m/m Deano's Summer: A Muscle University Story

[muscleaddict]

21 hours ago, Mdlftr said:

This really summed it all up for me:  

 

"I look at his face for one last time. How good looking he is doesn’t really seem significant anymore. When I look at him now, I just see Ryan. It’s just Ryan. I think I’d feel the way I do about him no matter what he looked like. "

 

This is what it's like for that first love, the "one that got away", the one that "broke your heart", the one that you think about at 2:00 a.m. on a dark lonely night and everything is just disconnected and floating.

Terrific writing, Muscleaddict!  Thank you again for sharing your prodigious talent with us!  I'll remember Deano-the-twat-faced-pocket-rocket as a real, genuine, albeit totally imaginary, character. 

In his up and down chaotic journeys He's like every protagonist in every classic coming-of-age story I've ever read - "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles;  https://www.amazon.com/Separate-Peace-John-Knowles/dp/0743253973; The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger; https://www.amazon.com/Catcher-Rye-J-D-Salinger/dp/0316769487 The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd;  https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Life-Bees-Monk-Kidd/dp/0142001740 

Thank you.

 

Mdlftr

And thank you for all your thoughtful feedback, mate. I always look forward to reading your comments. I definitely feel like I have have my work cut out for me in creating a protagonist to follow Deano. I like the sound of "A Separate Peace" and have added to my Kindle list so thanks for that too!

[muscleaddict]

On 8/24/2020 at 3:25 PM, ToolShedCub said:

Wow!  That last chapter was gut wrenching!  I can honestly say that i've felt like this.  I can't wait to see what you write next!!

 

12 hours ago, Gman said:

Wow. This story has been so devastating because it’s been so real. All of it.

i would really love to know more about what goes on at Muscle U,  but I love everything you write. Can’t wait for the next story. 

Thanks you, guys. I have a few ideas brewing for my next one already. 

[MuscleJoe]

I just...

i mean...

it’s just.  

omg

loss of words.  
thanks for this!   So amazing

[JohnnyCoxx]

17 hours ago, muscleaddict said:

Bless you, mate. And thanks for all your awesome feedback. And for joining in with Deano's Twitter too. 

How could I not?? Especially fun was my confrontation with Deano over the socks. Have you considered maintaining ‘his’ twitter as away to keep the character active? He really has become an icon

[DennisFLL]

1 hour ago, JohnnyCoxx said:

How could I not?? Especially fun was my confrontation with Deano over the socks. Have you considered maintaining ‘his’ twitter as away to keep the character active? He really has become an icon

Yes, I remember the forum fans' talk about the accumulation of Deano's socks under his bed after a certain activity.  And of course I also remember AJ Jones using a cock-in-the-sock when Noah applied bronzer on him before he gave his guest posing at the bodybuilding contest. 

[muscleaddict]

7 hours ago, Jlb423 said:

I just...

i mean...

it’s just.  

omg

loss of words.  
thanks for this!   So amazing

Haha! Love this reaction. Thanks for your feedback, mate. 

[muscleaddict]

4 hours ago, JohnnyCoxx said:

How could I not?? Especially fun was my confrontation with Deano over the socks. Have you considered maintaining ‘his’ twitter as away to keep the character active? He really has become an icon

A friend of mine actually suggested that the other day. Keeping his Twitter going and posting things like him going back to MU, what colour posing trunks Woody's wearing for the first Posing Practice lesson etc. Not sure yet though, mate - will have to see how it goes. 

[Ro20316]

It's the end of a story but the begining of  a new one.

This was Deano's journey through that first "real" love. He just discivered what he likes and he learned he can be just as good as everyone else.

The thing is he expected his first love to be the forever one and when that didnt happen it all came crashing down.

On 8/22/2020 at 5:57 AM, muscleaddict said:

“If it wasn’t for Katie …”

Fuck. My insides twist. I’m still not looking up. There’s a pause. Ryan’s not saying anything. It feels like it’s going on for ages. And then …

“I think we’d probably be holding hands right now.”

This is a sad part. Ryan is gonna love his baby but he wont be happy with Katie and that's just gonna screw his life. I do hope he gets to live his truth someday and be happy as the real Ryan.

 

Im sure Deano will find his real love and who knows maybe it's one of his friends back in the U *wink wink* wouldnt that be a surprise?.

[muscleaddict]

So I've written a short story told from the point of view of Deano Snr. I'm going to post it here (probably over two posts). I'm not expecting a big response from this - it's just a little idea I came up with and had the urge to write. I don't think short stories are something I'm particularly great at but hopefully some of you will enjoy reading it. 

 

CHASING FRAN (A MUSCLE UNIVERSITY SHORT)

 

“Right - text me when you get there,” I say to my son as I park my Land Rover outside the train station. 

He doesn’t respond.

“YES?!” I say, giving him a stern look.

“Yes!” he whines, as he pulls a face. He’s catching the train to go back to Scotland for his second year of university. 

“And NO bloody getting suspended this year! If I get any phone calls from that Johnny bloody Hoxton!”

He rolls his eyes and goes to open the passenger door. 

“OI!” I bark.

“What?” he asks, looking at me confused.

Bloody hell. He looks so much like me. Poor bastard.

“Say bye then!”

“I was going to,” he whines.

I sigh. “Go on. Piss off! See you at Christmas!”

He grabs his bag and says bye, giving me a very brief but affectionate smirk as he gets out of the car.

“AND BLOODY BEHAVE YOURSELF!” I shout through the window. He looks back mortified and some people turn around and give me weird looks.

And now I’m just sitting here watching my youngest son, Deano, walking away with his holdall over one of his crazily broad shoulders. Wearing that black Montgomery University hoodie he practically sleeps in. Still with that stupid bloody hairstyle which he said he was going to change but didn’t.

I feel a weird mix of pride and sadness as I watch him disappear into the station. The car feels so empty already. It only feels like five minutes since he came home for the summer. And now he’s gone again. Off to the only university in the world dedicated to turning its students into pro bodybuilders.

I know Deano will be alright in that sense. He’ll become a pro for sure. Even if he drops out of university he’ll still get his pro card. Which means I’m basically forking out those bloody fees for nothing. But it was what he wanted. To go to that uni. So I made sure it happened.

But there are other things I worry about with Deano. He’s a thinker. Like his mum. Spends too much time in his head. And never actually saying what’s on his bloody mind.

I’d love to know what’s going through his head sometimes. But then again, maybe it’s best that I don’t. 

I know he had some kind of argument with that bloody ponce face pretty boy Ryan from the gym. I’m not fucking stupid. Despite what he thinks. God knows what it was about. Maybe I should have just asked him? I don’t know. I kind of got the feeling that I shouldn’t have. That it wasn’t something he wouldn’t have told me about even if I had. Secretive little sod.

The two of them were always nattering at the gym about something or other. Deano and Ryan. Deano seemed rather taken with him. It was kinda nice to see, to be honest. Then Ryan booked some time off work and Deano kept asking questions about where he was. Like Ryan hadn’t said anything. Like they weren’t talking anymore. That was weird. 

And then when Deano quit the gym, the reverse happened. Ryan started asking about him. Deano hadn’t even told him he’d left. I could tell Ryan was bothered about that. 

And then there was that night. Just before he quit. When Deano came home pissed, slamming the doors and screaming at me. And sobbing his fucking heart out. I HATED seeing him like that. Couldn’t fucking deal with it. Was all that because of Ryan? Did Ryan do that to my boy?

I wonder if he said anything to his mum about it. The thought of him doing that pisses me off a bit. Him talking to her about stuff instead of me. But at least he IS actually talking to her now. After months of being in a mood with her and ignoring her. Stubborn little bastard.

Francis left us when Deano and our eldest Josh were kids. That was my doing. She was desperate to get out of our marriage. Could she have done it better? Probably. But yeah - it’s MY bloody fault my sons grew up not seeing their mum every day. I feel bad about that. Of course, I do. I’ve had the past ten years to get used to feeling bad about it.

But things seem to be okay between her and Deano at the moment. He’s been meeting up with her. Going round to the house. He seems pretty taken with her fiance’s daughter. It’s kind of cute to see them together. They were so close when he was a kid. Him and Fran. I know her leaving really did a number on him. 

Truth be told, it did a number on me too.

I check the time as I drive back to the gym. That’s MY gym by the way. Deano’s Gym. Best bodybuilding gym in the South East. Certainly better than that poxy bloody Infinity Fitness in Eastbourne.

I’ve got an appointment with some bloke called Terry in half an hour trying to sell me some new gym equipment. I don’t trust Big Steve to deal with him. He’s a top lad, but he’s so bloody laid back. They’ll see him coming a mile off.

I pull up outside the gym with five minutes to spare. I spot a fancy looking Audi a few spots down from my car. I bet that’s Terrys. Flash bloody git. If it is, it means he’s here already. Probably chatting to Big Steve. God bloody help me.

I brace myself as I pull open the door to the gym. And almost stop dead in my tracks. You should see the pair of legs currently stood in the reception. I’m not bloody kidding you.

Oh, there’s a woman attached to them too. Sorry if that sounds sexist. But Christ those bloody legs. She’s got her back to me. She’s got blonde hair just past her shoulders. A right bloody figure on her. Kinda sturdy looking. Did I mention the legs already?

“Here’s Deano!” Big Steve says. 

The woman spins around and gives me a broad smile. She’s wearing a grey suit. She’s well-groomed. Straight away I can tell she’s not the type of woman to mess with. 

She walks towards me with her hand held out. Who the bloody hell - wait. And then it hits me. 

“Hello, Deano!” she says, shaking my hand. 

“Terry?” I ask.

Of course it’s bloody Terry. She firmly nods and smiles. I lead her into my office.

“I was expecting a bald ugly bloke,” I say as I open the door. Jesus. What a figure. She’s got to be some kind of physique competitor. Or a fitness model.

She laughs as she sits down. I sit down opposite, feeling pretty fucking smug with myself that I made her laugh.

Terry’s all business-like and professional as she talks to me about what equipment she’s trying to flog me. There’s a warmth to her too though. I notice her eyes going to my biceps a few times. And her eyes veering up to my head too. I bet she’s dated bodybuilders before. My guess is she likes her blokes bald, rough and built like fucking tanks.

We finish up our chat and she’s all smiles. “Well here’s my business card, Deano,” she says. “Have you got a pen there I can borrow?”

I hand her one and she starts scribbling something on the card.

“I’ll give you my personal number too. You can use that for anything you like.”

What the - BLOODY HELL.

She hands me the card. This warm and slightly coy smile on her face. I nod, failing to smirk like bloody crazy as I take the card from her and look at the number on the back.

“Get in, Deano!” I joke.

She looks at me surprised, mouth hung slightly open, and then she smiles and lets out a little laugh. And I’m grinning like crazy at her. The pair of us acting like two giddy teenagers.

“You jammy bastard!” Big Steve says to me in the reception area five minutes later.

“What’s going on?”

Oh, here he is. Ryan ponce face pretty boy North. Wearing one of the ridiculously tight t-shirts with his name on the back.

“Deano’s pulled!” Big Steve tells him, before filling him in on my meeting with Terry. Lovely possible physique competitor Terry and her long legs. I’m sure she’d eat most men alive. But then - I’m not most men.

“I didn’t know the gym was equipped for blind people,” Ryan jokes.

“Cheeky bastard! How’s that girlfriend of yours? Is she your girlfriend this week or ...? I can’t keep up!”

Ryan glances over at Steve with his eyes wide and pulls a face. He’s smirking, but I can tell that touched a nerve. HA!

“You gonna call her then?” Steve asks.

I get a weird feeling in my chest. “Might do!” I say. Steve and Ryan side-eye each other. 

“If you don’t - can I have her number instead?” he jokes.

“Piss off. And so some bloody work. The pair of ya!”

I go back to my office and try to do some work. But I can’t concentrate. Because I’m thinking about what happened earlier. It’s been so long since I’ve been with a woman. I do the maths in my head. It must be - bloody hell, about five years. That’s mad.

I guess I’ve been busy doing other things. Running this gym. Raising two sons. I guess that’s over now though. Deano’s at that poxy bloody university for most of the year. Josh is twenty-two. He doesn’t need looking after. Even though he lives at home. I don’t really have to worry about Josh. I don’t think I ever will. He’s not like Deano.

I look at Terry’s card again. I’m looking at her name. Terry Cox. I go to Facebook and type her name in. It feels a bit like stalking - but isn’t this what everyone does these days? 

This is what I did when I got Ryan North’s CV a few months ago. Looked him up on Facebook. I was impressed by what I saw. Even though he’s a ponce face pretty boy, he’s still one hell of a bodybuilder. No wonder Deano was so taken with him.

The results come up. And there she is. Terry Cox. On bloody stage in her bikini. Ding fucking DONG. 

I scroll down her profile a bit. I can see she’s got a son. He doesn’t look like that much younger than Deano. I guess that’s another thing we have in common. There’s a picture of them together. All smiling. I should have got some pictures of Deano and his mum this summer when I had the chance. I never take bloody pictures. 

I move the mouse cursor to the search engine again. And now I’m typing another name. Francis Campbell. I wonder if she’ll change her name when she marries Gary. He’s a nice bloke. I mean - he’s a boring fucking bastard, but he’s a nice bloke. The complete opposite of me. I guess that’s what she was looking for.

I click on her profile. And there she is. The mother of my two sons. My ex-wife. My first proper love. Who am I kidding? My only proper love.

She’s announced her engagement on her profile. People are congratulating her. I look at the picture of her smiling into the camera with Gary. She’s still got those big brown puppy dog eyes. Which make her look a lot more innocent than she is. You’d never know how sassy she could be in her younger days just from looking at her. 

I wonder if it had been easier to pursue Fran back when we first met if Facebook had been around. Maybe I could have won her round a bit quicker? But then again, maybe it wouldn’t have made as good of a story if I had?

1993

“One … two …”

I’m slamming my pint glass down on the bar with each count the lads make. Jimbo is standing next to me doing the same with his pint glass.

“... three …”

And now I’m chugging my pint of snakebite with my head tipped back. Jimbo is doing the same. Lloyd and Harry on either side cheering us on. I’m determined to beat him and neck my drink first. 

I’m chugging and chugging. The lads are cheering us both on. Then I slam my empty pint glass on the bar and … “FUCK YES!” I’ve won. Jimbo’s still drinking. I’ve beaten the bastard. And the lads are cheering me on even more. And patting my back and shoulders.

“Right then, lads. Twenty-one birthday kisses!” I say, rubbing my hands together.

We always do this thing. Whenever it’s anyone’s birthday and we’re out, we have to get as many kisses as we can for however old we are. 

“Piece of fucking piss!” I boldly claim. Then I whip my t-shirt off. That should help speed things up a bit. My bodybuilding stage-worthy pecs, abs and biceps now on full display. 

Half an hour and five kisses later and me and the lads are back at the bar. I pick up my drink, turn around and there they are. Two girls stood right in front of me queuing for the bar. Number six and seven maybe?

“Ladies!” I say, giving them a big grin. One of the girls, a brunette with bangs looks down at my bare chest and I watch her eyes light up a little. Definitely number six. Her friend, a fairer haired girl with big brown eyes, however, looks deeply unimpressed. Wow. She’s cute. 

“So today’s my birthday and I’m trying to get twenty-one kisses!” 

The girls side-eye each other. The brunette is smirking. But the cute one rolls her eyes. I like this girl already.

“Come on, girls! Make a birthday boy happy.”

“What happened to your t-shirt?” the brunette asks.

I give her a cheeky smirk and shrug. “Who’d wear a t-shirt with abs like these?” I say, patting my stomach muscles.

She side-eyes her friend again and pulls a face. But I know. I KNOW she’s gonna kiss me.

“Come on! I’m a good kisser.”

The brunette shrugs. “Fuck it!” she says. Her friend looks surprised. And deeply unimpressed. The brunette leans in (she’s a few inches taller than me - which is not uncommon), puts her hand on my shoulder and kisses me for about ten seconds. WAY longer than girls one to five did. This girl is into me. She’s definitely fucking into me.

We part lips and the cute one is scowling. 

“Six kisses down!” I say. I look at her friend. “What about you, lovely? Are you gonna be my lucky number seven?”

She gives me an evil glare. Then paints on this big sarcastic smile. “Thanks. But I’m good!” Then her face drops and she rolls her eyes again. She’s so feisty.

I smile and shrug and then turn to the lads.

“Frigid bitch,” I say with a laugh.

“What the FUCK did you just call me?”

Oh shit. I turn around and look her dead in the eye. She looks pissed. I just smirk at her.

“A frigid bitch!” 

Then I look her up and down. 

“A cute one tho-”

And then I pause mid-sentence. And everyone around me gasps. And I’m just stood here. My face now soaked. My chest too. Because she just chucked a fucking drink in my face. 

“Oh my God” her friend exclaims.

I can’t believe that just happened. I can’t believe she had the guts to chuck her drink at me. But I’m smiling. And licking my lips. It’s vodka and lemonade.

She spins around and her friend follows, looking shocked and amused. “Sorry, lads!” the friend says as they drift.

“Don’t apologise!” she snaps as they drift off. “He called me a bitch.”

The boys are laughing. “Lads!” I say as I watch them walk away. And then I dramatically put my hand on my heart. “I think I’m in love!”

 

And I'll post the rest of it soon.

[crushme99]

Shorter little glimpses like this can be fun.  Thanks!