House of Brick Pt. 02

Thank you for all your kind feedback. This story is a slow-burn. We'll get to the sex, but it's going to take awhile. Enjoy!

After their first meeting and a rather fun dinner that didn't involve any kissing or sex but with a healthy serving of sexual tension, Michael and Brick found themselves both glowing the next day.

The challenge was that neither man was certain how to proceed. Michael was 26, newly out, and just wasn't very assertive. Brick, 37, was a giant bear of a man who mostly kept to himself. He presented as big and strong, with both arms tattooed and a gruff presenting demeanor. But in truth, he was agonizingly lonely soul who just didn't know how to move in a relationship.

A couple of days had passed and Michael's curiosity got the better of him. He called Brick under the guise of reporting on his complaints.

Brick looked at his ringing phone and smiled. "Adams here," he answered, trying to play it cool.

Michael smiled at hearing his voice. "Hi Brick, it's Michael Johnson. I'm calling to follow up on our meeting."

Brick found himself smiling. "Hey Michael, how are you? Good to hear from you." He took a breath. Why the fuck was he so nervous?

"Thanks Brick. I'm good. Settling into the job, trying to clean up a bunch of dumpster fires, organizing the office. It was a bit... chaotic when I got here," he responded, trying to sound diplomatic.

Brick laughed aloud. "Yah, Old Chuck must have left that place looking like a tornado hit."

Michael attempted to stifle a laugh, but couldn't stop himself completed. "Well, I wouldn't say a tornado... but it was a pretty bad storm."

"So," Michael continued after they both stopped laughing. "I wanted to check in about the progress we're making to ensure that Sunny Hollow is a good neighborhood to live in. We've already done some work and have some more plans that would be easier to show you in person..." His voice trailed off. He thought there was chemistry between the two—but he lacked the self-confidence to know for sure.

"That sounds great, Michael. I'm impressed. Listen, it's Friday night. I know a great pizza place not too far from here. The beer is ok. And it's attached to a bowling alley." He was trying hard to play it cool, but even he could hear the shake in his own voice. "So I was thinking..."

Michael interrupted with enthusiasm. "That sounds great! Who doesn't love pizza and bowling?"

Brick chuckled and felt a bit more at ease.

"Great. So, I'll pick you up at 7pm? Just text me your address."

Michael was ready promptly at 6:50 and trying not to fret. He'd showered, tried on three different shirts, finally settling on a buffalo plaid, old washed blue jeans, and his chucks. He looked like he stepped out of a magazine advertisement that said, "Come spend your fall in Minnesota!"

Brick showed up at 6:59, freshly showered, in his Carhart pants, muscle t-shirt and jean jacket, and his cowboy boots. His mop of hair was still wet and a tiny drop of water dripped onto his aviator sunglasses. He stepped out of his jeep and walked up to ring Michael's doorbell and took a deep breath. Why was he so nervous?

Michael opened the door looking handsome as hell and smiled at Brick, who had no choice but to smile back and exhale. Michael stepped out and while saying, "Hi Brick," brought the bigger man into a hug. Brick was surprised at first, but it took him only a couple of seconds to wrap his arms around the younger, smaller man. They stood hugging for a few seconds, Brick's head resting on top of Michael's, smelling his freshly washed hair.

"Mint?" Brick asked breaking the embrace.

Michael looked up to meet his gaze. "Huh?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Your hair. It smells... minty," Brick responded.

Michael laughed. "Yeah. It's some mint tea-tree thing. My best friend, Nora, works at a salon. She's always getting me these fancy shampoos and things. I like this one. It smells good and makes my head tingle. But honestly, I don't know anything about this stuff."

Brick threw his head back and laughed a deep belly laugh. "Well, tell her she has good taste in shampoos. And in best friends."

Michael blushed. "Thank you. I will."

They drove off to the pizza place, got a table, a huge pizza—half with mushrooms and onions, half with pepperoni. The conversation flowed easily. At one point, Brick got a dollop of pizza sauce on his beard. Michael reached over and wiped it away with his finger—and then licked it off. They both smiled. The mutual attraction was obvious.

Bowling turned out to be a lot of fun. Both men were competitive, kept each other laughing, and found it endlessly amusing to watch how serious some of the other bowlers were. Brick won the first game by three points but Michael came roaring back to win the second game by 10.

Before they knew it, it was after 10pm. They got into Brick's jeep and headed back to Sunny Hollow.

As they parked in front of Michael's place, he looked at Brick. "I've had a great time tonight. Would you like to come in for a bit?" His voice was gentle, a little unsure, but inviting.

Brick looked like a deer in the headlights. He wanted to go in, but... He leaned into Michael and gently kissed him on the lips. It was soft but electric. They both felt the energy flow through them.

"Michael," Brick said as they pulled apart from the kiss and held each other's hands. "I'd love to come in, but..." His voice caught. He took a breath.

Michael looked intently. Brick was taken with how Michael looked at him: full of sincerity and kindness. It was a kindness, a compassion, that made Brick melt.

"But?" Michael asked.

Brick cleared his throat. "I'm not so good with words. I just..." he looked almost frustrated. "I just like you!" he said with force.

Michael beamed. "I like you, too," he said as he rubbed Brick's neck, pulling him into another kiss. They embraced for another moment and Brick was completely lost in how good Michael made him feel.

Brick pulled back. "I like you. But I don't want to just fall into bed with you. I want to treat you like a gentleman." Even though it was dark out, Michael could still see Brick's deep blush.

Michael smiled. "I like you, Brick. And I'll be honest. I'm really new to this. I don't have a lot of experience," he said, his voice shaking. "But I just want to spend time with you." He looked down, embarrassed, trying to fight back tears.

"Hey," Brick said, holding Michael's face in his hands. "It's ok. I like you. I want to spend time with you. I just don't want you to think I only want you for your hot body."

Michael met Brick's eyes. "You think I'm hot?" He asked without guile or pretense.

Brick laughed heartily. "I'm using all the self-control I've got to not rip your clothes off right now! You're the hottest guy I've ever met," he responded, utterly sincere.

"Thank you, Brick," Michael said, allowing the tears to fall. Brick held him close as the younger man trembled... even in 2020, coming out and accepting one's self still had its challenges and Michael had his doubts. He wasn't good at pretending to be straight until he was 23. He didn't feel like he was very good at being gay these past three years. Truth be told, he didn't even know what that meant—to be gay. He just knew he was drawn to Brick and wanted to be with him. He felt safe and warm and incredibly turned on in the bigger man's arms.

"So Brick," Michael asked, "How did you get the name Brick?"

Brick swallowed and closed his eyes. If he wanted to have a chance with Michael, he'd need to be honest. He was terrified. What if telling him the story of his name—of his life—would make Michael leave?

Brick took another deep breath. He was 37. It was time to stop being afraid.

"So," Brick began, holding Michael's hands, looking into his eyes. "That's a long story..." his voice trailed off.

Michael squeezed his hands. His smiled gently, offering Brick his full attention. "I like stories. I don't have to be back at the office until Monday at 8am." They both smiled at Michael's goofy attempt at humor.

Brick sighed. Michael gave him the jolt of confidence he needed. "Ok Michael. Very few people know my story... but here goes."