Later in the evening the two men were lying side by side on the bed. They were resting after their sex in the shower and the room was darker now; the light coming through the window was very faint. Rob was watching "Wheel of Fortune" on TV with the sound turned off and Alex was watching Rob, observing with fascination how long his eyelashes were. The heater at the far end of the room was humming steadily, making the room cozy. After their shower Alex had thought about calling Judy, but put it off. He didn't want to ruin the happy glow he was feeling.
"Rob," asked Alex, "how old were you the first time you fooled around with a guy?"
"About fourteen, I think," answered Rob.
"Wow. Did you know you were gay then?"
"No, but it didn't take long to figure it out."
Alex lay quietly, thinking for a few minutes before he asked his next question: "Would you let me suck you?"
Rob turned his head. "You know, Alex, there are a few rules you have to learn if you want to be a queer. The first one is, never turn down a blow job."
Alex smiled. "I always wondered what it would be like to suck a man. I fantasized about it sometimes. I knew some boys in school who talked about it, but I always figured they were joking."
"They probably weren't joking. If you're curious, maybe it's time you learned."
Rob sat up in bed and stuffed a pillow behind his head. He stretched his legs apart under the sheet and grinned at Alex. "Go for it!" he said matter-of-factly.
Alex pulled the sheet aside. The dark triangle between Rob's thighs reminded him of a robin's nest in the crotch of a tree. His penis, with its fat bald head, was flopped over as if it were looking at Alex. In the dim light Alex imagined that he and Rob were on a camping tent and Rob was daring him to do something very dirty and disgusting. It made him smile.
"So, should I just suck on it?" asked Alex.
"Sure," said Rob. "Just don't bite."