Page 38

Charlie

“ L adies and gentlemen, Delta Air Lines Flight three-seven-one-five welcomes you to Orlando, Florida. The local time is eleven forty AM…”

The voice fades as my nerves from earlier come back. Shane has been the best while I mentally prepared myself to meet his family. He’s kept reassuring me that they’ll love me, that he’ll be with me the whole time, and that if I’m uncomfortable, we can leave at any time. I know they are good people. They have to be for Shane to be this great of a man. I’ve never been in this position before, besides meeting Lily’s family, and that didn’t go over well.

Shane holds my hand as we depart. He grabs his duffle bag at baggage claim, throws it over his shoulder then grabs my rolling suitcase and pulls it behind him as we walk towards the escalators. He leads me outside where a bunch of cars are waiting. We walk towards a silver Chevy Tahoe. The passenger door opens and a woman with wavy light brown hair and bright blue eyes hops out.

“There’s my baby boy!” She rushes over to Shane and hugs him.

“Hi, Mom.” Shane looks at me over her head with a loving smile as he squeezes my hand.

His mom steps back and smiles at me. I freeze as she hugs me too. When she pulls away, she’s still smiling from ear to ear.

“Sorry honey I should’ve asked before I did that. I’m just so excited to finally meet you! I’m Holly,” she holds her hand out for me to shake. I smile tentatively and shake her hand. “Well, let’s get you boys loaded up before we start getting honked at.”

Shane puts our bags in the trunk then we climb in on either side. The cool air from the air conditioning feels heavenly as it cools my warm skin under my hoodie.

“It’s good to see you, son.” His dad bumps fists with Shane then twists to look at me. “You must be Charlie. I’m John, it’s nice to meet you.” He holds his fist out, so I bump my fist into his. We pull away from the airport and onto a highway.

“How was the flight?” They talk amongst themselves as I watch as we pass huge palm trees and bask in the warmth of the sun. I close my eyes and ease back into the cool seat.

“Charlie, we’re here.” Shane’s husky voice wakes me as I slowly open my eyes.

His eyes are as bright as the sky behind him and his smile is as bright as the sun.

When I step out of the car the first thing I notice is the sound of waves in the distance then the unmistakable fishy smell of a lake. Shane holds my hand as we walk up to a large two-story house with huge windows and a porch that looks like it wraps all the way around. We step up onto the porch and I’m greeted by a tiny tan and white husky. It jumps up on my legs and barks excitedly. I notice that it has two different colored eyes, one bright blue like Shane’s and the other brown like mine.

“Tucker, get down you rascal.”

I look up from the puppy to find a woman a little older than me with the same light brown hair as Shane’s mom and blue eyes that are a shade darker than Shane’s. She smiles at me kindly.

“Hello there, I’m Becca, Shane’s older sister.”

“Hi,” I say shyly squatting down to pet Tucker who’s chewing on the laces of my boots.

He starts bouncing around like a bunny, his ears flopping like crazy. Then he stops, wiggles his butt, and jumps into my arms, making me fall to my ass. He licks my face as I pet his soft fur, chuckling.

“Don’t let him get too comfortable or you’ll never be able to sit without him jumping into your lap whether you want him to or not.” Shane’s dad winks as he walks past with our luggage.

Shane squats down behind me and wraps his arms around me to pet Tucker. “Want to go inside and look around? There’s something I want to show you that I think you’ll love.” He kisses the side of my neck before standing up, pulling me with him.

Tucker whines at our feet as we walk into the spacious living room. It’s an open-floor concept that has tons of natural light coming in from the floor-to-ceiling windows and leads into the kitchen at the back of the house where his mom is making sandwiches at a large counter.

As we walk up to the counter, I see it. I have tunnel vision as my feet lead me to the door that opens to their backyard. Only it’s not a typical backyard. There’s a big inground pool and a large pool house in the back corner but that’s not what’s caught my eye. Just beyond the white fence is a clearing of sand and a lake that goes out as far as the eye can see.

Strong arms wrap around my waist from behind. I drop my head back onto Shane’s shoulder as we watch the waves crash onto the sand.

“It’s even more breathtaking at night,” he says softly next to my ear. “We aren’t by any major cities, so no lights or pollution is blocking the view of all the stars.”

I tilt my head up to look at him. “Can we watch the stars tonight?"

He kisses my nose before spinning me around. “We can spend every single night out there, baby. It only drops to about sixty at night, so we won’t have to worry about freezing.”

I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him, feeling emotions I can’t even explain. I drop back down, still looking into his gorgeous eyes, wishing I had the strength to tell him how much I love him. He must see it in my eyes because the sweetest smile lifts his cheeks as he lightly traces under my eyes with the pads of his thumbs.

“Okay, love birds,” his mom interrupts, “this is beyond adorable, and as much as I don’t want it to end, I have lunch ready. I know you two have had a long morning with only airport food in your bellies so come eat!” She shares the same bright smile as Shane.

She has a spread of two types of bread, five different meats, three types of cheese, and all the condiments, along with an array of fruits and vegetables. Not wanting to be rude, I start making a sandwich with the three cheeses, even though I only recognize cheddar.

A plate with golden grilled cheese slides in front of me. I look over my shoulder and see Becca.

“I figured this is more up your alley,” she whispers, then winks before making her own sandwich.

I stare down at the grilled cheese. Shane is the only person who’s ever thought of me when it comes to being a vegetarian. And now his sister, who I’ve just met, has made me a sandwich. It’s something so small and it shouldn’t make me feel like crying but the back of my eyes start burning anyway.

“Told you they’d love you.” Shane wraps his arm around my shoulder and kisses the top of my head.

I blink back any tears that try to slip out and lean into his side. We stop and get some fruit before sitting at the table. I sit quietly and eat while listening to their conversation. His dad is a huge hockey fan and loves the Chicago Blackbirds but has settled for cheering on the Tampa Bay Thunder. He also has an eight- year-old husky that’s named Stanley, which apparently is the name of the NHL trophy. And he’ll be retiring next summer.

His mom exudes happiness. She has this aura that makes me feel safe and welcome. I noticed she always has a small smile like she truly enjoys being surrounded by her family. It’s a strange thing to witness when my mother only seems annoyed when I’m around. Becca is what I presume most older siblings are like. She pokes fun at Shane and brings up childhood memories that have his cheeks turning pink. Their back-and-forth banter is bittersweet though. I love watching Shane laugh with his sister, but it makes me sad that Benji and I never had this. I do my best to push those feelings into the back of my mind and enjoy the moment.

After lunch, Shane brings me up to his room. It’s similar to his room at his condo with the light walls and dark comforter on his bed. I walk to the wall closest to the door and look at the three shelves overflowing with trophies. Most are from hockey, but he has a couple from football and basketball. Walking further into his room, I go to the massive bookcase that lines the far wall. I run my fingers along the spines until I reach his window and I’m floored by the view.

The bright blue sky meets the dark water of the lake in a backdrop to the vividly green palm trees that line the light-colored sand. It’s breathtaking.

Shane stands next to me as we watch the light breeze move the palm leaves as the waves crash to the shore.

“There’s a beach on Lake Michigan a few miles from my house,” I say, still looking out his window. “During the summer, I’d find myself climbing up the dunes with only the moon and stars as my light. There’s this one flat spot that’s perfect to lie back on and look up at the stars. The waves helped calm me when I was having a hard day, and that, combined with the stars, became my safe place. I’m pretty sure I’ve spent more time sleeping on that beach than I have in my bed.”

Shane laces his fingers through mine as he pulls me into his chest. I take in a lungful of his addictive scent.

“You can go down to the beach whenever you’d like while we’re here. You can even lay spreadeagle right in the middle of the sand and no one will bother you. The closest neighbor is five miles away, so this part of the beach is all ours.” He hugs me tightly. “I’m sorry you had to sleep on the beach to feel safe.”

I bury my face into his hard chest and hug him back.

We spend the rest of the afternoon hanging out with his parents and sister. They show me around their quiet neighborhood, including Shane’s elementary and high school which prompts more teasing between him and Becca. For dinner, we meet up with his younger sister, Liz. She’s a spitting image of their mom with long flowy light brown hair and blue eyes.

Afterwards, we say goodnight to Becca and Liz then head back to his parents’ house.

“You boys want to watch a Christmas movie with us?” His mom asks as we walk into the living room.

Shane looks at me and I shrug, not really caring what we do as long as I get to sit before I explode from eating so much.

“Sure, Mom. We’re going to go change first, then meet you guys in the basement.”

We make our way up to his room and while he’s digging through his bag, I spread out on his super soft king-size bed.

“Oh no you don’t,” Shane chuckles as he lands next to me with a bounce. “You can’t go to sleep after we said we’ll watch a movie with them.”

I have to focus really hard to get one eye to open. He’s lying on his stomach, looking down at me, his sexy grin on display. I reach up and lazily trace over his plush lips. He presses a kiss to my finger and then leans down for a toe-curling kiss. His tongue explores my mouth as his hand skates over my thigh and lands on my hardening dick. He strokes me over my jeans a few times then slowly opens the button and pulls the zipper down. His warm hand wraps around my rock-hard length. He continues ravaging my mouth as his hand brings me close to the edge.

He kisses his way down my throat, pulling back to yank my shirt over my head, then continues a wet path down my stomach. When he reaches my dick, he looks up at me and smiles before taking all of me in his mouth. His nose hits my trimmed hair as he swallows around me making me cry out.

“I’m-I’m going to come. Oh shiiit, Shane!”

He pulls off, laughing when I whine in protest. “Don’t worry baby, I’ve got you.”

He pushes my legs back and circles my rim with his tongue before pushing in. I mewl at the feel of his tongue inside me. His finger joins his tongue, driving me crazy. Moving back to my cock, he bobs up and down while pumping me with two fingers. My breathing picks up as he finds my prostate and rubs it over and over until I’m spilling down his throat.

He sucks everything I have out of me before sitting up and pulling himself from his jeans. He leans over me as he pumps his cock, only needing a few strokes until he’s spraying my stomach with warm sticky cum.

“Fuck, that was good.” He steals another kiss before landing next to me on his back. Our panting fills the otherwise quiet room.

“I don’t know if I can walk,” I say sleepily. “How am I supposed to get downstairs and then stay awake for the movie?”

His warm laugh breaks up our heavy breathing. “We don’t have to watch the movie. I was just messing with you.”

I roll to my side and sit up on my arm. “I don’t want to be rude. They miss you and want to spend time with you. You shouldn’t be spending it with me up here.”

He opens his eyes and tilts his head. “Baby, I want to spend every second of every day with you. Yeah, I miss my family, but I also know that they wouldn’t care if I chose to do something with you over doing something as simple as watching a movie with them.” He reaches up to tuck my hair behind my ear. “We’re here for two weeks. Believe me, we’ll be doing so much stuff with them that you’ll be counting down the days until we leave.”

“I doubt that,” I chuckle.

He rolls us so I’m under him. “Okay so maybe that’s exaggerating a little. But just know that my mom has a full list of Christmas shit she wants to do.” He pauses, looking at me thoughtfully. “You deserve to be loved, Charlie. You don’t have to put my happiness over yours. If you’d rather stay up here and watch something together instead of watching some boring Christmas movie with my parents, just say it. They won’t mind.”

I chew my bottom lip and decide we should go watch the movie with his parents. We walk hand in hand down to the basement where a huge sectional couch lines the walls facing a massive TV.

“Hey boys,” his dad greets us, “I have three movies to choose from. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, The Night Before, or Christmas with the Kranks.”

I’ve only seen the first one, so I look at Shane to choose.

“Looks like we’re going for comedy tonight. Chevy Chase, Seth Rogan, or Tim Allen. Which one, baby?”

I look at the three movies on the screen. “Umm, Seth is funny.”

“The Night Before it is,” his dad says from his spot opposite us.

Shane sits in the corner with his feet towards the TV and pats his legs. I lay on my side facing the TV with my head on his lap. I’m hoping the movie will keep me awake long enough to not be impolite. But I barely get ten minutes into the movie before my eyes refuse to open after a long blink.

“Merry Christmas, boy...”

“I think it’s time for my Christmas present…”

“On your knees!”

“No p-please...”

“Shut up!” Smack. “Now open that pretty mouth before I do it for you…”

“No!” I shoot up to a sitting position ready to fend him off. My heart is beating faster than it ever has before. It takes a few hard blinks to clear his evil face from my vision.

I run a hand down my sweaty face and blow out a breath. Why can’t these fucking nightmares just stop? I don’t even know what triggers them anymore. It used to be when I knew I was going to see him. But now it’s happening whenever my fucked-up mind feels like it.

I look around Shane’s dark room and spot the time glowing on his alarm clock. Four thirty AM. Fuck.

I slowly climb out of bed, knowing there’s no way I’ll fall back to sleep, and as quietly as I can, I unzip my suitcase. Moving my clothes to the side, I pull out my sketchpad, my reading light, and a pencil. I’ve been working on a Christmas present for Shane for the few hours each day that we aren’t together.

Climbing back into bed, I get situated leaning against the headboard. Flipping to the last page, I adjust the light so it’s facing away from Shane and study the drawing I have so far. The picture on the front is a grayscale of a hawk in midflight, flying right toward the viewer, its talons ready to dig into you. On the back is the lake he took me to a few months ago. It’s filled with every color imaginable.

I concentrate on adding little details here and there.

“Damn,” Shane’s sleepy voice startles me a few hours later. “I was going to wake you up with a Christmas bj.”

Looking down at him, I close the sketchbook and lean over for a kiss. “Merry Christmas Shane.”

He slides his hand through my hair at the back of my head and pulls me down for a deeper kiss. I throw my leg over his waist to straddle him as we continue to kiss. I grind my hardening dick against his, swallowing his deep groan. We’re both in our boxer briefs but it’s not close enough. Reaching down, I pull his steel length free along with mine, letting out a moan when the undersides meet. Spitting in my hand, I use both hands to wrap around us and rock into my fists. Shane meets my tempo and together we chase our orgasms.

“Yes. That’s it baby, keep going. I’m so close.” He grabs my hips as he thrusts up onto my fists, his crown hitting that one spot right under my flared head, causing me to come without warning.

“Uhh…Sh-Shane.” I breathe heavily into his neck as I keep coming.

My cum has made it easier for him to move against my still-hard cock. He wraps one of his hands around mine to tighten my hold while pushing on my lower back to keep my hips moving. I use the last of my energy to grind against him and he thrusts up faster and faster until he stops and adds to the mess on his stomach.

“Fuck, I think that was better than a blowie.” He pulls me against his chest, smearing our combined releases between us.

Moving my sweaty hair from my face, he cradles my cheeks. “Merry Christmas, beautiful. I’m so happy you’re here.”

I grin down at this sweet man.

“I love you, Shane. I think I have for a while now, I…I didn’t know what it meant to be loved. And I wasn’t sure if what I was feeling was really love or something else. I didn’t grow up with parents who loved me, so I wasn’t sure if I could feel something I’d never had before.” I swallow hard as I look into his vibrant blue eyes. “But I’m more sure now than I’ve ever been. I love you.”

Shane has the biggest grin I’ve ever seen. He pulls me in for a sweet, tender kiss that I pour all my love into.

“I love you so much, beautiful. That beats any gift I’ll ever receive.” We kiss again wrapped in each other’s arms until the cum mess becomes uncomfortable.

After a quick shower, we head downstairs to the smell of coffee and cinnamon. His mom and dad are sitting in the living room watching It’s a Wonderful Life.

“Merry Christmas, boys. The cinnamon rolls just came out and your sisters and Brady should be here soon. Go grab some before they get here and eat them all.” She winks at me before turning back to the movie.

Shane bends down and kisses the top of her head. “Thanks, Mom. Merry Christmas.”

“You’re welcome, baby.”

“Hey, I made the coffee,” his dad says looking offended.

Shane rolls his eyes before chuckling. “I don’t drink coffee but thanks anyways.” His dad raises his fist in the air and Shane bumps it as we pass by. “Merry Christmas, Dad.”

In the kitchen, we sit at the table and eat the biggest and best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had. Once we finish, his sisters and a tall skinny guy with spiky brown hair arrive and the endless chatter begins. I honestly don’t mind it because there’s always some funny story from their childhood that has each one of them belly laughing. Nothing serious ever comes up and we spend the whole day in lighthearted conversations.

“Is it time for presents now?” Becca asks while eyeing the mountain of gifts under the tree.

“You’re the oldest yet you’re always the one begging to open presents,” their dad chuckles as he reaches for a sparkly red box and tosses it to her.

I shrink into the couch next to Shane as they pass out gifts. I’m not expecting anything so when a box wrapped in blue paper is set on my lap, I don’t know what to do. Looking around I notice that everyone has stopped opening gifts and is looking at me.

I nervously look at Shane who gestures for me to open it. Sitting up, I unwrap a wooden box with my name carved on the lid. I trace over the letters, amazed by the craftsmanship.

“I dabble in woodworking in my off time,” his dad says.

Looking over at him, I smile. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.”

“Open it,” Shane nudges my arm.

I slowly open the lid and I’m taken aback by what’s inside. On the top is a box of Copic markers, my favorite brand, along with a box of sixty Arteza water paints.

“My friend is taking art classes in school, and she said these have the best color options.” I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from crying as I look over to where Liz is sitting on the floor with Stanley.

“I love them, thank you,” I choke out.

Going back to the box, the next item has a tear slipping free. I pick up a leather-bound sketchbook with an image of a hand drawing a hockey stick. Opening it, a small note on the inside cover says, The Artist and The Hockey Player.

“Brady is a leather smith. I came up with the design and he created it,” Becca says from the other couch.

I can’t stop the tears from falling as I struggle to say thank you. Shane rubs my back as I pick up the last item from the box. It’s a painting of a night sky dotted with tiny stars. In the center it says, Keep shining, Charlie. Never let your light go out, in flowy handwriting.

“I’m no artist but I wanted to add a little piece of me in your box along with everyone else,” his mom says softly.

This time the tears are free flowing and there’s nothing I can do to stop all the emotions from coming out.

“We all love you, baby.” Shane pulls me until I’m sitting in his lap and soaking the front of his shirt with my tears.

I don’t understand how people I’ve never met knew what to get me. Shit, three of my gifts were handmade. No one has ever done that for me. The last time I celebrated Christmas with my family, I left with a fractured wrist because I fell asleep. I was called ungrateful and was never invited again.

“Are you okay?”

I nod into Shane’s chest. He gently pulls me away and kisses my forehead. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, slowly releasing it. When I open my eyes, I realize everyone is collecting their gifts and walking to the kitchen.

I drop my forehead to his when it’s just us. “I don’t know what to say other than thank you. This has been the best Christmas, but I feel horrible that everyone got me something and I showed up empty-handed.” I sit up as I start to panic. “I’ll go out tomorrow and get them something or, or I’ll draw them something. Maybe I can get my hands on some clay, and I could sculpt for them.”

“Baby, stop. It’s okay.” He rubs up and down my arms. “They did all of this out of the kindness of their hearts. They wanted to give them to you. They don’t expect anything in return, we’re all happy that we were able to make today special for you.” He picks up the box his dad made and slowly puts everything back in it. “I only knew about this,” he taps the side of the box. “My dad was originally making it for me to give to you but then everyone else said they wanted to add to it, so it became his gift to give.”

I trace over my name again. “He’s really good. Everyone is.”

“Yeah, unfortunately, my only talent is hockey, so I had to buy your gifts.” He lifts his hip and pulls a black satin jewelry bag from his pocket. “There are two gifts in here. One was custom-made by our family jeweler and the other I had made from someone online.” He snickers to himself as he opens the bag and pulls out one of those string bracelets with a million knots in it. It’s in rainbow colors. He hands it to me and that’s when I notice a silver circle charm hanging with C & S inscribed on it.

“Can you help me put it on?” I hold up my wrist.

He ties it for me and then holds my hand. “That was the online purchase if you couldn’t tell.” I laugh as he goes back to the bag. “This is not what it seems so don’t freak out.” He pulls out a flat black ring. “This is a ring that’s more than just a promise. It’s a symbol that I’ll always be there for you. You can look down when you’re feeling anxious and spin it until you see this,” he turns it towards me, showing the word Promise engraved on the band. “I promise to never leave your side no matter how hard life gets.” He turns the ring around and tilts it so I can see the inside where the word Always is engraved.

“Shane.” My voice wavers as he takes my right hand and slides the ring onto my middle finger. “It’s perfect. Thank you.” New tears start to fall down my cheeks.

He wipes them away before capturing my lips in a heated kiss.

When I’m forced to pull away from lack of oxygen, I slide off his lap. “I have to go grab your gift from upstairs.” I thumb over my shoulder before racing to his room to carefully rip the drawing from my sketchbook. When I get back downstairs, I reclaim my spot on his lap.

“This seems silly after what everyone has given me, but I’ve never given a gift to anyone before. I’ve been working on this for you for a few weeks, but I’ll think of something better. You deserve more than this, a lot more-”

“Baby,” he interrupts my rambling, “I’ll love it, no matter what it is.”

I open the paper and hand it to him with a slight tremble in my hand.

“Oh wow!” He traces over the hawk’s sharp beak with his finger. “This is amazing Charlie! It feels like it’s about to fly right off the paper! Thank you.” He kisses my cheek as I chew on my lip.

“Turn it over.”

He doesn’t say anything as I watch his eyes scan the picture. I start to get nervous the longer he doesn’t say anything.

“I know it’s not really a gift. I can take it back and-”

“This is the most beautiful scenery in the world. And you drew it. I feel like I’m sitting there again with you, enjoying the serenity and colors. I remember how happy you were, and I promised myself that day that I’d do my damnedest to keep bringing you that happiness every day.” He looks up from the drawing with wet eyes. “This is better than any camera could ever capture and is only second best to being there with you.” He blinks and a tear falls. “Baby, you’ve captured one of my most favorite memories with you. I’m going to frame this and hang it above my bed, so I’ll always remember this day.”

I don’t care if any of my future art never sells after hearing him say that. I don’t know what to say to him, so I return his kiss from earlier, laying out all my feelings for him. It quickly becomes more as our dicks harden and I start to roll my hips.

Shane growls before he stands, my legs instantly wrapping around his waist. He climbs up the stairs much faster than I thought he could while carrying me. Rushing into his room, he locks the door and follows as he tosses me on the bed.

“I fucking love you Charlie.”