It's nighttime. I walk up to the counter of a coffeehouse I'd started going to several months ago. My favorite barista is there. I'd seen him before, he's a guy from Mexico who appears to be of college age, a freshman, perhaps.
Usually, when I see him he's in overalls or a white short sleeve tee. But today he's in a deep blue crop-top with the cheeky phrase "Let's Huddle" on it in a white athletic letter font. The shirt is cut high enough that a 3- to 4-inch strip of his stomach is visible and a rather nice innie bellybutton is showing. I can't not notice.
We chat. I tell him I notice the daring change of apparel, that his bellybutton is showing. "My ombligo," he says, using the Spanish word, and grinning. "Yeah, I like my bellybutton."
"I like it, too," I say back, allowing my eyes to drift furtively between his eyes and his navel.
No one else is around. It's actually close to closing time, I made it with 15 minutes to spare. I ask for a drink from their cooler, pay, and sit down, to watch him. He's a hot little number. He begins wrapping up for the night.
I've watched him close the coffeehouse before. He's rather low-key. For someone who can be goofy at times with his co-workers, when he's alone, wiping a table or pushing a broom, he is diligent. It's almost peaceful to watch. He's the last employee here this evening.
I find him attractive in an odd way. He has unusual features for what I consider a Mexican would look like. His hair is a dark brown rather than black, and wavy and thick like a rock musician's would be. His complexion is not white, but it's not the tone I usually see on Mexican-Americans in this city. It's like his biology was "cut" with something European. When he speaks, it's not the thickest Spanish accent, but it's not totally American, either. There's a touch of goofiness about his tone, just enough to be endearing.
And his arms are pretty hairy, surprisingly hairy for a younger guy -- not so thick I can't see the skin underneath, but clearly more than those thin, wispy hairs some guys have. I can't help but notice those every time I come in and he takes my order. At first I thought his arm hair strange, but over time I've come to find them sexy. Sexual response is a mystery to me.
It's a cute little coffee place. Seating for maybe 20. I noticed him when he started because another guy I also liked when I started coming left, to be replaced by him.
As it gets closer to closing he calls out to me.
"Hey, can I ask a favor?"
"Sure."
"You drive?"
"Yep."
"Can I get a lift back to my place?"
"Sure. Just say when you're ready."
Figuring I should step outside, I get up, go to the door and step onto the sidewalk patio where the table umbrellas have all been closed up. Through the window I see him finishing up, then the lights go out and he emerges. It's an early fall night and it's pleasant with a light breeze.
He walks outside and locks the coffeehouse door. "Ready," he says with a broad smile. I see his bellybutton in the dim street light. I playfully poke it. He giggles lightly.
"You like it?" he asks.
"Yeah, I like it," I say slyly, smiling. "My car's over here."
We walk to my sedan and I open the passenger-side door for him. He slides in. I go to the driver's side, unlock it, and get in and start the car, putting some music on at low volume from a streaming service.
I ask where to go and he tells me. The GPS says it's about a 5 minute drive. We chat about nothing in particular. It occurs to me that where he lives isn't that far a walk. I could have asked why he wanted a lift, but I don't, deciding not to pry. I usually am in the car by myself, and am glad to have company for a change, especially someone cute.
We get to his place. I look at him. He thanks me. I say it's my pleasure.
"You want to come inside?" he offers.
I feel my dick stir. I'm a bit surprised he's this forward, but I do like him and that navel of his is calling to me.
"Anyone else live with you?" I say with a smile.
"No, just me, my place," he says softly, smiling back.
Figuring I may never get such a golden opportunity again, I say okay, then we get out and I lock the doors.
The property is pretty old, probably at least 50 years it's been standing, built at a time when central air was new. There wasn't much to see in the dark, but there were minimal patches of lawn and first-floor units had patios with wooden fencing surrounding them. It was refreshing to see an older place in the area, since gentrification's unrelenting push had resulted in many such older units being razed for unaffordable replacements that only white-collar professionals could afford.
He unlocks a door with the number 108 on the front, on the first floor of a two-story building. We go in. It's a small one-bedroom. A small lamp is on a table next to a clearly used sofa which has seen better days. All the furniture looks heavily used. Probably thrift shop stuff.