The morning after his disastrous night with the ex wife, John was awakened by the ringing of his cellphone. He had a slight headache from the wine the night before but rolled over and looked at the screen. It was her. He remembered the night before when she had tried to arouse him by getting him to talk in detail about gay sex. How she had tried to get him to come home. John also remembered how he had literally run away from the situation.
For moment he thought about declining the call. But only for a moment. "I can't hide from her forever," he said out loud.
"Hello."
"Hey, Johnny." Sarah sounded like her usual self. "Weird night, huh?" Her tone was more casual tone that he was expecting.
"Yeah, listen - " John started seriously. He was going to let her down easy, he thought. He was going to tell her in no uncertain terms that he was gay. That she was beautiful and that she deserved to find someone who wanted her as much as she wanted him. She cut him off.
"Wait. I was pretty drunk last night. I know you're not going to come home. Honestly, I don't want you to. You're gay. I get that. You were gay when were best friends in college."
"Then why-"John started.
"I was just drunk and honestly, the guy I've been seeing wants to get serious and it freaked me out. That's it."
"Sorry." John didn't know what else to say.
"Whatever, I'm over it now. Bye." Sarah ended the call.
"Well that was easy," said John out loud to himself.
In the next few weeks John set about his usual routine. The alarm clock on his night stand went off at 5am and John would roll out of bed in his underwear to get ready for the gym. He preferred going to the gym in the morning. It was less crowded and that way he wouldn't have to do anything else after work.
This morning was just like any other. John brushed his teeth and packed a gym bag. He had to wear a suit and tie to work so he put those clothes on a hanger and carried those separately.
Walking in to the locker room John felt a familiar kind of concern. He always hoped that he would see something good but was equally terrified that he would stare too long and make someone uncomfortable. Since it was early, there was no one else in the locker room. He put his things away and walked out to the gym floor.
At this time of the morning most of the people at the gym were hard core lifters but there were a few of the more casual gym goers. There were a few good-looking guys but John had no idea if they were gay and didn't want to initiate any embarrassing situations. He set about his workout. It was tough, focusing on building muscle and sculpting his legs and butt. Now that John had a regular sex partner, he wanted to make sure he looked great naked.
Toward the end of his workout John found himself slightly annoyed by sounds coming from several feet behind him. As the grunting continued it was punctuated with the occasional "Yeah, YEAH!" or "COME ON!"
John turned around just in time to see a large man drop the dumbbells he had been curling and immediately start flexing in the mirror. John stifled a laugh as he walked past the man and headed to the locker room to shower. It was completely empty now but John realized that he was not at all worried about being seen as much as he worried about what he might see. As he stripped naked, he decided to take advantage of the solitude check himself out in the full length mirror in the locker room. John had wrapped his towel around his waist but turned around and let it hang to expose his buttocks. It was hard to get a good look but John looked back anyway to check himself out. As he looked over his shoulder he failed to notice when another person entered the locker room.
"I guess it ain't as funny when you do it in here." The loud burly man from earlier was sitting on a bench watching John.
"I uh, guess not," John said awkwardly, slightly mortified. For the first time John really looked at the man. He was a big, thickly muscled man and rugged with reddish brown hair. His voice was gravelly and deep. He reminded John of a Marine or an MMA fighter. The tone of voice was neither angry nor friendly. John wrapped his towel back around his waist and started to walk back to his locker.
"Don't stop on account of me." This man's demeanor confused John. He couldn't tell is this man was being facetious or not.
John turned back around to see that man had started to undress. He was standing and facing John in a way that seemed deliberate and challenging. He pulled his sleeveless shirt over his head to reveal a powerfully built upper body with a completely shaved barrel chest. He removed his shoes with his feet and then pulled down his shorts and underwear in one motion. John couldn't think of anything to say. He almost felt as if in turning away he would lose some kind of unknown challenge. John saw everything. As the man bent down to take off his socks his penis flopped from one thigh to the other. He was not shy at all and he had no reason to be. From what John could see he had a decent cock. The man turned around to put his dirty clothes into his locker and grab towel. His calves were a bit thin for man his size but his ass was muscular.
Instead of covering himself with his towel the man simply threw it over his shoulder and headed over to the showers, his flaccid penis dangling in out the open. John closed his locker and headed towards his own shower. The gym had individual shower stalls but before the man stepped into one he turned and again looked at John. John's heart skipped a beat. The man was looking him dead in the eye. He stopped at the edge of the shower. They were facing each other now. John wrapped in a towel, the other naked. The stranger cocked his head slightly to the shower before stepping in and leaving the curtain wide open.
John had been confused before but recognized this blatant invitation. He felt himself starting to get aroused. He took one tentative step in the occupied shower's direction. Then another. Before he realized it he was standing in front the burly stranger's shower. The water was running. John looked and saw the man in all his glory. He reached down touched himself. He was completely erect now and quite large. The way the man grabbed himself let John know what he wanted. It kind of reminded him of Pat. That thought pulled John out of his lustful stupor.
He stopped and thought for a moment. There were other people at the gym. Someone could walk in at any minute. Even behind a shower curtain they could still see two sets of legs underneath. What if they confronted him? What if they reported it? He remembered the humiliation he had felt after being caught in the act and exposed by Pat's wife.
"Not here." John said, suddenly distraught. "Not where we might get caught." He said the words more to himself that the man in the shower.
Then, "I'll do it, just somewhere else...anywhere else."
John turned away abruptly and ran into his own shower, his arousal smothered by the memory of having his entire neighborhood find out that he got caught on his knees. He washed himself and got dressed as quickly as he could and by the time the man emerged from his shower John was already headed toward the locker room exit.
"Hey," the man said, still naked as John approached the door. "Where?"
John was no longer in the mood. In fact sex was the last thing on his mind. But he still answered.
"My place. Sometime," and then he added, "I live by myself." Hoping that his last statement didn't sound and sad as he felt.
