Page 53 of Dickathlon

“So confident! Prove it.”

I grabbed Luke’s arm, holding the eggplant still. I didn’t want him shoving it in there as a joke. I opened my mouth and went for it.

“Jesus Christ!”

I smiled as I pulled off. “What’d I tell you?”

“Where’s your gag reflex?”

I pushed my hair back out of my face. “I don’t think I have one.”

“Why am I even here? Nothing I’ve said matters. You can deep throat. He’s putty in your hands.”

“No, no! Keep going. It’s been great advice. I had no clue about any of this.”

He shook his head, but kept going. “Be careful with your teeth. Use both hands. Mix it up. Some guys like a little ballplay, tugging, flicking, whatever. You’ll have to figure that out.”

I kept at the eggplant and the kumquats, alternating my focus between the two, though I kept a hand on whichever one my mouth wasn’t on. I was doing my best, waiting for some sort of further instruction. Luke was right though, my jaw got tired pretty quickly. I’d have to practice so I didn’t bail after sucking Declan for two minutes.

After some time had passed, Luke interrupted. “I think you’ve got this down. I’m so proud. You’re a natural.”

“Okay.” I took a breath. “That was great, but what’s the pumpkin for?”

“Ever heard of a rimjob?”

* * *

After Luke’s produce party, we spent the rest of the weekend relaxing. I took him to the school once where he was kind of a guest coach for the afternoon. The kids were thrilled to have him there; he was swarmed.

He caught me up on his life. Per Owen’s advice and with his help, Luke found a therapist in New York. He mentioned Cam, who had won the national championship only a few months prior. Luke said watching him do that lit a fire within him to do better, hoping he could make the Olympic team again. For Luke, the brief moments they had were enough for Luke to keep his hope alive.

I didn’t tell him the obvious. Until he moved away from his parents and out of their sphere of control, he and Cam didn’t have a chance. I knew he knew that, but he had to recognize it. Because saying it was the first step towards doing something about it.

I was just happy he seemed better. And I was thrilled he had a professional to talk to.

* * *

The next weekend

“Fuck, I missed you.”

“It’s only been a month, Ty, and we’ve talked almost every day.”

I pulled back from the hug. “Does that mean I’m lame?”

“No.” Declan smiled, pulling my chin up, so he could look into my eyes. “It means you really like me.” He turned away. “So, is this your building?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Nice Wrangler, by the way. It suits you.”

“Thanks, but can we go inside now? I’d like to take your clothes off.”

“Well, you have one less item of clothing to worry about.” I leaned in to whisper. “I’m not wearing any underwear.” Then I ran up the stairs and into the building, chased by Declan with his duffle bag, groping my ass all the way.

12

Declan

He couldn’t keep his hands off me as he tried and failed to open the door to his apartment. I appreciated his enthusiasm. It helped push down the doubts that lingered on the drive up. There were moments when I couldn’t help but wonder if Ty would just be another Ian.