Read Online Men Who Love Men by William J. Mann - Free Book Online Page A

make it,” I say, staying seated as Luke zips up his bag and hurries around to follow Jeff. “But I can’t promise.”

    “Who’re you meeting in town?” Jeff asks.

    “Oh…no one you know.”

    Luke stops suddenly and looks over his shoulder at me. “Want to hang out again tomorrow, Henry?”

    “I’m going out of town,” I tell him.

    “Well, I’ll call you.”

    I give him a little salute. “Say hello to Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks for me. I think Jeff has them, too.”

    “Really? Awesome!”

    And then Luke is gone, trotting out after Jeff onto Commercial Street.

    I take one last sip of my Diet Coke through my straw, making that sucking sound against the bottom of the paper cup. I pick a few crumbs off the plate in front of me, placing them in my mouth, one by one. A gull lands on a post not far from me, folding in its wings against its body. It stares resolutely at me. I look away.

    “If you ask me,” comes a voice to my right, “that guy is a shmuck.”

    I glance over. At the next table is a guy I recognize from the gym. A real hottie, in fact, with dark eyes and a closely shaven head, and very round biceps that stand out against his tank top like small grapefruits. I don’t know his name, but apparently he witnessed the entire scene between Jeff, Luke, and me.

    “Excuse me?” I ask. “What guy?”

    “That Jeff O’Brien.” The hottie nods toward the street. “You came in here with that kid, and he took off with him.”

    “Oh,” I say, embarrassed. “It’s not like that.”

    “Whatever.” The guy takes a bite of his hamburger. “I shouldn’t say anything. It’s none of my business.”

    “No, really, Luke and I—there’s nothing between us. And Jeff’s just taking him back to show him his movie posters.”

    The hottie practically spits out his burger. “What, were his etchings in storage?”

    I smirk. “It’s really okay.”

    He wipes his mouth with his napkin and stands, reaching across his table toward mine and extending his hand. “I’m Gale,” he says.

    “Henry,” I say, shaking his hand.

    “Seen you at the gym,” Gale says, sitting back down.

    “Seen you too.”

    Had I ever. This guy has a fucking amazing body. He must do two hundred chin ups and then, for good measure—or maybe just to show off—he flips himself over the bar a few times. And when he does a leg press, I sometimes have to force myself to look away, so hot are those bulging calves.

    Yet for such a well-muscled body, it’s a delicate one, too, in a way. Gale can’t be more than five-seven, and his waist is tiny. Twenty-eight, probably. Maybe even twenty- seven . His features are soft and pretty, almost like a girl’s. Not really my type—but there’s no denying this guy is hotness personified.

    I don’t know why I feel I need to defend Jeff, but I do. “Jeff is just a natural-born flirt,” I tell Gale. “I’m totally used to it. And that kid…well, I knew all along it was Jeff he wanted to meet.”

    Gale shrugs. “I still think it was rude. But it’s none of my business.”

    “Jeff’s my best friend,” I go on. “He seems shallow, but he’s not. Please don’t think badly of him. Inside, he’s a sweetheart, and he’d do anything for somebody he cares about. Really.”

    “Okay,” Gale says, smiling. “I believe you.”

    “Good.” I laugh. “I can’t have people thinking badly of him. I’m going to be the best man at his wedding.”

    “At his wedding? And meanwhile he’s taking this twinkie back to his place?”

    “It’s…a long story.”

    “No, it’s not,” Gale says, shaking his head. “Non-monogamy rules the gay world.”

    “Not my gay world,” I tell him.

    He arches an eyebrow at me. “Really? Is that true, Henry? Are you really one of those rare believers in monogamy?”

    I laugh awkwardly. Why am I talking so much? I don’t even know this guy. But I continue, just the same. Talking, in fact, suddenly feels good. “Well, I