Chapter 4

Chapter 4

David’s alarm started softly but gradually grew louder and more annoying until it pierced his slumber. He woke up to soft light shining into his room through the gauzy curtains and was forced to get out of bed and walk across the room to silence the alarm. He briefly considered going back to bed—he’d only gotten about two hours of sleep—but stumbled to the shower instead, after stopping in the kitchen to turn on the coffeemaker.

Once in the shower, with the warm water wetting his skin, he reflected on the previous night. His skin felt silky from the silicone lube he’d been too tired to wash off after Joseph had left. David ran his hands along his body, reliving the kissing, the licking, and the light nibbles he’d been subjected to. Even though he’d cum five times over the course of their tryst, his dick was becoming hard again just thinking about it. God, it had been good.

David’s hands moved back to feel his own smooth ass, squeezing the taut muscle as Joseph had done. His fingers slid between his cheeks and finally to his hole, which was still slick from the lube and slightly sore in that perfect way that let him know he’d remember the sex for a while. He and Joseph had flipped, neither one the top or the bottom, but both experiencing every part of the other in what felt like all possible levels of intimacy. The first couple of times were animalistic and raw, while the latter was gentle and more deliberate, and each in a different position. David had never had an experience quite like it. He had been tempted to ask Joseph to sleep over when they’d both had enough, but Joseph politely excused himself before David had a chance, saying he had an early day. Joseph ordered a Lyft and slipped out an hour or so before sunrise. They had made out by the front door while they waited for the ride, David still naked, pressed against Joseph’s expensive T-shirt and jeans. The kissing was gentle and passionate, in contrast to most of the intense frenching they’d done earlier. Joseph kissed like a pro. He opened his mouth at just the right times, just the right amount, and there was the perfect amount of tongue… God, he was a good kisser.

David laughed at his repeated mental invocations of His name and thought how much his mom would disapprove as she clutched her rosary. His parents didn’t talk about his sexuality, and even if he’d been straight, would never have approved of quite so much sex outside of a committed monogamous relationship.

Relationship. David found he really wanted to go on a proper date with Joseph. Obviously, the sex was amazing. Maybe the best he’d ever experienced—he was still stroking himself thinking about it—and now he wanted to know more about this man. David was in no rush to become part of a couple, but he had always loved the idea of sharing his life with someone special; someone who had a good head on their shoulders, a good heart, and didn’t go crazy after they moved in together like Brad from Orange County. Something about Joseph made David think he could have those qualities. His ability to be gentle and, let’s face it, versatile in bed was a good sign. But also, he had a sense of humor and general good nature. Many of the gays in WeHo got bitchy when they were around each other, always passing catty judgement on every little thing. Joseph, on the other hand, had literally stopped last night to smell flowers on the way up to the apartment security gate, commenting on how he loved the way the star jasmine made the city smell.

At the end of their time together, when the Lyft app had notified Joseph that his ride was a minute away, he had asked David to put his number in his phone. He had texted <Joseph from Micky’s> with a smirk, before giving one last kiss and slipping out the door into the hallway.

Back in the present, David reluctantly turned off the hot water of the shower and stepped out, grabbing a towel and drying himself while making his way to his computer where his phone was charging. He unlocked it with a touch and saw the message notification from an unknown number. He opened it, hoping there would be at least a couple of texts there, but only <Joseph from Micky’s> appeared. David noted the blue chat bubbles of a fellow iPhone user, which was another red flag avoided. If he has a decent job and likes dogs, he might be the one, he thought with a laugh.

David pondered what to do, mulling over the classic dilemma of how quickly to text a guy you were interested in. He realized that waiting an arbitrary length of time to say anything was stupid and childish, which only meant the content of his reply needed to be considered. He decided not to be too forward, and just tapped out <I really had fun last night, thanks!>, adding a winky smile emoji at the end. He thought about saying he wanted to meet again but couldn’t make his sleep-deprived brain work out how to say it without seeming too slutty or too desperate. But if Joseph replied, they could go from there.

Around noon, Joseph had not yet replied. David was on the studio lot in the writing offices of a show gearing up for its fifth season. His Associate Producer credit was a technical promotion from assistant to the show runner, but basically it was the same job. His real passion was directing, but he’d stumbled into an assistant job out of college with the creators of the TV show he was now working on, and he’d enjoyed decent pay while slowly climbing the production ladder. David directed the odd short film to satisfy his passion.

A couple weeks into the new season, the staff and crew were in a groove and knew their jobs well, but currently there wasn’t much to do. The show’s writers were writing the first few episodes of the season and mapping out the rest. Which was good today, because David was starting to crash from his sleep deprivation. Instead of lunch. he decided to go out to his car and have a nap. He had a parking spot in the ramp nearest to the soundstages now, so it was cool enough to do that, and also fairly dark from the shade. On the way to the car, he held his phone, checking it every minute or so, hoping a text from Joseph would come through, but it remained stubbornly notification-free.

The rest of the day crawled by. A trip to the restroom turned into a masturbation session once David saw his own dick at the urinal, unencumbered by his jeans, and memory from the previous evening’s sex came flooding back. He came fast and hard, moments before a production assistant walked in. David regained his composure quickly enough to exchange pleasantries with the younger guy, stuffing his still mostly hard penis into his pants.

Sitting at his desk later, staring at a spreadsheet with the production budget on it but not really seeing it, he was startled by a hand on his shoulder and let out a small shout.

“Damn, sorry dude! I said your name like five times, but you were zoned out!”

Dana had stepped back with her hands up to signal a non-threat. The two of them had come up from the bottom as PAs together, and she was basically David’s best friend. Her dark hair was in a pixie cut that looked boyish on her five-foot frame, and her ever-present smirk was darkened a bit by her worried face.

David took a couple of deep breaths to slow his heartbeat. “Sorry, I was totally spacing out. I’m a little sleep deprived.”

“For good reasons or bad reasons? Everything okay?” she asked, momentarily dropping her usually snarky attitude and showing some genuine concern.

David blushed. “For good reasons. Like, really good reasons.”

“Oooooohhh, David got laaaaaaiid,” Dana teased in a singsong voice. “Was he hot?”

“Really hot, yeah,” David chuckled back. The pair had no secrets from each other. They were so inseparable the rest of the crew sometimes referred to them as DayDay. They were constantly making each other laugh, which had earned them unofficial bans from the set during filming after they’d been overheard on the audio track during a scene at the beginning of the previous season.

“Aww, that’s great! It’s been too long, boyo.” She sat on the edge of his desk, settling in for the details. “So how big is he?”

David laughed, “That’s the first thing you want to know?”

“Obvi. So?” Dana mimed filing her nails and started chewing a nonexistent wad of gum.

David leaned in and lowered his voice. “A bit above average. But like, really nice…”

Dana matched his tone and leaned in conspiratorially. “Omigod, you slut. Are you going to have his babies?”

“No, but not for lack of trying,” David shot back.

“Omigod, that is so damn hot, D.” Dana fanned herself with an invisible fan. “My Lawd! D got some D!” She leaned back in. “So, tell me everything!”

“I’m not going to tell you everything. We met at Micky’s and after some dancing we went back to my place and had some fun.” David glanced around to make sure none of the interns were nearby. “Several times…”

Dana put the back of her non-fan hand up to her forehead as if about to faint. “I’ve said it a thousand times, gays are so lucky. Are you seeing him again?”

David sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I texted him this morning when I got up, but he still hasn’t replied.”

“But he gave you his number.”

“Yeah. Well, he asked for mine and texted me before he left.”

“Oh my gods, then don’t be so dramatic. You saw him write a text to you and send it and it then appeared on your phone?”

“Yeah…”

“Then he’s obviously interested, ya dink. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have asked for your number, and definitely wouldn’t have texted you while he was there. And if you’d asked for his number, he would have given you a fake one.”

“I guess you’re right,” David conceded.

“Trust me. I am, alas, an expert in such things.” Dana noticed the doubt on his face. “Dude, there are a hundred reasons why you might not have gotten a reply—” she glanced at her watch, “eight whole hours later? Man, you’re such a girl!”

“And you’re practically a boy, that’s why we get along so well,” David shot back.

“Yeah, so maybe he has a job? Like you and I do? Did you ask what he does? Did you talk at all or just move right to the…?” She tried to stick one index finger into the other fisted hand, but the fist was too tight, and Dana started biting her lower lip with the effort to push it in. David let out a barking laugh at the visual.

“Stop! Gross,” he laughed before addressing her actual question. “Yes, we talked, a little. No, I didn’t ask about his job, but he was wearing designer jeans, so I think he has one, at least.”

Dana threw her hands up. “Great! And maybe he works late! My point is, knowing only what I know about the text thing, he definitely wants you again. And dude, why wouldn’t he? You’re a catch and a half.”

“Oh, stahhhp…”

“I will not stop! Seriously, you blush when you talk about this guy. You’re like so into him.”

She was right, David could feel the heat flushing his skin.

Dana continued, pointing a finger at him to drive her point home, “Don’t even begin to worry about not hearing from him until at least twenty-four hours later. Mmkay?”

“Mmkay.”

“Mmmmmm kay.” She straightened. “So what did you need again?”

“Me? This is my desk, you grabbed me.”

“Oh! Right.” Dana stood up from his desk. “I just wanted to tell you that you. Are. A buttface.”

David laughed. “Your face is a buttface.”

Dana faked an offended gasp. “I’m going to HR!”

They both laughed. A couple of the other staff looked their direction. David asked, “Seriously though, did you need something?”

“No, I’m just bored and was trying to get your attention, but you were in your own little world. Drinks after work?”

David turned back to the budget spreadsheet. “For sure, as long as I can stay awake.”

“I’ma get you a coffee. DayDay’s gonna get their drink on tonight!” Dana turned and headed for the snack room where the office had recently gotten a fancy coffeemaker that ground fresh Starbucks beans and made espresso drinks.

“I would love that and love you for it!” David started reviewing the data and managed to push Joseph out of the front of his mind.