“So do you keep up with rugby at all?” I asked, relieved at my ability to continue the conversation smoothly.
“I don’t much; I mostly play pickle ball and racquetball with my buddies. Keeps me in shape and whatnot.”
“Oh, I’m a huge racquetball fan! Love playing it as a way to do stuff on dry land every once in a while.” This was mostly the truth, but it had been a bit since I last played. Our swim coach has been driving us crazy with practice lately.
“Wow, that’s great! We will have to play together sometime. Always looking for a racquetball partner. Jenny hardly plays and I can never drag her with me to the court.”
“Ah, so, do you play pickle ball together?” I asked, since pickle ball does seem to be the rage among that age group.
“No, we don’t, unfortunately. Lately, she doesn’t really seem to want to do much of anything with me. We definitely have differing interests. She loves art and languages and museums and I’m a real sports and sweat guy. Kinda explains why we’re now–” Dan stopped himself suddenly.
“Dan, I didn’t mean to pry. I’m sorry, it’s your personal lives, and we just met–”
“No, no, really, I’m open to talking about stuff like this! Couple’s therapy helped me learn about staying open to conversations and experiences and stuff like that. It just didn’t seem to work this time.”
Dan got this far-off look in his eyes and I felt so bad for bringing the conversation here. Although, truth be told, a part of me loved seeing a man so rugged looking so vulnerable. And he’s open to new experiences? A boy can dream.
“Well, you never know what’s around the corner!”
“That’s true, like a damp little gremlin, maybe.”
That caught me off guard. “What?”
I felt a jolt of a hand on my shoulder from behind me and Lisa, drying her hair, was laughing with her head back. I smiled and said “I’ll get you back for that!”
“So, what are you guys talking about? Besides me being an ugly gremlin ogre, apparently,” Lisa asked.
“Guy stuff, you wouldn’t understand,” joked Dan. He looked over at me and winked, again. Second wink in 3 minutes? I’m saving this moment in my brain to play on repeat.
“Ugh, men. Anyway, Jack, ready to go? I can drive you back.”
I told her yes, and we said our goodbyes to Dan, who shook my hand hard with both hands this time. He let his hands graze just a bit before saying “Oh, and Jack, do you go to the university gym?”
“Yes,” I responded, not knowing where this was going.
“Perfect, I work for the university, too, and get access to the gyms, so I can meet you at the racquetball courts for a match. Got a racquet?”
“Y-yes” I stammered. I know his intentions are probably pure, but I felt like I was getting asked out on a date in front of my best friend.
“Perfect. Free this Saturday morning to get your ass kicked?” he said, giving me a playful bring it on look.
“Yeah, I just have practice at 10AM. So maybe 7AM?” I responded.
“Great, see you then!” said Dan.
We walked out of the house, got in the car, and started driving when Lisa turned to me, looking a bit serious.
“Hey, I hope my dad wasn’t too creepy on you today. He’s been going through some tough times with my mom and I know he really could use some friends. Divorce, hits us all. Or at least, 50% of us.”
I reached out and held her arm. “Lisa, I’m so sorry to hear that. It must be so tough, I can’t even imagine.”
“Yeah, but we’re working through it. Mom likes to talk it out and Dad likes to sports it out. I know he’ll appreciate hanging with you and emoting through his racquet.” she said, slightly rolling her eyes.
“Great, glad I could help… And again, sorry about this whole situation.” I said, truly meaning it.
“Thanks, Jack. I appreciate it.”
I looked out the passenger seat window, only feeling a little guilty that this horrible news to her was kind of my fantasy. Lisa turned up the radio and pulled me into singing along to whatever pop song was on as we drove to my apartment.
—————————-
SATURDAY, 6:30AM
I put on my socks and picked out an athletic tank to wear, one that showed off my arms. No sleeves, just for mobility’s sake, I thought to myself. Mostly lying to myself. I also found a pair of short shorts that I never wore to the gym since they were a bit more risqué than my typical style. Mobility’s sake couldn’t even cover this, but I pulled them up and looked in the mirror. I found myself fixing my hair longer than I usually do. I packed my bag with my swim stuff, towel, and shower shoes since I figured I would just stay at the gym because the pool is in the same building for practice at 10AM.
After scanning in, I entered the gym and headed to the locker rooms. It smelled like sweat, jockstraps, and mildew. I loved the first two, tolerated the second. I picked a locker around the corner to shove my stuff into and turned around, walking toward the stairs that led out and up to the racquetball courts. Just as I grabbed for the door, it opened to reveal none other than Dan himself. Dan was wearing a long sleeve button up shirt that hugged his boulder shoulders and chest well, with a bit of nipple poking out, too. He was wearing some khakis and dress shoes, as well. His hairy forearms bulged out of the rolled-up sleeves and led to his huge hands carrying a bag that seemed full with a towel and other clothes.
“Oh, hey, Jack! What are the chances, running into you here?” said Dan.
“Uh, we planned to play racquetball together” I said, looking confused.
Dan let out another of his signature hearty chuckles and said “Too early for a little joke, huh? Anyway, I’m changing out of these work clothes since I was in the office this morning. Up at 4:30AM, if you can believe it. Jenny got back late and when I’m up, I’m up, so I thought, ‘Screw it, I’ll put in a few more hours.'”
I let out a relieved chuckle and said “No worries, and I’m excited for our game! You’re probably not, since I’m gonna destroy your ass.” I joked, nudging him in the ribs with my elbow. Work on a Saturday morning? He and his wife really must be on the rocks.
“Fighting words, I see. Well, we’ll see who has the last laugh.” he said as he started to walk over to a locker that was coincidentally right next to mine. “Did you rest up last night for our little game?” he asked as he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a thin mat of hair on a perfectly sculpted sun-tanned chest.
I watched as he shrugged off his shirt, revealing what I knew was underneath; a rock solid chest, hairy all over but a little trimmed. Don’t know many straight guys who trim to that level. “Y-yeah, I need to be in tip-top condition if I’m to beat Dan, the legend.” I retorted. It was hard to focus on being witty and aroused as I felt my eyes follow his treasure trail down to his pants that he was already unbuttoning.
“Good, glad to hear it. My lack of rest might be to your advantage, a little favor I’ll give to you.” As he said this, he hooked his thumbs into his waistband and brought both his underwear and pants down in one fell swoop. My jaw dropped. He was facing away from me and I had the most perfect view of this man’s bent over hairy muscle ass. Tree trunk legs was right. I immediately felt a stirring in my crotch that was becoming dangerously visible. Fuck. Dan stepped into some long athletic shorts and turned around to me. He had a quizzical look on his face as he looked down at my crotch for just a second. Fuck. Was I tenting right now? I looked down and it wasn’t obvious but something definitely was showing. Dan brought a large athletic shirt over his head, grabbed his racquet, and started walking toward me.