I'm sure there are some couples that can make a long-distance relationship work, but my high school girlfriend and I weren't one of them.
She got a generous scholarship at a big state university 75 miles in one direction from our home town, and I got a full ride at a smaller liberal arts school 100 miles in the other. We planned to get together on frequent trips home, but with one thing and another we managed to meet just three times in our first semester.
Things were strained at Thanksgiving -- I sensed her attentions were drifting to some other guy -- and at Christmas we decided to break up. By that time I, too, was interested in someone new, and I regretted the breakup less than did my girlfriend. We parted as friends, though, and still are.
One thing I did get out of that relationship was a friendship with her cousin, Will, who attended the same college I did. She had told me to look him up when I got to school, and since I knew almost no one at first I thought, Why not?
I texted the number she gave me, and it turned out that Will lived in a dorm close to mine. We met for coffee, and I liked him right off the bat. He was whip-smart, with a wicked sense of humor, and we had a common interest in outdoor sports and EDM. He, too, was winding down a long-distance relationship, and that gave us something to talk about.
We started hanging out fairly often. On Friday nights one of the local bars had EDM night, which became a regular stop for us, and once in a while we'd go for a bike ride in the flat countryside outside town.
We also started playing one-on-one basketball at the rec center. Neither of us was good enough to compete in the hard-core pickup games that were always going on in the main gym, so we gravitated to the smaller gym, where we could almost always find a half court free.
I really enjoyed these games. What we lacked in skill we made up in intensity. We played hard -- a foul had to be pretty blatant for either us to call it -- and we both went for loose balls aggressively. There was a lot of bumping and elbowing, and sometimes we flat-out wrestled over the ball. But it was all in fun, and I don't remember either of us ever losing our tempers.
One day we got tangled up going for a rebound and wrestled over the ball for several seconds until I lost my footing and sat down hard on the floor. In the process Will got the ball away and held it in triumph over his head.
When I looked up at him, I couldn't help but notice that he had a tent in his shorts.
Shit, I thought, does he have a hard-on?
Will had to be aware of it, but if so he didn't let on. He offered me a hand up, and we played a few more minutes before quitting for the day.
On the way back to the dorm I wondered briefly why Will had gotten a boner. Then I remembered what a wrestling friend in high school had told me: that getting an erection while grappling with another guy wasn't uncommon, and most people just ignore it. I thought no more about it.
Although we always worked up a good sweat in these games, we usually went back to the dorms to shower. But one day I had to go to a special class afterward on the far side of campus, so I had brought my gym bag with clean clothes to change into.
It was unusually hot in the gym that day for some reason, and both our shirts were soaked with sweat when we finished.
"Jesus I stink," Will said, sniffing at his armpits. "If I had my stuff I'd shower, too."
I rummaged around in my bag.
"I think I have an extra shirt in here if you want it."
"I don't have a towel, though," he said.
"Mine's fresh, we can share," I said.
He shrugged, and we went into the locker room.
Some guys seem to like parading around naked in locker rooms, but I've always been fairly modest, and I thought it might be awkward for Will not to have a towel to wrap around himself. But he acted as if it were not a big deal, which I suppose it really wasn't. He shucked off his damp clothes and strode off boldly toward the showers.
This might be a good place to mention what good shape Will was in -- compact and muscular, with a powerful-looking chest and shoulders, and dark hair on his arms, legs and chest.
I, by contrast, am taller and slimmer, with good muscle tone but not much definition, and my body hair is light and very blond.
The shower stalls in that locker room are arranged in bays on both sides of a central hallway, and none of them have doors or curtains. Will took one on the right side. I took the one opposite, hung my towel on the hook, got some shampoo out of the dispenser and began to lather up.
I was rinsing the suds out of my hair when I opened my eyes slightly and caught Will looking at my crotch. His gaze was so intent that he didn't realize I'd caught him.
I turned back around to finish my shower, a little shocked. What was that about?
When I was done Will had his back to me and was rinsing shampoo out of his own hair.
I took my towel off the hook and stepped outside the shower room to dry off. When Will came out I glanced down -- I couldn't help myself -- and noticed that he had a partial erection.
"Here," I said, throwing him the towel. "You'd better cover that up."
I meant it to be a lighthearted remark, but Will turned about seven shades of red. I was actually a little sorry I'd embarrassed him.
I went back to my locker and busied myself dressing. He followed a minute later, and in two minutes more he tossed the towel back to me and we were ready to go.
We said an awkward goodbye, which was stupid, really. For two guys to scope each other out in a locker room is hardly an unusual occurrence, and I knew as well as anyone that guys can't control when they get erections.
I'm telling you all this not because it seemed like a big deal at the time -- it didn't -- but because of what came later.
At this time -- early in second semester -- things were heating up with my new girl. She was keenly interested in sex, and taught me a thing or two I hadn't learned from my previous girlfriends. I didn't see much of Will during that time, because he had a new girl, too.
Eventually, however, both our affairs petered out, and we started hanging out again. I had totally forgotten the two incidents in the gym, if you could even call them that.
Sometime in early April Will invited me to come home with him for a weekend. His younger sister had a big role in her high school musical, and the whole family was turning out to see her.
"I know it won't be very exciting for you, but I could use some company," he said. "Besides, a friend of mine is having a big party that same weekend, and I promise you will have a good time there."
I said yes. I've always been the type who's up for just about anything, including hanging out with strangers.
When the big weekend arrived, we left campus after Friday morning classes and got to his house about 4, a few hours before curtain. The house was in a bit of an uproar -- Will's sister was equal parts excited and terrified -- but his parents were friendly and welcoming and quickly made me feel at home.
Will's bedroom had been given to his grandparents, who were in town for his sister's big night, so he and I were relegated to two big couches in the basement, which was finished and pretty comfortable as basements go.
The musical was a big success, and Will's sister sang beautifully. Everybody was happy and proud afterward, and it was a genuine pleasure to accompany the family to the town diner for a celebration.
The next day Will drove me around town, pointing out the homes of the two girls he'd fucked in high school and a third who'd given him his first blowjob. We watched part of the high school baseball game, and went home to an early dinner. Everyone but us was going to see the musical again, so we peeled off to pregame for the big party.
The party was just as good as Will had promised. There was all kinds of booze, a decent DJ and many hot girls. I danced several times with one girl who seemed a possible candidate for a one-night stand. I was just about to make my pitch when some dumbass friends surrounded her and dragged her off to another party.
By the time Will and I left, well after midnight, we were both in that state of drunkenness where you are happy and loose but well short of shit-faced. Still, since it was only a few blocks back to Will's house, we decided to walk back rather than risk using his car. We could pick it up in the morning.
It was a balmy spring night, with the trees already leafing out, and the moon was nearly full. As we walked along, we talked about the party and whether we'd really been close to getting it on with the women we'd met.
"All I got out of that was blue balls," I said.
