Tags

, ,

hot guy

“I thought you said he was straight?” Dave whined. Three days into our trip, two days since Noom – my bar boy friend and current love of my life – joined us, and already problems had arose. It was not what I had planned. In fact, it was the exact opposite. The idea of having my buddy Dave join me – an ode to our numerous previous trips to Thailand together – except this time for him to meet Noom had invoked visions of a happy trio of travellers on holiday together. The trio part was there. The happy part, not so much.

“He gay,” proclaimed Noom. The trip wasn’t turning out as he’d expected either. Three months earlier on my previous trip to Bangkok I’d told him about Dave and that he’d be coming with me on my next trip. Noom had already met other friends of mine and was looking forward to meeting another. A straight one this time around. But when he met Dave as he shook hands and beamed a large smile, he flinched. His eyes quickly darted to me. Noom was flustered. But wise enough to keep mum and wait for the opportunity to express his misgivings when we were alone together.

As soon as we got back to the hotel though, Noom made his pronouncement. Noom, through experience, believes his gaydar is infallible. And it had pegged into the red upon meeting Dave. But Dave was officially straight. At least in his mind. Pretty much everyone else I knew, gay and straight alike, had drawn the same conclusion as Noom. That includes me. But Dave had always stuck to the ‘I’m straight’ story and we’d agreed to both believe in that statement whether either of us really did or not. Noom wasn’t as willing to go along. But his concern wasn’t with Dave’s sexuality. It was deeper. And more troubling to Noom. “He lub you,” he said watching closely for my reaction.

Dave and I have been in a close bromance for over twenty years now. We’ve travelled the world together, got in more barroom brawls together than I can remember, wandered down dark alleys throughout Asia looking for either fun or trouble – and usually settling on a combination of the two – and hit some of the hottest clubs and bars on four continents. Ours is a solid friendship. For me it was lust at first sight that grew into fraternal love (with a bit of the lust always still present). Dave skipped the lust and moved into best friend territory from the get go. He’s the only person I’ve ever officially came out to. I also introduced him to his wife. And was the best man at their wedding.

hot guy

Who was gay in our relationship was always questionable to others. Acquaintances of mine who thought I was straight would warn me that Dave was gay. His friends who assumed we were both straight would joke about the two of us going gay on each other. Fairly early in our friendship I told him I was gay. He declined to open the same door, and that’s what we’ve gone with ever since. But Noom wasn’t buying it.

How do you explain to a straight guy who loves you, or at least loves the idea of you, and with whom you have incredible sex that a guy who he thinks is gay but claims to be straight does in fact love you. But that you don’t have sex together. And that you love him too. Without making the first straight guy jealous about the second straight guy. And how could anyone use the word straight for a three-way like that?

Welcome to my world.

It’s not often you’ll find a straight buddy willing to admit his love for you whether you are gay or straight. But Dave had always been in touch with his emotions and willing to share. In a very manly way of course. Part of that is his upbringing, part of it is that is just Dave. When I told Dave about Noom he was happy for me. Well, he was happy for me after he quit laughing. We’d been to Thailand together often enough that when I told him Noom was a bar boy he didn’t bat an eye. His head cocked though when I told him Noom was straight. But he was happy for me with whatever in the hell it was I had found. And was looking forward to meeting Noom.

I’d have to assume that Dave based the relationship I have with Noom on his and mine since they are similar. Except without either sex or money involved in ours. When he met Noom he liked him. And continued liking him until day #3. The night before the two of them had bonded. And talked a lot. Evidently I came up in the conversation and all of a sudden Dave wasn’t quite as happy about Noom. And it evidently bothered him enough that he got up early the next morning and hustled over to the room Noom and I shared.

hot guy

Dave is no dummy, so he arrived bearing gifts: coffee. In the morning, caffeine for me is a necessity, my system requires it even before oxygen. Noom is no dummy either, and after Dave barged into our room, casually hopped out of bed, reminding everyone in the room just what he had to offer while slowly sauntering buck ass naked in to take a shower. Dave got an eyeful, then turned to me and whined, “I thought you said he was straight!”

“He is,” I replied. “What’s taking a shower got to do with being gay?”

Dave and I read each other like an old married couple. And he was frustrated that I wasn’t getting it. “He loves you,” he said by way of explanation.

“And?”

“No, he really loves you,” Dave said and then went on to explain his concern. Seems the night before Noom had been singing my glories and informed Dave in no uncertain terms that he loved me. And that I loved him. To Dave that had not sounded like the brotherly love he and I share, but a full relationship with both emotions and sex involved. And that added up to gay.

I don’t know what Dave thought his announcement was going to do, but my initial reaction was that I wanted to go jump in the shower with Noom and kiss him. But Dave was there. And upset for some reason. “So, what’s the problem?” I asked him.

“It’s not a problem,” he said. “It’s just you said he was straight. I wasn’t expecting this.”

hot guy

Huh. I didn’t know what to say. Because I still didn’t see the problem. And didn’t get to delve deeper into it because Noom finished showering and came back into the room toweling his hair off, still allowing his nakedness to speak for him.

I’d already had this conversation with Noom, the similarity between the two talks difficult to miss. Both complained that the other guy who was supposed to be straight wasn’t. And both were bothered by the other’s love. I’d reassured Noom to some degree. But it was obvious he wasn’t taking any chances. And asserting his manhood, quite literally, into the equation.

That night Dave got the opportunity to talk with me away from Noom again. I was expecting him to flush out his earlier statements but instead he brought up the trip to Chiang Mai we had planned for the next day. “I kinda miss how we always shared a room when we travelled together,” he started. “It doesn’t feel the same with you down the hall.”

Well, yeah, those were pleasant memories, but times change. “I didn’t think you’d really want to be in the same room with Noom and me when we’re, uh, ya know. . .” I told him.

Dave scowled a bit. It’s not that he is a prude, but he does get easily flustered when the topic of sex comes up. “I know,” he sighed. “It’s just I’m lonely all by myself.”

If I questioned the veracity of that statement, his puppy dog eye look laid any doubts I had to rest. “Dude. I’m sorry,” I said. “Not much I can do about that now.”

hot guy

But whatever his intent, Dave had already thought it out and proposed moving into a single room with Noom and I once we got to Chiang Mai. I love my friends. But was beginning to doubt the wisdom in bringing them with me to Thailand. Noom and I are still trying to balance all the conflicting tugs and pulls in our relationship and my friends seem to all want to throw a monkey wrench into the mix. But I’m a sucker and have never been able to refuse anything Dave seriously wanted and he seemed quite serious about us rooming together. I considered the logistics. “I’ll have to call the hotel and see what I can do,” I told him. “And I have to talk with Noom first, too.”

He looked hopeful on the first, and doubtful on the second. But Dave knew me well enough to let it be. When we got back to the hotel I called up north about switching rooms. No problem, but they only had rooms available with a single bed. I knew Dave would be disappointed, but figured that put an end to the rooming together idea. And then I explained the whole thing to Noom.

He wasn’t too happy with the initial idea, but once he understood the bed configuration made it a moot point decided to be gracious. “It okay,” he said satisfied with the outcome. “I know he lub you. But hotel say not happen.” Rather than call him on his fake magnanimity, I let it pass and called Dave’s room instead to break the bad news.

Dave took it like a champ. Well, like a champ who refuses to lose. “That’s okay,” he said. “We’ve shared a bed before.”

“Uh, yeah, but not with a third guy in the bed.”

“Dude, really, I don’t mind. It will work out fine.”

hot guy

Noom had been carefully watching me while I was on the phone. And I was glad I’d held back earlier on the magnanimity thingy. “That was nice of you to say it would be okay for Dave to move in with us,” I said to him. “He’ll be sharing our bed when we get to Chiang Mai.”

“He gay!” Noom tried in protest.

“Maybe, but I’m gay too,” I tried to reason with him. “You don’t want to sleep with me because I’m gay?”

Noom was frustrated. And didn’t have a grand enough mastery of English to argue his point. It seemed what he considered competition had just outmaneuvered him. And maneuvered himself between us in bed. I’d like to think he understood and sympathized with my dilemma. I’d hate to think he was already considering a counter ploy. But he let the matter drop and I called back up north and cancelled Dave’s room.

Dave was in a much more chipper mood the next day and being a compassionate winner set about making friends with Noom. Noom is just naturally a good guy, and never one to not be swayed by a bit of flattery, ate up Dave’s attention. By the time we landed in Chiang Mai they were pretty much ignoring me while busy trying to crack each other up. We checked into the hotel and then spent the day showing Dave the changes to Thailand’s second largest city since his last visit almost ten year before.

hot guy

Both the day and night went well, but then it was time for bed. A pretty small bed for three guys. And since we all three were real guys, the idea of sitting down and actually talking about what was going on was never a consideration. Noom broke the ice by taking a shower then hopping into bed. Naked. Dave got the same look in his eyes that deer have when a car comes barreling down the road at night. I took a shower and Dave followed closely behind not waiting to see what I’d decided to wear, or not wear, to bed. But then as far I was concerned, Noom had already set the precedence.

Third into bed, unless you are planning on setting the pace, means you don’t get to call position. Noom wasn’t taking any chances; he’d claimed the middle spot ensuring he’d be a barrier to anything Dave might have planned. When Dave came to bed I had to keep myself from giggling. Partly because he’d brought the moment on himself, partly because it was funny watching him decide the appropriate dress for the occasion. But he made the right call, slipping off his underwear as he sat on the edge of the bed and then quickly jumping under the covers.

I couldn’t tell you how many of us were hard. Or at least how many of the others were. I could have checked on Noom’s state, but though he was being pretty cool about the arrangement I knew he was a bit worried and didn’t want to add to his concern. If anyone was thinking this may be leading to something they might not have planned, Noom settled the question by kissing me good night and then cuddling into my arms to drift off to sleep.

The next morning Noom failed to perform his normal morning ritual of stripping back the covers to show off what he’d worked up during the night. In fact, he covered himself when he headed in for a morning shower. Meanwhile, Dave’s brain cells regrouped and stirred him into full consciousness. “I like him, “ he said. “I think you guys are good for each other.”

Huh. Now I get his blessing?

hot guy

We spent another few days in Chiang Mai and then headed back to Bangkok where Dave accepted his sperate room without comment. Noom too had decided he liked Dave and figured whatever the two of us had going wasn’t jeopardizing his and my relationship. The two email each other now, and that’s usually a prompt for Dave to drop me a note to tell me he’s heard from Noom.

Dave knew that sooner or later I’d be telling this story. His only request: “Be gentle.” And so I was. It would have been easy to leave the tale hanging with three naked guys in bed together and allow you to draw you own conclusions. It would have been fun to build up the tension between the two to allow you to picture the competition reaching orgiastic heights that night (and don’t think that fantasy hasn’t played out in my head a few thousand times). There’s no doubt that jealousy placed the three of us in that bed together. But love doesn’t always equate to sex and when you are in love with two supposedly straight guys, sometimes you have to accept the only three-way you’re gonna get is one of friendship.

>>> Next ‘I Fell In Love With A Bar Boy’ Post

<<< Previous ‘I Fell In Love With A Bar Boy’ Post

Related Posts You Might Enjoy:

I Fell In Love With A Bar Boy: Candles In the Wind, Celebrating Loy Krathong In Chiang Mai

I Fell In Love With A Bar Boy: Candles In the Wind, Celebrating Loy Krathong In Chiang Mai

I Fell In Love With A Bar Boy: Lions and Tigers and Bears!

I Fell In Love With A Bar Boy: Lions and Tigers and Bears!

I Fell In Love With A Bar Boy: The Thai TSA and Your Junk

I Fell In Love With A Bar Boy: The Thai TSA and Your Junk