Chapter 15
July, 2022
Randy
I’d never been happier to be on my way to the cabin.
My week had been hectic, and whereas I usually drove the five hours it took to get from LA to Carmel on Saturday, I’d finished early the day before and headed home, avoiding the rush hour, and while it took longer than normal, I was walking through my front door at nine p.m. with a huge sense of relief.
Saturday promised to be glorious, and although I was packed and ready for the almost five-hour drive to the lake, I had a hankering to stare out at the Pacific from my favorite viewpoint. I threw my bag in the trunk, got into the car, and headed south along Cabrillo Highway. It would add another forty-five ish minutes to my trip, and I loved standing at the viewpoint, admiring the graceful curves of Bixby Creek Bridge.
As I pulled into the curb, mine was the only car there, but I wasn’t alone. A solitary figure stood on the bluff, facing the bridge, and I had to wonder how he’d gotten there. Then I saw the motorbike a few feet away from him.
I strolled over to him, admiring the rear view. He was maybe five-eight, with dark hair and broad shoulders. I couldn’t make out his shape—it was hidden by the open plaid shirt he wore—nor could I see much of his ass, but his skinny jeans clung to his legs, revealing muscular thighs.
How about that? I get two views to look at for the price of one.
He turned as I approached, and I raised my chin pretty damn quick. I pointed to the bridge. “It’s impressive, isn’t it?”
He nodded. “You can say that again.” He smiled. “I was just thinking, one day I want to design something like this.”
The whiteness of his smile contrasted with his tanned skin, and I realized that one of his parents had to be African American, or at least have that heritage.
He was so easy on the eyes, and his voice was low and deep.
Then his words sank in.
“Are you studying architecture, then?”
He had to be twenty, no more than twenty-two or three.
His smile widened. “Yeah, I am. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”
“Where are you studying?”
“In San Francisco.”
It was my turn to smile. “The Academy of Art University, School of Architectural Design?”
He beamed. “That’s right.”
I tilted my head. “And how is Professor Wheeler these days?”
His eyes lit up. “You know him? He’s awesome.”
“Our paths have crossed. I’m an architect myself.” I gestured to the bridge. “And you rode for at least a couple of hours to see this?”
“I’ve been meaning to for a while. And now the semester has finished…”
I chuckled. “Ah, those were the days. What’ll you do with your summer? Get a job?”
“That’s one option. I know what I’d like to do—visit famous architecture around the country.”
Yeah, I liked this guy more and more. He reminded me of me.
“What’s on your list?” I wondered if it resembled the one I’d drawn up so many years ago.
“Fallingwater is pretty high up there, but I’d love to see everything Frank Lloyd Wright designed.” He sighed. “I’d better get going. I may be on vacation, but my tutor has given me a reading list for the summer. If I start now, I might just finish it by the time the next semester arrives.” He held his hand out, and I shook it. “It was good to meet you. Except I should ask your name before I go. Would I have heard of you?”
I laughed. “I doubt it. I’m small potatoes when it comes to famous architects. My name’s Randy Bowman.”
His warm smile was a joy to see. “Call me Logan. It was good to meet you.” He went over to his bike.
I was smiling too. Logan was polite, intelligent, personable, and on top of all that, he was a stunner.
Meeting him had been a great way to start my weekend.
I gazed at the concrete span, one of the highest bridges of its kind in the world, and also one of the most graceful. I could have given Logan chapter and verse about its construction, but he probably knew all that anyway.
Then I realized something was wrong. Logan’s bike sounded as if it was choking.
I walked over to where he knelt beside it. “Problem?”
He glanced up at me. “You could say that. I think it’s died.”
“I don’t know a lot about bikes but let me take a look.” I tried starting it, I peered at the engine… Then I straightened. “Okay, I think you’re right.”
“Great,” he intoned, his voice gloomy.
I thought fast. “I’ve got an idea. I live in Carmel, less than half an hour from here. Why don’t I call a breakdown service there and have someone come pick up your bike?”
“They’re not gonna deliver it to San Francisco when it’s fixed, are they? If they can fix it.”
I stroked my chin. “Okay, look. I’m going to my cabin at Lake Tahoe for the weekend. Why don’t you come with me? There’s plenty of room—it has five bedrooms—and I’ll drop you off at the garage in Carmel to pick your bike up when it’s ready. I can be back there Sunday night or Monday morning. I work in LA, but that’s a five-hour drive and I was planning on working from home.” I rolled my eyes. “I think you can put your summer reading off for a couple of nights.”
He blinked. “You want to take me to your cabin?”
I grinned. “It might interest you. In fact, I know it will. I designed it when I was probably your age.”
He widened his eyes. “Seriously? I’d really like that.”
“Then it’s settled. I’ll even take you back to San Francisco so you can grab what you need for a night or two. It’s on the way.”
Logan beamed. “Thank you.”
I got my phone out. “Then let me find a mechanic. We’ll wait until they’ve collected the bike, then we’ll go. We’ll have to make a stop at my place. I’ve just realized I’ve forgotten to pack the book I’m reading. That’ll only take a second.”
“Do you have pictures of your projects? I’d love to see them.”
I did my damnedest not to smile. I’d used that line once on a professor when I was doing my masters. I’d gone back to my room the following morning with aches in all the right places and a grin that would not quit.
Logan’s enthusiasm was genuine.
“Sure, we can do that.”
“You know I’m gonna be Googling you all the way back to your place, don’t you? So I can tell my classmates I met you.”
I laughed. “Trust me, they’ll be totally underwhelmed.” I pointed to my car. “We can sit in it while we wait.” I found a number and made the call.
Sitting in the car in the morning sun, the top down, chatting with a beautiful guy about architecture?
It sounded like heaven.
The next song poured from the car speakers and I grimaced. “What is that?”
Logan grinned. “It’s called “That’s What I Want”, by Lil Nas X.”
“Never heard of them.”
“He’s great. I also love stuff by Ed Sheeran, Glass Animals, Dua Lipa, Adele, Harry Styles…”
“I’ve heard of the last two, and Ed Sheeran rings a bell,” I told him. “The rest? Sounds like a foreign language. What about Coldplay, NSYNC, Lady Gaga?”
He snorted. “I love Mother Monster, but those others? Who are they?”
I frowned. “Mother Monster? You just lost me.”
Logan chuckled. “That’s what Lady Gaga’s fans call her.”
I gave up and switched off the radio.
We’d passed Sacramento and were approaching Colfax, which meant we had about eighty minutes to go before we reached the cabin. We’d talked nonstop about architects, their successes, and a few monstrosities. We disagreed about the Grande Arche de la Defense in Paris, but both agreed the Tour Montparnasse should never have been built. He surprised me—for his age, his breadth of knowledge was impressive.
Our musical tastes were obviously worlds apart.
“Tell me about yourself.”
Logan rested his arm on the car door. “Not a lot to tell. I was born in California. My mom and dad split. I live with her, and I’m an only child. I always wanted to study architecture.”
“And are you enjoying college?”
He grinned. “I’m loving it. Except it’s only recently I figured out college is more than just studying.”
I returned his grin. “I hear ya. For me, UCLA was wonderful.” Some instinct told me to be bold. “It opened a door for me, giving me access to a whole new world—of guys.”
There was silence for a moment.
“You’re gay? Bi?”
“Gay,” I confirmed.
He pushed out a breath. “I envy you, Randy. You seem so… comfortable in your own skin.”
I snorted. “It’s called age. I’m forty-four. I’m too long in the tooth to give a shit what someone thinks of my sexuality.” Then I frowned. “You envy me?”
He let out another sigh. “I’m gay. I think I first knew back in high school. College kinda confirmed it.”
I envied him too. He was just starting out on what I hoped would be an entertaining and amazing journey. Sure, there would be a few pitfalls along the way, and a fair share of heartache, but it was so worth it.
I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. I also hoped I had many more years of memorable encounters still in store for me.
“So now you’re in this whole big melting pot. Met any interesting guys?”
“A few.” He gave a wry chuckle. “I’ve certainly met a few straight guys who were checking out the other side of the fence.”
I laughed. “Sounds as if little has changed since my college days. Lord, there was a lot of sex.”
“Can’t say I’ve had that much. But I’ve learned from my mistakes.”
“Have you made many?”
He counted off on his fingers. “Douching is way less scary that I thought it would be, never make assumptions about a guy’s sexuality based solely on his looks or his actions, foreplay is just as vital as what follows, and most importantly… lube is my friend.”
I winced. “Ouch. So is there anyone special?”
“Not really. All the guys I meet seem too keen to get in—literally—then get out and go find someone else. Everyone wants to take the fast lane, but not me. I know, that probably sounds weird coming from a twenty-year-old guy who only lost his virginity a year ago.”
“Not weird—refreshing.”
The more he talked, the more I liked him.
Once I’d given him the tour, we went onto the porch with a couple of sodas. He gazed out at the lake.
“This is fantastic. Such a beautiful space. How often do you come here?”
“Once or twice a month, more in spring and summer. I have three friends from my college days who come here twice a year, sometimes more often. We’ve been doing it ever since I built the place.” I sat on one of the steamer chairs. “This is where I come to unwind, to de-stress.”
“I can see how this would help.” Logan turned to face me. “And yeah, I still envy you.”
I chuckled. “I’m glad you like the cabin. I’m proud of it.”
He said nothing for a moment, but walked over to sit on the chair next to mine.
“These friends of yours…Are they like you?”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Well, are they your age? Do they look like you?”
I bit back a smile. “We’re the same age, and how do I look?”
His dark eyes twinkled. “What would you do if I said you look hot?”
Oh God.
I swallowed. “I don’t know. Why don’t you say it and we’ll find out?”
Logan rose, then sat astride the long bed of the steamer chair, staring into my eyes.
“You are one hot dude.” He gave a shiver. “And I have never been so bold my entire life.”
I couldn’t help myself. I sat up, leaned forward, and kissed him, a soft brushing of lips. His cute little whimper told me I shouldn’t stop there.
I cupped his chin. “Open for me.”
His eyes widened, his lips parted, and I slid my tongue into his mouth, seeking his. I cradled his face in my hands and deepened the kiss, joy flooding through me in a hot tide when Logan placed his hands on my chest.
I lay back, taking him with me, and he stretched out on top of my body, rolling his hips in a gentle grind as we kissed over and over again, until I could feel the hardness of him against my own burgeoning erection.
I stroked his cheek. “Now I’ll be bold. Where do you want this to go from here?”
“Okay, literally? You showed me your bedroom, but I think I need to see it again. And when we get there…” Logan insinuated his hand between our bodies and gave my crotch a squeeze. “I want this inside me. If that’s what you want too.”
I kissed his forehead. “Yes, I want that. So let’s get the practicalities out of the way. I’m on PrEP. My last test was a month ago. Nothing to report. And if there are any condoms around here, they expired a long time ago.”
He drew in a deep breath. “I didn’t bring any because it never occurred to me that I’d get this… lucky.” He shook his head. “So there I am, telling you about guys in a hurry to get me into bed, and then I go and act the same way with you.”
“Yeah, but that’s where I want to be.” I smiled. “So we’re on the same page.”
“I had a test two months ago because one guy I was with told me it was a good habit to get into. And I have nothing to report either. Except to say I’ve been with three guys this year, and the last one of them was over a month ago.” He gave me a slightly anxious glance. “Do you have lube?”
I chuckled. “You don’t need to worry on that score. ”
“Then we’re good?”
I tilted his chin with my fingertips and kissed him on the lips.
“We are. Except there’s one more thing I want to say.” I looked him in the eye. “I prefer the slow lane too. And I’m going to make it good for you.”
He shivered. “I believe you.”
I smiled. “Now let me show you the way back to my room, as you seem to have forgotten.”
Logan thought he was lucky?
Someone up there really likes me.