Do You Remember - 6. Phonography

The door opened and Alex came out of his room. He had just showered and changed into his favorite blue t-shirt, black pants and black shoes, ready to go out and see Jeremy. As he was coming down the stairs, he suddenly stopped midway and ran back up to his room, wanting to check himself in the mirror once again.

Now that he knew who Jeremy was, he was nervous for some reason. As if he was going for a big job interview his career depended on. He wanted to make sure he looked his best. There’s nothing wrong about that, I just want to make a good impression, Alex thought to himself as he ran his fingers through his hair, wanting to make it look more natural.

There, now it doesn’t look like I spent half an hour fixing it!

Finally pleased with his looks, he left the house and went to catch a bus to the Promenade. The ride was quick, or at least it seemed that way to him as he sat by the window and watched the ever-changing scenery before him. Before he knew it, the bus stopped at his destination and he got off, quickly reaching the Appleton bakery.

This time, he was greeted by the smiling face of the middle-aged woman he knew as Zara, Jeremy’s mom. She wore jeans and a clean, white shirt with a name tag on it.

“Hey, Alex, nice to see you again,” she chirped as she wiped her hands on a kitchen towel.

“You too, Mrs. Appleton.”

“Oh, please, none of that crap. Call me Zara,” she waved him off. “Can I get you anything, or are you here to see Jeremy? He’s over there in the back.”

“Great, thanks,” Alex nodded. “Could you pack me a slice of cherry pie to go, I told mom I’d bring her one?”

“Sure, it’ll be here, waiting for you.”

“Thanks, Zara,” Alex replied, feeling weird to call her by her first name.

As new customers arrived, he went to the back and saw his friend sitting at a table with a girl, talking and sipping on sodas. This must be the girlfriend, Natalie, he thought, quickly eyeing the girl. She was pretty, nothing spectacular, but not bad looking either. Although, she did look too tanned next to Jeremy, who was pale like a vampire. Her long, black hair was braided neatly into one big braid that fell casually over one shoulder.

Having noticed his friend arrive, Jeremy’s mouth drew into a big grin. Alex could see him telling something to the girl before standing up to greet him.

“Hey, glad you could make it,” the young baker said as he gave his friend a hug.

“Of course, told you I’d come.”

As they separated, Jeremy gestured toward the girl. “This is Natalie… my girlfriend. Natalie, this is Alex.”

“Nice to meet you,” Alex said as he shook her hand and sat between the two of them.

“You too,” the girl nodded and gave him a polite smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

As Jeremy went to grab a soda for his friend, Alex couldn’t help but notice the girl was trying not to look at him. Suddenly feeling like an outsider, he began to wonder if it was a good idea to come after all. Maybe he interrupted something? What if they were arguing before he came? Just as Alex opened his mouth to say something to try and make the situation less awkward, Jeremy returned with a can of soda and plopped down onto the chair next to him.

“Here you go!”

“Thanks,” Alex smiled, gripping the cold can. “So, what have you guys been doing?”

“Actually, I was just getting ready to leave,” Natalie said as she got up, putting her phone in her purse. “See you tomorrow, baby.” Leaning in, she gave Jeremy a kiss on the lips. “Nice to meet you, Alex.”

With a wave, she walked away, saying goodbye to Zara before leaving.

“Uh, is everything ok? Did I interrupt you guys at something?” Alex asked, looking quizzically at Jeremy.

“No, uh,” Jeremy looked behind him before replying, “no, not at all.”

Although not entirely convinced, Alex decided not to push it. He didn’t want to make his friend uncomfortable, and after all, it was none of his business. He had just returned to Jeremy’s life after ten years, and he certainly wasn’t going to meddle in his private affairs just like that.

It wasn’t long before Natalie was all but forgotten and the two guys carried on chatting and laughing as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, Zara served the few customers that decided to drop by in the evening hours, usually people on their way from work or just couples talking a walk and enjoying the pleasant evening at the quay.

“So, how’s work, is it picking up?” Alex asked, curious about his friend’s business endeavor.

“Umm, kinda. Not as much as I’d hoped, to be honest. I guess it’s still early, people haven’t heard about us yet,” Jeremy shrugged.

Alex observed the nice, lime green shirt the guy was wearing. It looked good on his skinny frame and matched his pale skin perfectly. Suddenly, an idea came to him and he had to share it.

“Do you have an Instagram page? I mean, for the bakery?”

“No. Why, do you think I should make one?” Jeremy asked.

“Yeah, absolutely! This place is perfect for it. You can put photos of the delicious pastries, the interior of the bakery, the outside, even the view around it. I’m telling you, your place is a wet dream for Instagram!” Alex enthused as his face lit up. “I can’t even tell you how many good places I’ve found that way!”

“I haven’t even thought of that,” Jeremy admitted. “Ok, I guess I can make it, got nothin’ to lose.”

“Of course! If you need any help, just say it,” Alex exclaimed. He had a few more ideas on how Jer could promote his bakery and attract more customers, but he didn’t want to overwhelm the guy just yet. Maybe he doesn’t want or need my help.

“Sure, that’d be great. Hey, I already got some pics from the opening day in my phone. Wanna check them out? Maybe I could use some of them.”

“Yeah, let’s see them,” Alex said, scooting over closer to Jeremy so they can both take a look.

Their legs were suddenly touching under the table, but neither of the guys acknowledged it in any way or made a move. As his cheeks began to turn rosy, Jeremy took out his phone and started swiping, showing Alex the pictures taken a few weeks ago, from the opening day.

Alex watched intently, trying to focus as much as he could but finding it very hard, distracted by the heat of Jeremy’s body so close to his. Every once in a while, he would make a comment, saying which photo would be good for the Instagram page and giving suggestions on what kind of new photos they could take.

There were pictures of Jeremy with his mom and sister, friends, and of course, with his girlfriend Natalie. At one point, Alex’s curiosity finally got the better of him and he had to ask the question that was on his mind.

“So, how long have you two been together?”

He noticed Jeremy glancing around very quickly before looking back at his phone.

“Uh, almost five months.”

“Oh, wow, that’s longer than any relationship I’ve ever had,” Alex blurted out, immediately regretting it. Why did I say that? Idiot! I might as well have told him I’m a slut.

“We’re still young, so no rush, right?” Jeremy looked at him, a smile flickering across his face.

“Right,” Alex nodded, still feeling stupid for his blunder.

Still, it was hard to feel embarrassed with Jeremy. He graciously moved to another topic, for which Alex was silently thankful. The conversation continued for what seemed like hours until Alex finally realized maybe he should actually go home instead of occupying all of Jeremy’s time.

Ultimately, he departed with mixed emotions, unsure of how he felt about his new/old friend. So, he has a girlfriend, I’m ok with that. I have a boyfriend, too. Ok, admittedly, that’s a stretch. Brandon is… Whatever he is, I don’t really see a future with him. Wait, when did I suddenly begin to think about the future? Is there something in the water in this town? Seriously, I need to get a grip.

~~

Lying in bed in nothing but his briefs, Alex observed the old Ninja Turtles poster he found in a drawer and put on the wall a few days ago. It reminded him of his school days… and of Jeremy. As he put his hands behind his head, he contemplated the events of that day – his work, family, seeing his friend again.

His mom was very grateful that he remembered to bring her some cherry pie that evening, making sure to hug and kiss him as he presented her with the dessert. Their relationship was still on the mend and was nowhere near close to what it had been before his big screw-up. Still, it seemed to Alex that things were slowly getting better.

Maybe she could start trusting me again soon and see that one mistake doesn’t mean I’m a complete failure.

In an attempt to distract himself from thinking about the more serious stuff, Alex picked up his phone from the nightstand and opened his Instagram. He was hoping to get some ideas for Jeremy’s bakery, which he could share with him the next time they met. With the right promotion, he could get a lot more customers, Alex thought, already coming up with plans they could implement – some more easily than others. However, it wasn’t long before a phone call interrupted him in his mission. With a heavy sigh upon seeing the caller’s name, Alex answered.

“Hey, Brandon.”

“Hey, sorry to call so late. I didn’t wake you up, did I?” Brandon’s half-excited, half-concerned voice came from the other side.

“No, not at all. I was just chilling in bed,” Alex decided to be honest.

He hadn’t even thought about the guy he was supposed to be dating, let alone called or texted him that day. It made him feel guilty.

I took the money from him, and now what? Do I break up with him? That would be horrible. Do I give him a chance? Am I seriously considering this?

“Oh, really?” Brandon replied in a naughty tone. “And what do you wear for chilling in bed?”

“Ha-ha, wouldn’t you like to know,” Alex chuckled. “Not much, actually… Almost nothing.”

Despite his intentions, he could feel his cock starting to swell, filling up his tight briefs. Brandon was definitely a hot guy, and even though Alex hadn’t seen him naked, or even shirtless, it was clear the guy was working hard in the gym.

“Mmm I like the sound of that,” Brandon murmured.

“What about you?”

“Oh, I’m afraid I’m a bit of a mess right now.”

“You? I find that hard to believe,” Alex rolled his eyes. It was difficult to imagine Brandon in anything other than his tight designer clothes, with his perfect hair styled as if for a photoshoot.

“Hey, I’m not that predictable! You’d be surprised.”

“Really? And what’s gotten you so messy?”

“Well, the renovations in my apartment are finally done, so I’ve been doing some final cleaning up in the place. In fact, that’s why I’m calling. I was wondering if you’d like to come tomorrow evening, you know, to celebrate?”

“Uh, tomorrow?” Alex hesitated, thinking whether to refuse the invitation or not. Finally, unable to come up with an excuse quickly enough, he agreed. “Sure, I’ll be there. When do you want me to come?”

“Whenever you want is fine. There’s just going to be us, my brother and his girlfriend. They’re coming at seven, but you can come at any time.”

“Ok, I’ll text you before I leave home.”

“Great. Now, where were we? You mentioned something about wearing next to nothing?” Brandon asked seductively.

Looking at his crotch, Alex realized he was fully hard, with his dick straining the fabric of his underwear. At six and a half inches, he wasn’t the biggest in the world, but he had no complaints so far. Guys seemed to love blowing him as much as he loved doing it to them. Even though he was almost strictly a top, when it came to oral sex he liked to both give and receive. Pulling his tight briefs off, he finally released his cock and started stroking it to the sound of Brandon’s husky voice, closing his eyes and imagining it was someone else talking to him.

~~

Alex stood in front of the door to Brandon’s apartment, trying to compose himself. He had gotten there a little early, not wanting to be the last to arrive. This will give me some time to relax before his brother and his girlfriend come, he thought.

He couldn’t deny the phone sex from the night before was a big turn-on. Brandon moaning and talking dirty to him had him blowing his load all over himself. It was the first time he’d done something like that. Back in college, he would simply find guys on Grindr or at the gym and then hook up with them. Having phone sex was as weird as it was exciting. Ultimately, he loved exploring and he had to admit it felt amazing.

Soon after he rang the bell, Brandon appeared at the door, dressed in sweatpants and a tight cream-colored tank top that showed off his toned muscles. His long hair was tied in a bun, a departure from his usual neat hairstyle.

“Hey, welcome!” Brandon greeted him with a big smile before leaning in to give him a kiss. “Come on in.”

As he entered the place, Alex didn’t know where to look first. His family was well-off, always providing him with everything he needed, but this was on another level. Brandon’s apartment seemed huge, with spacious rooms, one wall entirely made of glass, a fantastic, panoramic view of the city and a large balcony. This is what celebrities live like, Alex thought.

He finally realized he was still holding the housewarming gift he had brought, and handed it to Brandon. After racking his brain all morning, thinking what to buy to a person who already has everything, he decided to go simple and get him a houseplant. However, now that he saw a huge palm tree near the glass wall and a vase full of beautiful, white orchids on the table, his little plant suddenly seemed utterly inadequate. Oh well, what’s done is done. It’s the thought that counts, right?

“Here, this is for you,” he said with an awkward smile, handing the potted plant to Brandon.

“Thanks, you shouldn’t have! I’ll put it here,” Brandon accepted the gift with a smile and carefully placed it on a shelf near the window, where it would get a lot of light. “I love it!”

Ok, at least he didn’t throw it in the trash, Alex thought. I really need to stop expecting the worst from people.

“So, want me to give you a tour of the place?” Brandon asked enthusiastically.

“Sure,” Alex nodded, following his date as he went from room to room, briefly explaining what was renovated.

Even though he was positive everything he had seen was far beyond his price range, Alex had to admit all of it looked amazing. The last stop was the kitchen, which had everything even Gordon Ramsay could ever want.

“And of course, the countertops are granite. Can you imagine the guy asked if I wanted them made from wood?” Brandon chuckled.

“Wow,” Alex replied, not sure what kind of reaction to go for.

“I know, right? So, I’ve seen Bruno Mars has exactly the same-“ as Brandon went on with his story, the doorbell rang, interrupting him. “Oh, must be Dan and Stefani. They’re cool, I’m sure you’ll get along. They already like you!” he grinned at Alex before going to open the door.

Somehow, Alex wasn’t too reassured with those words. With a nervous smile, he sat in an armchair as Brandon welcomed his brother and his girlfriend. The pair soon joined him in the living room and Alex wasn’t surprised to see they look pretty much exactly as he had imagined them. Dan was a slightly older version of Brandon, with black hair, while Stefani was a fit and pretty – though not beautiful – young girl. Whatever flaws she may have were expertly concealed with makeup and a beautiful hairstyle.

“There he is, the man himself!” Dan called out as he saw Alex. “I’m Dan, nice to meet you.”

“You too,” Alex said, shaking his hand, before repeating the entire introduction process with Stefani.

Both of them seemed polite enough at first glance and Alex found himself engaged in conversations with them throughout the evening, even though most of the talking was done by Dan and Brandon. Alex learned that Dan was in the hotel business, while Stefani was working in her father’s software company.

Takeout arrived after a while, and the four of them moved to the stylish, modern dining room to have their meal. As he ate the food delivered from a restaurant, Alex remembered that Brandon doesn’t even like to cook. Well, that kitchen is never getting used, he thought, having to stop himself from chuckling in front of everyone.

“So, Alex, what do you do?” Dan asked, causing him to look up.

“Well, I…” As soon as he opened his mouth, Brandon took his hand, as if in a gesture of affection.

“He’s still in college,” he nodded, interrupting Alex.

“Uh, yeah,” Alex confirmed, glancing questioningly at Brandon, who merely smiled and continued eating.

What the hell was that, he wondered, as he tried his best to answer Dan’s questions.

Feeling awkward and like an imposter, he tried to put a smile on his face as he carried on with his dinner and the conversation with the rest of the group. The rest of the evening seemingly went smoothly, greatly helped by the wine they were all drinking. As far as Alex could tell, Dan and Stefani did not sense any awkwardness, and if they had, they did their best not to show it.

It wasn’t until they left that his mask finally fell and Brandon was suddenly faced with a heavy frown that marred Alex’s face. Sitting on a couch next to him, Brandon reached out, touching Alex’s arm.

“Hey, is something wrong? I thought the evening went well.”

“I thought so too,” Alex replied bitterly, withdrawing his hand, “until you lied about my job.”

“Oh, that,” Brandon spoke softly, looking down.

“Are you ashamed of where I work, is that it? I mean, I hate my job, don’t get me wrong, but-“

“No, that’s not it,” Brandon quickly shook his head. “I’m not ashamed, I promise. But Dan, he’s different. He thinks we should only date people of our social status, and… I just didn’t want him to ruin this night. I’m sorry.”

“So what, we’re just gonna lie to him? I’m gonna pretend to be some millionaire?”

“No, of course not,” Brandon replied, taking Alex’s hand and caressing it gently with his fingers. “Look, bottom line is, I don’t care what Dan thinks, I’ll date whoever I want. I just didn’t want him to cause drama and scare you away on your first time here. But I’ll tell him, I promise.”

“Ok,” Alex muttered, not entirely convinced. If his brother is like that, God only knows what their parents must be like. If I ever get to meeting them. “Anyway, I should get going,” he said as he got up to leave.

“I said I was sorry,” Brandon looked at him with puppy eyes, holding his hand.

“I know, it’s not that. It’s just that… it’s late and...”

“All the more reason to stay. You shouldn’t go out at this hour,” Brandon replied, pulling him on top of himself. “Besides, maybe we could continue what we started yesterday… but this time in person.”

With one hand on the back of Alex’s head, Brandon gently pulled him down until their lips met in a passionate kiss. His other hand strayed across Alex’s broad shoulders and back before settling at the guy’s firm ass, kneading it slowly. That was enough to make all the blood rush down to Alex’s cock, making it hard almost instantly. And as he could feel, he wasn’t the only one.

Grinding his crotch against Brandon’s, Alex closed his eyes and devoured the guy’s warm and wet mouth. His hand slipped beneath Brandon’s tank top, finding his nipple and squeezing it, making him moan even harder.

As their clothes quickly came off, leaving them in a sweaty, tangled mass of limbs, Alex gave in to the moment, trying his best not to question the face of the pale, curly-haired guy that started to invade his thoughts.

Huge thanks to everyone for being patient while I wrote this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and I wish you all happy holidays!