Beautiful Days (Jason Of The Valley Book 5)

by Jason K. Melby

  "Yes. Look, Dennis, I just need to ask you a few questions."

  "Save your breath because the answer is yes and anytime." Dennis said as he slid his hand up David's leg.

  "Actually," David began as he pushed Dennis' hand away. "I just wanted to ask you about the night we first met."

  "Sure."

  "What happened?"

  "Are you shitting me? You were there."

  "I know, but I don't remember what happened. I was hoping you could fill in some blanks."

  "Fine. What do you want to know?"

  "How did it happen?"

  "Well, I was in the bathroom and then you came in. You stood at the urinal next to mine. I said you had a nice cock then you asked if I wanted a taste. The rest was history."

  "Oh my God."

  "It's okay. I liked it."

  "What about before? Did we talk or anything?"

  "No. It was kind of weird. I saw you earlier and you seemed totally repressed or something. You were really different in the bathroom."

  "I was?"

  "Yeah. I thought you might have been on something."

  "You did?"

  "Sure. You had that blank stare. Of course, once I saw what you were packing, I didn't really mind if you were high or not."

  "But we had no dealings before that? You didn't put anything in my drink?" Dennis suddenly stiffened in his seat and his posture became hostile.

  "Put something in your drink? You saying I raped you or something?"

  "No. That's not what I meant."

  "I know I may not be much to look at, but I don't have to drug dudes to get with me, got it? People know what I'm putting out."

  "I'm sure they do."

  "And it wasn't like you weren't enjoying it."

  "I just had to be sure. I'm sorry."

  "Whatever. So you and your boyfriend still a thing or are you up for round two now?"

  "I'm working on the boyfriend thing and God no. Thanks." Dennis then shot David a snotty look and then pranced out to the patio. Ken ran over when the coast was clear.

  "Well, I have to tell you if I had any doubt before, it is gone. You were definitely drugged." Ken said.

  "You really think so?"

  "Oh, yeah. The only way anyone would do anything with that would be with the aid of drugs." Ken began to chuckle under his breath which seemed to annoy David.

  "What's so funny?"

  "Just you hooked up with that guy and it's a matter of public record. I mean, even if you and Jason stay together, that is still going to be true."

  "It's not funny."

  "No, not to you, but there's a tragic humor to it. My cardinal rule for hooking up is never leave witnesses."

  "I'm just concerned about proving I was drugged."

  "You think if you prove that Jason will forgive you?"

  "I don't know, but I hope so. If nothing else, it'll prove I didn't do it under my own power."

  "Well, I'm rooting for you. You were really good for Jason."

  "Thanks. Tonight gave me some hope. I better go now. I need to figure out what to do next."

  Chapter 36

  A New Courtship

  Sunday morning came and Mike woke up feeling happily anxious for the first time in a long time. He and Jeff had been talking every day since their first failed attempt at a date and it had resulted in him looking forward to meeting with him that afternoon. Mike had never been very athletic, although he had long been a fan of men who were, but despite that fact he found himself looking forward to watching Jeff and his friends play softball. He had been afraid that the fact that Jeff and his father being together would be an obstacle, but every day that went by, whatever sting it held faded.

  As Mike slipped out of bed, his phone rang. He grabbed it and saw that it was Jeff calling and he smiled.

  "Good morning." Mike purred as he pressed the phone to his ear.

  "Morning. How are you feeling? Still up for today?"

  "Of course. How about you?"

  "Same. I'm actually kind of nervous. It feels like a lot of baggage we had between us is gone and we're going to be seeing each other for real today."

  "And that makes you nervous?"

  "Of course it does. To be honest, the friction between us because of your father and me was a nice buffer. It helped us both keep a safe distance, but now we're on our own."

  "I guess. We've talked enough over the past few days that I think we know each other on a deeper level now. I no longer see you as the guy humping my dad."

  "It would probably be even more helpful if you didn't bring it up every time we speak."

  "True. I'm sorry."

  "Can we agree that from this day forward, we're on a clean slate? No past. No baggage." Mike thought it over and he had been fighting and stressing over the arrangement Jeff and his father had and there was nothing more in the world he wanted to do than to let it go, so he did.

  "Agreed. So, where are you and your friends meeting?"

  "That park in West Hollywood off of Olympic. Don't worry, though. I'll swing by and pick you up. If that's all right."

  "Uh, sure. No problem."

  "Something wrong?"

  "No. It's just as much as I'm looking forward to it, I'm not the biggest sport enthusiast. If you drive me, I'm going to feel kind of trapped there."

  "Are you telling me if you get bored, you'd leave?"

  "Pretty much, yeah. Nothing personal. I just can't stand sports."

  "Well, trust me. You won't be able to take your eyes off this game." Jeff said. Mike's curiosity spiked.

  "Really?"

  "Yes."

  "Why is that?"

  "Save it for a surprise. I'll be over at ten to pick you up, all right?"

  "Fine. I'll be ready."

  A few minutes before ten, there was a knock at Mike's door. He opened it up and there stood Jeff clad in a large sport jersey and a pair of baggy sweatpants.

  "Hi there." He said with a lilt in his voice.

  "Hi. Nice get up."

  "This is how we dress before the game. They aren't pretty, but they are functional." Jeff stepped in and the distinct aroma of Jeff's aftershave invaded Mike's nose.

  "I guess." Jeff looked Mike up and down with a glance and smiled.

  "Wow. I don't think I've seen you in jeans before. You actually look like you don't have a stick up your ass."

  "Is this you being nice?"

  "You know what I mean. Most of the time when I've seen you, it's not been a good experience."

  "Granted, but like you said, today is a clean slate."

  "Right. You got some waters?"

  "A couple bottles in the fridge."

  "Then grab 'em and let’s go."

  "Aren't they going to have water at the game?"

  "Yes, but it's for players. Sorry."

  "No, I get it." Mike said and then hurried over to the kitchen and grabbed the waters. When he returned he looked at Jeff and was surprised as he looked at him. It was as though he were seeing him for the first time. Everything about him seemed new and untried.

  "All right," Jeff said. "Let's hit it!"

  Jeff parked his car in the lot at the park and as they got out, Mike looked out at the field. It was a nice day and everything seemed vibrant and colorful. The green of the grass was particularly bright and the sky was as blue and clear as anyone could hope. On the other side of the field was the ball park, which was bordered by a large chain link fence. On the other side was a large dirt patch with more grass surrounding on one side and on the other were the bleachers where the onlookers were supposed to be packed in, if there had been any. Jeff slapped Mike on his butt and they headed toward the ball park. There were a few other guys there already and they were looking as though they were getting warmed up for the game.

  As they stepped out onto the dirt, the other guys all turned and saw Jeff with Mike. They all smiled and ran over to him.

  "Hey, man!" One guy said as he slung his arms around Jeff's shoulders.
/>   "Good to see you, Bernie." Jeff said.

  "You too. You feel up to smoke these losers?"

  "Totally." Bernie then turned to Mike, who was feeling like the odd man out.

  "Who's this?"

  "This is Mike. My date." As Jeff said that, the other guys let out a loud, mocking sigh of affection and then broke into gentle laughter. Bernie then grabbed Mike by his shoulder and pulled him close.

  "He's a cheap date, Mike, but don't worry. It'll be worth it."

  "Yeah." Mike chuckled nervously. The others returned to their practice but Jeff came up to Mike.

  "Don't worry about Bernie and the guys. We've known each other for years."

  "Are they all gay?"

  "Yeah, believe it or not. We all met and decided that we really didn't fit into what most people expect gay men to be like and that's when we started meeting here very week to play. We've managed to recruit a lot of other guys like us."

  "It seems like not many of you have ever brought a date to one of these games."

  "No, not really, but I really hope you have fun. I know the guys are a lot to take at first, but you'll warm up. They're really nice. Just give them a chance."

  "It's not like I have much of a choice, now do I?"

  Mike then went on over to the bleachers while Jeff joined his friends and began to practice. After a few minutes another group of men arrived and they all welcomed each other. It looked as though they were all friends as they hugged and welcomed each other with open arms. Mike held his gaze on Jeff as he acted in front of the others. He watched his every move and while there seemed to be a lot of flirtatious touching, Jeff seemed to be rather unaffected by it. Mike wasn't sure how to feel about that.

  The game finally began and Mike discovered what Jeff had meant about him enjoying the game more than he thought. All the guys on Jeff's team pulled off their sweatshirts, revealing their muscular bodies.

  "Tops against bottoms!" One of them shouted out. The men on the other team then slipped out of their sweatpants and it looked like most of them were wearing only thongs or G-strings under the pants. Jeff ran up to Mike, who seemed to be beside himself.

  "I knew you'd like it."

  "What is this?"

  "It's a way we found to spice up the game." Jeff admitted. Mike couldn't help but notice that each and every man on the field was a prime physical specimen.

  "And they let you play like this?"

  "In West Hollywood? Yeah. They're okay with it."

  After the shock, and arousal, had worn off, Mike found himself pulled into the game. He found it kind of exciting each time one of the players hit the ball and it soared up into the sky and everyone in the outfield scrambled around and dove for it. It was even more exciting being able to watch their muscles flex and stretch with all their movement. Jeff was particularly good at hitting. Every time he swung, he sent the bar further than anyone else and once that was done he ran around the bases like a streak of well-muscled lightning. Mike wasn't paying too much attention to the score as he was just staring at the half naked men running and sliding around like children.

  Jeff was at bat once more and the ball was thrown by a pitcher who looked as though he had balls to spare. The ball flew up and Jeff struck it hard. It shot out like a bullet and cut through the right field. One guy ran in front of it and was ready to catch it, but something happened and it snapped up suddenly and struck him right between his legs. Everyone grabbed their crotches in sympathy as their friend fell to the ground in a heap. They ran over to him and after a few moments, they stepped aside and two of his teammates picked him up and escorted him off. They all then began to talk and Mike noticed Jeff looking over at him. Something did not feel right. Jeff ran over to Mike and he had an odd look on his face.

  "What happened?" Mike asked.

  "I guess the ball hit a rock or something and it hit Rex pretty hard in a very sensitive place. They're going to get him checked out, but after they get back, we're going to be down one player."

  "So, game over?"

  "Or,"

  "Or?"

  "You fill in."

  "Excuse me?"

  "You don't need to be good or anything. We just play for fun. They just need someone fill the spot."

  "But I'd have to play?"

  "Well, yeah, but it's just softball. You’ve played it before, right?"

  "In junior high, yes. Besides, I'm not going to be running around without pants."

  "That's just for them. I mean, you're welcome to, but not if you don't want to."

  "I don't know. I'm not really a sport guy."

  "Like I said, we just do this for fun."

  "So why don't you just play with one less guy?"

  "Because we have some people who are major bitches for the rules." Jeff said.

  "I heard that!" One of the men shouted out at Jeff. Mike looked out at the field and even he had to admit watching them all play kind of made him want to try. He looked back over to Jeff who was staring at him with a pleading look in his eyes.

  "Fine. Fine. I'll do it."

  "Yes! Thank you!"

  When the two men who took Rex away returned, everyone resumed their places on field, with Mike replacing Rex in the outfield. He looked over at the other guys out there with him and they seemed very focused on the game, despite they're well-formed asses were jutting up from their stance. Mike heard a ball being hit and everyone sprang to action. Mike looked up and saw the ball coming down near him. He put out his gloved hand and took a couple steps, but suddenly, as the ball came down, something big slid across the grass and knocked Mike down. He fell back on something that was hard and warm and as he looked around, he found that he was piled on top of one of his fellow outfielders. Mike felt a bit thrown by the whole moment and as he adjusted himself, he felt an arm push at him.

  "Do you mind?" The guy said as he shoved Mike away. He then got up and took his place just as he was before. After some consideration, Mike slipped further back, away from the others. When the next ball was hit again, it skidded along the ground and the other outfielders dove for it, but missed. Mike saw it coming his way and he ran for it but as it got closer, he slipped on the wet grass and fell forward. He slid forward as another player dove for the same ball and they collided, missing the ball completely. Mike looked up and saw the guy who rammed into him getting up and shrugging his shoulders at him in some faint attempt at an apology. Mike got to his feet and felt anger rising up to his neck. He looked over at Jeff who gave him a quiet thumbs up.

  Mike's team was at bat, at long last, and Mike was sitting on the far end of the bench, nursing the scratches he had endured. He felt rather confident that he wouldn't have to take the bat, but it seemed the lineup was going faster than he expected and soon Bernie was holding a bat out at him.

  "Me?"

  "Everyone goes to bat." Bernie said

  "I'm really not a part of this team. I'm just a place holder."

  "Look, there's no pressure. Rex wasn't much better than you either. We just kept him around because he was cute. Just take a few swings, strike out. No big deal." Mike felt his stomach doing back flips and his heart was pounding like a drum. He saw everyone looking at him. He was no stranger to such stares. He faced the same attention every night at the bistro, but he figured at least at the bistro he was good at what he did. He took the bat and walked over to the plate. He tried to recall playing the game in junior high but it had been so long. He tried to get into position and he watched as the pitcher threw the ball. He closed his eyes and swung the bat and much to his surprise, he felt it connect and the loud ring of the ball hitting the aluminum bat rang out. Mike opened his eyes and saw his ball fly way up into the sky and everyone began to cheer. A wave of pride washed over him and he then realized he had to take his base. Mike threw down the bat and began to ran, but as he took his first step, he felt his shoe slip out from under him and he flew up and fell down on the ground just past home plate. He tried to get up, but his shoes had no traction and
he couldn't find a grip and he just flailed like mad as he tried to stand and then fell back down. He managed to inch forward a bit, but soon he felt the feel of a ball touch his back and he looked up and saw someone had tagged him out. Mike ceased his struggle and looked around. Many witnesses were unable to restrain their laughter. Mike then finally got up and trudged to the bench in the dugout. Jeff came running up to him as he sat down. Mike could feel the scrapes on his arms bleeding and he knew he had cut up his knees as well. He felt dirty and he didn't have to look in a mirror to know that his hair was a disaster.

  "Sorry, man. You're doing good." Jeff said.

  "I'm done."

  "No. Come on. You just have to get the hang of it."

  "No, I don't. I came to watch the game, not be killed by it."

  "Okay. You're finding your legs."

  "No. I'm killing my legs. Did you not see what just happened out there? I was flopping around out there like a flounder!"

  "You just don't have any traction on your shoes. I have a pair in my trunk,"

  "No. Jeff, no. All your friends think I'm a joke. I'm bleeding and I'm covered in dirt. I think this date is officially over. I just want to wash up and forget any of this ever happened." Jeff slumped his shoulders and sat down next to Mike.

  "Yeah. I guess it hasn't really worked out like I thought it would. And just so you know, I'd only call a couple of these guys actual friends. The rest are just acquaintances. At best."

  "I see you're having fun, so you can finish up the game. I can probably rinse off some of this dirt in the restroom over there and we can leave when you're ready."

  "All right," Jeff said. He got up, put his shirt back on, and sat down again. "I'm ready."

  "What?"

  "I'm ready. I came here to have fun with you and you're not having fun. I am ready to go. I'm feeling kind of hungry though. Why don't we get you cleaned up and get some lunch?"

  "You sure?"

  "Unless you want to stay and ogle everyone?"

  "No, I've pretty much committed all of this to memory. Let's get out of here."

  Chapter 37

  Confession

  It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and Ken and Adam decided to take the chance to get some domestic chores completed. They were running low on some household supplies and they were both bored, but not so bored to resort to physical labor, so they split the difference and went on a shopping excursion to the nearby Target store. As Ken was grabbing his wallet a wave of despair came over him. He still hadn't broken the news that he had lost his job to Adam and wasn't sure when or how to do that exactly. He turned and saw Adam leashing up Smidgen.