Geeking Out on 11C

by L. L. Bucknor

  Ed restarted level one, coaching Mateo through it, and he made it out of the first area but struggled when he got to the next. Edgar moved closer without realizing and put his hand over Mateo’s to guide his actions in the game. He forgot himself, sitting closer until their thighs touched. Ed’s nipple brushed against Mateo’s forearm while he was helping him to finish. Once the castle flag was drawn down to signify his completion, Ed peered over and caught Mateo looking at him rather than the screen. Edgar moved away back to his cushion, aware he probably made Mateo uncomfortable.

  “So basically, it’s like that.” Edgar quickly grabbed a bottle of water and started to drink. He wasn’t really thirsty, but it gave him something to do with his hands.

  “It’s your turn, right?” Mateo reminded as he ate another chip.

  Edgar closed his water bottle and grabbed his controller. He played and looked at only the screen.

  “So, I know I kind of asked last minute on Thursday, but do you think you could make Tino’s any night this week? It’s usually packed Thursday to Sunday. Though it’s been busier during the week as well. Live DJ, if you’re a dancer.”

  “I’m not.” Edgar continued to focus on the screen, Mario almost falling off a cliff with his hesitation.

  “That’s fine.” Mateo was not deterred. “There’re tons of ladies every night.”

  Did Mateo really think Ed danced? Or went bar hopping? Or looked for ladies? “Mateo. I appreciate the invitation. But I’m not a fan of the bar scene. Or looking for ladies. No offense.”

  “None taken.” Mateo was quiet throughout the rest of Edgar’s turn. Mateo started his turn just as quietly. The silence from the chatterbox made Ed feel slightly uneasy.

  Edgar started to worry. Maybe Mateo thinks I will jump him? He would love to, but he didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable… intentionally. He opened his mouth to apologize, but couldn’t bear to look at Mateo.

  “It’s safe to assume you’re gay, then,” Mateo murmured and continued playing.

  “Yes,” Ed replied gruffly. He picked up his water bottle and played with the bottle cap. Why did it feel like coming out all over again? He’d been out since junior high. The same geeky, shy preteen who figured out he preferred his popular male classmates over girls, grew up to be a shy, geeky man who still hadn’t learned to stop crushing on men out of his league.

  “Not a secret, is it?”

  Ed looked to Mateo briefly. Mateo paid him no attention. Ed looked away before he got caught staring. “No.”

  Mateo’s Luigi avatar died. He had to restart again but paused to look at Ed. “That’s cool. Me neither.”

  Ed started to feel the intensity of the moment. Or maybe it was all in his head. Stop overthinking. “I know.”

  Mateo tilted his head. “Oh really?”

  “I sort of heard you with a friend in the hallway. It’s not a big deal.”

  “My bad.”

  “It is more than fine. You’re at that age, you know.”

  “At that age? How old do you think I am?”

  Ed really put his foot in it. “Twenty-one?”

  “Try twenty-four. I don’t know what you saw with my friend, but I can assure you, I work pretty hard. I don’t just bartend. I own Tino’s… well, partly. It’s split between my bro, sis and me.”

  Ed didn’t think there was big difference between twenty-one and twenty-four. However, owning and running what he knew to be a successful business was commendable. He figured this was the reasoning behind Mateo’s invitation.

  “Besides, you’re not exactly ready to join AARP. How old are you?”

  “Thirty-four.” Ed put his bottle down before he ended up spilling his beverage all over himself. Soggy underwear is not hot unless from cum.

  “You haven’t hit your prime yet, E. I’m sure if you walked into Tino’s any weekend night, you’d be swarmed with numbers.”

  “Sure.” Getting a dating pep talk from a twenty-something. Great. “You should jump right now or you’re going to get hit by the swinging platform and die. That’s what happened the last time.” He didn’t want to think about the probability of nothing ever happening to him like that. Better to talk about the video game.

  “Sorry.” Mateo followed Ed’s instructions while biting his lip and moving his controller along with his Luigi avatar. Ed side-eyed him and smirked to himself. Fucking adorable. Mateo finally finished.

  Ed started to play, anxious as to what else Mateo would discuss. Mateo was the baby of the family and it seemed he liked to get his way. He was certainly pushy enough. Ed was able to halfway listen as he got into his game. Mateo occupied himself with chips and dip, watching Ed’s Mario character move.

  “I usually work on Thursdays. So when you decide to visit, just let me know. I have a hookup with the bartender.”

  “I thought I explained why I can’t—”

  “— won’t—”

  “— am not interested—”

  “You’re turning down my invite?”

  “I thought I established this earlier.”

  “It’ll be fun.” Mateo’s kind of fun— not for Ed. He imagined being too shy to speak in a crowded room, staring at the beautiful people making their selection for the night and being overlooked. Not Ed’s first or hundredth choice for fun.

  “Describe a fun night, Mateo. If you could choose a fun activity.”

  “For myself? Or for us?”

  Like his wishes would finally be answered. “Obviously for yourself.”

  “Hanging out with my closest friends. Good convo, good food, good music. And getting laid at the end of the night.” Getting laid was always a highlight, especially getting laid well, in Ed’s opinion. And by Mateo? Even better.

  “See, this is where you and I differ. My perfect night is playing a video game all night and beating all levels. Or reading a great book. Or watching the History Channel. A true nerd to the core.” Ed hoped Mateo would finally see he was a lost cause.

  Mateo only shrugged. “Differences makes life more enjoyable, don’t you think? Besides, the more I hang out with you and learn from your ninja gamer wisdom, I can probably join you for an all-night session. Maybe beat you, too.”

  Ed kept a straight face and looked Mateo in the eye. “I doubt that.” Seriously.

  “Me too. So should I expect you this Thursday? I have an in with the bouncer.”

  Ed shook his head, but couldn’t hold back a smile at Mateo’s persistence. He figured Mateo was trying to either drum up new business, or help Ed get some action from drunk singles. By the end of the night, he was sure Mateo would understand he was a lost cause. Then Ed could go back to normalcy: sort of stalking Mateo from afar and having him star in his sex dreams.

  ****

  What Ed thought would be a one-time curiosity of his social, fuck-hot neighbor turned into a weekly video game tournament. Mateo tried to play video games with Ed on at least one of his days off, and at first Ed tried to keep Mateo at the level of acquaintance— brief nods of hello and discussions of weather in passing. But Mateo ignored his attempts. Several weeks passed, seasons changed, and now it was early October: six months since Mateo’s first time playing Super Mario Bros. with him.

  In all that time, Mateo didn’t get any better playing video games, which both men knew. What Ed didn’t expect was that he gained a friend— actually, two— Mateo and Mateo’s older brother, Martino. Martino and Ed were in the same age range and shared more in common. Mateo brought Martino over to Ed’s apartment one night in August to show off Ed and his Mortal Kombat game. They were both geeky homebodies who enjoyed a great book over popular television shows. Ed would have crushed on Mateo’s brother if the man wasn’t straight and happily married. At least Ed knew how much hotter Mateo would be in fifteen years.

  Ed also learned Mateo was an all-around great guy. More than a handsome face, his neighbor was a great family and business man. Mateo inherited Tino’s, the family bar and grill, with his brother and sister. The younger ma
n put a lot of himself into making the business last for his nieces and nephews, although Mateo did have a bit of a temper when serious issues were involved, such as having to fire an employee who drank on the job. He also maintained his social butterfly status— partly because of the job and partly because he genuinely enjoyed people. Even so, he managed to fit a day each week to hang out at Ed’s apartment. Ed also visited 11C once, but he didn’t stay, since Mateo expected friends over and Ed didn’t want to be in the way. After all, he was the just short, nerdy guy who got flustered when put into a social situation and eye-fucked Mateo when he was sure the other man wasn’t looking in his direction. It might not go over so well.

  Mateo didn’t stop inviting Edgar to Tino’s. At least once a week he would work it into their conversations— conversations Ed found easier to participate in when he had the drool-worthy man on a one-to-one basis. Unfortunately, Ed’s lust didn’t simmer. It exploded. And even worse, he actually liked Mateo as a person. He had met Martino, learned Mateo’s quirks and laughed at his job stories. It was different now that he knew him.

  Edgar watched from the sidelines of Mateo’s life. And Ed was horny. He decided tonight to accept Mateo and Martino’s— Mateo enlisted his brother as well— invitation to visit the bar. Did Ed think he was going to go home with a barfly? No. Ed was reaching the end of his horny rope, lusting for Mateo in secret and only having his hand to satisfy him. It was different having his crush in front of him on a weekly basis, accepting Ed’s nerdy ways and encouraging him to get out on the dating scene.

  Ed was close to desperate at this point, and tired of coming up with different ways to hide his boner from Mateo whenever he came over. He even considered trying Grindr again. But before he embarrassed himself, he figured some practice wouldn’t hurt. He held conversations with Mateo for long periods of time without inserting his foot in his mouth… mostly. Old habits are hard to break. It should be sort of easy with someone who he shared interests with. He and Mateo did have a weird affinity for fish jokes. Martino didn’t get their odd humor.

  Martino and a couple of members of Martino’s bowling league would be at the bar tonight. Martino had a few possible customers looking to start or update their business websites. If the night was a bust, at least Ed would leave with possible business prospects. Two birds with one stone.

  Ed looked in the mirror one last time. His brownish-auburn shaggy hair was tamed. There were no glasses covering his hazel eyes for the night— contacts on, of course. He wore a white Tron vintage T-shirt over jeans. Ed’s version of dressing up: wearing a black blazer over his shirt and adding a folded handkerchief in his breast pocket.

  Ed took a cab over instead of driving, since he planned on drinking. He tipped the driver and looked the building over. Not so scary, Ed, you can do this. He walked through the front door with sweaty palms and looked around. A DJ played dance music— not anything Edgar could name, but it was tolerable. From across the dance floor, he spotted Martino sitting by the bar and made a beeline. He didn’t look left or right and blurted out a “Hey!” as he stood in front of his neighbor’s brother. Ed had tunnel vision upon seeing Martino, and completely forgot Mateo worked tonight. Mateo noticed Ed first.

  “Are my eyes deceiving me? E, what are you doing here?”

  Ed looked behind Martino and noticed his friend in his usual bartender gear, a black “Tino’s” T-shirt and jeans. Ed also noticed Mateo’s clothes could have been painted on. If this were months earlier, he would probably have walked into a wall. Now he could function normally, at about ninety-nine percent— he was only human. He didn’t miss a beat to answer. “Haven’t you invited me a hundred times?”

  “Let’s make it a hundred and one,” Mateo smiled from behind the bar.

  “I’m sure it was more. Atari is the only one who kept record.”

  “And he’ll never talk.” Both of them laughed at their running joke about Ed’s fish being his apartment record keeper.

  “You guys and your lame goldfish jokes.” Martino shook his head.

  Mateo ignored his brother and stared at Edgar, taking in Ed’s attire. “I can’t believe you’re here. You look great.”

  Ed nodded in embarrassed appreciation, his face warmed from Mateo’s perusal. “Thanks.”

  “Seriously, why are you here?”

  “Don’t you have drinks to sling, little bro? I’m trying to hook him up.”

  Ed watched Mateo’s eyes widen, then his eyebrows furrowed. Before Mateo could open his mouth, he was called away to the other side of the bar by a patron. Mateo made his way over there but kept an eye on Ed.

  Ed sat down next to Martino.

  “Ed. You finally made it. Jack, the accountant I was telling you about? He’s here. Lisa, the dry-cleaning business owner, she had to call it a night. Jack just went to the bathroom. You took his seat, actually.”

  “Should I move?” Ed wondered about proper bar etiquette and if he’d flunked already.

  “No, it’s cool. I’m not staying much longer anyway. I figured I would introduce you two if you came. Or have a beer or two if you didn’t. Either way, it’s a win-win.”

  “I should have brought my laptop.” How would he make the proper presentation without it? “Do you think I have enough time to go home and get it?” A woman sidled up to the space next to Ed, waving her arm for the bartender’s attention. Mateo finished with his customer and made his way back toward her.

  “Nah. It’s not like you need to show a PowerPoint presentation at this time of night. I already talked you up to Jack, so this should be a piece of cake.”

  “Martino! Is this the guy?” A tall, skinny African American man held a hand on Martino’s shoulder and smiled at Ed. A bottle of Corona with a wedge of lime appeared in front of him. He looked up to see Mateo wink in his direction and assist the woman next to him. The woman, of course, flirted while giving Mateo her order. Mateo showed off his shiny teeth, reeling the woman in. Good luck, lady.

  “I guess I’m the guy?” Ed finished weirdly. Martino introduced Jack to Ed. Both men shook hands awkwardly. Ed let Martino lead with small talk, since Jack was Martino’s friend. Ed listened to them discuss the night’s bowling game. He took a sip from his bottle.

  Mateo came back and leaned down in front of him, beckoning Ed to come closer. He spoke softly in Ed’s ear. “Your drink’s on me.”

  Ed leaned away and looked Mateo in his eyes. “Thanks.”

  “So, Ed, Martino tells me you’re a computer whiz, mega-genius.”

  Ed took a huge gulp and almost choked. Mateo reached over to pat Ed’s back a couple of times. Ed put his beer down and held out a hand for Mateo to desist.

  “I wouldn’t,” he cleared his throat, “say all of that.”

  Mateo watched on for a moment, but had another patron to take care of. He walked away with an expression of concern.

  Hmm? Food for thought. Ed was unsure why Mateo was worrying. Maybe he thinks I need help? Ed missed a question from Jack. He turned back to face the man standing next to him. Great first impression, Ed. He tried to focus on Jack and Martino’s questions, but he kept noticing whenever he looked away that Mateo’s eyes were on him. Ed finished his beer and placed the empty bottle on the bar. Another open Corona appeared not a second later. Ed glanced up. The second bartender behind the bar grinned at him.

  “From the boss.” She pointed to where Mateo stood. “He says on the house.” She turned away and flicked her mane of black, glossy hair over her shoulder.

  Ed made eye contact with Mateo, who winked at him, and attempted to return to the conversation. Again he missed a question. Mateo and his beers kept distracting him.

  “I’ll leave you two to hash out the details then.” Martino rose, shook their hands and wished them a good night.

  Jack took the vacated seat and smiled. “If you have any more offers to make, Ed, you can save them. I’m definitely hiring you. Martino vouched for you, and your ideas mesh with mine. What are you drinking? Corona? Next two
are on me.”

  “That’s okay. I appreciate the offer.”

  “It’s not fun to drink alone. That’s why bars were created, man.” Jack patted Ed on the back and signaled for Mateo to come over.

  “Hey, Jack. What can I get you?”

  “Four Coronas— two for me and two for my new friend here.” Mateo walked away to fill the order. Jack eyed Ed’s Tron T-shirt.

  “Great shirt, man. Did you see the remake?”

  “I bought the Blu-ray.” Mateo returned and placed the bottles in front of them. Ed nodded in thanks and faced Jack. “Haven’t watched it yet because I don’t want to ruin the memory. I feel like a backstabber for even buying it.”

  Jack drank from a bottle and nodded. “The original definitely is a classic. I have both versions on Blu-ray. You should join us in the bowling league. We usually meet up Tuesday or Thursday nights. Maybe we could have a Tron marathon afterward?”

  Mateo jumped into their conversation. “Jack, there’s a lady trying to get your attention, over by the DJ booth.” Ed looked to where Mateo pointed, to see a lady gesturing for Jack to come over.

  “Oh, it’s a friend of mine. Be right back, Ed.” Jack finished his first bottle and took the second with him.

  Mateo folded his arms. Ed appreciated the stretch across the biceps. His cock appreciated it even more. “You didn’t tell me you were dating,” Mateo said. “Jack’s okay, I guess.”

  Wait. What the hell was he talking about? “Excuse me?”

  “You said Martino was hooking you up—”

  His eyes bulged in disbelief. “And your mind went to dating? Me? Mateo—”

  Mateo moved closer to Ed’s face. “One, Jack’s gay. Two, he’s making his signature move on you. Three, there’s nothing wrong with you. You’re good-looking, smart, funny, a great catch. Why wouldn’t he want you?”

  “He is?” Not that Ed could ever tell when someone hit on him. “I doubt it. He just bought the beers because I’m going to work with him.”

  “Work?”

  “Yes, work.”

  “When does it start? Later tonight at his place?”