Almost Famous

By Ryan Bartlett

Chapter 4

“You know, I just realized that we’ve been together almost every day for the last month, and this is the first time I’ve ever been here,” said Cameron.

“I like your place better.”

“Oh, you like hanging out with three slobs?” Cameron chuckled.

“Ok, your place is a sty sometimes.” Wiley laughed with him. “But it’s cozy.”

“It is pretty cozy,” Cameron agreed.

When the elevator stopped, Wiley led Cameron down to his apartment. His one bedroom loft was a Spartan affair. The living room was dominated by a large contemporary leather sofa that faced a massive flat screen TV. There was an empty set of shelves in the corner with a number of boxes stacked next to it.

“Gee, you don’t think this is cozy?” Cameron asked sarcastically as he strode across the polished concrete floor to examine the sole piece of artwork in the room, a large black and white print of the Sydney Opera House that hung over the gas fireplace. He knew it was one of Wiley’s photographs; he’d seen a smaller version on Wiley’s tablet.

“I’m always training or traveling, I guess I never really took the time to decorate.” Wiley blushed sheepishly.

“Or unpack.” Cameron snickered and nodded at the boxes in the corner. “What’s in the boxes?”

“Oh, my tennis stuff. You know; trophies, ribbons and what not.”

“Can I have a look?”

“If you like.” Wiley smiled at Cameron’s enthusiasm as he opened the top box.

“What the fuck?” Cameron exclaimed.

“What?”

“What is this?” asked Cameron, holding up a framed cover of Sports Illustrated featuring a young Wiley in mid swing.

“Oh, crap, I almost forgot about that.”

“How do you forgot being on the cover of Sports Illustrated?”

“It was ages ago. I was only sixteen. Like I told you, I was one of the youngest guys to ever join the tour. They did a story on me and promptly forgot I existed.” Wiley giggled.

“Look how cute you were,” Cameron gushed.

“Whatever.” Wiley chortled. “Come on, I’ll show you the rest of the place.”

Wiley took Cameron’s hand and started down the hall but stopped when Cameron pulled him back. He turned and found Cameron staring at a black and white 8x10 on the fireplace mantle next to two small boxes that he’d missed on his earlier inspection of the print that hung above.

“Are these your parents?” asked Cameron.

“Uh, yeah.”

“What’s in the boxes?”

“I’ll show you,” said Wiley, taking the boxes from the mantel. “These are my parents’ wedding rings. They were recovered from the wreckage of the plane less than a foot away from each other.”

“Wow.”

“It’s kind of a miracle they survived. The fire should have melted them but look, not a scratch,” said Wiley, holding out the simple gold bands.

“They’re beautiful,” said Cameron.

“Yeah, I keep them on the mantle. It makes me feel like, I don’t know…”

“No, I understand,” said Cameron, leaning in to place a gentle kiss on Wiley’s cheek.

“Thanks.” Wiley blushed. “Anyway, let me show you the rest of the place.”

Wiley led Cameron through the dining area, which was missing a dining table, past the kitchen, and into his bedroom. The bedroom was homier than the rest of the apartment. Wiley had a king size bed and had invested a good chunk of change in big fluffy pillows and nice linens, but the best feature of the room was the view of the city. The sun was just starting to set and bathed Los Angeles in its soft orange glow.

“Wow, I can see my apartment from here,” said Cameron as he walked over to the windows to enjoy the view.

“I know,” said Wiley. He walked up behind Cameron, put his arms around his boyfriend’s waist and rested his chin on his shoulder. “I stare out this window all the time and just think; you were right there all along.”

“Awwww,” said Cameron as he patted Wiley’s arm.

“You enjoy the view. I’m going to take a shower and then we’ll get out of here,” said Wiley.

There were two things Wiley loved about his apartment. One was the view from the bedroom, and the other was the bathroom. It was like something out of a spa; the shower had two pulsing heads and a rain head over top. The bathtub was massive and the Jacuzzi feature was perfect for when he came home from a long day on the court. He let the shower heat up while he stripped and then stepped inside and let the water take some of the ache out of his shoulder. “Getting old,” he grumbled to himself but then had to laugh; twenty-one was far too young to start bitching about getting old.

Wiley closed his eyes and rolled his head in circles as the hot water loosened his muscles. He nearly leapt out of his skin when Cameron’s hand came down on his shoulder.

“Holy shit!” Wiley exclaimed as he spun around.

“Hi!” Cameron giggled.

“What are you doing?”

“I missed you,” said Cameron as he kissed Wiley’s lips.

“Ok.” Wiley smiled when they came up for air.

It was the first time he’d ever seen Cameron naked and he didn’t disappoint. His hair was dark and looked black when it was wet, which was a nice contrast to his pretty blue eyes. Cameron often complained about being fat but Wiley couldn’t see why. He had a beautiful shape, strong shoulders and a chest that tapered down to a slender waist, firm backside and coltish legs. Cameron was equally impressed with Wiley, who had broad shoulders, hard pectorals and the most well defined abs of anyone he knew. Both boys peeked at each other’s lower regions, but they were still too timid to touch.

“I love this,” said Cameron as he traced his finger along the outline of Wiley’s abs.

“Quit it, that tickles!” Wiley laughed but winced when he stepped back and his shoulder bumped the wall.

“My poor baby,” said Cameron. “Do you have any Icy Hot?”

“Yeah, why?”

“No questions, just tell me where it is.” Cameron grinned wickedly.

“Medicine cabinet over the sink,” said Wiley, nodding across the room.

“Alright, dry off and go lay down on the bed.”

“Cam, you don’t have to…”

“Duh, but I want to. Now move it,” said Cameron as he gave Wiley a playful slap on the butt.

Cameron retrieved the Icy Hot from the medicine cabinet as Wiley complied with his orders. As Cameron came into the bedroom he took note of the fact that Wiley had put on underwear before lying down and stopped to put on his own. Once he had his boxers on he straddled Wiley’s legs, applied a good dollop of the ointment to his shoulder and then gently massaged it into the skin. Wiley moaned and groaned at first but as Cameron worked the muscle it began to loosen up and before he was finished Wiley was purring like a cat.

“All better?” asked Cameron as he lay across Wiley’s back and rested his head on his other shoulder.

“Much. You’ve got magic fingers,” said Wiley, letting out a contented sigh.

Cameron snuggled down on top of Wiley, smooth chest pressed into smooth back. “This is nice huh?”

“Mmmhmmm.”

Cameron couldn’t help getting an erection; the warm skin on skin contact would do that to anyone. Wiley had one too, but when he felt Cameron’s digging into his buttocks he tensed up.

“Um, you know I’ve never done this before, right?”

“What’s that, sweetie?”

“Uh, you know,” said Wiley. He wiggled underneath Cameron and Cameron felt his erection move across a buttock.

“Oh, oh Wiley, I’m sorry,” said Cameron as he rolled off Wiley’s back and lay next to him.

“It’s ok, I mean, I’m not quite ready for…you know, but I don’t mind it, um, poking me.”

“For what it’s worth, I haven’t done it either.”

“Really?” Wiley exclaimed.

“Yeah, is that hard to believe?”

“No, I guess not. I just figured with all your fans you might have…”

“No,” said Cameron, shaking his head. “You’re the first boy I’ve ever been in love with, and I wouldn’t have given myself to just anyone else.”

“Wow.” Wiley exhaled.

“How about you, none of your fans ever made a move?”

“Well, my fans are mostly lawyers and bankers in their thirties.” Wiley giggled. “I don’t think they’d be interested.”

“Ha, if you think a man in his thirties wouldn’t be interested in this hard little hiney, you haven’t spent much time online,” Cameron teased and slapped Wiley’s butt for emphasis.

“Speaking of your fans, how are we doing on likes?” asked Wiley, changing the subject. Neither of them was ready for sex just yet, and though Wiley was enjoying the intimacy of the moment, he thought it best to talk about something else lest they get carried away and do something they weren’t prepared for.

“You haven’t seen?”

“No, I was preoccupied with the tournament and getting home to you,” said Wiley as he leaned over and kissed him.

“I think my subscribers are interested in you, six-hundred-thousand likes so far.”

“In a day?” Wiley exclaimed.

“More likes in a single day than I’ve ever had. I checked my stats to confirm and nothing else comes even close,” said Cameron.

“Wow.”

“You sure you want to come on my channel? I’d love to have you but if you’re not comfortable…”

“Are you kidding? I’m excited,” said Wiley. “I know how important your channel is to you, and I totally want to be a part of that.”

“You just know all the right things to say, don’t you, Mr. Coyote?” asked Cameron as he leaned in for a kiss.

“It’s shocking, I know.” Wiley snickered. “So when are we going to do this?”

“Let’s talk about it over dinner,” said Cameron. “We need to think of a cool angle.”

The boys reluctantly got dressed and decided to walk down to Pomodoro’s for a pizza. Cameron browsed the web, checked out some of the videos his colleagues had posted for inspiration and slowly a plan came together. They could have shot the video that night, but Wiley asked Cameron back to his apartment so they could enjoy their time alone. Surely Cameron’s subscribers wouldn’t begrudge him some snuggle time. The video could wait until the end of the week.


“Hey everyone, it’s Cameron, and as you can see I’m coming to you from a new location this week.”

They’d decided to use Wiley’s apartment for the video Cameron insisted on calling “Meet the Coyote.” Fortunately it was easy to pack his camera, studio lights, and Bobby into the car for the short drive across the Westwood section of Los Angeles. They were using the amazing view of the city Wiley’s apartment provided as a backdrop, and Bobby had come along to man the camera in exchange for a jumbo bag of sour Skittles.


“If you watched my last video then you remember this guy,” said Cameron, holding the stuffed Wile E. Coyote next to his face. “I told you if my video got half a million likes I’d talk to my boyfriend and see if he’d agree to come on my channel so you guys could meet him. Well, I didn’t get half a million likes. In the end I got 938,322 likes! So, I’m coming to you today from the coyote den, aka my boyfriend’s apartment. Are you guys ready to meet him?”

Cameron paused for effect and Bobby moved the camera up and down as if it were nodding. Bobby then zoomed out and revealed Wiley seated next to Cameron.

“I told you this would make sense later,” said Cameron, waving the stuffed Coyote around then throwing it over his shoulder. “Well, this is my boyfriend, Wiley Grace. Get it, Wile E., Wiley…honey, would you like to say hi to my subscribers?”

“Hi.” Wiley blushed and waved. Despite Cameron spending time preparing him for this, Benji was right; he was a shy person, and being in front of the camera rather than behind it made him nervous.

“Awww, isn’t he cute?” asked Cameron as he put his arm around Wiley, their faces cheek to cheek. “He’s a little shy at first, but he’ll warm up really quickly because we’re going to play a fun game. You’ve probably seen a lot of YouTuber’s posting videos called ‘The Boyfriend TAG’ in which couples respond to various questions from subscribers. In order to make our video a little different I’ve brought my roommate, Bobby, along with me and asked him to put together a list of questions you asked on my Twitter account since my last video. Wiley and I haven’t seen the list so this could be scary. Honey, are you ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” said Wiley.

“Bobby?”

“Let’s get it on, bitches,” said Bobby, off camera.

“Alright then, let’s get started, Bobby, ask the first question, if you please,” said Cameron.

“Ok, this first one is easy,” said Bobby. “Monica from Albany wants to know where you guys met.”

“Well, some of you may remember I got stuck in an elevator at Comic Con last month and spent the hour talking to a really nice guy. This is the guy,” said Cameron, patting Wiley’s shoulder.

“Looking back I think he rigged the elevator so he could spend time with me,” Wiley teased. Cameron was a little surprised that Wiley zinged him and was glad he was starting to relax.

“Please, I didn’t even have any bait.” Cameron giggled. “Besides, you were already on the elevator when I got on.”

“Or was I?” Wiley replied with a raised eyebrow.

“Whatever, you’re such a dork.” Cameron snorted and then pecked Wiley on the lips, holding the kiss for a few seconds.

“Hey, we got a lot of questions here and I just ate. Keep it in your pants,” Bobby admonished.

“Oh Bobby, you’re just jealous.” Cameron laughed.

“No shit, bitch,” said Bobby with his lisp. “Just looking at the Coyote makes me feel pregnant.”

“Oh that’s nasty.” Wiley laughed.

“Poor Bobby, we need to find him a boyfriend,” said Cameron.

“Tell me about it, the best date I’ve had in ages has been with myself,” said Bobby.

“What made it the best?” asked Wiley.

“Duh, the happy ending.”

Cameron and Wiley both looked pointedly into the camera, “Ewwwwww.”

“We should fix him up; what about your friend, Benji?” asked Cameron. The video was mostly impromptu but wasn’t entirely spontaneous; they’d discussed a few things. Cameron would never have brought up Benji without Wiley’s permission.

“Well, he’s straight, but Bobby said something about being able to suck start a leaf blower so…maybe,” said Wiley.

“Oh God, let’s move on. Bobby, what’s the next question?” asked Cameron.

“Jeff from Grosse Point asks, ‘Cameron, is your boyfriend a YouTuber?’”

“Babe, you wanna field that one?”

“Sure. Um, no, Jeff, I’m not a YouTuber. I’m a freelance photographer,” Wiley replied.

“And…what else? Don’t be shy,” Cameron prompted.

“And I’m a professional tennis player on the ATP tour.”

“Can you believe it? I bagged a professional athlete, check this out,” said Cameron as he held up Wiley’s Sports Illustrated cover.

“Ha, I can’t believe you dug that out,” Wiley snorted.

“I think it’s cool as hell,” said Cameron, speaking to the camera, “but he says it’s not a big deal because he’s not in the top ten.”

“I’ll shout it from the rooftop when I make it to number one,” Wiley grinned. “So watch your ass Djokovic!”

“I have no idea who that is.” Cameron chuckled.

“See what I mean?” Wiley rolled his eyes then nudged Cameron with his shoulder.

“Moving on,” said Bobby, “Alicia from Toronto asks, what was your first impression of each other?”

“Well, I thought he was shy and that was really cute, but what I liked most were his big brown eyes,” said Cameron, his cheeks turning pink. “What about you?”

“I thought you’d be taller.”

“What?” Cameron exclaimed.

“You’re always sitting down in your videos; I didn’t realize you were so short.” Wiley giggled.

“Oh no you didn’t. I’m not short,” said Cameron in mock outrage. “Stand up.”

Cameron and Wiley stood back to back and it was obvious Wiley had at least three inches on him.

“I’m learning all kinds of things today.” Cameron giggled into the camera. “Evidently I am short.”

“Next question is from Troy in Denver,” said Bobby. “What do you fight or argue about most?”

“Hmmm, I don’t know, I can’t think of anything. Wiley?”

“Uhhhh…”

“Oh please, Troy, these two don’t argue about anything. It’s so sickeningly sweet I’m using them as my new diet plan,” said Bobby.

“Diet plan?” asked Cameron

“Yup, whenever I feel fat I hang out with you guys and usually within about five minutes I’m blowing lunch and my ass is back in business,” said Bobby in a sing song voice.

“Oh that is so gross,” said Cameron. Wiley was laughing so hard they had to wait for him to catch his breath before moving on to the next question.

“Do you have any pet names for each other?” asked Bobby.

“Well, the Coyote, I mean duh, his name’s Wiley, how can he not be the Coyote?”

“You know, no one ever called me that before I met you.” Wiley giggled.

“Thank Bobby, he came up with it when I first told him and Tucker about you.”

“Bobby, I thought we were pals,” said Wiley shaking his head.

“What’s wrong with the Coyote? It’s cute,” said Bobby. “Anyway, do you have a pet name for Cameron?”

“Does Cam count?”

“That doesn’t count,” Cameron argued, “my mom calls me that!”

“Which brings us to the next question, what do your parents think of your relationship?”

“My parents were a little surprised but I have to say my mom’s reaction was, ‘It’s about time.’”

“Yeah, my friends and, er, family, have been mostly supportive too,” said Wiley, dodging a direct answer about his mom and dad.

“Only mostly?” asked Cameron.

“Well, Benji advised me to be careful. He doesn’t want me to get a broken heart.” Wiley blushed.

“Awww, is that the guy you’re going to fix me up with?” asked Bobby. “He sounds sweet.”

“You told him I’m not a heartbreaker, right?” asked Cameron, ignoring Bobby.

“I told him there was nothing to worry about.” Wiley grinned and pecked Cameron on the cheek.

“Ugh, there it goes, the churning in my stomach,” said Bobby and then he pretended to gag.

“Ok, am I going to have to tell people about the last time you made me puke?” asked Cameron.

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” said Bobby.

“No? You don’t remember Kevin?”

“I don’t…Oh my God!” Bobby exclaimed.

“So I heard this moaning that sounded like a cat in heat coming from his room and being a considerate person I knocked and asked if he was ok. What does Bobby say? ‘Oh yeah, we are definitely fucking.” Cameron roared with laughter.

“What can I say, the loving was good, mmmhmmm,” Bobby retorted. “Next question, what do you guys do on dates?”

“Well, you all know what a homebody I am, and I think I’ve truly found my soul mate,” said Cameron.

“Yeah, our idea of a good time involves eating, watching TV and taking a nap.” Wiley giggled. “I think our best date has been the pajama party.”

“Awww, me too!” Cameron smiled at the memory of the night they’d admitted their love to each other and gave Wiley another peck on the cheek. “Alright guys, I think that’s enough for this video, Wiley, can you think of anything else?”

“Tell them where we’re going to be,” said Wiley.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot,” said Cameron. “I’m going to my first tennis tournament so I can see Wiley play in the Beverly Hills Charity Invitational and we made our reservations yesterday for Wiley’s first Playlist Live, which is coming to the Anaheim Convention Center right here in southern California. If you’ve never been before, Playlist Live is amazing. There are YouTuber’s from all over the country, and if you come down you might get to meet me and Wiley. The event isn’t until September, but tickets go fast so get yours quick. As always, if you liked this video don’t forget to give it a thumb’s up and subscribe to my channel. We’re out!”

“Well, how’d I do?” asked Wiley when the red light blinked out on the camera.

“Perfect, you’re a natural,” said Cameron and then kissed the tip of his nose.

“Ok, how about a more objective opinion?” asked Wiley, addressing the question to Bobby.

“You were totally adorable! Cam’s subscribers are going to shit,” said Bobby.

“Great, if tennis and YouTube don’t work out maybe we can start a career in the laxative industry.” Cameron snorted.

After that they broke down the equipment and packed it into Cameron’s car. Cameron decided to stay with Wiley so he gave Bobby the keys and sent him home. They returned to the apartment and as soon as the door closed behind them, Cameron put his arms around Wiley and kissed him passionately.

“So I really did ok?” asked Wiley when they stopped for breath.

“You remember how you told me most of your fans are middle aged bankers and lawyers?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, the majority of my fans are high school girls and you, Mr. Coyote, are gorgeous! Bobby’s right, they are going to shit,” said Cameron.

“Ha, maybe I can get Ex-lax to sponsor me.” Wiley snickered.

“Brat,” said Cameron as he slapped Wiley’s shoulder.

“Ah,” Wiley winced.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just had a good workout today,” said Wiley. He’d come home straight from practice to film the video.

“Awww, that’s the same shoulder that was bothering you after Santa Barbara,” Cameron noted.

“Well, it’s my serving arm, after a few hours it gets a little stiff,” Wiley explained and drew Cameron close. “You know what would make it feel better?”

“Want me to get the Icy Hot?”

“I have a better idea.” Wiley grinned wickedly then took Cameron’s hand and led him to the bathroom. A moment later they were soaking in the tub, Cameron sitting between Wiley’s legs and leaning back against his chest. Wiley had his arms around his boyfriend and his fingers slowly traced circles around Cameron’s stomach muscles.

“This is nice,” Cameron exhaled contentedly.

“Mmmhmm,” Wiley agreed as he moved a hand up to stroke Cameron’s hair, just above his ear.

“I know I told you I love you, but have I ever told you how lucky you make me feel?”

“Lucky?”

“Yeah, I mean, sometimes I lie awake at night and just look at your face and think about what a chance encounter our meeting was. That morning in San Diego, I was halfway to the elevator and thought about going back to the room to grab my sunglasses. If I’d done that we never would have met and I don’t know what I’d be doing right now, but I certainly wouldn’t be soaking in a tub with the guy of my dreams and feeling happier than I ever thought I could be,” said Cameron.

“You weren’t happy before?”

“I’m happy with my career. It’s been an incredible ride, but you know how late I came out. I was starting to think maybe I’d already met the right guy but was so busy trying to deny who I really am that I let him get away. It made me so sad, and then I met you and well, that’s all gone now.”

“For what it’s worth, I know how you feel,” said Wiley. “I never had a lot of friends because of tennis, then I lost my parents and my crazy aunt. But then you came into my life, someone I love more than…well, you know.”

“You see, this is what people don’t understand. It’s not that we fell in love at first sight exactly. Our souls have wanted this for a long time,” said Cameron.

“Yeah,” Wiley agreed.

“I want you to be my first,” said Cameron.

“Come again?” asked Wiley, nervously.

“I don’t mean right here and right now.” Cameron giggled and rolled around to face his boyfriend. “But when the time is right I want to give myself to you.”

“Thanks.” Wiley smiled and kissed Cameron’s lips. “I don’t know what to say really other than it makes me feel incredibly special.”

“Well, you are incredibly special,” said Cameron. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” said Wiley, sealing it with a kiss that grew increasingly more passionate.

The boys made out until the water grew tepid. They were blushing profusely as they toweled off, but neither tried to hide his erection. Both knew the time to take their relationship to the next level was quickly approaching. Neither was afraid of it, but each was concerned about how to go about it. They were healthy young men with strong libidos and understood the mechanics of sex, what concerned them was how to use the act to convey love. Each of them wanted their first time to be the ultimate expression of their feelings, and that’s not something you can pick up from watching porn. Ironically, both would turn to straight men for the answers they sought.

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