Andy Cooper and his partner, Sandy Morrison (everyone joked about their rhyming names, Sandy and Andy), awoke to a bleak Manhattan sky and bitter cold weather.  Their apartment was warm enough; still, each felt a chill in the air.

They showered separately, and dressed as quickly as possible in order to ward off some of the cold that was chilling their bones.  They usually showered together, and played under the cascading water, but this morning they wanted in and out, ASAP. 

They swallowed their one-a-day vitamin pills with a glass of orange juice.  They never had breakfast at home, preferring to have leisurely, light breakfasts at coffee shops nearby their work.

Andy checked the outside temperature on his smart phone.  “It’s two degrees outside,” he said, “but the wind-chill factor makes it feel like minus five.  Be sure to bundle up really good.”

Sandy, who taught English in a high school, lectured him.  “That’s ‘really well,’ not ‘really good,’ and don’t worry, I have every intention of dressing as warm as possible.”

“I believe that’s ‘as warmly as possible,’ smart ass,” Andy got back at Sandy.

“Whatever.”

They took different buses to work, but both buses made a stop right on their corner.  One passed by Sandy’s school, and the other stopped one street from Andy’s office building.  Andy worked for an export-import firm.

They went downstairs to the bus stop.  It felt colder and more blustery than either had imagined.  To make things feel even chillier, there were snowflakes in the air.  They huddled close to each other, hoping that would make them feel warmer.  As much as they loved each other, each prayed that his bus would come along first. 

Andy’s came first.

“See ya later,” he said, throwing a kiss at Sandy.  “I love you.”

Sandy’s bus did not come by for another seven minutes.  The front doors opened and Sandy stood by waiting for the exiting passengers to disembark.  Nobody got off the bus, so Sandy climbed aboard, and put his token in the slot.  He stood still a moment, and searched the bus for an empty seat.  Usually he had to stand all the way to his school.  Perhaps it was due to the horrible weather, but nobody was standing today.  Fortunately, there was one empty seat towards the rear, on the window side.  He would have to climb over the passenger who was seated on the aisle.  For some reason that always bothered him.  Today it bothered him even more than usual.  He was sure the frigid air would make the window seat extra cold.

Halfway down the aisle he realized that the man next to the empty seat was smiling and waving at him.  Sandy stopped dead in his tracks.  If it were possible, he would have jumped off the bus.

**********

Sandy met Michael Anderson when he was a college junior.  They both attended City Universities.  Mike went to Queens College, and Sandy went to Brooklyn College. They met at a gay bar in Greenwich Village.  They were seated next to each other at the bar, and they began to chat.  At first the chatting was very casual, but Sandy happened to mention, very casually, that his folks had an apartment in West Palm Beach, and they had just left to enjoy the Christmas and New Year holidays in warm, sunny Florida.  He had his home entirely to himself.

There was nothing restrained about Mike.  He leered at Sandy, twirled an imaginary mustache, and asked, “How’d you like company during winter break?”  Sandy smiled, took Mike’s hand, and they ran out to take the subway to Brooklyn.

They made love all night.  They each had three orgasms, orally and anally.  Sandy was so amazed at Mike’s expertise that he began to wonder if he wasn’t a prostitute, who would present him with a bill before he left in the morning.  Fat chance collecting.

They fell asleep before the break of dawn.  Mike did not leave, and he did not present Sandy with a bill.  In fact the two young men spent the entire winter break together.  After that they dated exclusively until graduation.  They graduated on the same day so they couldn’t attend the other’s commencement ceremonies.

Sandy got employment first, but it wasn’t what he wanted.  He was hired by a New York City high school as a sub until there would be an opening.  Mike apprenticed himself to a CPA and he had a steady salary.  Sandy was able to supplement his income by teaching ESL at night, and coaching basketball at the Y on nights when he wasn’t teaching. 

Lucky for Sandy, the school took him on full time the very next school year.  Their combined salaries were more than enough for them to afford to rent a nice one bedroom apartment.  They never even questioned each other about moving in together.  It just seemed to happen. 

Mike was exceptionally handsome.  He was 6’2” tall, lean and hard.  He and Sandy worked out every chance they got.   He had black hair, which he wore short but not as short as a crew cut.  His eyes were a sky blue and his long black eyelashes added to his attractiveness.  He had a square chin, and he always looked exceptionally manly.  His job took him from client to client, and the staff at these clients, both men and women, often came on to him.  Early on, he gave in to temptation, and he began to sleep with many of them.  He was an equal opportunity fucker/fuckee.  He slept with either gender.  To his credit, he always made sure that he was well protected.

It didn’t take Sandy long to become aware of Mike’s infidelity, but Mike always came home to him, and he loved him so much that he ignored it.  His liberal attitude towards his cheating partner was the cause of Sandy’s undoing.

One Friday night Mike came home drunk.  He had had more than a few TGIF drinks with one of his contacts.  After a quickie with his trick (a man this time), he went home, literally staggering into the apartment.  Mike and Sandy always slept nude.  Somehow Sandy got Mike undressed, and into bed.  Then he undressed and lay down beside his inebriated partner.

Suddenly Mike was all over Sandy, demanding sex.  Sandy pushed him away.  “You’re too drunk,” he said, “and your breath is foul.”

Mike was four inches taller than Sandy and twenty-five pounds heavier.  He rolled Sandy over and raped him without any lubrication of any sort.  Sandy bled for two days, and his ass was sore for a week.  Notwithstanding all that, Sandy looked the other way.  He loved Mike too much to make waves in his blissful home.  At least he thought it was blissful, and this was the first time Mike had ever been abusive.  Sandy could forgive him for this one indiscretion.

The forgiveness lasted a little over a week, until Sandy began to itch badly in his ass and his pubic area.  It was so bad that Sandy went to see a dermatologist.  The doctor told him that he had a bad case of crabs.  After that he refused to have sex with Mike until they were both clear of the beastly condition.

The very next Friday, before the crabs were completely gone, Mike came home drunk again.  He demanded sex just as he had the last time.  This time they were fully clothed, and Sandy tried to run out of the apartment.  Mike caught him and threw him roughly on their bed.  Sandy was on his stomach, and Mike was pinning him down.  He pulled down Sandy’s trousers, and once again he raped his hapless partner.  Sandy didn’t bleed as much this time, but he vowed to end his relationship with Mike.  It was no longer Edenic.  It was abusive.

Sandy took a sick day off from work the next day, and after Mike left the apartment, he packed all his clothes and toiletries.  They were on a month to month lease, and he didn’t care what Mike did about the apartment, stay or leave.  He hailed a cab and went to his parent’s home in Brooklyn.

It took Sandy’s crabs two weeks to clear up.  It took his ass three weeks to heal, but it took a year for his libido to return enough so that he could start thinking about sex again.

When all the timing was right, he met Andy.

**********

It was the first day of the fall semester.  Sandy for one was glad to be back to work.  He no longer taught ESL, and he no longer coached basketball.  There was no need for him to supplement his income.  He could well afford the studio apartment he had recently rented.  He and his parents were delighted to get him out of the house.  In fact, he felt so good, he decided that he would go clubbing this very Friday evening.

There were enough gay bars in The Village that it was easy for Sandy to avoid the bar where he had met Mike.  It’s not that he might not run into him in another bar, but sub-consciously, Sandy felt safer in a different place.  He felt further protected because he wasn’t going to go there alone.  Sandy had become very friendly with one of the teachers in his school.  He was an older gay man who had been in a loving, monogamous relationship for twenty years.  Sandy asked him and his partner to join him this coming Friday evening.

“What’s the occasion?” Smitty asked.

“I just feel like celebrating the end of dog day afternoons,” Sandy replied.

“In that case it will be a pleasure for us to share your celebration.”

Smitty, Joel and Sandy met up at the bar Friday evening.  They came early and were able to snag a rare table.  “The first one’s on me,” Sandy insisted.  “What’s your poison?” 

He took their order, and headed for the bar.  The bartender walked over and Sandy said, “I’d like….” He never finished the sentence.  At the very same moment, a voice next to him said, “I’d like….”

Sandy and the other man laughed, said “bread and butter” simultaneously, and then began to argue about who should go first. 

“How many drinks are you ordering?” Sandy asked.

“Just one.  I’m alone tonight.”

“I’m ordering three, so please order first.”

“Okay, but three drinks is a lot to carry.  Let me help you carry one of them to your table.”

“That’s very nice of you.  Sure?”

“Sandy carried two drinks and the stranger carried the other two.  The table sat four people and everyone asked the man to join them.

“The stranger stuck out his hand and said, “I’m Andrew Cooper.  Just call me Andy.”

“I’m Richard Smith.  Everybody calls me Smitty.  Smitty and Andy shook hands.

“I’m Joel Rand,” Smitty’s partner said.  “I’m just Joe to my friends.”

Finally Sandy stuck out his hand.  “I’m Sanford Morrison, but just call me Sandy.”

Sandy took Andy’s hand and something happened, too awesome to comprehend.  It was like the universe was talking to them, creating a want in them that neither could explain.  It felt like two soul mates from some previous life had finally met in this one.  If that were the case, this particular meeting was a matter of destiny.

The four men chatted amicably for over four hours until the older couple said they needed to go home and get some sleep.  Sandy and Andy were left alone.  Neither had a doubt that they were going to sleep together that night.  They established that they both lived nearby, and Andy had a one bedroom apartment and Sandy had a studio.

“Would you like to see my place?” Andy asked hopefully.

“There’s nothing would make me happier,” Sandy answered. 

They both jumped up to leave, but instead of leaving they fell into each other’s arms.  They didn’t kiss; they just held each other tightly.  It said more about how they felt than a mere kiss.

As soon as they entered Andy’s apartment, he closed and locked the door.  When he turned around, Sandy was almost completely undressed.  His clothes were lying in a heap on the floor.  Andy joined him immediately, and they stood still soaking up the beautiful sight before them.  It is safe to say there was no competition.  They were both cut and about four inches when flaccid.  Andy erected to six and half inches, but Sandy beat him.  He erected to seven inches.  The difference was imperceptible, and neither of them cared.

 Sandy had been celibate for too long following his breakup with Mike.  His lust overcame him, and he fell to his knees.  Without any foreplay, he swallowed Andy’s cock.  Andy, of course, began to whimper, but when he felt himself cumming, he said, “Let’s shower and then take this to bed.  We have all weekend to make love.”

They couldn’t wait until they got into bed, and they started to make love in the shower.  They sucked each other until they couldn’t get harder.  Then, using soap as a lubricant they fucked each other twice.  After Andy came the second time, he stood under the showerhead and pulled Sandy to him.  They clutched each other hard, and fondled their cocks.  Both men were crying.

**********

When Sandy realized that the man waving at him was his ex-partner, Mike, he panicked, but there was no place for him to run.  Mike scooted over, leaving the aisle seat for Sandy.  The shocked Sandy sat down, but he didn’t know what to say.  He would have liked Mike to start a conversation.  Specifically, he would have liked Mike to apologize, but Mike just stared at Sandy.  He was smiling broadly.  Sandy realized that Mike was very drunk both times that he had raped him.  Perhaps he didn’t even remember the incidents.

The silence lasted too long, and Mike’s smile was making Sandy uncomfortable.  Finally, he said, “I’ve never seen you on this bus before.  Have you recently moved to the neighborhood?”

“Oh, no.  More often than not, I have to go to my office and pick up clients’ records and papers before I visit them, so I usually take an earlier bus.  That gives me plenty of time.”

“And you’re on this bus today because???” Sandy asked.

“I had a trick over yesterday, and we went at it all night, so I overslept.  The guy was gone before I woke up.  I would have let him stay the night because it was so cold, but I guess he decided to go home.”

“You’re alone then?” Sandy asked.

“Yeah, I enjoyed our relationship at first, but then I began to feel stifled,” Mike confessed.

“I know.  I always knew you were cheating on me.”

“It’s not a big deal.  I enjoy living alone with no shackles.  What about you?  Are you with someone?”

“I sure am.  We’re getting married this June.”

“No shit.  You’re a jerk.  Didn’t you learn how fast a relationship can go south when we split up?”

“Sure I did.  But my relationship is solid.  Andy and I are soul mates.”

Mike laughed, and then they became silent.  They had nothing else to say to each other. 

Finally, Sandy stood up.  The bus had reached his stop.  He didn’t know why, but he shook Mike’s hand and said, “See ya around.”

“Sure.  See ya.”

Sandy got off the bus, and he decided that it was too cold today to walk to the coffee shop to have his morning coffee and a bagel.  In spite of the bitter cold, he stood and faced the high school.  He wasn’t cold anymore.  Looking at his second home had somehow warmed him up.  He now knew that Mike was as big a jerk as he thought he was, and he loved Andy more than ever.

He rushed into the school, and hung his outer garments in the teacher’s lounge.  Then he pulled out his cell phone and called Andy.  “I love you,” he said.  “Don’t ever doubt it; not for a second.” 

He hung up, leaving Andy wondering, “What the f…?”

Posted: 04/06/18