I've always considered myself to be a decent looking guy. Never a real whiz with the ladies but I did alright. Spent 10 years in a train wreck of a marriage, just didn't matter what I did, I couldn't please her. Everything was wrong all of the time and I finally had enough and filed for divorce. Now in my late 30s I found myself on the singles market again.
During my marriage I had become comfortable and had let myself go. I developed the typical "dad bod" with a somewhat larger belly than I should have at my age. Oh well, I'm single again which means I'll have time to hit the gym more often and lose the gut. The years of a stressful marriage and job have also grayed my hair in places, which kind of gives me a distinguished gentleman look I think. That actually used to be one of the few compliments my ex would give me, she said I looked good with the gray temples and salt and pepper look.
Anyways, after the divorce I decided I needed a new town for a new start. So I put in my notice and headed to the Florida Keyes where I found work as a deck hand on a sport fishing boat. The pay wasn't great, but I'd earned enough during my last job and got enough out of the ex wife during the divorce that I didn't need a whole lot to survive on anymore. Plus the work was enjoyable and it gave me an excuse to work on losing my beer belly. I found a studio apartment over a rich couple's garage and settled in for a quiet life.
One thing about the Keyes is there is a very active night life, something I'd missed out on during the last decade. I'd been in my new setup for about a week when I finally decided to go out and explore the night life. I hit up a few different places and finally wound up in a small seaside bar next to the docks. It wasn't very big, just a bar along one wall and a few tables in the room. There weren't many people inside and as I always kinda liked quieter bars this one seemed like it had the potential to be my new "spot."
I ordered a beer and sat at a corner table and surveyed the rest of the crowd in the small dimly lit room. There was a younger couple at one of the tables, a pair of older ladies at another and a few old men talking quietly at the bar with the bartender. In the corner opposite me was a guy sitting by himself, younger, maybe around my age, just sipping a drink and idly shuffling a deck of cards. I finished my beer and flagged the waitress for another. As she brought it to me I heard, "mind if I join you?"
I looked up to see the man from across the room standing beside my table. Now that I could see him clearer I could tell he was maybe in his late 20s, a little taller than myself with broad shoulders and thick arms. He obviously worked out and kept himself in shape, which somehow made me self conscious about my own lack of being in shape. He had short black hair, neatly trimmed above blue eyes and a wide, friendly smile. I had never looked at men in that way, but I would assume he would be what women would call dashingly handsome. I invited him to sit down and he did, extending his had as he did so, "Jon," he said.
"Stan, nice to meet you."
"New around here?"
"Yes," I replied, explaining that I'd just moved here and was working for the sport fishing company down the beach. Jon had moved here about a year ago and was working for the local bank as a loan officer. We chatted for a while, buying each other beers as the night passed. I couldn't explain it, but there was something a little off about Jon, just could not quite put my finger on it. He asked if I was married and I explained about the divorce and how that was what had led me to relocating in the first place. He was recently out of a long term relationship himself and said that he was just looking for new friends to hang out and socialize with. It seemed like I had just found my first friend in my new town. Little did I know just what kind of friendship it would be.
We got so wrapped up in conversation that we didn't realize what time it was until the bartender announced that it was closing time. Looking around we could see that we were pretty much the last ones in the bar as well.
"Damn, when did it get so late?" I asked jokingly.
"I know right?" Jon replied. "Got so wrapped up in the conversation I lost track of time."
"Yeah, I kinda hate to end it," I said with a laugh.
"We don't have to," he said, "my place is close by and you're welcome to come have a few more drinks if you want to."
I thought about it and said what the hell, I didn't have to work the next day and it had been years since I'd been out until the wee hours of the morning, or had such a stimulating conversation as the one I was currently in. Can't explain it, but Jon was super easy to talk to and I felt some kind of a connection with him that just made me feel like I could tell him anything at all. So I agreed to accompany him back to his place for a night cap or two.
It was a short walk off the beach to a small studio apartment not a whole lot different than the one I was renting. He invited me in and I sat down on the couch as he poured us each another drink. Maybe it was the booze talking, but I started to get the feeling that he was hitting on me. Nothing obvious, just subtle little hints in the way that he said things, or like how when he handed me my drink his fingers trailed across mine in the way that my ex's used to when she was trying to be seductive. He sat down and his leg touched mine in a somewhat suggestive manner. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the fact that my ex had shown so little affection the last couple of years, but I felt myself enjoying the small touches here and there. I blinked my eyes a few times to clear my head, what the heck was happening to me? I didn't like guys, I was straight, why would I enjoy the touch of another man?
I got caught up in these thoughts and I completely missed Jon's very forthright question. I blinked again and said, "huh?"
"Have you ever thought of being with a man?" He asked again.
