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Post divorce awakening

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By *dlover2020 OP   Man
2 days ago

Seaton Delavel

The divorce hollowed me out.

There were meetings, tears, lawyers, forms. Endless bloody forms. Twenty years of a life together reduced to signatures and boxes ticked in black ink.

Diane and I had built a quiet life in the countryside. She came from a farming family and we’d settled in the same village she grew up in. Small stone cottage. Wet mornings. Muddy boots by the door. We never had children, but for a long time, it felt enough.

Until she found the messages.

She’d gone through my phone while I was asleep and uncovered what could only be described as absolute filth. Messages to another man from Fab. Photos of him posing in his wife’s lingerie. My replies telling him exactly what I wanted to do to him. And worst of all, a pathetic little tribute video of me moaning his name like some lonely teenager.

I couldn’t even deny it.

Diane cared about trust more than anything, and I’d shattered it. She asked me to leave the same night. Divorce papers started not long after.

At first, I stayed nearby in a miserable Airbnb, stupidly hoping she might calm down, might forgive me, might ask me home. But Diane had already made her mind up.

And honestly... I couldn’t blame her.

Once everything was finalised, I decided I needed somewhere new. Somewhere I could disappear for a while and figure out who the hell I was supposed to be now.

Work approved a transfer to the Edinburgh office, and a month later I found myself standing outside an old converted townhouse in the city centre with my entire life packed into boxes.

I was forty-four years old and single for the first time since my twenties.

The building itself had seen better days. Cracked stonework, damp creeping along the entrance hall ceiling, that permanent smell old buildings get where even the wallpaper seems tired. But the flat was clean, warm enough, and most importantly, mine.

Each floor had two flats facing each other across a narrow landing. Thankfully I’d ended up on the first floor because by the final trip upstairs I was drenched in sweat and seriously considering abandoning half my belongings on the pavement.

I dropped the last box outside my door and fumbled for my keys when the flat opposite opened.

A guy stepped out holding a set of headphones in one hand.

“Oh hey, you just moving in?”

Soft Scottish accent. Gentle voice.

“Yeah,” I puffed. “Final box thankfully. Nearly died carrying the bloody thing.”

He smiled immediately, warm and easy.

“I’m Jamie.”

He held out his hand.

“Mark.”

The contrast hit me instantly when we shook hands. His were smaller, softer, delicate almost. Mine looked rough beside them, years of helping Diane’s dad around the farm still written into my skin.

Jamie glanced down too.

Just for a second.

Then back up at me with the faintest smile.

“Well... welcome to Edinburgh, darlin.”

Darlin.

The word landed strangely in my chest.

Jamie headed downstairs, but halfway down he paused and looked back over his shoulder.

“Nice meeting you, Mark.”

“You too,” I managed.

The second his door disappeared from sight my brain immediately started spiralling.

Did he flirt with me?

No. Surely not.

Although he definitely checked me out.

Didn’t he?

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By *ordladMan
2 days ago

Wrexham

Great start

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By *asher72Man
2 days ago

Newton Abbot

Looks like I’m going to be a regular reading this

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By *dlover2020 OP   Man
2 days ago

Seaton Delavel

I unpacked the rest of my boxes with old records crackling softly in the background, trying to make the flat feel less temporary.

Every now and then though, my mind drifted back across the landing.

Jamie.

The smile. The way he’d looked back on the stairs.

Darlin.

I caught myself wondering if he’d actually been flirting or if I was just projecting every confused thought I’d been burying for the last twenty years onto the first attractive man who smiled at me.

Probably the second one.

Besides, he was just friendly.

Scottish people were friendly, weren’t they? I’d been in Edinburgh less than a day and was already inventing romantic tension with my neighbour.

Absolute state of me.

By the time I shoved the last empty box against the wall, the thoughts had mostly faded. I checked the time and realised I was starving.

The idea of cooking in a half-unpacked kitchen felt miserable, so I headed back downstairs and out onto the main road in search of food.

The city still felt surreal to me. Back home, if you wanted anything after eight o’clock your choices were basically the chippy or starvation. Here, the streets were alive. Bars glowing warm against the darkening evening, buses rumbling past, music spilling out from open doorways.

I wandered for a few minutes before spotting a sports bar tucked on the corner of the street. TVs covered nearly every wall inside, football highlights flashing across half of them.

Perfect.

I slid onto a stool at the bar, grateful to get off my feet. The place smelled of beer, fried food and aftershave. Comforting in its own way.

I was too busy staring up at a rugby game on one of the screens to properly notice the barman approaching.

“What can I get you, darlin?”

Soft Scottish accent.

Familiar.

I looked down and felt a stupid little jolt in my chest.

Jamie stood there holding a towel over one shoulder, sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms.

He smiled almost immediately.

“Mark, right?”

I laughed awkwardly. “Yeah. Small world.”

“Well not really,” Jamie grinned. “You live twenty feet away from me.”

I laughed again, harder than the joke deserved.

There was a brief pause before we shook hands again across the bar. That same strange contrast. His hand soft and warm against mine.

And again, it lingered just slightly too long.

Or maybe I imagined that too.

“What can I get you then, darlin?” Jamie asked.

The word hit me even harder this time.

“I’ll have an IPA... actually make it two. And a cheeseburger please.”

“Good choice.”

Jamie moved off to pour the drinks while I tried very hard not to watch him doing it.

I failed completely.

There was something effortlessly gentle about him. Not feminine exactly, though parts of him were soft around the edges. The way he moved. The way he spoke. Calm. Warm. Easy.

Dangerous, really.

I forced myself to focus on the TVs instead.

By the time I finished eating, the pub had grown louder around me. Friday night crowds spilling in, laughter bouncing off the walls, glasses clinking endlessly behind the bar.

Jamie checked on me a couple of times, always with that same soft smile.

“You settling in alright?”

“Yeah, not too bad.”

“Well if you need anything, just chap my door.”

That bloody smile again.

Eventually I headed back to the flat slightly buzzed from the beer and exhausted from the move. Edinburgh rain had started while I was inside, leaving the streets glossy under the orange streetlights.

The building was quiet when I got back. Jamie still downstairs working, presumably.

I changed into an old t-shirt and climbed into bed, my body aching pleasantly from carrying boxes all day.

For a while I just lay there listening to the unfamiliar sounds of the city outside. Cars hissing through wet streets. Distant voices. Sirens somewhere far off.

Then sometime after midnight, I heard footsteps on the stairs.

Slow. Tired.

A key rattling softly in the door opposite mine.

Jamie.

I stared up at the ceiling in the dark before rolling onto my side with a sigh.

He wasn’t flirting with you, Mark.

He was just nice.

Normal people didn’t fall halfway in love with a neighbour after two conversations and a cheeseburger.

I pulled the duvet higher, shut my eyes, and eventually drifted off to sleep with the faint sound of Jamie moving around his flat on the other side of the wall.

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By *dlover2020 OP   Man
2 days ago

Seaton Delavel

The next morning I woke to pale sunlight pushing through the thin curtains and the strange disorientating feeling of not knowing where I was for a few seconds.

Then Edinburgh slowly came back to me.

The flat. The noise. The move. Jamie.

Especially Jamie.

I groaned quietly into the pillow.

This was exactly the sort of thing I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do. I hadn’t moved here for drama or fantasies or some late-blooming sexual awakening. I was here to reset my life, keep my head down and recover from detonating a twenty-year marriage.

Still...

I could hear him laughing in my head. What can I get you then, darlin?

I forced myself out of bed before my brain got any worse.

By half nine I’d managed coffee, toast and enough self-pity to fuel a small village. Wanting to clear my head, I dug out my running clothes from one of the boxes. I wasn’t exactly an athlete, but I’d always jogged a few times a week to keep myself sane.

The hallway outside my flat smelled faintly of damp and someone’s cooking as I locked my door behind me.

At almost the exact same moment, Jamie’s door opened too.

And there he was again.

Grey joggers clinging obscenely well to his legs, fitted black hoodie, messy hair, earbuds looped around his neck.

He looked annoyingly cool for someone who was probably just going for a casual morning run.

Jamie blinked in surprise before smiling.

“Well this is becoming a habit.”

I laughed awkwardly. “Looks like it.”

“You off running?”

“Thought I’d attempt it, yeah.”

Jamie’s eyes flicked down over me briefly, taking in the tatty trainers, baggy shorts, and old rugby top.

“I was just heading out myself.” He tilted his head towards the stairs. “Could show you a decent route if you want, darlin. Better than getting lost on your second day here.”

My stomach did a weird little flip at the word darlin again.

“That’d be great actually.”

We headed downstairs together, Jamie bouncing lightly down each step while I followed trying to act cool with mt new younger cool friend.

Outside, the morning air was cool and fresh after the rain the night before. Edinburgh looked different in daylight. Less dramatic. Softer somehow.

Jamie led us towards a large park a few streets away.

“You run often?” he asked.

“Couple times a week. Mostly so I can justify takeaways.”

Jamie laughed warmly. “Honestly same.”

We settled into an easy pace along the winding path through the park. Morning dog walkers drifted past us while the city hummed quietly in the distance.

“You’ve definitely got the countryside accent,” Jamie said after a while.

“Is it that obvious?”

“A wee bit,” he teased. “Very rugged.”

I snorted. “Rugged? Nobody’s ever called me rugged.”

Jamie glanced sideways at me, lips twitching slightly.

“Well they should.”

There it was again.

That feeling.

Not obvious enough that I could call it flirting. But not innocent enough to completely ignore either.

I suddenly became hyper aware of myself. The sound of my breathing. The sweat gathering at the back of my neck. The fact I was jogging through a park beside a very co man who kept looking at me like I was interesting.

I had absolutely no idea how to handle this.

With women, back when I was younger, there had always been rules. Familiar steps. You flirted back. You acted confident. You escalated things slowly.

With Jamie, my brain just short-circuited entirely.

“So what made you move here then?” Jamie asked.

The question pulled me thankfully back to earth.

“Fresh start mostly.”

Jamie nodded gently, not pushing.

“That usually means heartbreak.”

I let out a breathy laugh. “That obvious too?”

“You’ve got slightly sad eyes.”

I looked over at him properly then.

He wasn’t smirking. Wasn’t mocking me. Just looking at me with this soft sincerity that made my chest ache unexpectedly.

“Divorce,” I admitted.

Jamie winced sympathetically. “Sorry, darlin.”

And there it was again.

Darlin.

Every single time he said it, it slipped under my skin a little deeper.

“What about you?” I asked quickly, partly to escape my own thoughts.

Jamie shrugged lightly as we rounded the path beside a duck pond.

“Born here. Work too much. Chronically single.”

I laughed. “Chronically?”

“Mhm. Men are awful.”

The word hit me instantly.

Men.

Not women.

Men.

Jamie said it casually, naturally, without hesitation.

My pulse suddenly had absolutely nothing to do with jogging anymore.

Jamie glanced sideways at me again.

“You alright there, Mark? You’ve gone very quiet.”

“Yeah,” I said quickly. “Just trying not to die on this hill.”

Jamie laughed again, bright and effortless.

And for the first time in a very long time, despite everything, I found myself laughing too.

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By *dlover2020 OP   Man
2 days ago

Seaton Delavel

By the time we made it back to the townhouse, my lungs felt like they’d been wrapped in sandpaper.

Jamie, meanwhile, looked mildly inconvenienced at best.

“How are you not even sweating?” I wheezed as we climbed the final steps.

Jamie grinned over his shoulder. “I am sweating.”

“You Scottish people are built differently.”

“That’s true actually.”

I laughed breathlessly and leaned against the wall on the landing while Jamie stood there looking unfairly fresh-faced and composed.

My t-shirt was sticking to my back. I could feel my heartbeat in my ears.

Jamie pulled one earbud from his pocket and twirled it between his fingers, clearly amused by the state of me.

“To be fair,” I puffed, “you’ve got at least twenty years on me.”

Jamie’s eyebrows shot up dramatically.

“Twenty? That’s rude.”

“How old are you then?”

“Thirty-two.”

I blinked. “Seriously?”

Jamie laughed softly, then leaned one shoulder against his door.

“You did alright, darlin.”

The praise hit me with ridiculous force considering all I’d done was survive a jog without collapsing into a pond.

“Thanks.”

There was a small pause then, comfortable somehow.

Jamie looked at me for a moment before speaking again.

“So... the pub you came to last night?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s alright if you want football and sticky floors.” He tilted his head slightly. “But there’s a much nicer place about ten minutes away. Better food too.”

I folded my arms, still catching my breath. “You doing tourism now?”

“Maybe.” Jamie smiled. “Thought I could show you the neighbourhood properly.”

There it was again.

Not quite flirting.

Definitely flirting.

I tried to play it cool despite the fact my brain was already screaming internally.

“Sounds good.”

“Six?”

“Yeah alright.”

Jamie smiled wider at that, pleased in a way that made warmth spread annoyingly through my chest.

“See you later then, darlin.”

Back inside my flat, I stood under a cold shower longer than necessary trying to calm my thoughts down.

This was dangerous territory.

I spent an embarrassing amount of time deciding what to wear for what was absolutely, definitely, probably not a date.

Jeans. Dark shirt. Casual enough not to look desperate.

At five to six I finally stepped out onto the landing, locking my door behind me.

Jamie’s door opened almost immediately.

And I actually froze.

Gone were the hoodie and joggers from that morning.

Instead, Jamie stepped out wearing black skinny jeans tucked into heeled ankle boots, a fitted charcoal tank top that showed off his slim arms and collarbones, and subtle dark eyeliner.

Jamie looked incredible.

Soft and masculine at the same time somehow. Something Id not encountered before.

The boots clicked softly against the wooden floorboards as he locked his door.

Then he turned and caught me staring.

A slow smile spread across his face.

“What?” he asked innocently.

“I...” My brain completely abandoned me. “You look... different.”

Jamie stepped closer, clearly enjoying this.

“Different good?”

I swallowed hard.

“Yeah.”

His eyes flicked down my body briefly before returning to mine.

“You scrub up well yourself, darlin.”

And standing there in the narrow dimly lit hallway with Jamie looking like that, smiling at me like that, I suddenly had the terrifying realization that this might genuinely be the first date of my life with a man.

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By *eadar123Man
2 days ago

dublin

More please

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By *ussexFunGuyMan
2 days ago

Woking

Great start, certainly following this one

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By *dlover2020 OP   Man
2 days ago

Seaton Delavel

Jamie led me away from the busier main streets and deeper into the older parts of the city, where the buildings leaned close together and everything glowed amber beneath old streetlamps.

“You’ll never find this place on tourist guides,” Jamie said as we turned down a narrow side street.

The pub looked tiny from the outside. Frosted windows. Dark green paintwork. No loud music spilling into the street, no groups of tourists in matching jackets.

Inside felt even smaller.

Low ceilings crossed with dark wooden beams, old men nursing pints in quiet corners, soft Scottish folk music humming somewhere beneath the murmur of conversation. The whole place smelled faintly of whisky and old wood polish.

“This,” Jamie announced proudly, “is a proper pub.”

I looked around approvingly. “Yeah alright, this beats sports screens and sticky carpets.”

“Told you.”

Jamie guided us towards a small booth tucked near the back. He slid in opposite me, one boot hooking casually around the leg of his chair.

In the softer lighting, the eyeliner around his eyes stood out even more. Not dramatic. Just enough to draw attention to them every time he smiled.

Which was becoming a problem for me.

A serious one.

We ordered drinks and settled into easy conversation surprisingly quickly. Easier than it had any right to be really.

I told him about the village Diane and I had lived in, about helping on the farm when I was younger, about how strange the city still felt to me.

“So what’s the plan then?” Jamie asked, cradling his pint between both hands. “Fresh start and all that.”

I shrugged lightly. “Honestly? No idea yet. Survive maybe.”

Jamie smiled softly at that.

“I think after the last year I just want to figure out who I am again.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Jamie didn’t react strangely. Didn’t pry either.

He just nodded gently like he understood exactly what I meant.

“That’s a good enough plan.”

“What about you?” I asked. “You always worked at the bar?”

“Mostly.” Jamie tucked one leg beneath himself slightly in the booth. “Quiet little life really. Work too much. Go running. Have lunch with my sister every Sunday. Occasionally bully confused new neighbours.”

I laughed into my drink. “So I’m being targeted?”

“Absolutely.”

There was warmth in the way he looked at me when he said it. Something soft and steady beneath the teasing.

The conversation drifted naturally after that. Music. Edinburgh. Terrible exes. Childhood stories.

Hours seemed to vanish around us.

At some point I realised I’d stopped overthinking every little thing. Stopped analysing whether Jamie was flirting or whether I was allowed to flirt back.

I was just... enjoying being with him.

Which somehow felt even more dangerous.

By our fourth drink I was pleasantly buzzed, warm all over from beer and whisky and Jamie’s constant attention.

“Right,” I announced suddenly, slapping the table lightly. “Shots.”

Jamie looked horrified immediately.

“Mark.”

“Shots.”

“You are forty-four years old.”

“And yet somehow still capable of terrible decisions.”

Jamie laughed hard enough that nearby tables glanced over.

“You’ll absolutely regret this.”

“Probably,” I admitted. “But spiritually I’m still twenty-seven.”

“That’s tragic.”

Despite his protests, Jamie ordered them.

Whisky.

Proper whisky.

Not the cheap poison I’d expected.

We clinked glasses.

“To fresh starts?” Jamie offered.

There was something unexpectedly sincere in the way he said it.

I held his gaze for a second too long.

“To fresh starts.”

The whisky burned beautifully on the way down.

A couple of drinks later, both of us were far too tipsy to be pretending otherwise anymore.

The walk home became slow and uneven, Jamie laughing every time I nearly drifted into him on the pavement.

“You’re absolutely steaming,” he teased.

“I’m pacing myself.”

“You walked into a lamppost ten seconds ago.”

“That lamppost came out of nowhere.”

Jamie’s laugh echoed down the quiet street.

At some point, without really thinking about it, he looped his arm through mine as we walked.

Casual.

Easy.

Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

And God help me, I loved it immediately.

The warmth of him against my arm. The occasional squeeze when one of us stumbled slightly. His shoulder brushing mine as we walked beneath the orange glow of the streetlights.

By the time we reached the townhouse my chest ached with something dangerously close to happiness.

We climbed the stairs slowly, still giggling quietly like idiots.

At Jamie’s door we both stopped.

The silence settled differently now.

Thicker.

Jamie looked up at me, cheeks slightly flushed from drink, eyeliner smudged just faintly at the corners of his eyes.

“Thanks for tonight, darlin.”

“Yeah,” I said softly. “I had a really good time.”

Neither of us moved immediately.

Then Jamie stepped forward first and wrapped his arms around me.

The hug should have been quick.

Friendly.

Instead it lingered.

My hands settled carefully against his back while his body pressed warm and soft against mine. I could smell his aftershave mixed with whisky and cold night air.

When we finally pulled apart, we ended up far too close.

Face to face.

Close enough that I could see the tiny flecks of colour in his eyes.

Close enough that if either of us leaned forward even slightly...

Jamie’s gaze dropped briefly to my mouth.

Then back up again.

The pause stretched.

Heavy.

Electric.

And suddenly every nerve in my body felt awake.

But Jamie just smiled softly instead.

“Night, Mark.”

“Night.”

I somehow made it into my flat on autopilot.

I brushed my teeth. Changed into an old t-shirt. Climbed into bed.

And then spent the next two hours staring at the ceiling replaying every second of that hug over and over in my head.

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By *dlover2020 OP   Man
2 days ago

Seaton Delavel

I woke late on Sunday with sunlight spilling weakly through the curtains and my mouth tasting faintly of whisky.

For a few blissful seconds my brain was completely empty.

Then Jamie crashed back into it all at once.

The walk home. The arm linked through mine. The hug. That pause afterward where we’d stood there staring at each other like something was about to happen.

I buried my face in the pillow with a groan.

“You are forty-four years old,” I muttered to myself. “Get a grip.”

My head wasn’t exactly pounding, but there was enough of a hangover lurking there to convince me the first priority of the day was a shower.

The bathroom in the flat was tiny. Barely enough room to turn around in without elbowing something, but the water pressure was decent and the heat hit me like therapy.

I stood beneath the spray longer than necessary, letting it wake me properly.

Unfortunately it also gave my brain uninterrupted time to think.

About Jamie’s eyeliner.

About the way he’d looked at me outside his door.

About his hand squeezing my arm when we’d crossed the road.

I found myself getting turned on. Stood with the water running down my face my cock grew harder. I tried to think about something else, a female, the lass from the news, a girl from work, but my mind kept going back to the twinkle in Jamie's eyes, and the way he sipped his drink. Those lips, those eyes. My mind was fixated on Jamie, and my throbbing cock was evidence I found him attractive.

I stroked my cock slowly, moaning gentlely as I imagine Jamie's lips around me. My hand stroking up and down my shaft, fondling my helmet, imagining that scottish tongue rolling arouns it. I leaned back and closed my eyes, feeling my balls tighten, i let out an involunatary "oh fuck yes", spraying my cum all over the shower curtain.

I eventually dragged myself out of the shower, shaved, made coffee, and tried to focus on practical things instead.

The next few days settled into a rhythm surprisingly quickly.

Mornings started with coffee by the window watching Edinburgh wake up beneath low grey clouds. Then work. Learning the new office. New names. New routines. Evenings wandering unfamiliar streets trying to slowly stitch together a sense of belonging.

I bought plants for the flat despite having a terrible history with keeping them alive.

I found a tiny bakery nearby that made sausage rolls the size of small children.

I learned that Edinburgh weather changed personality every fourteen minutes.

Little by little, the flat stopped feeling temporary.

My records ended up stacked neatly beside the turntable. Clothes finally made it out of boxes. The kitchen started looking lived in instead of borrowed.

It should have felt lonely.

In some ways it did.

But there was also relief in it. A strange quiet peace I hadn’t expected after the chaos of the divorce.

I didn’t see Jamie once during those first few days after the pub.

Not on the landing.

Not through the windows.

Not even downstairs at the sports bar.

Which was probably a good thing.

Because despite my repeated attempts to act normal, my thoughts kept circling back to him constantly anyway, and every time I got so hard.

A song would remind me of his voice.

Passing the pub would make my stomach tighten automatically.

Every time I heard footsteps outside my flat, some pathetic hopeful part of me wondered if it was him.

The feeling that something had almost happened.

Almost.

I told myself repeatedly that I was reading too much into it.

Jamie was affectionate. Friendly. Comfortable with himself in ways I still wasn’t.

That didn’t mean anything.

Still...

Every evening when I climbed the stairs to my flat, I found myself glancing automatically toward the door opposite mine before unlocking my own.

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By *dlover2020 OP   Man
2 days ago

Seaton Delavel

Thursday arrived wrapped in relentless Edinburgh drizzle.

By the time I got home from work the shoulders of my coat were damp and my mood wasn’t much better. The novelty of being the “new guy” at the office had started wearing thin, replaced by awkward small talk and trying to remember everybody’s names.

I was halfway up the stairs to my flat when Jamie’s door swung open suddenly.

“There you are.”

The words came out so naturally intimate that my stomach immediately betrayed me with a stupid little flutter.

Jamie leaned against the doorframe wearing an oversized hoodie and black leggins, hair slightly messy like he’d just woken up from a nap.

I stopped on the landing. “There I am?”

“Haven’t seen you in days, darlin. Was starting to think you’d moved out.”

“I’ve been working.”

"Tragic.”

Jamie tilted his head slightly. “I’m heading to an art exhibition tonight if you fancy it.”

“An art exhibition?”

“Free drinks,” he added quickly.

“Well now you’re speaking my language.”

Jamie grinned. “Thought you might appreciate that part more.”

Truthfully, art ranked somewhere below tax returns on my list of exciting evening activities. But Jamie could probably have invited me to stare at goats at that point and I’d have agreed enthusiastically.

“What time?”

“Eight?”

“Yeah alright.”

“Cool.” Jamie smiled softly. “See you later, darlin.”

Back inside my flat I spent far too long pretending I wasn’t carefully choosing an outfit again.

By quarter to eight I finally gave up trying to look effortlessly casual and headed out.

The gallery occupied the top floor of an old Georgian building overlooking one of the prettier parts of the city. Warm lights glowed through tall windows while people in expensive coats drifted around holding glasses of wine and speaking in voices that suggested they understood abstract sculpture.

I absolutely did not belong there.

I’d barely stepped inside before I spotted Jamie across the room.

And immediately forgot how breathing worked.

Jesus Christ.

Black ripped jeans clung tightly to his legs, fishnet tights visible beneath the tears around his thighs and knees. The fitted shirt hugged his slim frame perfectly, sleeves rolled up enough to show delicate wrists decorated with silver rings and bracelets.

The eyeliner was darker tonight.

And the lipstick...

Not bright. Just a muted deep pink that somehow made his mouth impossible not to stare at.

Jamie caught sight of me almost instantly and smiled.

A slow smile.

The kind that made it very clear he’d noticed exactly how hard I was staring.

“Well,” he said as I approached, “you clean up nicely.”

I blinked once, still trying to recover.

“You look...” My brain scrambled helplessly for language. “Very... fashionable.”

Jamie burst out laughing.

“Fashionable?”

“I panicked.”

“You’re cute when you panic.”

Cute.

Nobody had called me cute in about twenty years.

Jamie handed me a glass of champagne before I could short-circuit completely.

“Come on then,” he said. “Let’s go pretend we understand art.”

The exhibition itself was entirely lost on me.

I tried. I genuinely did.

But every painting looked either aggressively beige or like someone had thrown emotional damage at a canvas.

Meanwhile Jamie wandered through the gallery thoughtfully sipping champagne and somehow looking like he belonged there completely.

Every so often he’d lean close to explain something about a piece and I’d end up paying more attention to the smell of his perfume than anything coming out of his mouth.

Unfortunately the free drinks were very real.

And plentiful.

After champagne came wine.

Then more wine.

Then some tiny cocktails being passed around on trays by waiters.

By the time we left the gallery my cheeks were warm and I couldnt stop staring at Jamie's perfect bottom in those jeans.

“You alright there?” Jamie laughed as I stumbled slightly on the pavement.

“I’m sophisticated now.”

“You’re d*unk.”

“Same thing.”

Jamie rolled his eyes affectionately and guided me towards another nearby pub with one hand resting lightly against my back.

The place was quieter than the sports bar. Low lighting. Soft music. Cosy booths.

Dangerously romantic, really.

Jamie leaned forward slightly.

“Mark.”

The way he said my name nearly undid me completely.

And before I could overthink it, before forty years of fear and confusion could catch up with me, I leaned across the table and kissed him.

It was clumsy at first.

Tentative.

A soft press of lips that lasted barely a second before I panicked and pulled back.

“Oh Christ,” I muttered immediately. “Sorry, I don’t know why I just did that, I’m d*unk and-”

Jamie kissed me again before I could finish.

Gentle this time.

Certain.

One hand sliding lightly against my jaw.

The world seemed to tilt slightly beneath me.

When he finally pulled back, Jamie was smiling softly enough to make my chest ache.

“There you are,” he whispered.

I stared at him completely dazed.

Jamie stood first, holding out his hand toward me.

“Come on, darlin.”

I took it instantly.

And somehow, with Jamie’s fingers laced through mine, the walk back to the townhouse felt shorter than ever before.

We hurried up the stairs into my apartment, closing the door behind us, we instsntly started kissing.

My hands were all over him, his back, arse, legs. I couldnt grt enough of his body. It was different from the female bodies I touched. Didn't was soft, Jamie had a firm body, muscles. Different, but very arousing.

"I've never done this before" i mumbled between kisses.

"I know that darlin. Now take your clothes off and get on the bed"

I followed Jamie's instructions like an eager teenager, laying flat on my back in just my boxers.

Jamie let out a little giggle, then I felt him kneel either side of me, moving up from my feet. The feeling of his fishnets against my skin driving me wild.

His hands reached up, hooking the tops of my boxers, springing my cock around in front of his face. My mind spun when he gently grasped my hard cock. Those petite hands wrapping round the shaft, he slowly moved his hands up and down.

My heart nearly stopped when he dropped his head down, and licked around my helmet slowly, "oh yes" coming out of my mouth before I knew it.

The tongue moved back around again a few times, Jamie seemingly enjoying my gasps. His hand moved to my balls just as he started taking my cock in his mouth, a little bit to start, his tongue still working round, making pre cum ooze from my swollen cock.

He gripped my cock so frimly with one hand, and slid my whole cock fully in his mouth.

Holy shit, I was getting a blowjob from a guy! My neighbour! Who Ive known 1 week.

My hands instinctively moved to his head as his built speed, his hand working up and down as his mouth followed. Deeper and deeper in his mouth. Nobody had given me a blowjob like this before.

I could feel it building, as could Jamie, so he slowed a little and made eye contact with me. Those sexy eyes with the eye liner. He briefly took my cock out his mouth to catch breath, but his hand didnt stop.

"You alright darlin"

Nearly sent me over the edge. Jamie knew it would. He winked and slide my cock fully inside his mouth, locking eyes with me. Two or three more moves of his mouth prooved too much, and I unleashed the heaviest load Id ever had into Jamies warm and wet mouth. "Oh god yes", all i could mumble.

Jamie made sure I was empty and clean, licking every drop off me. My mind full of guilt and confusion.

He curled up next to me and gave me a reassuring kiss.

My mind settled, and we drifted off to sleep.

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By *dlover2020 OP   Man
2 days ago

Seaton Delavel

That's the end of the fantasy. Its not a true story, but I do hope there is a Jamie out there somehwere for me

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By *addy lover 2025Man
2 days ago

worthing

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By *opDad80Man
2 days ago

Winsford

Loved it xx sat all excited wanting the same

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By *ef123Man
2 days ago

Felixstowe

😈😈😈😈😈👍

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By *eathmeatMan
2 days ago

Westport

This is so so good. Lovely easy writing style and already well drawn characters. Can’t wait to see how it progresses. Thanks for your efforts on this one.

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By *ordladMan
2 days ago

Wrexham

Mmmmm perfect 👌

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By *onaberdeenMan
2 days ago

Aberdeen

Thanks - really enjoyed

Good hunting!

x

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By *u2use999Man
2 days ago

Bangor

This is really good. Well written, believable characters and enticing plot. Will definately be following this.

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By *ersbarebottMan
2 days ago

hampshire

Fab story let’s hope their a lots of Jamie’s out their lol

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By *eadar123Man
2 days ago

dublin

So hot

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By *aul60Man
2 days ago

North West

Well written.

I felt I was there with you every step of the way...apart from the running bit, fuck that lol.

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By *outhKesMan
2 days ago

Here and There

🔥

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By *lasgowlatexMan
2 days ago

Glasgow

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By *dlover2020 OP   Man
2 days ago

Seaton Delavel

I woke slowly with that horrible heavy feeling behind the eyes that only arrives after too much alcohol and not enough dignity.

For a few seconds I stayed still beneath the duvet, disoriented by unfamiliar surroundings and the warmth lingering faintly beside me in the bed.

Then memory came flooding back in fragments.

The gallery.

The pub.

Kissing Jamie.

His hands.

The dizzy warmth of whisky and lips and laughter.

And then later, tangled together in bed while Edinburgh rain tapped softly against the windows.

My stomach flipped instantly.

I turned my head.

The other side of the bed was empty.

Cold.

Jamie was gone.

I stared at the ceiling for a long moment while anxiety started quietly unpacking itself inside my chest.

Had I said something stupid?

Done something wrong?

Maybe I’d been too d*unk. Too intense. Too inexperienced.

Christ.

Experienced.

The word alone nearly made me hide under the duvet permanently.

Because the bigger question lurking underneath all of it was somehow even more terrifying.

What exactly did this make me now?

I sat up slowly, rubbing tired hands over my face.

I’d spent years flirting anonymously online, fantasising privately, burying parts of myself so deeply they’d practically fossilised. But fantasy was safe. Fantasy existed behind screens and fake confidence.

Last night had been real.

Jamie had kissed me.

I had kissed him back.

And more than that...

I’d wanted it.

Desperately.

The memory alone sent heat crawling embarrassingly back into my face despite the hangover.

I eventually dragged myself into the shower, standing beneath the hot water trying to scrub clarity into my brain.

But all I kept replaying was Jamie smiling against my mouth.

Jamie’s hands in my hair.

Jamie softly laughing when I got nervous.

None of it felt wrong.

Confusing, yes.

Terrifying, absolutely.

But wrong?

No.

That was the part I couldn’t stop thinking about.

By midday I’d achieved absolutely nothing productive besides making coffee and pacing around the flat pretending not to stare at my phone every thirty seconds.

Eventually curiosity and panic won.

I grabbed my phone and opened our messages.

My thumb hovered awkwardly above the keyboard.

What did you even text someone after your first d*unken night with another man at forty-four?

After several painfully embarrassing attempts, I settled on:

Hey, last night was fun.

I stared at it for another ten seconds before finally hitting send.

Then immediately threw the phone onto the sofa like it might explode.

The reply came less than two minutes later.

Hey Mark, sorry I’m on the early shift at work, you were flat out so I was quiet leaving 😘 Yeah last night was fun x

I read the message once.

Then again.

Then about six more times.

The wink.

The kiss.

The bloody x.

My heart fluttered ridiculously hard.

What did that mean?

Was I gay now?

Bisexual?

Had I secretly always been this and just spent twenty years aggressively ignoring it?

Because the truly alarming thing wasn’t just what happened last night.

It was how relieved I felt reading Jamie’s reply.

How excited.

I spent most of the afternoon trapped somewhere between existential crisis and schoolgirl crush.

Around four another message arrived.

I can pop over after work if you fancy food?

I smiled before I could stop myself.

Yeah sounds good.

An hour later I found myself ordering pizza while nervously tidying the flat for the third time despite Jamie having already seen it half-undressed and considerably d*unker.

At half six there was a soft knock at the door.

I opened it and immediately forgot every coherent thought in my head yet again.

Jamie stood there in loose grey shorts, an oversized dark hoodie hanging off one shoulder slightly, and black knee-high socks disappearing beneath the hem of the shorts.

His hair looked soft and messy from work.

No eyeliner this time.

No lipstick.

No carefully crafted nightlife version of Jamie.

Just comfortable. Warm. Domestic.

And somehow it hit Mark even harder than fishnets and ripped jeans had.

Because this version of Jamie felt dangerously easy to imagine in his life.

Jamie smiled shyly holding up a bottle of wine.

“Alright, darlin?”

I stared for one fatal second too long before recovering.

“Yeah,” I said quickly, stepping aside. “Come in.”

Jamie padded into the flat in those ridiculous socks while Mark’s brain quietly melted into soup behind him.

Because apparently it turned out he didn’t just find nightclub Jamie attractive.

He found soft sleepy hoodie Jamie attractive too.

Which somehow felt far more serious.

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By *dlover2020 OP   Man
2 days ago

Seaton Delavel

The pizza arrived just as the tension between us was starting to become impossible to ignore.

Probably for the best.

Jamie immediately kicked his shoes off at the door and climbed onto the sofa beside me, tucking one leg beneath himself while balancing the pizza box across both our knees.

“This is exactly what I needed,” he sighed happily.

“You say that like you’ve had a hard day.”

“I work in a pub, Mark. I watched a man cry because Scotland lost at darts.”

I laughed into my beer. “Fair.”

Jamie settled cross-legged fully onto the sofa then, hoodie riding slightly higher on his thighs as he reached for another slice.

And unfortunately for me, that was when my brain stopped functioning properly again.

His legs were lean and smooth, disappearing into those stupidly soft-looking knee-high socks. Every movement stretched the fabric of the shorts differently and I found myself staring entirely too long without meaning to.

Or maybe meaning to a little.

Jamie slowly lowered the slice of pizza from his mouth.

“You’re doing it again.”

I blinked. “Doing what?”

“Staring.”

“I’m not.”

Jamie’s lips curled immediately. “Mark.”

I sighed in defeat. “Alright maybe slightly.”

Jamie looked deeply pleased with himself.

“What exactly are you staring at then, darlin?”

The wine was not helping my ability to act normal.

“Your legs,” I admitted before my dignity could intervene.

Jamie laughed warmly, curling one leg closer beneath himself.

“My legs?”

“I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“The truth preferably.”

I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly while Jamie watched me with openly entertained eyes.

“I’ve always been a legs man.”

“A legs man,” Jamie repeated delightedly.

“Yes.”

“That’s your weakness?”

“Everyone has one.”

Jamie tilted his head slightly. “And mine are doing it for you?”

I looked down helplessly at the bare stretch of thigh between his shorts and socks.

“Very much so, yes.”

Jamie bit back a smile so unsuccessfully it became even more attractive.

“Well,” he murmured softly, setting his drink down on the coffee table, “that’s very useful information.”

Something in his tone made my pulse jump immediately.

Before I could ask what he meant, Jamie shifted closer across the sofa until our thighs touched.

Then closer again.

And suddenly he was climbing directly into my lap.

My breath caught hard in my throat.

Jamie settled there naturally, knees pressing either side of me against the sofa cushions, hoodie sleeves hanging slightly over his hands.

“So,” he said softly.

One of his hands rested against my shoulder while the other took my wrist gently.

“How much do you like them then?”

My brain had entirely dissolved by that point.

“Jamie…”

He smiled lazily, eyes half-lidded and warm.

“Relax, darlin.”

Then slowly, deliberately, he guided my hand onto his thigh.

Jesus Christ.

Even through the fabric of the shorts I could feel the warmth of him instantly.

Jamie watched my face carefully while guiding my hand higher, then back down again in slow absent strokes along his leg.

“There you go,” he whispered teasingly. “Enjoying yourself?”

I swallowed hard.

“A bit.”

“A bit?” Jamie grinned. “You looked ready to pass out five minutes ago.”

“That may still happen.”

Jamie laughed softly and leaned closer until his forehead brushed mine lightly.

“You’re very cute when you’re flustered, Mark.”

The warmth of his body in my lap, the softness of his voice, his fingers still loosely wrapped around my wrist guiding my touch... it all felt almost unbearably intimate.

Not rushed.

Not just lust.

Something gentler.

Which honestly scared me far more.

Jamie leaned in and kissed my next, a tender kiss, like Id not felt before. Sex with Diane was always good, but this was next level. I felt truly desired, someone wanted me.

My cock strained in my shorts, Jamie's eye widening at the feeling of me growing beneath him.

A devilsh look in his eyes, he slid off my lap and stood in front of me, his fingers hooking the top of his shorts he bent forward, keeping eye contact, and slowly slid them down, disgarding them next to me.

"Do you like what you see Mark"

"You are so sexy" is all I could mumble

Jamie stood hands on hips, wearing the smallest pink panties I've ever seen. His smallish cock just about contained in the sheer material.

He stepped forward again, one leg either side, slowly his hands moved back to my shoulders. His weight sinking down onto my lap again.

The kissing was slow and gentle compared to the previous night. Jamie grinding his hips into my now throbbing cock. He pulled away briefly and whispered the words that changed my life...

"I want you inside me Mark"

My hands clamped down on your thighs, my mouth open, i could manage a simple nod.

Jamie reached back and pulled his panties to one side, as i slid my shorts down, my cock falling between his cheeks.

As my cock slid up and down between his cheeks. Jamie pulled the plug he was wearing out, and expertly guided my hard cock inside.

He wasnt slow, oh no, positioned in, then sank all the way down..

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By *elcumMan
2 days ago

DEAL area

this writing is too good ...every time jamie says "darlin'" i almost jump. sometimes realising i've actually forgotten to breathe ...

intense, funny, and such perfect observations ... one of the best pieces of gay porn/story that i think i've ever had the pleasure of reading.

utterly superb and what a treat. thank you so much.

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By *elcumMan
2 days ago

DEAL area


"This is so so good. Lovely easy writing style and already well drawn characters. Can’t wait to see how it progresses. Thanks for your efforts on this one. "

i 100% agree.

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By *elcumMan
2 days ago

DEAL area

this ....

"I spent most of the afternoon trapped somewhere between existential crisis and schoolgirl crush." ...

is me.

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By *dlover2020 OP   Man
2 days ago

Seaton Delavel

There I was, not even two weeks into my new life in Edinburgh, and I had Jamie riding ontop of me in panties and knee high socks.

It felt different being inside him, not bad, in fact the opposite. It felt really fucking good.

He leaned in and kissed me as he began to rise up and sink back down, his hands on my shoulders helping him ease up and down slowly.

That arsed Id admired in his jeans was now wrapped around my throbbing cock.

"Oh yes Jamie"

"Mmmmm you enjoying that darlin? Your eyes were so wide when you saw my panties. Do you like my panties Mark?"

All i could do was pull him in and kiss him. His hips began rolling in a circular motion, grinding down forcing my cock deeper inside his my hands exploring his legs and back, pulling him close as he picked up the pace.

I couldnt hold it long and felt it building. I think Jamie also notice, because he started riding harder, and faster.

My hands clamped on his legs as I felt my balls tightening, "Oh Jamie yes, right there, right there, oh god!!"

I thought the blowjob orgasm was good, this one nearly sent me blind! I held onto his legs so tight, as he gentle moved uo and down. The last squirts of cum leaving my cock.

What got me in that moment, was how tender Jamie became. Like all he'd wanted, was to make me cum, and now he was content. Landing gentle kisses on my lips and stroking my arms reassuringly.

That was the first time Jamie took my load, but it sure wouldnt be the last.

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By *elcumMan
2 days ago

DEAL area

i can't help it .... im eloping with jamie ...he's mine i tell you ... mine!

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By *atinbloodMan
2 days ago

Birkenhead

Superb story

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By *hris106699Man
2 days ago

North hykeham

Awesome fantasy and well written. Ty xx

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By *kyluke69Man
2 days ago

Gravesend

Brilliant story please give us more

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By *dlover2020 OP   Man
2 days ago

Seaton Delavel

Thanks for the kind comments and messages. I'll get writing a part 2 soon

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By *axgbMan
2 days ago

Aberdeenshire

I don’t usually comment on the stories here but the writing is fabulous. It's so seductive and sensual and you could easily think it was a true story.

I'm looking forward to part two!

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By *oss29Man
2 days ago

nr Taunton

Couldn't agree more. Absolutely phenomenal writing. Thank you so much for the effort. I'm rock hard here desperately looking forward to the next installment of this fabulous tale.

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By *eadar123Man
2 days ago

dublin

Really good story.loving it

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By *osportSoftCockMan
2 days ago

Gosport

Great story and superbly written

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By *endeepMan
2 days ago

Gt Yarmouth


"That's the end of the fantasy. Its not a true story, but I do hope there is a Jamie out there somehwere for me "
ffs I really was believing this thread, how unkind was that, but excellently written, I applaud the author 👏 💙 👍

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By *eckyKTV/TS
2 days ago

St Helier

Great story, very well written

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By *ornet99Man
2 days ago

stockport

Great story . I’m looking for a Jamie now

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By *unfollowerMan
2 days ago

Peterborough

Excellent writing..cant wait for more..

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By *ocsukerMan
2 days ago

Mansfield

To echo every other comment,a beautiful story, wonderful writing and feelings that stir then rage in us all. Waiting for my flutter xx

Thank you xx

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By *oy2017Man
1 day ago

Frome

Oh My Fucking good god. What a great story. Full of minutia adding to the general essay. It was MOST exciting to read and I applaud your skills as you took us on you journey with Mark and James.

I can almost see their flat and the pubs. I'm sure I've been in them.

Thank you so very much for sharing this with us. I appreciate the effort needed to write it. Well done.

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By *ers_Viking_FukMan
1 day ago

Gorleston

So fucking hot

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By *ester90Man
1 day ago

Burton

Wow, very sexy and horny xx

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By *ranform71Man
1 day ago

Hinckley

This has to be one of the best stories I’ve read in a very long time. It has me totally gripped. I hope there’s more to come. X

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By *ohnny 52TV/TS
1 day ago

Middlewich

Brilliantly well written

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By *lare_thomas38TV/TS
1 day ago

my town

Definitely one of the best stories I’ve read on here. I really hope there is more! X

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By *AMNinja2214Man
1 day ago

Bury

Brilliant

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By *icebuttslimMan
1 day ago

here or there

Superb, it's been a fantastic read so far.

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By *aul60Man
1 day ago

North West

Niiiice

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By *TRAPON BOSSTV/TS
1 day ago

Waterford Ireland

Super story

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By *avenMan
1 day ago

Stoford

Simply one of the best stories ever on here.Conjures up great images.I know a guy who could be my Jamie.Myself and friends fancy him,but he's into younger guys.Anyway, thanks for posting this 😀

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By *ohn19742Man
1 day ago

COVENTRY

Great sexy writing

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By *oodsman2Man
1 day ago

Galashiels

I agree with all the other contributors. Simply superb

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By *unster66Man
1 day ago

Edinburgh


"Oh My Fucking good god. What a great story. Full of minutia adding to the general essay. It was MOST exciting to read and I applaud your skills as you took us on you journey with Mark and James.

I can almost see their flat and the pubs. I'm sure I've been in them.

Thank you so very much for sharing

this with us. I appreciate the effort needed to write it. Well

done. "

A great short story, you describe Edinburgh well too, thanks!

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By *airychestloverMan
1 day ago

Dorchester

Great story!x

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By *laiddMan
1 day ago

London

Truly making me feral - thank you

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By *obert 321Man
1 day ago

Romford

Omg, I think we all need a Jamie in our lives 😍

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By *eePee123Man
1 day ago

CloseBy

Loved it. Well written.

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By *cotty010Man
24 hours ago

visiting

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By *dlover2020 OP   Man
24 hours ago

Seaton Delavel

Okay, so Ive given in to private requests and added a new part to the story. I'll try continue writting more parts. In my head I know how the whole timeline pans out. Anyways, hope you all enjoy this part:

I stood beneath the shower far longer than necessary, forehead resting against the cool tiles while hot water hammered against my shoulders.

My thoughts were absolute chaos.

Am I gay?

The question kept circling endlessly.

I kissed a guy. I had sex with a guy. Surely that means I’m gay.

And yet somehow the answer still didn’t feel simple.

Because when I pictured last weekend, my brain didn’t immediately jump to men.

It jumped to Jamie.

Jamie laughing into my mouth while we kissed.

Jamie sitting cross-legged on my sofa eating pizza.

Jamie’s soft voice saying 'darlin' like it meant something.

I groaned quietly into the steam.

This was ridiculous. Less than two weeks into my new single life and I was already having a full-blown identity crisis because of my neighbour in knee-high socks and pink panties.

After the shower I tried desperately to distract myself.

I played guitar for a bit, fingers lazily stumbling through old Fleetwood Mac songs while my mind wandered elsewhere.

Didn’t help.

Tried video games.

Didn’t help.

Made lunch.

Barely tasted it.

Every thought somehow circled back to Jamie.

The way he looked at me.

The way I looked at him.

The terrifying fact that none of it felt wrong.

Fast maybe.

Confusing definitely.

But not wrong.

By Thursday afternoon my head felt so crowded with thoughts that I genuinely started craving distance. Not from Jamie exactly. Just from my own spiralling brain.

That opportunity arrived in the form of a corporate email I’d almost ignored.

An awards event in Manchester.

Normally I hated those sorts of things. Forced smiles, bland speeches, middle managers clapping too hard over PowerPoint presentations titled things like Driving Success Through Synergy.

Every invite to an event like this just gives visions of Alan Partridge with a blood soaked foot.

But this time it landed at exactly the right moment.

I’d worked in telecommunications for the last ten years, slowly climbing from customer service advisor to team manager after helping Diane's Dad on the farm stopped being enough financially to build a life on.

The Edinburgh team had been nominated for a 'Best Project' award and apparently attendance was “strongly encouraged.”

For once, I didn’t mind.

A few days away might help clear my head.

Before leaving, I knocked lightly on Jamie’s door.

He answered wearing an oversized hoodie and fluffy socks again, immediately ruining my ability to think straight.

Literally.

“Hey,” he smiled sleepily. “You alright darlin?”

“Yeah. Just letting you know I’ll be away a couple of days with work.”

Jamie’s face fell slightly. Just slightly.

“Oh.”

“There’s probably going to be parcels while I’m gone,” I added awkwardly.

“I can grab them for you.”

“Thanks.”

A small silence settled between us.

Then Jamie smiled softly again.

“We’ll have a brew when you get back?”

The warmth that spread through my chest at that simple sentence honestly felt concerning.

“Yeah,” I said. “I’d like that.”

The train journey down was spent with two other managers from the company, Gary and Jane, both somewhere in their fifties and carrying the exhausted aura of people who’d survived decades of office politics.

Gary mostly complained about rail prices.

Jane drank canned gin from her handbag, referring to them as her 'Gins in Tins'.

We rolled into Manchester Picadilly and made our way out of the station and down the slope into the city.

The hotel was far nicer than anything I’d expected. Big lobby. Huge bed. One of those rainfall showers that made you briefly consider stealing bathroom fixtures.

I showered, changed into a shirt and jacket, and headed downstairs to meet Gary and Jane.

The event was in the hotel conference room, and to my surprise, it was actually fun.

Free wine helped significantly.

The project team ended up winning our category, which shocked all three of us enough that Gary nearly dropped his glass on the way to the stage.

There were speeches, applause, terrible photos, more drinks.

For the first time in weeks I stopped thinking constantly.

By 11pm the event had started thinning out.

Jane yawned dramatically. “Right. I’m ancient. Bed.”

Gary nodded in agreement. “Same here.”

I looked at my phone briefly once they’d gone.

My thumb hovered over Jamie’s messages.

Should I tell him we won?

The thought immediately felt stupid.

It was hardly exciting news.

Hey Jamie, guess what, telecommunications management exceeded quarterly expectations.

Thrilling stuff.

I shoved the phone back into my pocket and wandered off in search of another pint instead.

Two drinks later, and pleasantly buzzed from the free wine earlier, I started attempting to find my way back to the hotel.

Unfortunately Manchester had other ideas.

After a couple of wrong turns I realised I’d wandered somewhere completely different.

The canal stretched dark beside the pavement while bars and clubs exploded with light and music along the opposite side. Rainbow flags hung everywhere. Groups spilled out laughing into the streets. A Giant mural on the side of a pub. Drag queens stood outside one club heckling passers-by with frightening confidence.

“Well hello handsome,” one shouted as I walked past.

I nearly tripped over my own feet.

“Very broad shoulders on that one!”

Another blew me a kiss.

I kept walking quickly, face burning despite the alcohol.

The whole street pulsed with life. Loud music. Laughter. Heels clicking on wet pavement. Couples holding hands openly beneath neon lights.

And through all of it, my brain kept circling the same question.

Am I gay?

At the quieter end of the street sat a smaller bar. Less intimidating than the others. No dance music shaking the walls. No drag queens verbally undressing me from twenty feet away.

I hesitated outside for a second before muttering to myself:

“Purely for research.”

Then I walked in.

The place was dimly lit and surprisingly relaxed. Smaller groups chatting quietly. Pop music drifting through the speakers.

Girls Aloud started playing halfway to the bar.

Shout Out To My Ex.

I actually snorted into my drink.

Felt appropriate.

I ordered a Guinness for reasons that made absolutely no sense except that some panicked part of my brain apparently believed fruity cocktails would legally confirm homosexuality.

The barman smiled knowingly anyway.

I sat alone nursing the pint while subtly trying to evaluate every man who walked past.

Older guy at the bar.

Attractive?

Maybe.

Guy near the jukebox.

Not really.

Tall blond bloke smiling at me from across the room.

Possibly?

A couple of men smiled politely as they passed my table. One said hello.

I said hello back with all the confidence of a frightened deer.

And slowly, sitting there in the middle of Manchester’s gay village trying desperately to solve myself like a maths equation, something strange clicked into place.

I didn’t actually want this.

Not really.

I didn’t want random men.

I wanted Jamie.

I wanted soft Scottish accents across my sofa.

Wanted hoodie Jamie.

Wanted fishnet Jamie.

Wanted him calling me darlin in that low warm voice.

Wanted him sitting in my lap laughing while I forgot how to function.

The realisation settled over me slowly but completely.

This wasn’t curiosity anymore.

It was him.

I pulled my phone out almost immediately.

Opened our messages.

Then typed:

"Hey, hope you’re having a good night. Just thought I’d let you know... we won the award! Oh and free drinks. Loads of free drinks. I’m back tomorrow if you wanna have a brew and a catch up."

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By *dol1Man
23 hours ago

North Wexford

I absolutely loved reading this story, two lovely guys where life brings them together and they spend some time enjoying each other and exploring some new experiences.

I loved the story, the characters were very likeable and relatable, and the fantasy itself was so realistic and very well brought to life.

The writing style was stunning and it really drew me in, I didn’t want it to end to be honest.

Well done on a great story and fantastic writing xxx

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By *omethingExciting41Man
22 hours ago

Somewhere

This is amazing I love it, please never stop writing, I love the characters and Jamie's outfits and the description of him just so perfect xxx

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By *kyluke69Man
18 hours ago

Gravesend

This is such a great story

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By *uvvafab65Man
18 hours ago

Benfleet/Southend

Mark, your story is beautiful and I hope you don’t mind, but I think I’ve fallen in love a little bit with Jamie! Wish I had a neighbour like him. 🥰x

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By *orwichscotMan
16 hours ago

Livingston

So beautifully written, and very erotic. Loving it as much as everyone else clearly is.

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By *ohnny 52TV/TS
12 hours ago

Middlewich

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By *lare_thomas38TV/TS
9 hours ago

my town

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By *ardsoloMan
9 hours ago

Harlow

Love your story but love your perfectly written story. Feeling every emotion.

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By *unwithuMan
9 hours ago

Manchester

Same here. Fabulous story, well written

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By *uriousjimTV/TS
9 hours ago

middleton

🍆💦

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By * M MMan
8 hours ago

sapcote

Genuinely the best story I’ve read for a really long time! Both characters feel real, and I want a happy ending

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By *rittboy68TV/TS
6 hours ago

Southend

This may be fiction, but the way you write, I think most of us can close our eyes & be transported in to this story with you.

Amazing & thank you for sharing!

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By *dlover2020 OP   Man
6 hours ago

Seaton Delavel

I woke to a hangover that felt medically significant.

For a few horrible seconds I couldn’t remember where I was.

Then Manchester came flooding back.

The awards. The drinks. Canal Street. The gay bar. Jamie.

Especially Jamie.

I rolled over with a groan and grabbed my phone from the bedside table.

One unread message.

From Jamie.

My stomach immediately flipped.

"Morning darlin, sorry you text quite late last night. Well done on the award, awesome news. Pop round for a brew when youre back x"

I read the message three times.

Then a fourth.

The darlin.

The kiss.

The casual warmth of it all.

God.

I stared at the keyboard for an embarrassingly long time trying to decide whether or not I was emotionally entitled to send an "x" back.

Because apparently this was my life now.

44 years old. Successful telecoms manager. Awarding winning telecomms manager. Having a nervous breakdown over punctuation.

Eventually I typed,

"Free drinks = terrible hangover. I’ll be back around 5ish x"

I stared at the "x" afterward in immediate horror.

Too much?

Too intimate?

Too eager?

Should I delete it?

I nearly did.

Instead I hit send before my brain could interfere further.

Then immediately threw the phone onto the bed and walked into the shower muttering “absolute idiot” at myself repeatedly.

By the time I met Gary and Jane downstairs for the train home, both of them looked irritatingly energetic.

Jane was somehow already eating a croissant.

“How are you functioning?” I asked suspiciously.

“Practice,” she replied proudly with flakes of pastry littering her colourful blouse.

Gary looked smug. “You young ones can’t handle a corporate piss-up anymore.”

“You’re both fifty-five.”

“And thriving.”

The train rolled north through green hills and grey skies while Gary and Jane chatted happily about work politics and retirement plans.

I contributed almost nothing.

Because my brain had entirely redirected itself toward one problem.

Jamie.

Specifically, how the hell I was supposed to handle whatever this was becoming.

Things had moved fast. Very fast.

Too fast maybe.

And yet every time I thought about pulling away slightly, I immediately missed him.

I stared absentmindedly out the train window while my thoughts spiralled.

Maybe what we needed was a proper date.

A normal date.

No alcohol-fuelled emotional catastrophes.

No waking up in existential panic.

Just... regular.

But what even counted as a regular date anymore?

Cinema? No. Too quiet.

Drinks? Definitely not.

Mini golf?

Christ alive.

Bowling drifted into my head briefly.

I physically grimaced.

Bowling?

What were we, twelve?

Then again...

Lane7 existed.

That was trendy wasn’t it?

Cool lights. Cocktails. Young people pretending bowling was nightlife.

Yes alright maybe bowling wasn’t completely tragic.

The more I thought about it, the more it actually sounded perfect. Casual enough to take pressure off. Enough distraction to stop me overthinking every second.

As the train curved north through the hills approaching Edinburgh, something inside me finally settled properly for the first time in days.

I fancied Jamie.

Properly.

Not abstractly.

Not experimentally.

I wanted to see where this went.

I just wanted to do it slower.

Start with bowling.

Christ. Bowling.

By the time I stepped out into Waverley Station the city had exploded into its usual chaos.

Tourists everywhere.

Absolutely bloody everywhere.

They clogged the pavements around the Royal Mile in giant slow moving groups wearing matching waterproofs and novelty tartan hats like some kind of migratory species.

One American man loudly pronounced it “Edin-burg” behind me and I nearly walked directly into traffic.

I’d only lived in Edinburgh a short while and already the tourists were driving me insane.

Every five seconds someone stopped dead in the middle of the pavement to take photos of a building that had been there since before electricity.

I finally escaped the crowds and headed back towards the flat through increasingly familiar streets.

By the time I reached the townhouse my stomach had started doing nervous little flips again.

I crossed the landing and knocked on Jamie’s door.

A second later it swung open.

“Hey Mark,” Jamie smiled warmly. “Come on in, darlin.”

My jaw nearly hit the fucking floor.

Jamie was wearing a tartan skirt.

A fucking short tartan skirt.

Fishnets stretched along his thighs beneath black thigh-high socks disappearing into the hem, paired with an oversized dark jumper slipping slightly off one shoulder.

My brain immediately blue-screened.

“Oh,” I said intelligently.

Jamie’s lips twitched instantly.

“Oh?”

“I...” I stepped inside trying desperately not to stare directly at his legs. “You look nice.”

Nice.

Wonderful recovery.

Jamie turned to walk back into the flat and I had to physically concentrate on maintaining eye contact with literally anything except the fishnet and over the knee sock combination.

This was a deliberate attack.

Had to be.

Jamie settled casually onto the sofa crossing one leg over the other and somehow making the situation even worse.

I sat opposite him gripping my coffee mug like it might stabilise me emotionally.

Stay composed.

Jamie absolutely noticed.

Of course he did.

There was this tiny smug softness to his expression now every time my eyes betrayed me for half a second.

And somewhere beneath the panic, I realised he’d planned this.

Not maliciously.

Not manipulative.

Just... Jamie.

Giving me a slightly bigger glimpse of himself.

The real version.

The one who liked skirts and thigh high socks and teasing me into psychological collapse.

We chatted for a while about Manchester, the awards, Gary falling asleep during one speech, train delays.

But eventually the nervous weight in my chest became impossible to ignore anymore.

I set my mug down carefully.

“Jamie?”

“yeah?”

I rubbed my palms against my jeans briefly.

“I think maybe...” I paused. “I think maybe things have gone a bit fast.”

Jamie’s expression softened immediately.

Not hurt.

Just attentive.

“I’m still trying to figure all this out,” I admitted quietly. “The divorce. You. Whether this means I’m gay. Or bisexual. Or whatever.”

Jamie nodded gently, giving me space to keep talking.

“I like you,” I said finally. “A lot actually. I just think my brain’s trying to catch up with the rest of me.”

For a moment Jamie simply looked at me.

Warm.

Patient.

Then he smiled softly.

“Mark,” he said quietly, “you don’t need to solve yourself overnight.”

The tightness in my chest loosened slightly.

“There’s no pressure here, alright? No labels if you don’t want them. We just do what feels right.”

God he was lovely.

Dangerously lovely.

I let out a small breathy laugh. “I was thinking maybe we could slow down a bit.”

“Slow down how?”

“Well...” I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. “I thought maybe we could go bowling.”

Jamie stared at me for exactly one second before bursting into helpless laughter.

“Bowling?”

“Don’t.”

“You want to take me on a teenage date?”

“It’s casual!”

“You absolute disaster.”

I laughed despite myself while Jamie grinned across the sofa looking unbearably fond.

“Alright,” he teased. “You can take me bowling, darlin.”

We talked a little longer after that, easier now somehow.

Though my internal battle not to stare at Jamie’s legs continued at Olympic level difficulty the entire evening.

Especially every time he shifted position.

Or crossed his legs differently.

Or existed.

Eventually I stood to leave before my remaining self-control dissolved entirely.

At the door Jamie stepped closer automatically.

I hesitated only briefly before leaning down and kissing him softly.

Tender this time.

Slow.

Jamie melted into it immediately, one hand resting lightly against my chest while his mouth moved gently against mine.

No desperation.

No alcohol.

Just warmth.

When we finally pulled apart, Jamie smiled softly up at me.

“Night, darlin.”

And walking back across the landing to my own flat, my head finally felt quieter than it had in days.

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By *ohnny 52TV/TS
5 hours ago

Middlewich

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By *opDad80Man
4 hours ago

Winsford

Fabulous tale and so well written

Has me wanting the same

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By *unfollowerMan
4 hours ago

Peterborough

Wow

You are a great patient writer...

Cant wait reading the next installments..

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By *achealtvsubtoyTV/TS
4 hours ago

hoddesdon

To unravel a yarn is a sin,especially as the yarn you are spinning is sublime.

I congratulate you,superb,a novella in the making,,,the path has been layer,, the characters are forming,,I am already in love with Jamie,,,Mark needs his happy ever after.

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By *cotsman2020Man
4 hours ago

Glenrothes

That was a fantastic story. I hope you write more.

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By *illgossardTV/TS
3 hours ago

Abergavenny

Oh how utterly wonderful.

Looking forward to reading more.

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By *dlover2020 OP   Man
2 hours ago

Seaton Delavel

Saturday morning arrived grey and damp, which in Edinburgh basically counted as perfect weather.

I sat beside the window with my guitar resting across my lap, lazily picking my way through blues riffs while watching the chaos unfolding down on the street below.

Tourists.

Bloody tourists.

One group had stopped dead in the middle of the pavement to photograph a pub sign like they’d discovered fire.

Another American family in matching waterproofs stood arguing loudly about where Edinburgh Castle was despite the fact it was literally towering above them.

I muttered darkly to myself and slid into another chord.

“How are you lost? It’s uphill. The castle’s the big castle-shaped thing.”

Normally I loved quiet Saturdays. Coffee. Guitar. Rain tapping softly against the windows.

But today my nerves had settled somewhere deep in my stomach and refused to leave.

Which was ridiculous.

It was bowling.

Not surgery.

Not war.

Not even dinner really.

Just bowling with Jamie.

Gorgeous Jamie.

And somewhere along the last couple of weeks, I’d stopped trying to mentally dodge the reality of that attraction. I wasn’t “confused by him.” I fancied him. Properly.

The thought still felt surreal every now and then.

I leaned my head back against the sofa and tried to remember the last actual first date I’d been on.

Proper date.

Not with Diane.

Diane and I had become friends first. There was never really that nervous dating phase between us. By the time we started going out, we were already comfortable together.

And yes, we still went out during the marriage. Meals. Cinema. Weekends away.

But looking back, especially toward the end, most of those nights had felt less like romance and more like maintenance. Two people trying to force life back into something already quietly fading.

Before Diane though...

Christ.

There’d been one cinema trip with a girl from the village when I was younger. We’d sat through an action film in complete silence before sharing the most painfully awkward kiss imaginable beside my car afterward.

That was it.

That was my grand dating history.

And somehow now, twenty years later, I was preparing for a bowling date with my very attractive neighbour who occasionally wore fishnets and called me darlin.

Life was strange.

By midday the nervous energy had escalated into a full-scale wardrobe crisis.

Every shirt I owned ended up dumped across the bed.

Blue shirt too formal.

Black shirt too “middle-aged divorced man trying too hard.”

Grey jumper too boring.

I tried combinations of jeans and shirts with the intensity of someone preparing for a GQ photoshoot rather than bowling.

Aftershave testing quickly spiralled too.

One smelled too old.

One smelled too young.

One smelled suspiciously like a nightclub toilet.

At some point I became so overwhelmed trying to optimise my appearance that my brain wandered toward another dangerous idea.

Maybe I should tidy up a bit downstairs.

Nothing major.

Just maintenance.

I stood in the bathroom staring at myself for a long moment.

“I’m a 44 year old man preparing for bowling, why am I behaving like I’m going to audition for Love Island?”

Still...

A small trim wouldn’t hurt.

I grabbed a pair of scissors first.

This turned out to be a disaster class.

Within minutes it became obvious I had absolutely no experience whatsoever in manscaping. I’d spent most of my adult life married. There had never really been pressure to maintain some sort of landscaped elegance downstairs.

The result developing in front of me looked less “tidy” and more “neglected public footpath.”

I’d somehow created several completely different hair lengths simultaneously.

One side looked untouched.

Another looked aggressively harvested.

And the middle...

The middle! The middle I'd missed the whole of the top of my groin, giving my privates a kind of Bob Ross do.

I stared downward in horror.

“Oh for fuck sake.”

Clearly requiring professional-grade equipment, I dug my beard trimmer out the bathroom drawer.

It hadn’t been used since before I moved to Edinburgh.

I wiped dust off it like I was unearthing ancient technology.

Right.

Guard on.

Maximum length setting.

Safe.

Controlled.

This would fix everything.

For approximately fifteen glorious seconds, it did.

Hair evened out nicely.

Things looked respectable again.

Then disaster struck.

The guard snapped clean off.

The naked blade surged upward with all the subtlety of a lawnmower hitting wet grass.

That gut wrenching noise.

I froze.

Slowly looked downward.

A completely bald stripe now ran directly through the centre.

Straight up.

Into my stomach hair.

Reverse mohawk.

I’d given myself a reverse landing strip.

“No. No no no no.”

I actually stepped backwards from my own reflection in disbelief.

“Fuck!”

Panic arrived instantly.

There was no recovering this.

No blending technique on earth could save me.

Jamie absolutely could not see this horror show.

Which left only one option.

Everything had to go....Everything!

I stared at the trimmer in my hand with the exhausted resignation of a farmer putting down an injured horse.

“Right then.”

The beard trimmer made short work of the remaining hair.

Unfortunately what it left behind was deeply uncomfortable stubble that somehow made the entire situation feel even worse.

At this point, driven entirely by panic and poor judgement, my eyes drifted toward the ancient Mach 4 razor sitting beside the sink.

Surely smooth was better than stubble.

Surely.

Twenty minutes later I stood naked in front of the mirror looking like I’d lost a fight with gardening equipment.

Tiny squares of toilet paper dotted my stomach and groin where the rusty razor had apparently decided skin was optional.

My chest was smooth.

My stomach was smooth.

Even parts of my belly hair had vanished.

I cautiously rubbed a hand over my torso and nearly recoiled.

“Oh that feels wrong.”

My slight dad bod had transformed into something strangely dome-like and slippery.

Getting dressed afterwards was somehow even more upsetting.

My t-shirt moved against my chest in ways I could suddenly feel far too clearly.

Everything slid.

Everything touched differently.

I looked down at myself again.

“What. Have. I. Done.”

By 4pm I finally accepted I could not be trusted with any further grooming decisions.

So naturally I opened a beer.

Just one to calm the nerves.

Definitely not because I was now hairless like a frightened dolphin preparing for a bowling date.

Eventually I grabbed my phone and typed:

Hey, we still on for 6pm? x

I stared at the x after sending it.

Another bloody x.

Jesus Christ.

I was down catastrophically bad for this man.

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By *ipmiMan
2 hours ago

ML8

Loving this story. Keep going!!

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By *AMNinja2214Man
2 hours ago

Bury

Loving this...

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By *dlover2020 OP   Man
2 hours ago

Seaton Delavel

By half five I’d changed outfits three more times.

Eventually I settled on dark jeans and a navy overshirt layered over a black t-shirt. Casual. Safe. Not trying too hard.

At least hopefully not trying too hard.

Unfortunately nothing could distract me from the horrifying unfamiliar sensation of my clothes moving against my newly hairless chest every time I breathed.

Every step felt aerodynamic.

I hated it.

By quarter to six I was already inside Lane7 nursing a pint and pretending not to look like a man moments away from a nervous breakdown.

The place was packed with Saturday evening energy. Neon lights reflecting off bowling lanes, loud music bouncing around groups of students and couples leaning over beer pong tables.

I felt approximately one hundred and twelve years old.

Still, the beer helped.

Slightly.

I checked my phone again.

No new messages.

Which was fine.

Normal even.

I took another sip and glanced around the room while trying not to spiral.

At exactly six o’clock my phone buzzed.

"Just got here x"

Always a "x".

My stomach immediately somersaulted.

I looked toward the entrance just in time to see Jamie walking in.

And the relief that hit me was honestly embarrassing.

No fishnets.

No skirt.

No thigh-high socks designed specifically to destroy my concentration.

Just dark jeans, black vans trainers and a soft oversized jumper with the sleeves pushed up slightly.

Comfortable.

Casual.

Beautiful.

Wait! Beautiful when not wearing fishnets! I was down bad for Jamie.

Jamie spotted me almost instantly and smiled in that warm soft way that seemed to physically lower my blood pressure.

“There he is,” he said as he reached the table.

“You’re late,” I teased lightly.

Jamie snorted. “It’s six on the dot.”

“Still.”

“Demanding already.” Jamie leaned down slightly closer. “You nervous, darlin?”

“A bit.”

“Cute.”

God.

That bloody word.

Jamie slid onto the seat opposite me while I tried very hard not to stare at the soft curl of hair falling across his forehead.

“You’ve already started drinking,” he observed.

“This is tactical.”

“Of course it is.”

“You’re very judgemental for someone who once got me d*unk enough to kiss him in public.”

Jamie grinned lazily. “And I’d do it again.”

The bowling itself turned out far more fun than expected.

Mostly because Jamie became weirdly competitive almost immediately.

“You absolutely cheated,” I accused as he smugly celebrated another strike.

Jamie turned dramatically toward me. “I’m naturally gifted.”

“You threw the ball between your legs.”

“And yet... strike.”

“Show off.”

Jamie bowed slightly. “Thank you.”

Every time he won he became increasingly smug about it too, leaning against me while waiting for scores, nudging my shoulder, laughing whenever I swore at the pins.

At one point Jamie stepped behind me while I lined up a shot.

“No no,” he said softly. “You’re holding it wrong.”

His hands settled briefly over mine to adjust my grip.

Warm fingers.

Soft touch.

I completely forgot how bowling worked.

Predictably, the ball immediately swerved into the gutter.

Jamie burst out laughing.

“You sabotaged me!”

“You sabotaged yourself by panicking.”

I pointed accusingly at him. “You’re distracting.”

Jamie’s grin widened slowly.

“Am I?”

The flirting became easier as the evening went on.

Not effortless exactly.

But easier.

I found myself teasing him back more naturally now instead of short circuiting every time he smiled at me.

Which unfortunately created another problem entirely.

Sweat.

Specifically, the horrifying amount of sweat now freely travelling down my body without the usual protective layer of chest hair.

Every time I bowled I could physically feel perspiration sliding down my stomach beneath my t-shirt.

The awareness made me more nervous.

Which made me sweat more.

Which made me panic further.

By the final game I was like a human slip and slide.

Jamie finally won overall by a painfully smug margin and celebrated accordingly.

“I’d like to thank natural talent,” he announced grandly while we headed to the bar area for drinks and chips.

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

Annoyingly, he was correct.

We settled into one of the booth seats near the back while music pulsed softly around us.

Unfortunately sitting still only made me more aware of the dampness beneath my shirt.

Jamie noticed almost immediately.

“You alright?” he asked casually.

“Fine.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Mark.”

“It’s warm in here.”

Jamie looked around theatrically. “Nobody else appears to be melting.”

I sighed heavily into my drink.

“It’s complicated.”

Jamie leaned forward immediately looking delighted.

“Oh I love complicated.”

I rubbed my face briefly. “I made a mistake.”

“What kind of mistake?”

“The grooming kind.”

There was a pause.

Then Jamie’s expression shifted slowly into dangerous amusement.

“You groomed for bowling?”

“When you say it out loud like that it sounds worse.”

Jamie was already laughing.

“How bad are we talking?”

I lowered my voice dramatically.

“I accidentally shaved my chest.”

Jamie blinked once.

Then burst into helpless laughter loud enough that the table beside us glanced over.

“You what?”

“I panicked!”

“Oh my God.”

“There was an incident with a beard trimmer.”

Jamie physically bent forward laughing now.

“A beard trimmer?”

“The guard came off!”

At this point Jamie had tears in his eyes.

“You shaved your chest because of me?”

“I’m beginning to regret this honesty.”

Jamie reached across the table then, still smiling warmly, and rested his hand briefly over mine.

“No,” he said softly. “Please never stop telling me things like this.”

The touch settled something in my chest instantly.

We shared another drink more slowly after that, the conversation shifting softer around the edges.

Less teasing.

More honest.

Eventually Jamie traced his thumb lightly against my knuckles and looked down at our hands for a second before speaking quietly.

“I’m glad you wanted to slow things down.”

“Yeah?”

Jamie nodded.

“Most men look at me and they just...” He shrugged slightly. “They want sex.”

I frowned.

“And you think I don’t?”

Jamie laughed softly. “You definitely do.”

Fair.

“But with you it feels different,” he admitted. “You look at me like you actually want to know me.”

The warmth that spread through my chest at that nearly undid me.

Even after all the leg staring.

Even after the fishnets.

Jamie still somehow saw tenderness in the middle of all my panic.

“I do want to know you,” I admitted quietly.

Jamie smiled then.

Soft.

Real.

And for a moment neither of us said anything at all.

The walk home through Edinburgh felt strangely peaceful afterward. The city quieter now, streets glowing gold beneath the streetlights while tourists finally disappeared back into hotels.

We made our way back home, and outside my flat, Jamie paused me.

There was that tension again immediately.

Warmer now though.

Less frightening.

Jamie stepped closer first.

I kissed him softly before I could overthink it.

His hands slid instantly beneath my overshirt, fingers brushing against my smooth stomach.

Jamie made a delighted little noise against my mouth.

“Oh my God,” he whispered between kisses. “You actually did shave everything.”

“Jamie.”

He laughed softly while kissing me again, fingertips gliding teasingly higher across my chest.

“You’re so smooth.”

“This was a mistake.”

“Mmm.” Another kiss. “A very adorable mistake.”

Things started escalating quickly after that.

Hands wandering.

Bodies pressing closer.

Jamie’s fingers hooking briefly against my waistband while my brain started dissolving pleasantly into static.

Then Jamie pulled back slightly, breathing warm against my mouth.

“We are supposed to be taking it slow,” he murmured.

I groaned softly. “Right.”

“Very mature of us.”

“Extremely.”

Jamie smiled against my lips one final time before stepping back toward his door.

“Night, darlin.”

As I closed the door to my flat and set down my keys, I felt happier than I had in years.

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By *ohnny 52TV/TS
21 minutes ago

Middlewich

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