Chapter Text
Jay had been invited to a Saturday afternoon barbecue by Tim, not because he and Tim were friends-they only passed each other in the dorm from time to time-but because Tim had mentioned the event to several people around campus, in the hope that more people would come and liven the event up a bit. Jay had gladly accepted-he was never one to pass up free food. It was at the home of Tim's aunt and uncle, which had a sizable balcony in the back and a set of wooden steps leading down to a grassy area below. The smell of cooked hamburger meat filled the air, and several smiling people milled about, some of them sitting at tables and enjoying their food, others standing in clusters of who knew each other, cans of beer in hand, and engaging in upbeat conversation. Of course Jay didn't know anybody there besides Tim, but at the moment all he cared about was sinking his teeth into the juicy burger on his paper plate, and he did so while leaning against the wooden railing of the balcony.
Then he spotted the handsome man sitting in a lawn chair down in the grassy area, wearing a pair of swim shorts and soaking his feet in a halfway-filled kiddie pool while holding a beer in one hand. Some kids in bathing suits were running circles around the pool, and all around the grassy area, squealing with childish glee. The man smiled as he watched them chase each other.
Jay tapped Tim on the shoulder as he was passing. "Who is that?" he wanted to know.
Tim stopped. "Who?"
"Him," Jay said, pointing in the man's direction.
"Oh, him? That's Mike," Tim said. "He used to date my cousin Rob. He's nice."
Rob. A male name. That was all Jay needed to know.
(Unless "Rob" was short for Roberta, which Jay hoped it wasn't.)
Jay finished his burger, then picked up one of the folding chairs that weren't being used at the moment and went down the wooden steps.
"Room for one more?"
Mike looked up at Jay and smiled, squinting in the sunlight. "Be my guest."
Jay removed his slip-ons and unfolded the chair close to the pool so he could place his feet in the water too.
"I can never say no to kids," Mike said. "They wanted me to join them in the pool, so I did, but then they got bored with it, I guess."
Jay noticed the blades of grass floating in the water. It looked like the kids had been in and out of the pool several times.
"I was just about to get up and go put my shirt back on when you showed up."
Glad I did, he thought. "I'm Jay. Jay Lear." He extended his hand.
"Mike Bentley."
Mike switched the can of beer to his other hand so he could shake Jay's.
Mike had light brown hair, blue eyes, no facial hair, and he wore glasses. He had a handsome smile. From up on the balcony, his swim shorts had appeared to have a random, blotchy pattern of varying shades of teal, turquoise, and aqua, but up close Jay could see the shorts were actually speckled with scores of dolphin silhouettes against a lighter blue background, as if they were all flipping through the air out of the water in unison.
"Nice shorts."
"Thanks." Mike folded his hands in his lap and let his head tip back a bit, eyes closed. "Sun feels nice."
Jay had on a pair of black shorts and a salmon colored shirt, which he was unbuttoning. He opened it completely, exposing more of his skin to the sunlight.
Mike took in the sight, trying not to be obvious about it. The hair on Jay's chest was as dark as the brown hair on his head. His eyes were also brown and he was clean shaven. He had a nice jawline. Mike found him very attractive.
Jay relaxed in the warm sunlight. "You're right, it does feel nice."
The two men started telling each other about themselves. Jay was 21, originally from Southern California, and currently attending classes at nearby Drexel University. Mike was 28 and worked as an accountant at a law firm, and he lived in the area, in a house in Ardmore, a suburb of Philadelphia.
"Join me for a walk?" Mike said after a while, standing up out of the chair.
"Sounds good," Jay replied.
Mike went and fetched his sandals and tank top. The two of them walked for a few blocks, covering about half a mile, until they reached the small lake that bordered the neighborhood where Tim's relatives lived. Jay and Mike hadn't even noticed it at first-their attention was focused on each other and the conversation they were having-when all of a sudden it just opened up to them.
"Join me for a swim?" Mike said with a twinkle in his eye.
Jay wasn't sure if he was serious or not, but responded, "Well, we are both dressed for it, aren't we?"
Mike pulled his top off in a quick, fluid motion. Jay took his shirt off as well and removed his slip-ons, putting them both down on the dock next to Mike's small pile. They held hands, standing at the edge of the dock and counting to three before jumping in together, lifting up their legs so that they both made a big splash when they hit the water. They swam a small distance away from the dock, then turned around in the open water and raced each other back. Moving over to where it was shallow, they engaged in some childlike horseplay, laughing and splashing around the whole time. Jay even stood on Mike's shoulders while he was crouching under the water's surface so that he could spring back up and propel Jay into the air. He somersaulted, then gravity brought him back down to the water with a splash.
Talk about a fantastic afternoon. Jay and Mike had only just met, but it felt like they were old friends who'd known each other a long time. Jay liked Mike a lot, and Mike seemed to like him too.
The sun was setting and the temperature was dropping, and it suddenly occurred to Jay and Mike that they had no towels with them, so they gathered their things and jogged barefoot in the direction of Tim's uncle's house, hoping they could find their way back. Luckily they did, and what a sight they were when they got there, both of them dripping wet and shivering. Most of the guests had left already, but the few who had stuck around had a good snicker at their expense.
Tim's uncle provided them with a couple clean towels. They dried off and dressed, and before parting company for the evening, Mike asked Jay out on a proper date, something better than a walk and a swim this time. Jay said yes.