My name is Kyle. My best bud is Chad. We’re both 21. We’ve known each other since middle school. I’m 5’ 10”, 190 lbs, brown hair and he’s 5’ 9”, 160, blonde, in a little better shape than me. We’re just average guys, working part time to make ends meet and going to the community college. We have a college algebra class together. Seems like most of the girls we meet are more interested in older guys, fellows that have a career started and extra cash to spend on them. So we’re pretty frustrated. We’re closer than a lot of brothers and really get along well. We’re comfortable touching each other and we hug. Sometimes we flirt playfully, pretending to be gay, the way some friends do. It’s all in fun and has never gone anywhere. But lately I’ve been wondering whether we might be able to ease our mutual frustration, but without changing our lives or our friendship. Just pondering.

I have a neat but crappy apartment while Chad has been staying at his older sister’s place while she works overseas for a few months on a project with her company. It’s a spacious 2 BR unit, quite nice. Chad is working on his cooking skills and has invited me over for beef stroganoff. First time someone has cooked for me other than family, but he didn’t want to eat alone and he wanted feedback. I’m bringing some imported ale as my contribution. It’s the least I can do.

Chad opens the door on the first knock. “Surprise,” I say. “I brought Boddington’s Pub Ale.”

“Kyle, you outdid yourself, that will go great with the beef. I should cook for you more often, I love English ale. You’re a good dinner date.”

“You bet I am, Chad baby, and I put out,” I said with a wink.

Chad laughed and said, “You are too much. Come in and have a seat. Dinner won’t be long.”

I sat and relaxed while Chad put the ale in the fridge. Chad and I are both very casual. We were dressed simply in cut-off jean shorts and tees. Chad favors very short shorts and I admired his smooth legs while I waited. I’ve dated hot girls with less sexy legs than his. His butt wasn’t bad either, almost girlish. He was good at staying toned.

He returned to the table with a bottle of ale for each of us. “Cheers, my friend,” he said. As I mentioned before, neither of us are model material, just average looking guys. But he had wonderful blue eyes to match his blonde hair. It was pleasant to maintain eye contact with him.

After taking a long pull on the ale, I said, “If the smell of the food is any indication, I’d say your cooking skills are already quite advanced. You’ll make someone a good wife someday.”

With a friendly smirk, Chad said, “That’s enough, wiseass. My cooking is going to get me laid, while you’re jacking off with a bag of tacos by your side. Chicks love a guy that cooks.”

“Ouch. Well, they also like a guy who brings English ale but I fear your comment is too true. You’ll be getting passionate pussy while I settle for a half-hearted blow job from a girl who won’t let me cum in her mouth or take it in the face. I can only hope that I’ll get a crack at your hotties when you tire of them. When do we eat, lover boy?”

Chad laughed in that adorable way he had and said, “With that gruesome picture in mind, why don’t you toss the salad while I finish up the entrée? Everything’s in the fridge.”

I replied, “That’s something I can do without messing up.” In no time we were chowing down an excellent dinner. Chad was indeed becoming a very good cook. Chad had also put on some blues music before dinner. We were both blues fans. While we ate we talked about the various charms of the girls at school who had so far proven to be unattainable by us. Chad’s expressive eyes and gestures made it clear that he hadn’t given up on scoring with some of them. I found his descriptions of how he would seduce them more than a little arousing.

After finishing up some cheesecake for dessert, I offered to wash dishes and clean up. Chad said he’d dry if I’d wash. So we moved to the sink where the kitchen window gave us a view of the lighted courtyard between the condos. I made a crack about how people looking up at us would think we were a cute couple. Chad laughed and excused himself for a minute. While I continued to wash he put some candles on the dining table and lit them before rejoining me at the sink, where he turned off the light above the sink. He said, “No one can spy on us now. Can you see well enough to wash?”

I replied, “Sure, I can do plenty of things just by feel. I’ve heard of candlelight dinners but candlelight dishwashing is a new one for me.”

Chad said, “Doing new things is fun”. Then he flipped his towel in the air and tried to catch it behind his back, but dropped it. I glanced at him when he bent over to pick it up and I saw yellow lace under his shorts. OMG, Chad was wearing panties and I thought he meant for me to see. I decided right then that tonight would be the right time to make a clear move on my best friend. I was pretty confident that he was mine for the taking. A few minutes later we were finished with the dishes. I moved behind Chad, nudging him into the counter while lightly pressing against him and putting my hands on his shoulders.

I put my mouth close to his ear and said, “I’m so glad you asked me over tonight, Chad. This is the best evening I’ve had in a long time. I feel closer to you than I ever have, which is saying something.”

Chad said, “I really wanted a nice evening for us. And the night is still young, isn’t it?”

I replied, “You bet it is. I’m not going anywhere, at least not before I work off all these calories you stuffed into me. I think you deserve a back rub for all the work you did.” I could feel him relax as I kneaded the area of his neck and shoulders. Then I let my hands run up and down his back on the outside of his t-shirt. I was sure that he was getting as aroused as I was but I was enjoying it too much to rush things. This wasn’t a casual hook-up after all. We had a past and most likely a future of some sort. I started to put pressure on his lower back, right above the waist of his shorts, using my thumbs and fingers, and moving under the hem of his shirt. Chad was sighing and making little groans of contentment. I asked, “Are you enjoying this?”

“Oh, hell yeah, Kyle. This feels great. Keep doing what you’re doing. I’m ALL yours. I hope you’ll do this again even when I don’t cook for you, just for grins and giggles.”

I turned my attention to his flanks, moving my hands up and down on his bare skin, gradually nudging his shirt higher and higher, exposing more and more of his smooth back. He conveniently raised his arms as I started to remove his shirt, which I tossed on the counter. He asked me, “Is that how you get the tops off the girls you date? Lucky them.”

I could see Chad’s grin in the reflection of the kitchen window. I said, “I’ll have to try it sometime. The important thing is that it worked with you.” I let my hands roam all over his back and shoulders. Feeling his smooth skin this way was intoxicating. Then I leaned into him and moved my hands to his front and started rubbing in circles around his stomach, teasing a little around the waistband of his shorts. My hard cock was pressing against his firm ass. I knew he could feel it because he was pressing against me a little too. I was getting so hot for him. I moved my hands up and started to massage his nipples, which were like little hard stones. As I squeezed them, I said, “Not much in the way of boobage but I like your nips.” Chad laughed and tilted his head to the right. I responded to the invite by kissing his smooth neck, even to the point of nipping it lightly with my teeth. But I kept working on his nipples.