Welcome back to "Old Flame(s)" -- a tale of Wyatt, a paramedic in the PNW, travelling home for his brother's wedding. Follow along with this story of reconnection in the summer heat of the South.
Feel free to email me with your thoughts! -Weston
Chapter 3
"Dude. Your house is gorgeous." I said, leaning forward and admiring Casey's house through the windshield as we drove down the driveway.
It was a new build, that much was obvious. The landscaping was fresh; each shrub and plant evenly spaced and not yet at its full bloom. The mulch surrounding them still vibrantly red, and little divots left behind by the construction crews still covered the lawn. Crepe myrtles in full bloom ran the length of the drive; their pink blossoms felt like a welcoming committee guiding me home. The irony of which was not lost on me.
The house itself was almost cottage-like -- sage green, with stone covering a little over half of the first floor. Exposed wood columns lined the covered porch, framed the entryway, and formed intricate designs in the corners of the gabled roof. My eyes continued up to the shingles in varying shades of green and then drifted to the stone chimney peaking from the backside of the house. A detached two stall garage sat diagonal to the house and matched the exterior of the home perfectly. As we pulled in, I got my first look at the gym Casey had, unsurprisingly, included in his plans.
"And a sweet set up." I finished. "Any better than actually going to a gym?"
"It has its perks." Casey said as he into park. "Namely, I don't have to worry about other people bothering me or getting in my space. Plus, I can wear as little as I want."
"Oh really?" I asked, turning to see if he was serious.
"Maybe." He gave a wink and a shrug. "Come on. Let me show you the place."
"Why Sheridan?" I asked, grabbing my bag from the back of the 4Runner and following Casey through the back door of the garage to the side entrance of the house.
"It's quiet," he replied, turning his key in the door. "But not too quiet. Plus, it's a decent little city by itself and not too far from Little Rock."
Automatic lights filled the space with a white light -- the kind that feels almost clinical -- revealing a laundry room that led to the rest of the home. The lighting became warmer and more inviting as we walked into the open-concept kitchen, but there was an overall emptiness that felt like I'd just entered a recently divorced dad's apartment.
"How long did you say you'd been here?" My voice echoed slightly.
"About a month." Casey said, leaning onto the kitchen island. "But I haven't done a whole lot to it yet. Figured I'd get settled a bit and then start the rest. Plus, I don't really have an eye for that type of shit. I'm just glad the wedding has taken your mom's focus, otherwise I'd be fighting her to leave it alone."
"It's got a lot of potential," I said, slowly making my way toward the living room that was sparsely furnished with an old couch, an even older coffee table, and a deer head hanging on the wall. "Just don't fuck it up with all that cowboy shit and you'll be fine."
"If you got opinions, either give me a plan or keep `em to yourself."
"I'm just saying it'd be a waste of a house like this to be a forever bachelor pad or a cheap Western wannabe."
Casey laughed and mumbled to himself.
"What was that?" I asked , even though I already had a good idea of what he'd said.
"Gays. I said, `You damn gays.'."
"Because not living in the adult equivalent of a frat boy's apartment is something so uniquely homosexual. Besides," I said as I moved to the island and mirrored his position. "I'm not the one with a house that looks like it was designed by three fairies hiding a princess."
"Fairies, huh? That's pretty bold coming from you."
"You know what I mean, dickhead."
Laughing, he said "I know," and stood up straight. "I'm just givin' you shit since you're judging my damn house. One you're staying in freely, I might add."
I raise my hands in defeat before saying, "Fair enough. But is this all there is or are you going to show me around the place?"
"A'int much else, really. Dining room is there on the left, if you can call it that. Need to get a table." Pointing at the small hallway across the foyer, he continued his tour. "Two spare rooms and bathroom there. Might want to take the one on the right; it's bigger and has a door to the patio." He pointed to the right of the living room. "Mine is just around that corner, and that's about it."
I pointed to the staircase by the extra rooms. "What's up there?"
"Office space for when I work from here. Plus another room I haven't figured out what to do with yet."
"Sex cave?" I suggested, a little more than half serious.
"Need someone for that."
"Touché."
The conversation lagged for a moment, allowing me to fully appreciate the taste of my foot in my mouth.
"Anyway," I begin, glancing at my phone and seeing it was almost 4:00. "What's the plan for the rest of the evening?"
"You can do whatever you want; I'm hitting the pool." Casey said while reaching behind his head and grabbing his shirt collar before pulling it off and confirming most of what I'd noticed at the airport. The time he'd dedicated to his physique was clear. His arms were thicker and chest wider, with a softness that kept him from looking chiseled. The muscle was still evident though, rippling as he brought his arms back to his sides. His pecs were covered with light brown hair that grew darker as it moved down and across his stomach and into a treasure trail that ran seamlessly into what I imagined was a trimmed bush -- Casey was never the type to let it grow unkempt -- with a few hairs were poking over the edges of his underwear.
"Uh, pool?" I asked, snapping my eyes up to his once I realized I was staring.
"Yea. You would've noticed it out back if you weren't so busy talking shit when you came in."
"That sounds like a decent plan," I said as I turned and grabbed my bag. "I'm just gonna throw this in the room and then I'll meet you out there."
Once I got there, I took a moment to collect my thoughts and remind myself not to ogle. Or at least not make it completely obvious that I was; I knew myself well enough to know I wouldn't be able to completely abstain from appreciating what was in front of me. I tossed my suitcase on the bed and opened it before remembering that I hadn't brought anything to swim in.
"Hey, you got any trunks," I called out. "I didn't bring any."
"Nope," came a reply, much closer than I expected.
I turned to look at Casey and felt my mouth open a little. He stood there, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest, completely nude. I spend most of my time at home naked, so Casey doing it wasn't an issue. He just wasn't typically the one to do it; he wasn't prudish about it, but he didn't go out of his way to strip completely down either. At least, he didn't used to.
I take in the uninterrupted view. While his thighs were thicker, Casey's dick was just as I remembered it. It was a grower, about four inches long. Proportionately thick, with the expected trimmed pubes and heavy balls. But there was something else, an air about him that wasn't familiar -- recognizable but not quite the Casey I knew -- I just couldn't quite name it.
"I live alone on three acres." Casey said, pulling my attention back to his face. "Why would I wear anything?"
"Um, yea. That- that makes sense." I stumble over the words, trying to wrap my head around the fact that Casey was casually standing naked in front of me for the first time in well over a decade. "Meet you out there?"
"God, for someone who fucks random guys in hallways you're awfully easy to shake up." Casey laughed as he passed by, opening the door to the patio. His splash soon followed. "You coming in or what?"
A smile broke across my lips as I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it onto the bed. It wasn't what I expected from this trip, not by a long shot. But I'm never one to shy away from a good time, so I quickly pulled off what was left and made my way onto the patio.
Surprisingly the humidity had gotten better so I didn't immediately feel gross, or I was acclimating faster than usual. The sunbaked concrete felt nice on my feet, but as with all things here it was short lived and quickly moved from comfortable to painful. A few quick steps later, my feet were submerged, and a sigh of relief escaped my lips. I stood there, eyes closed and head tilted back toward the sun, basking in the warmth of the sun hitting the full surface of my body.
I heard Casey swim closer to me and say, "For someone who complains about the heat constantly, you look awfully content."
"It's different when you're naked" I said, opening my eyes and looking for Casey as they adjusted to the brightness. "Plus I usually spend some time out at a nude beach back home during the summer and I haven't had a chance to go yet this year, so I've missed the feeling."
"You guys get sun there? I thought it rained all the time."
I let out a sigh. "That's really only in the fall...and winter...and spring. Ok yes it rains a lot, but it keeps it green. The summers are pretty dry and brown when it isn't burning."
"That's like saying North Dakota is frozen for only nine months out of the year."
"You aren't wrong, but it's worth it." I said, closing my eyes again and going back to enjoying the sun.
"I'll take your word for it," Casey said before changing the subject. "I dig the ink by the way, but what the hell is that?"
The tattoos in question -- an intricately woven snake and dagger on my left thigh, a large set of wings that started on my shoulder blades that ended near my elbows, and a tree on my right ribs with roots that extended from my waist to mid-thigh -- were all new additions since the last time I'd visited. However, his main point of interest was my Prince Albert piercing.
"This?" I grabbed my dick and playfully waved it in his direction. "A little something I got a few years ago, when I was in a bit of a rut and needed a change."
"And another tattoo wasn't an option?"
"It was, but this is a better conversation starter. Besides," I replied, walking down the steps until I was standing on the pool's bottom. "It seems to have gotten your attention."
"Uh, yea. It's not every day you see metal hanging from someone's dick."
"You want a closer look?" I asked, closing the distance between us until I was standing directly in front of him. I reached for his hand. "Or, maybe a feel."
I watched his face; his green eyes were fixed on the distorted images below the surface. Just as his fingers got so close that I could feel their warmth through the few centimeters of water between their tips and mine, panic shot across his face and a shit-eating grin spread across mine. I let his fingers and my dick graze against each other and listened as his breath quickened.
I leaned forward and whispered "Now who's easy to fuck with?" before quickly grabbed his shoulders and shoved him under the water.
Casey emerged from the water sputtering "Fuck you!" while I enjoyed what felt like the best laugh that I'd had in a while.
"You started it." I said before fully submerging myself and letting the cool water envelope me.
When I resurfaced Casey was hoisting himself onto the edge of the pool. He left his legs dangling in the water and laid back on the concrete, letting the sun glint off his wet body and highlight the movement of his muscles as he put his hands behind his head and relaxed.
"So, is this what you do now? Just lounge by the pool butt ass naked?" I asked as I moved to the edge.
"Not all day, but whenever I have the chance. I don't wear much around the house anyway, so the pool isn't all that different."
"Define `much'."
Casey turned his head toward me and laughed. "What's your deal? You've never had a problem going around naked so why can't I?"
"That's me, though." I replied, letting myself begin to float away on my back. "You never did before; it's just weird to see you bearing it all."
"Weird, says the fucker with his dick pierced."
I didn't have much of a response to his logic, so I opted to ignore it and drifted further into the pool. This wasn't remotely what I'd had in mind for this trip, but I wasn't unhappy about the turn of events. Casey and I had always been close, but doing this was something we'd never done. Hooking up as teenagers is one thing; hanging around naked as adults is another, and I still didn't have a solid read on how I felt about it. Did it mean something? Or were we just catching up to who we are instead of who we were? A shadow covered my face, bringing me back to the pool.
"What's on your mind?"
Casey was standing by the water, holding a beer out to me.
"Not much." I replied, swimming over and reaching to accept his offer. "Just enjoying the change of pace."
"Comes with the area." Casey said, walking back toward the steps before making his way back into the water. "Another reason I never left. Life moves differently here. Slower."
"And that doesn't drive you insane?"
"Why would it?"
I took a minute to mull over his response before accepting that he may have a point. I'd been here for less than a day and I already felt less rushed and able to breathe without thinking about work or traffic or any of the other thousands of things that ran through my mind daily. Granted, it was only a few hours into what was, technically, a vacation, so the differences in the pace of life and thought made sense. But at the end of the day, this was Arkansas -- a place I'd never been happy and could never see myself being satisfied in. Regardless of how I felt in this moment. However, no sooner than I opened my mouth to say what was going through my mind, I was interrupted by the feeling of warm beer hitting my chin accompanied by the sound of Casey's laughter.