Gabriel Bradshaw
Bio
I've been dating for twenty years, and I have some insane stories to share. Join me on my quest of love: romantic love and the love of labels. The dating world is savage, but I won't give up until I get what I want.
Stories (31)
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Sins of the Father
I hadn't spoken to my father in over two years when I got a text from my cousin Arielle informing me that my sperm donor had recently started experiencing an irregular heartbeat and that after being monitored for a month would possibly need a pacemaker or medication. Both of my parents were turning sixty that year; the chances of losing one - or both of them - were growing higher by the day. Still, I couldn't help but look back at the tempestuous relationship I had with my father and wonder if it wasn't the root cause of a lot of my issues in the present.
By Gabriel Bradshaw about 19 hours ago in Humans
Mystery Man at Midnight. Content Warning.
When it comes to hooking up, there are several commonsense rules that you should follow: meet in a public place first, let a friend or family member know where you're at just in case things get dicey, trust your gut - if things are sketchy get out, know what the person you're meeting looks like, just to name a few.
By Gabriel Bradshaw 7 days ago in Filthy
The Mississippi Blues. Content Warning.
About a year after COVID shut the world down and mass hysteria ensued the world was opened back up and life continued. While it seemed like a near-perfect facsimile of life BC - before COVID - it was hard to forget all that had happened; the world was more divided then ever; it almost seemed like chaos was to be the new normal.
By Gabriel Bradshaw 14 days ago in Humans
Drive Me Mad. Content Warning.
I woke up the day of my movie date with Courtney and Zane feeling more energized and healthier than I had in a long time; I'd recently started making a smoothie for breakfast - mixed frozen berries, strawberry Kefir, grape juice, and strawberry kiwi juice. Not only were they helping with my stomach issues, but they also helped make me feel more awake and increased my vitality.
By Gabriel Bradshaw 22 days ago in Humans
Reunification. Content Warning.
The week after my first date with Zane the factory that he worked at closed permanently. During the tail end of our second date, his car started to act up; once before he took it in to get checked out, he suspected that the problem was the transmission. Zane had only paid $5oo for the car and said that he would just drive it for as long as he could before buying another cheap used car. N0t having a vehicle put a pin in our courtship, however, leaving us in purgatory.
By Gabriel Bradshaw 29 days ago in Humans
The Age of Innocence. Content Warning.
When I was twenty-four, I had quite an interesting fall and winter. I'd spent the last eight months harboring an intense crush on one of my coworkers; he'd protested that he was straight, but -- thankfully -- didn't let my crush on him ruin our friendship. Cody was a sweet, nerdy kid with braces and a speech impediment; when we'd first met, he'd had a girlfriend. They didn't last the remainder of their senior year, though. I heard rumors that she cheated on him often in the parking lot behind H & H Bakery -- just a few blocks away. I spent the summer before he left for the UP to attend Lake Superior State University trying to show him how much I cared about him and was going to be devastated when he left; we fought a lot that summer. At first, he was jealous that I'd become good friends with the new girl at work -- Kristin. He'd accuse me of replacing him with her, which was just insane. Yes, I did like Kristin -- Bambi, as I'd nicknamed her -- but she was my friend; Cody was so much more than that, at least in my eyes. We started to fight more and more; our friendship seemed to turn into a game of who could hurt the other more. At one point, Cody asked me to go to Cedar Point with him -- I'd never been -- but when I hesitated to confirm the date, he shrugged it off and made plans with his other -- straight -- friends. In the end, we left things on a good foot. His last night in town, he came in to see me at work to say his goodbyes. We made tacos, and spent the night laughing; it finally felt like we'd gotten back to being us. When we said goodbye in the parking lot, I clung to him, telling him I loved him as I tried not to cry; he didn't say it back. I was almost brought to tears when he showed up in the lobby at work the weekend of my birthday -- in October; we didn't get to see each other much because he'd brought his friend/roommate and they had more places to go, but the thought that he had not only remembered my birthday, but also that he had cared enough to surprise me meant the world to me. Unfortunately, we saw each other once after that -- when he was home on Christmas break -- before we lost touch. He's now a member of the Navy and engaged; I've seen him a few times when he was home visiting his parents, but it wasn't the same. It was crazy how obsessed with him I was during that period; I thought I'd never find anyone better, that if I just kept showing him that I loved him, he'd choose me.
By Gabriel Bradshaw about a month ago in Humans
Losing My Virginity. Content Warning.
When I was younger, I wanted my first sexual experience to be for love, not simply a buildup of teenaged hormones. Unfortunately, my stepdad was incredibly homophobic, going so far as to tell my mother when he caught me watching the musical film Chicago at age twelve that if I came home with a boyfriend, he was going to kick me out. When my mother passed it on it didn't even occur to me to be upset with her for not only telling me about it, but for not punching him in the face like he deserved. Growing up knowing that the way I was was wrong, I learned to deny it as much as humanly possible; I didn't feel that I could trust anyone with my deepest, darkest secret. In high school, there was a lot of speculation about my sexuality - I was the guy who hung out almost exclusively with girls and loved musical theater and Madonna - but I didn't feel that I could be open and honest about my sexuality even then, so instead, I fervently denied it. I kept all of my gay crushes hidden away, afraid to even act on them lest my stepdad find out and kick me to the curb.
By Gabriel Bradshaw about a month ago in Filthy
The Emancipation Sex-clamation. Content Warning.
For the first few months after I moved out on my own my sex life improved immensely. For the first time ever not only could I host, but I didn't have to schlep the guy out to the old outbuilding at my grandma's house that I lovingly referred to as the Blair Witch house. At one point it was a barn or something - it was a farm when my grandma was growing up - but by the time I was born it was just a dilapidated building filled with old clothes and odds and ends. By the time I lived there as an adult, the roof had completely collapsed and all that was left were the brick walls. I used to sneak out there to smoke, knowing my grandmother wouldn't be able to catch me.
By Gabriel Bradshaw 2 months ago in Filthy
Hari Cary. Content Warning.
The gay community is known for being obsessed with youth, sex, and beauty. It's often joked that once a gay guy turns thirty, he's considered middle aged, that he ceases to exist. When I turned thirty, my already lackluster love life became pretty much extinct. It's true that I have never been considered extremely attractive: I don't work out, I don't prance around in crop tops and booty shorts, there is nothing about my physical appearance that makes me stand out from the hundreds of other - and certainly hotter - guys in the crowd. I'd consider my looks average at best; sure, I get compliments on my white teeth and my big eyes, but being called "cute" is nowhere near as satisfying as being called "sexy" or "hot."
By Gabriel Bradshaw 2 months ago in Filthy
All in the Family. Content Warning.
Back in my twenties, I had a very bad habit of developing crushes on my coworkers. I know they say not to shit where you eat but considering that my primary method of socialization is work, there weren't many other opportunities for me to meet people. Of course, I was on Grindr, but it was so much easier to grow emotionally attached to guys that I actually knew in person, who knew me and liked me in spite of my quirks and eccentricies.
By Gabriel Bradshaw 2 months ago in Filthy
The Boy Who Cried Love. Content Warning.
After Terrence ghosted me, it took me awhile to move on. I was well aware that we hadn't been dating, but after three months of 'hanging out' and being intimate, it seemed like we were at the very least, on the road to dating. I couldn't understand how he could just cut me out of his life so callously, how he could live with himself knowing the pain and distress that he was causing me. It wasn't until the following spring that I even started to seriously talk to guys again.
By Gabriel Bradshaw 2 months ago in Humans
Fingering It Out. Content Warning.
It's not uncommon to develop feelings for someone after sleeping with them. I'm usually pretty good at remaining detached after sex, but after Zane and I slept together - after our first official date - I couldn't help but admit that while I wasn't in love with him, I was warming up to the idea of having him in my life. There weren't any guarantees that it would progress to a relationship, but I felt more comfortable with him - sexually - than I did with most guys, which I took as a good sign.
By Gabriel Bradshaw 3 months ago in Humans
