It had been almost 7 months since their first date, that celebratory dinner right after the house closed. It had been a good year for both, of them. The baseball season had wound down and Connor had had a fantastic year. The team had clinched the wild card spot and won that series but lost in the division championship series. Everyone had played well, both throughout the regular and in the post season, there was good chemistry and high hopes for the new season, to come.
Phil, having connected with Connor, soon became the real estate agent for other celebrity clients. He arranged short and long-term rentals, as well as higher end sales. His clientele shifted and he found himself doing very well financially. He bought a new car, a BMW.
Between them things were mostly great. There was some tension, due to Connor's closet which Connor had eased a little bit. He'd begun his coming out process. He'd told his parents and they had been completely accepting. Then he introduced Phil to them, and they had loved him and welcomed him warmly. One of his aunts, when she found out, wasn't too pleased but she is very religious, and they hadn't expected her to take it well. And in the biggest move, he'd told his two best friends on the team. Both were men he'd known for years, and he was very close with both of them. Connor trusted them. Both had been accepting though a bit surprised. Karl is a pitcher and Jake an infielder, who usually plays third base. The three had gone to college together and come up through triple A, though not always on the same teams, of course. They had remained close. Karl had been married for two years and his wife had just given him a daughter. Jake was engaged and his fiancé was pregnant. Despite Karl and Jake being attached, the three would vacation together, taking a fishing trip after the season each year. Just the guys. Karl's family had a remote cabin on a lake, and they'd head up there to spend a week fishing, drinking, and detoxing after the season.
As things had become more serious with Phil, Connor had brought his two friends into his secret and introduced them to Phil as his boyfriend and not just his tenant. They liked Phil, had met him before, as he was always around Connor's home, as his tenant and friend. The two men had had no clue that Connor was gay, and it took Jake a few days to come to terms with it, but Karl just welcomed Phil into the "family" right away. In the end, Connor felt that Jake realized that he cared for his friend and wanted him to be happy. The whole gay thing was something Jake hadn't been comfortable with whenever the subject came up, which wasn't often. He knew Connor was a stand-up guy and he accepted the news and Phil. The four began to hang out a lot. Mostly at Connor's home but they'd, also, go out and play pool or have a few drinks, the ladies would join them. Connor's wall of secrecy was now porous, any of those who knew could out him at any time. He did worry about that, specifically his unhappy aunt. The more people that knew the easier it would be for someone to slip.
Both Karl and Jake told their ladies (with Connor's permission) and they all welcomed Phil into the family as well. When the season ended, the three men began to prep for their annual fishing trip. Karl asked Connor, as they cleared their lockers if he was bringing Phil, they were alone in the locker room. Connor said he hadn't invited him, since they (Jake and Karl) weren't bringing their spouses.
"But it's a guy's weekend, and well our spouses aren't guys but yours is. You should invite him."
"If you are sure, you want him to come, then I'll invite him. I'm sure he'd be happy to join us."
"Yes, I've talked it over with Jake and we both think he should come."
"Alright, I'll ask him tonight. He should be okay to get off work."
He asked Phil that night and Phil jumped at the chance to go with them. Not a big fisherman or camper for that matter, still he loved the thought of being away from the public and, more or less, alone with Connor. He said he'd love to go.
A few weeks after the end of the season, they packed up the SUV and headed north. The cottage was several hours away, Karl's parents were from the area and their family cottage was north but isolated. It was on a private lake, the only cottage on the lake. His family owned most of the land around it, so it remained private. As the SUV pulled into the parking pad, Phil looked around at what was a large house more than a cottage. Connor had told him it had five bedrooms, and he could see that there was a short dock jutting out into the lake and two small boats were tied up, one on each side. To the left of the dock was a small sandy area, a barbecue and firepit, that Connor indicated. The beach, he said, was good for swimming. The water could be cold, but it was shallow there and on sunny days would get warm.
Karl's Jag was parked ahead of them, and Jake hadn't arrived yet. They got out of the SUV and opened the back to grab their packs, they'd packed light. They'd be fishing and sitting around a fire most nights so both had decided they didn't need a lot of clothing changes. Just a few shirts, shorts and jeans and a sweater (hoodie in Phil's case), if it got cold. They wouldn't be going out to bars or restaurants, so didn't bring anything besides casual clothes.
Connor didn't bother to knock. He just opened the door and hollered that he was here. Karl came around a corner, wearing only a towel. He chest smooth with small nipples. He had tight abs, not quite a six pack but hints of one. His legs and arms were furry, covered in a reddish brown coating of hair. Phil couldn't help but stare at the man. Karl is about six foot two, with chestnut hair and greenish eyes, and you'd think he'd be hairy but as Phil had noticed his chest was completely smooth.
