Ready for My Close-Up

Ethan knocked on Jake's door. While he waited, he shifted his weight, and moved the six pack of bottles from one hand to another. He was feeling nervous, more nervous than he expected.

He had come over to practice a scene with Jake: they were in a movie together, and there was a scene coming up where they had to be -- intimate. The director had taken them aside and suggested they rehearse the scene on their own before they rehearsed it on set. Ethan felt like this was a good idea, and he was relieved when Jake readily agreed.

Jake opened the door. He was wearing a tank top with some sweatpants. Ethan felt a little overdressed with his jeans and button-up shirt.

"Hey buddy! Come on in."

"Thanks!" Ethan said.

He walked in. Jake's place was impressive -- big open spaces and beautiful wood floors.

"This place is crazy!" Ethan said. "The studio only gave me a bachelor in a condo."

"The perks of being a star, I guess," Jake said as he led Ethan down a short hallway, past the marble and steel in the kitchen through to the expansive, two-storey living room. The large sliding glass doors fronted onto a darkened backyard.

"Really?" Ethan said. "It must be all that superhero money."

"I'm kidding of course," Jake said. "I'm in a shitty condo, too. I just rented this AirBnb for the week we have off." He walked into the kitchen. "Do you want something to drink?"

"I brought some beer." He placed the six pack on the counter.

"That's cool, but I thought we'd start off with a shot of something. I've got some bourbon."

"A shot?" Ethan said. "I don't want to get too fucked up."

"We've got all week off," Jake said. "And besides, it'll help with the scene."

Jake pulled out two short glasses. He opened a bottle of bourbon and poured out healthy splashes in each.

"Here you go," he said, passing the booze to Ethan. Ethan smelled it. He wasn't a big bourbon or whiskey fan, so it smelled like poison.

Jake held out his glass.

"Bottoms up!"

They clinked glasses and downed them.

Ethan started coughing.

"God, that was fucking awful."

Jake laughed. "I thought it was pretty tasty. But it's okay. The hard part's done." He slapped Ethan's back.

Ethan opened one of his beers and took a sip. The froth managed to wash the burning sensation away.

"Let's go sit in the living room. Put the beers in the fridge so they don't get warm."

After putting the beer away, they settled themselves in the living room: Jake in the plush white couch, Ethan in a nearby armchair.

Ethan looked at his phone. He felt butterflies in his stomach. Maybe if he just pushed his way through, he'd be able to do it.

He pulled up the script.

"Okay," he said, "Where do you want to start going through the scene?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jake said. "Let's not get right into it. Here, pick up that controller."

He pointed out a nearby controller on the coffee table. He began scrolling through options on the TV screen facing them.

"What is this?" Ethan said.

"It's MarioKart. Have you ever played?"

"I'm not a video games guy," Ethan said.

"That's okay," Jake said. "It's pretty simple."

Jake explained the buttons and the rules. Within minutes, Ethan, a little toadstool, was racing around a track.

Jake was clearly an expert at it, but he didn't do anything to mess Ethan up. He easily won the first two games. But he didn't rub it in. After each one, he said, "Great job, buddy!"

Somehow, with a burst of beginner's luck, Ethan won the third race.

"Hey, that was awesome, buddy!" Jake said, smiling. "But you better watch out!"

Ethan nodded and took a swig of his beer. He was feeling cocky. Maybe he had some secret ability to play this game that was even better than all of Jake's practice.

But he was wrong. Within seconds of starting, Jake had shot him with a shell. Ethan cursed at him repeatedly, but Jake, laughing, easily beat him again.

"You are a fucking little shit," Ethan said, smiling.

"Here," he said. "This will help you drive." He pulled out a vape pen and took a hit. He passed it to Ethan. Ethan took a long hit.

The vape and alcohol mixed in his body and began to ease his muscles. While they were stopped, Jake got up and got a bottle of beer and a bowl of chips.

On the sixth or seventh race, they were fully shit-talking each other and laughing. Jake was winning easily, but Ethan didn't mind. It was almost more fun to lose terribly and to call Jake all sorts of names.

It was probably their eighth race when in a pause in their shit-talking, Jake asked Ethan, "So, have you ever kissed a guy before?"

Ethan nearly crashed, but he kept his eyes on the screen.

"Never. I've only been with girls. You?"

"Yeah, I have," he said. "I'm not gay or bi, but when I was in theatre school, all of my gay and queer classmates wanted to practice kissing. It was just a thing. You know, experimenting."

They kept driving for another minute. Ethan could feel his face flush with anxiety.

"So," Jake said. "Maybe we should practice kissing first before we even get into the scene."

They kept racing.

When they had finished, Ethan said, "Sure. That's probably a good idea."

Jake patted the couch next to him.

"Come over here."

Ethan put down the controller and went over to the couch. He sat down.

"Do you want another hit?"

Ethan shook his head. He was definitely feeling the alcohol and cannabis mixture in his body. It was relaxing, sure, but also giving him a little burst of excitement, which was adding to his anxiety.

Being this close to Jake was also intimidating. Jake was more famous than Ethan. He had recently finished a superhero movie, and although it hadn't been released yet, it was almost guaranteed to make him a superstar. He also had a natural handsomeness -- a mixture of boyish beauty and masculine sharp angles in his face. And he had trained long and hard for the role, and so his body was almost inhumanly large and perfect. Ethan was in just regular gym shape, and he had only done some well-regarded indie movies. He felt like Jake was from another planet.

"I think, first," Jake said. "Just get used to touching me."

Jake held out his hands. Ethan reached out and touched them. Ethan's palms were a little sweaty, but Jake didn't flinch. Jake took Ethan's hands and placed them on his arms.

"Feel my arms and my chest."

Ethan began running his hands across Jake's biceps and triceps and chest. They had such definition that Ethan could feel all of the individual muscles. As he felt Jake's arms, Jake was feeling his.

"I'll take my top off," Jake said.

He removed the tank top and Ethan could see the movie star body up close. It was like looking at an AI-generated fantasy. He seemed to have no body fat. His pectorals were huge and nicely rounded. His nipples were large and seemed hard. Ethan felt it all.

Jake felt him through his shirt.

"I can feel that you have a great body under here," Jake said. "Can you take off your shirt?"

"It's nothing compared to yours."

"It seems pretty fit."

Ethan felt a wash of pleasure. He took a big swig from his beer and unbuttoned his shirt.

"Yeah, look at that," Jake said. "A great runner's body. The body hair looks great."

Ethan had a dusting of body hair over his chest and down the middle of his abdomen.

They continued to touch and run their hands over each other. It felt good, both to give and receive. Ethan closed his eyes and just breathed the pleasure in and out.

When he opened his eyes a moment later, Jake's eyes were closed, and his mouth was slightly open. He looked so beautiful. So many girls -- and guys -- were going to be lusting after this guy in just a few months. They would be dreaming of what he was about to do with Jake.

Without thinking, he leaned forward and lightly kissed Jake on the mouth.

Jake did not flinch, and immediately returned the kiss.

It started out soft and meditative. Just tasting the beer residue on each other's lips. Ethan was surprised at how it was different than kissing a girl -- the lips were stronger, chewier, and he felt the slight scrape of stubble. But these differences were exciting.

After a moment, Jake pushed his tongue into Ethan's mouth.

It was shocking at first, but once the initial shock had worn off, Ethan was surprised at how much he enjoyed it. He began sucking on Jake's tongue, letting it work its way through his mouth. There was also a new, pleasurable feeling budding in his brain -- that of being dominated. He liked the idea of Jake taking charge.

Jake reached out and gripped the back of his head and began pushing his tongue all around Ethan's tongue and mouth.

Ethan felt hot and excited and incredibly turned-on by the kissing, and he was somewhat surprised to realize that in his jeans, his dick was starting to grow.

Then, with almost a pop, Jake pulled himself away.

"I think you're getting comfortable with kissing," Jake said.

"Yeah," Ethan said. His brain was short-circuiting. "That was amazing. You are a great kisser."

"Thanks," Jake said. "You were pretty good, too!"

Jake stood up.

"Let's take a break for a moment. I've got to take a piss."

He walked over to the nearby washroom.

Ethan downed his beer and walked over to the fridge. He pulled out a new beer and opened it. From the kitchen, Ethan could see Jake in the bathroom -- Jake hadn't bothered to close the door. Jake's back, with his large lats and big shoulders, seemed to fill up the bathroom, and a powerful stream gushed from his dick into the toilet. Even from here, Ethan thought he could see part of Jake's dick.

Jake stopped pissing. He shook the last drips from his dick and wrestled it back into his sweatpants. While Jake washed his hands, Ethan turned his focus on his beer so he wouldn't be caught staring.

"Are you feeling more comfortable?" Jake said. He walked toward Ethan, rubbing his hand against his bare abs. His large dickprint was clearly visible in his sweatpants -- more so than before. Was he a little turned on?

"Yes, yes," Ethan said.

Jake walked over to the fridge and pulled out another beer. He unscrewed the top and took a big swig from the bottle. Ethan watched Jake's abdomen muscles swim around as he drank. It was incredible.

"Cheers," Jake said.

"Cheers," Ethan said.

They clinked bottles and drank again.

Jake wiped his mouth.

Ethan said, "Can we try kissing again?"

Jake smiled. "Of course."

Ethan was a little taller than Jake, and so Ethan leaned down to kiss him. Once again, those strong lips and slight stubble scratched him, but he liked it. Jake's tongue pushed into his mouth. Ethan grabbed it with his lips and sucked on it.

For a few moments, their lips and tongues moved in unison, and the pleasure slowed his breathing. He just felt his skin tingling and excitement bubbling around his head.

Without thinking, he put his hands on Jake and Jake did the same.

Why had he never kissed a guy before? This was pretty amazing.

But once again, just as he was getting into it, Jake pulled away.

"I'm glad you're getting comfortable," Jake said. "But maybe let's continue with the rehearsal." He winked.

Ethan felt a little embarrassed. Was he showing too much interest in Jake?

Jake sat down on the couch, and Ethan sat next to him.

"Let's do the scene at the bar," Jake said. He took another vape hit.

"Sure, sure," Ethan said. He was feeling a little exposed, so he put his shirt back on. He didn't button it up though.

They began to do the scene. It was a moment when the two parts they were playing -- Shane and Cody -- are trying to connect after a one-night stand. Shane, played by Jake, doesn't want to open up because of trauma in his background. And Cody, played by Ethan, has only known heartbreak, and so he's nervous to let anyone in.

As they read the scene, Ethan was finding it hard to concentrate on his role because of the strange feelings he was having. He realized he wanted to kiss Jake more and touch his body, and it was distracting him. First of all, this was something he had never experienced before with a man. He was not a homophobe, but he had just never felt turned on by a male body before. It was surprising, but pleasantly exciting.

On top of that, he was feeling a little rejected by Jake -- like, he felt that he was showing too much interest in Jake, and Jake, the movie star, needed to push this clingy fan away.

Worse, he knew that he was so in his head that he wasn't doing a good job acting. The cannabis was only heightening these feelings. He began to shiver a little.

Jake stopped reading.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ethan said. "I'm just a little cold."

"I'll turn up the thermostat."

"No, no," Ethan said. He said this, but his teeth were chattering. "I'll be fine."

"Buddy, no, it's done."

Jake jumped up and went off to another room. Ethan took a swig of his beer. The shivering subsided a little. He wondered if he should just leave. They could try to do the scene at a different time.

After all, here he was, doing a rehearsal with a guy who was probably going to be one of the world's most famous actors this time next year, and he was getting a weird, out-of-the-blue crush on him. He must be weirding Jake out. He needed to stop or leave or something.

He even started to imagine that maybe he needed to drop out of the film. After all, how could he act opposite Jake if he had an unrequited crush on him. How could he do that? He couldn't do that.

Jake returned with some towels and a bottle of something.

"The thermostat is CRANKED. It'll be like summer in here in a few minutes."

Jake laid out a big towel on the ground.

"Here," he said. "Lie down here and I'll give you a massage. This'll help you relax."

"No, no," Ethan said. "That's okay, we can get back to the scene."

Jake was already taking his sweatpants off. In a moment, he only had his black briefs on. If he looked incredible before, he looked phenomenal now. It only made Ethan feel even worse.

"Take a hit from the vape and lie down here. Trust me. This will help."

Ethan was about to say no again. But it seemed easier to just agree with whatever Jake wanted.

And, he had to admit, he did want Jake to touch him.

Ethan took off his pants and socks, leaving only a pair of red boxer briefs on. He took a hit from the vape and laid face down on the towel. He was still shivering a little.

He felt Jake straddle his back -- Jake's legs rested against his sides. Jake must have squirted massage oil onto his hands because when Jake's hands touched Ethan's back, Ethan felt first cool, and then warming oil spread along his skin.

Jake wasn't a trained masseuse, but it felt good to be touched by him. Jake's hands were warm, and the thermostat was doing its job because soon Ethan stopped shivering.

They stayed silent. The only sound was the sound of the oil squelching between Jake's hands and Ethan's back.

After a few minutes, Jake spoke.

"Tell me a secret," Jake said. "Tell me something you've never told anyone."

Ethan was resting his head on his crossed arms. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the feeling of Jake's hands.

Ethan began talking. He didn't know where the words were coming from.

"My Dad died when I was young. I was ten, almost eleven. He had been a heavy drinker, and a few days before my eleventh birthday, he had a heart attack while driving. He drove into a neighbour's front yard and crushed their hedge. For years after, I'd see the hole in the hedge and think of him dying in his car."

"That's terrible," Jake said. He kept massaging for a moment, and then spoke again. "Keep going. How did this make you feel?"

Jake flipped around and began rubbing oil on Ethan's legs. Jake wasn't touching anything private, but the legs felt more intimate than Ethan's back. Ethan's dick was squashed beneath him, but he felt it stirring.

"I felt sad, of course. I felt embarrassed that I wasn't normal like other kids. That my father dying made us weird and strange. We were an object of pity. I had always been a quiet kid and this just made me not want to do anything with other people. Which made things worse, socially for me."

The pleasure from the massage was making it hard for Ethan to think. He paused to just feel Jake's hands running over his legs, and the warm pressure of Jake's ass on his lower back. The future and all of the things he had to keep in mind about the movie started to flee from his head. He couldn't even remember the worries he was having before. He just focused on how his skin and muscles felt like they were melting into the massage oil.

Ethan kept talking about his childhood and Jake massaged. After a few more minutes, they fell silent. Jake was massaging Ethan's feet. Ethan hadn't had a massage in awhile and he had forgotten how good it felt to have his feet gently manipulated.

Ethan began imagining what Jake's hard dick looked like. He imagined it standing straight, with a drop of cum dribbling from the top.

There was definite movement in Ethan's underwear.

"Flip over," Jake said. Jake stood up.

Ethan groggily flipped himself over. His underwear was showing growth, but the cannabis was putting him in a "fuck it," mood. He didn't care.

Jake put a hand towel over the top of Ethan's face. Only Ethan's mouth was left exposed.

"What's the secret part of this?" Jake sat down on Ethan's abdomen, facing away from Ethan's face. He began rubbing oil over the tops of Ethan's legs. If Jake rubbing the back of his legs was exciting, rubbing the front was instantly sending jolts of horniness through Ethan's body. It felt like the nerves in his legs were wired directly into his cock, and with Jake's gentle massaging, he almost felt like his crotch was being massaged. He could feel his dick thickening even more.

His heart pounded -- this was so crazy! - but he was beyond caring. He liked that his dick was expanding and getting closer and closer to Jake.

"The secret is that I think I always wanted my father's approval. He was always a pretty strict guy, and he often told me to stop whining -- he thought I was too weak. I wish he had shown me more love. I wish he had told me that he was proud of me."

Some emotional dam was bursting. Sexual voltage was buzzing across his skin in rhythm with Jake's movements. Ethan's dick was fully erect, and he could feel it jolting the fabric of his underwear up and down. Jake must have noticed that he was hard, and sometimes, when Jake leaned over, Ethan could feel his cock briefly brush against Jake's abdomen. The fact that Jake must have noticed the erection and was not stopping was even more exciting.

Jake got up and this time sat on Ethan's legs just below the crotch. He began massaging Ethan's torso. Jake's hands rippled over Ethan's abdomen, and across his pecs. As Jake leaned forward, Ethan could feel the warmth and pressure from Jake's crotch pushing against his. Was Jake hard too?

"What's your secret?" Ethan said.

"My secret?" Jake said. "I lied to you earlier."

Jake's hand massaged Ethan's pecs. His fingers played over the nipples gently. The touching set off waves of sensation. Just Jake's fingers brushing against them made Ethan's dick jerk in response.

Jake leaned even further over, and his crotch pushed down on Ethan's erection. There was clearly something hard in there. Something big and hard. It felt like a lead pipe.

"What did you lie about?" Ethan said. He could barely breathe.

"I said I wasn't bi," Jake said. "Which I'm not, not really. I am usually with girls, but I did fall in love with a guy once."

Jake ran his arms down Ethan's sides and confidently smushed his crotch into Ethan's. Their hard dicks jostled against each other. The warmth and masculinity was spectacular.

"He looked a lot like you, actually," Jake said. "I loved him a lot. I just wanted to hold him all the time and protect him."