Easton is not interested in Halloween or in dating anyone right now. Yet he is dressed in a revealing costume at a gay Halloween party in an abandoned building. He is unhappy, to say the least. He lost a bet to his best friend and business partner Patrick, who dragged him out to be his wingman for the night. Easton would much rather be preparing for the morning rush at their popular bakery, The Glazed Hole. Instead he’s trying to not let his distaste for the holiday ruin Patrick’s evening.
After Patrick sneaks off with a new dancing partner, Easton finds himself being a wallflower until Ky, a Halloween enthusiast dressed in an elaborate wizard costume, strikes up a conversation that leads to a steamy rendezvous in a dark room.
This dapper wizard sweeps Easton off his feet, but Easton treats their encounter as a one-night stand. Later, when they reconnect on a dating app, a mysterious entity called GloryHole85 intervenes with an offer to transport Easton to a realm where his deepest desires can come true.
Will Easton be lured into this fantasy realm? Or will he allow himself to open up to the real man who caught his attention?
Easton liked to be in the park this early on a Sunday because he got to see both who was already up and ready for the day as well as the much more interesting figures who were just now starting to make their way home from last night.
His first subject appeared in his peripheral vision. He set down his latte and readied his pencil. The man was wearing biker shorts and an incorrectly buttoned flannel that sat askew on his chest. His auburn hair was streaked with neon green spray and the glitter on his cheekbones caught in the morning sun. He had deep bags under his eyes, but he was smiling. No, not just smiling, smirking and biting his lip, Easton realized. He was already replaying the sex from a few hours prior.
Once he passed, Easton set those lips to paper. He captured the way the tooth bit down on flesh to dimple it as the corner of the mouth turned up. Just above, he scattered bits of glitter to suggest the shape of the cheek. That subject had been a fun discovery.
As he waited for his next subject, he opened the dating app on his phone. He was sated from the night before, but it was habit. His fingers seemed to click the app without him even realizing it.
He scrolled the grid but another passing subject in the park caught his eye. Two older men, probably in their late sixites, dressed in matching button downs with sweaters tied around their shoulders stopped by the lake. One held a bag of breadcrumbs, and they took turns feeding the squirrels. Easton sketched the bag of breadcrumbs resting in the one man’s hand while the other reached inside. He captured the pressure the second man exerted on the first in the way his hand angled downward. He discovered an intimacy in their everyday gestures that hinted at a decades-long romance.
An alert sounded on his phone. He had a message on the dating app from a man named Ky. He had an attractive, almost familiar profile photo, but Easton wasn’t sure from where.
Ky: Hey handsome
Easton: Morning
Ky: Get home okay last night?
Easton: ???
Ky: From the party.
Easton: Yeah. Were you there?
Easton did not like when guys chatted him up on the apps after having seen him in person. He understood why it was easier to initiate a conversation this way, but sometimes it was just a bit creepy. He considered saying as much when Ky sent a photo that caught him off guard. It was of a man wearing a purple robe, a frilled shirt, embroidered pants and a wizard’s hat.
Ky was the wizard from last night.
Oh fuck me, thought Easton. He was not planning to see this man every again. Yet he had found him already. He considered blocking him, but then again, the sex had been good. Like really good. He let the possibility of having a fuck buddy linger on his mind as he typed.
Easton: Oh, hey, it’s you.
Ky: Yeah, it’s me. You pulled quite the disappearing act last night.
Easton decided he didn’t want to have this conversation with an effective stranger. The guy was old enough to understand how these things worked. Hookups in dark rooms do not come with any future commitments. Once you cum, that’s it. Nothing else should be expected. He had changed his mind about having any future contact with Ky the wizard. He closed out his phone instead of dealing with him. His silence should send a clear response.
A bird alighted on the bench beside him and hopped toward his latte before flitting away. Easton sketched the contours of the disposable cup, the poorly scrawled E in sharpie, and the bird’s beak. That was as far as he got when his phone alerted him again.
He planned to silence his notifications and, if need be, explain in clear terms to Ky that he was not interested.
On the messages tab of his app, Ky was no longer there. I guess he blocked me, reasoned Easton. That was awfully quick to go from locating last night’s hookup to blocking him just because he didn’t respond within five minutes, but Easton took it as a sign that both he and Ky were now on the same page. It was best to leave the memory intact. Not to spoil it by learning exactly who was able to make you orgasm like no other. The reality could be harsh in the light of day.
There was a new message, however.
GloryHole85: How fare thee, fine sir?
People Also Bought:
