He never got the impression that his dad was disappointed that they didn’t share the same interests. After all, there was always Erica. When they were younger, it was she who was always at their dad’s side; he always called on her whenever he needed help with fixing things around the house, and they enjoyed watching sports together. Erica was the perfect tomboy.
Ben turned to Oliver before walking out the door. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah. Have a great night, dude!”
Ben left, and Oliver went into the bathroom and turned on the shower, adjusted the temperature and closed the shower door. His body softened under the steam stream of water. He groaned as he washed, feeling older than he should. Three weeks of early mornings and late nights — he was exhausted. Tonight he was going to get a good night’s sleep.
After twenty minutes, he got out of the shower and dried himself. He fell back to rest on the mattress, which felt like falling into a cloud. He closed his eyes, fully expecting sleep to follow, but he could only think about the lunch they had earlier that day.
The whole time he’d sat listening to Erica and Brendan, Oliver couldn’t shake the feeling that Ben wanted to kiss him. The feeling was so palpable that Oliver felt himself growing excited at the thought. Was it possible that Ben was feeling curious? Something had definitely changed after the hot tub.
He could still feel Ben’s hands band around him and snake their way up to his chest. His hardened erection had pushed into his tailbone, increasing his own arousal, which led to him becoming painfully hard.
Oliver’s eyes snapped open. He wanted to sleep right there, without bothering to get under the covers, but there was no chance of that happening now. He was fully hard.
God, it felt like forever since he showed himself a little affection. His cock jerked and swelled. It craved for attention. And this moment might be the last opportunity that he would get to jerk off during this trip. Sharing a bed with Ben was too much of a dream come true, and he was prepared to abstain from touching himself.
But he was alone and horny. He wasn’t going to sleep anytime time soon if he didn’t take care of his cock. Just knowing that he was about to jerk off, Oliver’s body woke up, and he felt energized.
He moved to the head of the bed, shoved his hand in his underwear and closed his eyes as he searched for filthy images that he could imagine. As he began to idly stroke his cock, Ben flashed into his mind.
He imagined Ben, naked and hard, making his way across the room like a man on a mission. And holy smoke, or better yet, holy commando! Seeing Ben’s impressive manhood, Oliver felt blood rushing down to his thighs, and his cock hardened fully in his hand.
He imagined Ben at the far end of the bed, staring down at him holding his cock, and he pictured the look of amazement on Ben’s face. Did he even know what to do with a cock?
A flush warmed Oliver’s face — Damn! He cried softly as guilt shot through his stomach. This was seriously wrong. He wasn’t about to get off to his best friend.
There was nothing more complicated than knowing the cause of his sexual frustration — his fake relationship with his best friend — was also the cause of the confusion pummeling through his body.
Oliver opened his eyes and looked around the room. He was alone. He looked at the door. There was no way Ben could come into the room without him having enough time to cover himself with the bedsheets.
He glanced down his body at his cock, which was desperately in need of relief. But first, he needed to erase the last image burned into his brain of Ben kneeling at the foot of the bed, naked and hard.
His eyelids grew heavy, and he clenched them closed again. This time he shut them so tight that he felt his brow wrinkle as he tried to force Ben from his thoughts. He did everything he could to replace the image of Ben in his mind.
He imagined a different man altogether kneeling down in front of him — a man with a frame several times smaller than Ben whose face was a blur. His imagined lover didn’t look like Ben; that was the most important detail.
A throaty moan escaped him. He curled his fingers around his cock while gliding his hand down his thigh and up to his tight balls. Parting his thighs, he gently cupped his balls and gave them a little squeeze.
Hoping his mystery figure would be sufficient to satisfy his needs, he continued touching himself for a few minutes longer. But it soon became apparent that it wasn’t working. There was no hope of trying to brush off the image that was imprinted in his mind.
His vision was still clouded with his fantasy of Ben at the foot of his bed and the hot haze of lust swirling in his head. The contact he had with Ben over the past few days was enough content to build on his fantasy. This included the sweet moments when Ben innocently took his hand and lightly brushed it with his thumb to comfort him.
Ben was probably awesome in bed.
The thought was like ice cracking, unexpected and terrifying. He paused mentally and swallowed shamefully at the jarring thought. Where had it come from?
Envisioning Ben’s gorgeous skin, built body and glistening smile at the foot of his bed was crossing the line. Imagining the man’s kind eyes fixated on his hard cock was crossing the line. But visualizing his shaft, that was beyond crossing the line. In fact, the line was so far away that it was impossible to see.
Oliver tightened the grip around his cock and fisted a little faster. His breath was rapid from the combination of arousal and going over the edge. Giving in to his urges was freeing. Masturbating over his straight best friend, he felt as if his heart were about to fly right out of his chest.
He barely recognized his guttural groan as he imagined Ben taking hold of his cock. He’d never conceived of the idea that he would one day reach this point. Although Ben was good looking, he was not on the list of guys that Oliver would masturbate over.
Ben made him laugh, provided a shoulder to cry on and prepared dinner. He was happily stored away in Oliver’s straight-friend-zone. But over the course of a few days, the lust he had for Ben started seeping through the cracks of the mental barrier he’d put up.
Oliver imagined Ben’s warm mouth on his cock, and this thought alone made his breathing border on hyperventilation. His shaky hand tightened the grip on his shaft, and his cock leaked precum.
Imaginary Ben’s pace was excruciating as he sucked on him, warm and enthusiastic. Ben crawled up Oliver’s body, interrupting the tailspin going on in his stomach.
I want you! Next, imaginary Ben trailed kisses along Oliver’s neck, bathing it with his warm sweet breath, which caused Oliver to squirm with desire. And gritting his teeth, he fought to control his frenzied breath.
Oliver cursed and sped up his strokes. Never in a million years would he have thought about how sexy it would feel to have Ben graze his teeth on the sensitive skin between his neck and shoulder.
He continued to stroke himself at an accelerated pace.
In Oliver’s mind, he felt Ben’s weight on top of him, his warm body wrapping him in a tight hug, caressing his hair and kissing his neck. Then he sat up, and grinning at him, he took Oliver’s cock in his hand.
Oliver was curious to know if Ben’s cock was as beautiful as the man himself. Was it cut? Uncut? Thick? He imagined it was long. He wondered if it was veiny. Oliver imagined his best friend had an impressive manhood.
He visualized Ben positioning himself to rub their hips together. Reacting to this, Oliver tilted his head back and gasped for breath. He should have felt ashamed. He should have felt embarrassed. He should have been riddled with guilt.
But this was the furthest thing from his mind when he imagined the sensation of Ben’s soft cock rub over his lower region. Oliver’s hand continued pumping himself. Trailing a finger over his abs, Oliver enhanced his arousal.
Arousal was the understatement of the year. He was getting lost in his fantasy. He wanted to reach out and touch Ben, clutch his ass and slap it. He was all too aware of what hundreds of hours at the gym could do for a body, and the
details of Ben’s sculptured ass were engraved in his brain in permanent black Sharpie. This made his fantasy powerfully vivid, and it awakened lust in every part of Oliver’s body.
Imaginary Ben was on top of him now, rubbing perfectly against him. The tips of their erections stroked each other, and Ben began frotting. All Oliver could do was writhe uncontrollably underneath his imaginary Ben.
Oliver bit down on his lip, but it wasn’t enough. He couldn’t have held back the raw, carnal, orgasmic cry any longer. The force of it turned into an all-out rushing river, shattering his fantasy behind his eyelids. His orgasm burst right through the dam he’d mentally erected. The dam marked Straight Best Friend! that he kept in place since the moment they become friends.
The comedown wasn’t pleasant. Ben was the perfect friend. Their chemistry was electric, but never sexual. He’d been happy with the mix of depth and ease that he felt with Ben. He’d appreciated the sense of security he got from having a friend like Ben in his life.
But unease settled in his stomach as he realized that he would no longer be satisfied with them being just friends. The image of Ben on top of him was still in his mind. He never knew that fantasizing over a straight man could be so intense. It was even worse because it was Ben.
That night changed everything.
12
Ben
When the cruise ship came into the harbor, Ben, Oliver and the rest of the passengers were given a brief tour of the tourist resort. Seven Mile Beach was lined with a continuous row of beach bars and multi-story hotels.
Ben and Oliver went to join the rest of the family at a local bar for a few drinks. Oliver’s dad had invited them out and Ben declined, suggesting that he wanted to spend the evening with Oliver. To his surprise, though, Oliver accepted the invitation without a moment’s hesitation.
In all the time Ben had known Oliver, he’d never seen him so enthusiastic about nightlife. As soon as his dad mentioned having a few drinks, Oliver almost leapt at the chance.
Ben, on the other hand, wished he could have a night in with Oliver, if he were being honest. Large crowds always disrupted his intimacy with Oliver. There was always a girl or guy ready to interrupt them, offering to buy them drinks or inviting them over to their booth. Ben was never interested, and neither was Oliver.
It was hard for him to believe that Oliver was so eager to go out and have fun among large groups of guys and girls. Especially girls, who acted surprised whenever Oliver told them he was gay. Both guys were out of their element when it came to bars. If they weren’t around each other, they often felt awkward or isolated in large social gatherings.
Ben couldn’t understand why Oliver wanted to go out for drinks. Even Erica and Brendan were having a romantic meal in their cabin. There was also the feeling that the mood had shifted at some point during the cruise. If Ben had to pinpoint when he first picked up on the change, it would have been the morning after his night out with Brendan and Oliver’s dad at the casino.
That morning Oliver barely maintained eye contact when they spoke, and he always happened to be in another room, away from Ben. When they were around Oliver’s family, things seemed normal, even better than normal. Oliver was comfortable with displaying his affection, whether it was a peck on the cheek, holding hands or a playful pinch. And although Ben enjoyed everything they were doing in public, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something had changed.
The changes in their relationship were subtle, but they were there.
It was hard to believe that Oliver was throwing back drinks, laughing and having fun at a bar. But Ben was witnessing it with his own eyes. At least he seemed to be having a good time.
The pulse of the music pounded Ben’s ears in the dimly-lit bar, which was jam-packed with tourists and locals. In order to be heard, Ben had to lean in to whisper into Oliver’s ear over the loud music.
“Shall I get us another drink?” he said to Oliver and swallowed down his beer.
“Next one’s on me,” Oliver said. “This place is fun!”
“I’m glad you’re having a great time. I’ve never seen you let loose like this before,” Ben said.
Oliver shrugged. “Maybe there’s a whole other side to me that might surprise you,” he said, winking playfully.
“I’m interested to learn more,” Ben smiled. “Okay, I won’t be a minute.”
He carved his way through the crowd, waving at the bartender to get his attention. “Two vodka sunrises, my man!” he said.
The bartender smiled with a nod and then winked at someone who stood behind Ben. At that moment, Ben felt a tap on his shoulder.
“Hey you!” said Amanda.
“Heeey!” Ben shouted over the music, briefly hugging Amanda in the process.
“What are you having?” he asked.
“A Sam Adams for me and a sea breeze for Karen!”
“Right,” Ben said. “By the way, where is Karen?”
Amanda spun and pointed over to the small dance floor. “Getting busy,” she said with a grin.
Ben spotted her dancing among a crowd of bodies, and to his surprise the man she was dancing with was Oliver’s dad. He blinked, unable to process what he was seeing. Mr. Campbell was doing the shuffle to Staying Alive by The Bee Gees. Then he did the Electric Slide and a few other moves that looked like they were made up in the spur of the moment. Karen was laughing while trying to keep up with him.
“That’s Oliver’s dad!” Ben chuckled, inspecting his glass. He wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. But after a second look, he soon determined that it was indeed Oliver’s dad.
“Well, I never…” Amanda said, her voice trailed as she took another look. Oliver’s dad clapped his hands and twisted his hips. “He’s got some moves. It’s a pity I can’t dance, or I’d be up there with them. Karen always tries to get me to dance with her, but it’s just not my thing.”
“I’m glad that men and Oliver are terrible dancers. I always have him to stand with at clubs,” Ben said.
All he really wanted to do was to squeeze Oliver in his arms and ask him to dance. He’d wanted to pull Oliver onto the dance floor the second they got into the club, but he didn’t have the balls to pull the trigger.
“Speaking of Oliver, where is he?” Amanda asked.
“He’s right over…”
It was Ben’s turn to trail off. Pointing to where he’d left Oliver, Ben saw a man talking to him. Ben was completely disarmed. Too shocked to even react, he just watched. Oliver’s back was against a pillar with the man resting his arm over him and whispering into his ear.
Silent seconds ticked away.
Ben swallowed, immediately feeling his chest burn. His stomach did a flip. Was he going to be sick?
“You all right?” Amanda asked.
“I’ll be right back,” Ben said.
Jealousy — the feeling was foreign. Well, foreign when it came to Oliver and his love life. He’d always been okay with Oliver’s boyfriends, and only had a problem with how they treated him. As far as he was concerned, it didn't matter who Oliver dated as long as they realized how lucky they were to have someone like him in their lives.
Now, he felt like a jealous middle schooler whose best friend was playing with someone else. As he moved towards them, he kept his eyes locked on Oliver. It was like watching a horror movie that was too scary to continue watching, but too gripping to turn away. He wanted to fast forward this scene to the part where he stepped in and saved Oliver.
He told himself that this feeling of anger was reasonable. Oliver was his boyfriend, and fake or not, they needed to keep up appearances. What if Oliver’s dad saw this strange man flirting with his son? He’d certainly grow suspicious, which could lead to Oliver’s family finding out about their relationship hoax.
“Looking for someone, handsome?”
Ben met the flirtatious green-eyed gaze of a woman. She grinned, boldly and unapologetically running her gaze down his body.
“No,” Ben said,
shaking his head. He gave what he hoped was an easygoing smile. The girl staring back at him was attractive, and any other time, he would have indulged her. However, Ben’s interest rested with the two men across the room; his eyes pinballed between Oliver and the stranger.
“Playing it cool, I see,” she said. “I’ve been watching you all night. You’re sexy as hell.”
“Thank you,” Ben said. He took another quick glance over at Oliver when his body tensed, reacting to the stranger touching Oliver’s face. A knot tightened in Ben’s throat. He couldn’t tell if Oliver was into the stranger.
“So, have you just arrived on the island?”
“Yeah,” Ben said. “Sorry, I—”
“I’ve been here for a week now. I came with my mom and sister. And I still haven’t found any hot guys, until now.” Her eyebrows bobbed. “Are you here with anyone?”
“My boyfriend,” Ben said. He gestured toward Oliver.
“Oh!” She took a stepped back, obviously surprised. She murmured, smiled and turned away from him, not giving him a chance to say goodbye to her.
But it no longer mattered; the only thing on his mind was getting to Oliver in time. He couldn’t believe what was happening.
13
Oliver
Oliver couldn’t think of one thing to say. Instead, he froze. The heat seemed to pour off the man’s six-foot-plus frame, the man who introduced himself as Grant. Everything about the guy screamed sophistication, from his well-spoken British accent, his slicked back dark hair and expensive-looking suit.
“My boyfriend will be here any minute,” Oliver said.
“Is that so? Well, maybe it’s not a good idea for us to stick around, then.” A wicked smile crossed Grant’s sexy lips.
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