Over the Fence

"I think he's out there again..."

Alexis was sitting at our breakfast bar working on an assignment, and peering out the glass sliding door at the patio fence. I looked up from my book and followed her gaze from my cozy spot on the sofa and saw the slow shifting patterns of shadow and light that gave away the movement from next door.

"I mean, I'm not mad about it." I joked.

"Gross, James!" She screwed up her nose and chuckled. I shrugged and gave her a cheeky smirk. "It's so weird that he's always poking around out there at weird hours."

"It's his patio, he's not doing anything wrong."

"In his underwear though?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe he doesn't know we can see? The gaps in the palings are pretty narrow. Or maybe he does know but doesn't really care." Alexis pursed her lips and returned her attention to her laptop.

Alexis and I had moved in after our previous leases wound up. We were excited to be living together as best friends, and to have an apartment to ourselves. Alexis had finished her master degree and was now doing research at her college, and I had started a new job with promising opportunities. Now in our mid twenties, it was nice to only share with one other person, instead of a rotating cast of roommates.

It was an older building, and quite modest, but it was clean and well-kept. It was a long narrow building that stretched as close to the property line as possible on either side to maximize floor space. The neighboring building was a mirrored version of ours, and our ground floor apartment opened onto a small patio that butted up against the tall fence between them.

We hadn't met our neighbor over the patio fence, or even talked to him, but we knew he was there. We'd hear him pacing around his patio, and saw slivered glimpses of him in passing whenever we'd go outside. One time, Alexis had stepped into the narrow garden bed and leaned over to the fence to peek through and say hello, but decided against it when she saw an older man in his underpants. Feeling awkward and not wanting to be seen, she fled quietly inside, stifling an awkward giggle.

Of course there's nothing strange or unusual about a neighbor being on their patio, and had Alexis' good intentions not caused her to spy them in their tighty-whities, we'd probably never thought anything more of it. We would share some lighthearted jokes about it since, but it was just goofing. Alexis loved Friends, and I think she just thought it was fun to have her own version of Ugly Naked Guy.

I began reading my book again, but I couldn't help looking through the glass door out the corner of my eye. Though my attention was divided, I finally got to the end of my chapter, and shortly after there was quiet and stillness outside on the hidden patio.

***

A few weeks later and the joke had petered out, although Alexis was sure that every time he was out there, he was in his underpants. I dissuaded the Ugly Naked Guy gag, since it didn't seem very nice­­­­--some parts of Friends certainly hadn't aged well--and had quipped "Well, he can't be that ugly if you keep ogling him in his undies, Lexi."

"Well, he's not hot, but he's no prize, that's for sure!"

"Leave him be, Lex."

Realizing that she'd lost her audience, and perhaps a bit embarrassed, she mostly stopped mentioning it.

I had a day off from work, and Alexis was in classes all day. It was the perfect opportunity to catch up on chores that I'd been neglecting and then relax for the rest of the day. I was pottering about in the kitchen when the washing machine chimed, letting me know it was done. I wiped my hands on a tea towel and hauled the load of clean clothes into the basket. Slipping out of the sliding glass door onto the patio, I dumped the basket down and began hanging out my shirts and tees on the retractable clothesline.

It was a sunny day, and the heat beat down into the space between the buildings. I was keen to get back into the air conditioning, but felt a sense of satisfaction that my laundry would dry quickly and I'd manage to get it all done today. Small pleasures.

I heard some scuffling on the pavers of the patio next door, and looking to my right, I saw the shifting shadow and light through the gaps in the palings as my neighbor moved about their little courtyard.

For some reason, I froze, feeling like I was trespassing. It was silly; I was on my own patio, they were on theirs, there was a fence between us. What was the problem? A nebulous, undefined image of an older man in white y-fronts popped into my mind. I gave my head a shake, as if trying to erase an etch-a-sketch, and an involuntary, embarrassed little huff escaped my mouth.

The neighbor stopped moving; I heard a faint sound as if they were trying to quietly clear their throat. A slight tingle poured down my spine; had they heard me? Had I disturbed their private patio time? Again I chastised myself; don't be so silly!

I returned to my laundry and with a forced casualness continued to hang out my clothes.

I heard the neighbor moving again, and I was sure they'd come nearer to the fence. I looked over again, and could definitely see the vague form of a person through the gaps.

"Hello?" a voice called. If this guy was old, he didn't sound it. I was beginning to think Alexis had just been embellishing her carry-on.

"Oh... hi there," I returned, as I dropped some pajama pants back into the basket and stood up straight.

"Welcome to the neighborhood. Sorry I haven't said hi sooner." His voice wasn't especially deep, but it had a slight rasp to it, that was pleasant and gave it a warm quality.

"Oh, no problem. Thanks for the welcome."

There was an awkward silence between us, heavy with the potential energy of who would speak next.

"I'm Callum," he said.

"I'm James. And my housemate is Alexis."

"Nice to meet you, sorta."

"Yah! Sorta." 


We both giggled awkwardly. I took a few steps closer to the fence. Nearing the edge of the garden bed around the perimeter of the courtyard, I started catching more glimpses of Callum's form through the narrow columns of negative space. I saw a kaleidoscope of some blond hair, the fold of an ear, some more blond hair but this time fuzzier, perhaps a forearm. He shifted his weight, and a nipple came into view, then more fuzz, and then the white and grey stripes of an elastic waistband, and then a bare leg... my face began to prickle as a blush spread across it.

"Well, uh, I'll catch you around," said Callum, and I heard him trudge across the pavers. As he moved away from the fence and back towards his own sliding glass door, more of his frame came into focus in the narrow gap. From the back, I could see that he was maybe around my same height, a broader build, and he was definitely only wearing underpants.

I had maybe paused too long before I said "Yeah, sure!" Had he seen me come closer to the fence? Did he retreat because he didn't want me to see him? He hadn't sounded embarrassed or angry; just friendly. And he hadn't seemed to rush back to his door. From what I could see, he just ambled back sedately. Through the narrowly spaced fence boards, I saw him kick off a pair of slides onto a doormat, and then he disappeared inside.

I stood still for a moment. I had stepped over to the fence to be polite and chat to my newly-met neighbor, but I had gotten a lot more than I bargained for. An odd swirl of sensations swept around my stomach. I felt sheepish and awkward about seeing a stranger in a state of undress, but also it was undeniably exciting. I never got a clear and complete picture, but the small pieces of the puzzle that had been revealed to me had given me a flutter of titillation. From the patches of body hair, I was relatively confident that he had a hairy chest and forearms. From the back I saw he had a full head of blond hair, and was solidly built. I hadn't seen enough of his face to have any real idea what he looked like, but... I had a hunch.

What's wrong with you!? I chastised myself as I turned back to the clothes line and hung out the last few pieces of clothing. Why was I starting to feel giddy over someone I didn't know and hadn't even seen properly. I already knew that I wouldn't tell Alexis about this little interaction, partly because it felt somehow incriminating, and partly because it felt like an exciting little secret.

***

Alexis never really had any reason to go out onto the patio. She usually took her washing over to her parents' place since our dryer was broken. Being at the rear of the building, our patio had a gate opening onto the street that ran along the back of the property, but we just used the apartment's front door. So, whenever I would go hang out my laundry or water my wilting collection of pot plants, if Callum was there, we would share a few moments, voices over a fence, and developed an amiable little acquaintance. We never went any further than the niceties of hi-how-are-you, but it was a pleasant rhythm to have with a neighbor.

I still had no better idea of what the man looked like. If Callum was on the patio, I tended not to venture too close to the fence. As tantalizing as the thought of getting a better look at him, it felt like overstepping a line. From a distance I would still catch the narrowest slivers of pink skin, blond hair, and white fabric, but it was so abstract and these formless pieces of data refused to reconcile into a larger picture.

I began to notice that he was out there quite a lot, and not just when I saw and heard movement. Several times I'd be out on the patio not realizing he was there, and I'd hear his warm, friendly "Hi, James!". At first it gave me a start, but soon I looked forward to his greetings, and would try to dismiss the disappointment when he wasn't outside.

I was getting quite curious about what he was doing out on his patio all the time. Not that it was any great mystery; he might have an outdoor dining table, or deck chair, or any number of things that might bring him out onto the patio. But, really, I was just curious about Callum in general.

I was out pegging up t-shirts and socks and underwear one day, when I heard the familiar "Hi, James," from across the divide, and with a feint flutter of butterflies in my tummy, I resolved to ask what he was up to.

"Hi Callum, how's it going?"

"Oh, good, good. Yourself?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Just hanging out some laundry," I said. I held my breath for a moment while I swallowed my social awkwardness and found my nerve. "So, what're you up to today?" Okay, so it was a bit vague and broad, but it was a start.

I heard Callum shift in whatever position he was in, and cleared his throat a little. Before I could start worrying whether I'd made things awkward, he replied. "I'm reading at the moment." His voice was bright and tentative, and the fact that he was also a reader sparked an excitement over common interests.

"That's neat! I never thought to sit out here and read."

"You're a reader?" he asked.

"Yeah, I love reading. What've you got on the go at the moment?"

I heard scuffing of wood on pavers, and his footsteps coming towards the fence. I looked over and saw a set of thick, square fingers close over the top of the fence, followed by a tuft of blond hair, and then a pleasant, bearded face. Callum smiled at me from the top of the fence--he must have been standing on his tiptoes in the garden bed--and reached over with his other hand to show me a book. It was an older book by one of my favorite authors.

"Oh! I love that one! Are you enjoying it?"

"Yeah, it's pretty great so far. No spoilers though!" he chuckled.

"I wouldn't dream of it! I'm kinda jealous; I wish I could read it for the first time again."

"Yeah, I know that feeling."

There was a pause, and my attention left the book to finally take in the reveal of the mysterious Callum. His face was square and his expression was open and good-natured. He had a thick but neat blond beard, slightly darker than the hair on his head, which was a pale straw blond and beginning to thin out and recede a little at the temples. He had a strong nose that was angular without being sharp, and nicely anchored the features of his broad face. Beneath thick, straight eyebrows were the most startling green eyes I'd ever seen. They were large and wide, and had a lively, intelligent gleam to them. He was older than Alexis and I for sure, maybe ten years at most, maybe in his mid thirties. Alexis had made it sound like he was actually elderly.

I lowered my eyes momentarily, following the space between two fence palings, a column of pink flesh with an interlude of white fabric... I saw the hint of a seam that made up part of the Y-front of his underpants and blushed. I swallowed and returned my attention back to the friendly face floating at the top of the fence. Oh god, did he notice? Was he offended? It had been only a second, but it felt like longer. I felt a drop of sweat on my forehead, my telltale sign of social anxiety.

I couldn't tell if he had noticed, but his smile widened. He hefted the elbow of the arm holding the book up onto the top of the fence to keep his balance, and with the other arm he reached out and over the fence, extending his hand to me. Both arms were bare.

"It's nice meet you properly at last, James," he said, smile lines crinkling at the corner of those brilliant green eyes.

I crossed the few feet toward the fence and reached up, shaking his hand, making sure not to squeeze too hard or too softly.

"Likewise!" I felt goosebumps spread across the skin of my arms, hoping Callum wouldn't notice.

He gave me another wide grin. "Well, I'll let you get back to it. Have a good day!" he said and disappeared from view and stepped away from the fence.

"You too!" I said as I picked up my laundry basket and headed back inside.

So, Callum had been revealed and, at least from the chin up, he was incredibly handsome. I smiled to myself in satisfaction; my hunch had been right. But I also felt a restlessness come over me, like that odd melancholy that sets in after your friends have all left after a visit after not seeing them for a long time. I was trying to be a mature and reasonable person; I was trying not to think anything of my neighbor lounging about in their briefs in the privacy of their own patio. And yet, I couldn't quash the giddiness of a school kid writing about their crush in their diary.

I wanted to go back out there and ask him more questions about books, or maybe himself, and get closer to the fence, and to see that hairy, friendly face with the emerald eyes appear over the palings again. I chuckled; be cool, James, I thought to myself.

Instead, I went into my room and flopped onto my bed. Maybe he'd be out there in a few hours when I went out to bring in the dry laundry. I thought about picking up my book to pass the time, but as I lay there thinking about Callum, I felt a tightening at the top of my thighs as the crotch of my pants began to tent. My cock pushed against the layers of fabric, fueled by images of a well-built blond man in white briefs. I sighed and let the fantasy take hold, and reached my hand down to knead the growing bulge, encouraging the arousal and my imagination.

I imagined Callum's thick furry arms wrapping around me and his wide smiling lips moving closer to mine, and as my dick grew progressively stiffer I felt the swelling coax the foreskin back from the head. The tip revealed itself and rubbed against the fabric of my underpants, bare glans against cotton, and as the sensitivity increased, this friction was heaven. I continued to rub and push, and roll my palm over the straining mound in my pants, and my breath slowed to long aspirated sighs.

I begin trying to fill in the gaps, I imagined his chest with broad, solid pecs, shaded in a broad triangle of chest hair that came to a point where his sternum met his belly, in the same slightly darker blond of his beard. I imagined a thick trunk of an abdomen, toned, with the faint outline of those v-shaped muscles disappearing into the waistband of a pair of tighty-whities that were struggling to contain their contents.

I was leaking so much precum now that the wet patch had soaked through my underwear and I could feel a slick filmy patch spreading slowly from where the tip of my dick was poking insistently at the crotch of my shorts.

I swirled my finger tips around the sticky patch, almost as if polishing it, and held my hand in front of my face, tapping my index finger and thumb together and watching the glistening strands of precum stretching between them. Does Callum leak a lot of precum? I thought wistfully as I licked my fingers clean.

There was commotion at the front door, and Alexis' voice sang out from the entry hall.

"I'm home!"

Perfect timing, I thought wryly, as I got up to change into new shorts and undies.

***

It was a few days later, and I was sweeping up the dust and detritus that had accumulated across the patio pavers. I had considered putting my earbuds in to listen to music or an audiobook while I worked, but I didn't to miss hearing Callum if he came outside as well. And sure enough, it wasn't long before I heard his sliding door open, and his plodding footsteps.

The footsteps stopped, and after a moment, I heard "Hi, James!"

"Heya, Callum!" I returned cheerily.

I heard crunching as he stepped into the garden bed, and that handsome, smiling face appeared over the fence again. "I finished my book," he said, his eyes twinkling.

"Neat! Did you like it?"

"I loved it, it was awesome!"

"Oh! Wait right there, I'll be right back." I laid down the broom and dashed inside, as Callum cocked a curious eyebrow.

I returned with my copy of the next book in the series. Trying to think nothing of it, I casually walked straight over to the fence, but not too close; I stepped gingerly into the garden bed just far enough to comfortably hand him the book.

"Here," I said, holding it out for him, "this is the next one in the series."

Those expressive eyebrows lifted together, and a smile creased the corners of his eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely! You'll have to tell me what you think of it, and I can loan you the rest of the series too if you like."

"Thanks! That's very kind of you. I'll get it back to you ASAP"

"Please, no rush. I know where you live," I said, trying to be winsome and effortlessly casual.

He chuckled and I'm pretty sure he gave me a wink. I wasn't certain though; do people still wink at each other? I felt a blush pool across my cheeks.

We chatted for a bit longer, just niceties and small talk. He had rested both forearms along the top of the fence now, and he didn't seem to be straining at all. He must be quite tall; taller than I had first thought.

I was still standing just inside the garden bed, and I used all of my restraint to keep my head tilted upwards, looking him in the face or casting my gaze to the side to avoid staring or letting my eyes wander to the gaps in the fence.

But at one point, he turned his head to clear his throat, and I took my chance. I dropped my eyes for only a moment. I saw a pink nipple, hard and round, couched in a swirl of blond chest hair; I saw a belly button, much closer, pressed right against the gap in the palings, smooth wefts of blond hair above and below it.

I returned my eyes to the top of the fence, and Callum was looking back down at me, his face with a warm expression on it, calm and friendly, but there was something else... a quirk at the corner of his mouth; did I detect a dimple beneath that blond beard? It had only be a split second that I had allowed myself to look. Had he caught me?

"Well, I don't want to keep you from your work. I think I'll go get started on this next book. Thanks again! That was very thoughtful." He held the book up and give it an appreciative waggle.