Author's note: This one is a bit all over the place, with several elements you'd expect to find in other categories, like "Mature" or "Anal." The dirtier you like your stories, the more likely you are to like this one, and vice versa. Fair warning.
I thought 42 was supposed to be the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything.
As I stood there, examining my now-42-year-old body in the mirror, that damn number felt less like an answer and more like a conclusion.
How wrong I was.
But turning 42 and seeing how my body had kept up with my age was a humbling experience, no doubt.
"Oh, yeah. You're going to be real appealing to 20-something girls now," I sighed. "You and this 'dad bod.'"
Yeah, yeah. I know. Cue the world's tiniest violin. But it's just how my brain was wired: I preferred younger women. Truth is, when I was in high school and college and even through my 20s, I was in pretty good shape physically, but not mentally - I was completely lost when it came to women. So I didn't do a lot of dating then. By my 30s, I started to figure things out and actually had a little success, even with women in their early 20s. But my body was starting to go, and none of those experiences were lasting ones - just temporary fun and disappointments when they lost interest. I found myself craving acceptance, and craving it from the type of women I didn't get to date when I was their age - except now, I was over 40, and my once youthful good looks were starting to turn; I sometimes felt like a gallon of milk past the "sell-by" date.
I still had a nice head of dark hair, dark and deep eyes (if I do say so myself) and a pretty average build - strong arms and legs, not super-muscular but not flabby or scrawny. But my stomach ... it was my arch-nemesis. The quintessential "beer belly," even if I didn't drink all that much beer. I tried to exercise when I could, but I was evidently going to have to undergo radical lifestyle changes to shake this stubborn thing, and I just wasn't willing to do that. I lived a busy life, stuck mostly at a desk, eating take-out.
And then there's the occasional hint of a double chin if I don't hold my head at the right angle, stray bits of cellulite here and there, and the fact that I'm a very hairy man - lots of hair on my face, lots of hair on my chest, lots hair on my arms and legs and ... down there - and no one was ever going to confuse me for one of those hairless, square-jawed young adult idols on the teen vampire dramas or whatever was popular these days. Yeah, making it even harder for me is that while I may like dating 20-somethings, I'm more familiar with "Must-See TV" than anything on the air today, and would rather listen to Madonna any day over Billie Eilish. Yet when I'd tried to date women my own age - with their 2.5 kids and impossible schedules and, let's face it, bodies that reminded me more of my own than whatever Phoebe-Cates-in-the-pool fantasy I might have left unfulfilled (see, I told you I was old) - it just didn't do it for me.
So ... I was facing a true conundrum. I still wanted much younger women, but I was moving further and further away from the type of guy most of them were attracted to, both in terms of the number of years I've been on this earth and physically.
And then, I met Lydia.
One of the things I did to occupy my time was community theatre. I met a lot of interesting women that way, and yes, had a couple of flings during productions. But like I said, that was easier at 30, 32, even 35. Now, I was started to get cast out of romantic lead parts and do more "character actors." Sometimes the funny fat guy, or the mean old fart. As a result, I was starting to by seen by any eligible female cast members I might have been interested in as - you guessed it - a funny (but harmless) fat guy, or a mean (and boring) old fart.
But then we were cast together in a certain play (not sharing the name) where the director felt like I was a natural to play the romantic male role, and cast opposite me was the theatre's latest ingenue, Lydia. She was 18, recently graduated from high school, and more interested in breaking into the acting world than a top university, though she was taking some online courses with one of the local colleges. I don't know that our little suburban operation was going to provide anything remotely like a big break for her, but ... well, when dear Lydia wanted to do something, she threw herself into it completely and whole-assed. As I'd soon learn.
I couldn't believe my good fortune to be paired with such a lovely young woman. She was your textbook "girl next door." She was short, about 5-foot-2, but her twiggy legs looked absolutely gorgeous falling out of one of her fashionably short skirts and seemed to cut such intriguing angles when she stood around. Long, flowing brown hair around a rounded, lightly freckled face. Bright, cat-like eyes and a wry, smirking mouth formed by full pink lips that was wide and dazzling when she gave a legit smile. It absolutely lit up the stage. Alabaster skin. A compact, lithe body that would be almost described as a dancer's form - though her perky B-cup breasts appeared somehow larger on her small frame.
I approached her cautiously, probably more out of deflated confidence than anything. I was certain that she'd see me as little more than "over-the-hill" "dad bod" guy. We got along well - I'd make little jokes to her in practice, she'd laugh and kind of look away - and I got the sense that maybe, just maybe ... did she kinda like me? Nah. That's just wishful thinking. Don't fool yourself. That way madness lies.
And then it came time to rehearse a scene where the characters kiss. I was about to ask our director how he wanted to do this - my fake "stage kiss" skills were a bit rusty, and needed some tuning up - but there was no "stage kiss" to be had. Lydia wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned up to meet my mouth with hers, grinning like a girl in love. Our lips found each other and pressed against each other, softly and lovingly, and I heard her moan ever so lightly as we kissed.
After a few seconds that felt like an eternity in the moment, Lydia pulled away and lowered her eyes, smiling the cutest, most demure smile. Everyone just kind of looked at us for a moment, stunned. Finally, the director spoke, "Okay. Great. You guys good with that? I love the realism."
Lydia and I both nodded and laughed nervously. Either she's a damn good actress, I thought, or ... "Wow," said to her. "So you're a method actor, huh?"
She giggled and shrugged. "If it's in the script, might as well commit to it, right?"
"I agree," I said. "Unless we end up doing 'Romeo and Juliet' at some point. Let's just fake the deaths at the end, huh?"
More laughter. God, I loved her laughter. Sweet and musical and uninhibited. We did the scene - and the kiss - a couple more times, to get it down. Each time, her lips lingered a bit longer, and I felt heat radiate from her body, which flushed a little each time. Finally, the director called for a break. As Lydia left the stage, she looked back and me and puckered her lips to blow me a kiss. I pretended to catch it, acting cool even as my body felt electric, agitated. This felt too good to be true.
Things went on like that for a while, in a bit of a holding pattern. Maybe she was just a dedicated actor when it came to kissing scenes. Until one day, she showed up to practice wearing a tank top with a most interesting message on it. The design was made to look like the logo of a certain well-known online porn site, but instead said "That's Gross" in the main type, and then underneath, "I Love It." Just seeing that shirt and imagining the implications made my cock stir.
No one else seemed to pay it any attention, but I couldn't resist making a comment to Lyida in a private moment. "Bold choice for an outfit," I said. Seemed best to approach this cautiously.
Lydia shrugged and took drink from her water bottle. "You like it?"
Geez. How do I answer this? I searched the entire English language for the right words, the perfect thing to say in response that would not seem too eager, not expose too much about myself, and maybe, just maybe, be devilishly clever. What I came up with was this: "Um, yeah."
"Oh yeah? You like gross stuff?"said Lydia, less of a question than a chess move. She was toying with me now.