sharp scent of chlorine on the smooth skin. In his fantasy he saw
himself kneeling, his mouth opening wider...

A muffled groan escaped his throat as the orgasm shook his body. His cock
came to life in his hand and he heard soft splashes as it dropped his load
into the bowl. It was long moments before Lucas was able to open his
eyes. Looking down between his trembling legs, he saw the white plumes and
drops of his cum floating in the water below, lit by the harsh glare of the
fluorescent lights.

He started with fright as someone knocked loudly on the stall door. "Luke?"
boomed Will's voice.

"Jesus!" Lucas cried.

"Hey man, didn't mean to scare you, but I thought I heard something. You're
not sick or anything, are you?" Will asked, concerned.

After a moment, Lucas managed to reply. "Thanks, but I'm okay, really." He
stood hurriedly, readjusted his trunks and grabbed his goggles. His heart
was still pounding, both from his recent climax and now the shock of
near-discovery. He flushed the toilet, and the roar of the water helped him
regain his composure. Finally, he pushed the stall door open. Will stood
outside, now dressed, looking at him quizzically.

"You sure now?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Lucas answered brusquely, brushing past him. "I'll see you
later." He was still shaking as he walked toward the entrance to the
pool. As soon as he got through the door, he collapsed against the wall and
laughed. It had been a close call.

He didn't talk to Will for a long while after that. Final exams were soon
upon them, followed by the Christmas break. When they returned from the
holidays, Lucas found that looking at the swim team had lost its charms--he
was only interested in seeing one team member. Just catching a glimpse of
Will at a distance on campus, striding with his long legs to class or to
practice, was enough to make Lucas' face flush, his palms sweat, his heart
race. Aghast at the effect the swimmer was having on him, Lucas started
going to the pool at different times, to be sure not to see him--then fell
into a deep depression, longing for the sight of the amiable athlete in his
Speedos. Never having allowed himself to get emotionally close to a fellow
human being, Lucas did not realize that, at age twenty-one, he was in the
throes of his first serious crush. The summer after his junior year,
working back in his small Texas hometown, was bleak and cheerless. First
semester senior year was worse. He began to think about graduation with
mixed anticipation and dread. He would be gone from this place and could
put all of this inner turmoil behind him--but he might never see Will
again.

So, early that January, when his irritating editor at the Steelman Banner
threw him the assignment that would have gone to the absent sports
reporter, Lucas' blustering reluctance was at once genuine and completely
fake. A part of him sang with joy at the thought that he at last had a
reason to get close to, to hold a deep conversation with the object of his
fevered affections. Another, equally insistent part warned that he was
getting in over his head. He raced home from the meeting with Josephine and
immediately looked up Will's number in the Steelman directory. It was two
days before he worked up the courage to pick up the phone and dial it.

A strange male voice answered, barking, "Sigma." Lucas said nothing,
puzzled. The voice repeated, irritably, "Sigma House." Lucas realized he
had reached a fraternity house, probably a hall phone. He identified
himself and asked for Will.

"I'll check and see if he's around," the voice said. The receiver was laid
down with a clatter and he heard the unknown frat member shouting in the
distance, "Hey! DuBarry! Phone!"

There was silence for long moments, and Lucas started to lose his nerve. He
was debating whether or not to hang up when suddenly Will's voice sounded
in his ear. "Hello?"

Lucas took a deep breath. "This is Lucas Boatright."

"Who?" Will asked flatly.

Lucas tried again. "Lucas. From the pool. Luke."

"Oh yeah, how are you doing?" Will responded, his voice warming. "What's
up, buddy?"

Haltingly, Lucas explained the reason for his call. There was a silence,
then Will said, "So--you want to invade my privacy, eh, Luke? Didn't know
you were one of those tabloid types."

Lucas, mortified, began a weak protest when the other boy laughed. "Just
giving you a hard time, guy. Sure we can talk. When do you want to do it?"

Late the next afternoon Will and Lucas sat at a table in the almost
deserted snack bar of the Student Union. Lucas had bought cups of coffee
for Will and himself. On the table were also a small recorder and a pad of
notepaper, on which Lucas had written his questions.

Looking at the equipment, Will observed, "You're pretty serious about this,
aren't you?" He smiled and Lucas had to fight for control. He cleared his
throat, clicked on the recorder and picked up the pad, forcing his eyes to
focus on the scrawled notes he had written.

Will answered the standard questions good-naturedly. How had he gotten
started in swimming? Who were his role models? How did he feel when he set
a national high school record? As the interview progressed Lucas began to
relax. He found himself genuinely curious about Will, who by rights should
have been on scholarship in some major swimming program, UCLA or UT, but
who had in fact left the latter school after two years. He decided to take
a chance and depart from his prepared questions.

"Will, why did you transfer to Steelman?" he asked. "You were doing great
on the team at UT--people couldn't understand it when you left."

There was a silence, the first time Will had not immediately responded to
one of his questions. Lucas looked up and saw that his subject's smile had
taken on a distinct edge. "You had to ask that, didn't you, Luke?" he said.

Lucas persisted, though he was puzzled at Will's reaction. "Well, the fact
is Steelman is incredibly lucky to have an athlete like you--not to be
sarcastic or anything, but some of us are wondering what we did to deserve
the honor."

Will reached out and snapped the "stop" button on Lucas' recorder. Lucas,
thinking that he was about to break off the interview, began to speak
rapidly. "Will, I'm sorry if I offended you with the question. I'll
withdraw it, but please, I'd like to go on--"

Will held up a hand and shook his head. "Luke, I'm not mad, and I'm not
leaving. You're a nice guy and I like you. It's just that I'd like certain
things to be off the record, ok?"

Lucas nodded, mystified but also thrilled. The object of his worshipful
fantasies had paid him a compliment, and what was more, was about to
confide some secret. The interview was progressing beyond his wildest
dreams.

Will lowered his eyes and bit his lip as he hesitated. The momentary
uncertainty in his face, so different from his usual confidence, only
increased his charm. At last he spoke.

"I flunked out of UT," he said, without ceremony.

This was totally unexpected. Lucas could only say, "What?" as if he had not
heard correctly.

"Well, that's not quite it. My grades got too low to stay on the team. I
wasn't the top guy there--as you can imagine, they have a lot of depth. So
I lost my scholarship."

"But--Will, Steelman's not exactly a cakewalk either, as far as academics
are concerned. How are you managing?"

Will grinned mirthlessly. "You know, Luke, you're pretty good at this. I
came to Steelman because Wojchowski--that's Joe, the swimming coach,
recruited me. He'd heard that I was leaving UT. He knew I had academic
problems, but he had enough clout here to get me admitted. He even wrangled
me a scholarship. But there were conditions."

"What conditions?"

"I basically was admitted on probation. I could stay here, and swim on
scholarship, as long as I maintained a certain GPA. Well, my grades came in
from the fall semester and the news wasn't good. Luke, I don't know why I'm
telling you this, but I am in big trouble."

"How bad?"

"Unless I can make all passing grades on my next progress report coming up
in a couple of weeks, I won't be allowed to compete in extracurricular
sports. I'll be pulled from the roster for the conference championship
meet, and maybe lose my financial aid on top of that. You might not have
much of a story, after all, bud," Will concluded, with an ironic smile.

"Haven't you been able to get any help? Tutoring, or something?"

Will sighed. "Actually, I'm not doing too badly in the math and science
classes--I've always liked that kind of stuff. I can't write the papers in
English and history, Luke. There is a writing center here but I can't go
because of practices. Besides, everyone there is so busy--I wouldn't ever
get enough help."

The words were out of Lucas' mouth before he could stop them. "I could help
you with your papers."

Will blinked, surprised. "You could?"

It was too late to turn back. Lucas plunged ahead. "I write all the time. I
could read your papers, catch your mistakes, make suggestions. You know,
help you without actually writing them for you."

Will grinned. "Why don't you just do that? Write them for me? Sorry, only
kidding, man. But you don't know what you're getting into. I'm really
terrible, Luke. We're talking about hours of your time, man. Are you sure?"

"Sure, I like editing. I'm a journalist, remember? It'll be educational for
me too, to talk about this stuff with someone." And I'll get to spend hours
just being near you, looking at your face and body, he thought to himself.

Will was looking at him with a new respect. "Luke, you're something else."
Suddenly, Lucas jumped as a hand was placed on his knee underneath the
table. "Do you want me to, like pay you for doing this or anything?"

Lucas gave him what he hoped was a magnanimous smile. "Nope. Just buy me
the next cup of coffee, or something." And touch me again, anywhere you
like, he thought.

His new friend was beaming. "Great. When can we get together?"

PART TWO

"Yo! Lucas!" Lucas wheeled around at the sound of the familiar voice. Will
was walking rapidly toward him, holding a slip of paper in his hand. His
face was somber and Lucas' heart sank. He knew the swimmer must have
received his academic progress report.

It had been two weeks since the interview in the snack bar. Lucas had
helped Will polish and turn in two major papers, one for English and the
other for history. It had taken many hours and one grueling all-night
session in the lounge of Will's fraternity house, but the papers had been
finished and turned in on time. There had been nothing to do but wait for
them to be turned back.

The fact that Will had his report meant he had to have gotten the paper
grades. Lucas hoped against hope that their work hadn't been in vain, but
the expression on his friend's face was not promising.

Will stopped in front of him, still looking grim. "What happened, Will?"
Lucas said, by now thoroughly apprehensive.

In an instant, the tall athlete's face burst into a dazzling
smile. "English, B! History, B minus! Not honor roll stuff, but good enough
to keep swimming. And it's all thanks to you, Luke my man." In the next
instant Lucas' breath was squeezed from his body as Will wrapped him in a
bear hug.

He managed to extricate himself. His heart was thudding with joy at the
embrace, but he tried to sound stern as he said, "You jerk, you were
bullshitting me with that long face, weren't you?"

Will punched him on the arm. "Guilty as charged, Your Honor!" He laughed,
and the sound was music to Lucas' ears. "And you fell for it. Boy, did you
look worried."

"Yeah, you fooled me all right. Congratulations, man, that's great. Now all
you have to do is win the conference title."

"That'll be a snap compared to what I've been through these past two
weeks. Luke," Will added, his tone sincere, "I know what you've done for
me. I owe you big time, man."

Lucas looked down, blushing. He stammered, "It--it was nothing. Glad to do
it, Will."

Will said, "Listen, Jenny and I are going out to celebrate tonight at Thai
Spice. You want to come along?"

Jenny was Jenny Taylor, Will's girlfriend. Lucas shook his head. "Nope,
that's okay. You guys ought to be alone."

"You sure?"

"Real sure."

"Well, okay. But listen, I'd like to do something for you, Luke. You've
been great."

Lucas smiled. "You can buy me a cup of coffee in the snack bar."

Will grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "I'll do more than that. Just
let me think about exactly what. Got to go, my man. See you soon, and
thanks again."

Lucas watched him go, his heart full of happiness and longing so
intertwined he couldn't tell which was which. At last he turned and headed
to class.

Late that night he was aroused from sleep by his ringing phone. He stumbled
to the wall in the darkness and picked up the receiver. "Hello?" he
mumbled.

"Luke?" said Will's voice.

"Hey," Lucas said, wondering why Will was calling him at this hour. "What's
up?"

"Sorry to wake you up man, but I really need to talk to someone. Could I
come by?"

"Well--sure." Lucas was puzzled. He had resigned himself to the thought
that Will would most likely be happily entertaining Jenny in his bed
tonight. He wondered if that had happened already, but then why would the
swimmer want to talk to him?

About fifteen minutes later there was a heavy knock at his door. Lucas
opened it and Will came in, dressed in jeans and T-shirt. He was breathing
hard and Lucas detected a scent of alcohol on his breath.

"Will, is something wrong?" he asked.

Will sat down heavily on Lucas' hastily made bed. He said nothing for a
moment, then burst out, "Women! They can be such bitches."

"Something happen with Jenny?"

Will said passionately, "She didn't have a clue about why we were
celebrating. Here I was feeling all up about my grades, and the entire
evening she's complaining about how I haven't been spending any time with
her. Well, you know and I know that every moment I haven't been going to
class or team practice, we've been working on those damn papers."

Lucas nodded.

"So, finally I try and calm her down, I say, baby, sorry I haven't been
around for a while, but I'm available tonight for whatever you want." He
grinned briefly. "You know, tried to up the temperature a bit. By this
time, we're back in my room, and you know what she said? She started making
cracks about you and me, how we were so buddy-buddy. She said she could
understand if her competition was another woman, but she couldn't deal with
any bisexual or queer nonsense. She was calling me a fag, Luke!"

Dismay filled Lucas' heart, but he kept a mask of sympathy on his
face. "That's terrible, man. You know she's dead wrong about that."

"Of course she's wrong! I told her to cut the crap, she didn't have veto
power over my friends. Well, that made her furious and she stormed out. I
hate to say it, but we may just be finito, my man."

Lucas' lip trembled as he struggled with Will's last
statement. "Will... I'd understand if you didn't want to hang out with me
so much, now that the papers are done. I mean, I don't want to make trouble
between you and Jenn..."

Will laughed warmly. "No, no, Luke, you don't get it. I'm talking about
Jenny and me being finished. I never realized how small-minded and
possessive she was. Hell, I'll spend time with whoever I want to. And that
includes you for sure, guy."

Lucas stared, the black sadness that had begun to descend on him still
struggling to turn into joy. "Really?"

Will said firmly, "You've done tons more for me than she ever has. You've
kept me on the team, kept me on scholarship. She's not going to cut me off
from my friends."

Lucas felt almost weak with relief. For a dreadful moment he had thought
Will was going to end their friendship. It seemed he had been mistaken. He
wanted to kneel before this god, this model of male beauty who was also a
decent human being.

Will sighed and fell back onto the bed. "I'll tell you Luke, there is one
drawback to all this. I WAS hoping to get some from Jenny tonight. I've
been one stressed out dude, as you know. Now I'm so keyed up I don't know
what to do."

He stared at the ceiling and continued, "It isn't even the sex so
much--though she's pretty good at that--but that girl sure does give a nice
backrub afterward. Just sends me right off to sleep."

His inner struggle at that moment was so intense Lucas thought he might go
insane. The voice in his brain that had warned him before about getting in
too deep was sounding very insistently. Yet he now had the chance to offer
to do the very thing he had fantasized about for months--run his hands
over, freely explore the body he desired more than anything in the
world. He opened his mouth, not knowing what words would emerge, and said:

"I'm not very good at it--but I could give you one. A backrub, I mean."

Will raised his head and stared at Lucas. "You want to give me a backrub?"

Lucas stumbled on. "I--don't have any training, but I've gotten massages."
This much was true. He grinned weakly, and said, "I have a pretty good idea
of what's relaxing--at least to me." Losing his nerve, he said, "I know,
it's a weird idea. Forget I said anything."

Will was looking at him strangely. "I didn't say no, Lucas." He sat up and
pulled his T-shirt up over his head, and Lucas caught his breath at the
sight of his bare torso, something he had rarely seen lately. Dropping his
clothing onto the floor, Will turned over onto his stomach on the bed,
positioning his arms above his head. "Go to it, man."

Scarcely daring to believe his good fortune, Lucas moved toward the
bed. There was a bottle of hand lotion on a built-in shelf above his
desk. He took it with him and, sitting to one side of Will on the bed,
squeezed some out into one of his palms. Hesitantly he spread it onto the
warm skin of Will's back, savoring his first contact with the hard
muscle. Will drew in his breath and Lucas saw him smile. "Whew, that
stuff's cold," his friend said.

"It'll warm up," Lucas answered, as he rubbed the lotion into Will's
back. As he began to work on the swimmer's neck and shoulders, Will sighed
and shifted on the bed. "Are you okay?" Lucas asked anxiously.

"Feels great," Will murmured drowsily.

Emboldened, Lucas let his hands rove lower down Will's back. He could feel
the heat from the body beneath him, and caught a faint, intoxicating whiff
of Will's personal scent mingled with the cologne he was wearing. Lucas was
getting acutely uncomfortable leaning to one side over Will, and at last he
asked, "Will? Is it okay if I straddle your legs?"

"Sure, man," came the reply.

Lucas became aware that his cock begun to fill out and grow in the boxer
shorts he was wearing. He hoped desperately that Will wouldn't look up and
see it. On an impulse, he got up, walked over and snapped off the overhead
light, leaving his room lit only by a small desk lamp. He thought that
might reduce the chances of embarrassment, as long as he didn't
accidentally make contact in the wrong place.

He heard Will moving behind him and turned. His friend was sitting up,
pulling off his sneakers and socks. As Lucas watched, astonished, he
stripped off his jeans, leaving himself clad only in a pair of bikini
briefs. Will looked up and grinned. "What's the matter, never seen a naked
guy before? It's hot in here, I just wanted to get a little more
comfortable." He got back in position.

"S-sure," Lucas said, though he was now more nervous than ever. He mounted
the bed and gingerly lowered himself onto Will's legs. Despite his
discomfort, he found that he could work more easily in this position and
soon was massaging Will's entire back with vigor. An occasional grunt of
pleasure emerged from the prone body beneath him.

At last, Lucas stopped, wiping his brow. His exertions had made him work up
a sweat and he was breathing rapidly. He had been so engrossed in his work,
even his erection had gone down.

Will looked over his shoulder up at him. "Why'd you stop, Luke?"

"Well," Lucas said, "that's about all I can do on your back."

"Shoot, you mean that's all? It felt so good, man. You're really good at
this."

Lucas felt his face getting hot again and he looked away. "Thanks." He was
once again acutely aware of Will's undressed form, as close to him as it
had ever been. He got off of Will's legs and perched on the edge of the
bed, carefully avoiding contact.

Will turned over onto his back and stretched. Lucas shot a surreptitious
look at his friend's lanky body. He noticed that the front of his underwear
showed a definite swelling. As if reading his mind, Will said, "Jesus, man,
that made me hornier. Don't know if I can get into my jeans now." Lucas
said nothing, not knowing how to respond.

"Luke?" Will said quietly.

"What?"

"I've heard that those massage guys will, like take care of a guy's
needs. That true?"

Lucas swallowed once, then said, "Uh--I've heard that too."

"Ever have a--masseuse do that to you?"

A memory rose swiftly in Lucas' mind: lying on his back, naked and horny in
the dimly lit back bedroom of a small apartment somewhere in Austin, and
the quiet voice of the muscular, friendly man, who had caressed his body
with long, sensual strokes--Randy, that had been his name--Randy asking,
"You want me to take care of it, Lucas?"

"Yes," Lucas said.

"Would you--take care of it for me, man?"

Lucas looked at Will. His friend was gazing at him, straightforward and
unsmiling. He licked his dry lips. "Okay," he said.

Will smiled. "Thanks, Luke, I really appreciate this." He hooked his thumbs
under the waistband of his briefs and pushed them downward. His cock came
into view, erect and pointing toward his navel, then a swift movement of
his long legs and Will was nude. He grinned at Lucas. "That's better."

Lucas thought he could cum right then and there. He was afraid to stare too
openly at Will's erection but couldn't tear his eyes away from it,
fascinated by the long, straight, veined shaft capped with the flaring
darker head, rising majestically toward the navel on the taut stomach; the
round, perfectly formed balls; everything surrounded by a thatch of dark
blond hair. As if in a trance he found the bottle of hand lotion and
squeezed another dollop into his palm, then hesitated.

"What are you waiting for, man?" Will's urgent voice said.

"You said it was cold," he said, automatically.

Will smiled again. "So fucking considerate."

Finally Lucas let his hand descend to the organ that Will had,
unbelievably, offered to him. He grasped the shaft and moistened it with
the lubricant. His fingers roved over every inch of the hot, hard flesh and
Will sighed with pleasure.

"Man, that feels great," he whispered.

Lucas moved his hand up and down on Will's penis, passing his thumb over
the sensitive glans and feeling the precum leaking freely from the opening
in front. He tried to vary his strokes in the way that he remembered Randy
doing to him, taking his other hand and pulling very gently down on Will's
balls.

Will's body began to writhe and twist. "God, Luke, that's great
man...stroke it. Jack that thing, man. Mmm, yeah..." His reaction drove
Lucas to a fever pitch of excitement. By now, his own cock was as stiff as
Will's but he wasn't even thinking about it, all his efforts concentrated
on drawing the climax from his friend's body. Holding Will's cock
vertically, he increased the pace of his strokes.

Will moaned and jerked on the bed. "Oh man, I'm going to cum...Aw, shit!"
His voice dissolved into wordless shouts and groans as his cock began to
throb, releasing spurt after spurt of thick whitish fluid over Lucas' hand
and across the swimmer's body. At last, the flood began to abate, and Lucas
reluctantly released his hold.

Will's eyes were closed, his chest heaving, one arm covering his face as if
in shame. Lucas gazed anxiously at him. He knew that something out of the
ordinary had happened. Will's reaction now that his needs had been
satisfied might very well be guilt, and disgust at the person who had
satisfied them.

Will dropped his arm. Blue eyes met his. There was an instant of unbearable
suspense, then relief flooded through Lucas as his friend smiled, a bit
shakily.

"Zowie," Will said. "I made a mess."

"I'll clean you up," Lucas said hastily, getting a towel draped over a
nearby chair. He wiped the cum carefully off of Will's body, hesitantly
cleaning his cock as well, which by now was softening a bit. Even now it
gave him a charge to touch it--it might be his last chance.

Lucas then wiped himself off, got up and stuffed the towel in a duffel bag
he kept for laundry. He didn't return to the bed but instead sat in a
nearby chair. Will was still lying on the bed, his hands under his head,
staring at the ceiling. He turned toward Lucas and smiled again. Lucas
returned the smile tentatively, still wondering exactly what Will thought
of the events that had just transpired.

"Doing okay?" he asked.

"Great," Will replied. Lucas breathed easier. Apparently his friend was not
going to run out in guilt and confusion, or turn on Lucas for having done
something "queer" to him. Will seemed to find no contradiction at all
between what he had condemned Jenny for saying earlier in the evening and
what they had just done. Lucas didn't know why not, but at the moment he
was content not to stir things up.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked.

"A bit," Will replied.

"You could get under the covers," Lucas suggested rashly.

Will chuckled. "I'd be off in la-la land in a flash, guy. Then where would
you sleep?"

With you, Lucas wanted to say, but said instead, "I could sack out on the
floor. It's no problem."

Will shook his head. "I can't kick you out of your own bed, Luke. Listen,
it's really late. I'd better go." He sat up and picked up his
underwear. Lucas watched mournfully as Will got dressed. Finally his friend
stood up. "Thanks, man. I needed that."

Lucas forced a smile. "Not a problem." He didn't know what he expected from
Will at that moment, but the hearty clap on his shoulder that he got was
distinctly disappointing.

"See you soon, Luke, okay? `Nite."

Then he was gone. Lucas stood, silent and unmoving, for long moments. Then
with a sigh, he turned toward his bed, so recently vacated by the man of
his dreams. As he crossed the room, his eye fell on his laundry bag. He
could see one end of the towel with which he had wiped Will's body. He went
and drew it out. It was sticky and the sharp odor of semen assailed his
nostrils. He carried it back to the bed and laid it on the spread. His cock
stood rigid, painfully nudging the front of his boxers. He stripped them
off, along with his T-shirt, flinging the clothes away. Finally he was
naked. Taking his cock in one hand he knelt by the bed, putting his face
down to the towel as he began to masturbate, drinking in the scent of
Will's cum. He saw a large spot of the whitish fluid on the terrycloth. In
mingled fascination and revulsion he stuck his tongue out, touched it to
the spot, tasted the salty bitter flavor...

With a choked sound Lucas fell forward, as he let go of his load in hot
splashes onto the linoleum floor. As his climax passed and he began to
breathe more slowly, waves of misery washed over him. How had he gotten
himself in this mess? He buried his face in the bedspread, crumpling the
cum-stained towel with his free hand, his other still grasping his
pulsating, unsatisfied cock. He tried to cry but the tears would not come.

PART THREE

Lucas did not see Will for more than a week after that late-night visit. He
thought to himself that it was just as well, as he was not only shaken but
still puzzled by the encounter. The semester was steadily marching on
toward spring break, and a succession of sunny and pleasant days lifted his
spirits. He busied himself in his work and tried not to dwell on his
confusion.

Inevitably, there came the day when, walking to class, he saw the tall
figure of his swimmer friend approaching him across the main mall in the
center of campus. He began to tremble with nervousness. What would he do or
say? What if Will ignored him, or, worse, changed direction when he saw him
coming? He put his head down and continued walking.

"Boatright!"

Lucas stopped at the sound of Will's commanding voice. He raised his
head. At least, Will was speaking to him. He raised his hand
tentatively. "Hey, Will."

"You ignoring me?" Will demanded.

"N-no, I just didn't see you. How have you been?"

"All right. Where have you been hiding yourself, man?"

"Nowhere. Been pretty busy with classes, the paper, you
know. Congratulations on the conference championship. That's really great."

Will smiled, "Thanks, man. Couldn't have done it without you." He
continued, musingly, "It sure is good to have a few days' break from
practices. I've got to catch up on my studying, but I haven't been very
motivated. Not the same without you around, guy."

"Well," Lucas said, embarrassed as always by compliments, especially from
Will, "Let me know if you need any more help. You and Jenny doing okay?" he
asked, feeling daring.

A snort of contempt escaped Will's lips. "Let's just say we're on hiatus
until certain women rethink their attitudes."

"Will, if I've been the cause of any trouble between you two, I'm sorry."

Will shook his head in dismissal. "It's not you, man, believe me. Listen,
what are you up to today?"

It was Friday, and the sun shone warmly down on them. Lucas said, "Well,
I've got a class this afternoon, but that's about it. Why?"

Will said, with a glint in his eye, "Want to take an early weekend? Since
it got so nice out, I've been wanting to drive to the lake, but I can't
find anyone to go with me. Today's the perfect day to go. How about it?"

Lucas said doubtfully, "Well, I don't know..."

"Aw, come on, Luke," Will said persuasively. "Cut loose a little. You'll
love it out there, especially if you're used to swimming in that dull old
pool."

Lucas looked at Will, and succumbed again to his charms. "Okay."

"Good man! I'll meet you at the Sigma parking lot in half an hour, okay?
Bring a towel and some water if you want. I have sunscreen and I'll bring
some beer. We can kick back, relax a bit."

"I'll need to bring my suit too, right?"

Will grinned. "Hell no, I'm taking you to the nude beach."

He walked away, leaving Lucas staring after him, open-mouthed.

"It's okay, Luke," Will explained as they sped in his Ford Explorer out
into the hills west of town. "You don't have to get naked if you don't want
to. It's clothing optional."

"I've never skinny-dipped in my life," Lucas confessed.

His friend grinned. "Well, you don't know what you've been missing,
especially out at the lake. I had to drag Jen out there kicking and
screaming the first time. Now she loves it." His face darkened. "Or loved
it, maybe I should say."

Lucas tried to be generous. "You and Jenny will work it out, I'm sure."

"Well, maybe. Anyhow, let's not worry about her today. It's too nice a day
to spoil it."

The large parking lot by the lake was almost empty--there were not many
sunbathers here on a weekday morning, even Friday. They got out of the car
with their duffel bags, the beer cooler and a large inflatable raft that
Will had brought. Lucas said doubtfully, "Are we going to able to take all
of this?"

Will said, "Sure, I've done it lots of times. Come on."

The lake was a man-made one, created by a dam now many decades old. It was
not surrounded by sandy beach, but craggy rocks on which stands of scrub
cedar grew, sloping precipitously down to the water. The trick, as Lucas
discovered, was to find a flat one suitably close to the shore. They
followed the one paved path for quite a distance. Lucas was beginning to
wonder just how far they would walk when Will said, "Let's climb down
here."

They clambered awkwardly over the uneven terrain, taking care not to
slip. At last Lucas saw what Will had been aiming for, a wide, sunny ledge
next to and just a few feet above the water, the ideal spot for the two of
them to stretch out.

"This is great," Lucas said. He was beginning to enjoy himself.

Will smiled back at him over his shoulder. "It's hard to get this spot, but
it's the best."

They reached the ledge and stood for a moment, catching their breaths. Will
reached into his duffel bag, took his beach towel out and spread it on the
ledge. Lucas followed suit. He saw Will reach and pull his T-shirt off and
tried not to think of what was coming next. Sure enough, the athlete kicked
his sneakers off, then unfastened his cutoffs at the waist and slipped them
off as well. He stood naked on the ledge, leaning back and stretching his
arms out, his face turned toward the sun. "Ah, the perfect day," Will said.

He turned his back to Lucas and bent down, smoothing out the towel. Lucas
felt his cock jump as he got a full view of Will's butt, the cheeks spread
just enough that he could glimpse the sparse hair in the crack, and maybe
even the darker skin of his asshole. He turned away hastily and
concentrated on fixing his own spot on the ledge. He then slipped his own
shirt off, but kept his shorts and shoes on.

"Luke?" Lucas turned and saw that Will was extending a plastic bottle
toward him. "Would you put some sunscreen on my back?" He sat with his back
to Lucas on his towel. Lucas obliged, thinking of the recent night he had
done something very similar, and what had happened later. He didn't suppose
anything like that was going to occur today. The thought both relieved and
disappointed him.

When he had finished, Will stretched out his hand for the sunscreen bottle
and said, "Turn around and I'll do yours." Lucas sat obediently down, glad
that Will couldn't see his face. The touch of Will's strong hand on his
back filled him with a joy quite beyond any sexual feeling. All too soon it
was over and Will was busy covering the rest of his own body. Lucas averted
his eyes as his hand descended toward his crotch, but was forced to look up
when Will said, "Luke?"

"What?" Lucas asked. Will was applying the lotion to his cock in a
businesslike manner.

"If you decide to take it all off, don't forget to put sunscreen
everywhere. A sunburned dick can really cramp your style, take it from me."

Lucas snorted to cover his nerves. "Not much style to cramp here."

Will laughed. "You're such a stick in the mud." He pulled out a pair of
sunglasses and put them on, then lay back on his towel. By now the sun was
strong and high in the sky.

After he had in turn applied more sunscreen, Lucas sat with his arms
wrapped around his knees. It was extremely pleasant, a breeze keeping the
sun from becoming too hot. A few figures, some clothed, some not, dotted
the rocks around them. If he looked out across the lake, he could see a few
distant sailboats. Every so often he cast a quick glance at his companion.

After a while Will stirred and got up, removing his shades. "I'm going to
take a dip," he said. He stepped to the water's edge and dove in, stroking
smoothly away from the shore. He looked to Lucas like some classic statue
come to life. At that moment he loved his friend's beauty and confidence so
much that it was almost a physical pain. He watched Will swim further and
further out until he reached a line of safety markers that had been placed
in the water. His head was now a distant dot, bobbing among the
buoys. Lucas strained to keep him in his vision, an irrational fear that
Will might drown gripping him. At last, he saw Will begin to move slowly
back toward the shore, and sighed with relief.

When he got close enough to the ledge to see Lucas, Will shouted, "You
coming in? The water's great. Bring the float with you."

"Okay," Lucas replied. He took his glasses off and put them carefully in
his duffel bag. He stood and slipped his shorts off. He was wearing his
customary Speedos underneath. Carrying the float down the rocks, he slipped
into the water with it and swam out to where Will was. They clung to either
side of the mattress, facing each other.

Will was breathing rapidly from his exertions. "It's great, isn't it?
Aren't you glad you cut your journalism class?"

"Yes," Lucas said truthfully. Out here at this moment, in the cool water,
feeling the breeze and sun on his face and having Will all to himself, he
thought he was as happy as he had ever been in his life.

A wicked grin appeared on Will's face. "We need to loosen you up, Luke my
boy," he said.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked, apprehensive. In answer, Will's head
disappeared as he dived beneath the float. A second later, strong arms
grabbed his legs underneath the water. Lucas felt his suit being tugged
downward. "Hey!" he shouted, letting go of the raft. His head slipped
underwater as he tried to stop Will from stripping him. When he emerged,
coughing and sputtering, it was a second before he saw Will some distance
away toward the shore, holding his trunks triumphantly aloft. He was
laughing.

"You asshole!" Lucas shouted, treading water. He was embarrassed as much as
annoyed, not least because his excitement at feeling Will's hands around
his lower body had made him hard. He could swear that he had felt a hand
around his cock for an instant.

"Come and get it if you can, Luke," Will said. "But first get the raft."

Lucas turned and saw the float drifting a good distance away. He struck out
in pursuit. The water passing between his legs and over his unencumbered
body felt silky, and wonderfully sensual. Reaching the float, he grabbed
its edge and began to push it back toward shore, frog kicking with his
legs.

As he approached their rock, he saw his trunks in a wet heap on the
ledge. Will had climbed out, put on his sunglasses again and opened a
beer. As Lucas neared him, his friend raised the can in ironic
salute. "Here's to your first skinny-dip," he said.

Lucas tried and failed to stay annoyed. "You are such a jerk," he said,
nevertheless.

Will chuckled. "Lighten up, Luke. Doesn't it feel good without a suit?"

"Yeah," Lucas admitted. It felt very good. Being naked and seeing Will in
the same state was getting him aroused again. He was very glad that his
lower half was still invisible under the water.

By now he was near the shore, and found he could stand on the bottom and
still keep his head and shoulders above water. He rested, keeping the raft
floating sideways in front of him.  His cock was still semi-hard and he
wondered how long he would have to stay there.

As if to tease him, Will said, "Why don't you climb out and have a beer
with me?"

Lucas shook his head.

"Okay, I'll bring one to you." Will flipped the top off of a second can,
and holding both, skillfully maneuvered his way down to the water and
slipped in, striding toward Lucas, who was very glad that the raft was
between them. Will reached the float and extended his arm across it to
Lucas, offering him the fresh can.

"Thanks," Lucas said weakly, taking it. He didn't really want the beer, but
took a token sip. Will's being so close, yet so untouchable was driving him
crazy. He had the distinct sense that his friend knew the effect he was
having on him, and was playing some sort of game. He wished it would end.

"You know, Luke, you look much better without your glasses," Will said.

"Really? Thanks," Lucas said absently, unable to think of anything other
than his rapidly hardening cock.

"Why don't you get out of the water now and drink your beer?"

"Maybe in a minute," Lucas said desperately.

The wicked grin he had seen earlier reappeared on Will's face. "I bet
you've got a hardon, don't you? I bet skinny-dipping's made you horny."

Lucas began to say something, then gasped as he felt a hand grasp his cock
and begin to stroke it, slowly and teasingly. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Checking to see if I'm right," Will chuckled. "I see I am."

"DuBarry," Lucas hissed, "There are people around." His breathing was
quickening.

"Relax, guy," Will said, continuing his underwater hand job. "No one can
see. No one will know, unless you tell them. We're just two buddies, having
a beer."

Lucas stared into the dark lenses of Will's sunglasses. He didn't protest
further--the exquisite pleasure, and the excitement of doing it outdoors in
public, were taking him past all thought of caution. His friend smiled as
he saw the effect he was having. "Just relax, Luke," he said softly. "Let
Uncle Will take care of you." He backed away as Lucas tried to reach for
his cock, shaking his head. "Don't worry about me--this one's for you."

There was nothing Lucas could do but stand, shoulder deep in the water,
holding his beer, and let Will manipulate him to orgasm. At last, his
breathing deepened into harsh gasps. He closed his eyes and gritted his
teeth, his hand tightening convulsively around the can, as his cock came to
life in the hand grasping it, ejecting warm spurts into the cool waters of
the lake.

"Good man," Will whispered. "I felt you cum. Feed those fish some protein."

A short bark of laughter escaped from Lucas. "DuBarry, you are crazy."

"Guilty as charged, Your Honor," the swimmer smiled. "And you love it."

"Can you get out of here before we both get arrested?" Lucas demanded.

Will stuck out his lip in a mock pout. "So that's the thanks I get for
getting you a beer, and getting you off?"

Lucas laughed again in spite of himself, still trying to catch his
breath. "You are something else."

Will grinned. "I'm going for another swim. Take my beer back, will you?" He
added in a stage whisper, "I can't show myself right now either." He flung
his sunglasses onto the raft and splashed off, leaving Lucas trying to hold
on to the float with a beer can in each hand.

PART FOUR

They didn't say much on the trip home. Occasionally Will would catch his
eye and smile, with the same glint in his eye he had had all day. Lucas
sensed that whatever had been started wasn't over yet. All that had
happened between them so far could be written off as horseplay, just two
buddies helping each other out, getting their rocks off. But it seemed Will
was pulling him along on some journey of exploration he had decided to
take, and he was powerless to resist.

When they got back to the campus, Will headed toward the gym parking
lot. "I think I'm going to get cleaned up here. You want to come with?"

They entered the gym, which was almost deserted. When they reached the
men's locker room, Lucas started to push open the door, but Will shook his
head. "Not here." He kept walking down the hallway until they reached
another door with a sign that said, "Faculty/Staff Lockers." Will pulled
out his key ring and unlocked it, then pushed it open and went
inside. Lucas followed.

They went in and the door clicked shut behind them. "Coach Joe gave me a
locker here," he said. Not all of them were taken by the athletic staff,
and it's more secure here. Cleaner and more private too," he grinned.

Lucas nodded, not knowing what to say. His mouth was dry with excitement.

Will reached his locker and opened the combination lock. He quickly
stripped off his clothes and got a fresh towel and shampoo out. He looked
at Lucas, who was standing uncertainly, and said, "You can just leave your
stuff on the bench, guy. I'll give you another towel if you want."

Lucas shook his head. "It's okay." He felt as if this were his last chance
to turn back from the unknown. His desire for Will was overpowering him,
but still he hesitated, held back by some mysterious apprehension. Later he
would think how prophetic that feeling had been.

Will grinned at him. "Well, I'm going in. Don't stand there all day." He
entered the shower stall and Lucas heard the water go on.

He sighed and took the plunge, taking his clothes off. His cock stood
stiffly out in front of him. Still feeling modest, he wrapped a towel
around himself and headed for the shower.

He poked his head in and saw that the shower area was much smaller than the
one in the main men's locker room. There were only four shower heads, two
on each side. Will was standing at the far one on the left. He turned, and
Lucas saw that his cock was half hard as well. Will smiled. "Come on in,
the water's fine," he shouted. "Hang up your towel." Lucas obeyed. Will's
smiled broadened a bit as he saw his obvious excitement, but he said
nothing as Lucas stepped to the shower next to him and turned it on.

He began to soap himself, keeping his back to Will, not daring to look him
in the eye, but very aware of his body near his own. He was not surprised
but drew in his breath sharply nevertheless as he felt a hand on his back,
then two.

"Don't turn around," Will said, "I'm washing your back." Lucas felt his
hands roam over his back, applying soap. Will's touch was as comforting as
earlier in the day and he leaned his weight back, ever so
slightly. Suddenly the hands were in front of him and Will was pulling him
into an embrace. Lucas closed his eyes as he felt himself surrounded by
strong arms, his back pressing against the smooth, taut skin of his
friend's chest and stomach. Lower down, he felt a hard cylinder of flesh
pressing against his backside.

Will leaned his head down close to his own and whispered, "How are you
doing?"

Lucas nodded wordlessly, lost in the pleasure of being in Will's arms. A
last wave of anxiety rose in him and he turned toward Will, looking up into
his friend's blue eyes, set now in a face that was so tender and serious
that it almost robbed him of speech. Still, Lucas made one weak
attempt. "Will, why..." he began.

Will pressed two fingers against his lips and shook his head. "Don't
talk. Don't ask questions, Luke. Just go with the flow, man."

Lucas tried one last time. "What if someone comes in?"

Will shook his head. "There's a security system. If someone opens the door,
a buzzer sounds inside the shower. So we'll have plenty of warning. But no
one comes in here late on a Friday afternoon. We have this place to
ourselves, buddy," he said, and leaned down and put his lips to Lucas'
mouth. Whatever resistance Lucas might have had left dissolved. His arms
went around Will's body as his own mouth opened and welcomed the hot
urgency of his friend's tongue. They kissed for long moments, their mouths
grinding and pressing against one another.

When they broke apart, Will said, "Luke, you are hot."

Lucas let his hands rove over the hard pectoral muscles he had only been
able to look at until now. He bent slightly and took one of the erect
nipples in his mouth and was rewarded by a gasp. "Oh, yeah, man, feels
good," Will whispered. As he continued to lick and nibble at the hard nub
of flesh, Lucas took Will's cock in his right hand. After a moment, he
knelt on the wet tile floor and took it into his mouth.

He had never given a man a blowjob before, but it was as if he had always
known what to do as he slipped the rod of flesh down his throat, tasting
the salty fluid that was leaking from the head. As he slid back and forth,
flicking his tongue around the head, he grasped the base of Will's cock
tightly with one hand. The other continued to fondle one of the swimmer's
nipples.

Will's hands grasped Lucas' shoulders as he moaned softly with pleasure. At
last he bent down, took Lucas' head in his hands and lifted him to his
feet, kissing him again. Will whispered, "You're a fabulous cocksucker."

Lucas smiled. "Easy with a cock like yours."

"Damn, you looked hot squatting down, your butt cheeks spread like
that. Wonder if your ass feels as good as your mouth, guy?" Lucas gasped as
he felt a finger invade the private area between his cheeks, pushing into
his hole. "I want to fuck you."

At that moment Lucas would have died for Will. He nodded.

"Luke, you ever done it before?" Lucas shook his head.

Will paused. "Well, it's not so easy the first time, especially standing
up. Let's get dried off and go back out. I'll show you a good way to
start."

By now all thoughts of danger had flown from Lucas' mind. His only thought
was that he wanted to be with Will for as long as possible, to do anything
for this beautiful man who, unbelievably, wanted him too. He followed Will
back out into the locker room, staring at his cock, swinging before him in
full erection. He fleetingly wondered whether it was going to be possible
to get it inside him.

Will opened his locker, grinning over his shoulder at Lucas. "I even have
the right equipment," he said, pulling out a wrapped condom from the top
shelf and tearing it open. Lucas watched, fascinated, as he unrolled it and
sheathed his cock. Will then took the bottle of sunscreen they had used
earlier and peered at the label. "Hmm, no oil...Good, this should work." He
squeezed some of the gel onto his hand and applied it to his erection. Will
then sat down sideways on the narrow wooden bench that ran the length of
the aisle between the lockers, one leg on either side. He gestured to
Lucas. "Come over here and turn around, buddy. I'll get you ready."

Lucas obeyed, turning his back to Will. "Bend over," his friend said. He
felt Will's hand slip between his cheeks and the cold substance being
applied to his crack. He closed his eyes with pleasure as a finger, then
two, slipped inside his hole.

"Okay, you're greased up. Now turn and face me." Lucas straddled the bench
in front of his friend. Will took his wrist and gently pulled him nearer,
until Lucas was over his legs and his jutting, vertical cock. "Hang onto my
shoulders and bend your knees. I'll make sure it gets to the right place,"
Will chuckled.

Lucas hesitantly began to lower himself, grasping Will's shoulders as
instructed. He felt Will's hand beneath him, simultaneously grasping his
dick and guiding it to his slick hole. He felt the blunt head press against
the opening and hesitated. "That's it, Luke, you're almost there. Don't
stop now," Will said urgently. One hand pushed gently but firmly down on
his shoulder. Suddenly pain surged through his body, as the head of Will's
cock broke through the ring of his sphincter muscles and slid inside
him. Lucas cried out and tried to lift himself off.

Will's hand prevented his escape. "Shh, relax, buddy," Will said. "Just
hold it there for a moment and it won't hurt so bad." Sure enough, as Lucas
breathed deeply, the pain began to lessen.

"Better?" Will said. Lucas nodded, trying to smile. Guided by Will's hands
now on his hips, he let himself descend once again, feeling inch after inch
of the hard flesh penetrate him. Past a certain point, a wave of pleasure
rose from his lower body that he had never felt before, and his mouth
opened in a soft moan. Will smiled. "You feel that, don't you? That's your
prostate."

At last Lucas felt his bottom press against Will's thighs and he knew that
he had taken the full length of the cock into his body. He wanted to laugh
for joy at his accomplishment. Will's arms encircled him and he was
enveloped by his friend's hard, strong presence, possessed by the
relentless pole of flesh, invading and claiming places in his body never
before opened to another.

Will thrust upward, causing a surge of sensation as his cock moved past the
sensitive places inside Lucas' body. "Mmm, your ass feels so good,
man. Ride my cock. Use it." Lucas realized he could increase the sensation
by moving up and down on the shaft, timing his motions with Will's thrusts
for maximum penetration.

Will said, "I can see us in the mirror over there, my cock in your hole,
sliding in and out of your hot ass. God, that is one hot sight." Lucas rode
up and down with increasing speed, gazing into Will's face, the unfocused
eyes, the jaw slack with pleasure.

At length, Will tightened his grasp on his body, shaking his head and
smiling. "Ease up a moment, guy, I'm getting too close." They exchanged a
kiss. "This is great, isn't it?"

Lucas had no words to describe his feelings. He nodded.

"Lean back and lie on the bench now," Will said. Supported by his hand,
Lucas tipped his body backward until he was lying on the narrow bench, his
legs in the air, bent almost double underneath Will. The swimmer's cock had
remained inside his body and Will now resumed his thrusting, his eyes
locked on Lucas' face, scrutinizing every expression. He slowly withdrew
and then rammed his cock back in hard, smiling as Lucas gasped. He teased
Lucas, varying the pace and variety of his motions until his partner's eyes
were glazed over. "Fuck me, Will. Make it last forever," Lucas whispered,
as they broke from another kiss, warm and exquisitely tender.

"Don't think I can last much longer, guy, you're too fucking hot," Will
replied as he began to drill Lucas with a rapid series of jackhammer-like
movements. "Oh god, yeah...fucking tight ass...going to fill it up with my
load, Luke, oh yeah, oh...OH!" Will shouted. He gave one last tremendous
thrust. Lucas felt his cock throbbing as it buried itself in his hole up to
the root, and knew that it was spewing cum into the rubber.

As his climax receded, Will opened his eyes and grinned, still
thrusting. "Your turn," he said, seizing Lucas' cock and beginning to jack
it with rapid hard strokes. Lucas felt his own orgasm gather quickly. He
groaned helplessly, his eyes screwed shut, as cum shot out of his tortured
organ in hot splashes across his chest and stomach. His head thrashed
convulsively from side to side. The climaxes that he had given himself,
even the one that Will had drawn out of him in the waters of the lake, were
nothing compared to the volcano that erupted in him now. Nothing had
prepared him for the ecstasy of cumming while possessed by another man's
cock.

As he slowly came back to consciousness and reason, Lucas opened his
eyes. Will was holding his shoulders, looking down at him with the same
grave and tender expression. "You okay, buddy?" he asked.

Lucas nodded. He wanted to say so much to Will, but no words came.

Will said, "The first time can be hard. I just wanted to make sure I didn't
hurt you or anything."

Lucas found his voice. "That was the best thing that's ever happened to
me."

Will smiled and kissed him lightly. "Glad you enjoyed it. We'd better get
cleaned up again."

At the entrance to his room, after Will had driven him back to his dorm,
Lucas turned to his friend for the last time that extraordinary day. He
looked at Will's face. The strange sweetness he had seen earlier was gone,
and in its place Lucas saw the usual brilliant smile. He already missed the
closeness they had shared in the small locker room. He reached out and
embraced Will, who hugged him back for a moment before pulling away,
saying, "Someone might see us."

Lucas said simply, "Thanks, Will."

Will replied, clapping him on his upper arm, "Don't mention it. It was fun,
Luke. Talk to you soon, okay?" He turned and disappeared down the nearby
stairwell. Lucas stood by his door for a long time before he went in.

The next week was the last before spring break, and Lucas was swamped with
midterm exams and papers. He was not too busy to wonder absently where Will
was, and how he was doing with his own studies. Thursday night before
spring break he called the swimmer's frat house. He had no idea what he
would say to Will--he just wanted to hear his voice.

"Oh, he left this afternoon," the voice who answered the hall phone told
him.

Lucas said, surprised, "Really? I thought he had class on Friday."

The voice laughed. "No one here stays around for the last day of class
before break, man. He and Jenny are probably on South Padre right now."

Lucas thanked him and hung up the phone, a hollow feeling spreading inside
him. So Will and Jenny were back together again. He should be glad for
Will's sake--but why was he sad, and jealous? Why hadn't Will said goodbye
before he left?

The apprehension that arose in him that day increased when classes resumed
after break. He saw Will in the distance one afternoon. He was sure his
friend saw him too, but the next time he looked, Will was walking rapidly
in the other direction. He saw him once or twice more that week, but both
times the swimmer was with a crowd of his fraternity buddies, and once also
with Jenny. Lucas imagined that he was studiously avoiding catching his
eye.

Gloom and a terrible fear gripped Lucas. Somehow he had displeased Will and
he had turned away. What had he done?

Finally he got his chance, when he saw Will coming toward him alone one
afternoon. Before the other boy saw him, Lucas called out. "Will!"

Will looked up, and Lucas' heart sank at his expression. There was no
welcome or gladness on the tall blond's face, only a cool distance. "Hey,
what's up?" Will said, his voice betraying nothing.

Lucas, wrestling with his anxieties, nevertheless was glad that they were
finally talking. "I haven't seen you in ages. How are you doing? How was
your spring break?"

"Oh, fine." Will's eyes roved over his shoulder as if looking for an avenue
of escape. "Listen, guy, I'm got to be somewhere right now^Å"

"Will," Lucas said, hastily, "You seem different. Mad, or
something. Listen, is there some problem between us? Have I done something
wrong?" He wanted desperately to recapture the friendship they had so
briefly shared.

Something did flicker in Will's eye then as he shook his head. "No, Luke,
it's not you. Listen, this isn't a good time to talk, really."

"Then when?" Lucas was not going to let him go without a struggle. "Just
talk to me, Will, please."

Will sighed. "Okay, I'll come by tonight, late, all right? Got to go."
Lucas watched him walk away, somewhat relieved.

That evening, he tried to study in his room but got very little done. As it
got later and later Lucas began to despair. Will wasn't going to come, he
knew it. Sometime after eleven o'clock, just as he was on the verge of
giving up and going to bed, there was a tap on the door. Lucas flung it
open and his heart leaped with joy and relief as he saw that it was
Will. Not having seen him for several weeks, his presence hit Lucas like a
physical blow. He managed, however, to keep his voice normal as he said,
"Hey. Thought you weren't going to make it." He stepped back to let Will
into his room.

"I said I was going to be late," Will said brusquely as he came in. His
eyes did not meet Lucas'.

"You're right," Lucas said, trying to be conciliatory. "I'm just glad
you're here. Want something to drink, a Coke?"

Will shook his head. "I can't stay long. Jenny's waiting for me."

"I hear you guys got back together. That's great."

"Yep. We've decided to get married, you know."

Lucas tried to hide his dismay. "C-congratulations. When?"

"As soon as we can after graduation. Listen, Lucas," Will said heavily, "We
do need to talk. I'm sorry that I've been kind of avoiding you. I've had a
lot on my mind."

"Such as what, Will?" Lucas said evenly, though he was filled with dread at
what he might hear.

Will looked uncomfortable. "That stuff that happened between us a few weeks
ago--well, I just wanted to make sure we were on the same wavelength about
that."

Lucas felt an icy hand grip his heart, but he was determined to find out
the worst. "And what's that?"

The swimmer shifted in his chair, finally looking Lucas in the eye. "It was
just, you know, fooling around. We were both horny, experimenting, helping
each other out. That's all it was, Luke."

As Lucas remained silent, Will pressed on, dropping his gaze again. "I know
I'm not gay. I love Jenny and we're going to get married, have a normal
life. I think it's important that you and I, like, move on too. That's all
I have to say."

Much later, Lucas would wonder if it might have been better had he smiled,
nodded, agreed, closed the matter forever. Perhaps when he had become
older, wiser, more cynical about the ways in which people could deceive
themselves, he would have had the strength to write Will off; he might have
left his lover, deep in denial, to stifle in the confines of the closet he
had made for himself.

At that moment, though, Lucas was not wise and hardened. He was young and
vulnerable, and the person he loved had, without ceremony, denied and
dismissed the feelings he knew existed between them. The anguish of loss
gave Lucas the courage to bare his soul. Keeping his voice steady with an
effort, he said:

"It's not that way for me, Will."

Will looked up, astonished. "What do you mean?"

Surprising even himself, Lucas looked Will in the eye as he said, "I'm gay.
I wasn't experimenting. Everything we did, I'd do it again with you. Will
DuBarry, I love you."

Will half raised his hand, as if Lucas had tried to strike him. "No, Lucas.
It's wrong for two guys. I'm not going to be that way." He paused, then
stood up. "I've got to go. I don't think we'd better see or talk to each
other any more."

Hot tears welled in Lucas' eyes and spilled down his cheeks. He despised
himself for his weakness but could not stop. "Will, please don't freeze me
out."

"It's for the best, Lucas," Will said, implacably.

Lucas said, his voice breaking, "Please. You've been the best friend I've
ever had, Will--the only friend. Don't take that away from me."

"I've got to go," Will repeated, dully. He started toward the door. Lucas,
by now crying openly, grabbed his arm as he walked by.

"Let go," Will said, but Lucas would not release his grip. Will began to
pry the clutching fingers off, one by one. He finally got Lucas' hand off
and shoved him, hard. Lucas fell to the floor, sobbing.

"Look at you," Will said, his voice pained and desperate. "Weeping and
wailing like some sissy queer. Get away from me, faggot." He opened the
door and ran out, slamming it behind him. Running footsteps faded away in
the distance, then an outside door thudded heavily shut far below.

Lucas got up, turned out the lights and crawled into bed. Burying his face
in his pillow, he cried in the darkness, until at last he fell into a
heavy, dreamless sleep.

TO BE CONTINUED