The Best of Friends
 by: Hankster

© 2021 by the author

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

hankster@tickiestories.us

-1- 

Adam and Steve were gay and married.  Their best friends were Mark and Larry, another gay married couple.  Each couple was devoted to one another in what they believed was a lifetime bond.

The four friends were inseparable.  They did everything together except reconfigure their sleeping arrangements.  Each couple obeyed their marriage vows, and none of them ever dreamed of sleeping with anyone outside their marriage beds, not even their best friends.

All four of them were pretty much home bodies during the week, but every Friday and Saturday evening they had dinner together, and then spent a few hours socializing at their favorite gay bar.  They had plenty of friends besides the four of them, and those nights were very special to them.

One Friday night, in the middle of dinner, Steve asked Larry what kind of diet he was on.

“What do you mean?” Larry asked.

“You’re losing weight, too much weight,” Steve answered.  “I think it’s time you stopped dieting.”

“And you look kind of pale,” Adam threw in his two cents.

“I know he’s been losing weight,” Mark said, “but he hasn’t been dieting.  He just has no appetite.  Look at his plate.  He’s hardly eaten anything.  I want him to see a doctor, but he refuses, and keeps swearing that he’s fine.”

Three of the foursome had finished their meals, and the waiter came to clear the table.

“You can take my plate too,” Larry said.  “I’ve had enough.”

From the restaurant they went to the bar to socialize.  Larry was listless and very edgy.  Finally, he admitted that he was very tired, and asked Mark to take him home.

“See your doctor,” Adam admonished him.  “You’re definitely sick.”

At that point, all four of them decided to go home.  When they were getting ready for bed, Adam said to Steve, “I’m really worried about Larry.  He looks awful.”

“I agree with you,” Steve said.

The two men fell into bed, and cuddled close to each other, but neither was in the mood for making love, and they fell fast asleep.

The next morning, Saturday, Mark called them.  “Larry wants to spend the day in bed resting up so we’re going to skip dinner tonight.”

“Get him to a doctor,” Adam demanded.

“I’m trying, but he’s fighting me.”

Larry stayed in bed all day Saturday and Sunday.  Mark couldn’t get any food into him.  He dragged himself to work on Monday, and mid-morning, he collapsed.  He was taken to NYU Medical Center, the closest hospital to his office.  After a battery of tests, he was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer.  There was no chance that he could be saved by surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy.  Larry died ten days after entering the hospital. He was thirty-two years old.

*****

Mark was able to hold himself together until after Larry’s funeral.  Then the full impact of his shattered life hit him so suddenly that he became a basket case.  He was in a deep depression.  The only thing he managed to do was to go to work every day.  He couldn’t afford to lose his job as chief accountant for a retail chain.  The retail industry was iffy enough with the advent of on-line shopping.  His own company had joined in with the new craze, and he hoped that would save them.  He was so busy at work that his depression would leave him for a few hours.  He hated to go home knowing how badly his melancholia would recur.

Adam and Steve did the best they could to bring Mark back to life.  They insisted that he continue to socialize with them on Friday and Saturday nights.  He went along with it, but his heart wasn’t in it.  His two best friends prepared their guest room for him, and insisted that he sleep over on the weekends and on occasional weekdays.  Mark was too depressed to fight them, and he gave into their demands.

*****

One Monday evening, Steve came home and informed Adam that he was leaving the following evening on a business trip.  He was going to Los Angeles, where his firm had an office.  He would be home late Friday, probably too late for their usual night out.

“Why don’t you make sure Mark stays here during that time, so neither of you needs to be alone,” Steve suggested.

“Good idea.”  I’ll call him right after dinner.”

Mark accepted the invitation immediately.  He was okay at work, but his lonely nights were just too hard on him.

“I’ll pack a bag and come over right after work,” he told Adam.

“Good.  I’ll cook us up something for dinner,” Adam said.

Mark arrived about a half hour after Steve’s ride took him to LaGuardia airport.  Adam hugged him tightly, and kissed him on the lips, as they always did.  But this time, Adam was aware that Mark’s lips had parted, and he felt a little bit of tongue.  He separated quickly, and told Mark to put his stuff in the guest room.  That room was slowly becoming Mark’s room.  In fact, the guest bathroom was filling up with Mark’s stuff.

Recently, Adam and Steve had discussed asking Mark to move in with them temporarily, but they nixed the idea.  They didn’t want to give up their privacy.

When Mark went into the guest bedroom¸ Adam began to wonder about their kiss, which was far from chaste, and it hit him hard.  Mark needed to get laid.  He must be very starved for love, he thought.  For the first time ever, Adam was uncomfortable being alone with Mark.

Adam made hamburgers smothered in stewed onions and mushrooms, and a side of well-buttered mashed potatoes.  They both had a glass of red wine with dinner, and after dinner they had a cup of coffee.  They shared one danish pastry.

After dinner, they didn’t watch TV.  Instead, they sat together on the sofa, and chatted.  Adam tried to keep the conversation light, but suddenly, Mark began to cry.  Instinctively, Adam enveloped Mark in his arms.  Mark rested his head on Adam’s chest, and laid his hand on Adam’s thigh.

“There, there,” Adam said.  “You’ll see, everything will be all right.”

Mark’s hand moved farther up Adam’s thigh.  “Please, Adam,” he whimpered, “get me off.  I need it desperately.”

Adam didn’t know what to do, but he knew one thing for sure.  He had to help his friend out.  He was certain that Steve would understand.

“Okay,” he said.  “I’ll sleep with you in the guest room tonight.”  No way was he going to do anything in his and Steve’s bed.

At Adam’s insistence they showered separately, and they climbed into the guest bed totally naked.  They turned toward each other and rubbed their cocks together.  Mark was hard, but Adam was still flaccid.  Adam had not been with anyone else but Steve for the fifteen years they had been together.  However, immediately after Adam felt Mark’s cock rubbing against his, he too sprang a boner.

When they felt each other’s hard cocks rubbing together, they mumbled simultaneously, “Nice.”

Adam had intended on giving Mark a hand job only, but the two horny, nearly young, homosexual men got carried away.  They made love.  In fact, they made love all evening and all night.  They used up two tubes of lube.  Both of them called in sick the next day. 

They went to work on Thursday and Friday, but they continued to make love on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.  Mark was in the habit of staying over on Friday and Saturday nights, and he just left his stuff in the guest room.

Sitting at his desk on Friday, Adam had a disquieting thought.  He realized that he wasn’t looking forward to Steve’s homecoming.  He loved Steve and he enjoyed their love making, but what he experienced with Mark, had blown him away.  He suddenly realized that he was madly in love with Mark, more so than he had ever loved Steve.  He tried to erase that thought, but it wouldn’t go away.

During the next six months Steve had to make three business trips to L.A.  Each trip lasted from two to four days.  While he was away, Mark and Adam made love constantly. They alternated between their two apartments.  Adam never revealed his infidelity to Steve.  He was just happy that Mark had come out of his deep depression.

*****

One evening after work, Steve came home looking troubled.  Of course, Adam immediately sensed that something was wrong.

“What’s up, sweetie?” he asked.

“Sit down, honey.  This is going to come as a big surprise.”

“Start talking.  You have me worried,” Adam said.

“Have you noticed how many business trips I’ve had to make to L.A. lately?”  Of course, Adam had noticed, but he didn’t say anything.  He just nodded.

“My firm wants me to head up the Los Angeles office.  It’s a big promotion, and my salary would nearly double.  I won’t do it if you can’t or won’t move with me.”

“Say again,” Adam whispered.

Steve repeated himself.

“That’s a lot to hit me with, and for me to think about.  Let’s go out to dinner.  I don’t feel like eating at home.  After dinner, let’s talk about it.”

“Okay.” Steve said.  He sounded very sad.  He was disturbed that Adam had not given him a resounding yes, at once.

They hardly said a word at dinner, but when they got home, Adam started to talk immediately, before he lost his nerve.

“I’m sorry, Steve,” Adam began.  “I have something to tell you, and you’re not going to like it.” 

Steve’s face clouded over.  He was certain that Adam was going to say no to moving out west.

Adam continued.  “Steve, I want you to take the promotion,” he said, “but please go without me.  I’ve wanted to tell you something for some time now, but I didn’t have the nerve.”

Steve was going to interrupt Adam, but wisely, he kept his mouth shut, so Adam continued.

“I’ve fallen madly in love with someone else, and for some time now, I wanted to tell you that I’m splitting, but I kept chickening out.” 

Steve said nothing, as he allowed this to sink in.  Finally, he said, very quietly.  “I must be a robot.  I never saw this coming.  I always thought we had the perfect partnership.  I must be some kind of a fool.  Do you know how much you just hurt me?”

Steve couldn’t say anymore.  He was crying, and that got Adam sobbing also.  “I’m sorry!” he said.

“Do I know your boyfriend?” Steve asked.

“Yes, It’s Mark.”

Steve started to laugh, but his laugh was very sardonic.

“I’d like you to pack a bag and move out tonight.  You can go to Mark.  As soon as I arrange for my move, you can come get the rest of your stuff, but I’m taking the furniture.  You don’t need any of it.  Mark is fully furnished.” Adam didn’t argue.

“I’m sorry,” Adam whimpered over and over again.

“Please leave,” Steve said, “before Larry turns over in his grave, or before I send you to join him.” 

-2- 

It took Steve two months to close out his apartment and make the move to L.A.  It took another couple of months for him to settle into his new apartment, and to get things running smoothly in his office.  He had to buy a car.  L.A. was not New York, and he needed wheels to get around.  He also decided to take a well-deserved period of R & R.  He checked the gay yellow pages, and honed in on a couple of gay bars in West Hollywood. 

His divorce was in progress, and he was single now.  He didn’t have to restrict his socializing to Fridays and Saturdays.  He made his decision to begin to socialize on a Wednesday, and that very evening, he visited one of the bars.  For a brief second, he wondered what Mark and Adam were doing this evening, but then he wiped it out of his mind.

It was a weekday so he had no trouble finding a seat at the bar.  In fact, it was early for bar hopping in L.A.  and the bar was practically empty.  By 9 PM you couldn’t hear yourself talking.

Shortly after Steve came in and sat down, a handsome man sat down next to him and ordered a vodka tonic.  The man was about five years older than Steve, probably thirty-eight or nine.  Steve was nursing a scotch and soda, when the man turned to him, and said, “Hi, my name’s James, but everybody calls me Jamie.  I’ve never seen you here before.”

Steve almost laughed at the dude’s terrible come-on line.  “You haven’t,” he said, “I just moved here from back east.  My name’s Steve.”  The two men shook hands, and remained silent for just a moment. 

Jamie looked around him, and asked, “How about joining me at a table before they all fill up?  We can talk, and get to know each other.”

Steve had no objection.  He needed to get to know people in his new city, and he wouldn’t mind getting laid by this guy.  The two men found themselves easy to talk to.  Steve even admitted that his partner of fifteen years had dumped him for their best friend.

Jamie smiled.  “My partner of eighteen years dumped me last year for a twinkie.  I’ve heard they’ve split already, but I won’t take him back even if he ever wants to.”

“We’re kindred souls,” Steve observed.

“Look,” Jamie said, tomorrow’s a work day, and as much as I’d like to ask you to come home with me, it’s too soon.  So, I’ll ask you instead, will you have dinner with me Friday night?  We can really get to know each other without rushing.”

“I’d love to have dinner with you Friday night.  Where and when?”

“You look like you can afford Spago’s.  How about meeting me there at 8 PM?  I’ll make the reservations.”

“You’re on,” Steve said.

Even though tomorrow was a work day, neither of them seemed inclined to leave.  They chatted for another hour, exchanged business cards, and went home.

The next morning, Jamie called Steve at work.  “I just wanted to tell you that I made the reservation, and I wanted to confirm our date.  I hope you don’t mind me calling you at work.”

“Not at all,” Steve said.  “I’m looking forward to tomorrow evening.”

The two men had been very candid with each other from the get go, so in the middle of dinner, Jamie had no trouble saying to Steve, “I like you, Steve, I like you a lot, and I have the hots for you.  If you can see it also, I’d like to pursue a relationship with you.”

Steve smiled, and laid his hand on Jamie’s.  “I can see that happening also.”

“Will you come home with me tonight?”

“If you hadn’t asked me, I would have asked you.”

The two men were not shy with each other.  They examined their naked bodies in Jamie’s bedroom, before showering together.  They were clones.  They were both six feet tall.  Both were uncut, four inches flaccid and seven inches hard. 

Steve could not help himself.  He compared Jamie to Adam.  Adam was cut and only reached six inches hard.  His cock was also thinner.  Jamie was way more muscled than Adam.  Steve didn’t know, but Jamie was comparing him to his former lover also, and he found Steve even more desirable.

They had intended to just cleanse themselves in the shower, and make love in bed, but Steve hadn’t had sex since he evicted Adam from their apartment.  He was like a raging bull.  He was all over Jamie, soaping every part of his body, rimming him, sucking him and finally, fucking him without protection. 

Steve’s heat rubbed off on Jamie, and he reciprocated with the same fervor.  Later, when they were finally in bed, they played sixty-nine and got themselves off once more.  Neither of them had cum more than once in the same night for a long time.

As they were falling asleep, Jamie whispered in Steve’s ear.  “You’re very special.  I’m falling in love with you.  I didn’t fall in love with my skunk of an ex-partner for several months.”

Steve leaned over and kissed Jamie.  “Same here,” he said.

They began to see each other regularly, and they were content to be monogamous.  They weren’t kids anymore.  Nine months after they met, Steve’s divorce was final, and they moved in together.  They were both finally able to put their exes behind them, and enjoy the present.  When they moved in together, Steve erased Adam’s cell phone from his contact list.  Until then, he was reluctant to do so.

-3- 

When Adam came to Mark’s apartment on the night Steve literally threw him out, Mark was shocked.  He always assumed that he and Adam would make love on any convenient occasion, but he had no intention of being monogamous or breaking up his two best friends. 

Adam had assumed too much.  Larry and Mark had gotten together when they were kids.  Neither had ever sown any wild oats.  Now that his depression had left him, thanks to Adam, Mark had hoped to sow those oats now that he was single. 

He let Adam in, and gave him shelter, but he had no intention of living with him long term.  Still, he didn’t want to upset his friend so he said nothing.  He would wait until Adam’s hurt subsided, and then he would ask him to find a place of his own.  Adam had destroyed his life, and he didn’t know it yet.

The first shock came when Mark asked Adam to put his suitcase in the guest room.

“Aren’t we going to make love tonight?” Adam asked.  He was bewildered.

“Sure, but not all the time,” Mark informed him.  “I have a slew of fuck buddies, and a standing date every Monday night.  The guy is married and he tells his wife that Monday is his poker night.  I’d appreciate if you stayed in your room on Mondays or go out for the evening.  By the way, how long will you be staying?”

Adam was thunderstruck.  He didn’t realize until this moment that he was just one of Mark’s tricks.  He assumed that Mark loved him as much as he loved Mark.  His assumption was one monumental mistake.

“I’m not staying at all,” Adam said, deeply hurt.  “In fact, I think I’ll head for the Y right now.”

“Don’t be silly,” Mark said.  “Stay over and we’ll play.  I’m free tonight.”

Adam said nothing.  He picked up his suitcase and left.  For one brief moment he thought of calling Steve, and begging him to take him back, but he was too embarrassed.  He got a room at the Y and began to nurse his wounds.

A young man came on to him in the shower, but he asked for a rain check.  He stayed at the Y for a week, and had sex twice with the young man.  The guy came so fast and ran out so fast, Adam was hardly satisfied.  At the end of the week, he moved into a furnished efficiency apartment on B Avenue in Alphabet City.

Adam lived this way for two years.  He had less and less sex as he pined away for Steve, and berated himself for being so stupid.  Finally, at the end of two years, he called Steve on his cell phone one evening when he got home from work. 

He forgot about the time difference and Steve was still at work.  Adam was no longer in Steve’s contact list so all he knew was that the call was coming from New York.  He picked up on the second ring.

“Hello.” he said.  “Who is this?”

All Steve heard was someone sobbing at the other end.  He knew immediately that it was Adam.  He started to hang up, but curiosity stayed his hand.

“Is that you Adam? What do you want?”

Adam got himself together.  “Please,” he begged, “forgive me.  I made a terrible mistake.  I want to come to Los Angeles.”

“You made more than just a terrible mistake,” Steve said, trying to sound as cruel as possible.  “You blew it big time.  I’m living with a great guy now.  You can’t hold a candle to him.  We’re getting married next month.”

“You’re getting married?” Adam asked incredulously.

“You better believe it, and Adam, I’ve made a new life for myself, and it doesn’t include you.  Please don’t call me again.”  Just before he hung up, he heard Adam crying.  For a moment his heart softened but he got over it very quickly.

That night, he made love to Jamie with the most passion he could muster up.  Jamie didn’t question what was going on with him.  He was one happy camper, and he blessed the day he had met Steve.

Chalk this up to just another of life’s many ironies.  And here’s one more.

Mark was no youngster.  Eventually, he grew tired of one night stands and his hedonistic life.  He wanted to settle down and find the serenity he had once enjoyed with Larry.  He contacted Adam regarding getting together, and Adam happily told him to fuck off.

Posted: 02/05/2021