O Chin - Now That It's Over

“Fine. Why don’t you arrange something and I’ll come along?”

“You won’t regret this, I promise. He’s very cute, definitely your type: tall, dark and handsome.”

“Isn’t that every gay man’s type?” Cody shot back. Ai Ling let out a cackle and ended the call with an update-you-later.

The date was set for a Sunday afternoon, coffee at Starbucks outside the Orchard Cineplex. Cody was running late, and as he approached the table at the café, he had a few seconds to observe his date before Ai Ling saw him and got up to introduce them.

Chee Seng was tall and solidly built, with a tanned, almost sunburnt complexion. Over coffee that afternoon, he kept up a brisk, low-key conversation, able to hold his own without Ai Ling’s help, directing most of his questions at Cody, basic questions about his life, work and leisure. Every time Chee Seng smiled, lines would frame the contours of his mouth, his teeth bright against his dark skin.

Cody discovered that Chee Seng had been a teacher for about a year, and before that he had worked as an air steward for three years. “Too long,” he stressed.

“Why did you quit?” Cody asked.

“I wanted to do something else,” he replied, “something more meaningful.”

“And so you chose teaching?”

Chee Seng raised his hands in a gesture of I-don’t-know-what-I’m-doing, grimaced and laughed.

After two hours in the café, they left. Chee Seng insisted on driving all of them back. He dropped Ai Ling off at her place in Bishan before driving Cody back to Ang Mo Kio. Along the way, he asked Cody whether he was keen for another round of drinks since it was still early, only slightly after six. Cody agreed, and Chee Seng turned into the McDonald’s drive-thru, near the block of flats where Cody lived, and bought two iced coffees. After parking the car, they walked to a nearby park, alternating between light conversation and brief snatches of silence. Chee Seng touched his shoulder to Cody’s as they walked, sometimes brushing against his hand, grazing it lightly. Chee Seng’s laugh was full, unabashedly robust, and Cody found himself laughing along with him, caught in the undertow.

When the daylight started to fade, they turned back and walked out of the park. Cody glanced at his watch, undecided on whether to end the date, when Chee Seng asked if he would be interested to have dinner with him sometime.

“Of course,” Cody said.

“How about tomorrow?”

Cody agreed without hesitation. Chee Seng smiled, and for the first time that day, he looked shy, almost awkward. At the lift lobby of Cody’s block, they hesitated, unsure how to proceed.

“So this is where you stay,” Chee Seng said.

“Yes, my whole life.”

“Well, I hope to visit one day, if it’s okay with you.”

“Sure, one day.”

Then Cody moved to kiss him, a light peck on the lips, before pulling away. Chee Seng looked surprised, his eyes wide. Then he flashed a grin and started walking backward, waving at Cody as he headed back to the car. When he was gone, Cody took the lift up, and felt the nascent stirring of desire kicking at his heart.

Chee Seng was getting ready to leave, slipping on his white Jockey underwear. He rarely stayed over at Cody’s place on weekdays because of his work.

“I need to go. It’s getting late,” he said.

“Why don’t you stay for the night and save yourself all the travelling?” Cody said, patting the empty space on the bed. The crumpled bedsheet still retained Chee Seng’s body heat, warm to the touch.

“Not today, okay? I got a long day at work tomorrow, some teacher-parent meeting to attend. This weekend, definitely,” Chee Seng said, tucking the tail of his striped shirt into his dark pants, checking himself in the body-length mirror behind the bedroom door. He gave his hair a few tousles. Cody sneaked up to him and put his arms round Chee Seng’s waist. They studied themselves in the mirror. Cody kissed the nape of his neck, breathing in the muskiness of his skin.

“You look sexy in your work attire,” Cody said, stroking Chee Seng through his pants.

“Come on, you’re horny again?” Chee Seng said, but did not stop Cody when he unzipped the pants, and fished out Chee Seng’s semi-hard cock from the tight underwear. Dropping to his knees, Cody took him into his mouth. Chee Seng held Cody’s head with his hands, raking his hair. Cody looked at their reflections in the mirror as if he were someone else—a stranger—watching a secret, private act. He watched how his mouth moved, how his hands slid up and down Chee Seng’s legs and waist and ass, the flickering of tongue over the swollen head of the cock. Chee Seng closed his eyes and stood on the balls of his feet, immersed in the pleasure.

Cody pulled back for a moment. “Look,” he said, nodding towards the mirror.

Chee Seng opened his eyes and watched as Cody took the cock into his mouth again. Cody hastened his movements, and Chee Seng’s cock contracted involuntarily, a quick spasm.

“I’m coming,” Chee Seng said, tilting Cody’s chin so that their eyes met. An agonised expression streaked across Chee Seng’s face as he came hard. Cody loosened his grip as the convulsions slowed and stopped. Then he swallowed.

Chee Seng grabbed Cody by the shoulders, pulled him up and kissed him full on the lips. Then he pushed Cody onto the bed and pulled down his underwear brusquely. By the time they were both finished, Chee Seng was so tired that he ended up staying the night.

“Where are you bringing me?”

“You’ll know when we get there. It’s not far from where you stay,” Chee Seng said, turning into the car park beside Yio Chu Kang Stadium. At eleven-thirty, it was deserted, the streetlights barely illuminating the empty parking lots between the few cars and vans. Several had window curtains drawn, which made Cody wonder whether this was a haunt for couples to make out. How did Chee Seng know about this place? Had he brought other guys here before?

Before Cody’s mind could raise more doubts, Chee Seng pulled into a lot, at the farthest end of the car park. Switching off the headlights, the car went dark except for the panel of red-orange lights on the dashboard. Chee Seng reached over to pull the lever under Cody’s seat and slide it backward; it went three-quarters of the way down. The next moment, his hands were on Cody, unbuttoning his shirt, fingers cold on his skin.

“I thought we were having a chat.”

“Yes, we can chat, or we can do something else,” Chee Seng said, his breath landing on Cody’s cheek. Cody leant in to kiss him.

“Okay, let’s chat then,” Cody said, nibbling Chee Seng’s right earlobe, moving down his neck, taking in the scent of his cologne. Extending his body, Chee Seng accidentally pushed the air-con button to high, and cold air gushed out of the vents. He fumbled to turn it down.

“It’s so cramped. I can’t even stretch,” Cody said.

“Let’s go to the back,” Chee Seng said. Cody crept across the lowered seat, trying not to bump into anything. Chee Seng was close behind, his hands never leaving Cody’s body, guiding him gently to the back seat. Turning around to face him, Cody felt a sting of self-consciousness as Chee Seng hurriedly began to take off his clothes. Cody looked out the darkly-tinted side windows, scanning the surroundings for movement, keenly aware of the risk that they were taking. His heart pounded, and he froze.

“What’s wrong?” Chee Seng asked, lifting his head.

“Do you do this often? We might get caught.”