A few years earlier I had discovered Lambda Rising, a store with books, magazines, rainbow flags, and other stuff for gays and lesbians. It was on Connecticut Avenue in DC not too far from the Frat House and other bars on P Street. It was a long time since I worried about being seen going into gay establishments. If I was in the area, I liked to stop by Lambda Rising just because it was there. And just to be supportive, I usually bought something, anything, even yet another gay pride rainbow sticker.
Lambda Rising also felt comfortable just to be inside, sort of like that time I went to Cycles and had felt belonging, like I could finally take a deep breath, like I finally found my own culture. Over time, gay places in general and the DC Eagle or Lambda Rising in particular, would become a third space for me, a pole in addition to home or work, places I identified with. (Lambda Rising closed in 2010 and I missed its comforting presence.)
One evening after work I was in Lambda Rising checking out the latest Bear magazine, you know, just in case there was any naked hairy homo smut I needed for my bedside table. I was also checking out a guy looking at books a couple of shelves over, with a neat goatee and really pretty eyes (the guy, not the books).
Pretending now to look at books, I sidled closer and after a few moments, asked if he was finding anything interesting. Without missing a beat, he turned to me, smiled, and said, yes, he had noticed me standing there; oh, and a few books, too.
A live one!
This was encouraging so I chatted back a bit more, pretended to look at books a bit more, then suggested maybe we could get a cup of coffee. We left the store and he said his name was Oscar.
After a while of coffeeing and me trying not to stare obviously at the chest hair visible out the top of his shirt, Oscar said he had to be someplace and got up to leave; and anyway, I wanted to go back to Lambda Rising. We exchanged phone numbers and agreed that we’d try for dinner sometime soon.
A couple of weeks later I prettied myself up and jumped on Metro to go meet Oscar for a dinner date. He came down when I buzzed his apartment but instead of heading out for dinner, he invited me to come up, saying he’d love to make dinner for me, if that was OK …yes, that was OK.
Oscar’s apartment was smallish but pleasant, with a little table set for two and dinner fixings all over the counters, and a large pot steaming on the stove. He offered me a glass of chianti and continued making dinner as we chatted about what we did that day. When he glanced away for a moment, I (floozy!) undid the top two buttons on my shirt.
I enjoyed watching him, his eyes focused on an electric skillet as he tossed in sliced tomatoes, yellow peppers, crushed garlic, olive oil, and I don’t remember what else. I tried to take mental notes since I love the concept of cooking by just throwing whatever-you-have together and it comes out great, but that doesn’t happen very often for me.
Dinner was of course pasta with what turned out to be his delicious, chunky, on-the-fly topping. We ate and talked and drank wine and after dinner, lingered at the table over a second bottle of wine.
After I helped him clear away, Oscar gave me a hug and thanked me for coming over and would you like to get more comfortable?
He led me into the bedroom and turned to kiss me. He was a good kisser, too, another one of those who knew better than to just cram his tongue in my mouth. As I moved against him, I could feel a familiar firmness in his pants pressing back against my thigh.
We helped each other out of our clothes, and cuddled, and made out on the bed. I got him stretched out on his back, then snuggled up next to him and slowly jerked him off all over his stomach. He gave off the most wonderful grunts of pleasure as he gripped my shoulders. Ya can’t go wrong making another man grunt happily.
I headed home the next morning (triumph!). We saw each other (and had sex) a few times after that (I dared to make him dinner at my house). I liked and admired Oscar though our relationship never developed further.