Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2013 18:14:55 -0700
From: Charles Wolfe <c.sportswolfe@gmail.com>
Subject: The Ultimate Challenge- Chapter 9

	Who was Parker? Better yet, how did he know me? Or even more
important, where the hell did he get my phone number? It was a frustrating
situation I had gotten myself into. How would I talk with him and what
would I say?

	The week went pretty much like this: Monday we had practice and
talked over the tournament. Tuesday I looked back through my texts and saw
his text again, wondering if it was worth it to actually contact him. Would
it be rude to just brush it off?

	Wednesday came around and classes were boring so I pondered more
over the stupid text, filling the box with words only to delete them all
over again. Sighing heavily multiple times, I must have given myself a
workout as I kept analyzing and overanalyzing the message.

	Thursday I finally texted him, simply saying "Hey sorry for missing
you Parker. Don't know if you want to still grab some coffee but I am down
for a drink." Why did my stomach have to tumble as I sent it? It wasn't
like I was cheating on Kyle or anything; I could still have gay friends
from other teams. Parker however felt... different... somehow. It's not
that I loved him, cause I didn't, I just felt something different for
him. Meeting up with him probably would be the best way to figure out what
that something was.

	It didn't take him long to get back to me that day, little less
than five minutes. I had texted in the middle of class so it was no
surprise it took longer than normal. But still he was, and I quote, "happy
to hear back from me". To make it easy, he wanted to meet halfway,
apparently in West Hollywood there was a great Starbucks to drink at. For
me, any Starbucks would have worked perfectly but not to fight over the
location, I reluctantly agreed. He suggested Saturday early in the morning
but I told him that I had Frisbee practice, something I couldn't
miss. Given my absences due to Kyle, missing another one due to another guy
would make it a little complicated.

	So here I am, sitting outside on Santa Monica Boulevard drinking a
spiced latte. It was approaching noon but I didn't mind. I didn't have any
big projects to worry about at the moment so I was free to do with my time
what I pleased. Seeing the couples pass around me made me realize why West
Hollywood was such an accepting place. On the opposite side of the street
two women walked hand in hand as their little son ran out in front of them,
bouncing a basketball that was bigger than his head. Just in front of me
two guys shared a sweet kiss, the tender embrace a sign of love. But like
most places, West Hollywood accepted everyone, straight couples browsing
the stores for chic clothing or lingerie, items that the men could buy for
their lover or vice versa.

	Sipping my coffee, I began to wonder where Parker was or if he was
even going to show up. Placing my cup down on the table, I look at my phone
to see no new messages. I would be super irritated if he stood me up, my
approval of him not high to begin with. Thankfully though he arrived
shortly thereafter, a slight jog over to the shop making it look like he
knew he was late. "Hey sorry for keeping you so long. Traffic over the
ridge was brutal. I hope you weren't waiting too long for me."

	Swallowing my pride, I shake my head, "Nah it's alright. How was
your day?" I motion to the empty seat, hoping he would sit.

	Parker looks at the seat then over to the barista's
counter. "Before I answer that, could I get a coffee real fast?" He didn't
really give me a chance to answer, taking off inside the shop to put in his
order.

	Sitting there slightly flustered, I took a deep drink of my latte
and contemplated just getting up to leave. Normally I wouldn't have minded,
but he was really starting to get on my nerves. I was trying to be the
better guy here by showing compassion but it felt like he was just shitting
on it, thinking of himself first.

	Parker returned a few minutes later, sighing heavily as he sat in
the chair. "So where were we? Ah my day, it was long and hectic. I had a
ton of homework to do earlier and I lost track of time. Sorry again about
being late. How about you? How have you been?" He places his hand in the
center of the table as he takes a drink of his coffee.

	Squinting slightly at him I thought to myself, 'Is he really trying
to be romantic towards me? Really? The hand in the center of the table
move?' I tried to make it look like there was a glare hitting me by
changing my sitting position to a more straightened stance, something that
would hopefully catch him off guard. "It was fine." I normally hated short
sentences but this was a perfect chance to do that, reply with as little as
possible to see how he would react.

	Taking the last sip from my coffee, I shake the cup to make sure
that it was actually empty. Damnit, it was. Looking around me for the
closest trash can, I found one behind me. Completely ignorning what he was
saying, I make the basketball shot, sinking the cup right into the black
hole. Nice!

	Turning back to Parker, I hear him say, "Nice shot. Surprised
you're not on the basketball team." Now he was really trying to flater me.

	Chuckling slightly, I lean back and cross my arms. "Nah, not my
sport." It did make me think of Peter and if he was still playing. I really
needed to see how he was doing. If it weren't for his enthrawling orange
eyes, I could have easily disreagrded him as some guy hitting on me. I
still didn't know if he was actually gay but from all the signs he was
giving me, the picture was becoming slightly clearer. Moving to make small
talk with him, I ask what he is studying at Northridge.

	As we moved into the new subject I began to space out as I
attempted to listen in. It was weird how much he reminded me of Kyle when
he and I first met, teh cockiness that he had to him that seemed to sucker
me in. Thankfully I was able to tame him down a little but Parker was a
whole new Kyle, the bravado of the bad boy swagger radiating off him.

	We talked for longer than I had expected, him seemingly controlling
time to slow it down. Realizing what was now there, I made the motions that
I needed to get back home. While it was the weekend, I had a ton of
"homework" that I needed to do. As nice as he was trying to be, I didn't
want to spend my entire day with him. After making the intentions clear I
was going to be leaving soon, I began to fidget with a napkin on the
table. "As nice as it has been to talk with you Parker, I need to get back
to my dorm and study."

	Right before I moved to stand up, Parker reached across the table
and moved his hand onto mine, trappinng the helpless napkin underneath. I
was slightly shocked he made the move, even though I had tried multiple
times to make it clear I wasn't interested. "This was nice. Thank you for
meeting up with me. Hopefully we could do this againn sometime."

	Quickly slipping my hand out from his, I thought to myself, 'not
while I am with Kyle'. Smiling at him, I grab my bag and move towards the
parking structure where I parked, eager to get someplace new. Throughout
our entire converstation I never once asked how he got my number, something
that kept nagging at me as I pulled out my keys to drive back.

						*****

	When Monday came around, I was glad to have my mind cleared free
from Parker. Granted I was still bored but at least I didn't have to focus
on him. Instead what I was doing with my time was wondering throughout the
campus, exploring it i a greater detail than I had before. Cal State Long
Beach is a decently sized campus and with all the floors in each bulding,
one could easily get lost. After wandering around the campus for a few
hours I realized it was getting close to practice time. Making my way back
to my dorm, I weaved my way through the USU then down through Brotman
Hall. Looking around the top floor I strolled around, then to the second
floor. It seemed vary bland as I walked around it, the nondescript offices
seemingly shut off from any student interaction.

	Reaching the end of the hall, I looked around, becoming bored of my
exploration. This building was a bust, nothing really interesting in it. I
mean yes the admissions and financial aid offices were important but beyond
that there was nothing really fun here. Off to the side, a few fliers
reached out from the wall, the air conditioning blowing their lower
sections on and off the wall.

	Walking down to where the posters hung, I looked at them, my
interest perked. Pushing one of the fliers down, I saw it was a study
abroad poster, the main graphic showing a group of students standing in
front of a sand dune. Its catch line: Studying abroad in Chili gave these
students the ability to sand board, when was the last time you did
something exotic? Looking at another poster it was Ireland, their tagline:
It doesn't cost a lot of green to study in Dublin.

	As I continued to look over the other countries, ranging from the
United Kingdom to Germany to South Africa, it got me to wonder if I would
be up for traveling abroad again. Being from a military family, the General
had always taken us abroad when he could but one thing that he had promised
my mom before she died was that we would always have house in the US. Hence
was our close connection to the Watson's; they often being the ones to take
care of us when he was overseas.

	Taking a leap, I opened the door into the office and decided to
look into it. Maybe it could be fun to study abroad in another country, who
knows? The office was small, but it was lively as well. Posters from
different countries hung from each wall and little trinkets were placed
around the tables to show what was to be seen. The student behind the desk
looked up from the computer, her beaming smile welcoming me in. "Hi,
welcome to the Study Abroad Office. Something I can help you with?" She was
Latino but her accent was different from the Mexican I was used to hearing.

	Looking for the words, I was too caught up in the visual aspects of
the office to react. "Umm yea. Sorry. Hi. I was just wondering where all a
student could go? I saw a few countries out in the hallway..." I drop off
the sentence to imply interest in all the countries.

	Her disarming smile showed that she had been abroad herself, the
maturity of living in another country appealing to me. She rose to her feet
and walked around the table to pick up two promotional materials. "We have
two main programs, our CSU International Program and USAC. Do you know how
long you might be interested in studying abroad?"

      I shrugged my shoulders, still unsure if I even wanted to do
it. There was a lot to think over if I wanted to go abroad; how it would
impact my relationship with Kyle, what all the team would think, if the
General would even let me go abroad for a year. It was a lot to take in but
right now was just an exploratory session, dipping my toes into the mere
thought of it all. "I really don't know yet."

      "Well it's good that you at least came by; the first step is looking
into it all. Our CSUIP program is the year long program in another country,
USAC is short, ranging from a semester all the way down to 5 weeks during
the summer. USAC is more popular, with most of our students going during
summer." She opened the book to display some of the countries. Flipping
over the United Kingdom, she started explaining the costs of it all, where
and what all I could study, and how many students normally get into the
programs. As she covered the United Kingdom more, I began to get more
interested in it, thinking it would be fun even to do a summer session over
there.

	When it came to other programs, I had no language skills to help me
out, my Spanish being lost mostly right after I finished high school. She
did inform me that through USAC I wouldn't need a secondary language,
English being the main one taught in this particular program.

	As she finished up her spiel on the country, I really began to
think that this might be something I want to do. Taking a book with me, she
told me to come back whenever and that, on an almost weekly basis, there
were study abroad sessions where I could meet up with other students who
were also interested in going abroad. The book felt heavy in my hands and I
looked down at it, flipping through the pages indiscriminately. Leaving the
office, I began to wonder what I might have gotten myself into.

*****

      Practice was normal as usual, Pike not going into much emphasis on
the training, our next tournament not for over a month. He had plenty of
time to get us into a better condition, his level of competition much
higher than any of ours. The team had backed off me a little bit over my
relationship with Kyle but I could tell that at times it was still a little
sticking point that needed refining. If they were ever going to accept him
as my boyfriend it would take a lot of work on both his part, my part, and
both team's parts.

	Walking back to the dorm with Bryan and Zach, I realized
subconsciously that I hadn't talked with Michael or Skyler in a while. It
had been a few weeks since they, well yea... reconciled... or so I
thought. I didn't really want to play match maker too much with them as it
was their relationship. I did have vested interest in both of them so it
would have been hard to be with one without seeing the other.

	Breaking off at the lobby, I headed towards Michael's room. While I
also wanted to see Skyler, I didn't know exactly where he lived, if he even
was on campus. Knocking slightly on the door, I waited outside, unsure of
what to expect out of Michael. Given how I haven't heard from either of
them, I was hoping for the best.

	Michael opened the door, and stood there, the entrance slightly
obscure. "Hey what's up?" He was being coy as he stood there half nude, his
body slightly glistening under the lights. Pajamas were the only thing on
but I could tell from the slight bulge pointing towards me that he was
horned up.

	Coughing slightly, I take a step back as the sex smell ensnares my
nostrils. "Did I interrupt something?" Trying to peer around the door, I
began to wonder if it actually was Skyler in there.

	Confirming my suspicions, Skyler pulled the door open a little more
to reveal his shirtless body, his pants hanging haphazardly from his
waist. "Hey Chris what's up?" I couldn't help but stare at the two of them
blankly, my eyes peering over each of their bodies. The clearly obvious sex
session had brought out the bodies that they had, Michael and Skyler's abs
and biceps flaunting their toned definition to me.

	Blinking at them, I come back to my senses. "Umm... Nothing much. I
just wanted to stop by and say hi. I didn't mean to interrupt anything." I
take a few steps back as if I were to leave.

	Michael instead motions for me to come inside, "Nah it's
alright. We just finished, you're not interrupting anything." I had seen
the way he was looking at me before, his lustful eyes groping me visually,
the thought of seeing me naked making me feel slightly awkward.

	Taking a few steps inside, I move quickly move to the opposite bed,
my sight of the disordered sheets letting me know where not to sit. Michael
and Skyler quickly rearrange the sheets as they go to sit down, the silence
making me uncomfortable. "So... How have you two been, you know since the
talk and all? I see... things have... worked themselves out..."

	Skyler cradled Michael as he opened up first, his abs flexing with
every word he spoke. "Yea, we've been great. Some changes needed to be
discussed but I think that we now trust each other a whole lot more now."
He squeezes Michael as he finishes the sentence.

	Turning my head slightly, I focus in on one specific word that
stuck out to me, "Changes?" I readjust myself in the bed, leaning towards
them to wonder how they have spiced up their relationship.

	Michael squirms slightly in Skyler's grip, fidgeting as he worded
his response. "Well...." He pauses slightly as he looks up at Skyler, "We
have a slightly more open status..."

	I had heard of gays having an open relationship but to have my
friends do it was a whole different situation. I didn't want to judge them
over it but it seemed so foreign to me. "Wait what? How is that building
your guys' trust back up? You're seeing other people." I looked at them
completely confused, my leaning forward stance now moving back against the
wall as it provides support for me.

	Skyler takes up the conversation, "Well, first off, if we ever do
have sex with other guys, we let each other know. There are no secrets now
between us, though we do admit that mistakes do happen. By making it more
open, we can learn new things that we may not have experienced with each
other."  Michael leaned up defensively, his stance moving into one that
defended the choice they made.

	Raising my hands, I stutter out, "I'm not wanting to judge you
guys. I am in no place to do that."

	Michael blurts out in his flustered state, "No you shouldn't. Not
with Kyle and all." I really had hoped that he had moved on from that,
especially with the own cheating situation he went through but apparently
he hadn't.

	Skyler glances at Michael and, through his eye contact, tells him
to calm down. "Sorry Chris. And thanks. It's going to be hard but if it
doesn't work, we've both agreed to stop it if need be."

	From the looks of it, I didn't think they really needed to see
other guys. They both had the sex appeal to them that I thought would make
it stupid to see anyone else. Realizing my time here was limited, I got off
the bed and made my way to the door. Michael got to it first and opened it
for me. "Sorry, I know I should move on from it but for some reason, I
still slightly don't trust him. Not completely yet."

	Smiling weakly at him, I lean in and hug him, his shirtless body
pressing against me, the sweat seeping into my clothing. "It's alright. I
just hope you will someday come around to see him for who he is now."
Leaving the two of them to, well, I don't really want to think about it, I
made my way back to my room.

	What would it be like to have an open relationship? I didn't want
to cheat on Kyle but it might be interesting to mix things up from time to
time. Calling up Kyle as I usually did, we talked for a little bit before I
brought up the subject, "Hey babe, what are your thoughts on having a
threesome? Or maybe swinging with another couple?" I barely muttered that
last sentence as I thought of Skyler and Michael, the two of them appealing
to my erotic visions.

	Kyle was caught off guard by the topic, a complete change from our
conversation about school. "Umm.... I don't know. I never thought about
it. Why? Is something you might want to do?"

	Quickly reacting, I stuttered out, "I don't know to be honest. I
just was thinking it might add a little spice to us. Maybe we could learn
some new moves from someone else." I tried to play it off as a joke but in
all actuality I kind of did want to have an orgy of some sorts. Just to
experience it, feel what it was like and all.

	Kyle was silent for a few seconds, the buzz of the line grinding on
my ear. "Who did you possibly have in mind? Cause I don't want to do it
with Joe Blow..."

	Crap... Though I knew he might object to them, I tossed it out,
"Michael and Skyler?"

	His reaction though was completely different than what I had
expected. "Well it would take some talking over but I don't see why not."
Tossing the slight joke, he added, "It would be fun to top Michael." We
both chuckled at the thought of Kyle mounting Michael, his slender frame
ramming Michael's rugby body. I couldn't help but get slightly turned on by
topic and it's possibilities. Would Michael and Skyler really be up for
this?

=====================================================================

Well this chapter tossed out a few important things that need discussing...

First off- opinions on Parker? He's kinda a dick but maybe we can warm up
to him as Chris gets to know him more right? Second- What are your thoughts
on Chris studying abroad? I am debating on him going but I don't really
know where (as it will involve me doing research into said countries).
Lastly- An open relationship? Or an orgy for that fact? Kinky right?
Hmm....

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