Internet Bromance, Chapter 2
Drew awoke early to the sound of continuing drizzle. He eased his way down the stairs so as not to disturb his sleeping lover. He started the coffee maker and got out some things to make breakfast. As he gazed out of the kitchen window, he saw a young man in a rain jacket pacing in the area near where their vehicles were parked. He wondered if the kid was contemplating stealing something, but he decided to do the charitable thing and invite him in out of the rain if for no other reason than to find out what he was up to.
"Hey, you look cold and miserable. Could you use a cup of coffee and a place to dry off?"
The young man was startled by Drew's voice but took him up on the invitation. Drew met him at the door with a dry towel for his bedraggled hair and pulled out a chair for him.
"Thanks, you're really kind!"
"Hey, it's nothing. I'm sure you would do the same for me or someone else in the same situation."
The young man inhaled deeply before taking a sip from the steaming cup. He looked tired and weary, but he was a very handsome guy, indeed. As Drew studied the face, he had a pretty good idea who the young man might be.
When Drew began to make breakfast, the kid said he would be on his way. But Drew insisted that he stay and eat. It didn't take a lot of convincing, once the bacon, eggs, and stack of pancakes appeared on the table.
"So, do you want to tell me why you were out in this nasty weather this morning? You SEEM to be smart enough to come in out of the rain."
The guy smiled for the first time, and now Drew was sure that he had to be one of two people.
"Well, it's kind of personal. I came to find my dad and keep him from making a terrible mistake."
"Wow that sounds intriguing. I'm all ears, but you certainly don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."
"Oh, I guess I can tell you. I peeked into my dad's email account and found some disturbing things. He's supposed to be up here to meet his lover. I saw his SUV parked over there, but I'm not sure how to find out where he's staying. I can't very well go knocking on every door."
"Well, I haven't seen a man and woman in any of the nearby cottages," Drew replied, playing dumb. "But the landlord may be able to help."
"Uh, it's not a woman he's meeting; it's another man. Damn, I'm running off at the mouth. I guess that telling family secrets to a perfect stranger is too easy."
"Don't worry about that, I'm far from perfect!" Drew quipped.
The young guy smiled slightly.
"You may not be perfect, but you're a hell of a nice guy."
"Thanks. Now tell me, what are you going to do when you confront your dad and this lover?"
"I want to smack the guy in the face for tempting my father and tearing him away from my mother!"
"Do you think it's entirely his fault?"
"I suppose not, but I have to blame someone."
"Why don't you take it out on me, Chris?"
It was Bart who spoke as he descended the stairs. Chris looked up startled, a wide range of emotions playing over his youthful face.
"My orientation was determined long before I met Drew," Bart continued. "He wasn't my first encounter with another man, but I hope he'll be my only lover from here on out."
Bart came up behind Drew and locked him in a loving embrace.
"Please try to understand, Son. I've been living a lie most of my adult life. I never knew I could be this happy. I'm coming out of the closet when I get home, and I'm never going back."
Chris sat over his unfinished breakfast and shook his head as if trying to clear it. He finally bowed he head. His body shook as he sobbed. Big salty tears fell on his plate.
Bart moved quietly beside his son and put a tentative hand on the young man's shoulder. When Chris didn't shrug it off, Bart moved behind him to embrace him. The younger man stood and held his father tightly.
Drew wasn't sure what he should do. He headed toward the stairs to give the father and son time alone, but Bart beckoned him with a movement of his head. Drew came over and hesitantly put a hand on Chris' shoulder. Chris turned around quickly.
For a split-second, Drew thought that he might get smacked, but instead, Chris took his hand.
"I'm sorry! I was being judgmental when it was none of my business. I pictured you as this nasty pervert who was leading Dad astray. I've never seen him look as happy as he did when he held you in his arms just now."
Drew pulled his lover's son into a close embrace, patting his back, while assuring him that no harm had been done.
"It's really sweet of you to be protective of this awesome guy. I can tell that you have a heart like his. And I suspected that you had to be one of his boys the moment I saw you. You have some of his features including those beautiful eyes."
Chris blushed at the compliment and smiled for the first time since his father had entered the room.
"Did you drive all the way from Florida to save your father from my evil clutches?
"Yeah, I drove straight through. I kept awake by imagining how I was going to punch you around."
"And now...?"
"Now, I feel like a complete fool and a traitor. I snooped in Dad's email account. I broke his trust, and I had enough hate in my heart to want to bust your face!"
"Hey, as I said, there's no harm done. Now if you two will sit down, I'll re-warm the bacon in the microwave and fry up more pancakes. Yours are too soggy and salty to finish, Chris."
Chris smiled again. His smile was as beautiful as his eyes. He got up to scrape his plate while Drew made more pancakes and Bart fried some more eggs. The young man couldn't miss how the two functioned like a unit in the kitchen. Their moves around each other were as smooth as if they had been choreographed. One would have thought they had been together a lifetime.
"So, where are you staying while up here?" Bart asked.
"UH nowhere, I mean, I only got here a couple of hours ago."
"Well, then, you'll stay with us," Drew declared.
"Uh, I can't do that! I've messed you guys up enough. You need your privacy if you're doing what I think you're doing."
"The loft has bifold doors to make it more private; and as long as we work out a schedule so that you won't catch us `doing what you think we're doing' on the kitchen table, I don't see any problem with it," Drew smirked as Chris blushed.
Drew tidied up the kitchen while Bart and his son went to the Walmart to buy a set of queen-sized sheets for the sofa bed. It gave the two some private time together and allowed Drew to put the morning's events into perspective.
He thought of how he had dreaded a meeting like this with one of Bart's relatives and how happy he was that it was over. And it had gone well. He wondered how his own children would react. Possible scenarios ran through his mind as he straightened up the main room and added a log to the fire. Then he went to the loft to make their bed. It looked as if it would likely see less action for the rest of the week.
Everything was clean and orderly when the others returned.
"Here is a peace offering for you," Chris announced as he thrust a bag toward Drew. "Dad said you wished you'd brought one and that you're addicted to chocolate."
Inside, Drew found a Belgian waffle iron, a box of Krusteaz waffle mix, and a bag of Dove dark chocolates -- his favorite.
"This is very thoughtful of you, but you really didn't have to."
"Yeah, I did. It makes me feel better. I've been a jerk."
"Hey, we've already established that your heart was in the right place but thank you very much! We now know what's on the breakfast menu tomorrow."
Chris took a quick shower while Drew and Bart made up the sofa bed. He walked in wearing only boxer briefs that left little to the imagination. Drew could see that the young man was truly a chip off the old block!
While Bart's son slept, the older men ran errands. They obtained a new supply of firewood which the landlord was happy to give them. They also went to a local supermarket to stock up on food. With another mouth to feed, their current supplies wouldn't hold out.
When they returned, they found Chris awake and dressed in a pair of camouflage cargo shorts with an olive drab T-shirt. His tanned athletic body looked great in them. Once more, Drew thought about how much father and son had in common.
Bart smiled at his son before heading for the bathroom. The sounds of rain and the volume of coffee he had had after breakfast were having their effect on his bladder.
"I have an old college roommate who lives not far from here, I think." Chris said to Drew. "I wish I had a way to look him up."
"Here, take this bag with my laptop and go up to our room and look him up. Please don't tell your father that I have it here and that these primitive-looking accommodations have Wi-Fi! I'm trying to keep him from any contacts that will stress him out. You know he'd have to check his email if he knew it was here!"
Chris smiled knowingly and scurried up to the loft as he heard the sound of the flushing toilet.
"Hey, what happened to my kid?" Bart enquired.
"He's upstairs. He said he wanted a couple of minutes alone. I think he is making some calls on his cell."
A few minutes later, Chris came down smiling broadly.
"I've just called an old college buddy who lives only about 20 miles away. He wants me to come to see him this afternoon. We're going out to this place he was always bragging about for pizza and beer, so don't expect me for supper. Now, you can get back to `doing what I think you've been doing,'" he snickered.
Chris left right after lunch and the older guys looked at each other like newlyweds. The minute the door closed behind him, they raced each other to the loft where they nearly tore each other's clothes in the process of getting naked again.
At first, their kisses were hot, passionate, and almost painful, but soon settled down to being loving and sensuous. The lovers spent at least 45 minutes stimulating each other's body, bringing their balls to the boiling point several times before allowing them to release their sweet nectar -- none of which went to waste.
After a brief nap, the guys got dressed in shorts, T's, and jean jackets for hiking. The rain had stopped, and the trail around the lake was covered with enough rock and sand to keep it from being muddy. Since they had eaten lunch, they took nothing else along but a couple of canteens of water and some granola bars, just in case.
The time passed pleasantly. A weak, watery sun gallantly strove to emerge from the clouds and the air warmed enough for them to shed their jackets as they walked.
Their conversation centered on Chris's sudden turnaround and his acceptance of their relationship. To the men, it seemed like a miracle. Or was there more to it? Only time would tell. They also speculated on how the rest of the children would take the news.
They were halfway around the lake when they stopped to rest on a convenient bench. It was a simple plank on a couple of thick upright logs that served as legs.
By this time, they were warm enough to shed their T-shirts. Drew suggested that Bart straddle the bench while he sat behind him to embrace him from the back. Bart was all for it. Both men craved skin to skin contact whenever they could get it.
A young couple came walking up from behind them, and the men's first impulse was to pull apart and pretend that they weren't together, but as Drew tightened his grip, Bart relaxed back into his lover's arms.
"Hey, are you guys on your honeymoon too?" the young lady asked in a sincere tone of voice.
"Kind of," Bart responded.
"Cool," her young husband smiled as he gave them the thumbs-up sign.
"Thanks" the men said in chorus.
"Wow!" Drew exclaimed after the couple had gone on.
"Yeah," Bart agreed. "I wish the whole world were that accepting!"
Since Chris wasn't going to be there for dinner, the men opted to keep the steaks for the next night and go out instead of cooking.
"I've been hungry for pizza ever since Chris mentioned it this morning." Bart laughed. "The power of suggestion is as strong as gravity."
Drew agreed that it might be a pleasant change. They walked past the office on the way back to ask about a good place to eat.
Around 6:00 PM, the men were seated in a corner booth in the back of the Sam's Pizza Parlor savoring the aromas emanating from the kitchen as they sipped cold beer and waited for their orders to be filled. When their waitress brought the food, she blocked their view for a couple of minutes. After she left, they could see that two more people were sitting across the room. One of them was Chris.
"Damn!" Bart swore. "I hope he doesn't think we followed him here! I had no idea where he was going. I don't remember his saying the name of the town, much less the name of this restaurant."
"He didn't." Drew answered. "We might hope that they won't see us, but I doubt that will happen. We'll just stop and say hi on the way out and explain that the landlord recommended it."
"As involved as they are in conversation, they just might not see us!" Bart declared.
Drew glanced toward the booth where Chris was sitting. The two young men had their heads together as if involved in a serious discussion. It reminded him of the reality behind the expression: "tête-à-tête". These boys were almost literally head to head.
At some point during the meal, Chris got up to go to the restroom. He was nearly past the booth where his father sat when he noticed him.
"Oh my God," he blushed. "I didn't know you were here."
The men explained the circumstances and Chris seemed to relax. After he had peed and gone back to his table, he brought his companion with him.
"Uh, this is Kevin Bentley who used to be my roommate. He's just gotten divorced, and he wants me to sleep over with him tonight."
Both of the younger men seemed to color at the choice of words that had tumbled out of Chris' mouth. The older men didn't react outwardly, but they shook Kevin's hand firmly as it was offered. After a little small-talk, Chris and Kevin went back to their pizza.
"Interesting..." said Drew with his left eyebrow slightly raised.
"Yes, isn't it?"
On the way out, Drew and Bart stopped at the boys' booth to say goodnight and to invite Kevin out to the cottage for dinner the following evening. Kevin didn't hesitate to accept, and Chris beamed.
"Come whenever you want and bring your swim trunks." Bart suggested.
"Heck, bring that and some things to stay over, if you like," Drew added. "You never know when the weather may break enough to get a bit of sun.
Author's notes: Responses to chapter 1: Ott H, CandK, Paul F, Jim W, Dick F, Marty H, Geoff S, Gordon, Geoff (2), Tony C, Brent, GCD, Peter S, Joe W (2), Bill T, John L, JLF, Tim, and Paul R. I hope I haven't missed anyone!
Thanks for reading this story. If you enjoyed it, please feel free to contact me a dlee169@hotmail.com and let me know. Your emails are the only reward I receive for writing. If you put the title of this tale in the subject-line, I'll be able to find it if it ends up in the spam box.
Thanks to David S for editing. He finds the typos and missing words! He also makes valuable suggestions when the wording isn't clear.
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Thanks,
David