by C J Baty
"What the hell is the Little River Railroad Museum?" Damien asked when they drove by the sign. "It looks like a bunch of abandoned buildings and piles of metal junk. Is that a train engine?"
"Yes, it is." Robert smiled. He loved the history of this side of the Smokies, though most people knew little about it. "In the 1920s, this was a booming lumber town," he said.
"You're kidding."
"Nope. They nearly decimated the lumber in the mountains before the area became a national park. That engine you saw, the rusted pieces of metal, it was designed by the owners of the logging company. Nothing like it existed.
They used it to bring down the trees from the top of the mountains after they'd been cut. Today, inside the park's boundaries, there remain landmarks, camp sites and skeletal buildings from the past. There was even a hotel, where folks from Knoxville would come to get away from the city heat."
Robert felt Damien's stare as he continued to drive, but Damien was silent until they pulled into the crowded parking lot of the only grocery store in town. Robert turned to face Damien.
"You are something else," Damien said with a smile. "First, you amaze me with your love of astronomy, now you're a history buff too. Who are you, Robert Wyler?"
Damien's stare made Robert feel flushed. It was so intense and penetrating.
Robert wasn't prone to blushing, but he could feel the heat in his cheeks and he hurried to get out of the Jeep.
"Come on," he said, without answering Damien. "Let's see if there's anything left on the shelves."
Inside, the store was overflowing with men, women and children, all talking about the snow and the next approaching storm. Though the grocery store in Townsend was small, and the shelves were picked over, they still found items both would eat.
Robert had no idea how long they would be stuck in the coming storm, so they purchased enough to see them through several days. He couldn't help
but laugh when Damien groaned about buying lettuce in prepackaged bags.
Thankfully, the other vegetables and fruits had been fresh enough for him.
They also bought more beer and two bottles of questionable, to Damien, wine.
It was questionable because Damien had never heard of the name on the label and because it cost less than ten dollars a bottle. Robert was still laughing when he carried their bags out to the Jeep. Damien had tried his very best to school the clerk, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, stocking shelves in the beverage aisle, on the intricacies of wine. The poor guy stood as Damien talked on and on. He looked as if he had been run over by a truck. He excused himself to get away. Damien threw up his hands and turned to Robert.
"I guess some people just don't understand the difference between quality and quantity," Damien said.
Robert’s laughter bubbled over as he placed their groceries in the Jeep.
Inside the warm vehicle, Robert turned to Damien. He was watching a couple leaving the grocery store hand in hand. Each carried several bags in their free hand.
"Do you ever think that's real?" Damien asked. There was a hint of longing in his voice that Robert had never heard before.
"What?"
"That." Damien pointed toward the couple. "The way some people can find the right person for them. Someone who makes them happy just holding their hand. Someone who doesn't have a hidden agenda."
Robert understood Damien was referring to his experience with Carter. He didn't want to cause Damien any more pain, but he believed there was someone for everyone. "I think so," he answered. "It takes some people longer to find the right one."
Damien didn't look at Robert. He kept watching as the young couple moved on.
"I don't know if the park entrance is closed off yet, but I suspect it will be soon. Do you mind if we take a short drive?" Robert asked.
Words laced with Damien's smart ass attitude followed. "Nope," Damien answered. "I've got no big plans and no way to get there. Figuratively, I'm all yours."
Robert pulled back out onto the main road.
He drove straight out of town toward the entrance to the park. The barricade would be up if the park was closed, but there was one spot he wanted to show Damien before they reached that point.
The road wrapped around the side of the mountain, close enough you could reach out and touch it on Damien's side of the Jeep. On Robert's side, the water in the Little Pigeon River rushed by. This time of year, all the trees but the evergreens were bare, leaving an open view of the surrounding terrain.
It was desolate and yet still breathtaking. Right now, with the deep covering of snow, the starkness of the trees was even more evident. Robert loved the mountains no matter the season.
"I know it looks sort of bleak at the moment, but come spring, it will look like a different forest. Flowers and trees, with their buds breaking into every color of the rainbow, and fresh green grass that looks like a carpet will just blow you away."
"You really love it here?" Damien asked.
"Sorry. I know I can get carried away," Robert said as he pulled the Jeep to the side of the road. "We walk from here."
"You are kidding?" The disbelief in Damien's voice was ironic.
"Nope." Robert got out of the Jeep and circled the vehicle to open Damien's door. "Let's go."
"I don't fucking believe you want to take a hike in the middle of a winter storm," Damien said, but he got out and followed Robert down a muddy path.
They had walked about a mile, with Damien several feet behind Robert, grumbling and cursing under his breath the entire time. He loved knowing he was pissing Damien off. He smiled; then they rounded a boulder and Robert stopped. Damien almost knocked him over when he didn't look up from watching where he walked.
"Oomph!"
"Sorry," Damien said; then his eyes widened. Robert knew he had seen what they had been walking toward.
The icy water rushed out of the mountain several yards above their heads. It streamed down the rocky surface and tumbled into a pool fifty feet in front of them. Snow and ice covered the pool and the boulders littering it. Robert knew it looked like something out of a travel guide.
"My god, it's beautiful," Damien whispered as he ventured closer.
"Be careful where you walk," Robert said. "Ice on those rocks around the pool will be extra slippery."
Robert stood beside Damien near the small body of water, neither man speaking. The only sound was the icy mountain water as it ran on its course.
The air was cold, and steam escaped their lips as they breathed in and out.
It was snowing again. Robert wasn't sure how long they had stood in silence,
watching the scene before them. The sound of Damien's stomach grumbling caused them both to laugh.
"Sounds like we need to get you some food."
Robert turned back in the direction they had come, and this time Damien walked beside him.
"What do you have in mind?" Damien asked. "Some local home cooking?"
Robert narrowed his eyes at Damien and sneered. "I prefer local 'mom and pop' places to the chain restaurants. Their food is freshly prepared and the service warm and inviting."
"Sorry. Whatever you suggest will be great, I'm sure." Damien's faced flushed.
Robert hopped into the Jeep, slamming his door closed, turned the key in the ignition and put the vehicle in gear. He pulled out onto the snow-covered road, and when they reached the three-way intersection, he took a right turn, heading out of Townsend.
Two miles from where they had turned off was a white run down building on the side of the road.
"What the hell is Skiddy's?" Damien asked as they came to a stop in the crowded parking lot.
Robert didn't answer. It was two o'clock in the afternoon and the parking lot was full. There was no way to describe the place; you had to experience it.
Robert opened the door and said, "Come on."
The rush of warm air hit them as they entered the darkened building. Most folks would just drive on by Skiddy's. I
t wasn't exactly a tourist spot. Robert watched Damien's face as he took in his surroundings. He knew what Damien was seeing, and he would love proving the man wrong.
"It's a dive," Damien muttered under his breath. "You will get our asses kicked in a place like this."
A large man in leather pants and sleeveless denim jacket approached them.
His beard was untrimmed and hung low on his chest. It was a mixture of colors but the gray was dominant, Robert noticed. The grin on his face wasn't friendly, and Robert chuckled.
"I don't think this is funny, Robert. That guy looks like he's itching for a fight." Damien groaned under his breath. "Let's get out of here."
"Robert," the grisly of a man shouted. "Where the hell you been? I haven't seen you in ages." He grabbed Robert in a bear hug.
Robert looked over to see Damien's mouth hanging open. It made his heart pound. He loved seeing Damien caught off guard and unable to form words.
"Skiddy, let me go." Robert slapped his friend's back.
"Who the hell is this?" Skiddy asked, looking at Damien.
Damien took a step back as Skiddy approached him.
"He's a friend. Don't break his hand when you shake it, please," Robert said.
Skiddy's face broke out in a wide grin. Several of his teeth were missing. He offered his large paw to Damien. "Any friend of Robert's is welcome in my place," he said as he gripped Damien's slender hand. He vigorously shook it up and down.
"Momma's got beef stew in the pot today," Skiddy said as he turned to Robert and led them to a table at the back of the noisy room.
"Sounds great," Robert stated. "She make bread this morning too?"
"You know she did," he said as Robert and Damien took a seat at the table.
"We'll have the stew and bread," Robert said, before Damien could make the mistake of asking for a menu.
"Two drafts?" Skiddy asked.
"I'll just have water, thank you." Damien spoke up.
"I'll have water, too, Skiddy," Robert added.
"Water," Skiddy mumbled as he went toward a set of swinging doors close to the bar that centered the room. "You been living in the city too long."
Damien said nothing while they waited on their food, just looked nervously around the room, observing the other patrons. Robert worried that maybe he'd pushed him too far. He was right, this was a dive, but it was one of the friendliest places in the area, with food that would melt your insides. Maybe he and Damien were too different.
"This is amazing," Damien told Robert for the third time between mouthfuls.
Damien relaxed was even sexier than he normally was. He'd gotten over his first impressions after their food came and he took his first bite. They had no room left when Skiddy offered, warm from the oven, apple cobbler and ice cream, but they had room for an after-dinner drink.
They moved to barstools, where they could talk with the folks who kept filing into the small bar as the afternoon grew later and later. Robert had lost count of the number of drinks they had received, but he knew he stopped around number four. He was driving, and he knew his limit. Damien just didn't know when to say no. He was several ahead of Robert at that point.
"I'm not drunk." Damien's grin said differently. "Just pleasantly buzzed."
Robert caught him as he slipped off the barstool when he moved too quickly.
"Oh, that's what 'buzzed' looks like." Skiddy roared with laughter from behind the bar as he poured Damien another shot of whiskey.
"That's enough, Skiddy," Robert said, and he pushed the drink back across the bar before Damien could grab it. "I'll be calling you to come clean up the mess when he gets sick all over my cabin."
Skiddy slammed his fist down hard on the bar and narrowed his eyes. Robert felt his skin crawl from that look. It was as if Skiddy were staring a hole into his head, or worse, his heart.
"You sweet on him?" Skiddy asked.
Robert prayed Damien hadn't heard the accusation, but his luck wasn't holding out.
"Well?" Damien slurred. "Answer the man."
Robert wasn't sure how far gone Damien was, but he would not answer that question in front of witnesses. "Time to get you home."
Robert pulled Damien to his feet and, wrapping an arm around his waist, led him toward the front door. Robert waved back at Skiddy and half carried Damien out into the cold wet snow.
Damien shivered against him. "Damn, it's cold out here."
"Yes, it is," Robert said as he propped Damien against the Jeep. "Stand still while I unlock the door."
"I can stand still." Damien growled. "I'm not drunk."
Once he had Damien buckled into his seat, Robert took a minute to pull himself together. Being that close to Damien, holding his body, was not a good idea. Now he was regretting not drinking more. No, that was wrong.
He knew he had to drive them back to the cabin.
He took the curves at a slow pace. The roads were getting slicker now that the sun had gone down. It was only seven o'clock, but everything was black in the woods at this time of night.
Thirty minutes later, he was unloading a sleeping Damien from the Jeep.
Damien couldn't weigh much because Robert could easily pick him up and carry him into the cabin. He laid Damien on the couch and covered him with a throw. The cabin was cool and a fire would be nice, so Robert got one started. He went into the kitchen, filled a glass with water and found a bottle of ibuprofen, bringing them back to set on the table beside Damien.
Robert accidentally hit his leg on the coffee table, making it scoot across the wooden floor. The noise woke Damien.
"What are you doing?" he asked, groggily.
"Stay here on the couch. Don't try to get up. I've got to go out, bring in the groceries and get more firewood for the night," Robert said.
"Um," was all Damien muttered.
Once outside, Robert took a deep breath of the cold winter air. It cleared his lungs and his mind. He couldn't answer Skiddy's question back at the bar, but in his heart, he knew the truth. He was in love with Damien. It didn't matter which side he was dealing with, he loved Damien, and they were all a part of him. The sudden ringing of his phone surprised him. He'd had no bars most of the day. He smiled at the picture of Krystal when he looked to see who it was.
"Krystal?"
"Robert!" She was shouting, but the reception was shitty. It was breaking up and full of static.
"Robert can you hear me?"
"Yes." She sounded upset. "What's wrong?"
The phone went silent, then Krystal's voice popped back in. The line became clear for a moment. "I had to call and let you know." She sounded out of breath. "Someone broke into your apartment."
"What?" Robert yelled into his phone.
"I don't know if you can hear me, but the police came to the hotel today looking for you. Someone broke into your apartment and ransacked it. They wanted to know where you were."
Robert was trying to think why anyone would do that. Carter Preston came to mind, but he shut that thought down. There was no way for Carter to connect Robert to Damien, or guess that they were together.
"What did you tell them?"
"I told them what I knew. NOTHING!" She was shouting now.
"I know nothing. Peter knows nothing. Marcus and Justin are in Atlanta, and you are somewhere else!"
"Krystal, I'm fine. Really. I'm okay and safe. This will be over in a couple more days and I'll be back at the hotel." Robert hoped his voice was getting through to her. "Try not to worry."
"Please be—"
The line went dead and Robert closed the phone.
He picked up an armful of grocery bags and headed back into the house.
Could whoever tore up his place be looking for the sleeping man on the
sofa? If so, they were getting closer, and Robert wondered if the worst was yet to come.
Chapter Eighteen
He was dreaming; Damien knew that. The two men in the dream with Damien had never met face to face. They knew of eac
h other because of Damien's relationship with them. It was possible Justin and Carter had met in passing at the club at one time, but not like this. Each of them shouted at Damien, trying to draw his undivided attention.
The other reason Damien knew that he was dreaming was because he didn't feel threatened. It was more like one of those silly cartoons where an angel was sitting on one shoulder and a devil on the other, both trying to tell Damien what to do. He laughed at the way his brain was attempting to work out what he needed to do. Then another face appeared in the dream. A face Damien knew so well and had come to care about: Robert.
"Stop letting the past and Carter rule you," Justin would whisper in one ear.
"You aren't good enough for someone like that," Carter would shout. "He wants a real relationship. Robert won't want you when he realizes what a loser you are."
"Don't listen to him, Damien. He's lying to you. Carter's always lied to you."
Justin's voice grew louder as the two argued.
Damien brushed away both figments of his imagination and looked at Robert. Robert was smiling at Damien, his hand outstretched. Offering something to him? Damien wasn't sure. Robert's image started to fade and Damien rushed forward, only to run into Carter. The curious dream became a nightmare.
"Damien, you are mine and you always will be." Carter growled as he held and twisted Damien in his arms, pinning him. "I will never let you go. You aren't strong enough to break free from the past, and I won't let you. It doesn't matter what Justin or anyone else says. You'd have to overcome that self-inflicted fear you've let grow and grow. Not going to happen, Damien.
You're too weak."
Carter brushed his lips against Damien's cheek. It was just a dream, but Damien could swear he felt that intimate touch, and for the first time, he wasn't afraid or disgusted with himself. A fucking dream. A dream the same as others he'd let rule his life for way too long. Damien had had enough. It stopped now.
Stripping himself from Carter's grip, Damien twisted free. He stared down at the man who had haunted him for too long.
"This is a dream, Carter. My dream. Therefore, I control the outcome and who is the strongest or the weakest."
Damien stepped forward and shoved Carter. One time, then another, and again, until Carter was standing at the edge of a cliff. Carter looked over his shoulder, then back at Damien. A smile slowly spread across his face. Full of anger and superiority, he laughed.
