By the Legendary Farkus J McFadden
They finished their bike ride around 4:00 p.m. It was a standard ride, maybe fourteen or fifteen miles through forested singletrack trails west of Bend, Oregon. When they reached their trucks, they laid their mountain bikes against a large red ponderosa pine, swapped out their shoes, and dropped the tailgate to enjoy a couple of cold beers, as they usually did. It was the best part of the ride.
It was October, and the parking lot at Phil’s trailhead had only a few cars, mostly locals, as the summer tourist season had concluded. Soon, the tourists would return for ski season. The reprieve from tourists was always nice, as if you got your town back.
It was a warm October day, in the mid-seventies, but the air also felt crisp in the shade. The sunlight was already behind the horizon of massive pines and shone through the trees with an orange hue best seen in autumn. The little remaining forest fire smoke contributed to this beautiful light, though you couldn’t smell the smoke in the clean and fresh air. It was a perfect day for a fall bike ride and the perfect day to enjoy some parking lot time afterward.
Pete pulled a small cooler out of his truck and grabbed two tallboy Rainier beers, which had been bathing in ice since he left his house. He popped his beer, which made a magical sound, and enjoyed the first refreshing gulp while watching Rob dress down to his tight black cycling singlet. Pete glanced over at Rob, secretly admiring Rob’s fine physique through his dark sunglasses while making small talk. They were now in their forties, but Rob took care of himself; this was obvious through the tight singlet that also revealed a fine bulge in his crotch area. Rob was short and powerful, with thinning brown hair and a salt-and-pepper stubble beard.
The two had known each other since college and had a strong friendship. They were in each other’s wedding parties, raised their kids together, and spent most weekends together with their families. As the years passed, their friendship only grew, and they were spending more time together without their wives and kids. With their kids getting older and their marriages stagnating, their fondness for each other was only getting stronger.
Recently, Pete had started having more complicated feelings about Rob. He began fantasizing about a life together, a new life away from their families. He was happily married and loved his wife and children, but the harder he tried to push these feelings down, the stronger they became. At that time, he didn’t know that Rob was feeling the same.
Rob completed his post-ride ritual and came over to sit next to Pete on the truck’s tailgate. They began talking about superficial things, like Rob’s new wireless derailleur, which cost $500, and Pete’s desire to get a new bike, though his wife certainly wouldn’t allow him to drop $5,000 to do so. They talked about the upcoming ski season, snow projections, and joked about the new wealthy Californians who were moving to town in droves, building huge houses and driving around in fancy European SUVs and EVs.
When they popped their second Rainier, they were certainly loosening up. They began to plan a backcountry winter ski trip, talked about their kids, and complained about their wives. When the third beer came out, they were laughing more, feeling lighter, speaking loudly and more animatedly between pee breaks behind a nearby tree.
As the afternoon passed, they both knew it was time to get home. The ride and the beers had caught up with them, and they sat on the tailgate, out of topics to discuss. They were now sitting closely, with their outer thighs touching. They didn’t usually sit so close.
Rob said he had to get going and looked at Pete with an unfamiliar, curious look, with an almost awkward amount of eye contact. Pete became self-conscious and jumped off the truck’s tailgate, though he thought about that look for several days afterward.
Pete made his way home, feeling slightly tipsy. He realized he shouldn’t be behind the wheel but convinced himself it was fine since it was just a short trip. Throughout the drive, he kept pondering the expression Rob had given him. What was that look about? It was unfamiliar—a curious gaze from Rob.......
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