Disclaimer: age of consent and copyright, yadayada
Chapter Two: Cold Showers
I fluttered my eyelids against the piercing sunlight. A quick glance at my wristwatch told me I was up way too early for the tryouts. I'm not usually an early riser but had decided it wouldn't be a bad trait. But six in the morning was a bit more ambitious than I had signed up for. I glanced over at Edward who was still fast asleep. No use in waking him up by loitering about, something told me he was not a morning person. A shower then.
The showerroom was empty and smelled like chlorine and cleaning bleach. My steps echoed on the tiled walls. I looked around and for the first time it really hit me. I was no longer at home. My comfortable private bathroom, with the tub, the little mirror closet, the fan palm in the corner... None of that here. Communal was the word.
I got under a nozzle and turned on the water. At least it was warm. As the hot water flushed the sleep out of my limbs my dick got his wake up call. I chuckled and gave it a tap. 'Sorry buddy, I know you're used to a little attention but these are communal showers. I couldn't possibly...' Or could I ? Hardly anybody would be up at this hour. If I turned off the water I could easily hear the door open. Who knew when my next chance would be? I turned off the water, soaped up my shaft and my balls and decided to go for it. At first it was a bit methodical. I went through the motions I knew got me revved up real quick, I needed to get over this anxiety that someone would walk in. Three minutes later though I just rode the wave. I squeezed and pulled and twisted on instinct. With my eyes closed, I leaned back into the wall and sighed. I loved feeling my slick rod in my hand. It's heat, the way it was hard and soft at the same time. I squeezed on the shaft, twisting my hand a little. My thumb rubbed the crown of my cockhead and made circular motions over the slit. I slid my right hand from my nipples down to my pubes and rubbed them. Further down to my balls where they really went to town. I was really getting into it and bucked into my fist. A low moan escaped my lips and I shivered. I was getting so close, I loved this feeling of urgency. Like it would be the last chance to blast off. Feeling the frantic glow creep over my body I sped up the rhythm. But horror, with a loud creak the door opened. I opened my eyes, turned on the shower and faced the wall. I was so horny and felt stupid. While I shampoed my hair I realised I wouldn't really care if the other guy would have caught me. I wasn't ashamed of my body, or my hardon for that matter. I just hated uncomfortable situations. And it would've been, of that I was sure. I heard the other guy coming in the showers and turn on his nozzle.
'Goodmorning, the early bird cathes the worm eh!' he said.
I laughed, somewhat embarassed since my worning wood had not given up yet, and looked over my shoulder to bid him goodmorning. Somewhat surprised to see the young jesuit priest who supervised our house I mumbled a 'Goodmorning Father.' Damned, my onanism couldn't have gotten any better company than this. The man who was to supervise our virtuous ways. Down boy, down! I willed my little buddy, to no avail. I decided to go for the escape tactic. I was almost out of the showers when he turned his off and walked up to me. He tapped me on the shoulder. Shit! I could do nothing else than turn around and face the music. He glanced down at my rock hard dick and chuckled. 'Should've chosen another adverb.'
I grinned sheepishly and flushed red. 'I'm so sorry, I ...'
'God made us the way we are. No shame in that.'
I just grabbed my towel and dried off. Taking extra care not to cause further excitement.
'You can call me Robbie, by the way. Father is...well, kind of weird. I'm only 27.'
'Dylan O'Keafe.'
'O'Keafe. Oh right, you're trying out for the rowing team?'
'Yeah, that's me.'
'Well, good luck.'
'Thank you Fa... Robbie.'
'Might want to take a cold shower next time. Morning wood can be such a hassle in a crowded showerroom.'
'I'll keep that in mind.' I blushed and got dressed.
The rowing pond turned out to be a sheltered bay of the lake adjacent to campus. It was just perfect, longer than it was wide and hardly any waves. A fancy looking boathouse, painted white, reflected the sunlight. There was some activity on the dock. I saw two shells on the water, both eight-seaters. A few guys were strapping the oars, others were just milling about.
'Goodmorning, are you here for crew tryouts?'
'Yes sir.' I answered the coach. He looked about forty years old, sunworn skin, piercing blue eyes and a thin mustache. He reminded me of my highschool coach, hopefully he had a better temper. And a healthier liver, there is such a thing as drinking too much.
'I'm Assistant-Coach Edmundson. And you are?' he asked, looking at the list on his clipboard.
'Dylan O'Keafe, sir.'
'Right, right. The young man from du Sable High. I heard you almost won bronze in last year's Inter State Championships.'
'Yes sir. Close but no cigar.'
'We'll have to see what you've got, then.'
After fifteen minutes everybody had arrived and we were split into four groups. Each of us was given an armband with a number on it. I was Green Five. And then it began. A gruelling hour of endurance training. We ran around the bay and crossed it swimming. I noticed guys stopping for a breather. Apparently that meant failure, 'cause each time we passed the boathouse those guys were plucked out and sent packing. When we were finally allowed to stop a bunch of guys had gathered at the dock. All of them wore the School zephyr. I assumed they were the varsity crew.
'Well done boys. The first round of the endurance race leaves you lot with five guys extra. So take a breather, because in five minutes you're all hopping in the pond and keep swimming until there's only sixteen of you left.' Coach Edmundson said with a maliscious smile. And sure enough, five minutes later we were chased into the water and started the second round. This time it took only twenty minutes or four laps to get rid of the extra five. When I got to the dock, I was lifted out of the water by two guys of the varsity crew who gave me a pat on the back and a banana. Happily munching down my banana, I must admit I was kind of proud. I had made it through the tryouts. Although I'd hoped to show off my skills as a racer, I got in on endurance and that counted for something. I looked around at my teammates and the varsity crew. They seemed nice enough. I hoped I would get to know some of them soon, because I wasn't prepared to spend all my time with Edward. Nice guy, but he was just so exhausting.
My thoughts were interrupted by the Coach who called us all to the boathouse.
'Congratulations gentlemen. You are the sixteen members of our Freshman crew. In two weeks you will be split into two teams. But first you will have to start on the training schedule. I know most of you are only just getting settled in and classes start next week. But that is no excuse not to train to the best of your abilities. To help you get a schedule going and to get your technique up to standards each of you will be assigned a Varsity teammember. You will run, swim and row together for the coming two weeks. These guys have a lot to teach you, but it's up to you to learn from them.'
Talking about getting thrown in. I hoped I would get along with my Varsity guy. Training together would be very intense I assumed.
'Go hit the showers and rinse the barnacles of your butts, boys. Chop chop!'
We were all extatic for making the crew and put sixteen elated boys in one showerroom, it's bound to be a show. All of us jumping around, shouting, buttslapping; in short, there was a comraderie amongst total strangers. Something I found reassuring. No matter what happened, it seemed I would always have these guys. Not that I expected any meaningful friendships, but teammates have a way of catching each other when someone falls. After all, it is in everyones interest that every member of the team can perform to the best of his abilities. I didn't remember many names but we did decide to go celebrate tonight, it would give us a chance to get to know each other.
I wandered out of the locker room into the sun and smiled with contentment. Walking up to the boathouse and the path that led back to campus a guy ran in my direction. I stopped and observed him. He was what my mother would call handsome, and my father athletic.
He was what I would call kind of attractive. I wondered where that came from. Since when did I think of guys in those terms? I quickly shrugged it off. He had dark brown hair, which he wore shorter than most guys our age. About my height, maybe a bit taller. Definitely a bit broader shouldered than me. Angular face with a cute nose and an accentuated jawline. And a killer smile. Again, where the hell did that come from?
'Hey! Green Five!'
'It's Dylan, actually.'
'Yeah, I know. I took it upon myself to get you into shape.'
'Oh, so you're my Varsity guy.'
'Well, I don't know if I'm YOUR Varsity guy, but whatever rocks your boat' He smiled and I felt caught. Caught for what exactly I didn't know, but I wasn't exactly comfortable with his rebuttal. 'I'm Thomas. Thomas Burke.'
'So we'll be training together?'
'Yeah, something like that. Take of your shirt.'
'Excuse me?'
'Take of your shirt, I've got a present for you.'
'Uhm, sure.' I mumbled, lifting my shirt over my head.
When I cleared my head of the shirt, Thomas quickly averted his eyes from my torso back to my face. I still didn't know why, but I had to smile. He blushed in response and dug into a sports bag he had with him. 'Here you go, the school zephyr. Can't go back to campus without it, now can you?'
'Wow, thanks.' I said, and studied the shirt. It was white with a darkgreen collar and hem at the short sleeves. On the left the school crest with two crossed oars underneath.
'Are you going to put it on, or keep showing off here?' he asked grinning.
'I didn't think you'd mind.' What the hell?
'Just put it on for form then, it's a small campus.' What was he talking about?
I tried it on and it was just perfect. Usually these things are "one size fits all". Which I hate, makes me feel like I'm walking around in a potato bag.
'It's not too tight?' he asked.
'No, just perfect.'
'My thoughts exactly.'
We walked back to campus and he handed me the sportsbag. It had all the crew parafernalia. Two more zephyrs, a pair of pants, three pair of training shorts and a jacket.
'I'm in Duquesne Hall, how about you?'
'Barstow, ground level.'
'What kind of room?'
'A doubles.'
'I could get you a suite, I you want.'
'What's that?' I could hardly imagine what the college version of a suite was, a sink and an ottoman?
'You have a private room and share a commons and a shower with five others.'
'No, I'm fine where I am. I kind of like my roommate, it would be a shame to move now.'
'Oh, you like your roommate.' He said, did I hear disappointment?
'Sure, he's a handful but he's entertaining. So, you live in a suite?'
'No, I've got a singles, top floor.'
'Wow, aren't they hard to come by?'
'Varsity has it's advantages.'
'I'm meeting my roommate for lunch. You want to join us?'
'Uhm, no that's okay. I'll see you tomorrow morning.'
'Eight o'clock, right?'
'Yep, just meet me...here.'
'Okay, see you then.'
He nodded his goodbye and went into his residence hall.
'Made a friend already, I saw.'
We were back at Maple Corner or Dora's Diner as we had dubbed it. I had ordered a massive lunch, being in serious need of a hearty meal.
'What was that?' I asked, engrossed in my ham and cheese melt.
'I saw you strolling about campus with Captain Crew.'
'He's not the captain, just a Varsity Crewmember.'
'So, tell me.' He asked. I wondered why Edward was suddenly so inquisitive.
'What's there to tell? We're training together.'
'Training?'
'You know, running swimming rowing.' I answered somewhat annoyed.
'No need to get defensive on me, Dannyboy.'
'I wasn't.'
'Oh yes you were.'
'Why would I get defensive?'
'Yes, why would you?' Edward asked, and cocked an eyebrow.
'God, you're...'
'What?'
'Getting on my nerves.'
'Touched a sore spot, then?'
'No, you just ask weird questions.'
'I'm terribly sorry if my quaint questionaire unnerves you.'
'No you're not.'
'True. But ask yourself why it does, hm?'
'Shut up and eat your damn salad.'
I met up with my teammates in a bar that was popular with freshmen, mostly because the patron loosely interpreted the age restrictions. On the walls hung framed newspaper articles reporting on the bar's infringements of Prohibition. Growing up in Chicago, a hotbed of illegal nightclubs and bars during Prohibition I was familiar with the heroic status these patrons carried. We had no problems getting our beers and bourbon chasers, which of course led to a debauchery. I was happy to have built some resistance already, something not all of my teammates had. When more than half of them was passed out in a corner, Louis -one of the guys I had gotten to know better- and I decided we would call it a night. We walked back on campus and since we were in no state to do that in a straight line, decided to hide in the shadows of the landscaped lawns and bushes. Our nightly escapade was accompanied by sudden fits of laughter -when the other fell flat on his face- and exagerated hushes. We almost got caught by one of the night guards when crossing a large lawn but managed to hide ourselves behind an oak. I had the feeling this wouldn't be the last time and promised myself not to get too hammered in the future.
Our roads parted, Louis lived in Ignatius Hall, and I almost pissed my pants when I saw him stumbling away. Deciding it would be better to relieve myself, I looked for a tree. I chose a big cluster of rhododendrons. With a contented sigh I emptied my bladder, which took a while. Suddenly my eyes fell on two figures hidden in the shade. I couldn't make out what they were doing, so after zipping up I carefully sneaked closer.
One of them, a bear of a bloke, was standing up, the other was on his knees. My foggy alcoholised brain suddenly cleared as I realised the stocky guy was getting his rod sucked. I instantly boned up, and it didn't go away when I realised the other figure was also guy. I was fascinated and very very horny. The big one was really enjoying it, his hand on top of the guys head, slowly feeding him his dick. The guy on his knees made moaning sounds and every now and then he took a deep breath. Instinctively I rubbed my crotch, and had to stifle a groan. The big guy pulled out and started jerking off. I couldn't see very much but the suggestion of what was happening had me horned up like crazy. The other guy had his mouth on the blokes balls and was jerking off himself. In my drunken stupor I fished out my cock and joined them in their wankfest. I hadn't touched myself since this morning in the showers and I really needed to bust a nut. The erotic shadowplay provided me with the perfect stimulation and I pumped my slick cock. It was overwhelmingly dirty to be there, watching. And it was even more delisciously perverted to watch two guys getting it on. I held my breath not make any noise but the smacking of my hand on my slicked shaft made me fear they would hear me. They were too engrossed in their own haze to notice me though. When the big one spurted out his cum and groaned deeply I went over the top and bucked my hips while cumming violently on the manicured lawn. I was coming down from my high and quickly zipped up when the moon broke through the clouds. There on his knees, another guys load and a blissful look on his face, was Edward. Cumming in large spurts and with a loud moan his features were revealed to me by the silvery blue light. I froze and stared, mouth agape, at my cumming friend. And all of the sudden reality kicked in. Not only did my roommate suck cock, I had jacked off watching him do it. As quietly as I could I tiptoed away. Reaching open grounds I started running. Filling my lungs with much needed fresh air, I ran and ran. The grounds of the campus flew by and only when my feet hit the gravel in front of Barstow Hall did I slow down. Catching my breath I stumbled inside and opened the door to my room. Edward wasn't in his bed. I wasn't mistaken, it really had been him. I threw my clothes off and fell on my bed. My head was spinning from the booze and all that had just happened and I quickly fell asleep in my rolling bed.
The boat flew over the water. I pulled on the oars with all I had. The wind chilled my back and the light spray of water tickled my neck. We were rowing to a frantic rhythm, some bebop clarinet sung high in the air. Faster and faster we went, speeding up so that all I could see were colored lines swooshing about. With one last heave on the oars, we rose up to the heavens. A majestic arch we made and as the boat toppled over we all fell from the sky. With loud splashes the crew landed in the water and we sank. I saw my crewmates swim up in clouds of bubbles. The sun pierced through the water and painted flickering dots of green and blue on the swaying algues. I floated underwater, smiling. I heard Django play his Nuages. The happy tune sounded as though played with bubbles. The guitar babbled away and I made a little dance, laughing all the while. Out of the swaying green plants a figure swam in my direction. When the sun lit his face I recognised Thomas. 'Hey Dannyboy.' He bubbled and laughed. All I could do was admire his beautiful body, naked in the sunspotted water. He stretched out his arms and pulled me closer.'Take off your shirt.' I laughed and pulled off my zephyr. His hand came close to my chest, it was almost on me when I shot up to the surface like a balloon. With an earshattering splash I broke out of the water and into the light.