by Harper Logan
She watched quietly as Chandler left the building, her arms folded across her stomach. In that last moment before he disappeared out the door, Lexie thought that he looked brighter and taller than he’d ever been before.
The following day, Chandler and April set out on the long road to Rosebridge, New Hampshire. His mind was focused and determined—the first thing he would do, no matter what time it was, would be to knock on the door of Adrian’s apartment and make things right. He just hoped that Adrian would want to see him.
April was patient for most of the drive, either sleeping, entertaining herself with her books, or watching the world whiz by the window. They stopped a few times to see the scenery, and because April wanted to talk to some cows who were grazing in a highway-side pasture. He got a room in a motel just north of Columbus, Ohio and the two of them were awed by the lights of the city. April had never left Everetteville, and Chandler hadn’t traveled anywhere in the country since the army. He felt rejuvenated. Even if Adrian hated his guts and refused to see him ever again, Chandler knew that he had made the right decision. He could see it in the looks of wonder in April’s face as she saw so many new things. He’d fight tooth and nail to make things work in Rosebridge.
They left Ohio three hours before dawn the following day. The final leg of the drive was long, but Chandler felt completely wired. All he could think about was seeing Adrian again. They crossed the New Hampshire state line at 2:30PM. April was singing along to her Disney songs, blissful in her own world while he was doing everything he could to keep his head on straight. He reached into his pocket and absently fingered what was kept in there. He was almost there.
He double checked the directions he’d written on a piece of paper to confirm he was in the right place, and then parked the truck in the front of a five-story apartment building. Looking north, he could see the downtown skyline. A bus with “Riverwalk tours” printed on the side rumbled by, and college kids strolled along the sidewalk with Beasley University stamped clothing, their ears plugged with headphones. Rosebridge wasn’t even a huge metropolitan city, but coming from Everetteville it felt like he was in New York City. He could feel the potential here, and on the way in he couldn’t help but take note of every kindergarten he passed by.
“C’mon, honey,” he said, and took April’s hand. They walked up to the front of the apartment complex, and he punched in Adrian’s apartment number on the outside callbox. His heart was going so fast he could hear it pounding in his ears.
“Where is he, Daddy?” April asked, when the box kept ringing.
“He could be out,” he said. He didn’t want to explain to April that Adrian might not even be around right now. That was fine. Adrian would come back at some point, and he would be waiting for him, even if it was a month from now.
The box clicked as the line connected, and Chandler straightened up.
“Who is it?”
It was a woman’s voice, and Chandler felt a surge of fear as scenarios started to pour through his mind. Had Adrian met someone? Had he moved on? Or had he left town?
“Hello, ma’am. I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m looking for someone who I believe lives in this apartment. Adrian Stokes?”
“No, I think you’ve got the wrong person. We just moved in a month ago. Maybe he lived here before?”
“Apartment 302?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s probably the case, then. Thank you, ma’am.”
He turned away, disappointed. April tugged his hand. “He’s not there?”
“No, honey. I guess he moved.” He didn’t want to reveal just how discouraged he felt. No use in making April sad, too. They walked back to the truck. “Don’t worry. I know what to do.”
He could’ve just tried to contact Adrian via cell phone, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that. Maybe it was him being old fashioned, the same habits and tendencies that drew him to writing letters over talking on the phone, texting, or e-mail. Regardless, something about just calling him didn’t feel right. Like a first impression, there was only one chance at a good reunion, and he didn’t want to screw it up with an awkward phone call. Luckily, Adrian had given him his home address when they’d first been exchanging letters. His mother still lived there, and would definitely be able to tell him where to find her son. Soon the two of them were pulling up to the pleasant two story house in the Rosebridge suburbs that was once Adrian’s childhood home.
Chandler went up to the front door, straightened his shirt, took April’s hand, and rang the doorbell.
A silent minute passed, and he began to think that all luck was against him and he wouldn’t end up seeing Adrian after all. Then, the deadbolt turned and the door swung open. An elderly woman stood in the doorway, and Chandler could immediately see the family resemblance. She looked at them both, and then smiled.
“Let me guess. Chandler, right?”
“Uh, yes, ma’am,” he said, not having expected to hear his name.
“I thought so. Had a feeling.” She crouched down. “So you must be April. You’re as cute as I’ve been told.”
April grinned.
“Mary-Ann Stokes,” she said, holding out a wrinkled hand. “It’s nice to meet the boy my son is so obsessed with.”
Chandler blushed, feeling completely gobsmacked. He hadn’t expected her to know who he was, let alone that he and Adrian had a relationship. “Well, it’s uh, nice to meet you too, Mrs. Stokes.” He found himself glancing over her shoulder, expecting to see Adrian emerge from inside the house.
“Adrian isn’t here,” she said. “Haven’t you been to see him?”
“We just arrived in town. I stopped by his old apartment, but he doesn’t live there anymore.”
“No,” she said. “I’m sorry, I’m a bit confused. You two should come in. You’re probably hungry. Are you hungry, April?”
“Yes,” April said.
“Good. Adrian brought me groceries yesterday, so I’ve got a full kitchen to cook you dinner with.”
They followed her inside. Chandler couldn’t get over the fact that he was so close to Adrian—he had been here just the day before, right here, in this house! And that meant he was still in town. His hunch had been right.
The house was filled with family photos, and April pointed and tugged his hand. “Look, Daddy. It’s Adrian.”
“Yup,” said Mrs. Stokes. “This is when he was in high school. And here he is when he was about your age. Isn’t he cute? Here, sit down. Make yourself at home. I’ll bring you both some snacks.”
April bounced around excitedly. “Yay!”
Chandler followed Mrs. Stokes into the kitchen. “Let me help you,” he said.
“So, let me get this straight,” she said, pulling out a tube of Pringles from the cabinet. “You didn’t know Adrian had moved? He hasn’t spoken to you, yet?”
“No, ma’am. We haven’t spoken since I saw him in Everetteville.”
“Really. Huh. So you just showed up without even knowing if he would be here?”
“I know it sounds irresponsible, but I realized that I had to leave Everetteville, no matter what happens between Adrian and I. For my daughter. I figured this was the best place to go.”
“You took a risk, Chandler. A big one.” She took an apple and a block of cheese from the fridge, cut the apple in to slices and then cut off a few pieces of cheese. She turned to him and patted his shoulder. “But I think you made the right choice. He’s been waiting for you, you know?”
“He has?”
“In his heart. He’s been suffering. At first I thought it was the business, but the other day he told me all about you two. And April, too. I think he’s been holding on to a hope that you’d come back to him. Honestly, I thought he would’ve reached out to you by now. We’d spoken about it…”
Chandler was overwhelmed by everything she was saying. “The business? His driving?”
She laughed. “Oh, honey. You are in for a surprise.” She looked at the clock. “In f
act, why the hell are you hanging around here for? You should go to him. I’d be happy to babysit April for as long as you need. Even if it’s overnight.” She nudged him with a wink. “I’ll give you his work address. You’ve come a long way. Go be with my son again.”
13
After days of mulling over what to write, Adrian finally had his letter sealed up and ready to go. He’d written pages and pages, but in the end, he decided to keep it simple. Still, he was hesitant to send the thing out. The worst part would be after putting in the mailbox, because he’d have no idea if Chandler had received it or not. And if he did, if he’d even read it. All he’d be able to do was sit and wait for a reply. Adrian didn’t think he’d be able to wait. In the end, he probably would end up calling him.
The mailman was late. It was already 3:00, and he still hadn’t showed yet. Adrian decided that today was the day. He took the sealed envelope, checked the address one last time, and then walked out to go drop the thing into the mailbox. The driveway leading up to the garage next door to his studio was filled with cars, all waiting to be repaired. He really did need to find a new hand. Two, actually. Business was really picking up, and he was at a point where he was actually starting to make a decent income rather than just enough to pay all the bills. In order to keep that momentum going and earn money for the future, he had to expand. He’d need to change things from word of mouth to a posted business, and for that he needed another mechanic and someone to help with all the paperwork and appointments.
It was a cloudy day, and a brisk wind blew at his back and made him shiver. He opened the door to the mailbox and slid the letter inside. Just as he was about to close the door, he heard the sound of tires as a car drove down the road. Probably the mailman, and perfectly timed. He removed the letter and turned around to wait for him to arrive. Right before the property, there was a small curve in the road that swung around a grove of trees, preventing him from seeing approaching cars. As the sound of tires grew closer, Adrian realized that it probably wasn’t the mailman. It didn’t sound like a mail truck—different engine. Probably bigger, a pickup truck or something. He was about to turn back to the box to put the letter inside when the coming vehicle turned the corner and revealed itself.
It only took Adrian a second to see who it was. At first, he thought his eyes were playing a trick on him, that maybe he’d wanted this so bad that he was hallucinating, but after a second he realized that this was no mirage.
It was really him.
Chandler.
The letter slipped from his hand and landed on the gravel driveway. It shuddered for a moment before getting picked up and carried away by the wind. Adrian didn’t even notice. Chandler pulled the truck up to the driveway, and cut the engine. The brief smell of the truck’s exhaust wafted over Adrian. This really was real. Chandler opened the door and stepped out, his boots crunching on the gravel as he came around to the front of the truck. He was probably fifteen feet away, but Adrian still caught his beautiful scent drifting through the air.
“You lost your letter,” Chandler called out.
Adrian didn't speak. No, he wasn’t even physically capable of speech in that moment. Then his legs seemed to move on their own, hurtling him forward. He jumped. Chandler caught him. Their lips met.
It was like that first drink of water after walking across a burning desert.
Adrian had Chandler up against the hood of the truck, his hands clutching at his jacket with such an intense desperation that any onlookers might’ve thought the two were getting into a scrap. Every kiss was bliss, every taste of his scent was heaven, and every glancing touch of Chandler’s skin against his was absolute mind numbing ecstasy. He was really here. That press of his body, the squeeze of his strong arms, the warmth of his breath and scent of his hair. His eyes, his lips, his nose, his ears, his voice. Everything was real, and was there.
“What are you doing here?” Adrian said, finding his voice.
“Feels like déjà vu, don’t it?” Chandler said. He was grinning, but Adrian could see his eyes were shimmering. He didn’t think he’d ever seen him cry before. He used his thumb to wipe Chandler’s eye, and then kissed him on the cheekbone, right below his eyelid. “I learned not to be afraid. If I hadn’t, I probably would’ve died. At least something inside of me would’ve. But I’m here, Adrian. And I ain’t leaving your side, not again. Because… Because I’m in love with you, Adrian Stokes.”
“Jesus fucking Christ, Chandler,” Adrian breathed. “I love you too. Where’s April?”
“She’s at your mom’s house.”
“Mom’s house? You went there?”
“It was the only way I could find you.”
He was floating in a haze of disbelief, his mind just barely processing the fact that Chandler was here with him. That haze surrounded him even as they walked into his studio and Adrian offered him a beer. Adrian’s lips moved and he spoke to him, asking him about what had brought him here, and he heard his words but the entire time felt like he was floating an inch away from his body. Adrian told him about the shop, and the two of them went next door to check out the garage.
When Chandler kissed him again, it brought him just ever so slightly closer to reality. Their clothes piled up on the concrete floor, and they became reacquainted with each other’s naked bodies, their hot erections pressing together as they kissed next to a sedan with its hood raised.
When Chandler’s mouth descended onto his cock, that was when Adrian’s mind finally snapped to reality, and he could make sense of everything he’d just been told.
Chandler was here to stay.
He gasped as Chandler hungrily gulped him down. Feeling his mouth on him again was incredible, but he needed him too. He was starving for him. Without a care about where he was, he lay down on the cold concrete floor and moved Chandler on top of him, flipping him around so that his cock hung down over his face, quivering for his lips. He opened his mouth and pulled him down slowly by reaching up and around Chandler’s ass.
Tasting him again was enough to make Adrian let out a satisfied groan. He made circles with his tongue around Chandler’s head, savoring every drop of precum that swelled out. And there was a lot. The man had obviously been anticipating this moment for a long time.
Chandler moved off of Adrian and hoisted him to his feet. Then he slammed the hood of the car shut and pushed Adrian up onto it, pressing his knees back to his shoulders to expose his entrance. He crouched down and ran his tongue along his hole, up his ball sack and all the way to the tip of his cock.
“Look in my left pocket,” Adrian breathed, nodding towards his jeans piled up on the garage floor.
Chandler did, and pulled out a small bottle of lube. He grinned. “What, you just carry this thing around with you?”
“I slipped it into my pocket when I went into the studio,” Adrian said.
“No condoms, though,” said Chandler.
“I don’t give a damn.”
Chandler wrapped his fist around the base of his cock, came forward, and pointed it at Adrian’s opening. Adrian shivered as he spread the cold lube across him, and looked up at him with expectant eyes. Chandler didn’t waste any time. He pushed forward, his cock slipping deep into Adrian’s asshole. Adrian felt and loved every inch of him.
“Oh, fuck yeah,” he grunted. He was filling him up. God, he’d missed feeling this.
Neither of them wanted to take it slow. Chandler slammed in deep, fucking him hard and fast. The car creaked and bounced with their movements, and their groans echoed off the garage’s metal roof. It felt so good to be with him again. Finally, everything was how it should be. Finally, everything was right.
They both reached climax together.
Adrian felt Chandler’s cock spilling his hot semen into him, and relished every bit of it. It was real. He wrapped his arms around Chandler’s neck and kissed him. That was real too.
“I love you,” Adrian told him.
After cleaning themselves up and buffin
g Adrian’s ass-print off the hood of the car, the two of them went back into the studio and relaxed in each other’s arms on the couch. Adrian toyed with Chandler’s fingers, occasionally bringing them to his lips.
“So, tell me,” Chandler said. “What was that letter you were about to send? You never went back for it.”
“It was to you,” Adrian said.
“What’d it say?”
Adrian thought about it, and then pulled him into a kiss. “Nothing that I haven’t communicated to you in the past hour.” And it was true. The letter had been a declaration of love, plain and simple.
“This is a great place,” Chandler commented. “Close to work, big enough to start a family.” Something over in the kitchen caught his eye, and he stood up and walked over to the fridge.
