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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Will

It was the day before Christmas Eve. They had fixed a simple dinner in Tom’s kitchen and eaten burgers and Caesar salad at the small dining table. Even though Tom hadn’t moved in yet, he and Will were spending more time at the apartment while they were still on their holiday break.

“You know, just because we agreed to wait until New Year’s Eve to take this to the next level doesn’t mean we can’t still do other stuff.” Will stared deeply into Tom’s emerald eyes. Up until now, they’d made out a few times, had even exchanged blow jobs on more than one occasion, and had agreed that they were ready to move forward. Once Tom decided to move to the new place just before the end of the year, they made the decision to christen the new apartment—and the bed—on New Year’s Eve.

“What did you have in mind?” The glint in Tom’s eye told Will that he was enjoying the banter between them way too much.

“We probably should test out the new mattress and box spring to make sure everything holds up okay with the two of us on the bed.” Will grinned. “After all, we wouldn’t want to go crashing to the floor at a crucial moment.”

“That’s actually a very good idea,” Tom agreed. “C’mon, we can clean up later.” Tom reached for Will’s hand and led him to the bedroom.

Will took the lead, kissing Tom as he ran his hands down Tom’s back, cupping his ass firmly. Will felt Tom’s tongue seeking entrance, and he parted his lips and deepened the kiss.

“Really want you,” Tom panted, breaking the kiss and reaching for the hem of Will’s sweatshirt.

That was all the encouragement Will needed, and they quickly helped each other undress until they stood at the foot of the bed clad only in boxer briefs, navy for Will and dark gray for Tom. Their excitement was evident, bulges straining at thin fabric. Will pulled Tom to him, rubbing their crotches together as they kissed passionately.

They maneuvered onto the bed, Tom straddling Will as they kissed and frotted against each other.

“Still too many clothes,” Tom moaned, running his hands down Will’s furry chest. Grabbing the waistband of Will’s shorts, he pulled them over his ass and down his legs until Will lay before him, completely naked. Shucking off his own briefs, he climbed back on top of Will, reversing his body so that they could suck each other.

Will worked his way up and down Tom’s rigid shaft, sucking and nipping along the way. He licked Tom’s hirsute balls, then ran his tongue along Tom’s taint and circled his hole. Will inhaled deeply, his nostrils filling with the scent of Tom’s musk and a faint citrus blend that Will now knew was Tom’s body wash. The heady aroma excited Will, and he began to suck eagerly on Tom’s cock.

His own dick was being laved and stroked, sucked and licked, working him into a frenzy. A few more seconds like that, and he knew he was a goner.

“Gonna come!” he nearly shouted, then completely engulfed Tom’s cock with his lips and tongue. His orgasm overtook him, nearly causing him to black out as Tom sucked him dry. He no sooner finished then Tom’s cum hit the back of his throat, and he swallowed quickly, not wanting to spill any of Tom’s essence.

As their breathing slowed, they lapped at any stray cum, and Tom flipped around so that he was facing Will. They kissed, tasting themselves on each other’s tongues.

“That was pretty intense,” Tom whispered.

“Well, the bed survived,” Will said. “At least this time. We might need to try again just to be sure.”

“I think that’s a very good idea,” Tom agreed, smiling.

Will woke in his own bed on Christmas Eve morning. Even though he and Tom had napped after last evening’s “testing of the bed,” he wouldn’t stay over until next week, when Tom officially moved into his new place for New Year’s Eve. Aromas of coffee and cinnamon hit Will’s nose, and he rose, tempted by the scent of his mom’s French toast casserole. That, along with some crispy bacon, was a Christmas Eve tradition. As he entered the kitchen, his sister Melissa walked in the back door.

“Hey, sis.” Will hugged her in greeting. “Merry Christmas Eve.”

“You too, Will,” she replied. Ever since their dad had died, back when Will was just twelve, they had put more emphasis on Christmas Eve. For some reason, their dad preferred it over Christmas Day, so the family continued to celebrate on the eve in memory of their dad and husband.

“Breakfast smells delicious, Mom,” Will told Emily.

“You say that every year.”

“Because it’s true.” Will smiled. As they began to eat, they caught each other up on their lives over the past week.

“I was talking to Jeremy, and he says he’d like to hire me full-time,” Melissa announced. In addition to her hours at Bradley House, Melissa worked part-time at No Place Like Home, a home-goods shop in town.

“Really? That’s wonderful,” Emily said. “You’ve been wanting to work there full-time, right?”

“Yeah, but it means cutting back at the B and B, or stopping completely,” Melissa admitted. “I hope Clay’s okay with that.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine with it,” Will told her. “You know he only wants the best for his employees.”

“I know you’re right, but it will be difficult if I have to leave there. The Bradleys and the rest of the staff are like family.”

“I know what you mean, sis. I feel the same way. But I’m sure Clay will be open to anything you want to do even if it just means filling in once or twice a month.”

They finished eating, and both Will and Melissa helped Emily clean up the kitchen. They’d spend the rest of day watching holiday movies on TV and would open gifts later that night. Dinner would be another tradition—French meat pie, a nod to Emily’s French-Canadian roots.

Will thought back to past Christmases, some with his dad and some later. But it was memories of happy times—like singing carols together, drinking eggnog, and opening a small gift before bed on Christmas Eve—that brought a smile to Will’s face.

Christmas morning dawned bright and cold. Puffy clouds dotted the azure skies. Will smiled as he gazed out his window. It was Christmas Day, and he’d get to spend some time with Tom. A week ago, his mom had talked to him about asking Tom and his mother to spend Christmas Day with them. Will had met Tom’s mom twice. The first time, he was picking Tom up for a date, and she had seemed nice although a bit standoffish. It was before Tom had spoken to her about moving out, so Will didn’t dwell on her reaction all that much. The second time was just last week, and she had come across as much friendlier. Will wondered if the counselor she was seeing was already having a positive effect on her.

When Will asked Alice and Tom to spend Christmas Day with his family, at first Alice was hesitant, saying she didn’t want to intrude. Will secretly thought part of it was that she still wasn’t completely happy about his and Tom’s relationship, but he didn’t say a word. After a few minutes, Tom convinced her to accompany him, explaining that he wanted to spend some time with Will’s family and really wished she would be there as well.

After breakfast, Will helped his mom get ready for the day. Emily put a turkey breast in the oven to roast and had prepared glazed carrots along with her famous—at least to her family—dressing with sausage, apples, and pecans along with another meat pie since Will was particularly fond of them.

“Merry Christmas!” Will greeted Tom and Alice at the door. They hugged, still too shy to kiss in front of both Alice and Emily at that point.

“Same to you,” Tom and Alice each replied as they entered the house. It was just past four, and Melissa had already been there for a couple of hours. They sat in the living room, reminiscing about past Christmases.

“I remember one Christmas before Dad died,” Will said. “He insisted we all get matching plaid pajamas and wear reindeer antlers and red noses on Christmas Eve.”

“Oh my, that was such fun,” Emily added. “But I had the hardest time finding extra-large pajamas that would fit your dad. It was worth it in the long run because we did look great.”

“Didn’t you take a photo of us and use it for our Christmas card the following year?” Will asked.

“I certainly did,” his mom said. “I still have a copy somewhere. I’ll need to dig it out and make a copy for you.”

“I don’t remember any Christmases with my dad,” Tom offered, his voice tinged with sadness. “But I remember so many when it was just Mom and me. Thinking back on them, I always felt loved and cared for. Thanks, Mom.” Alice smiled warmly and took his hand. She seemed too choked up to say anything.

They continued sharing memories for a while, with Alice, Emily, and Melissa sharing some favorite times. Emily and Alice appeared to hit it off rather quickly; Will hoped they would become friends as time moved on.

After a while, they exchanged gifts. Will and Tom had agreed to keep things simple this year since Tom was using most of his savings for the new apartment, and Will had already given him the used furniture as an early gift. Emily gave Alice a Jerusalem cherry plant in a gorgeous planter from her shop, and Alice gifted Emily with a set of linen placemats and matching napkins.

Will received a beautiful leather-moleskin notebook with a set of the black rollerball pens he loved, and he gave Tom a navy-blue Quincy College sweatshirt.

They ate, drank some wine, and had many laughs as they chatted throughout the evening. Indeed, it was a wonderful first Christmas together.