Just a quiet holiday 11/14
Just a quiet holiday 11/14
THIS IS AN AU(=Alternate universe) so things will be most likely different from the original version. Read at your own risk. Don't blame me if you don't like what you read! Not set in any time/place in particular.
By Marea67
About: Kevin & Scotty ( with Chad & Jason dropping by occassionally)
Disclaimer: Merely borrowing the characters, no harm will come to them. (I think...) Written with love not for money.
Rate: I'm going for NC-17 eventually. :)
Summery: Scotty could use a vacation.... So could Kevin...
*****
“Hey, can I talk to you? I need to ask you something.” Kevin asks. Scotty follows Kevin to behind the bar, where they have a little bit of privacy from the ears of Scotty’s staff. They exchange a quick kiss, holding hands behind the bar, so no one can see, not that they would really fool the staff.
For the past two weeks they’ve been getting to know each other again, but everything is still so early and they are both so nervous about their feelings. They both recognize how well they belong together, but it’s frightening to admit to it and even more frightening to let anyone know about their love.
Scotty feels that he has every right to be worried. What if people, and The Walkers in particular, won’t accept Scotty, as Kevin’s partner, because of his past? Sure they are all friendly with him, but that was before he rekindled the relationship with their son/brother/nephew.
“So, what do you want to talk about?” Scotty asks.
“Can you take Monday and Tuesday off? I know that on Mondays the restaurant is closed, but … I want to take you away for a ‘long weekend’, even if our weekend would be on a Monday and Tuesday.”
“I could…” Scotty start hesitantly.
“I still owe you a few days of quiet holiday-time. And with autumn in full swing and winter coming closer, I wanted to take you with me to the ranch-house we own. It’s about a 2-3 hours drive away from here, but it’s the surrounded by a forest.
I haven’t seen it in years, but I’ve dying to go there. However,… I don’t want to go alone… I want to take you with me.. And I’ve been thinking… Sunday night the restaurant closes at 10. If, for once, you’d let the staff clean up, so we can leave immediately when you’re done, we’d be there by midnight…
And we’d have all Monday and Tuesday to sleep in and … do other things?.... Please, say yes.. There’s a vineyard and a tree house. And a creek. But the water will most likely to be too cold now. It’s really lovely this time of year….”
“Alright! Alright! I’m sold…” Scotty laughs. “We’re going. I’ll see what I can arrange.”
*****
“Wake up, sleepyhead.” Kevin gently shakes Scotty awake.
“I’m sorry, I must have been more tired than I thought….” Scotty apologizes. His watch tells him that it’s nearly midnight. It’s pitch-black around him. “Are we there yet?”
“Yes. Just stay in the car, I’ll turn the lights on.”
Scotty watches Kevin leave. In the light of the flashlight he can see some large insect screen doors. Kevin opens them to access the porch and suddenly the whole place is bathing in light and Scotty needs to blink a few times to let his eyes adjust. In the meantime Kevin has returned to the car. He opens Scotty’s door.
“Will you help get everything inside?”
“Of course… Oooh.” Scotty’s legs feel a bit wobbly after the ride and the sleep. Kevin catches him though.
“Careful.” Kevin smiles and he takes the opportunity to kiss Scotty.
Scotty responds to the kiss, but after a little while he has to push Kevin away.
“This way we’ll never get unpacked and in bed…”
“You’re right.” Kevin agrees and he moves to the back of the car to open up the trunk. Scotty hopes that Kevin isn’t expecting too much from him tonight, because he’s too tired.
Kevin catches Scotty’s stifled yawn and he smiles. He can see that Scotty is almost sleeping on his feet. He takes the two overnight bags.
“Here, why don’t bring these inside? I’ll be right behind you with the bags of groceries..” Scotty takes the two bags from Kevin and trudges towards the door.
Now that he’s past the screen-doors, Scotty notices the large table on the porch. He can imagine having breakfast there and he wonders what the view would be like in the morning. The front-door is very solid, but opens easily and Scotty can finally see the interior of the house.
It’s a house that belongs to Walker-family, that’s for sure. Assuming that they’ll have to go upstairs Scotty puts the overnight-bags at the bottom of the stairs. When he turns around he sees a huge family picture. It must have been taken years ago, because both Nora and William look so young. Scotty quickly recognizes which of the children is Kevin.
“Those were the days when I was still young, innocent and cute.” Kevin laughs. “I’ll give you a quick tour. This is the kitchen. Fridge…” He quickly puts a lot of perishable goods in the fridge. “… microwave…. Why don’t you warm up some milk? We can drink that, before going to sleep…” Kevin suggests, knowing that Scotty likes that. Besides, Kevin is getting used to not drinking alcohol anymore either.
Kevin returns to his car and Scotty does as he’s told. He’s too tired to argue anyway. He immediately recognizes Nora’s hand in the organization of the kitchen, so it’s not too difficult to find his way around it. Kevin comes back in.
“Car empty and locked. Front-door locked as well. I’m such a city-boy.”
Scotty laughs softly and he watches how Kevin puts even more groceries away.
“You are aware that we’re only here for two days and with the two of us?” Scotty points out, hoping that the entire Walker-clan won’t be dropping in, as some surprise.
“I know, but I’m not going to get accused of not feeding you.” Kevin grins.
He walks towards the wall and flicks on the lights of the living-room. Scotty catches a glimpse, before Kevin switches off the lights again.
“That was the living-room. We’ll look at that tomorrow morning, if you don’t mind. I’m tired and I want to go to bed.”
“Me too.” Scotty confesses. Kevin puts the milld on a tray.
“Why don’t you take these two upstairs? I’ll take the bags with me….” He switches on the lights for the upstairs and turns off the lights downstairs. “It’s the second door on the left. If everything is the way it used to be, you should know immediately…”
Scotty grins when he sees what Kevin means. On the door is a large sign that says ‘Kevin’s room. Stay out!’. Someone had added with a black marker pen ‘… of the closet. Be proud of who you are.’
“Did you add that?” Scotty asks.
“No. Tommy did. One night Justin, Tommy and I got involved in a fight with a couple of guys after they had made some nasty remarks about my being gay. Tommy got hurt the worst and he ended up with two broken ribs and a concussion. I must have apologized to him a thousand times.
I felt so bad, so guilty, that he had gotten hurt, only because I was gay. I ended up saying that I hated myself because I’m gay… And that’s when he wrote that on my door to remind to stay true to myself and that he would do it all over again, if he had to, and that he’d fight anyone who wanted to put me down….”
Both men stare at the words on the door for a few seconds, each having their own thoughts about it, but then Kevin takes the lead and opens the door, because Scotty is still holding the tray and he uses both hands to do it. Scotty enters as well and places the 2 cups on a small table. A thought comes to him.
“Did you ever sleep here with Guy?” He asks, hoping that the question will not upset Kevin, but Scotty doesn’t like the idea of sleeping in bed where Guy had slept.
“Yes and no… We did sleep here, years ago. This is after all my room, but it was only once and we never came back here, because Guy didn’t like it.
However, we had a leak in the roof seven years ago. But we were all so busy then, and no one had been here in months, so my family only noticed it when it was too late. My room was struck the worst. Everything, especially the bed, had to be taken out and either washed or thrown away.
So, the ceiling is repaired and repainted and the bed it was new and never used by either Guy or me. Only by some friends of Justin, I think, when he threw this 25th birthday here for his friends…. They had a horror-themed party. Tommy scared them half to death by showing up with a hockey-mask and a bloodied knife.” Kevin grins.
Kevin shows Scotty the en-suite, with a shower only, but Scotty feels too tired to consider a quick shower before bed.
“I just want to get some sleep.” Scotty doesn’t even bother to stifle his yawn this time, so Kevin can only nod.
They quickly undress, but when they are ready to go to bed, Scotty suddenly feels a bit ill at ease. Though Kevin spends his nights more frequently with Scotty, their time together is usually limited with Kevin working only in the afternoons and Scotty working the evenings.
So whenever they do have some time to be together it somehow always ends up with sex, but tonight he’s not in the mood. He’s just too tired. But Kevin has been so kind and he’s so excited about this. And it’s not like he does not want to have sex with Kevin,…. It’s just that he has no idea how to tell Kevin that he’s not interested right now.
To stall for time he slowly drinks his hot milk, letting different turn-downs go through his mind, but each scenario ends up with Kevin getting angry and offended for going through all this trouble, without ‘a reward’. And eventually his cup is empty and he can’t get around the topic anymore.
Kevin had finished his drink in just two, three gulps and he’s already under the blanket. Scotty sighs. Perhaps, once they get started, he will turn out to be in the mood anyway. When Kevin sees that Scotty is ready to join him in bed, he lifts up the covers a bit and taps on the place beside him.
“Come to bed, sweetie, time to get some sleep.”
“Just sleep?” Scotty tries to tease, but it sound flat, even to him.
“You can barely keep your eyes open.” Kevin points out gently.
“I just thought that….” What had he been thinking?
“I want us to be together, but sex shouldn’t be an subject on your to-do list. If you’re not in the mood, say it. I’m not going to fall to pieces or get upset if you say no every once in a while.” Kevin smiles.
“I know. I just really like to be with you and do it with you, just... not right now.”
“And that’s fine with me. But will you at least come here and sleep In my arms?” Kevin gives Scotty his best puppy-dog impression and Scotty laughs.
“I can do that.” He answers. Kevin turns off the light and turns to Scotty. Lying close together, they are both quickly on their way to the land of sleep.
*****
Scotty wakes up to the smell of bacon and coffee. His stomach is growling with hunger and it makes him aware that it’s time to get up. He opens the curtains and the sunlight beams in. Once his eyes have adjusted to the light, his brains seem to kick in as well and he realizes that behind the curtains are the doors to a balcony.
He opens the door and breaths in the fresh autumn-air. The view is amazing. There are trees around the house and it creates a feeling of privacy, even though, in the far distance, Scotty can see a town. He can see the creek disappear into the woods and when he looks to the other side he sees large vineyards strething out into the distance.
The balcony stretches all along the back of the house, so he can pass the other rooms on their side of the house. He goes back inside and quickly puts on a pair of sweatpants. It takes him a bit longer to find the right shirt, but eventually he’s ready to go downstairs to find Kevin.
“Ha! Knew the smell of bacon would get you out of bed.” It smells delicious in the kitchen. The oven is on and the bread is nearly ready. The eggs and bacon are ready as well. Scotty pours the coffee and by the time he’s done, Kevin has the food on the table.
“We can either eat here or outside. It’s chilly, but doable.” Kevin says.
“Which one do you prefer?... Outside?... We’ll go outside.” Scotty answers. It’s not a chilly as Scotty had expected and soon enough they quietly enjoy their breakfast. Scotty can imagine the cacophony of voices when the Walkers used to sit here together.
It makes him appreciate the silence even more . They watch a couple of rabbits play around near the tree-line and it’s all so peaceful that Scotty could sit here all day and just drink in the quiet.
“Do you like it here?” Kevin asks softly.
“I love it.” Scotty answers, his eyes all bright. “It’s like the world has stopped moving and everything just came to a standstill.” Kevin thinks over Scotty’s words and he smiles.
“I think that in a weird way you’re right. I used to come here every summer. 2 parents, an uncle, 5 kids and usually a couple of friends tagging along. Neighbors' children loved to come here too. Having 10-15 kids have breakfast here, or pan cakes at lunch, was not unusual for this place. It saw people come and go, but… at the same time, the place itself hardly changed. S
ure, the trees have grown even taller, but so have I, so basically they look nearly the same now as they did then. Aside from my room no other room was really renewed. I checked on the other rooms and it’s like little time-capsules. Perhaps different linen, but the beds are the same and always in the same place. Different dishes and cups in the kitchen, but still in the same place. The panel where mom would check our height every year is still there.”
Scotty smiles at Kevin’s words.
“It is all sounds so idyllic.”
“It was and wasn’t. We had great times here, but that doesn’t mean that there were never any slamming doors, punches thrown or noses broken.”
“Noses broken? Do I want to hear that story?”
“Luckiest punch Justin ever threw. Tommy cried like a little girl.” There’s a satisfied grin on his face and Scotty laughs.
“If you have so many good memories of this place, why did you stop coming here?”
The smile vanishes from Kevin’s face.
“Guy didn’t like it here. And, in a way, I’m glad he only came here once. I have almost no memory of him here. It’s a blessing.”
“Is that the tree-house you talked about?” Scotty focuses Kevin’s attention on the wooden construction.
“Yes.” And the smile is back again.
“One more cup of coffee and then walk over there? I want to see it. Is it safe to go up there? I’ve never actually been in one.”
“It’s safe. And I’d love to go over there.” Kevin answers.
*****
As they walk up to the creek, Kevin feels more and more comfortable with the day. Scotty is in wide-eyed amazement over so many things, that Kevin had taken for granted for so long, that, to Kevin, it feel as if he’s rediscovering the grounds, his youth and his joy in life as well.
With the memory of that one disastrous weekend with Guy in the back of his mind, he had asked if Scotty had slept well and Scotty had answered that he had slept like a baby. The tree-house had been a huge success. Scotty had been very interested in how it had been built and it had allowed Kevin to tell even more about his past and how he had built this with his dad and his brothers.
Unlike Guy, Scotty hadn’t found the place ‘too dirty’. He had merely laughed when Kevin had told him Guy’s reaction.
“ What had he expected in the middle of a wooded area and in the top of a tree. A clinically clean operation-room?” had been Scotty’s reaction.
It had made Kevin laugh and that laughter had lead to kissing and the kissing had lead to Kevin finally having sex in the tree-house, just like his brothers and sisters before him. Legs entangled they had been lying on the hard floor, looking at each other, with a huge smile on their faces, realizing that life could hardly get more perfect than this.
And, unlike Guy, Scotty had been in awe of the vineyards even though they were mostly empty now. It took him a while to fathom how much land the Walkers actually owned. They were such a normal, hard-working family that Scotty had no concept of how wealthy they really were.
Kevin had explained that his father had always believed in giving back what you take. You nourish and cherish the land that gives you its fruit. Coming from a poor family with hard-working parents who had been treated like numbers by the companies they had worked for, he had vowed to never allow the family-business to become so big that control got lost.
He equally respected all people working for him. He protected them, provided for them and he was reimbursed with a loyalty that was unheard of. The Walkers made money by not caring about it and putting quality over quantity. And he had taught his children the same respect.
For Scotty, a lot things had begun to make sense. He had gotten to know the Walkers as no-nonsense people who faced problems head-on. They could be a handful and very present, but they also sought for solutions for problems and would not cry and complain about it. The more Scotty saw, the more he heard Kevin talk about the Walkers, the more he grew to love this family.
Finally they had returned toward the house, stopping at the creek, to rest a bit.
“The water looks so beautiful… Is it deep?”
“Not really, mostly 20 to 50 centimeters, but over there, under the trees, it’s about a meter.”
Scotty takes off his shoes.
“What are you doing?” Kevin asks.
“Trying the water.”
“It’s too cold.”
“I’m going to do it anyway.” Scotty says.
“You’re crazy!” Kevin laughs.
“I know. Want to join me?”
“No thanks… I just had pneumonia.” Kevin jokes.
Scotty takes off his coat. He puts his feet in the water. The cold water stings like crazy at first, but then his body adjusts to the cold. The water is crystal-clear and Scotty feels the blood rush through his body.
Kevin watches on with a smile on his face. He loves how Scotty wants to discover everything.
“That’s enough, come out of the water.” Kevin says.
“No, just a little further…” Scotty answers.
“Careful! Those stones could be ….” With a scream, Scotty falls backward, disappearing completely in the water, only to pop up again, very wet. “… slippery?”
After the first shock has passed, Kevin begin to laugh until there are tears on his face, while Scotty fights his way out of the water, with his wet clothes sticking to his body. Kevin laughs uncontrollably as he tries to take Scotty’s coat of the ground to put it around him.
“You look like a wet cat.”
“The water is freezing cold…” Scotty tells him and he flings some it from his fingers and towards Kevin, who ducks away.
“Come on. Let’s get back to the house. I’ll warm you up there….” Kevin says, still laughing.
*****
A hot shower, some hot sex, a dry set of clothes and a warm meal later, Scotty feels like a human being again. The sun is fading and Kevin and he watch the sun set. Kevin comes up behind him and kisses his shoulder.
“I think I’ve fallen in love with this place.” Scotty sighs and Kevin can only smile.
END OF CHAPTER ELEVEN
THIS IS AN AU(=Alternate universe) so things will be most likely different from the original version. Read at your own risk. Don't blame me if you don't like what you read! Not set in any time/place in particular.
By Marea67
About: Kevin & Scotty ( with Chad & Jason dropping by occassionally)
Disclaimer: Merely borrowing the characters, no harm will come to them. (I think...) Written with love not for money.
Rate: I'm going for NC-17 eventually. :)
Summery: Scotty could use a vacation.... So could Kevin...
*****
“Hey, can I talk to you? I need to ask you something.” Kevin asks. Scotty follows Kevin to behind the bar, where they have a little bit of privacy from the ears of Scotty’s staff. They exchange a quick kiss, holding hands behind the bar, so no one can see, not that they would really fool the staff.
For the past two weeks they’ve been getting to know each other again, but everything is still so early and they are both so nervous about their feelings. They both recognize how well they belong together, but it’s frightening to admit to it and even more frightening to let anyone know about their love.
Scotty feels that he has every right to be worried. What if people, and The Walkers in particular, won’t accept Scotty, as Kevin’s partner, because of his past? Sure they are all friendly with him, but that was before he rekindled the relationship with their son/brother/nephew.
“So, what do you want to talk about?” Scotty asks.
“Can you take Monday and Tuesday off? I know that on Mondays the restaurant is closed, but … I want to take you away for a ‘long weekend’, even if our weekend would be on a Monday and Tuesday.”
“I could…” Scotty start hesitantly.
“I still owe you a few days of quiet holiday-time. And with autumn in full swing and winter coming closer, I wanted to take you with me to the ranch-house we own. It’s about a 2-3 hours drive away from here, but it’s the surrounded by a forest.
I haven’t seen it in years, but I’ve dying to go there. However,… I don’t want to go alone… I want to take you with me.. And I’ve been thinking… Sunday night the restaurant closes at 10. If, for once, you’d let the staff clean up, so we can leave immediately when you’re done, we’d be there by midnight…
And we’d have all Monday and Tuesday to sleep in and … do other things?.... Please, say yes.. There’s a vineyard and a tree house. And a creek. But the water will most likely to be too cold now. It’s really lovely this time of year….”
“Alright! Alright! I’m sold…” Scotty laughs. “We’re going. I’ll see what I can arrange.”
*****
“Wake up, sleepyhead.” Kevin gently shakes Scotty awake.
“I’m sorry, I must have been more tired than I thought….” Scotty apologizes. His watch tells him that it’s nearly midnight. It’s pitch-black around him. “Are we there yet?”
“Yes. Just stay in the car, I’ll turn the lights on.”
Scotty watches Kevin leave. In the light of the flashlight he can see some large insect screen doors. Kevin opens them to access the porch and suddenly the whole place is bathing in light and Scotty needs to blink a few times to let his eyes adjust. In the meantime Kevin has returned to the car. He opens Scotty’s door.
“Will you help get everything inside?”
“Of course… Oooh.” Scotty’s legs feel a bit wobbly after the ride and the sleep. Kevin catches him though.
“Careful.” Kevin smiles and he takes the opportunity to kiss Scotty.
Scotty responds to the kiss, but after a little while he has to push Kevin away.
“This way we’ll never get unpacked and in bed…”
“You’re right.” Kevin agrees and he moves to the back of the car to open up the trunk. Scotty hopes that Kevin isn’t expecting too much from him tonight, because he’s too tired.
Kevin catches Scotty’s stifled yawn and he smiles. He can see that Scotty is almost sleeping on his feet. He takes the two overnight bags.
“Here, why don’t bring these inside? I’ll be right behind you with the bags of groceries..” Scotty takes the two bags from Kevin and trudges towards the door.
Now that he’s past the screen-doors, Scotty notices the large table on the porch. He can imagine having breakfast there and he wonders what the view would be like in the morning. The front-door is very solid, but opens easily and Scotty can finally see the interior of the house.
It’s a house that belongs to Walker-family, that’s for sure. Assuming that they’ll have to go upstairs Scotty puts the overnight-bags at the bottom of the stairs. When he turns around he sees a huge family picture. It must have been taken years ago, because both Nora and William look so young. Scotty quickly recognizes which of the children is Kevin.
“Those were the days when I was still young, innocent and cute.” Kevin laughs. “I’ll give you a quick tour. This is the kitchen. Fridge…” He quickly puts a lot of perishable goods in the fridge. “… microwave…. Why don’t you warm up some milk? We can drink that, before going to sleep…” Kevin suggests, knowing that Scotty likes that. Besides, Kevin is getting used to not drinking alcohol anymore either.
Kevin returns to his car and Scotty does as he’s told. He’s too tired to argue anyway. He immediately recognizes Nora’s hand in the organization of the kitchen, so it’s not too difficult to find his way around it. Kevin comes back in.
“Car empty and locked. Front-door locked as well. I’m such a city-boy.”
Scotty laughs softly and he watches how Kevin puts even more groceries away.
“You are aware that we’re only here for two days and with the two of us?” Scotty points out, hoping that the entire Walker-clan won’t be dropping in, as some surprise.
“I know, but I’m not going to get accused of not feeding you.” Kevin grins.
He walks towards the wall and flicks on the lights of the living-room. Scotty catches a glimpse, before Kevin switches off the lights again.
“That was the living-room. We’ll look at that tomorrow morning, if you don’t mind. I’m tired and I want to go to bed.”
“Me too.” Scotty confesses. Kevin puts the milld on a tray.
“Why don’t you take these two upstairs? I’ll take the bags with me….” He switches on the lights for the upstairs and turns off the lights downstairs. “It’s the second door on the left. If everything is the way it used to be, you should know immediately…”
Scotty grins when he sees what Kevin means. On the door is a large sign that says ‘Kevin’s room. Stay out!’. Someone had added with a black marker pen ‘… of the closet. Be proud of who you are.’
“Did you add that?” Scotty asks.
“No. Tommy did. One night Justin, Tommy and I got involved in a fight with a couple of guys after they had made some nasty remarks about my being gay. Tommy got hurt the worst and he ended up with two broken ribs and a concussion. I must have apologized to him a thousand times.
I felt so bad, so guilty, that he had gotten hurt, only because I was gay. I ended up saying that I hated myself because I’m gay… And that’s when he wrote that on my door to remind to stay true to myself and that he would do it all over again, if he had to, and that he’d fight anyone who wanted to put me down….”
Both men stare at the words on the door for a few seconds, each having their own thoughts about it, but then Kevin takes the lead and opens the door, because Scotty is still holding the tray and he uses both hands to do it. Scotty enters as well and places the 2 cups on a small table. A thought comes to him.
“Did you ever sleep here with Guy?” He asks, hoping that the question will not upset Kevin, but Scotty doesn’t like the idea of sleeping in bed where Guy had slept.
“Yes and no… We did sleep here, years ago. This is after all my room, but it was only once and we never came back here, because Guy didn’t like it.
However, we had a leak in the roof seven years ago. But we were all so busy then, and no one had been here in months, so my family only noticed it when it was too late. My room was struck the worst. Everything, especially the bed, had to be taken out and either washed or thrown away.
So, the ceiling is repaired and repainted and the bed it was new and never used by either Guy or me. Only by some friends of Justin, I think, when he threw this 25th birthday here for his friends…. They had a horror-themed party. Tommy scared them half to death by showing up with a hockey-mask and a bloodied knife.” Kevin grins.
Kevin shows Scotty the en-suite, with a shower only, but Scotty feels too tired to consider a quick shower before bed.
“I just want to get some sleep.” Scotty doesn’t even bother to stifle his yawn this time, so Kevin can only nod.
They quickly undress, but when they are ready to go to bed, Scotty suddenly feels a bit ill at ease. Though Kevin spends his nights more frequently with Scotty, their time together is usually limited with Kevin working only in the afternoons and Scotty working the evenings.
So whenever they do have some time to be together it somehow always ends up with sex, but tonight he’s not in the mood. He’s just too tired. But Kevin has been so kind and he’s so excited about this. And it’s not like he does not want to have sex with Kevin,…. It’s just that he has no idea how to tell Kevin that he’s not interested right now.
To stall for time he slowly drinks his hot milk, letting different turn-downs go through his mind, but each scenario ends up with Kevin getting angry and offended for going through all this trouble, without ‘a reward’. And eventually his cup is empty and he can’t get around the topic anymore.
Kevin had finished his drink in just two, three gulps and he’s already under the blanket. Scotty sighs. Perhaps, once they get started, he will turn out to be in the mood anyway. When Kevin sees that Scotty is ready to join him in bed, he lifts up the covers a bit and taps on the place beside him.
“Come to bed, sweetie, time to get some sleep.”
“Just sleep?” Scotty tries to tease, but it sound flat, even to him.
“You can barely keep your eyes open.” Kevin points out gently.
“I just thought that….” What had he been thinking?
“I want us to be together, but sex shouldn’t be an subject on your to-do list. If you’re not in the mood, say it. I’m not going to fall to pieces or get upset if you say no every once in a while.” Kevin smiles.
“I know. I just really like to be with you and do it with you, just... not right now.”
“And that’s fine with me. But will you at least come here and sleep In my arms?” Kevin gives Scotty his best puppy-dog impression and Scotty laughs.
“I can do that.” He answers. Kevin turns off the light and turns to Scotty. Lying close together, they are both quickly on their way to the land of sleep.
*****
Scotty wakes up to the smell of bacon and coffee. His stomach is growling with hunger and it makes him aware that it’s time to get up. He opens the curtains and the sunlight beams in. Once his eyes have adjusted to the light, his brains seem to kick in as well and he realizes that behind the curtains are the doors to a balcony.
He opens the door and breaths in the fresh autumn-air. The view is amazing. There are trees around the house and it creates a feeling of privacy, even though, in the far distance, Scotty can see a town. He can see the creek disappear into the woods and when he looks to the other side he sees large vineyards strething out into the distance.
The balcony stretches all along the back of the house, so he can pass the other rooms on their side of the house. He goes back inside and quickly puts on a pair of sweatpants. It takes him a bit longer to find the right shirt, but eventually he’s ready to go downstairs to find Kevin.
“Ha! Knew the smell of bacon would get you out of bed.” It smells delicious in the kitchen. The oven is on and the bread is nearly ready. The eggs and bacon are ready as well. Scotty pours the coffee and by the time he’s done, Kevin has the food on the table.
“We can either eat here or outside. It’s chilly, but doable.” Kevin says.
“Which one do you prefer?... Outside?... We’ll go outside.” Scotty answers. It’s not a chilly as Scotty had expected and soon enough they quietly enjoy their breakfast. Scotty can imagine the cacophony of voices when the Walkers used to sit here together.
It makes him appreciate the silence even more . They watch a couple of rabbits play around near the tree-line and it’s all so peaceful that Scotty could sit here all day and just drink in the quiet.
“Do you like it here?” Kevin asks softly.
“I love it.” Scotty answers, his eyes all bright. “It’s like the world has stopped moving and everything just came to a standstill.” Kevin thinks over Scotty’s words and he smiles.
“I think that in a weird way you’re right. I used to come here every summer. 2 parents, an uncle, 5 kids and usually a couple of friends tagging along. Neighbors' children loved to come here too. Having 10-15 kids have breakfast here, or pan cakes at lunch, was not unusual for this place. It saw people come and go, but… at the same time, the place itself hardly changed. S
ure, the trees have grown even taller, but so have I, so basically they look nearly the same now as they did then. Aside from my room no other room was really renewed. I checked on the other rooms and it’s like little time-capsules. Perhaps different linen, but the beds are the same and always in the same place. Different dishes and cups in the kitchen, but still in the same place. The panel where mom would check our height every year is still there.”
Scotty smiles at Kevin’s words.
“It is all sounds so idyllic.”
“It was and wasn’t. We had great times here, but that doesn’t mean that there were never any slamming doors, punches thrown or noses broken.”
“Noses broken? Do I want to hear that story?”
“Luckiest punch Justin ever threw. Tommy cried like a little girl.” There’s a satisfied grin on his face and Scotty laughs.
“If you have so many good memories of this place, why did you stop coming here?”
The smile vanishes from Kevin’s face.
“Guy didn’t like it here. And, in a way, I’m glad he only came here once. I have almost no memory of him here. It’s a blessing.”
“Is that the tree-house you talked about?” Scotty focuses Kevin’s attention on the wooden construction.
“Yes.” And the smile is back again.
“One more cup of coffee and then walk over there? I want to see it. Is it safe to go up there? I’ve never actually been in one.”
“It’s safe. And I’d love to go over there.” Kevin answers.
*****
As they walk up to the creek, Kevin feels more and more comfortable with the day. Scotty is in wide-eyed amazement over so many things, that Kevin had taken for granted for so long, that, to Kevin, it feel as if he’s rediscovering the grounds, his youth and his joy in life as well.
With the memory of that one disastrous weekend with Guy in the back of his mind, he had asked if Scotty had slept well and Scotty had answered that he had slept like a baby. The tree-house had been a huge success. Scotty had been very interested in how it had been built and it had allowed Kevin to tell even more about his past and how he had built this with his dad and his brothers.
Unlike Guy, Scotty hadn’t found the place ‘too dirty’. He had merely laughed when Kevin had told him Guy’s reaction.
“ What had he expected in the middle of a wooded area and in the top of a tree. A clinically clean operation-room?” had been Scotty’s reaction.
It had made Kevin laugh and that laughter had lead to kissing and the kissing had lead to Kevin finally having sex in the tree-house, just like his brothers and sisters before him. Legs entangled they had been lying on the hard floor, looking at each other, with a huge smile on their faces, realizing that life could hardly get more perfect than this.
And, unlike Guy, Scotty had been in awe of the vineyards even though they were mostly empty now. It took him a while to fathom how much land the Walkers actually owned. They were such a normal, hard-working family that Scotty had no concept of how wealthy they really were.
Kevin had explained that his father had always believed in giving back what you take. You nourish and cherish the land that gives you its fruit. Coming from a poor family with hard-working parents who had been treated like numbers by the companies they had worked for, he had vowed to never allow the family-business to become so big that control got lost.
He equally respected all people working for him. He protected them, provided for them and he was reimbursed with a loyalty that was unheard of. The Walkers made money by not caring about it and putting quality over quantity. And he had taught his children the same respect.
For Scotty, a lot things had begun to make sense. He had gotten to know the Walkers as no-nonsense people who faced problems head-on. They could be a handful and very present, but they also sought for solutions for problems and would not cry and complain about it. The more Scotty saw, the more he heard Kevin talk about the Walkers, the more he grew to love this family.
Finally they had returned toward the house, stopping at the creek, to rest a bit.
“The water looks so beautiful… Is it deep?”
“Not really, mostly 20 to 50 centimeters, but over there, under the trees, it’s about a meter.”
Scotty takes off his shoes.
“What are you doing?” Kevin asks.
“Trying the water.”
“It’s too cold.”
“I’m going to do it anyway.” Scotty says.
“You’re crazy!” Kevin laughs.
“I know. Want to join me?”
“No thanks… I just had pneumonia.” Kevin jokes.
Scotty takes off his coat. He puts his feet in the water. The cold water stings like crazy at first, but then his body adjusts to the cold. The water is crystal-clear and Scotty feels the blood rush through his body.
Kevin watches on with a smile on his face. He loves how Scotty wants to discover everything.
“That’s enough, come out of the water.” Kevin says.
“No, just a little further…” Scotty answers.
“Careful! Those stones could be ….” With a scream, Scotty falls backward, disappearing completely in the water, only to pop up again, very wet. “… slippery?”
After the first shock has passed, Kevin begin to laugh until there are tears on his face, while Scotty fights his way out of the water, with his wet clothes sticking to his body. Kevin laughs uncontrollably as he tries to take Scotty’s coat of the ground to put it around him.
“You look like a wet cat.”
“The water is freezing cold…” Scotty tells him and he flings some it from his fingers and towards Kevin, who ducks away.
“Come on. Let’s get back to the house. I’ll warm you up there….” Kevin says, still laughing.
*****
A hot shower, some hot sex, a dry set of clothes and a warm meal later, Scotty feels like a human being again. The sun is fading and Kevin and he watch the sun set. Kevin comes up behind him and kisses his shoulder.
“I think I’ve fallen in love with this place.” Scotty sighs and Kevin can only smile.
END OF CHAPTER ELEVEN