MAX
I left it too long.
Channing is great.
Any man would be lucky to have him…
Needless to say, this approach to life came with many benefits. However it also came with downsides too. And it seemed like recently, the downsides were beginning to very much outweigh the upsides.
Still, Max was enjoying being with Channing again.
Max just had to find out what was suddenly bugging him…
‘It’s okay. If you’re regretting allowing me to stay, then I can haul my ass out of your place. No problems at all,’ Max said, wanting to show Channing that he wasn’t some down and out freeloader. ‘You know me, I never outstay my welcome.’
Max stopped talking and cast his eyes over Channing.
Channing still looked so young. Channing may have been well on the way to developing an impressive career, and he was also clearly putting the time in at the gym too, but to Max he still had the same fresh-faced look he always did back at college.
Max felt nervous as he waited for Channing to reply. It was certainly possible that Channing might tell Max that he had to leave. After all, Max had hurt Channing in the past and Max wouldn’t have blamed Channing for holding a grudge.
Fortunately though, whatever it was that was on Channing’s mind wasn’t enough to make him rescind his offer…
‘No, no, you can stay,’ Channing said, smiling a little nervously. ‘It’s just… work stuff on my mind. Nothing to do with you, Max. It will be a pleasure to have you around. It’s been way too long, right?’
Max smiled. Channing may have been trying to act all mature and self-assured, but Max knew that there certainly was something going on that Channing wasn’t revealing.
What that thing was, Max didn’t know. But right now all that mattered was that Channing seemed happy enough for Max to stay at his place.
‘So how about I get us a couple more juices?’ Channing said, standing up from the chair. ‘We can get them to go, then head back to mine?’
Max nodded in approval.
There was a moment as Channing smiled back at him that Max felt a surge of electricity between them.
It was the same feeling as earlier. Some things would never change, no matter what life threw at Max and Channing.
But Max knew that right now he was in no place to be putting the moves on anyone, he was simply grateful to have such a good guy as a friend.
The boy’s got love in his heart.
He always did.
I’m lucky to have him in my life…
* * *
Back at Channing’s place, Max was enjoying the feeling of spending the evening relaxing on a supremely comfortable couch rather than the cramped confines of his car.
That wasn’t to say that everything was perfect…
‘This movie… sucks ass!’ Max laughed, rolling his eyes as the predictable superhero movie took yet another totally predictable turn. ‘Please don’t tell me that you’re loving it?’
Channing rolled his eyes and took a big, crunchy bite out of his apple.
Max watched Channing as he munched on the apple. Wearing a tight white t-shirt and a pair of new, slim-fit chinos, Channing looked good. Channing had a more slender frame than Max, but he had been working out and his body looked strong.
Max had to work very hard to stop his mind from wondering as to how Channing’s body might shape up naked these days…
Nope. Do not think about him naked.
Just don’t do it.
Going there would be a baaaad idea.
Fortunately for Max and his wandering mind, Channing finished crunching on his apple and was able to get involved in the conversation again.
‘It’s… okay,’ Channing said, hastily swallowing the chunk of apple in his mouth. ‘I’ve seen better, I’ll give you that.’
‘Seen better? These modern superhero movies just ain’t what they used to be,’ Max said, genuinely annoyed at what he was seeing on Channing’s sleek Ultra HD screen. ‘This TV screen is insane though. It deserves a real film.’
Channing laughed as he finished off his apple.
‘Okay old man, cool story!’ Channing said, laughing at his own joke. ‘Tell me another story about how everything was way better back in the ancient past!’
Max laughed, even if Channing’s sass was igniting a desire in Max to spank his friend’s butt red-raw.
Whatever, it was good to see Channing so relaxed and enjoying firing back with some banter of his own.
Thinking back to when they first met, Max recalled how Channing would often go back into his shell when he was challenged by someone who he didn’t really know all that well.
But Max had always seen that Channing was quick witted and as capable of smack talking just about anyone – if he felt confident enough to do it.
The more time Max and Channing had spent together at college, the more Max had seen Channing’s confidence grow. By the time that Max was on the verge of dropping out, he could see that Channing was confident enough to handle himself and forge his own path.
Well, that was the justification that Max constructed in his head at the time.
But having listened to what Channing had said about being deeply hurt when Max left, Max was beginning to see that perhaps Channing was – and maybe always would be – a deeply sensitive guy at heart.
And this just made Channing all the more appealing…
‘You look so damn cute,’ Max said, noticing how tight Channing’s waist looked in comparison with his well-defined but petite triceps and biceps. ‘Maybe I’d be more into this lame-ass movie if you weren’t looking so good.’
Channing immediately began to blush, which only made him a whole heap cuter as far as Max was concerned.
‘Fine. You look as sexy as ever too!’ Channing giggled, his eyes peeking out from behind his fingers. ‘There, I said it. Happy?’
‘I will be if you let me do one more thing,’ Max said, reaching over and cupping Channing’s delicate chin in his hand and turning Channing’s mouth towards his. ‘Just for fun. Just like old times…’
The second that Channing’s lips touched Max’s, it was like being transported back to Channing’s dorm room on campus. With Max’s feelings clearly reciprocated, the pair of them began to kiss passionately. It was as if no time had passed at all, and the spark was very much still there.
If anything, this felt like all of their old kisses rolled into one super-charged version. Max could feel his cock rapidly begin to harden and push up against the crotch of his jeans.
‘Oh shit, should we be doing this?’ Channing said, briefly pausing before answering his own question and simply continuing to kiss Max.
Max moaned his approval as Channing’s hand found its way down to the front of Max’s jeans. As Channing squeezed and applied downward pressure onto the throbbing bulge at the front of Max’s jeans, Max momentarily found himself questioning whether this was in fact a good idea…
I don’t want to hurt Channing, not after last time.
I never want to make the boy cry again.
But… he’s obviously into this, so….
Unable to resist the touch and feel of Channing’s hands and lips, Max continued to make out with his old college friend. All of Max’s troubles suddenly felt so far away, almost totally out of his mind except for the deepest recesses.
Keen to progress the situation into something even more appealing, Max went to unbutton the top button of Channing’s jeans.
One button… popped.
Two buttons… popped.
Three buttons…
‘Um, I think we’ve, um, made a mistake,’ Channing said, abruptly pulling away and practically jumping off the couch. ‘This is a bad idea. Really bad. Like the worst idea ever.’
To Max’s shock, Channing didn’t even wait around for a response. Channing simply turned and more or less ran to his bedroom and firmly shut the door behind him.
‘Urgh,’ Max said, letting out a long sigh. ‘Maybe you’re not so different from college after all, kid.’
Max was hot, horny, and ready for fun.
But seemingly Channing had reservations.
Max knew from past experience that the last thing Channing would want now is for Max to approach him. What Channing needed was time to cool off by himself in the safety of his own room.
With the unsatisfying superhero movie still playing on the TV, Max aimlessly scrolled through his phone. The cracked screen was actually getting worse, so Max was barely able to make out anything.
This was far from the end to the evening that Max had hoped for.
Still, anything was better than another night spent in his car.
Or worse, a night spent on the streets.
Max felt fortunate to have been taken in by Channing, but given how awkwardly the evening had ended, a part of him might have preferred a night spent sleeping on the Los Frisco beach.
‘Time to check out the football highlights,’ Max said, reaching over for the TV controller and flipping through the menu to get to the sports channels. But to his dismay, Channing didn’t have the sports package. ‘Of course you don’t. I know when I’m beat. It’s time to get my old ass to bed.’
With that, Max stood up from the couch and gingerly moved his injured shoulder in a circular motion. It felt like it was improving, and there was certainly far less pain than there had been earlier.
Perhaps Channing’s insistence on that wheatgrass shot hadn’t been so bad after all…