Friends and Love Ch. 03

Bruce's POV

When Marcus arrived at the party I was still talking to Seth. We were still talking about what was going on with me and his boyfriend, Tom; but the mood had lightened, so we had actually gone back out to the party. Having talked about the issues that worried us the most, we were able to relax and were talking about what was going on simply to understand each other's position better.

Marcus was the guy from last week. We had really hit it off and I had been certain he was a sure thing. I guess he was but he just happened to think my ass was a sure thing too. Which is precisely why I didn't want to talk to him now.

So I didn't even ask Seth, and as soon as I saw Marcus coming into the front door I grabbed his arm and pulled him back into his room, closing the door behind us.

"What was that?" He asked, confused.

"Sorry, Marcus just got here," I explained.

"He did? I should go say hi," he motioned for the door but I stopped him.

"No! Wait," I said, "Can we stay here for a while?"

I knew I was being childish, but I really didn't want to talk to Marcus and I knew I would have to do so if I went back out to the party.

"We can stay here for a few minutes but we have to go out soon, bro. We can't stay here the whole night," he explained.

"Why not? We don't even have to stay here the whole night, just until he leaves."

"Sorry dude but I am the host, and I've already been rude being here with you for so long. I have to go back out," as he was saying this the door to the room opened.

I was briefly scared it might be Marcus but immediately relieved upon seeing it was Tom. He came in and asked, "I thought you guys were done talking, what are you doing here?"

"Sorry babe, Bruce just needed a little time off from the party," I could tell he didn't want to reveal what I had told him about Marcus and me. But I didn't care if Tom knew.

I quickly explained to him about me and Marcus meeting last week and everything else I had told Seth, up to me wanting to stay here until Marcus left.

"Only problem is, I can't be here all night," Seth said.

"No you can't, Marcus is already asking for you, that's why I came looking for you guys," Tom explained.

"Shit, I'll go now then. Sorry Bruce, you can stay here as long as you want," he said to me, "See you in a bit, babe," he then said to Tom before opening the door and going out, closing it behind him.

Tom and I stayed quiet for a few seconds, looking at each other. The last time we had been alone I had shot a load of cum up his ass. I was wondering if we would be repeating things now. Which is how I got an idea.

"I got it!" I almost shouted.

"What?" I could tell I had taken him out of some daydream.

"You can act as if you were my boyfriend, that will keep Marcus away for good," I said, proud of my idea.

"That's a dumb idea," I was surprised to hear Tom say.

"It isn't, look, if Marcus sees me with someone else, particularly with me being in the dominant role, he'll lose any incentive to talk to me, because he'll realize there is no way for us to hook up," I reasoned.

"Yeah, that's not the dumb part," he said, and I was now confused, "What's dumb is thinking I'd want to do that."

"Why wouldn't you? It would just be a favor. Besides, we don't have to do much, maybe just some kissing and some groping over the clothes. It's not like we haven't done more than that," I said.

"Again, not really the problem," he said, clearly exhausted.

"Then what's the problem?" I asked, even more confused than before.

"The problem is I already have a boyfriend," he said, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world, "And his friends, along with many of mine happen to be out there. I don't want them to know what's going on between us, and I'm sure Seth wouldn't like his friends thinking I'm cheating on him."

"I thought you said he liked feeling like you were cheating on him."

"Yeah, but he has told me before that he wouldn't want anyone else to know," he explained.

I thought about the fact that I had already told Ryan and Scott about me and Tom, and how it hadn't affected anyone. But I decided not to say anything about that.

"Okay fine! It's a dumb idea then, but I don't know how was I supposed to just know that," I said.

"You weren't," he conceded, "But that's supposedly why you guys had to talk to each other," he shot, "If you didn't talk about that, then what the fuck have you been talking about all night?"

"We did talk about that. I mean, we talked about some limits and stuff," I said.

"Clearly not as much as you should have," Tom said.

"Because we also talked about other things, like you and how-" I cut myself off.

"You talked about how you guys like to fuck me?" He asked incredulously.

I simply nodded, knowing he was going to be mad at that.

"You fucking idiots, you should have been talking about stuff that's important, not about how you want to bend me over," he was clearly mad.

"You're right, sorry!" I tried to calm him down, "But you did say we still had to talk, all three of us together, we can talk about it then."

He was calming down some but clearly still angry, "Fine, I have to go, stay here if you want," he said and motioned for the door.

But I stopped him and pushed him against it, "Or... you could stay here with me and we could have some fun."

I kissed his lips and he resisted at first, wanting to say something. But soon his resistance melted away and he kissed me back. It was slow at first but when I tried to make it more passionate he pushed me back.

"I can't Bruce, I have to go out," he said.

"You have to, or you want to?" I tried to persuade him.

"I want to," he said, determined, "My boyfriend is out there and I want to be with him."

I knew I wouldn't be able to convince him then. I knew he really did love Seth, and he wanted to spend time with him. I knew it even if I didn't fully understand it. It was weird to me how someone could have such a strong sexual attraction to someone else, as I knew he had for me, and still retain in his own head a sense of loyalty and love for their partner.

I had never been in a relationship, so that's probably why I didn't understand it. I wonder sometimes if I'm missing out on something. But I'm not sure I could give up on the thrill of tasting someone new. Settling for one person seems hard. Even more so when you consider the fact that it means they can let you down.

"Look, if you want, I can introduce you to one of my friends. He is straight but I know for a fact he is curious enough to hook up with you if he is drunk enough," Tom said, breaking me out of my reverie.

"That would work, thank you," I said, still coming back into the present.

"But you will have to talk to Marcus eventually, he probably thinks he still has a shot with you. He probably thinks you just had an emergency last week, the way you left him without saying goodbye," he accused me.

"I think seeing me with someone else could be enough to get the message across," I said, "Though I must say I thought he would've gotten it at some point through the week."

"What do you mean?" He asked me.

"He has been texting me all week, he should learn what it means when someone doesn't text back," I said.

"He has your number?" Tom asked, incredulously, "Why would you give him your number if you didn't want to answer him?"

"We exchanged phone numbers before I knew he was strictly a top, I didn't know I wouldn't want to answer him," I defended myself.

"So you're solution has been to ghost him all week hoping he'll just go away?"

"I mean... isn't it obvious?" I said.

"Fuck, you really are an asshole," Tom said, before turning around to leave.

***

I stayed inside the room for 15 more minutes. I wanted Marcus to be distracted, maybe even talking to someone else, when I finally went out. It seemed to work because Marcus was nowhere to be seen when I first stepped out. I looked around the apartment and saw Seth and Tom talking to some of their friends by the entrance.

Tom shot me a look and gestured to a blonde twink that was across from him. He wanted me to know that was the guy I could seduce. He wasn't all that cute to be honest. His nose was quite long.

I figured that since Marcus didn't seem to be around I could postpone the plan for a while. I kept looking around the apartment and saw Ryan in the kitchen. He was hanging with Zach and his friends. Which obviously included Ryan's crush, Stan, and Zach's best friend Alec. He seemed to be having a good time and I saw him run his hand along Alec's arm as he laughed. He was really putting himself out there. I figured I could watch him for a while, out of curiosity and also to make sure he wouldn't get into any trouble.

As I looked around for a place to hang in, I looked outside to the balcony and saw Scott and Jason making out. It hit me again that they really seemed like they'd be a sure thing. Just two weeks ago Scott was in a relationship with that dickhead Bill. Now he had fucked Jack and was sucking face with Jason. Funny how things change so quickly. I was about to look away when I saw them break it off and after some small conversation Jason headed inside, leaving Scott outside. I made my way out to the balcony.

"Wow! You guys have really hit it off," I said, with genuine surprise.

He blushed so much at my comment that I could see the red through the night, "I guess we have, is that a bad thing?"

"No, not at all," I hurried to say, "He's really a great guy, everyone in the team loves him."

"Yeah, he's really cool," he said, "I honestly can't believe a guy like him would be interested in me."

I wasn't sure what to say to that, "Come on Scott, you are a great guy."

"Yeah, I'm not complaining. Just an observation," he said. I could see he was looking past me, into the apartment where I followed his stare to Jason. He really liked him.

"How did things go with today?" He asked me. He knew I had wanted to talk to Seth about what was going on.

"Great, the talk was really helpful," I said honestly, "Though something did happen earlier."

"What happened?" Scott asked, intrigued.

"So Tom and I were in the shower, you know, about to get it on," I saw his face but couldn't read his expression, "And he took the condom off me. Seth has never rimmed him before and I did earlier so he said I could fuck him without it."

"And you wanted to use a condom?" He asked, incredulously.

"No! It's just that I don't know if Seth would be okay with it, I've used a condom with Tom every other time. This just seemed like something he decided out of nowhere. It just seems to go against his own idea of talking things and all that crap," I told Scott.

"I told you there would be drama," he said condescendingly, "What did you expect if you are fucking your friend's boyfriend? Even if he knows."

"I know how you feel about all this but I just need some advice," I said. I didn't want to be lectured right now. Tom had already done that.

"That IS my advice," he said, with an emphasis on the second word, "This is just a disaster waiting to happen. Just stop getting involved in their relationship."

"Don't worry about them, they really are in love," I said, remembering how I had perceived Tom to truly be in love with Seth even though he was also sleeping with me.

"Maybe you're right," I was surprise to hear Scott say.

"Really?" I asked, extremely confused, "I didn't think you of all people would agree that they can be in love while also wanting me to sleep with one of them."

"Yeah well, after Bill and Jack I guess I don't really know anything about love, do I?" I was about to say something but he kept going, "I always thought love was something sacred between two people. But maybe seeing that as the only way to love is what has made me always get hurt. I'm not saying I'd want anything like what Seth and Tom have. But maybe idealizing just one form of love isn't good either."

"Idealizing just one form of love," I repeated, "Isn't that what straight people do?"

"Oh god you are right," he said laughing, "Now I know I definitely cannot keep thinking like that."

We both laughed together for a few seconds before I spoke again, "What is it like, anyway?" He seemed confused so I elaborated, "Being with someone, and wanting no one but them to be with you?"

"Honestly," he began before a long sigh, "It's fucking scary," he surprised me, "You are giving someone a part of yourself and they can do whatever they want with it. And it's a delicate part too. Easy to break."

"Sounds awful," I laughed, pushing the doubts out of my mind.

"It is," he laughed too, and then Jason came out from inside and handed him a drink. I saw them smile at each other the way Seth and Tom did too and then Scott got on his tips and gave Jason a small peck that lasted just half a second longer than expected.

He then continued talking, "But it is also kind of wonderful. Knowing there is someone out there who cares for you for far more than what you look like or how good you are at something."

"You mean like someone who likes your personality and all that?" I asked.

"Kind of," he said, "But there's also something else. Like there are all this things that make it make sense that someone would be attracted to you, and then there is something extra, that neither of you can explain."

"I've felt that before," Jason contributed, "But even now I wouldn't be able to explain it. I guess you just have to experience it."

"Yeah," I said, deep in thought, "It does sound like quite an experience."

"No one should miss out on it. Not for fear, or shame, or anything," Scott said, looking directly at me, "If you have a shot at feeling something like that, you don't want to let it go. Some people spend their whole lives looking for it. Some don't ever find it.

I knew he was talking about Marcus. Even if I didn't know Scott so well to know he was talking about him, I had been thinking about him all night. It hadn't been different during this conversation.

"Have a fun night guys, I gotta go back in," I said to them and saw Scott's smile as I turned away.

As I went back inside I knew needed to give this a chance. I had been wondering about it for a long time now and I couldn't pass up this chance to find out what it was like. If I didn't like it, I could always just go back to fucking my best friend's boyfriend.

***

I saw Marcus in a group with Seth, Tom and some of their friends. I really did find him attractive. He was almost as tall as me and he definitely had the body of someone who had played football for years. Even if he was on the slimmer side because, from what I heard, he was really fast. He turned to look at me as I walked towards them and he didn't even smile, just turned around almost immediately.

Marcus also happened to be black. Which I loved. Few things gave me more satisfaction than fucking a black guy. Probably because of all the rumors and fetishes around their sizes. And Marcus was very hot. He had a bald head which I had learned the week before was the way he had always liked to keep it.

When I got to them I didn't hesitate. I just took his hand and said, "Come with me." He tried looking for help from someone in the group but no one said anything. So he just followed behind me.

We walked through the hall past some couples in conversation. One of them I recognized and they were the only ones not currently talking. Zach and Stan were making out, with Stan's hands on the smaller guy's ass. Ryan was probably not happy.

We got to Seth's room and I pulled Marcus inside. No one was there. Normally at these parties someone always ended up in the rooms getting it on. But this party wasn't so big and Seth had only invited close friends, so I guess everyone respected his wish not to use his bedroom.

Maybe it was presumptuous of me but I figured he wouldn't mind me borrowing it. I was one of his best friends and he already let me borrowed his boyfriend, I'm sure his bedroom wasn't as big of a deal.

"What do you want Bruce?" Marcus asked after I had closed the door behind us.

He was understandably mad at me for ghosting him. But this wasn't the first time a guy got mad at me, because he wasn't the first guy I had ghosted. I knew how to get them happy.

I went in for a kiss, putting my left arm on his lower back. I closed my eyes and felt the softest touch of our lips before I was pushed back.

This was the second time tonight I was pushed away during a kiss. But Marcus was much stronger than Tom and I actually went back a few steps from his push.

"Oh no, you don't get to ghost me and then pretend everything's fine," he said angrily.

"Look, Marcus, I'm sorry about that, okay?" I said.

"Yeah I bet you are," he snapped back at me.

"I just got scared, but I really like you, I've never enjoyed talking to someone as much as I did with you that night," I found myself being honest.

He seemed to calm down some but he was still mad, "So what, I'm just supposed to forget about the fact that you haven't texted me back all week?" He went on, "And then what? We make out tonight and then you ghost me again?"

"It's not like that-," I tried to say but got interrupted.

"I know your type," he said, "I know because I was just like you in college. Fucked everything that would let me and I gave no fucks for them later. But I'm too old for that now, I really liked you but I'm not going to just be another hookup for you."

"I don't want to just hook up either," I told him, "I want to try getting to know you."

From the way he spoke I could tell he had done his research on me. Which meant he knew I was exclusively a top because everyone knows that. And if he was still willing to give this a chance while knowing that, it just meant he was willing to bottom for me. And I was up for that.

"Really? And what was all that about you dragging me in here and just trying to kiss me?" He questioned me.

"You said it yourself," I conceded, "I'm not used to doing relationships. That has always worked with other guys and it's all that I know so I just did it. I'm sorry."

He seemed much more relaxed, "Okay, apology accepted. So long as you don't do that again."

"Never, I promise," I said.

"Are you serious about this?" He asked, "I do like you but I'm not going to tolerate this fuckboy behavior of yours."

I thought about my talk with Scott and the way I had been feeling the last couple of months. Like everyone was invited to a party and I was the only person not allowed to enter. This was my way in, and I wouldn't let it go so fast.

"I am," I said, "I want us to get to know each other," as I spoke I took his hand back in mine and caressed it.

"Great, though I should definitely let you know something right now," he said, and he stood closer to me.

"What is it?" The close proximity made the blood start flowing between my legs.

He was now so close that he basically whispered into my ear, "We are not doing anything until I get to take you out on a date."

He then pulled away from me and sat on the bed.

"We'll have to start planning that date then," I said and sat next to him.

Scott's POV

The good thing about my growing relationship with Jason was how good we were at talking. Maybe it was because communication had been sorely lacking from my latest relationship, but I wanted things this time to be different. I was afraid I would scare him away but I wanted everything to be out in the open from the get go.

I told him about how my last relationship had recently ended because I slept with my best friend and thought he'd run away. When that didn't scare him away I also told him that despite being recently out of a long term relationship I was still looking for a long term commitment. I didn't want to just hook up for a while and then be over with him, I wanted us to go out thinking about how to make this work in the long run.

He didn't run away then either. Which honestly made me think there could be something seriously wrong with him. How could a guy as amazing as Jason just be so understanding of all this? He had to be hiding something from me. Maybe he was a serial killer and was willing to let me believe whatever I wanted as long as he got to cut my throat by the end of the month.

But the constant talks eased my mind as we went from a first, to a second, and then a third date. We had been going out for over a week now and all we had done up till then was kiss. There was some touching over our clothes but nothing much past that. I had told him I wanted us to get to know each other better before going all the way and he'd been okay with it. He was very respectful too and didn't make me feel any pressure at all.

Now we were about to go on our third date. I knew exactly what that meant. Everybody did. Ryan in particular would not let me forget. He had been almost as excited as me on the days leading up to it, asking me what I was going to wear and where we were going to go. But also more inappropriate questions like whether I had really not even blowed him yet and if we had discussed who would be topping and who'd bottom.

For starters I did not know what I was going to wear, I was still freaking out about it even though I was supposed to meet him in an hour. He'd come pick me up in his car and then he'd take me somewhere he had heard was nice. The plan was to have dinner and then there was the option of going back to his dorm with him to watch a movie. I had said I still wasn't sure so I would need to decide by the end of the night.

It simply made me nervous. For many reasons. The main one being that I know myself, and I know once we have sex I'll probably be in love with him right afterwards. That's just how my brain works. I can't help it. And while Jason is a great guy I'm not so confident I just want to fall in love with a guy I've only been dating for a week. It's simply scary to put myself in a position of such vulnerability.

The other thing wasn't much smaller. In fact, it was actually really big from what I had heard. According to Ryan, Jason's dick was exactly 9.5 inches long, he had wanted to tell me his girth too but I stopped him from scaring me further. I also didn't ask him how the hell he knew exactly how much his dick measured. But the size was scaring me. I had never met anyone who claimed to be that big, I knew from rumors that Bruce was huge too but I was sure he couldn't be as big as Jason. That size was something even pornstars wish for.

The thought of having that in me was definitely unnerving. That was for either side of me. I had not blown him yet and part of it was because I was scared of the size, I was sure I'd choke on it if given the chance. Sure I had sucked some big dicks back in high school, though never one that was anywhere near this size, but the only practice I had had recently had been Bill. He was much smaller than Jason. At six and a half inches he was basically the same size as me. There had also been Jack but he wasn't even as big as Bill.

So I was definitely scared. I was planning on talking to him about the idea of me being on top. Unlike Ryan, I was not a complete bottom. I was naturally more submissive and liked a dick up my ass better, but after the one time with Bill I knew topping was also pleasurable to me. I sometimes jerked off thinking about me being the one on top. So I considered myself versatile and Ryan knew it. But it was one thing for me to ask and another for Jason to agree. Some tops act like bottoming is the most shameful thing in the world, like it makes them less masculine or whatever. All I know is they are really missing out.

Either way I knew Jason wouldn't be like that. I think he has enough of an open mind to hear my suggestion without getting offended. Even if he might refuse. I felt like he would refuse because he had a more dominant personality with me. I guess when we were together he usually acted more manly while I was more feminine. Not that I had a feminine bone in me but it was just the way we acted around each other. Like he'd open doors for me or put his hand on the small of my back to guide me as we walked. That just made my mind subconsciously think he'd be on top.

And if he was on top I'd definitely not be able to take him completely, perhaps he wouldn't even be able to enter me at all. I didn't want to disappoint him. The thought of him and Ryan having sex was an issue in that regard too, because I was sure Ryan had had no problem there. But I didn't want Jason to prefer sex with my best friend over sex with me.

Ryan had to come to my room while I showered to pick an outfit for me because I had been too anxious to choose. It was a simple one and he'd said it would make me look cool and unbothered, so I didn't complain.

When I was leaving the apartment, he slapped my ass and told me to have fun and to keep an open mind. I didn't think much of it then but later that night realized what he meant.

*

My date with Jason was great. He was waiting in his car downstairs after I walked out of my apartment and he got out to give me a kiss and open the passenger door for me. He looked so handsome. His short dark brown hair made him look so masculine even without any facial hair.

I was thankful Ryan had picked this outfit for me. Jason himself was wearing just a plain white t-shirt and cargo pants. I felt my casual attire was appropriate for his.

As he drove he put his right hand on my knee and I forced myself to hold back a huge smile during the whole way there. When we arrived he hurried to my side and opened the door for me, taking my hand in his as we walked. The place wasn't fancy at all. We had gone to two very nice restaurants for our first two dates and had decided we wanted something more casual this time.

So we went to a small bar a few blocks from his place. The food was alright but the conversation was great. We talked about school and our classes and I thought Jason to be a great listener. Whenever I talked he just sat there in silence and let me go on forever. It was a huge change from my relationship with Bill, where it seemed he always wanted to talk about him.

We were playing footsies under the table the whole night and our hands were constantly reaching for each other. By the end I was convinced that I wanted to go back to his place and see how things ended up. I told him and after we paid he led me back to his car. The drive there was a lot quieter and I thought it was because of the sudden expectation that we'd be sleeping together tonight.

But when he pulled over in front of his building he just said, "I need to talk to you."

I froze and didn't really move until I realized his hand was not on my thigh. The worst came to my head. He'd tell me that he didn't want to keep going out with me, or that he had met another guy and would rather date him than me.

When I didn't speak he just went on, "There's this other guy..."

I knew it. I immediately pictured someone like Ryan. Both physically and personality wise. Why would someone like Jason want to go out with someone like me when he could have someone much more fun. I was simply a boring communications major who just got his heart broken.

"Him an-"

"You don't have to say anything," I interrupted, "We weren't really exclusive, you met someone better, that's okay," I wondered if I really was okay. I had really come to like Jason a lot.

"It's not like that, his name is Liam, he is my boyfriend," he said and I had to take a second to see if I had heard right.

"What? You have a boyfriend?" Great, he was just like everybody else. He had probably blowed Bruce and fucked Ryan behind his boyfriend's back and was now wanting to see if he could screw the other roommate as well. But I had more morals than the other two, I wouldn't be a part of cheating on someone else, even if I didn't know them.

"Yeah, we've been together for three years," I thought about Bill. Was this how it had been when he cheated on me those times? Wasn't it better to just fuck the other guy and THEN tell him you had a boyfriend? I mean, I was pretty much ready to at least do some hand stuff with him, this just seemed like he was shooting his own foot.

"Look Jason, I clearly judged you wrong. But I don't want to hear you rationalize how it would be okay for us to have sex tonight behind your boyfriend's back. If you think I'd be part of something like that then you clearly have judged me wrong too," I stated.

"Just listen please," he said, "He knows."

"What do you mean he knows?" I asked, confused.

"He knows about you, and me, going out," he clarified.

"And he is okay with it?" I thought I was about to be asked to do something like what Bruce was doing with Tom and Seth. I thought what Bruce was doing was bound to end in disaster. But I found myself briefly considering it this time. Was I a hypocrite? I didn't think so. After all, I didn't really know Jason and his boyfriend. Unlike Bruce who was Seth's best friend. This was different.

"We are not one of those couples who get off on watching the other cheat on them," he explained, when he saw what must have been a pretty disgusted look on my face.

"Then what the hell are you?"

"We are in an open relationship," he explained, "He can have sex with other people, as well as me."

I didn't say anything.

"He doesn't really sleep with many people. In fact, he has another boyfriend."

"What? And you are okay with that?" I asked, I couldn't see how he possibly could be okay with his boyfriend having another boyfriend.

"I am, he is a great guy actually," he explained.

"So you three are together?"

"Yes and no. They are dating each other, and Liam and I are dating too, but Carlos and I aren't dating, we are just friends," I was struggling to understand their relationship. I was specifically struggling to understand where he wanted me to fit in all this.

I knew Jason and Ryan had hooked up not long ago and it had just been a one time thing. Jason had also fooled around with Bruce not long before that. It seemed clear to me he was just wanting to have fun with his arrangement with his boyfriend. But the past week of talking to him just made me so confused. He seemed to be hinting towards wanting a relationship with me.

Maybe I was just being crazy. I had done it with Jack, thinking him sleeping with me meant he wanted to have a relationship with me. Maybe I had convinced myself that Jason was looking for the same thing even if he wasn't.

"Look Jason, I told you I was looking for something long term, I don't want to just be one of your side guys for when your boyfriend is out with his boyfriend," I told him.

"That's not what I want you to be, I want you to be my boyfriend too," he said.

It was weird hearing him say it that way. For the past week all I had wanted was to hear him ask me to be his boyfriend, but I never imagined it'd be like this. I should not have even considered it, but I realized something fluttered in my stomach as he spoke and knew I was in fact considering it.

Ryan had said to keep an open mind. Did he know all along about Jason's status? He probably thought it was cool and progressive for them to be in such a relationship. But I wasn't Ryan, and this wasn't the type of relationship I always dreamed I'd be in.

Then again, I had spent all my life wanting things to be exactly the way I wanted them to. But it had never worked. I wanted to be the type of guy that marries his high school sweetheart, but all I got was a jerk who couldn't stop cheating on me. Then I wanted to be the guy who discovers he is in love with his best friend and lives happily ever after, but all I got was a broken heart. Maybe I should stop trying to force life to be exactly how I wanted.

"And what would that entail?" I asked, trying to keep an open mind.

"Is that a yes?" He asked and couldn't help but smile. It was cute.

"It's not a no. It's me willing to hear more about it," I couldn't help but smile back.

He reached for my hand across the console and I let him. Showing I meant it.

"Should we go inside and talk there?" He asked.

Only then did it dawn on me that we were still in his car. I was getting uncomfortable so I agreed. We both got out from the car and then he led me to his building. I had not been to his place yet. I knew he had a roommate but didn't know if he'd be here tonight.

As we walked up the stairs, it was an old building with no elevator, he said, "Don't worry, Liam isn't here tonight."

"You guys live together?" I didn't know his roommate was also his boyfriend.

"Yeah, but I told him there was a chance you and I would come back here tonight so he is spending the night with Carlos," he said. It would be a while before I got used to the way they did things. If I agreed to this.

But maybe I agreed to it the second I accepted going upstairs with him. After we got to his apartment he explained more about their relationship. About how they loved one another but didn't think that meant they couldn't love someone else. Liam had found someone else to love, and Jason wanted to experience that too. He wanted to be in love with more than one person.

Maybe it's twisted of me. But when I heard that he wanted to fall in love with me I wanted to kiss him. It was so weird for me. I knew he already was in love with someone else but it still was what I wanted. To love someone and feel loved. My mind was spinning. A part of me knew I wouldn't find another guy as handsome and amazing as Jason who was openly trying to have a serious relationship with me.

Because despite the fact that it was unconventional, it was serious. That's definitely what Ryan meant when he told me to keep an open mind. But I was sure it was easy for him. He had probably been in situations like this a lot. Without the part of him being a boyfriend of course. I mean he probably has hooked up with a lot of guys in relationships. He'd probably jump at the chance to fuck Jason again, probably even his boyfriend Liam as well.

Thinking about my best friend and Jason made me jealous. A lot more than it had since I found out they slept together. That's when I knew I was fucked. My mind already saw Jason as mine. But wasn't that proof that I couldn't handle a relationship like this? I tried to picture a random guy with Jason to get a sense of whether it bothered me to think of him with his boyfriend. It wasn't something that made me happy but it was definitely not as bad as with Ryan. Imagining Jason and Bruce in the locker rooms also made me very jealous.

"So, you'd be in a relationship with me and also in a relationship with Liam?" He nodded and I continued, "And what about someone else? You said he sometimes hooked up with other guys too, not just Carlos. Would you also want to see other guys?"

"No," he said without needing time to think, "Look, I've liked you since I first met you. I just happened to be in a relationship and didn't think you'd be interested in... this. But now I'm telling you this because I've had the most fun with you the past 10 days and I haven't had that in a while."

I saw he was serious as a shadow briefly crossed his face. Maybe him and Liam weren't so happy. If Jason and I started dating, would there be a chance they broke up and Jason and I became a real couple?

"And what about me and Liam? I don't want to have sex with your boyfriend," I stated, "And I don't think I'd like it if your plan was to be with us at the same time. If this is going to work, I want to be just as important to you as he is. I want us to have our time for ourselves."

"Of course," he hurried again, "I would want you two to meet at least once but we can go as fast as you want. And it might be hard to balance things time wise since I live with him. But I promise to make you feel just as special."

I sighed, and pretended to think more. But I already knew what I was going to say, "Then I accept. I'll be your boyfriend."

I saw the confused look on his face before he started inevitably smiling.

"I mean," I said nervously and tried to remember the whole conversation, "That was the original question, right?"

His smile kept getting bigger and he came closer to me and gave me a long kiss. It was like kissing him again for the first time. He could be so gentle and delicate despite his huge size. The kiss was an innocent one, but it seemed to show how much we already cared for one another.

He pulled back, only inches away from my face, "Yes, that was the whole point of this," he said with a huge smile.

I couldn't stop myself from being the one to kiss him this time.

***

After accepting to be his boyfriend, Jason and I talked some more about the type of relationship we'd be having. This was completely new to me, so I asked a lot of questions, and his disposition to answer them all eased my mind.

As the talk progressed and I felt more relaxed, so did we start to become more physical with each other.

We had started on opposite ends of the couch, as if we were trying to protect ourselves from the outcome of the conversation. However, little by little we began to draw closer. A hug here and there and another couple kisses and we were as close as we could be by the end of our talk. After that it wasn't hard for us to transition into the intimacy that we had both, at some point, expected tonight.

I think it was him who kissed me first but I returned his kiss so quickly that I might as well have been the initiator all along. There was no gentle moment to the kiss. We had been doing nothing but kissing for days and now we knew we were kissing as a prelude to something more.

We had kissed with passion before but never liked this. Our tongues were constantly taking the spotlight from our lips, sometimes inside of my mouth and sometimes inside of his.

My hands were on his face but his own quickly found my hips and grabbed me. It startled me at first but when he started to pull me on top of him I was in heaven. I loved a muscular guy and Jason was by far the most athletic I had been with. Jack wasn't really strong and while sex with him was good, it was so in a different aspect. There were some jocks I'd blown in high school but despite all of them being 18 they just couldn't compare to the athleticism of a college guy. Some of them had been rough though, enough to make me realize I liked it.

The closest one to Jason was Bill. He was an ass, and according to Bruce nowhere near my league, but he did workout. He never really cared for sports but he hit the gym nearly everyday. As much as I hated to admit it, Bill being rough on me while we had sex had proven to be some of my greatest sexual memories.

There was something about the power in a guy moving me around during sex that really got me going. Bill was the other guy that had proved to be that rough, even if he struggled a little, which is understandable considering I'm no little guy either. But Jason made it seem effortless. He was so big and strong that I didn't even doubt he could fully lift me up with his hands when he had a grip on my hips.

It was hot. Which only made me kiss him harder. Pushing my tongue so far into his mouth he had to pull his head back a little to stop me. When he did and broke our kiss I wasn't yet satisfied. Still sitting on his lap I dived for his neck to taste my man. He had a soft woody smell that made me feel comfortable every time I was near him. Now with my mouth on his neck I felt like I would drown in his scent.

I began kissing him and he responded well. I heard a soft moan and he moved his hands from my hips to my ass. We were both still dressed but I could feel his strong hands through my pants. When I started licking I got harder, and he moaned even louder. He threw his head further back, inviting me to keep going with what I was doing.

Having him at my mercy like this was exciting. I felt so in control, which was rare for me in sex. I also felt more confident that he'd take me up on my offer. Some tops have a hard time even letting themselves be slightly submissive like this. Knowing Jason was willing to surrender control even if it was just for this, was a good indicator. I needed to bring up the topic before things went further.

As if on cue, I felt Jason's massive hardon as I was sucking his neck. I pulled back and got a glimpse of Jason letting out a long moan. He looked so sexy.

"Wait, before we go any further," I began saying, and was surprised at how much my heated breath kept me from saying it all in one go.

"It's okay, we don't have to go any further if you don't want to, we can wait as long as you need," he said and smiled so genuinely at me that I couldn't help myself from kissing him. God, he was perfect.

I almost laughed speaking, "No sweetie, it's not that. Trust me, I really really want to. It's just that, well, I'm a bit worried about, you know..." I trailed off but of course he didn't understand. So I put my right hand on his cock over his clothes and then brought it back up to gesture to the size, holding my two hands apart in front of me.

"Oh! Right, of course. You know, you don't have to take me all the way in, there is no pressure there. Plus, I'll definitely be gentle," as he said this he caressed my cheek with his hand as if I was the most precious thing to him, I let myself enjoy the touch before answering.

"Thanks, but I was actually thinking we could do something else," I didn't want to say it. When I first brought it up to Bill he got mad at me for weeks. I guess some guys are just like that.

"What is it Scott?" He asked from below me.

"Well due to your size maybe a different arrangement would make this easier on us," I was really nervous.

"Sure, what did you have in mind?" He really did look confused.

"Could I be on top?" I finally asked.

"Yeah, of course," he said and gestured to the way we were seated, "We could try doing it just like this if you want, you'd be able to control how it goes in."

"No, no. I mean - could I Top?" I stammered, "Would you be okay with that?"

"Really?" He asked with and incredulous look on his face, "You want to top?"

I was already over the hill so there was no point in hiding it anymore, "Yes, is that okay?"

It was his turn to surprise me with a kiss that I was too startled to return properly, "I knew you and I would be perfect for each other," he said with a smile on his face, "Of course you can top."

"Really?" I wasn't sure if I was more shocked at the answer or the kiss.

"Yeah! That's part of what I was looking for by opening my relationship with Liam. He is exclusively a bottom so he would never do that for me. But I really enjoy bottoming from time to time. In fact, my ex boyfriend before Liam was mostly a top, so we often did it like that. I'm just glad I found you," he explained to me.

I couldn't believe my luck. Not only was my new boyfriend extremely hot and could manhandle me around with ease, but apparently he was also eager to bottom for me. Not only that, but he already had experience with it. This was a dream come true for a versatile gay guy like myself.

"Oh my god you are amazing babe," I gave him another peck, which ended quickly due to my eagerness to continue the night, "I have never been with another versatile guy, this is going to be so much fun."

"I know, I just think other guys don't get it. I loved bottoming but my ex was rarely into it whenever he let me fuck him, and Liam is reluctant to even use his fingers in my ass. Every other guy just assumes I'm a top. You should see how some of them even refuse to have sex after learning I like to bottom," as he said this I saw this was something that really made him insecure, from the way he hid his face.

I wanted to reassure him, "Well you don't have to worry about any of those things with me Jason. I might not be ready for it yet but I definitely want you to eventually fuck me with your huge dick. And those guys who didn't want to be topped by you because you also happen to like taking dick? They don't know what they are missing," I felt my dominant side taking over and put a hand on Jason's chest, pushing him fully back onto the couch.

I looked him deeply in the eyes and got closer to him as I continued speaking, "They should know that no one can fuck you better than a guy who knows exactly how it feels to be the one getting dicked down," I was a firm believer of that statement, "In fact, I have the theory that it goes the other way around as well," I was now just an inch from Jason's face and basically talking into his opened mouth, which yearned to be kissed, "I think no one knows how to take a good dick better than a guy who understands what it is to be inside someone else," I took my face away from his and directed my mouth to one of his ears, where I nibble lightly on it before saying in the sexiest voice I could muster, "So why don't you show me exactly how you like to get fucked so I can please you all night baby?"

His breathing had already been heavy but upon hearing me he even let out a moan. I was starting to like hearing him moan. Almost immediately after he let himself fall on his back to one side so he was now using the whole length of the couch. I was worried he wasn't going to fit in it but soon felt his legs repositioning so I was on my knees on the couch and he had wrapped his ankles around my back.

He laid back for a few seconds, his arms wrapped around my neck as he looked me in the eyes with a look that made me wonder just how submissive he could get.

I was rock hard. I could not remember the last time my dick hurt from being unable to stretch enough inside my pants. It was so satisfying for many reasons.

The main one being that I would soon be able to put my hardon inside the stud that now laid below me. The second one was because of the confirmation of my own identity. For years I had identified as vers, because the idea of being the one to fuck a guy's ass was so appealing. But my only experience had been limited to a few times with Bill, who during all those times made sure I knew how much he wasn't enjoy himself. My friends knew I was mostly a bottom in practice, and Ryan himself had even questioned me about it once.

It's enough to say I was confused myself. I had never told anyone this but I felt bad that I hadn't enjoyed topping Bill, like it was an indicator I had been lying to myself all along and was actually a bottom deep down. But now I knew it was because Bill had always allowed me to fuck him reluctantly. He had never enjoyed it, so how was I supposed to enjoy it? But with Jason I felt like he wanted to feel me inside him just as much as I would have wanted him if the roles were reversed. And that made something to my brain that cleared years and years of self doubt.

Still on pure instinct I grabbed the hands he had around my neck and pushed them above his head, with our four hands now hanging from the end of the couch. I then went in to kiss him like I had never kissed him, or anyone else for that matter, before. I kissed him like I'd want to be kissed if I was about to be fucked. But even more so, I kissed him just like I wanted to kiss him.

He was so good at letting me take control too. Not once did his tongue enter my mouth, instead he allowed me to explore his and give him a prelude of what my dick would be doing to his ass soon.

As we kissed, I also felt his hips shooting up and my own responded by thrusting down to meet them. I first expected to feel his huge bulge against mine but soon remembered he had his legs wrapped around me. This meant that his ass was pointed higher and so on every clash of our hips it was actually my bulge that was hitting his buttocks.

Unable to resist, I took one of my hands away from his hands, which meant my remaining left hand was holding his two hands with even more strength above his head, and moved it down to his ass. Where I indulge in the feel of his toned butt against my palms. It felt amazing to hear his groans and feel the way his pushed his ass into my hand. He was so submissive.

Even with the taboo of fucking Bill I had never felt such a strong desire to penetrate someone else, and now it was all I could think of doing to Jason. Still, I wanted to enjoy it as much as I could.

I tried to lower my left hand too but immediately felt his hands trying to go down too. So I push them up with force and broke the kiss for a moment, "Be a good boy and keep your hands here for me, okay?"

"Mhm," was all he managed before clashing his lips back on mine.

Now with my hand free, I managed to pull my pants down. I felt my dick hit my pelvis from the recoil and the next time I thrusted down, the whole length of it pushed against Jason's butt, which made him unable to focus on our kiss and left him gasping for air.

I could tell how much he wanted to use his hands but was proud he controlled himself. Luckily for him, I knew exactly what he wanted. So I used my hand to straighten my dick so the next time I pushed my hips, the tip hit exactly where the entrance was. He moaned so loud that I almost missed my own moan. The feeling was unreal.

I was so turned on I literally started jumping him, thrusting as fast as I could, imagining I was already inside him.

"Please Scott," he moaned, "You feel so good?"

"Please what?" I answered knowing exactly what he meant, "Tell me what you want babe, use your words."

"Fuck me please, I want you inside of me," he begged.

"Mmm I want to be inside you too," I said and gave him a sensual kiss, "But there is something else I want first."

I pulled back then and as he watched me expectantly I began to pull his pants down, he helped me by maneuvering his hips and legs until I was able to throw them across the living room.

I had purposefully left his underwear on. I wanted to see his huge bulge and that is exactly what I got, hidden beneath the soft fabric of his navy blue underwear. It really was huge. Just by looking at it I got the impression it was as big as my arm, and I got the urge to feel it. But I decided I first wanted to tease him some more and so this time, without fully lying back on top of him, I slid my dick around his entrance and made Jason moan to my delight.

At one point I felt his hole in more detail against the head of my dick and I nearly came, shuddering instead. I looked down again and his butt was now smeared in my precum, a stain that match the one revealing the shape of his dick in the front of his underwear.

I caressed the bulge with my hand and felt it twitch at my touch, "I know it might seem like I'm scared of it, but I swear I'm equally turned on by just the sheer size of it."

When I pulled Jason's underwear off I was sure I began salivating. I had sucked a lot of cocks before but never one as big and perfect as this. The last one I had sucked had been Jack's and while that one had even looked pretty, the only word that came to mind when seeing Jason's was "Impressive". It was circumcised and while I was sure that it wasn't the girthiest I'd seen, its length made it appear like it was. On top of it, the head looked much bigger than it should, which honestly just made it look tastier. Along the shaft veins were showing and they made it apparent that his dick was slightly curved to the left.[1]

I was sure he'd probably be okay with not being blown tonight. But this was more for me than him. Two of my best friends (and I guess I still thought of Jack as a best friend) had already sucked my boyfriend's dick. I felt left out and I wanted to even things out. I also wanted him to realize I was willing to try and get used to the size. Because I wasn't lying: I was scared it might hurt me, but I was also extremely intrigued if something so big would feel as great as everyone always said.

"You don't have to do it if you're not ready," he reassured me.

"Don't worry about me," I replied, " I told you I'll eventually want to get used to it. And while tonight is all about me getting comfortable with your ass, it doesn't mean I can't introduce myself to my big friend here."

With that, I took my new boyfriend into my mouth. Thankfully I had more experience with my mouth than my ass when it came to big dicks. Nothing as big as this but I had once in my last year of high school blown a straight guy who had a dick that must have been less than an inch shorter than this. I still followed the guy on instagram and I knew he had come out of the closet as soon as he went to college, now his profile page was full of pictures of him and his boyfriend. I used to think the boyfriend had been such a lucky guy. Feeling the size of the dick in my mouth I guess it turns out I'm the luckier one.

I never deepthroated that guy, so it was stupid of me to try and deepthroat Jason. I guess I was still feeling bad about Bruce and Ryan blowing him before me. I gagged on it and pulled my head out while coughing uncontrollably. "Shit, are you okay Scott?" Jason asked with genuine concern in his voice.

"Yeah, don't worry, I just wanted to see how far I could go," I said dismissively.

"Well, not that it should matter at all but, you are definitely the guy who's taken me deeper in his mouth," I know that shouldn't make me proud, but it did so much I even smiled.

"You're right it doesn't matter," I pretended while I took off his shirt, "All that should matter is how much of me you can take in your mouth."

With that said, I straddled his chest and, sitting on it, pointed my dick straight towards his mouth. He opened it so quickly I didn't hesitate to do what I did. I instantly put my dick inside his mouth and as soon as I felt him close it around it I reveled in the warm, wet feeling that surrounded my dick. I wasn't as big as him, but my size was no joke either so I still went about it carefully.

Once I felt he had gotten used to my size, I began to slide in and out. He soon realized I wanted to fuck his mouth, and not once moved his head. I did all the work, sliding gently into his mouth and enjoying the look of Jason, a guy every other gay guy in campus would love to have bend them over, sluttily letting me fuck his mouth with my dick. That was another thing I had always wanted to do and couldn't with Bill. It did not disappoint at all, the tongue on my shaft made this such a wonderful experience.

I fucked his mouth for a while and enjoyed it so much I almost let myself go and cum inside his mouth. But his hands on my butt, which were getting closer to my own hole, reminded me what my end goal was. So I pulled back one final time and finally took my shirt off at the same time. I threw my shirt onto the coffee table next to Jason's own shirt and asked him again, "So, about you telling me how you want me to fuck you?"

He didn't say anything. He just smiled widely at me and I knew he was having as great a time as me. Then he got up and went into his room. I wondered if he wanted me to follow him and almost got up when I saw him coming back with a condom and a bottle of lube in his hands. He stood in front of the couch while I knelt on it and opened the condom for me, putting it in my hand and then lowering himself to give me a kiss.

After our soft kiss, he climbed back on the couch in front of me, but this time, he faced away from me as he bent himself over and got in position so I could fuck him doggystyle, "This is how I-" he began to explain but I interrupted.

"You don't have to say anything or justify yourself, trust me, I get it," and I really did. I knew how good it felt to be fucked in doggy, sometimes you just wanted the depth that it provided, or the way it reached new places. Other times, you just wanted to feel like a slut.

I didn't care for Jason's reason that night. I just wanted him to feel good.

I put the condom on and Jason poured some lube in his hand and reached for my dick below us smearing the fluid all over my dick. I put a hand in front of him asking him to give me some and he did. Then I reached down and started to spread it around his entrance. Using a finger to delicately place it on his hole and even pushing slightly in so he'd be well lubed.

Once we were done he just put his hands in front of him and I saw him bent farther down, with his toned and muscled back curving almost as much as I curved mine in this position. I grabbed my dick with my right hand and felt how hard I was, I was sure I'd have no problem going in.

I placed the tip on his crack and slid it around, teasing Jason. My heart raced and I'm sure my dick got even harder. Jason moaned, "Come on baby, stop teasing me, just fill me already."

I complied.

I lined my dick and pushed my hips, finding a bit of resistance at first but then sliding in so fast I had to stop when I heard Jason whimper, "Fuck! Sorry, are you okay Jason?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm great! Keep going, I want to take you all in," it made me so hot to hear that.

I looked down and saw I was halfway inside of him. This was the deepest I'd been inside anyone. Bill could barely take an inch after my head.

I kept pushing at a slow but steady rhythm, Jason was moaning but I could tell it was pleasurable. At some point I thought I was all the way in so I stopped. Enjoying the sensation of being wrapped so tightly inside Jason. It was incredible, as he breathed and moved I felt how the tightness changed.

Suddenly I felt his hands reach back to my butt, where he pulled me deeper inside of him. I almost came, he wasn't lying, he really could take dick like the best of them.

Once deep inside him I let him get used to me, even if I wasn't sure he really needed it. I took the time to kiss his back as I complimented him, "You are so fucking sexy Jason, I love how tight your ass is, want me to cum inside?"

"Yes Scott, please, come inside of me, fuck me hard!"

I didn't need to be told twice. I pulled back quickly and strongly let myself in again. Soon I realized why Bill always grabbed my hips, because I got a hold of Jason's and despite his huge size I felt like I was pulling and pushing him onto my cock.

I moaned at the feeling of his ass clenching around my dick, almost not allowing me to pull back. Yeah, topping was as amazing as bottoming.

I maintained my rhythm for the first five minutes of fucking him, but eventually I felt him pushing back against me and responded by going even faster. It was the right move because he got louder, "Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck!" He moaned.

I took a chance and slapped one of his butt cheeks with my hand, that also seemed to be the right move, because he responded immediately, "Yes! Scott, you fuck me so good. Fuck I missed being fucked and you do it so well baby! Fuck me as hard as you want."

His talk made me so horny I knew I'd bust anytime now, but I wanted us to come at the same time so I reached around and started jerking him off. Soon he grabbed his shirt and told me, "The couch, use this," and I wrapped his huge dick in his shirt and jerked him off even faster. Turns out he was even closer than I was because he bit me to orgasm.

But before I could even feel him shooting in my hand or his orgasmic moans. I felt the climax inside of him. I felt him clenching almost impossibly hard around me, as if he was about to crush my dick with his inside muscles. That's what made me cum. I began shooting just a few seconds after him.

"Fuuuck!" I groaned as I shot my load inside him. All the while still thrusting into him and jerking him off with my hand.

He collapsed on his chest and that made me slip out. But as soon as he felt it he turned around and grabbing my still erect dick he guided it inside him again, pulling me into his arms. It had been a long time since I felt so fulfilled. Not just sexually. But for the first time in years I felt like I had actually made love with someone who felt the same as I did. Not even with Jack did I feel this. This was something I had only felt at the beginning of my relationship with Bill, when I thought he really did love me as much as I did him.

So I enjoyed it. I let myself fall into the arms of this wonderful man who had just been so vulnerable with me and took it all in. All of the sensations. His skin, his breathing, his heart pounding, his smell. I wanted it all, even the thing I hadn't expected.

We cuddled like that for another 20 minutes. With my dick still inside of him while we kissed and petted each other, talking about how happy we were about having found one another. We then watched a movie, after I had taken the condom off, but we just cuddled naked under a blanket throughout it all.

When it was done we retreated to his bedroom. Or more accurately him and his boyfriend's bedroom. I would still need time to get used to that. It was strange thinking I had just fucked a guy with a boyfriend, and even more so to think the boyfriend knew about it. But I was willing to give it a shot. It was worth it.

Jason probably felt my discomfort and said he wanted me to feel safe in his room. So his solution was to blow me until I was hard and then ride me to another amazing shared orgasm. Of course, I slept like a baby after that.

***

The morning after we woke up in bed together. I half expected him to be gone, after my experience with Jack and my relationship with Bill. It was heartwarming to find him still asleep next to me when I opened my eyes.

He was looking at me and gave me a good morning kiss, it was a soft one but we quickly went to brush our teeth so we could kiss just how we knew we wanted to. He offered to make me breakfast and I happily accepted. It all was wonderful until I realized it was pretty late, and remembered he had told me his boyfriend Liam would be back before noon.

I didn't want to make a scene but I still wasn't ready to meet him, so I told him how wonderful the night and morning had been and asked him if he could take me home. He was such a gentleman he didn't even hesitate and quickly helped me gather my things to drive me home.

The ride was almost as quite as the one the night before after dinner. But this time, it was because we both knew we had found something wonderful. He held my hand during the entire ride and as soon as we pulled up to my apartment he got off and jumped across the front of the car to open my door for me. He was truly a dream come true.

We kissed more than once while saying goodbye, unable to let go. But I eventually convinced myself the sooner we did it the sooner we'd be seeing each other again. After he left I went up to the apartment. I had taken my keys because I didn't know if anyone would be in this morning. Ryan had an appointment early today and he had told me Bruce had early training. As for Jack, I had no idea if he'd be in, but I wasn't about to ask him to tell me his plans or to open the door for me.

Once inside the apartment I closed the door and fell back on it, gasping at the memory of the wonderful night behind me. I was really happy.

After locking the door I walked past the kitchen and into my room, but before I reached the end of the hallway I heard him.

"Hi Scott," I didn't realize it was the first time in weeks I had actually heard him speak to me.

I turned back and saw Jack standing in the middle of the living, having walked out of his room, "Can we talk?"