Page 31

31

MASON

I went through the organized system on my laptop with Connor as we sat in the truck before leaving Elmer and Ruthie’s store. He remained quiet and appeared to be picking up what I was explaining. He was smart, and I figured he’d understand my system soon enough. The route had us traveling south through Oregon into Nevada and Utah. We even had a delivery in Arizona.

I drove out of town, and as Connor got situated for our long drive, he asked what Ruthie and I had been talking about. I told him how she was more than aware that something was going on between the two of us.

“She actually said that?” Connor asked.

I wanted to reassure him that everything was fine. “It was mother's intuition, I think. You know they’re like my stepparents, and they’ve known me for years. Ruthie said she caught us looking at each other in that special way and wanted me to know we have their support. She and Elmer have a large family, and she has two grandchildren who are gay.”

“That’s so cool,” Connor replied. “Kinda shows that not all old people are so stuck on being bigoted." He looked out the window, then added, "I did notice they had a small rainbow Pride flag sticker on their front window.”

I laughed. “They’re rather progressive, babe. She and Elmer are quite the allies, and remember, they also have gay customers who frequent their store. The student body alone has quite a few, I’m sure.” I could see Connor relax at my explanation.

Connor had numerous questions as we drove, and it was only the first day. If he wasn’t asking me about my system, he asked about speed limits, hours of service per day, vehicle maintenance, right-of-way, etc. He was surprised at the different rules, considering he’d only driven cars. I noticed he was also antsy that we had to keep our speed closer to fifty-five miles per hour. I asked him if he had a lead foot. He looked at me with a grimaced shrug.

Most nights, we slept in rest areas and found my mattress a bit cramped unless we spooned. I preferred to sleep with him that way most of the time anyway. One morning, I found Connor on the floor in a makeshift bed. Apparently, I’d thrashed about and almost knocked him out of bed. Considering I was normally a light sleeper, I was surprised I hadn’t woken up after his apparent brush with death. He was the most adorable man lying there with his mouth open, lightly snoring. I was transfixed, watching him sleep on the floor below me.

We had numerous passionate nights and had figured out different positions for blowjobs, fucking, and God knows what else on my narrow mattress. Connor was keen on wearing his jockstrap to tease me knowing we’d have sex, and I found ways to use it as a leash around his waist as I fucked him from behind. I preferred facing him so I could look into his eyes during our lovemaking, but I couldn’t refuse his lust for taking it doggy style. He’d whimper and grind into me, and I had to force myself to stave off my release. He could be one insatiable bottom.

One night, we decided to stay at a travel center where they had showers to rent. Connor was all for that since we hadn’t had proper showers in about three days. Once we left the rig, we carried our toiletries into the main building. As I went up to rent the shower room for us, Connor attacked the snack aisles.

A woman’s hand gently landed on my arm. I turned and noticed she was a little younger than me, good-looking, with a bit too much makeup, and had an air about her that screamed ‘lot lizard.’ I thought it might be fun, so I decided to listen to her sex pitch. It could also teach Connor some of the darker underbelly of a trucker’s world.

“Hi there, handsome,” she said in a syrupy tone that had a slight Southern twang. “My name’s Candy.” She slipped her arm through mine and maneuvered us out of the line of sight of the attendant who was dealing with a customer at the counter. She was about two feet shorter than me.

I wasn’t about to tell her my name, so I gave her a friendly “Hello.”

She ran her other hand up and down my arm slowly and suggestively. I wanted to laugh but kept it together, hoping Connor would round a corner soon to witness what was going on.

“I noticed you when you came in the door and wondered if you’d be interested in some company tonight?” she asked flirtatiously.

I went to answer her but stopped short when I heard Connor’s footsteps, along with rustling bags of chips, come up next to me. Candy shot him a glance and then looked at me and gave a toothy smile. I noticed she had a crystal embedded in one of her incisors.

Connor was either in shock or dumbfounded by what was happening. He stood there looking at her and then up at me.

I could see Candy’s mind at work. She leaned in and whispered to the two of us, “We can have a party tonight if your partner here wants to join.” Now, I really wanted to laugh.

Without missing a beat, Connor smiled and looked at me, slipped his arm into mine, and said, “Ya know, if you had a brother with at least nine inches, we might be interested.” At that point, I let out a single bark of laughter.

Candy’s eyes went wide as she shot looks back and forth between Connor and me. “Well, I guess I read the room wrong,” she replied, losing her smile and removing her arm from mine. She took a step back with a look of disdain. Connor gave her a cursed snarl, and I could tell he was done playing.

I looked down and winked at her. “Best of luck tonight, Candy,” was all I could say before throwing her a cheesy grin. Connor and I watched her walk away, heels clicking. He still had that snarl on his face.

“What the fuck was that?” Connor asked, trying to balance his duffel and the bags of chips he’d snagged.

“That, babe, is what we call a Lot Lizard in the trucker trade,” I snickered as I left him standing there befuddled. I walked up to the counter to rent our room, and I knew once we were alone, he’d have more questions about what happened and any other surprises he might witness.

After I paid for our shared shower room, I continued to educate him. I had to tell him it was not only women who propositioned truckers but also men called ‘good buddies’ or ‘truck chasers .’ I could tell he was storing that in his vastly overfilled data bank.

Sharing a room made it easy for one of us to shave while the other showered. I’d just gotten under the cascading water when I felt Connor’s arms slip around me. He washed my back and spent ample time between my ass cheeks, probing my hole with soapy fingers. We ended up giving each other mutual blowjobs, but I found the tile floor wreaked havoc on my older knees. It was worth it, though, as I swallowed his load under the hot water spray.

As the weeks passed, we weaved through the southwest states, battling relentless summer heat. There were times I got concerned for Connor when we were outside for a long time. He came from the cooler climate of the northwest and hadn’t experienced the desert temperatures during the summer. I made him drink water to stay hydrated. At least he listened, and I noticed he had a water bottle most of the time. It was early August as we headed north through California. I thought it might be a good idea to head through Crescent City to check on my condo and for Connor to meet Eli.

Connor had amassed quite a bit of information for his research paper, The Power of Freight Shipping and Handling Through the Western United States, during our weeks on the road. It was his working title, a long one, but it still impressed me. He also befriended my freight broker, Jim, and chatted about his job. Once Jim found out Connor would be referencing and crediting him in his paper’s bibliography, he became an open book and shared some of his trade secrets.

We arrived in Crescent City and planned to stay for three or four days. We probably only had one long trip planned before I needed to take him back to the university.

The thought of our summer ending put a pit in my stomach, but the anticipation of him standing with me in my condo, looking out over the Pacific Ocean, had me smiling to myself, and my sad thoughts drifted away. Connor could meet my best friend and some of the locals and take in our scenic coastline. After eleven years, I wouldn’t be alone on the trip home, and I needed to share part of my other life with him.

The rig was parked in Eli’s lot, and the rideshare driver had just dropped us off in front of my condo building. We each held a duffle bag with necessities for three days. Connor didn’t say a word when he peeked at the view around the side of the building. It was partly cloudy but warm, and the sun’s rays through the broken clouds in the west produced a heavenly glow. It was why I loved my place.

“I can see you like the view,” I said with a smirk. “Wait until you see it from my living room…and my bedroom.” I had to throw in that last part.

Connor didn’t speak until I opened my door to reveal the floor-to-ceiling windows. He dropped his duffle and quickly toed off his shoes to run through the living room and take in the dramatic view. He stood in wonder as I walked up next to him. My heart leaped, seeing the look on his face.

All at once, Connor wrapped his arms around my waist without taking his eyes from the crashing waves below. “This…this is unbelievable,” he said. “Wait, you also mentioned your bedroom.” He released his hold on me and looked around haphazardly. He saw the hallway to our right and bolted to find my bedroom. All I heard was ‘Holy fuck!’ and figured he’d found it.

I laughed and shook my head. I made my way to the bedroom, and Connor was up against the panes of glass on the other side of the bed. I cleared my throat when I entered.

“You wake up to this every morning?” he asked in amazement.

“Well, not every morning, but when I’m here, yes,” I replied, walking up next to him.

His eyes never left the view. “This is incredible. I mean, I’m from Portland, and I’ve seen the ocean before, but not like this. I miss the water.”

We stood there watching the sun drop to the horizon, which gave off hues of gold and red, almost like fire. It was my turn, and as I wrapped my arm around his waist, he leaned into me.

He looked over his shoulder to the bedroom and asked, “Which side of the bed do you sleep on because I wanna see this view of the water every morning? I claim dibs on this side.”

I snickered. “I sleep closer to the bathroom, so you may stake your claim to this side.” He dropped his head on my shoulder just as the sun sank out of sight.

I released my hold and started to walk out of the bedroom. “Are you hungry?” I asked.

“Yes, but I don’t want to leave here tonight. We’ve been in the truck all day, and I wanna spend time alone with you here in your space. It’s cozier. Can we order in…maybe something light?”

My original plan was to head into town so he could meet Eli, but his idea was better. I wanted him to enjoy my home, and meeting Eli could wait. “Sure,” I said. “We have DoorDash, so it’s easy to have it delivered.” He smiled and turned back to the ocean view. It was like watching a child stare at an immense aquarium tank. I left him there as I dialed my phone.

I hadn’t had a guest in a very long time. There was an occasional night with certain ladies a few years after Claudia died, but they were simply filler to help me forget my emptiness and loss. It felt completely different having Connor here. It felt right.

After we showered and unpacked our duffels, we decided to have a late-night dinner of pasta salad with a small charcuterie tray made by my favorite Italian restaurant in town. They delivered it quickly, and I paired it with a crisp Pinot Grigio. As we ate, I asked Connor if he’d texted or chatted with Spencer at all.

“Oh, I guess I didn’t tell you,” Connor said as he wiped his mouth. “You know he and his boyfriend , Evan, are from Boise, and they went back together. Evan still hasn’t come out to his family, but Spencer has been welcomed into their clan with open arms. Evan’s mother loves him.”

When I thought of Spencer’s personality, I couldn’t imagine anyone not liking him, and it made me chuckle.

Connor continued. “Evan’s family throws a big Fourth of July family event every year and made sure the guys would be there. Because of the family’s demand, they had to cancel their camping trip. Spence felt it might help Evan come out easier if they got to know him better. He said that during the fireworks, they’d linked pinkies in the dark. But one of Evan’s younger sisters noticed and confronted them later, privately.”

That got my curiosity. I looked at Connor wide-eyed. “And?” I asked, wanting him to continue.

“She said she wouldn’t say anything, but if they were more than just friends, she urged Evan to come out to the family about it. He said she’d always been suspicious about her older brother but was very supportive.”

“Well, I hope it works out okay for them.” I nodded and understood Evan’s apprehension. I was in a similar situation, but so far, I’d been supported by everyone who knew about Connor and me. It seemed that change was affecting everyone during the summer.

After dinner, Connor wanted to smell the ocean air, sit outside with his glass of wine, and listen to the crashing waves. My condo had a small deck to one side that housed two chairs and a cocktail table. It was a night we could relax and enjoy one another. I took in his silhouette from the light in the living room and stared as the ocean breeze lightly teased his highlights. He closed his eyes, and my heart swelled. I was falling for him.

He remained seated, with his eyes closed, as I got up and stood behind him. I knelt, wrapped my arms around his shoulders, and kissed the back of his neck. He cooed. “I like you here,” I whispered as I brought my mouth to his ear.

“I love your place,” he said as he took hold of my arms. “It’s so peaceful.” We looked out over the blackness of the ocean at the distant lights from two passing ships.

The ocean breeze had picked up, dropping the air temperature, not uncomfortably but enough to think about retreating inside. I asked Connor if he was cold, and he shook his head. I reached over and grabbed the back cushion of my chair, putting it under my bony knees on the deck so I could remain behind him in an embrace. I took in his citrus scent, inhaling deeply from the nape of his neck.

Connor hadn’t said anything for a while, then asked, “Do you miss her?”

He knew the condo was the home I’d shared with Claudia for almost ten years, but I froze, surprised he had brought her up. “At certain times, yes, but as the years pass, I don’t think about her here as much.”

“Do you think it bothers her that I’m here?”

His question threw me, and I wasn’t sure how to answer. I could tell he knew I was thinking about how to respond, so he sat quietly and waited.

“My gut tells me no,” I replied, then placed my chin on his shoulder. “May I ask why you’re bringing Claudia up tonight?”

“It was the home you shared. I don’t know—for some weird reason, I feel like I’m intruding.”

I moved from the back of his chair on my knees to his side, and he brought his eyes to mine. “Babe, you’re not intruding. I invited you here to share this part of my life with you. To show you my life isn’t all about making deliveries and driving up and down the coast.” I could see in his eyes he felt I was sincere, and he gave a timid smile.

I wanted to tell him more. I wanted to tell him I’d like him to be a much bigger part of my life, but I kept that thought to myself. I wasn’t sure what our future looked like yet, but I knew it had come to a point where I never wanted to let him go.

Connor seemed satisfied with my answer and looked at me longingly as I took his face in my hands and brushed my lips against his. He deepened the kiss and sought out my tongue with his. It was tender and passionate. I stood and led him in. The bedroom was calling, and I wanted to make sure he had no doubts about me wanting him in my home.

Perhaps, just maybe, we were heading down the right path, and our red string was tightening.