Cody Johnson waited patiently at his own home, checking his phone for any messages on Grindr from the blank profile that reached out to him a week ago. Like most anonymous accounts, it was void of pictures and had a generic handle. 'Kevin' it said, probably not the person's real name.
He had recently re-downloaded the app following his break up. He was dating his ex for about a year. They parted amicably. The relationship had ran its course and they decided that it maybe beneficial for both of them to see other people.
Cody decided to take this new found freedom to better himself. He was the type of guy who likes to have a boyfriend. At 33, he had been in 5 long term relationships. His last one was the shortest while the others ranged from 2 to 5 years. This time around he wanted to stay single and maybe date more people.
Physically speaking, Cody was your average white guy. A bit short, standing at 5'7 and average build. He wasn't one to spend his time working on his body. He was what people would call skinny fat. He had a head of brown hair and a full beard. If he was to determine a gay tribe to pertain to, it would be that of the otters. His glasses gave him the nerdy look, which was ironic considering he wasn't the best at school. This didn't meant that he was stupid or uneducated though. He was smart enough to get a bachelors degree in philosophy by going through community college first then taking those credits and getting into his local college, tremendously reducing his student loan.
After two months of focusing on himself, he decided that it was time for him to start seeing new people. His goal was to see a variety of guys and not get too attached to the first one who gave him attention. His friends, who were living the single life celebrated this change and were excited to bring him into the fold of hookup culture.
Cody tried meeting guys at bars and clubs by going out with friends, but found himself awkward when meeting new people. Constantly being in relationships left his flirting skills dull and unpolished. That was when his friends told him to meet guys online. He was overwhelmed by the forwardness of the men on the apps. They were rude, horny and generally just horrible.
Cody's sex drive was also average. He was used to love making once to twice a week with a steady partner. The idea of having to find a new guy every single time he wanted affection drained him of his energy. The type of sex he liked was what most people would call vanilla and considering the busing gay community in the city he was living in, if someone wasn't getting fisted, it wasn't even considered as fucking. Another appalling thing he was exposed to was the amount of sick fetishes that were out there. From, feet, to scat and piss play, he didn't know if he could survive outside his comfort zone.
That being said, if he really wanted to see new people, he had to adapt to what was out there. He had enough experience with being in a relationship, now it was time to try new stuff.
His friends warned him of the perils of meeting people on an app. Cat fishing, ghosting, bait and switch etc. By the time they had finished lecturing him, he was well versed on the art of Grindr culture.
'Kevin' being a blank profile was not a bad thing. Pictures can be sent privately. Cody was however caught off guard when after sending his photos, the other person refused to send his own. He was told that 'he would do' for the other guy, assuming he was a guy, indicating that he was attractive enough.
This should have been the moment when Cody should have blocked the stranger. Refusing to show one's face in regards to meeting to eventually hook up is a red flag. But since he didn't really send anything revealing or vulgar, he decided to keep chatting him up. 'Kevin' revealed to him that he was bi.
Intrigued by the circumstances, Cody pressed for more information. 'Kevin' had no intention of fucking him, however the type of activity he had in mind still remained of sexual nature.
They chatted for hours. Cody found out that 'Kevin' was only 24 years old and was single. They were able to talk about a lot of stuff but also reveal so few things about themselves other than the things they had said at the beginning.
It was decided that a week from then, 'Kevin' and Cody would meet at the latter's house for drinks. During the days that followed leading to their eventual encounter, the two of them kept chatting each other. Even though they were speaking through Grindr, most of their topics were not of sexual nature. It varied from day to day stuff, to ideologies, movies, sports, music and many more.
That Saturday evening, Cody didn't really prepare anything fancy. He cleaned his home as one would when they knew that guests were coming. He dressed casually as if he was going for a night out even though he would stay in the whole time. He had drinks ready and something to snack on, not a full blown meal since they had agreed to meeting after dinner.
The distinct sound of a Grindr message alerted Cody. It was 'Kevin'. '10 minutes' it said.
10 minutes later, he heard a knock on his door. Cody opened his door up to where the chain would permit to get a glimpse of who was on the other side and say 'Hi' but when he saw the man in front of him he was frozen in place unable to utter anything.
"Cody?" Asked the hunk.
"Thats me. Are you Kevin?" Said Cody baffled.
"Yeah." Said the stranger, as he held up his phone showing their conversation on Grindr.
Cody let his guest in and asked if he wanted something to drink.
"I'll take a beer." Said 'Kevin'.
Cody handed him a can of beer that 'Kevin' opened and started drinking.
"So... we finally meet 'Kevin'." Said Cody while 'Kevin' was still drinking his beer. He was trying his best to be normal.
After a few gulps 'Kevin' put his beer on the coffee table. Unlike Cody who was awkwardly shuffling on his sit, he was confident and comfortable.
"The name's Jack by the way. Not Kevin." He said.
"Oh, I see. Jack." Repeated Cody.
