Brody phoned Dak just an hour before he planned to stop by and help pack the last of Dak’s apartment into his rented storage unit. “Hey, this really sucks. I can’t make it to help pack your things up. I thought I could leave at four, and then Jess called in, and she’s sick. I’m stuck here until eight. I could try for tomorrow if that helps.”

Dak said, “It’s no problem. You just have to make me a promise. We’re getting together on Thursday night before I board the tow on Friday. We’re keeping our tradition, okay? I need the company, and I won’t let you back out.”

He couldn’t remember the last time he missed seeing Brody the day before he hit the boat. For the two most recent months, they had lunch before he left instead of spending the evening together. Dak was obligated to spend the evenings with Lewis. Their relationship was still wrapped in early infatuation the first month, and things were starting to feel creaky just before the second.

For the two most recent weeks since he last got off the boat, there was nothing but dangerous fireworks between them. Lewis planned a week off from work, and every day seemed to bring a new argument or ominous silence. Dak refused to spend his last night on dry ground with Lewis for a third month in a row. With Brody, he could laugh and drink and generally have a good time. Trying to spend it with Lewis would only result in another shouting match with glass or ceramic objects shattering on the floor.

As he wedged his TV between soft cushions in the back end of the truck beneath his topper, Dak scanned the load to make sure he wasn’t leaving anything behind. The apartment came with the basics of a bed, kitchen table and chairs, and an ugly, ratty sofa. The sofa worried him. He always thought some sort of insect or vermin could come crawling out of it. At other times, he thought maybe he’d watched a few too many scary movies.

Dak had his own aging loveseat. He brought it out of storage to use and pushed the sofa back against a wall. He laughed to himself thinking about when he nearly knocked Brody to the floor to keep him from sitting on the ratty couch. Instead, they wedged in next to each other on the loveseat and swigged beer while watching people cook on cable TV.

The loveseat cushions protected the TV as Dak drove across town. For the current two weeks on shore, Dak left half of his belongings in storage. It felt like he brought fewer and fewer things out to use in an apartment each time. He wondered if he might eventually pare everything down to just the two pieces of luggage he took with him for the boat.

Dak had three nights left on shore, and he opted to live a spartan life in his apartment before leaving. He could have waited to move belongings into storage, but Dak hated doing anything at the last minute. He preferred living with the sheets for his bed, two towels, a laptop computer, and the two weeks worth of clothes he would take with him to the river.

It left little to do in the evening at the apartment other than watch TV shows and movies on the computer. That lasted about an hour before Dak retired to the bedroom and pulled up some of his favorite porn clips. He liked a long, lean, hungry look in models, and he wished he could find something with a story. He liked the idea of basketball players hooking up after winning the championship.

The story was Dak’s whole reason for reading romances. He loved a plot with the sex. He knew a lot of guys only wanted the sex, but for Dak, the story made it twice as exciting. In real life, the sex was good with Lewis, but the story was painful. A good fuck was never worth that kind of suffering.

After looking for something new, Dak settled on clips he’d seen dozens of times before. Some nights were perfect for old reliable material. He laid back on the bed and slowly peeled off his T-Shirt. He folded it up and laid it to his side on the queen-sized bed. Closing his eyes, Dak let his rough fingers roam over his toned pecs teasing at the wispy red hairs that spread across his chest.

He imagined someone else touching his body as he closed his eyes and set the laptop to the side on top of the T-Shirt. It was two large hands gentle at first and then more firm. They began to knead at his flesh not unlike the one erotic massage he had a few years back when he decided on an unplanned, spontaneous weekend in St. Paul.

The picture in his mind involved just hands at first, but soon more elements became clear. Instead of lying on a massage table, he found himself reclining on a pool table in a bar. Dak was very familiar with his exhibitionistic streak down inside although he’d never indulged it.

As his fantasy progressed, he was no longer just shirtless. His body was totally naked while everyone else in the bar was clothed. Dak looked down toward his waist. He was fully aroused and he watched the hands continue to move over his body. They gripped and tugged at the hard muscle of his thighs. Finally, one hand began to stroke him. He laid flat on the table and closed his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them again, he saw a familiar face smiling down. Brody didn’t speak. He only caressed Dak’s body. While he fantasized about Brody, Dak closed his eyes and touched himself. He jerked his cock thinking about Brody’s long, slim fingers.

In the fantasy, Brody’s T-Shirt clung tight across his chest. Dak glanced down at his friend’s waist. The bulge in the jeans was readily apparent. Dak stretched a hand out to discover that Brody was rock hard, too.

Dak stroked himself more furiously. He could feel himself moving toward the edge. His balls began to ride up tight as his breathing grew faster and shallower. It wasn’t the first time he’d fantasized about his friend, and he knew it wouldn’t be the last. Brody was handsome in a relaxed, humble way. He was one of the quiet guys, and Dak guessed that he could be an animal in bed.

Dak kept his eyes shut tight as Brody leaned down. His lips neared Dak’s, and, just as they were to touch, Dak yelled out. The creamy, white fluid flowed down over his hand as his cock erupted. He gasped for breath while his body shuddered. It was a powerful orgasm. It was one of the strongest since he got off the boat.

When Dak opened his eyes, Brody faded from view. It was almost like turning a TV off. Dak’s breathing slowed, and he felt a familiar ache in the pit of his stomach. He remembered seeing Brody naked in the high school locker room. He was slim, but his body was fit and well formed. He was long, lean and wiry. Brody’s chest was nearly smooth, and Dak ached to touch the bare skin.

In the dozen years since graduation, he’d never seen Brody naked again. He only caught glimpses when Brody pulled his T-Shirt up to wipe away sweat in the summer heat. Brody had a thin, dark trail of hair above and below his navel. One time when Dak couldn’t help but stare at the trail of hair disappearing beneath the waist of Brody’s jeans, Brody asked, “What are you looking at?”

Dak responded with a degree of honesty. “Is it okay if I think my friend has a hot body?”

He remembered Brody’s blush as he responded, “Aw, I’m just a skinny guy. You’re the one that’s built. Just go look at yourself in the mirror. I’m sure it’s a whole lot more interesting.”

Maybe to someone else it would be, but Brody was wrong about Dak. He longed to take a good long look at Brody’s bare flesh once again. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to stop with just looking.

Dak climbed out of bed, went to the bathroom and cleaned himself up. It didn’t take long to drift off to sleep after he slipped back into bed.

Dak heard his alarm buzz at 7:00 a.m., and it was almost like the night had passed in the time it took to snap one’s fingers. Dak didn’t need to wake up so early, but he was retraining himself to respond to an alarm. For the first week off the boat, he always let himself sleep without it. However, he needed to respond quickly to an alarm while waking up on the boat.

Dak sat on the side of the bed and raked his fingers through his coarse, wavy red hair. He grunted, “Fuck, whomever invented mornings needs to be taken out back and shot.”

His dishes were all packed away in the storage unit, so he needed to pick up fast food or visit one of the local diners for breakfast. Dak lifted his cell phone from the nightstand, and, for a moment, he considered punching in Lewis’ number for a last-minute effort at pulling everything back together.

Then he stopped himself. It was over, and he needed to accept the fact. Real life wasn’t a romance novel, and there was nothing remaining worth fighting for with Lewis. He took three deep breaths. It was more than six months since the last time he climbed aboard the tow without leaving a boyfriend behind. Multiple relationships fell apart while he was on the boat, and the boyfriends discovered someone else before Dak returned. A few lasted longer like Lewis, but when the relationships finally ended, Dak felt compelled to find someone else before leaving town.

A sudden chill raised the hairs on his forearms. Dak was nearly thirty with no prospects on the horizon. That wasn’t the expectation when he left high school, secured a job on the river with a solid pay scale, and planned to live with a partner in one of those bungalows just blocks away from the riverfront.

He never considered the months away to be an insurmountable obstacle to the success of a relationship. He had cousins in the military and their marriages survived while they were deployed overseas. Their wives gave birth to babies, and they were welcomed home with open arms. Dak knew that no one would be waiting for him when he climbed back onshore the next time.

He picked up the phone again, and, believing he had a slim chance for success, he typed a text message to Brody:

The response came quickly.

The words were followed by a green-faced emoji with its tongue sticking out. Dak wished he was there to help out or at least offer a hug. He thought about the next best thing.

Twenty minutes later Dak pounded on the front door to Home Pro. The store wasn’t due to open for another half hour, but Lacey let him in. “Good morning, Mr. Preston. I’ll go get Mr. Sexton.”

Dak balanced three large white boxes on one hand. He said, “Wait a second, Lacey. These are for you and everyone else.”

She held out her hands. “Are they donuts?”

“Donuts. Pastries. Yep, I heard you had a little problem this morning, so I thought this might put a smile on a few faces.”

Lacey said, “That’s so sweet of you. I’ll take them back to the break room.”

She pivoted on her heels and nearly collided with Brody. His hair was sweaty and slicked back on his head. He wore a shop apron that was smeared with dark streaks, and his hands were nearly black. Dak thought he still looked handsome.

Brody sighed heavily. “She’s right. That’s really sweet, and it’s great to see you. Would you care to have company if we make it to lunchtime? After all of this uproar, I’m a little worried the whole store might fall down on our heads.”