A gay sex story: Geoff and Chet Ch. 23 Chapter 23
Meets in Athens and Chapel Hill and an encounter with Reg
(Ed note: This chapter concludes with an attempted rape and related strong language. There is some discussion about affirmative action and young white male reactions to it. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the author—but it does reflect the views of many yong white males who feel disadvantaged. Skip the chapter if that disturbs you. Copyright, 2023, all rights reserved. All characters portrayed are 18 years or older. BD)
Chet’s POV
Sunday we drove the BMW back to Houston, and we had a passenger, Rebecca. She was going to be on campus for a week of in person course work. Geoff had invited her to stay in the condo in our “spare room”, but she preferred to stay on campus in a single room in a suite where several of her friends were in residence. During the trip Rebecca entertained us with anecdotes about her mother’s over-the-top planning for the wedding, the growing size of the guest list and the wedding party, the number of events surrounding the ceremony etc. (Later Geoff and I remarked that if we ever decided to marry, it would be an elopement to an exotic location with only a few in attendance. The planning seemed exhausting, expensive, and a little anachronistic. Why would anyone want to do this?)
Our next meet was in Athens, George and only a week away against teams from the University of Georgia and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Neither team was considered a candidate for the conference championship. Although it was too far to drive, Rice decided we needed to race; so the club had sprung for flights (and bike transport). We were leaving after lunch on Friday and returning late Saturday. The Athens course was the hilliest in the conference and about 100 miles long. The weather was beginning to cool and some rain was predicted for Friday night—so the course could be treacherous. We didn’t expect many spectators, nor were RCC’s fans likely to make the trip. Geoff had Saturday classes so he obviously wouldn’t be there.
The club practiced every day. On Thursday, we drew lots for room mates and by coincidence; Pete was bunking with me again. Maybe I could find out what was going on with Reg. They had remained cordial, but Reg had taken up with Nicole and had a new weight room partner, another teammate from New York, the son of a wealthy investment banker. The flight was short, but the bus trip from Hartsfield to Athens was long because of the notorious Atlanta metro traffic. We arrived at the motel and had only a few minutes to drop our stuff, wash up and go for the team dinner.
As usual, the club curfew was 10 pm and dinner finished around 8:30, so several headed off to see if there was any action on the nearby campus. Pete and I headed back to the room. He headed to the shower and I used the next few minutes to check in with Geoff. It was a short call and Pete emerged from the bath toweling his hair and naked. He reached into his duffel, pulled out some silky shorts and slipped them on. He moved to the other bed and stretched out, placing his arms behind his head to emphasize his developing, pecs, bis and tris. “Anything on TV?” “Of course not, but you’re welcome to try. My turn for a shower.”
I got up, stripped and stepped into the small steamy bath tub/shower. (The condo shower was really spoiling me!) Minutes later I was finished and dressed only in sleep shorts and headed for my bed. The TV was silent. I guess he had not found anything. He was paging through a magazine, obviously not interested in its contents.
“Do you want to talk about what happened with Reg?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Well for the first few weeks of the semester you two were glued together. Then suddenly after the San Antonio meet, you cooled—no you went almost cold…and he showed up with his arms around Nicole.”
“It’s a long story.”
“We’ve got some time. I’m not tired enough to sleep yet.”
“Sure, then. But this is private and confidential. I’ve been bursting with the need to talk to someone, but I really don’t have anyone that I trust. Chet, promise that this is between the two of us.”
“Now, I’m not sure I want to hear this, but go ahead.”
“I think at first I was infatuated with Reg. We all were. He’s certainly larger than life and seems to be completely different from all of us. Celebrity has changed him into something else. He’s really a god. When you warned me off, I immediately thought that you were afraid of the competition. Or perhaps discrimination was involved. Anyone who speaks with a Georgia accent like yours is automatically suspect. Even though we are friends, I always thought you were a little too guarded and careful about our one black member. I balked at your rejection of Reg and at least unconsciously decided to make a special effort toward him. I wanted him to feel welcome on the team.”
“I don’t think that discrimination was involved. I know my background and I’ve consciously tried to make sure that I’m as color blind as I can be. We’ve had another African-American team member for three years and I’ve treated him like everyone else.”
“That’s precisely the point. Josh has had a really tough time; so maybe he’s entitled to a little slack, maybe a little more than like everyone else.”
“His times make him an alternate. He’s not one of the top riders in the club. Should I change that?”
“I really don’t know the answer. But, I know he’s good, and his financial circumstances mean he has to work—and has less time for practice.”
“But Reg is different. Joshua is quiet, studious, one of us.”
“I hope you’re not going to say he knows his place. He’s quiet because he has a speech defect; and he’s a survivor of child abuse. Did you know that? He is torn up inside. Cycling is a lifeline for him.”
“That’s not what I meant at all. Don’t put words in my mouth. I’m concerned about the team—and Josh obviously strives to be part of the team.”
“You’ve pretty much ignored him. You should see his face when you praise another for a particularly good effort, or the execution of a good tactic. I think he idolizes you. Are you so devoted to your personal ambition that you don’t see the respect, no love, that is under the support you receive from all of us?”
Pete took a deep breath, rolled toward Chet and began again, “Reg is different. He’s a celebrity, accustomed to being the star of the moment, with exposure to an aggressive, sexual world at a young age, and a top athlete—declaring openly his plan to be the best. He is a potential threat to you, with your pro ambitions, and is opening himself to implicit racism. Being good, being attractive, being aggressive are all issues for a black man in a white man’s world. Josh and Reg are totally different people. Josh likes you, maybe even loves you. Reg sees you as a competitor, maybe an obstacle, perhaps the biggest rival to his pro status. He needs that status to survive. Don’t you understand?”
“I don’t think you understand either. I didn’t exactly have it easy. My folks opposed my cycling. They have ignored my successes and have just about disowned me. Without cycling, I wouldn’t be at Rice today. The fact that my skin is white doesn’t mean that I’ve slid into the position that I’m in today.”