Berto's Roses

Berto's Roses

By Ben

Part LV

As I got dressed, the image of Berto's smooth young body kept stealing into my thoughts. It would have been enough for me just to have it next to me, but I also had his love. This was truly an unimaginable gift. This sweet man-boy loved me, as I loved him.

I must have been walking with a spring in my step as I entered the kitchen. Randy looked up from what he was doing and said. "Well, it sure looks like somebody is in a good mood this mornin'. Must have been all that sleep you and Berto got last night."

"Yup." Agreed Wade, who had been sitting at the table. "Berto seemed mighty chipper this mornin', too."

I looked at both of them and realized they had known about this for awhile as well. "I cannot believe you people. I feel like such an idiot." I said.

Wade grinned and said, "Trust your feelings, Ben." He started laughing at his own joke. I chose to ignore him.

"Is there any coffee left? I asked Randy.

"Yeah, I put some in a carafe and put it and some fruit on the table in the sunroom in case Jose wanted something to eat. I couldn't get him to eat anything at breakfast."

"Thanks, Randy." I gave him a kiss on the cheek as I turned to make my way to the sunroom. I gently punched Wade on the arm on my way out.

I found Jose half-sitting/half-lying on the couch with the sun streaming through the windows and shining on him. He was wearing only a pair of gray sweatpants. Even with his bandages and cast he was a gorgeous man. His tan skin glowed in the sunlight, illuminating his long, defined, feline body. I stood for a few minutes and watched him.

It was the eyes that caused my concern. Once so full of life and good humor, they were now dull and closed off his soul to the world. I could not imagine how I would feel if I had been the pilot and only survivor of a plane crash. I only hoped that he would be able to work through all of this and get back to being the old Jose soon.

Jose looked up as I approached but gave me no greeting. I tried to gauge my salutation as being cheerful, but not too cheerful. This was not so easy as I was walking on air because of what was happening with Berto and me. "Good morning, Jose. It looks to be another fine day. Have you seen Berto?"

Jose turned his head and gazed out toward the rose garden. "He is there." Jose simply stated, softly and flatly. "And Ricky?" I inquired.

"Enrique is up in the office using the telephone and the computer." Jose said, still staring into the garden.

"Would you like some company, Jose? I can sit with you for awhile if you like."

"Gracias, Ben, but no, I will be fine here alone." He finally turned to look at me and made a valiant attempt at a smile. He failed miserably.

"Okay, then, mi amigo. I will go and find Ricky. I'll check in on you later." I kissed his forehead and made my way up the stairs to the third story office. I knocked and Ricky looked up from the monitor.

Smiling broadly he said, "Well, hola, my friend! You are looking very well and happy today. Could it be love?" "News certainly travels fast in this place." I answered him.

"It was only news to you. Everybody else already knew it." Ricky giggled.

"So I am finding out. What are you doing?"

"I am taking care of some business that must be attended to. Papa's lawyers need me to respond to several personal and financial situations, so I am working on that. Did Carla see you before she left?"

"Oh, yeah. She saw plenty before she left."

"Oh? And just what did she see?" Ricky lifted his eyebrows questioningly.

"Never mind. I'm sure you'll hear all about it in no time." I told him.

"As you wish, lover-boy" He teased.

I changed the subject. "I stopped in and saw Jose. How is he doing?" I asked

Ricky sighed and shook his head. "According to Miguel, his nurse, he's doing remarkably well, physically. Emotionally, that is another thing."

"Do you think he might benefit from some counseling?" I asked.

"I am not sure he would be receptive to that suggestion right now. I do know that he feels very guilty about the crash. He keeps apologizing to me about Papa."

"There must be something we can do, Ricky. It's so sad to see him this way. Does he talk to you about what happened? How much does he remember?"

"Jose does not say much about the crash at all. He feels that he is responsible for taking mi Papa away from Carla and me. Also for taking away Manuella from Berto. I cannot convince him that it is not his fault. He tells me I cannot understand because I am not a pilot.

I had a sudden thought, but wasn't sure if it was such a great idea. Ricky saw my expression and asked me what was going on in my thoughts.

"I was just thinking maybe another pilot could listen to him and help him to determine just exactly what went wrong and reassure him that there wasn't anything he could do to prevent such a tragedy."

"Perhaps you are right. Do you know of someone who...Uh, oh. You are not thinking...?"

"Yes, I was thinking of Jake. I know that there were some bad feelings between them, because of Jake's obsession with you, but he IS a pilot, and he DOES know Jose."

"Do you think he would be willing to talk to Jose?"

"I am certain he would, Ricky. He can be a shit, sometimes, but I am sure he would be willing to help if he could."

Ricky wore a dubious expression. "I don't feel as confident as you, but I will trust your judgement. Would you please contact him? I would not want him to get the wrong idea that I want anything from him but his help. There will be nothing physical between Jake and I. Please make sure he understands this."

"Of course, Ricky." I assured him. I'll call him as soon as I come back in from helping Berto in the garden. Do you think Jose will want to talk to Jake."

Ricky wrinkled his forehead. "I do not know, but I will not tell him about it until you have spoken to Jake and we know if he will be coming."

"Good idea." I agreed.

I made my way down the two flights of stairs and into the garden via the big living room. Through the open fireplace I could see Jose out in the sunroom. He hadn't changed his position at all since I had left him before. It hurt to see him so troubled. I only hoped that our plan to bring Jake here to speak with him would help. I also hoped that Jake's mere presence would not agitate Jose and compound the situation.

It took me just a few seconds to locate Berto among the rose bushes. As usual he was squatting down, intently looking at what his hands were doing in front of him. I wondered just how much he filtered out about what was happening in the rest of the world.

I walked up to where he was working and squatted beside him. We worked silently side by side as we had done so many times before. Each one feeling and communicating with the plants, content to be in each other's company.

What was different this time was that whenever our faces were close, we would take the opportunity to steal a quick kiss or two. I don't think it occurred to either of us that we should not do this. Expressing our love for one another just came naturally to us. We were not concerned that others might see us. That was the beauty of this place.

While the rest of the world might frown on such behavior, this was our place, Berto's and mine. Safe from the narrow views of society, which held that two men should not kiss in public places, or hold hands, or any other public displays of affection. That had bothered me for years. While I wasn't militant I had always felt that it was unfair to restrict such things. Love is never evil and to hide it is just wrong.

When we had finished pruning and shaping the bushes, Berto took my hand and we walked through the opening in the adobe wall to the beach. The wind was brisk and the sea was choppy. A light mist was blowing of the gulf and began to dampen our clothing, but not our spirits.

Love, in its infancy, is exciting and alive. It is confident and it is proud. We walked hand in hand to the water's edge, but did not wade that day. Our shoes left wet footprints as we walked. Berto was the first to speak.

"The roses are beginning to show some of their former beauty. I do not think the storm did any permanent damage to them. You have learned very well how to care fir them."

I leaned over to kiss Berto's cheek. "Thanks to my wonderful teacher." I said.

Berto smiled up at me. "Now, Ben, it is your turn to teach me."

"Oh?" I inquired. "And what would you like to know?"

Berto stopped and looked up into my face. "I want to learn how to make love with you. I want to learn how to taste you and to take you into my body, as I saw Randy and Wade do. And I saw pictures of Enrique and Jose as well, on your computer."

"I never meant for you to see those pictures, Berto." I explained. Berto shook his head. "No, no, Ben. The pictures are wonderful. You should put them in a book. I became very aroused when I looked at them. You captured then so well. I could feel the love they have for one another."

I was flattered by his words and touched by his sensitivity. "Well, thank you. I would have to get their okay before I even thought about putting the pictures in a book. I'm just glad you weren't offended by them."

Berto was puzzled. "Why would I be offended?

I kissed his soft, full lips. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."

We walked a bit further in silence, then Berto stopped again. "You will teach me? Can we do it before I return to San Augustin for university?"

I was stunned by his question. I had forgotten all about him going back to school. My heart panicked at the thought of being separated from him. "Oh, uh...sure, I'll teach you. But promise me you won't rush into anything. We have a long time to explore, okay? I can even come up to visit with Ricky and Carla and Jose. You can stay with me there. And you can come home on weekends, now that you will have your own car. The way you drive, it won't take long at all for you to come home."

Berto smiled at my joke, but I could read in his eyes that he was thinking about us being apart, too. He put his arms around me and hugged me to himself, tightly. I held him and kissed the top of his head, breathing in his aroma. Sweet and and young and masculine.

How could I ever let him go? Now that he shared my bed, how could I be happy with the other side empty? I wanted to fall asleep with him in my arms and wake up the same way every morning. Berto looked up to me with moist, brown eyes. My heart enveloped him even more.

"No time for sadness, right now, okay? We are together right now. You and me."

Berto nodded and smiled, then stood on his tiptoes and kissed me with a passion and fervor that I found surprising in a young man with so little experience. I grew hard with his lips pressing mine, his tongue exploring my mouth. "Where did he learn to kiss like this?" I asked myself.

"Oh, Berto," I whispered into his ear, once we broke the kiss. "I love you so much. I have for so long."

Berto spoke into my chest. "I love you, too, Ben."

"Let's head back to the casa." I suggested. "I have to make a phone call for Ricky."

"Why must you make a phone call for Enrique?" Berto wanted to know.

"He has asked me to call Jake and ask him if he will come and talk to Jose about the accident. We are hoping that we can help him to stop blaming himself and he can start getting back to normal."

Berto's expression became worried. "Jacob is coming back here to the casa?"

"Yes, it's possible he will be, to help out with Jose." I answered.

"Um... where will he ... uh ... sleep?" Berto asked.

"Well, I haven't really given it much thought. But, I can tell you one thing for sure..." I lifted his face and looked into his eyes. "...He sure as hell isn't going to be sleeping with us!"

Relief washed across Berto's face and he flashed his brilliant smile at me. It was as if the clouds had suddenly cleared and the sun shone bright and clear on a once cloudy day. He hugged himself into my chest and we walked back to the casa with one arm wrapped around each other. I noticed how he was just the perfect height for his shoulder to fit comfortably under my arm as we walked.

Berto and I entered the garden through the opening in the adobe wall and walked into the sunroom. Wade was setting the table for lunch. I was glad to see it because I hadn't had anything to eat that morning. Berto and I had been so busy exploring each other that time just slipped away from us.

Ricky had coaxed Jose to the table and Miguel was in attendance at his other side. Berto and I washed up in the kitchen, then helped Randy carry the food out to the others. The sky was a brilliant blue and the sun shone brightly, although the wind was gusting and whipping the palm trees around a bit.

We ate a hearty, is somewhat quiet lunch. Randy and Wade asked many questions about how things got taken care of around the casa. Surprisingly, Berto supplied most of the answers, so I deferred to his expertise. I wondered how we would get things like laundry and cleaning done with Manuella gone.

Berto asked if it was really necessary for him to return to school. I told him that I had promised his mother I would see that he finished his education. Ricky offered a suggestion that seemed like a good solution. He said we could get tutors to come to Santa Rosalia to teach Berto, and anybody else who would be interested. Both Randy and Wade liked the idea and said that they would be interested in the classes as well.

I was relieved that Berto would not have to leave me, and I could tell he was too. We held hands under the table as we sat next to each other. It was then that I noticed, for the first time, that Berto was left handed, so we were both able to eat without any clumsiness.

After lunch, Berto went into the kitchen with Randy and Wade to help clean up and to work out a schedule for the housework. Everybody agreed that we wouldn't need to hire anybody else to help out. Between the four of us we could make things run very smoothly. I went to the office and dialed Jake's number.

He seemed surprised to hear from me. "Ben! How the hell are you? He asked.

"Well, some good and some not so good, Jake." I answered, then proceeded to tell him about all that had happened since he had left for San Diego and back to Jacksonville.

"Holy Shit, Ben. I am so sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?" Jake offered.

"As a matter of fact there is. Do you think you could come out here for a little while – just a few days?" I asked.

"Well sure thing, buddy. What can I do?

"I was hoping you could talk with Jose. He is blaming himself for the crash and for the deaths of Don Chavez, Manuella, Bob and Mack. I think he is feeling guilty about being the pilot and the only survivor." I explained.

Jake whistled low. "Damn, that's pretty heavy shit to be carrying around with you. Uh...do you think Jose would be willing to talk with me, after all that happened before?"

"As long as you understand that Ricky is strictly off limits as far as you are concerned." I told him.

"Of course, of coarse, man." Jake said quickly. "I'll save my fooling around for you."

"We need to talk about that a bit too, I guess." I began. "I'm seeing somebody now, myself, so you will have to make do with Randy and Wade. Of course Miguel might be interested in you. You are pretty hot."

"Huh? Who is Miguel? I have to confess I would like a shot of that monster cock of Wade's that you told me about. Randy sounds like a hottie, himself. And who are you seeing, now? Do I know him?" Jake was suddenly full of questions.

"I'll explain everything to you when get here." I said. We worked out his travel plans and itinerary. He would be here late the following day and would be staying for three days. We rang off as Berto entered the office.

"It's all set. Jake will be here tomorrow evening."

Berto nodded his head. "Bueno. Now it is time for siesta. I am anxious for you to begin my lessons..."

Berto kissed me deeply and took my hand to lead me down the stairs and out to the studio. I was glad we didn't meet any of the others along the way because my hard cock was practically ripping out the front of my khaki pants.

I sincerely hope you all had a great Christmas and that the New Year will be a great one for you. Thanks for your faithfulness and patience. If you haven't already done so, take a look at my other stories on Nifty. Just click on the "Authors" link and scroll down to find "Lyle Benton".

Thanks,

Ben