No going back - 20. London fun

Well, that had been interesting, perhaps my idea of going on holiday together was a bit previous. There had been moments when we had rather rubbed against each other, our vastly differing experiences of going out and travelling, also Colin’s far greater interest in and knowledge of food, my tendency to plunge in heedless. Then there was the matter of the restaurant bill, it had clearly surprised him. I was rather worried it was too expensive, but he'd not said anything. We walked in silence for a bit.

"Thanks for that, it was such a lovely meal. Two more dishes to cross off my list."

"You really have a list?"

Colin blushed, "Yes. I really want to try everything."

"We'll have to do Italian again. Look, was the cost OK, I wondered..."

"It's all right. I can afford it, it's just that I'm not used to paying so much for food."

I smiled, "If you want to try lots of interesting Italian food, then you'll need to get used to it."

"It does rather add up, doesn't it?"

"Yes, all the extras. Bear that in mind. If you take the cost of the main course, then you can easily double it."

"I'll remember."

"There are a few places in town, we could try."

"I figured they'd be expensive."

I shrugged, "Worth looking to see."

Back at the hotel, I stared at him and wondered how to play this. He beat me to it.

"You're just wearing a jockstrap, you're not planning on going in it, you're wearing trackie bottoms?", he had a broad grin on his face.

"No, I thought I'd wear t-shirt and jeans, and put them in the cloak room. What about you?"

Rather shyly, Colin fetched some clothes from his case, "I've got these. I thought I'd wear the shirt over the vest and if I feel brave, I'll check it in. I figured I could see."

He'd got a vest, the sort that the Americans called a wife-beater, and a pair of denim shorts. We set to, and I tried not to stare. But he stripped right down, taking off his red underpants; had he brought some specially for the club? It turned out not, as I got a lovely view of his nicely furry bum as he pulled on his shorts. His legs were in good shape, all that lifting and bending I expected, so the shorts suited him. And they were short.

"Wow, they are shorter than I'd expected. Where did you wear those?"

He gave me a cute smile, "I didn't. These were a pair of work jeans, the trousers got ruined by paint, a stupid accident. So, turned them into shorts. They're not too short, are they?"

"Not at all, they show off your legs; you should let your legs loose more often."

"I can see me walking down the high street like this", he grinned. "I missed off the knickers, I figured, well, that it was a good place to try it out."

"And if we get frisky?"

He blushed, "Yeah. That too."

I was stood just in my jockstrap, "What do you think?"

"Sexy. I could show you, if you want?", and he smiled.

"Later!"

There was a queue, but it was rather fun being in amongst all the gay men, there was plenty of banter and it was clear that quite a lot of the men knew each other. Colin, I noticed, was paying everything great attention. The guy behind us noticed, too. He was a big-ish guy but not really a bear, crisp grey hair, moustache, t-shirt, jeans and checked shirt, a uniform that could fit anyone.

"First time here?"

"Second, but my boyfriend has been more often."

"Well, if we ever get in, should be a great night."

Another guy chipped in, "There were a few problems at the last one, so they've stepped up with the ID checks and that."

"ID checks?", Colin whispered this, and I grabbed his hand.

"You just need a driving licence or something. You have that?"

"Yeah, in my wallet. It's just…"

"Look, they just want to check you are legit, they're not going to write to your Mum."

"No, just me being stupid."

"Not stupid, just not used to being a bit more open. It'll come."

"Where are you going to keep your wallet?"

"I have a note case which takes a few folded notes, credit card and driver's licence, it fits down my sock."

Colin grinned, equilibrium regained, "I thought you were going to say it fits down your crotch."

"Is that a wallet in your crotch or are you just pleased to see me?"

And it was giggling away that we moved up to the entrance desk. The checks were minimal, they just looked at your driver's licence or whatever. I whispered, 'Panic over?' to Colin and he squeezed my hand. The cloak room was rudimentary, but cheered up by the fact that the two big guys running it kept up a constant stream of camp banter. Colin stood next to me as I stripped off, then he touched my arm. I looked up, and there in front of us was the big bloke who had been in front of us in the queue, he was down to his jockstrap and was bending over, sorting out his boots and thus giving us a wonderful view of his hairy crack and even his hole.

"Wow", Colin's comment was barely whisper.

"Not a patch on yours", and I looked up at him and grinned. He blushed.

Stripped and ready for action, I went to hand my clothes in, but Colin stopped me. He removed his shirt and popped that in the bag too.

"Good, it suits you", good strong arms to go with the legs.

"I figured if that guy can, you know…"

"Then you can at least show a bit of arm. Bare bum next time?"

"I..."

"Joke!"

Colin smiled, "I'll think about it."

Wow.

We walked over to the bar and got drinks. One barman was a substantial bear wearing shorts and braces, the other was slight and cute, wearing just a jock-strap.

"You are allowed to look, that's why they show so much flesh", I smiled at Colin who seemed to be uncertain where to put his eyes.

"You sure? I didn't want to get in trouble."

I laughed, "Hardly, that barman doesn't do all that gym work on his body just to have people ignore him. Mind, some guys do get a bit antsy, they only like the right people looking at them".

"That's what I thought, and I..."

I put my hand on his arm, "Are cute, sexy and just about right. Look around, there are all shapes and sizes here."

And there were, along with all manner of costume. Two bears were rocking shorts and glitter make-up, whilst a couple of slight young guys had gone for leather, though neither of them looked remotely like a leather Daddy. Colin relaxed and we started wandering around, dissing the various men we saw, as well as picking looks that we thought might suit each other. Not!

We finally ended up on the dance floor, where Colin proved a nifty mover, despite his protestations to the contrary. We spent a long time dancing, getting lost in the music and eventually, getting a bit closer to each other. When the tempo of the music slowed down, I risked going in for a smoochier sort of dance and Colin responded. When the track ended, we wandered to towards the back. Colin looked down at my crotch, my jockstrap was doing little to hide my excitement, and he smiled. Rather than being put off, he commented that I was definitely showing off now. We ended up in the outside terrace where there were guys smoking and in the darker reaches, couples doing a lot more.

Except that there on the terrace, in full view, one bloke had unfastened his jeans, and another was squatting down and giving him a blow job. Neither was exactly my type, but wow. I looked over at Colin. "Giving you ideas?"

"I've never seen guys doing it before, not properly. Just like that, in front of everyone else."

"So, you fancy giving them a show?", I gave him a silly grin to show I was joking.

He smiled, "Not bloody likely. When I was last here, I did stuff with a guy. But it was right back there", he nodded to the darkest reaches, "nice and dark."

"So, shall we?"

And, to my surprise, we did. I hadn't reckoned on Colin going that far, though he'd done so on his first visit. We found a nice dark corner, Colin leaned against the wall, and I leaned into him and, well, we had a lot of fun.

I had wondered whether I could persuade him to take his vest off, but when I hinted, he refused, though in a teasing sort of way. Clearly Colin and his body in public was a tricky subject. Over a final drink, I asked whether he'd always been large.

"Yeah, I was always big, and folk said I was over-weight".

"Not much fun at school?"

He sighed, "No. I was the fat boy."

"You get bullied?"

"Some. When I was younger. Miles would sometimes stand up for me, but the problem was that I'd have to pay him back", he shrugged.

"Pay him back? How?"

"Oh, he'd find things that he wanted doing, you know stuff from the shop and that. Sometimes, it was just to make him seem big to his mates, having his kid brother running errands and such for him."

"I'm not sure that I like what I've heard of Miles."

Colin shrugged, "Oh, he has his moments, but Miles, well, is Miles. His view is the right one, and you better believe it."

"So, what happened when you were older?"

Colin smiled, "I got bigger. Didn't need anyone standing up for me. I learned to stand up for myself."

We had a further boogie and another drink, then wandered over towards the outside area again, but this was far busier, and I suspected the darker areas were becoming more like a mass orgy. Colin didn't seem keen, I couldn't quite imagine him in a group orgy and after all, we had bed to look forward to.

On the way out, we spotted a fine sight. A chunky guy in ripped jeans, artfully ripped; you could see part of the crack in his arse and as he walked his dick was clearly visible in front. And he was well aware of the effect.

"Wow. That guy", Colin stared in something like wonder.

I smiled, "Fancy a pair of jeans like that?"

"I...", Colin seized up.

"Joke! It's not a competition."

"I'm sorry, perhaps next time I'll..."

I put my hand on his arm and kissed him, "Look, I mean it, it's not a competition. It's meant to be fun. And that's it. So, whatever you are comfortable doing. And nothing more. I'm happy to match you, and you look good in whatever. As long as we can find a dark corner for a bit of extra fun, then I'm happy. Right?"

"Right."

"Now, say it like you mean it and want a bit of fun."

He gave a nervous smile, "Right! And I do think that next time I'll leave off my top. For a bit", he grinned.

"Get nice and sweaty on the dance floor?"

"Yes".

"I must be getting old, it's so nice to get back to the hotel room, have a hot shower, clean all the stickiness and sweat away and lie on the bed".

I was on the bed whilst Colin was drying himself. "I agree. I was worried that we might want to leave at different times."

"No. I'm good. It was fun, but enough."

"Yes. What about next month?"

I grinned at him, "You want to make a regular date?"

Colin shrugged and grinned, "Till we get bored and find something else. Sounds good."

He finished drying and was about to wrap the towel round him but thought better of it and walked out of the bathroom unclothed. I rarely saw him like that, except during sex. He was body shy yet had nothing to worry about. Quite the opposite. He was a big guy, certainly, but his belly had nothing on some of the blokes we'd seen, and he was clearly well used to manual labour with firm arms and sturdy legs, a good pelt of hair and a nice dick.

"What you looking at?"

I gave him a jokey leer, "You. Come on, so I can show my appreciation".

But he stood there, just out of reach. "I read in one of those gay websites about a club in Manchester where they have boots only evenings. You've done stuff like that?"

"Boots only?", I pulled a face and thought, "Yeah, I lived in clubs like that for a bit, years ago, though. Why?"

"Do guys actually do that, you know, go round bollock naked?"

"Yep. Quite a lot enjoy showing off. And it certainly means you know what you're getting. Usually they are an excuse for plenty of sex."

"With folk watching, like tonight?"

"Only more so."

"You ever do that?"

"Not really. I like a bit of privacy. I don't mind showing off, but not completely. And I've had sex in some dodgy places, but it doesn't specifically turn me on."

"And it does, some guys?"

"Oh yes. Blokes who love to get their kit off and get hard, show it all off, and even get fucked right in front of you", I grinned, "Takes all sorts."

I'm not sure where we're going with this. Probably nowhere, and it's just Colin finding out, finding his feet. When we were finally cuddled in bed, the lights out and both sated after another highly physical bout (who knew where the energy came from), Colin whispered to me,

"Thank you, tonight was terrific. Everything."

I kissed him, "I enjoyed it too. I much prefer doing things with someone."

"Even me?"

"Especially you."

We were up for breakfast, which was the usual sort of buffet. Colin was definitely a 'full English' sort of guy, whilst I picked at a whole variety of things. The only thing we agreed on was that the coffee was terrible. So, once we'd checked out, we walked across the road and found a decent coffee-shop by Tate Modern. It was already starting to get busy in the area, and I could see that another time we might come back to explore. Colin had read about the Museum and its transformation of the old power station, but clearly fancied getting up-close and personal. But we had things to do.

We drove out to the storage place, which was on an industrial estate near where my last flat had been. It was unlovely and I needed all the power of Google Maps on my phone to navigate us there. Even on a Sunday morning, there was plenty of traffic around, including our fair share of idiots who got Colin riled. He was a surprisingly lively driver, not so much bad tempered as one who kept up a constant narration about the idiocies around him. When we finally got to my storage unit, we both stood at the door and stared.

"I thought you said there wasn't much?"

"That's how I remember it. Will it all fit in the van?"

"Should do", Colin gave the boxes a once-over, "At least they are properly packed. Any idea what's in all this?"

I shook my head, "No idea. I sort of remember all the stuff that I had, but I don't remember what went where. Besides, I didn't really do it, I hired professional packers. I was recuperating after my final op, and there was no way I was doing anything heavy. It probably means there's a lot of rubbish, stuff that should have been thrown out."

Colin smiled, "Fluffy bunny slippers and novelty Christmas decorations."

I laughed, "You have a weird mind sometimes. Let's get on".

It was hard work, well tiresome. Colin did most of the heavy lifting and such, and certainly seemed to have the right sort of brain for fitting everything into the van. Once we were well out of London, I have to confess that I dozed off, even though the ride in the van wasn't that comfortable. We had dire coffee and rather lacklustre sandwiches at some services and made pretty good time. I had said that I would spell Colin, but he didn't bother to wake me.

Getting the boxes into the new house was equally tedious, and tiring, again even though Colin did most of the work. I felt guilty, but he waved off any attempt to thank him saying that the weekend had been reward enough. But I would have to buy him a nice present when the new house was finished. We had a take-away at the rental house I was actually living in, then he kissed me (a lot) and left. But he asked me if I was OK. Of course I was.