This is a fictional story about Kurt, a young national park worker in Maine who falls for Rob, a co-worker, and then has to deal with his sudden disappearance. Kurt's search for Rob takes him down a convoluted path to self-discovery. Like most of my past stories, this is an in-depth romance story with a plot, a limited number of characters, and more emotions than physical sex. Sex will be a part of it, but it's more implied than explicit. I plan to post subsequent chapters often, so please check back. Your feedback as you follow the story would be greatly appreciated.
No minors were harmed in the writing of this story, but if you are one please go find something else to do. Please do not reproduce this story in any form without the permission of the author. Thanks.
Damian nvtahoeus@yahoo.com
KURT'S TOUGH CHOICE
PART 3
I had to politely excuse myself from Riley's cabin around noon the next day. While I'd enjoyed our time together just as much as the first time the previous weekend, I felt a need to get back to my own apartment and think things through. Riley didn't understand, but he didn't stand in my way. I tried to hide my misgivings from him, but he probably saw through me as I'm not a very good actor.
"What have I gotten myself into?" I thought to myself. On the one hand, I was overwhelmed with the sexual satisfaction I was getting from my visits with Riley. But on the other hand, I still felt that something was missing. The connection I felt with Riley seemed to wane soon after the sexual satisfaction did. It didn't seem like a recipe for a long-term relationship – but then again, no one was yet asking for one.
I thought about the situation a lot over the next few days and wondered if I should be honest with Riley or just continue our weekend rendezvous like they had been going and see what developed. But then something happened that threw the whole thing into a different perspective.
I got a letter from Rob!
I always knew it was a possibility, but it still surprised and elated me when it came in the mail that Wednesday afternoon. Rather than tearing it open immediately, however, I held onto it for a while, turning it over and over in my hands, reading the return address (which was in Camden, Maine – just a ways down the coast from Bar Harbor), and even putting it to my nose to see if the seductive aura I remembered from being in Rob's embrace would be on it. If I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, I thought I could detect it, but I knew it was probably only my imagination.
I found a note on the kitchen table from my roommates, saying they would be home late and to go ahead and eat without them. So I decided to take advantage of some rare alone time. I drew a hot bath, poured myself a glass of wine, left my clothes on my bed, and immersed myself gratefully into the steaming water to soak away the day's dirt and muscle fatigue.
I had taken the letter from Rob with me and opened it to read before I got my hands wet. Reading slowly, my heart pounding with excitement, I savored every word:
"Dear Kurt,
"I was surprised and happy to get your two letters in the mail a few days ago. Sorry it's taken me a while to reply, but my folks had forwarded it to me here in Camden, where I'm running a tour boat for the summer. Sometimes I get a little tired of the tourists, especially the bratty kids, but I guess it beats filling potholes and emptying trash cans at Acadia. Ha!
"Thanks for your concern about my leg injury. It was pretty badly bruised, and I cracked a bone in it (next time I'll stand on the other side of the guardrail!), so I sat out fall semester and lived at home in New York. Boring!! I went back to school for second semester and then got this job in Camden through a connection.
"It was nice of you to go to so much effort to contact me. I appreciate that. I'm sorry you felt hurt, but at least you know now that I didn't ignore you. To be honest, I've thought about you often since last summer, but I didn't know how to get in touch with you. Yes, our times together were a pleasant memory especially that last evening we spent together. You're a good hugger, in case no one ever told you that. I could use one right now.
"I was intrigued that you said you met someone there in Bar Harbor who looks like me. Poor slob! No, really, I'm interested in meeting this guy sometime.
"Speaking of that, you're only a couple of hours away. I have the weekend after next off, and I was wondering if you'd like to get together then. I have a car, so I could drive up there. Do you have room in your place for me to crash overnight? I'd like to try to pick up where we left off, and it sounds like you might like the same thing.
"Hope to hear from you soon.
"Your friend, Rob"
Needless to say, I was deeply touched by Rob's letter. The guy had actually missed me and wanted to see me again – and he was only 75 miles away! This was the best news I'd had in a long time. I let the letter drop to the floor, making sure it landed in a dry spot, and submerged all but my head in the still-warm water. I might have let myself cry except that I thought I heard voices in the apartment. Jim, one of my roommates, then barged into the bathroom without knocking.
"Hey, prune skin – you're gonna get wrinkled in there. I gotta go real bad – how about it? You about done?"
I reluctantly took the stopper out of the drain of the clawfoot tub and stood up. Jim handed me a towel. My roommates and I didn't usually see each other naked, but this seemed to be an emergency, judging from the strained look on Jim's face.
"If all you need to do is take a leak, go ahead. But I'll be outta here in a minute."
"Thanks, buddy – you're a life saver. Too much beer, I guess."
Jim whipped out a cock that I had never seen before and relieved himself, as I tried to ignore it and dry my body.
"What's that on the floor?"
"Just a letter I got today in the mail."
"Looks like a love letter to me. You got something goin' on that Ray and I don't know about?"
"Maybe," I blushed. The discovery of the letter on the floor embarrassed me more than Jim seeing me completely naked for the first time.
"Well, don't expect her to be impressed with that little thing," Jim teased, glancing at the soft appendage that I was drying with my towel.
"It's a grow-er, not a show-er," I said, sticking my tongue out. I wrapped the towel around myself and gathered up the letter and envelope and my wine glass. "But it's not gonna grow around you, so don't get excited."
"Do I look excited?"
"Well, it does look a little bigger now than it did a minute ago. I didn't know seeing me bare-ass would turn you on."
Jim replied with an appropriate gesture, and I padded barefoot back to my room. So much for my alone time.
"Have you guys had dinner yet?" I said, returning to the kitchen now fully dressed. Ray was surveying the sparse contents of the cupboard.
"Looks like another night of peanut butter sandwiches, guys."
After Jim and Ray had turned in for the night, I went to the living room and quickly dialed the number that Rob had provided in his letter.
"H'lo," the groggy voice on the other end answered.
"Rob? It's Kurt. Over in Bar Harbor. Did I wake you?"
"Hmm...well, kinda, but that's okay. You must have gotten my letter."
"Yes. Yes, I did. Thanks very much. It's good to be back in touch with you again."
"Glad you think so, too. Didja miss me?"
"Sure did. I just wanted to call and let you know that I'd love to have you come for a visit weekend after next. You can stay here with me, although it'll be a little crowded if my roommates are here. They usually are."
"Great – let's plan on it. I'll be working till late on Friday, but how about I show up there around 10:30 on Saturday morning?"
"That works for me, Rob. By the way, it sounds like you want to try and meet my new friend Riley – the one who I said looks like you."
"Yes, definitely. I'm really curious to meet this guy."
"Why is that? Are you missing a twin or something?" I replied with a laugh.
There was a pause on the other end before Rob replied.
"As a matter of fact, I am, Kurt. I was adopted as an infant, and my folks told me I had a twin brother who was adopted by another family. I was going to try to track him down someday. Maybe you've already saved me the trouble."
I guess it had been in the back of my mind that this was a possibility, but I was still stunned out of my mind to hear Rob say that. Of course, it wasn't certain just yet, but still...
"Wow – that blows me away. When were you born?"
"November 14, 1954. I'll be 21 this fall. See if you can find out when this Riley was born and get back to me. Okay? I'd be over the moon if he turned out to be my brother."
"I'll be seeing him this weekend and I'll ask."
"Don't tell him that I asked, okay? I'd like to surprise him when I get there."
"I'm sure he would be – surprised, that is. He said he was an only child. I never asked him if he was adopted, and he never mentioned it. It's not something you normally ask someone, you know."
"Yes, I know. Listen, Kurt, I gotta get some sleep now, but I really appreciate this call. I'll be waiting to hear back from you this weekend with whatever you can find out about Riley. And, uh, I'll be looking forward to seeing you again, too, the following weekend. You said something in your letter about wanting to pick up where we left off, and I just want to say again that I feel the same way. G'night."
"G'night, Rob. Talk to you again soon."
My hands were trembling as I put the phone back in its cradle. This was all a little overwhelming. Not only was I going to get to see Rob again in only 10 days, but I was also possibly dating the guy's twin brother! I went to bed not knowing at all how I'd play my hand if that proved to be the case, but sleep was elusive that night.
I thought carefully about the whole unlikely situation for the next two days before walking to Riley's cabin on Friday after work. We seemed to be getting into a kind of routine that was built around drinks, dinner...and more...on Friday nights. I had always looked forward to these rendezvous, but I also felt a little guilty that I wasn't responding to Riley's advances with quite the enthusiasm that Riley showed. Still, a good orgasm is a good thing, and Riley provided me with at least two or three good ones every weekend. Before I met him, there was never anyone else the same room when I had one.
"I got a letter from my friend Rob this week," I announced as nonchalantly as possible after our first beer out on Riley's deck.
"Oh? Where is he?" I thought I detected a note of tenseness in Riley's voice that hadn't been there in the minutes before.
"He's working over in Camden this summer, driving a tour boat. He wants to come over for a visit next weekend."
"I see. That's nice. Maybe you should bring him by so I can meet him, if you say he looks so much like me."
"I told him about you."
"You did?"
"Yes. And he wants to meet you, too."
"I'm glad." Normally Riley's sentences contained many more words than he was speaking at the moment, and I knew the man was trying to contain his jealousy at the news of my impending reunion with Rob.
"Is he going to stay with you?"
"Well, he's short on money, so he asked if he could."
"You guys have a spare bedroom in that apartment?"
"No, I suppose he'll have to sleep on the living room couch," I lied. I knew where Rob would be sleeping, and it wouldn't be on any couch. I'm sure Riley knew it, too.
"I guess that means I won't be seeing much of you next weekend."
"Well, probably not. I'll need to stay home on Friday night to clean the apartment and shop for some groceries. If I buy them in advance, Jim and Ray will have them all eaten before Rob even gets here." He smiled, but it was true. "Same goes for cleaning. The place never stays clean very long with them around."
"You and Rob could stay here if you like."
"That might be a little awkward. I hardly got to know Rob before he left last summer, so we have some catching up to do. We'd just be in your way."
Riley's eyes shifted all around, and I knew he was pissed. I had to find a way to change the subject – and do a little snooping for Rob at the same time.
"But this weekend is for us, Riley. Let's get dinner over with so we can `enjoy' each other. What do you say? I'd like to get to know you better than I do."
Riley smiled weakly and accepted a friendly kiss from me before he got up to put some food on the table for us.
When we woke up in Riley's bed the next morning, I spooned his nude form in front of me. Usually it was the other way around, but I had been the aggressor for a change during the previous evening's after-dinner "activities." It was fun to take on that role for the first time.
I was glad that Riley had never uttered the three little words that I was frankly not ready to hear from him, and I hadn't used them on him either. I liked Riley a lot, but I didn't feel that I was even close to loving him yet and hoped that he felt likewise.
After another round of "enjoying each other," we took our usual Saturday morning shower together and then went downstairs for some coffee and breakfast. Riley had been uncharacteristically quiet. We'd been too "busy" to talk much after dinner the previous night, so I took the opportunity to quiz him a bit now. I hoped my nervousness wouldn't show.
"I want to know more about you, Riley. I've never even asked how old you are or much about your family or hometown," I said, calmly buttering a piece of toast.
"There's not much to know. I'm 20. I grew up in Montpelier, Vermont. My mom and dad work for state government there. I think I told you I'm an only child. I had the usual middle-class upbringing, played basketball in high school, then went off to UV at Burlington and got myself laid within the first two weeks." He smiled and traded a look with me. "I'm taking advantage of being able to use this cabin this summer. Then I met you. The rest you already know."
Now for the big question. I took a deep breath and asked, "When do you turn 21?"
"On November 14. I share a birthday with Prince Charles and Mamie Eisenhower – top that!"
I nearly choked on my coffee. So it was true. I'd been having sex for a month now with the twin brother of the guy I thought I really wanted to be with. I had to restrain myself from hyperventilating in front of Riley.
"So you were born in 1954?"
"Yeah – same as you, I suppose."
"Yes – I'm a month older than you – born on October 14. Didn't you tell me once you were born in New York?"
"Yes. That's what I was told. My mom and dad adopted me from some young unmarried woman in upstate New York who couldn't raise me. I didn't know until I went to first grade that I was adopted."
"Did that come as a shock?"
"I don't remember that it did. My folks made it sound like being adopted was a good thing – that I was chosen."
"Do you know anything about your birth mother?"
"No, but I never really had much curiosity about that. I suppose that's odd, but I knew who loved me and went out of their way to raise me, and that's all that ever mattered to me."
"Do you think she had any other children?"
"I have no idea. Maybe later she got married and had some."
"Do you know what town in New York you were born in?"
"I was told it was Plattsburgh. What makes you ask?"
I squirmed, as he parroted Rob's city of birth.
"No reason," I lied. "Just making conversation."
Riley then turned the tables and started asking me about my background. We talked for the rest of the morning, and then went for a walk in town before I said I was tired and needed a nap. I had some things to do back in my apartment – like call Rob and confirm that he indeed had a twin brother in Bar Harbor, although I didn't say that to Riley. I would let Rob handle that revelation. Only he had the right to, of course.
"I have an idea for tomorrow," he said as we were parting.
I knew what Riley's "ideas" usually translated into, but I said, "What's that?"
"Let's do something different. Let's go out for brunch somewhere and then come back here for a while and let me pamper you a little."
"Pamper me?"
"I don't want you to think that I have a one-track mind. I just want to give you a nice massage. Have you ever had one?"
"No. Never."
"I learned from a friend how to give a good one – you'd like it. Then I just want to cuddle with you and hold you while we nod off for a while. No strings attached – no sex – just make you feel good and relaxed and appreciated."
"Sounds good," I replied, rather astonished to see a different side of Riley – a truly caring one. I already knew he liked me and was attracted to me, but what he just described showed me that there was more to it than just that. It intrigued me and unnerved me a bit at the same time – especially with Rob's arrival only a week away.
I did try to call Rob that afternoon but never got through. He must have been working or out having fun. The next day Riley and I did meet in town for a nice brunch. I treated, since he'd been feeding me and keeping me in beer so much in his cabin lately. But the rest of the afternoon I was totally on the receiving end of his care. It was a cloudy, windy day – perfect for an indoor pampering.
The massage Riley gave me on his bed was amazing – tender, sensuous, and very relaxing. He had me strip completely nude and lie down on my stomach. He stayed partly dressed to emphasize the fact that his intentions were completely nonsexual. I felt a little vulnerable at first, but he quickly put me at ease.
Using a nice massage oil, he covered every part of my body with his caring hands for at least an hour while soothing music played in the background. Once in a while he would whisper in my ear, "You're so beautiful, Kurt," or "I'm so glad I met you," or "Your skin feels so soft and perfect." Soon he had me practically purring.
Even after he had me turn over and saw that my cock was pulsating with pleasure, he was true to his word. He would touch it occasionally, but he never tried to bring me off – even though at one point I felt like I wanted him to, more than anything.
Afterward, while I waited on the bed still nude, he drew a warm bath and then called me in to immerse myself in it while he sat nearby and talked to me in low, reassuring tones. Then he had me stand up while he soaped my body to cleanse the massage oil off. I stayed erect the whole time.
After I rinsed off, he dried me thoroughly in a clean fluffy towel and then used his hair dryer on me to get me completely dry before putting me back to bed under the covers. He held me tenderly as we both drifted off for nearly an hour.
I was practically floating on air on the walk home after the nap, but feeling even more conflicted than ever. Riley had lovingly shown me that he wasn't the one-dimensional person that I had been led to believe. He never said that he loved me, but his actions that afternoon suggested otherwise. He gave and gave and asked for nothing in return. I thanked him profusely and gave him enough chaste kisses and hugs to prove my gratitude.
Of course, what happened that afternoon was going to make it all the tougher if I had to make a choice, but then again I knew that the choice might be made for me. I couldn't have both Rob and Riley, but it wasn't entirely up to me.
I was glad Riley didn't push for any time together during the following work week. Emotionally speaking, I knew it was going to be challenging enough to get through the following weekend. The man I had thought I loved for the past year was coming to town to see me and meet his twin brother, the one who I'd been having sex with, and now more. That one was apparently jealous of my expected visitor – but clueless about the twin connection. Does life get much more complicated than that?
(To be continued soon)
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Damian nvtahoeus@yahoo.com