Dan and Ben at Sixty

Dan and Ben at Sixty--Chapter Six By Ezra Randle

Ben was packing up to leave work four days later, when he received a text from Peter, Maureen's son. Peter wanted to meet. "ASAP" was his code in the text. "Tonight?" Ben responded.

"Yes. If possible. I can be at your house by seven. If that's OK."

Ben drove home hoping Peter was well. One of the great losses in his life with Maureen's departure was not seeing Peter. He was mostly living with his boyfriend, Elliot, since he had finished college and was deliberating what to do next. Ben hadn't seen him for two months, and he assumed that when he needed to "come home" he retreated to Maureen's house. It was plenty spacious to accommodate him. He'd almost forgotten about Peter in the transition and now he was worried about him like he might if he were his father. He shook his head and wondered if, in fact, the problem was Peter's father. He'd kicked Peter out at eighteen when Peter decided he was no longer going to hide his sexuality. Peter never flaunted it, from Ben's experience. He was always very decent and considerate, but determined not to put his identity out of reach when it so clearly represented who he was.

Peter was a few minutes early as Ben was cleaning up the kitchen. Ben welcomed him at the back door and embraced him. "You hungry? I just put the food away."

"Maybe when I'm done. But I've got to tell you something, before I run out of nerve."

"Come on into the living room. Beer or water?"

"Water is good."

They sat across from each other, the rectangular coffee table separating them when until quite recently the two of them would have sat with each other without any tension. Peter was a very handsome young man. Six feet tall, mostly trim though he'd added a bit of a belly over the past year. He usually wore his reddish colored beard with just a few days growth, but it was a least a week's work in length today. "You're looking good, Peter. Hope you're OK?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Good enough anyway. Things are decent with Elliot. But I'm not here to talk about that. It's about Mom."

"O, shit. I was worried something might happen. We hardly talk and some days I fear for the worse."

"It's nothing like that. She's fine. Let me put it this way, she's not having any difficulty."

"Your granddad's place working out?"

"Yeah. It's a nice place."

"So, what is it then?"

"What has she told you about why she left you?"

"Not much. It's all pretty much a mystery to me. But at this point, I'm assuming she's not coming back."

"Figures she'd do something like that. That's been her MO for years. Disappearing when a crisis or anything big occurs. She shuts down and wants to be alone."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"I doubt it. Did she ever tell you about women friends she's had over the years. Her `deep friendships' as she calls them."

"Not that I can recall."

"Ben, she's got a strong lesbian streak in her. It comes and goes. Sometimes for a few months. This one is going on longer."

Ben was shocked and was sure his astonished facial expression was perfectly clear to Peter. "She's seeing a woman now?"

He could tell Peter felt terrible about revealing a secret with so many repercussions. He felt like Peter wanted him to reach out and comfort the boy who could only shake his head in the affirmative. "Jesus. How long has it been going on?"

"Not sure. A few months. Sometime after Grandpa died."

Ben started talking to himself, audibly. "That's why she needs to stay in the house. Out of sight. Hiding it from me. Makes sense. But why didn't she tell me?"

Peter stared at him as though he wasn't sure he was supposed to hear anything that Ben had just said. "Do you want me to go, Ben? I can see you're upset."

"No. Not at all. Do you need to go?"

"I can stay. I wasn't sure how this would go. Or how upset you'd be."

"I have no idea how upset I am. It's all so shocking. So unexpected."

"Are you angry?"

"At her? I don't think so. At myself, for not seeing what was going on. Maybe. I didn't have any sense of it. That's what so shocking."

"I'm not sure if she was trying to hide it. She's been kind of open with me when I've seen her. I had dinner at her place with the two of them one night. You know her, by the way."

"Who is it?"

"The wife of your friend, Dan. You had them over for dinner one time and I met her."

"Jenny?"

"Yeah."

"Peter, I need to go out for a walk. Don't come with me. Could you stay for half an hour? We could talk more when I come back."

"Sure. I'll grab something to eat while you're out. If that's OK?"

"Yeah, yeah. I just put away the pot roast. Have what you want. Anything that's in there, take it."

Ben grabbed his jacket and headed up the street. No wonder she wouldn't talk. She would have had to tell him her secret. On top of that she would have had to disclose the second half. The specifics of who it was. Damn. He laughed. He and Danny had talked about this. That Jenny was going out evenings like it was a date. Of course it was. With his fucking wife. Shit. He paused at the park and sat. Images of Maureen naked in bed with him swam through his mind. He wasn't aroused. But she had a very attractive body. And he'd always enjoyed their conversation. Why wouldn't someone like Jenny be intrigued with her? Apparently, from what Peter said, this wasn't her first. She could teach Jenny how to make love with a woman.

He resumed his walk back toward home. How did they even meet? He was already answering his question without even thinking about the answer. Of course, they worked in the same field. Social work. Small world. They'd probably run into each other on many occasions at conferences and educational events. Maybe they even shared clients. Fucking small world. What were the odds, two married couples swapping partners? Man to man, woman to woman. Did he care she was seeing a woman? No. It made things easier. And more complicated at the same time. If he was going to begin his emergence from the closet with his adventures with Gary, Maureen would be contemplating the same thing with Jenny. Would they now become the laughing stock of the neighborhood? It wouldn't take long and people would know. The people who lived in the houses along this very street would be looking at him as he walked by on his evening strolls and giggle at him from behind their draperies. Steady, normal Ben who so diligently stood by Ellie in her final months. Some neighbors had called him St. Ben. The man who learned how to love another woman and felt he had found a second partner for life, would now be known as St. Faggot. He'd been seeing Dan all through Ellie's demise and at times during his time with Maureen. And now, he didn't want her to return. But could he handle what everyone thought of him? Were his professions of love to Gary the actions of silly boys at school? It was all too much to think about. He knew he had to handle things one step at a time, but he had no idea which steps were the first ones.

Peter was stretched out on the couch reading from his phone. "Hey, you're back. How was the walk?"

"Cleared my head a little. I won't keep you any longer if you need to head out."

"I'm fine. Do you need to talk some more?"

"Maybe just a few things. Do you have any sense if she wants to come back here or be with me?"

"I asked her that. Because I've always thought you were really good for her. The best guy she's been with. So steady with her. Open to her ideas. And you've always been so nice to me. It really broke my heart to see it happening again. That she'd give you up."

"What did she say?" Ben said.

"Not much."

"Like she doesn't know or something different?"

"Don't know, Ben. Do you want her back?"

"I don't know. I might have fallen out of love with her."

"If you have, I understand. And I wouldn't blame you. I'm old enough to see when something has gone too far."

"Thanks, Peter. It's not all on her. If she has this desire and it's stronger than being with me, I get it. No blame from me. The shock is just finding out. After not having any clue."

They sat for another five minutes. Peter got up and said, "I think I will go. I don't know if this is the last time or not, but I've really grown to like you, Ben. I'll miss you."

"Same from my end, Peter. I never had a son. But I always felt honored calling you my step-son. I've learned a lot from you. I'm sure we'll meet up. This can't be the last time. Feel free to stop over anytime."

"I appreciate it, Ben. Thanks."

Ben walked him to his car. "Just one other thing. Does she know you're here, telling me this stuff?"

"No. In fact, she asked me to stay out of it. That she'd handle things herself. But it didn't seem fair."

"OK, buddy. You were a brave man tonight. Do me a favor. Don't let her know you've told me. I need to think things through before your mom and I have a conversation."

"Got you on that one, Ben."

They embraced. Ben thought about kissing him on the forehead, but held back.

Before he talked to Danny, Ben knew he had to have the conversation with Maureen. There were risks either way, but more than anything he needed to resolve his marital situation with Maureen. This had become an issue on the practical level more than the emotional one. Not that their conversation wasn't likely to quite emotional. But he had processed her departure from his life so often that he had wrung most of the emotional content out of his thinking. And even in practical terms, there was very little to reach consensus on. They each had a house. Neither one of them wanted to leave the domicile they preferred. There was very little common property that Ben cared about. Maureen could have whatever she wanted to claim from the house and garage.

More complicated, of course, was his destination beyond the marriage. He called her and simply said, "We need to talk and take care of business." She didn't object, and he readily agreed to come to her house. He still called it her father's house. He hadn't been there for months, but she had rearranged the living room to include some of her furniture that had been in storage in her father's garage. It was very tastefully presented. The kitchen was tidy, reflecting Maureen's sense of order. She asked him if he wanted anything to drink, which he declined, and they found themselves seated across from each other. She was very hesitant, which was fine with him, as he wanted to tell her what he knew, what her plans were, and then get out of there as quickly as he could. "This is a talk that's quite overdue. No blame from me, but we need to start acting like adults. OK?" Ben said.

She nodded. "You're right. I haven't been very mature about this. You deserved much better."

"Maureen, I know about you and Jenny Morse."

He paused and let her take in this monumental statement. It was probably something she thought she might have to address later in the conversation. But here it was, front and center. She didn't gasp exactly, but part of the wind she anticipated would help guide her through this chat had been knocked off kilter. She looked rudderless.

"It doesn't matter to me. In fact, if being with a woman is who you are sexually, you need to pursue that. I applaud you for that. Maybe you couldn't tell me because you thought I couldn't handle it. But that's not an issue for me."

He paused again. And she tried to speak, but the only thing that came out was a mild protestation. "I tried to tell you, but I was worried you'd fall apart. Like you were when I met you."

"I appreciate the thought, Maureen. All I need from you is whether you think you're coming back."

It was too much information fired at her in the first minute of this conversation. All she could do was shake her head.

"OK. I want to see a lawyer and get this thing taken care. It should be an easy one. We each have a house we want. There's not much else to split up. Are you OK with that general vision of how this thing will go?"

She nodded again. This time with more assurance, as though she'd thought through it and had convinced herself this part of it could be resolved easily. "You don't want to fight over me and whether I should come back?" she said.

Ben smiled. "No. I have too much respect for you to do that. You know exactly what you're doing. I don't know for sure what has taken you so long to tell me, but here we are. We had a very nice run. You did so much for me when I was getting over Ellie. But that's what it was. Just a short run of a few years. I really relished it, Maureen. I did. Don't ever doubt that."

She smiled for the first time. "Ben, you saved me from so much, too. You were...are the best man I've been with. It's just this other thing is too strong. I want to live it."

Ben chuckled a bit. "That's the easiest part of this. Once I got over the shock, it's all been very clear. We need to move on and still be friends. If we can be. I know I want to be."

"I would like that, too. Thank you. You are being very, very generous in your attitude. I was probably assuming your attitude toward my affair would be assessed like my ex reacted to things. Which was often quite ugly. I should have known better. I apologize for that."

"OK. I'll be in touch after I speak to the lawyer. Feel free to get whatever you want from the house. Obviously, that's easier to do when I'm away. So keep your key until you're done with that."

He stood and glanced at his watch. Fifteen minutes. That's all it took to take care of seven years of their life together. She followed him to the front door. "Should I ask how you found out?"

"No. You shouldn't. I can't tell you that. But we both agree it was overdue anyway. So what does it matter."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"It's about Peter. If he needs you as a friend or listening board or confidant, could you still be welcoming to that?"

He grinned. "Absolutely. Peter is a hellava young man. I love him. So, let him know he's welcome any time."

"Thank you for that. And for being so kind today. I was expecting much worse." She laughed. "Never in a million years did I think it would be this easy. That you could be so decent about it. That you would get it."

"I wish you the best, Maureen. Always will."

They embraced and he ended the hug when he could tell she'd like to linger in that pose. He didn't want to be pulled into anything more than they had already discussed. As he drove away, there was no real joy from a job well done. All he'd accomplished was the initial stage of something more complicated. He texted Dan and told him they needed to talk--about their wives. He was feeling fine about Dan's love for Alex and the resumption of their affair, thinking he might have had a role in that. Not that he wouldn't welcome a night in bed with Dan, but he understood their pathways in life had become divergent ones, that would inevitably circle back again when they needed each other.

Dan was free that afternoon and decided to make the trip to Ben's house. His thoughts about his unusual arrangement with Jenny had been dominating his thoughts for weeks. His relationship with Alex had shifted from seeing him once every two weeks, to weekly, until last week when he saw him twice. It was as though Alex's resolve to look for another man who was not as encumbered as Dan had been broken by the wonderful times they'd been having both in and out of bed. To the point where Alex had even referenced how he could imagine them living together. Dan was still hesitant to tell Alex of Jenny's desire to experiment with a lesbian relationship. He didn't want Alex to assume he could see him more often based on that alone. He feared that if Alex expected more from him and he didn't want to give it, Alex would doubt his commitment. He hadn't been in this serious of a relationship since he'd courted Jenny just out of college. That was too long ago to have any bearing on how a man his age should react to committing himself in a gay relationship.

Ben was setting several pans of muffins into the oven when Dan walked in. "Hey, Danny, be right with you?"

"You bake, too?"

"Not very often. I'm heading over to see Annie's family tomorrow. It's her birthday. Have to bring something. When they come out, you can have one."

"What's the urgency of talking?"

"You mind if we sit in the kitchen so I can keep an eye on the muffins?"

Dan felt Ben was stalling, so he impatiently said, "Yeah, fine. What is it?"

Ben felt Dan's irritation, so he succinctly said, "I had a visit from Maureen's son, Peter, a few days ago. He informed me why Maureen left me. She is seeing a woman. Your wife. It's been going on for a few months."

Dan looked at him and started laughing. "This some kind of a joke? So you'd get me over here and we'd end up in bed?"

Ben smiled. "I'd love to be in bed with you. But what I told you about our wives is on the up and up. I talked to Maureen yesterday. She confirmed it all."

Dan stood up and looked out the kitchen window. Then he turned back with a smile on his face. "Good for them. I couldn't be happier. Maureen's a nice person. Jenny needs to be with someone like her. To see if this thing is real or not."

"I have the same feelings about it. Couldn't be happier for them. Amusing to be sure when you think about you and me. But a good thing."

"What else did Maureen say?"

"I didn't ask anything more about Jenny. That isn't any of my business. But Maureen and I reached an agreement. I'm going to proceed with a divorce plan. We're done."

"Was that a bitter discussion?"

"One hundred percent harmonious. From both sides. I want to be free so I was very happy she didn't want to try to get back together."

"That's an astounding development. Does that mean what I think it could mean?"

"That's a different matter. Which will take some thinking on my part. Maybe some courage."

"It will take enormous courage," Dan said.

"How's it been with my dear friend, Alex?"

Dan was lost in reflection. Would he ever have the nerve to try it? No reason he couldn't. Even if he and Jenny remained married for months or even years, he could still live a life of seeing Alex more and more each week. At some point he'd have to tell Jenny everything. But maybe by then, she would have made her own move with Maureen. He heard Ben's voice, "You there? How are you and Alex doing?"

"About the same. Which is good. Have you seen Gary?"

"He was down last weekend. Staying here for the first time. Worked out well."

Ben removed the muffins from the pan to cool. "Want one?"

"Maybe later."

"That mean you can stay for a bit?"

"Yeah, no rush from my end."

"Let me soak the pans and we can sit in the living room."

They sat next to each other on the sofa, each of them letting his feet rest on the coffee table. "How have you really been, Danny?"

"The confusion about Jenny is mostly over, but some days and weeks it's still quite weird. I still haven't told Alex about her."

"Why not?"

"Then he'd expect more from me. I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

"Understand. Such a different world. Like operating off the grid from the sensibilities we've always lived by."

"It is. And you'll be the first to experiment with that. Maureen's not coming back and maybe in six months your divorce will be official."

"Hey, let me show you something. It's upstairs."

The massage table was still set up in the spare bedroom, clean sheet folded on top, and two bottles of oil on a nearby table. "When did you get this?"

"It was a gift from Gary. We tried it out when he was here."

"Did you like it?"

"Quite exciting. He doesn't have the skills you do, but he was very inventive with his fingers finding some sensitive spots. Are you interested in trying it out?"

Dan smiled. "Very much."

"Let's take a shower first."

They stripped in the master bedroom and took turns showering. Dan finished first and by the time Ben dried off, Dan was inspecting the table after he'd tucked in the fitted sheet. "It's a very sturdy model. Could handle considerable weight."

"That's what Gary said he was looking for. A table for men like us. He's built like I am."

"The settings for the height seem fine. Want to flip a coin for who starts on the table?"

"No need. You lie down and I'll start. Just a little warning. I'm likely to be aroused throughout."

Dan smiled as he looked at Ben's cock which was already in a semi-hard state. "I'll probably be just as lusty as you seem to be."

Ben warmed up by rubbing Dan's body from his neck to his ankles, then slowly worked his way up to his shoulders. He spread some oil on his back and rubbed vigorously into Dan's neck and shoulders. "Feels very good," Dan said.

"It's nice sliding my fingers with the oil. I'm glad to be touching you again like this."

He could feel Dan's fingers reaching for his cock. He squirted some oil into Dan's left hand and slipped his cock into it. "You don't need to talk while I do this. You might just enjoy the skin on skin contact."

"You seem like you're enjoying it as well."

"It's arousing to deliver the pleasure."

He worked on his shoulders and upper back and then his arms for twenty minutes. Then he rubbed his lower back. "How deep do you want me to go with your ass cheeks?"

"As deep as you want. I'd like you to finger me."

Ben massaged the cheeks and upper thighs, then returned to his well-conditioned ass cheeks. "Quite firm. You still running?"

"Several days a week."

"They feel like you never take an elevator when you can walk the stairs."

As Ben massaged them more, small rivulets of the massage oil ran down into the crack causing Dan to moan. Ben's fingers followed the oil and he ran them across Dan's anus to his balls and back, many times. "I haven't had a glimpse of your bottom from this angle in a long time. You have a very nice ass, buddy."

Ben circled the area by the opening then probed the opening with his slippery middle finger. "O, yeah. I don't get much attention there from Alex. He's such a bottom guy, he forgets I'm sensitive there, too."

Ben slowly slid his thick middle finger inside, in stages, a quarter of the way, then halfway, then all the way in. When he discovered Dan's prostate, he said, "They always say it's walnut-sized when you read about it online. I like that. The nut behind our two nuts."

Dan laughed. "It feels sensational when you rub it."

Ben continued with the prostate rub. "I know I'm leaking like crazy into the sheet," Dan said.

Dan's legs were spread wide offering Ben full access to his ass. Ben finger fucked him for a few minutes, then slowly withdrew. He wiped his finger off on a towel and slapped Dan's butt lightly. "You ready to flip?"

Dan's cock was hard and quite wet from precum as he rolled over. "Don't make me cum, Ben. I want to be in bed with you when we're done. If that's OK?"

"More than OK. You didn't seem that eager earlier."

"That was before you did this to me."

Ben rubbed his shoulders and chest, sliding his fingers over Dan's nipples. As he did so, he watched Dan's cock jump in reaction. "Have your nipples become more sensitive over the years?"

"Yes. It's one thing Alex does well."

"Does he like it done to him as well?"

"He's almost too sensitive. Sometimes I have to hold back."

"Amazing how we're never told much about our nipple zone until a man does this to us. I learned in hurry with you."

Ben completed the belly and thighs. As he approached Dan's erect cock, Dan said, "Be careful. It wouldn't take much for me to go off."

"Then let me stop there." He pulled Dan's hand so he was sitting on the table. "Are you ready for me?"

"It will be a tough transition. But, yeah, I long to touch you like this again."

Ben sipped from a bottle of water and laid down on his belly. As Dan rubbed him lightly from neck to toe, he said, "You're keeping the weight down. You look about as good weight-wise as I've ever seen you."

"Not eating as much has become easier since Maureen left. Especially with the late night snacks. Seems counterintuitive. Like the uncertainty of my life should make me more anxious. More likely to give into the bags of potato chips."

Ben reached back and held Dan's cock as Dan massaged the oil into his shoulders and neck. "Do you recall the massage you gave me soon after we started seeing each other? That memory stands out to me," Ben said.

"Pretty much. Tell me what you recall."

"It was early on. Ellie had cancer but her death sentence hadn't been issued yet. I still had hope. I remember feeling utterly exhausted and coming to you for solace. Needing your touch and to talk. I got naked and stretched out on the motel bed and you worked me over for an hour. It was amazing."

"This table makes it much easier to massage you. I sat on your ass as I worked your back and shoulders. You never flipped over to the front side."

"What I remember most is that you sent me to a place I had never been before in terms of unique body sensations. My skin was alive. Like you were touching thousands of pleasure zones I'd never known about. Not just sexually pleasurable. But deep sensuousness. Which is what man to man loving has always been for me. Much different than I've ever experienced with a woman. I was in a zone, half asleep and half hyper alert. You sitting on my ass as you rubbed me was part of it, too. Though I didn't understand that very well back then. I think you wore your briefs as you sat on my naked ass but I could feel you through them. Like now as I hold you in my hand."

"I'm sure I was very aroused perched on you."

"When you finished, you stretched out beside me. I turned to you and we kissed, like it was the first time. And it was, in a sense, because it was the beginning, the true beginning of me understanding my sexual nature. Which has never been just getting off. It's always been this deeper sensuous stuff."

"We kissed so romantically. Like we were lovers," Dan said.

"We stroked each other as we kissed. Hardly anything very adventurous. But that was all we needed because it was like we'd been on the edge for many, many minutes. I think we came very quickly. Afterward we talked for a long time. Conversation has always been part of our foreplay and after play."

"You told me about Ellie's friendship with Orvy Watson. Your cruelty to him in middle school."

"Which, of course, led me to visiting him after Ellie died. And falling in love with his music. And us getting back together."

Dan laughed. "Look at us now. On the brink of proclaiming ourselves as out of the closet gay men."

"We both have a way to go with that. But you're right. What a fucking journey. Somehow I can trace it all back to you massaging me if I let myself. It was a magical moment. I'll never forget it. Or your part in it. No matter how guys like Gary or Alex come along the way. There is always you and me at the beginning. Discovering our love and the joy of touching a man."

Dan slid his hand inside Ben's ass cheeks. "Want me to play there?"

"Yeah. Just like I did to you."

Dan rubbed his oily fingers across Ben's anus. "O, God, what a discovery that was. That I am so sensitive there. That Big Old Ben, the football jock, likes his ass played with."

"Is the pleasure more at the opening or from the deep thrusting of a cock?"

"Both. But I don't think I'd want a cock in me if the opening wasn't so prone to pleasure."

"Remember our second time. When you apologized for the first time, then practically begged me to play with your ass."

"Don't embarrass me. I was so provocative. Showering with our underwear on. Like teenagers."

"It was very, very sexy at the time. Still is. One of the most memorably sexy moments of my life."

"I'm glad it is. Because it still is for me. It's why I still wear your underwear on occasion. The ones I took home that day. O, man, your finger just touched my prostate."

Dan rubbed the prostate for ten minutes. "I'm leaking so much," Ben said. "Let me feel you."

Dan put his semi-hard cock into Ben's hand. Dan massaged Ben's taint area while his finger was still in him. "This is really heaven, Danny."

Ben turned over a few minutes later. "You know what, you can see it won't take much to get me off. So, let's pause and take a shower and get into bed."

The showering this time was deeply sensuous as they soaped off the oil and cleaned each other front and back. They slipped under the sheets and kissed like it was that meeting years ago when for the first time they accepted a thread of loving men into their lives. They had held onto that thread for twelve years until it had become a fabric which now bore an imprint of their true identity. "Ben, I would be so honored if you took me. It's been a long time, but I want you to be the one again."

Ben smiled and kissed him. "I thought you'd never ask."

Dan perched on all fours as Ben prepared him a second time. As he played at his ass and pushed to slide in, Dan said, "Whoa, slower."

Ben rubbed his ass cheeks and tickled his balls, sliding his hand back through the taint. He felt Dan push back and take another inch of him. "That's it, Danny, take me at your speed."

"At times like this, I wish Alex did more with me. A minor grievance to be sure."

"He treats you well?"

"Yes, he wants me to be his husband, at least in spirit."

Ben pushed a bit more, and Dan said, "That wasn't so bad. A bit more and I'll have all of you."

"No rush. I imagine Alex as a good lover."

"He told me about your visit, by the way. How you nearly seduced him."

Ben laughed. "That little shit. He wasn't supposed to. I didn't want to hurt your feelings. And the near seduction was quite mutual by the way. He was one horny fuck that day."

Dan pushed back and took Ben. They gently and rhythmically extended the lovemaking for ten minutes. "You know how I want it to end, Ben?"

"Probably like I usually do when you're in me. Spooning while I hold you. Cumming together."

"With no rush. Like I did on the beach at Lake Superior. Until the sexual pleasure seemed to dance in pure joy."

They moved into the spooning position and Dan took Ben's cock and reinserted it. "That was something that night, wasn't it," Dan said.

"Unforgettable. Do you ever think given the unlikelihood of that happening, the warm water, the northern lights, the blissful air temperature. That all that means we are supposed to be together. Just us. No Alex. No Gary," Ben said.

"It would be easy to. But for good or bad, life is not that simple. I'm sure you and Gary have had what you two would consider magical moments. Just like Alex and I have. I know you believe this, too, Ben. We are blessed with the opportunity of loving two men, deeply and passionately, at the same time. So let's not presume anything. Just enjoy them, like we are enjoying each other right now," Dan said.

Those wise and loving words brought them close. "I'm ready," Dan said as he stroked his own cock.

"Me, too."

The explosion was prolonged and intense. After they started coming down from it, Ben said, "Thank you for being my friend. I hope our other friends will always be able to accept this," Ben said.

Dan held his hand that was draped over his cum-covered belly and said, "I'd like to think they will. But there will be some difficult days ahead."

"What will you do about the news of Jenny and Maureen?"

"Tell her I know."

"What if she asks you why you're so understanding about her exploration?" Ben said.

"I don't think I'm quite ready for that. Just like you."

"Our wives are way out in front of us on that. Especially Jenny."