A Very Special Birthday Card
 by: Hankster

© 2022 by the author

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

hankster@tickiestories.us

Prologue

Anthony was way too shy to speak directly to Laurie, the girl who had stolen his heart.  He had just turned sixteen, and her sweet sixteen party was in three days.  He didn’t get an invitation, but he didn’t care.  He just wanted to let her know how he felt.

He bought a beautiful birthday card, and added his own sentimental greeting inside: 

I have always loved you.  I love you today, and I will love you tomorrow.  It’s in our stars.

Happy Sixteenth Birthday

Anthony sat right next to her in their algebra class.  He didn’t sign the card, but when she was distracted, he put the card inside her algebra book.  After class, she put the book in her backpack, along with her other textbooks and note pads, and she went on her way.

Unfortunately, Anthony had no idea that it wasn’t her book.  She had been studying from her own book the night before, and she forgot to return it to her backpack.  On her way to class, she realized that she didn’t have the book with her.  Just as realization came to her, another young boy, Aaron, passed by.  Aaron was out and proud, but he was a big bruiser, and nobody ever bothered him.  He and Laurie were great friends and confidantes, so she asked him if she could borrow his algebra book.  He didn’t need it any longer that day, and he gladly gave it to her.  Laurie saw Aaron in the cafeteria at lunch time, and she returned the book.

Before they parted, they wished each other a happy birthday.  They shared a birthday, but Aaron was one year older.

It was the last day of classes before summer break, and in fact, Aaron didn’t need the book anymore at all.  He was a year ahead of Laurie and had taken his last high school algebra class.  That evening, he went down into his basement, and pulled a cardboard box from a shelf.  He packed the book away with his other old textbooks, and placed the carton full of books back on the shelf.

-1-

Twenty-two years later, Aaron was a corporate lawyer, living in New York, and making a substantial salary.  One evening his parents called him, and they announced that they were retiring.  They had already sold their home and were moving to Arizona.  They needed help packing and shipping, so he took two weeks off, and went back to his boyhood home to help them pack.  He had never lost contact with his high school best friend, Laurie.  He vowed to call her as soon as he got home.  He knew her husband from high school days, but he couldn’t wait to meet her two kids.

Aaron had enjoyed several relationships during those years, but none of them lasted very long, and he resigned himself to the realization that he might remain single all his life.  Anyhow, he had no problem with one-night stands.  He was a regular denizen at his favorite gay bar in Greenwich Village.  There were plenty of patrons there, who wanted to sleep with this hunky guy.

Laurie and Anthony were married, but not to each other.  Anthony was a widower.  He was a lawyer like Aaron.  Laurie’s husband, Nick, was alive and kicking.  He was a pharmacist. She was a stay-at-home mom, but she worked part time in Nick’s drug store.  They loved each other dearly.

Both Laurie and Anthony had sons who were high school juniors.  Anthony’s son was named Robert, and Laurie’s son was named Michael.  They were both on the football team, and they were great friends.  They were closer than Aaron and Laurie had been in high school.  Laurie also had a daughter, Cindi, who was in middle school.  As close as their sons were, Laurie and Nick never socialized with Anthony.  He was single, and the rest of the world was coupled.  He was a fifth wheel, so to speak, especially when it came time to pay the restaurant bill.

As anyone who has ever moved from a large house to a scaled down apartment will tell you, the hardest job is to tackle the basement.  Aaron decided to start there.  His goal was to clear it out before he had to return to New York.  If the rest of the house still needed attention, he was sure his parents could handle it.  If not, they could hire help.

Aaron’s basement had always been a little bit damp.  His father had placed three dehumidifiers around the floor.  That made things better, but it didn’t eliminate the problem.  The cellar was full of cardboard boxes that were falling apart from the dankness.  Aaron was all for tossing them out.  They hadn’t been opened in years and would surely not be missed.  His parents vetoed that plan.  They insisted on going through the contents of each box.  The boxes were in such bad shape that Aaron went to a package store and bought a few fresh boxes and masking tape for anything his parents wanted to save.

By day three the cellar was half empty.  Aaron was pleased with their progress.  If truth be told, if his parents weren’t around, he would have tossed out the rest of the boxes. So far, all they had retained was a small teddy bear that was Aaron’s when he was a toddler.  They couldn’t bring themselves to part with it.

Aaron went to reach for the next box.  It was on a high shelf and was in worse shape than any of the others.  It practically fell apart when he took it off the shelf, and several books fell to the floor.  He realized that these were some of his old textbooks.  He assembled one of the new boxes, with the intention of transferring the books to the fresh box, and then disposing of it.

When he picked up the first book, he saw that it was his old algebra book.  He didn’t have his parents’ sentimentality, so he placed it in the new box to get rid of it.  When he did, something fell out of it.  Aaron retrieved it and realized that it was a greeting card.  The envelope was blank and revealed nothing.  Out of curiosity, he opened it.  It wasn’t even sealed.  The dampness had seen to that.  He smiled when he determined that it was a birthday card.

He didn’t smile when he read what was inside.  It was a love note from some secret admirer.  Aaron was stunned.  He had never known the card had been placed in his textbook, so he never responded or tried to locate the sender.  Aaron felt bad when he realized that the sender probably believed that Aaron had snubbed him.

He wondered if there was a way, he could trace down the guy who claimed to love him.  He said it was forever.  It was far-fetched to believe that he could locate the guy, but he would think about it.  He was visiting Laurie and her family that evening.  She invited him to dinner when he contacted her the first day he was in town.  There was a chance she would recognize the handwriting.  Maybe, she even knew who had a secret crush on him in high school.  He stuffed the card in his pocket and continued his work.  Before he placed any other books in the fresh box, he shook it.  There might be more surprises.

*****

After dinner, the kids watched TV in the family room, and the adults got comfortable in the living room.  Their intention was to ‘catch up.’  They filled each other in on what was going on in their lives.  Nick and Aaron were both successful professionals, and that pleased Laurie.  She was proud of the only two men she had ever loved.

At some point, Aaron pulled the birthday card out of his hip pocket.  He told his hosts how he had acquired it, and he handed the card to Laurie first.  If she couldn’t help him, maybe Nick could.

Before she opened the card, he asked Laurie point blank if she knew of anyone who had a crush on him in high school.  She shook her head.

“You know how high school is,” she said.  “Your secret admirer could well have been in the closet.”

“Do you know if any of our classmates came out after graduation?”

Laurie shook her head again.

“Well, maybe you’ll recognize the handwriting,” Aaron hoped.

Laurie opened the card, stared at it for a moment, and froze.

“I’d recognize this handwriting anywhere, anytime,” she shouted.  “It’s Nick’s.”

Aaron was now in utter shock.  Laurie was near comatose also.

“Did you have a crush on Aaron?” Laurie asked her husband.  She was hysterical.

“Of course not,” Nick said.  “I had a crush on you.  Let me see the card.”

Laurie handed him the birthday card, and he began to laugh. 

“I penned this card,” he laughed, “but I didn’t compose it.  One of our classmates approached me.  He said that his handwriting was awful, and nobody could decipher it.  He asked me to write the card for him.  I swear I didn’t know who it was for.”

Aaron and Laurie breathed a sigh of relief.

“Please, tell me who asked you to write it,” Aaron begged.  “Maybe he’s still in town.  I need to meet him.”

“I can’t do that,” Nick said.  “He made me swear an oath never to tell anyone.”

“If you don’t want to sleep alone for the foreseeable future,” Laurie threatened, “you’d better tell Aaron.  Besides, I’m curious too.”

“Okay, okay,” Nick said.  “It’s Anthony Briggs, but from the way he talked, I would have bet a bundle the card was for a girl.  He even got married.  How could he have a crush on a guy?”

“Maybe he had a change of heart, or maybe it got into Aaron’s book by mistake,” Laurie suggested.  Neither Laurie nor Aaron remembered the borrowed book incident.

“Whatever the cause of it getting into my book,” Aaron said, “I want to talk to Anthony.  Is he still in town?”

“He sure is,” Nick said.  “He’s a lawyer just like you.  He’s a widower, and his son and our son are good buddies.  They’re more than friends; it’s more like they’re joined at the hip.  What’s more, they’re both on the high school football team.”

“If Anthony was once in the closet, maybe he still is,” Aaron said.  “I don’t want to be the one to out him, if he is gay.  I’ve got to figure a way to run into him accidentally.”

“I have that covered,” Laurie said.  “Our boys are playing football Friday evening.  Why don’t you come to the game with us?  Perhaps Anthony will be there.”

“You bet I’ll be there,” Aaron said, “and what’s more, I’m going to ask him to have lunch with me on Saturday so we can indulge in some lawyer talk.  Maybe I’ll be able to find out if he sent the card.”

*****

Anthony sat with Nick, Laurie, and Aaron at the game.  He had to think for a while, but he remembered Aaron because of his deep friendship with Laurie.  At first, he had been very jealous, but when he learned that Aaron was gay, he relaxed a whole lot.  Nick and Laurie made sure that Aaron and Anthony sat next to each other.

“It’s quite a coincidence that we’re both lawyers,” Aaron commented.  “Ever since I left home, I wondered what it would be like if I hadn’t left.  Sometimes I think about moving back.  I’d lose a lot of revenue, but I’m single.  I don’t need much, and I’ve already got a good size nest egg.”

“Why don’t you come to my office tomorrow about eleven in the morning?  We can compare notes and then have lunch together.”

“I’d like that,” Aaron said.  He was ecstatic.  Anthony had fallen right into his trap.  He had fed him the perfect bait.

Not so.  Aaron had fallen into Anthony’s trap.

-2-

After college, most of Anthony’s friends were getting married, and he remained single.  He was particularly hurt when Laurie and Vince married.  His single status was beginning to bother him.  Shortly after he opened his own law office, he met Cora.  She applied for a job as his secretary.  They got along great and began to date.  One evening Cora seduced him.  He had no trouble getting aroused, and after that they had sex often.  It was not making love by anyone’s standards.  It was just pure lust and relief.

After Cora gave birth to Robert, her health began to fail.  She was diagnosed with leukemia.  She fought the disease for a few years and finally succumbed.  Anthony’s practice was healthy enough, and he hired a nanny to take care of Robert and his house.

The town he lived in was about sixty miles east of the Los Angeles city limits.  One night, when Robert was thirteen, and able to care for himself, Anthony grew particularly lonely and horny.  He told his son that he was going into L.A. and if it were too late to drive home, he would stay over.

He went to a bar, hoping to score.  He scored all right, but not as expected.  He was in a straight bar, but a very handsome man cruised him.  To his credit, Anthony had no idea what was happening.  He just thought that the man was being extra friendly.  They had drink after drink, and as it got later and later, Anthony’s new friend, Fred, said that neither of them was capable of driving.  He suggested they leave their cars at the bar and take a cab to Fred’s apartment.  In fact, he made suggestion after suggestion.  Anthony was so sloshed; he just did whatever Fred told him to do.

First, Fred told Anthony to strip.  Then he took him into the shower.  They were both hard, uncut and a good seven inches long.  There was no competition.  Besides, they were too drunk to care. Fred bathed Anthony from head to toe.  When Anthony was squeaky clean, he sucked his cock and rimmed his ass.  Anthony was aware of how good he felt, but he really had no idea what was happening to him.  Fred soaped his own ass and Anthony’s cock, and guided Anthony’s manhood into his male vagina.  Anthony needed no more instruction.  He began to stroke, and the love-starved widower came in record time.  He was only slightly aware of what was happening, when Fred fucked him.

He awoke the next morning with a terrible headache.  Fred was in the kitchen making breakfast.  Anthony followed the aroma of frying bacon.  He was aware that he was naked.  So was Fred.

“Good morning, handsome.” Fred said.  “How do you feel?”

“I’ve got a terrible headache, and I can’t find my clothes.”

“You vomited all over yourself on the way home last night.  I washed your clothes.  It’s in the dryer right now.  As for your headache, I made coffee.  Pour yourself a cup from that carafe on the stove.  It did wonders for me.”

“Thanks.  I need it,” Anthony mumbled.

“Did you have fun last night?”

“I don’t know,” Anthony continued mumbling.  “I had fun at the bar, but I can’t remember coming home with you.”

“Too bad,” Fred laughed, “but we can refresh your memory after breakfast.”

Anthony and Fred made love all day.  Anthony was hooked.  He realized now that he was gay, and it didn’t bother him.  It explained why he could never feel sexually fulfilled with a woman.  At about 5 PM, they took a cab to the bar and picked up their cars.  They made a date for the following Friday night.  It was getting serious.

They kept up their romance for a couple of years.  When Robert was fifteen, Anthony realized that he could not abandon his practice, and Fred could not give up his well-paying executive position.  The long commute was wearing on Anthony.  One Friday night, Anthony did not stay over.  Instead, the two men sadly said farewell.

Robert expected his dad to return Saturday night or sometime Sunday.  Anthony never called to say that he was coming home early.  When he got there, he heard strange noises coming from Robert’s bedroom.  He went to investigate.  He was shocked to find Laurie’s son, Michael, fucking his best friend, Robert, doggie style. 

Involuntarily, Anthony gave out a little screech.  Both fifteen-year-old boys jumped out of bed and tried to cover themselves.  Robert wanted to say something, but his tongue was tied into knots.

Anthony could see that their shrinking cocks were uncircumcised, but size escaped him.  They were both getting soft fast.

“Relax,” Anthony said.  “I was just surprised, that’s all.  I’ll go into my bedroom, and you guys can carry on.  I don’t mind, and I’m not going to out you, especially to your parents, Michael.  That’s your job.”

Even though he was naked, Robert hugged Anthony.  “Thanks Dad,” he said.  “You’re the greatest.  Does that mean that Michael can come over any time now even when you’re home?”

“I suppose,” Anthony said.  He was befuddled and was not sure that he was doing the right thing.

The next morning at breakfast, Anthony lectured Robert about keeping secrets from him.  He promised Robert that anything he had to tell him, would remain strictly between them.  As a postscript, he swore that he would always love him, no matter what.

Anthony did not want to lie to his son anymore either.  He told him about his sexual escapades during the past two years, but let him know that his affair was over.  All Robert could say was, “Wow!” and he hugged his father.

“You can tell Michael about me,” Anthony said, “but I’m not going to out you guys, and I would not expect you to out me.”

“Of course not,” Robert said.  He kissed his dad on the lips.

That evening, as Robert left the house to go join his friends at the mall, he waved back at his dad and said, “Don’t forget.  Michael and I have a football game Friday night, so if you aren’t going into L.A., I’d like for you to be there.”

“With bells on.”

At the game, Laurie asked Anthony if he remembered Aaron.  He thought for a moment.  Of course, he remembered.   Even in high school, Aaron was out and proud.  Anthony’s brain went into overdrive figuring out how to seduce Aaron.

-3-

Aaron had to continue to work on emptying his parents’ basement, and he didn’t want to rush anything, so after the game, he asked Anthony to meet him for dinner the next evening instead of lunch.  Anthony accepted eagerly.

“But I don’t want to eat out,” Anthony said.  “I’m a gourmet cook.  Cooking is kind of a hobby with me.  I once thought of becoming a chef.  Come to my house, and I’ll make you a better dinner than any meal you’ll get in a restaurant in this town.”

“That sounds like a real plan.  What time should I be there?”

“I’ll serve dinner at seven but come any time in the afternoon, so we can get reacquainted.  It’s Saturday.  I should be home by one.”

I’d like that,” Aaron said.  “Will your son be home?  He and Michael ran off right after the game, and I never got to meet him.”

“Tomorrow is Saturday.  If I know him, he’ll leave by five to meet his friends, and they’ll hang out at the mall all evening.  I think that fast food might be on his agenda tomorrow night.  I’ll work it out that you meet him before you go back to New York.”

“I’ll come over after I clean up from my cellar chore,” Aaron promised.  “So, it will be just you and me; a nice intimate evening,” Aaron smiled at Anthony.

“I like intimate,” Anthony said, and he got another broad grin from Aaron.  Things were moving along just fine for both men.

Before leaving the high school football stadium, Laurie invited Anthony and Aaron back to her house for coffee and cake, but they both thanked her and declined.

“I’ve got another strenuous day in my parents’ basement,” Aaron moaned.

“And I always go to my office every Saturday morning,” Anthony said.  “It’s the only time I can catch up on paperwork.  I’m too busy during working hours.  I’m thinking of hiring a young law clerk or merging with another overburdened practitioner.”

“I’m glad you’re doing so well,” Aaron said.  “Don’t work too hard tomorrow morning.  Concentrate on my gourmet meal.  I’ll see you tomorrow about six.”

“You can come earlier,” Anthony said, “and watch me cook.”

*****

Aaron did come earlier. He came a little after five.  He caught Robert just leaving, and Anthony introduced his son to Aaron.  As he left, Robert winked at his father, or Aaron thought he did.  He wondered what the boy was winking at.  He also wondered who was better looking, the father or the son.

“The house smells wonderful,” Aaron said when they were alone.  What are you making?”

“I’m serving you a savory Cornish hen with baked potatoes smothered in butter.  I’m sacrificing health for taste.  But the dessert is a surprise, so I’m not telling.  Laurie told me what your favorite dessert was.”

“Yummy!”

“Let’s go into the living room and talk,” Anthony said.  “It’s too early to make the potatoes, and the hens are in the oven.  I’m free for a half hour or so.”

“Good,” Aaron said, “There are several things I’d like to talk to you about also.”

They seated themselves side by side on the sofa, and Aaron asked permission to go first.  Anthony nodded to indicate that it was all right with him.

“The first thing I’d like to talk about is business,” he stated, sounding like a lawyer in a court room.

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Anthony, I didn’t realize how homesick I was, and how much I missed this town.  If I moved back, would you consider a partnership with me.  I built a substantial nest egg, and I’ve got plenty of money.  I won’t even need a salary until we build up the practice.”

Anthony was stunned.  When he found his voice, he said, “Aaron you’ll understand when I tell you that I’d consider a partnership with you in one of your New York minutes; not only a business partnership, but a different kind of partnership, as well.”

Anthony feared Aaron’s response, but the smile on Aaron’s face went a long way in allaying his fear.

“That’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.”

Aaron reached into his pocket, and once again retrieved the very special birthday card.  He handed it to Anthony.  Then he described how he found the card after all these years in a textbook he had stowed away twenty-two years ago. 

“I showed it to Nick and Laurie hoping they would recognize the handwriting, and I asked Laurie if she knew of anyone who might have had a crush on me in high school.  She examined the card and screamed.  She recognized Nick’s handwriting immediately.  She and I were so shocked we were speechless until he told us how someone asked him to write the card because that guy’s handwriting was illegible.  He refused to tell us who it was, but Laurie and I threatened him, and we forced him to tell us that it was you.”

Anthony opened the card trying to remember it.  How Aaron could have gotten it was an even greater enigma.  After a minute or two, the light dawned.

“Here’s what happened,” he said, “but you have got to keep it a secret.  That card was meant for Laurie.  When she wasn’t looking, I slipped into the book on her desk.  How it ended up in your knapsack, I can’t tell you.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant for you, but please, pretend it was.”

“I don’t understand.  What are you saying?”

“Now let me tell you my story,” Anthony said. 

He described to Anthony how he met a guy in L.A. who introduced him to gay sex, and he realized that he was indeed gay.

“We had an affair for about two years, but we broke up because I got tired of commuting, and neither of us was willing to move.  When you said that you wanted to move home and work with me, my heart leaped out of my chest.  You see, I have serious hots for you.  In fact, I think I love you.”

“I want to spend the night with you,” Aaron pleaded, but what about Robert?”

“Not to worry.  My son is gay, and we’re out to each other. We have no secrets between us.  He often brings his boyfriend home to make love, while I’m in the adjoining room.  That’s our only secret.  The boyfriend hasn’t come out to his parents yet.”

Let me guess.  It’s Michael, isn’t it?  Laurie told me that they are best friends, and they always hang out together.”

“Nothing gets by you, does it Sherlock?  You’re going to make a great partner.”

“Thank you, Dr. Watson.”

“I want you to stay all night also, but you aren’t going to spoil my dinner and my even more fabulous dessert.  After we’ve eaten and cleaned up the kitchen, I want to smother you with love.”

“Promises, promises.”

“And don’t be surprised if Robert and Michael come home early.  They take every opportunity to be together.  I think it’s real love between them.”

Seconds after the words were spoken, the boys came home.  Michael panicked when he saw Aaron, but both father’s assured him that his secret was safe with Aaron also.  Anthony advised him to come out of the closet, or at least come out to his parents.

“You’ll be happier.  You and Robert won’t have to hide in the shadows anymore. It’s liberating.  I know.”

“I’ve always been out,” Aaron said.  “I never had to hide who I was, and Anthony is right.  You’ll be liberated.  I’ll bet your folks suspect anyway, Michael.  When your mother told me how close you two were, and how you hang out together all the time, I honestly thought that she was hinting to me.”

Suddenly, Anthony sniffed the air, and ran into the kitchen.  The hens were burnt.

“Shit,” he said. “My dinner is ruined, so I’m taking everyone out to dinner to celebrate.”

“What are we celebrating?” Robert asked.

“Let’s get going.  We’ll tell you at dinner.  Then you guys can do whatever turns you on, and Aaron and I will take care of some unfinished business in my bedroom.”

Right after dinner, Michael went home.  It was late, and he didn’t want to have to make up a story, and lie to his parents if he came home even later.  More importantly, he didn’t want to rush making love to Robert. 

Robert, Aaron, and Anthony went back to Anthony’s house.  Robert disappeared into his room, and Aaron and Anthony rushed into the master bedroom.  They undressed rapidly and studied their bodies.  Aaron was circumcised, but Anthony wasn’t.  They were both steel tempered hard.  Anthony was about seven inches, and big Aaron was nearer to eight.  They were both hefty.

Neither slept at all.  They made sensual and passionate love all night.  They were too worked up to start in the shower.  They just got naked and feasted on their bodies.  They fell on the bed in a sixty-nine position.  They were able to play with each other for a very long time.  In their maturity, they were both adept at delaying their orgasms.

When they were getting close, they stopped sucking.  Anthony produced lubricant, but no protection, and they alternated fucking each other until neither could hold back.  It was almost dawn when they decided they needed to shower.   It was an incredible shower, they kept rimming and sucking each other back and forth.  They even got hard enough to fuck one another yet again.  They concluded by giving each other golden showers.

Finally, they crawled into bed thoroughly exhausted.  Anthony could sleep in on Sunday morning, but Aaron didn’t get down into the basement until just after eleven.  He found his parents going through boxes.

Epilogue

At about three in the afternoon, Aaron got a call from Anthony. 

“You meant it, didn’t you?” Anthony begged to know.  “You’re not going to change your mind, are you?  You’re going to move home, and work with me, and live with me, right?  Promise me.”

“How can you doubt my sincerity, after last night?” Aaron asked.  “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.”

“Good.  I’m going to buy the strongest glue anyone has manufactured to date,” Anthony giggled.

Months later, when Aaron was settled into his new surroundings, or rather his old surroundings, he and Anthony had a long discussion about the message in the birthday card.  They concluded that although it wasn’t meant for Aaron, fate conspired to deliver it to him anyway, and deliver it beyond all odds.

They were both busy men, but as often as possible, they went to L.A. every Friday evening to enjoy the company of other gay men in a gay bar, which had become their hangout.

And what of Michael and Robert?  They roomed together at college, and Michael came out to his parents.  Nobody was surprised or shocked.

Everybody was happy to be in the place where fate had taken them.

Posted: 09/23/2022