Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. It depicts a romance between two consenting adult males and may contain some descriptions of sexual act between two consenting adult males. If you are not of legal age to read this kind of story, please leave now. If you reside in area where reading stories that include sexual situations between two consenting adult males are illegal, please leave now. This story is for entertainment purposes only. Any similarity to any person(s) living or dead is simply a coincidence. The author retains all rights to this story. It cannot be reproduced in any form without expressed written permission from the author (me). Please contact the author for any requests at raspucin70@yahoo.com. Copyright 2006
RIP TIDE
Chapter Seven: Hayden's place (From Matt's point of view)
Hayden was right, his place was easy to find. He was living in a part of town that seemed so distant it was almost another town, there was a good bit of highway before his exit came up. It was a couple miles later before I entered his neighborhood. The roads were lined with family houses and the streets had that suburban feel to them. There were children playing on the sidewalks and in the driveways, one girl was walking her dog - it was almost idyllic.
I turned onto the street where Hayden's place was. It wasn't far after when I pulled in front of his house; I saw his car parked in the yard. The house itself was small, it was not as big as the rest of the ones down the street, but it was a nice two-story older style house with garage attached to it. I stepped out from my car and climbed several steps over the porch to the front door. I rang the bell and suddenly a wave of anxiety surged through me. I inhaled deeply trying to shake it off. Why am I nervous? Hayden is not going to eat me. Calm down, Matt. Its all cool.
I heard a light shuffle and the door opened. I was hoping that he wasn't going to notice my nervousness. Hayden was standing, holding the door wide open. He was wearing a t-shirt with our school's logo on it and pair of dark red Abercrombie sweat pants. Nothing special, but yet he managed to look very appealing. His lips broke in a courteous smile.
"Matt. You made it - come in." With my nervousness reaching almost visible stadium, I entered his house. "Hi Hayden" I said fearing that he might notice how nervous I am "I see you found the house with no problem"
"Yeah, the Mapquest was helpful." I said
Hayden proceeded to walk further in, as I followed, gawking around. He noticed my curiosity and turned to me asking: "You wanna look around?"
"Yes please! ...I mean, yes" I replied to him.
I sounded overzealous even to myself. I wish that these butterflies in my stomach would go away. Trouble is, being in his presence was achieving quite the opposite effect. While I was looking around I would steal glances at him here and there. I tried to calm myself down, but to no avail. He continued walking around, showing me his house. I was trailing behind him, splitting my attention between stuff that he was showing me and gazing on him. Even underneath his t-shirt I could see the outlines of his shoulder muscles and lats. I was enjoying the view immensely! A couple of times our shoulders and hands almost brushed together. It made me want to lean into him, yearning for that casual touch. I managed to contain myself. "Act civilized, remember?" I had to repeat to myself more than once.
His place was did not look big on the outside, but it was spacious on the inside. He was renting this place almost since he came to school, and he made it quite a pleasurable place to live. From the entry there was a large living room to the left. He left it scarcely furnished; there was a couch and a matching love seat arranged around a monstrous flat-screen TV set, a coffee table, a wool carpet over the hardwood floor and a pair of large speakers in opposite corners of the room. The speakers looked like they were sculpted in wood and they absolutely fit in the room. I couldn't contain my surprise.
"Wow...those are big", I said.
"Yeah, I like my music loud." Hayden said with a smirk.
I just nodded my head, still ogling around. The whole space was neat and clean, with a sense of order without being harsh. There were a couple of graphics on the wall, done in Japanese style, complementing the rest of the space. In the corner that was overlooking the street there was a work desk with a computer but without the usual clutter around. Strangely enough, I didn't see any schoolbooks or lecture materials. Where does this guy study?
Next to a bookshelf there was a reading lamp and a leather recliner with an electric guitar sitting on it which immediately attracted my attention to it.
"You play it?" I asked, looking at the guitar up close.
"Yeah, sometimes I do" he replied.
"Like in a band or something?" I asked eagerly looking at him.
"No...for myself" his reply was even shorter now. "I would like to hear you sometime when..." I didn't finish the sentence. As I looked at him I saw a hint of discomfort. I realized that I was crossing the line and starting to ask too many annoying questions. I was still looking at him, with the apprehension rising in me again. This guy is giving me a tour of his house being very polite and all I can do is ask stupid questions like some annoying kid.
"Shut up, Matt! He doesn't have to put up with an annoying freshmen!" I yelled in my head.
Hayden looked at me with an expression in his eyes that I couldn't quite read. His eyes were very dark and intense. It only lasted a second or so and yet it made me to want to jump out of my skin. I had to blink breaking the silent moment that started to be awkward.
Hayden continued telling me about the house skipping the whole issue. I was grateful that he gave me an escape since I was evidently not able to get my mind in check. I just followed him around still little embarrassed with my manners.
Across from the living room was the kitchen with a large window overlooking the street. Further down the corridor was a bathroom and staircase to the upper floor which he didn't offer as part of the tour and I didn't ask. Obviously upstairs was his bedroom and he wanted to keep his privacy. In the back of the house there was another room that he turned into the study with books and papers scattered over one oversized desk. I almost laughed in triumph so there it is! That space was more crowded with the usual student junk lying in piles: books, stacks of papers, post-it notes and a computer. Here he obviously had loosened up his rules about minimal decoration there was a poster of Jessica Alba from "Sin City" and more than a dozen various car models displayed on the shelves. I recognized a model of his Golf GTI among the many models of mostly American muscle cars.
"Is that a Charger?" I asked Hayden pointing to one of the cars. "Sure is...a '69." he replied taking the car off the shelf so I could see it closely.
This time our hands touched when he handed me the car. I felt his warm fingers brush against mine catching me off guard. While he was showing me the house I was keeping my self close to him hoping that I could touch him. Now that actually happened I was caught by surprise. My hand involuntarily twitched making things even worse. I forced myself to pretend to look at the car in my hand, but all of the sudden the room started to seem very small and I became very conscious of Hayden's presence. I was still looking at the car in my hand but my eye was seeing every soft fold of his sweat pants with the white ribbon tied in a knot in the front. His forearm relaxed next to his body with veins running underneath the skin. I realized that I am not actually even looking at the car anymore. I slowly lifted my gaze to meet his eyes. Again, his eyes met mine. I extend my hand holding the car giving it back to him but I couldn't tear my gaze from his eyes.
"Thanks..." I forced my self to speak. My voice was coarse I had to clear my throat. He took the car from me and placed it back on the shelf. "You're into the muscle cars?" I heard him ask. "No, not really...I just know a few" I admitted. "That's cool...you did recognize that one." he smiled at me. "I have to thank my dad for that he is big into that stuff." I smiled back, relaxing. The awkward moment had passed and I thankfully regained my bearings and Hayden didn't notice anything.
From there we returned to the main room. I had to compliment him on his taste, it was somewhat similar to mine, but with definitively more style. Hell, I thought that my IKEA furniture back home was stylish.
"Hayden...your house is awesome! I am impressed!" I said. This time I had no problem speaking. His taste spoke of refinement and sophistication. The more I was seeing the more I wanted to be around this guy. "Thank you." he replied, with a trace of smile. It made me feel good making me feel like we are making a connection. "Ok, you wanna get going on your Biology now?
I felt like somebody splashed me with cold water. I completely forgot the reason for my visit here! My good mood plummeted. Of course, the Biology. I entirely forgot about that. I almost wanted to kick something. That is the reason why I'm here - not to hang with Hayden.
"I guess...I have it all in my backpack" I turned towards the door where I left my bag. All of the sudden I felt like I weigh thousand pounds. He waited for me than motioned towards kitchen. "We will have more room over there." he said pointing towards the kitchen table. I just nodded following his lead. We sat down and I start to pull my papers and books out. I was half way through when he suddenly said, "Matt...it's not that bad dude...we'll get you through this. No reason to sulk." I just stopped in mid-move with my hand holding my lecture notes hanging in the air above the table. "Am I that obvious?" I couldn't contain my surprise. "Well...not really. It is just funny that there was a temperature drop in here by ten degrees when I mentioned studying." he said smirking at me. I almost gulped. His eyes were resting on me, dark and warm.
The next two hours actually flew by quickly. Hayden was really good at explaining stuff. He broke the whole complicated Krebs cycle into simple, more understandable, pieces and then explained every step in language that I had no problem following. Halfway through we decided to take a break. He made us a couple sandwiches and pulled some sodas from the fridge. I was feeling very relaxed just talking to him. He wanted to know my interests and we found that we both enjoyed hiking. Hayden seemed like a very laid-back person and there was an aura of calm, self-confidence that was radiating from him. I found that is one of his qualities that made him even more irresistible. He always seemed composed, in a way that people with a lot of life experience behind them often have. I watched him while he was making sandwiches absorbing his movements. He looked so...graceful. I was staring, mesmerized in the way his body was moving, while he was putting stuff away. He placed plates on the table and that out of blue asked me, "Hey Matt...can I ask you a question?" "Sure" I replied trying to chew on my sandwich. "How come your mom told me that you don't have anywhere to stay? Aren't you in the dorm?" "Umm...long story" I swallowed. "We couldn't...I mean, I couldn't find any rooms for rent around here, so it kinda defaulted to the dorm. She thinks that I am sleeping with twenty other guys in the barracks, which is totally not acceptable for her baby." Hayden chuckled at my remark. He took a bite of his sandwich, while I continued, "It's not that bad...but there is a party almost every night and my roommate snores. Sometimes I have to get some sleep during the day in between classes." Hayden nodded. "I know what you mean. That's why I don't live there anymore. I was lucky to find this place and I like it much better this way. Here I have my privacy, I can listen to music or watch movies at 2 am without disturbing anybody." I groaned over my mouth full saying without words how I missed something like that.
We finished with our break and then we started working on the dreaded photosynthesis. In no time at all I got that too, thanks to Hayden's patient instructions.
"Wow...I would never imagine that this stuff would be so clear to me!" I exclaimed, taking a good sip of my soda." Hayden...you really know this stuff...and better, you know how to explain it to someone like me who is just a little on the 'slow' side," I chuckled. "Thanks...Biology is easy when you grasp the basics and I think you got it. And no, I don't think you are slow at all... as a matter of fact, I think you are very sharp," he said with serious note. I felt my cheeks start to burn: "Oh...thanks Hayden...I thing you are very smart too," I replied not daring to look at him. "Please, call me Nicky" I heard him said. "Huh...Nicky?" I lifted my head. He still had a serious expression on his face but his eyes were brimming with warmth. "Why? I mean, if you don't mind me...asking?" I let the sentence hang not knowing how to finish it without being too intrusive.
Hayden smiled at me. I wish he would smile more - his face would radiate with warmth and that inviting vibe that I loved to see in him. He was sitting relaxed leaning against the wall with his left hand resting on the table. The yearning emotion started in me again. I wanted to reach over and touch his hand. Just to feel the warmth of his skin just for a second or two. Just for... I snapped out of it when he started talking back to me.
"Not at all...Nicky Hayden is one of the Moto-GP riders. He won the championship in '02. I used to follow up on all GP races back home. I was into bikes and that racing stuff at that time so my friends put two and two together...and coined that nickname. Someone said that we even look alike." "Aw...ok" I replied. "Sorry, I am not into auto and bike racing that much. I don't know what Nicky Hayden looks like," I shrugged my shoulder feeling a little embarrassed. This is the portion of my life that I am somewhat ashamed of. Don't ask me anything about football, baseball, basketball...as a matter of the fact, any of the popular sports. I never got involved in that typical jock-bound beer-talk over which quarterback is better this season. I guess the same goes for bike racing.
"Here, let me show him to you," Hayden stood up and motioned me to join him in living room. He woke the computer from stand-by with the mouse and then searched for a second for the web site that he wanted to show me. He brought up Nicky Hayden's web page and after few clicks, brought an image of the stunningly good-looking young racer. I leaned over him trying to get a better look. Hayden clicked a couple different images, trying to show me some more but I had to interject
"I'm sorry, Hayden...he bares no resemblance to you at all! He has totally different looks...eyebrows...and his eyes are green!" "Gray, actually" Hayden corrected me, still browsing through web site. "Yeah, yours are dark...I don't know who would say that you look like him. You look so much better."
Shit.
Did I actually say that? Oh yeah, I did. And out loud, right into his left ear. Shit!
Hayden shot me a brief look over his shoulder not even a full head turn with his eyebrows raised in evident confusion. Horrified, I stood up. Quickly Matt, say something before this gets weirder than it is already. In that instant, my brain kicked in: "Yeah man...you could be a poster-boy just like he is." I blurted.
Pause. He was still looking at the web page when he said, in a slightly colder tone, "Actually, he can ride very good."
I bit my lip. "Nice work Matthew!" I scolded myself. I just made it worse. First I said right into his ear that he is good looking now I'm dicing on his youth idol. Fine work, real classy. I inhaled raggedly.
"I'm sorry man...I...didn't mean to sound that...to say it that way" I felt my cheeks burning from embarrassment.
"I know." he said.
My mind was racing. Which "I know" is he thinking of? The "Poster-Boy" remark, or is he thinking of the not-so-subtle "I think that you are gorgeous and I wish that we could be together" remark? When I will stop making this guy uncomfortable? I wanted to disappear into the ground. My brain felt like it was tied in a knot searching for something to say. Or better yet, maybe I should stay mute, it seems that way I get in less trouble.
Hayden turned to me, gave me another smirk, and than his face lit up in a wide radiant smile. Instantaneously I felt those butterflies disappear from my stomach.
"You look like someone who is just about to puke," he started to chuckle.
I sighed in relief but anxiety was still present in my chest. I smiled at him, more to acknowledge his amusement than to show my actual feeling. I was feeling more and more horrible about myself, and all the disasters of my manners tonight. The only thing I wanted right this moment was to leave. Escape while I still have an ounce of sound mind and before I do something really stupid.
Hayden stood up turning up the nervousness in me another notch. I saw my chance. I better leave now while he still thinks that this is funny. "Well...I think I'd better leave now," I stuttered looking to the floor. "Ok, if you want to, that cool with me," he replied. I could still sense that he is smiling. I lifted my gaze. I had to say something else. This is just too sketchy. I cannot just leave.
"Hayden...I really appreciate all your help. Thank you." I said, simply.
"You are welcome," he replied with warmth in his voice. He looked at me, still smiling.
Oh God I do not want this moment to end. He looked so warm and inviting, leaning on the chair. I forced myself to turn around and head towards the kitchen. I collected my papers and books and stuffed them in my backpack. I felt a knot in my throat starting to form. I knew the reason: I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to end this evening. I wanted to stay here talking to Hayden. With a sigh, I swung the backpack on my shoulder and headed towards the door. I saw that he was standing in the door of the living room leaning on the doorframe with his hands crossed on his chest. I took one long last look soaking in the details of him. His muscled forearms, broad shoulders, and tapered waist. And that sexy white band of his sweat pants tied in a knot. I knew that I could stare for too long or I would loose my ability to communicate once again. I rushed to the front door that he opened for me.
"Good night, Hayden," I turned around for one last look. "Good night Matt. Drive carefully." He said, holding the door. "I will, Dad." I tried to crack a joke. He laughed and I took off into the night.
End of chapter 7
Questions, comments, complains - write to raspucin70@yahoo.com