Heart and Soul

Heart and Soul Chapter 8

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8

The Holidays

(Eleven Months After I Met Don)

We were halfway back from Nashville when Don insisted on finding some Christmas music on the radio.

"It is technically after Thanksgiving now — by a day — so I will approve," I flatly said.

We struggled to find anything on the radio. Don figured we could find something on Pandora, but neither of us knew how to do that. He had just seen a friend do it. I called Corey, who walked us through the process.

After several minutes, we both commented on how the selections weren't the tried-and-true songs that were overplayed. We took note of artists and groups with whom we weren't familiar.

"I'm so glad you were willing to come with me," Don said. "I enjoyed this Thanksgiving more than any in a long time."

"I didn't do anything special."

"Just being with me is special. It was fun to show you off to relatives."

"I had already met Vicki. It was just her daughter and your aunt."

"Well, that's about it for my relatives."

"Does Vicki's daughter's kids not come?"

"They are both in their 20s now and both are newly married. Neither of them lives in Tennessee. I think they've committed to seeing Janey every other Christmas, but that's it as far as the holidays go. One of them — the one in Pensacola — has a newborn, so any type of travel is tough. The other, my great nephew, is ... well, they are expecting. I feel visits are going to be more Janey's role now."

"Do you ever wish you had kids?" I asked.

"Not me."

"I never felt like I was missing out either, but ... I've enjoyed seeing Cooper and Corey. I'm not a babies-type person. Ick. If every kid in the world was as mature as Corey, then it would be much better."

"He's a special boy."

"Considering he is absolutely surrounded by gay men between his home and the coffee group."

"We're harmless," Don smiled.

"I agree. I think he is very accepting."

A Christmas carol came on that we both knew. I didn't really sing in front of others. Don had no qualms with it.

"I like your voice," I said.

"Meaning when I sing?"

"Yes. But, actually, all the time."

"You've never said that before."

"Perhaps I thought it was implied."

"I'm thankful that it pleases you so."

He finished the song. I held his hand as he sang.

"Sadly, none of us really said what we were thankful for yesterday. Isn't that like a standard family tradition?" he asked.

"Not mine."

"So, Emory Pike, what are you thankful for?"

I squeezed his hand harder. "You. More than anything — you."

"Aww. You dear man."

"Was there any doubt? I'm thankful that I had twenty years of deep love. And after that time ended, I thought I would have to settle for just being content. And then ... you. You got invited to that party last year, and it was ..."

"God's will?"

"Let's go with fate. Or destiny."

Don chuckled.

"I'm serious though, Don. My life is so much better with you in it. I'm incredibly thankful."

"Em. Bless your heart. You don't know how much you have made my life better too. You think you're a crusty old coot, but I know better. You're a wonderful man."

The two of us loved each other very much. But he was right. I did feel like a crusty old coot. An impotent one. I wasn't technically there yet, but I was damn close. Don and I hadn't had sex in a week and a half. And I hadn't had an erection — during waking hours — in a month.

I hated feeling weird about that.

Weird. Bad. Disappointing. Embarrassing.

Damn. I wanted to be everything to Don. Everything he deserved. Fuck.

Not to mention that he was so involved in many things. On the days we didn't see each other, his life was busy. Mine ... was just "the house." Would he eventually become so bored with me — sexually and personality-wise — that he would want to move on? We sincerely loved each other, but was I enough?

"We haven't really discussed Christmas much," Don said.

"Like ...?"

"What are your plans?"

"I don't really have holiday plans. Gene and I stayed in Jackson Bend most of the time. We went to my parents once early on. We were at his parents a few times. They both died in their 70s ... so I'm used to being around my house for Christmas."

"Hmm."

"And you?" I asked in return.

"I'm completely looking forward to doing things with you."

"I like that."

I reached for his hand again.

—

"Mr. Pike," one of the assistants called out to the room.

I lifted my head to look up. I nodded. I breathed in. I wasn't looking forward to this.

The assistant had me step on the scale and led me to a room where she took my blood pressure and reviewed my medications. She said Dr. Arie would be with me shortly.

Shortly. That's like captain-speak saying the plane will depart "shortly," and then you sit there for half an hour. Luckily, Dr. Arie was only twenty minutes.

"It isn't time for your annual check-up, so what has brought you in today?" he asked, following the typical pleasantries.

"I'm ... uh ... I'm ..." Fuck. I hated talking about ED. Dr. Arie was fairly good about making me feel comfortable years ago. "I'm seeing someone now. We are ... I guess you'd call it a committed relationship. He's my partner."

"If I recall, you lost your last partner a few years ago," he said.

"Four. Correct. I wasn't expecting to ever find anyone new, but..."

"Love is a good thing. A healthy thing. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks."

He waited for me to talk further.

"So ... that brings me to ... well, when Gene was alive, you had me try some Viagra samples ... and ... well ..."

"Were they helpful?"

"They were. I only used a few before I lost him, and now ..."

"Now you need a prescription for more."

"Yeah. That."

God, I was embarrassed.

"Have you been intimate up to this point?"

"Yes. Regularly."

"And how has that gone?"

"Unpredictably. Sometimes my penis will be interested, and sometimes it's out to lunch."

He smiled. "Age has a way of doing that. Are you able to achieve erections at all?"

"On occasion. But not when I want. And ... I want to be able to perform. It would be nice not to be the one to ... receive ... every time. I'm sure you understand."

"I do. Do your sexual experiences always involve penetration?"

Gaawwwd, I hated this.

"Not always. We're sort of a sexual trail mix."

I made him smile again.

"Here's what I am going to do. I'm going to prescribe some for you. However, there is now a generic version that is less than Viagra."

"Oh. That sounds good. I was worried that I had to shell out a lot just to fuck. Oops. Sorry, that wasn't very tactful."

He laughed. "I'm a doctor. I get it."

"Is the generic as good?"

"Well, the Viagra I gave you was 100 mg. At first, I think you were taking half a pill to try it out."

"That worked okay four years ago. The last one I had leftover, I just took the whole thing praying it would do the job."

"Did it?"

"Yes."

"Well, we can try the Sildenafil generic. They can come in different strengths. You can take the amount you want."

"What do you think?"

"It's the same stuff more or less." He pulled out a file from a drawer. "There are other options though."

He ran through some other prescription names and how they were administered. I hated the whole thing. I hated needing them. I hated that I didn't know which treatment to choose. I hated being shown all the options.

"I guess I'll take the generic ones. Hopefully they will work fine."

"Again, you have choices. I can send you to an ED specialist. You'd need to see Dr. Stuber to get Super Quad Mix."

"Uhhh..."

"It's an injection directly into the penis. I swear it can give an erection to a cadaver. It works directly with blood flow."

"Eeeek. That sounds scary."

"Dr. Stuber could take some of that unknown awkwardness out of it. She's very good."

"She?!"

"She's quite professional."

I'd die. I'd die a thousand deaths.

"I'll take the goddamn pills."

Fuck you, Pedro.

—

My dining room table was covered with pictures. I stared at them, not sure how to begin.

The doorbell rang. I let Don in, followed by a firm kiss.

"Oh. This looks like a project," he said, staring at the table.

"For sure. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Is it possible to get a hot tea? I'm feeling a bit of a chill."

"Coming up."

I put a tea pot on the stove and lit the flame. The pantry had a boxed selection of tea packets, so I carried it to Don so that he could select the type and flavor he wanted.

Upon returning to the table, I noticed him staring at the photos.

"So, what is all this?"

"Well, when I was at my brother's funeral, I discovered that he had acquired all the family pictures after our folks died. I was sort of going through them."

"You seem to be organizing them in some way," he noticed.

"Kind of. But I'm not sure I'm doing it the best way. I don't know whether to organize them by person, event or year. There's so much overlap."

"Will anyone but you see them?" he asked.

"Umm. I guess not."

"Then whichever way you think best is the right way."

"I suppose. My feeling is to organize them by year. That makes sense to me."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Possibly. My mother was quite good at making notes on the backs of pictures. If you take this stack here and separate them by years, then I'll go back through what I've done and see what I can fine tune."

I watched Don handle the pictures carefully, as if they were being archived in a museum. He took his task seriously.

"May I use your computer?" he asked.

Apparently, Don remembered that I had thicker card stock and knew how to find address labels at my desk. Five minutes later, he returned with dividers to organize the shoebox by years.

"That's much better than just having them dumped in the box," I said, appreciatively.

"Want to tell me about any of them?"

As we went through them, I showed him pictures of my parents and brother. Don loved the ones of me as a young boy. It was hard to remember my great-grandparents (and there weren't many pictures of them), but I still remembered my grandparents. I was pleasantly surprised with how many pictures my mother had taken of family friends. I remembered a few of those people being at my brother's funeral. I would make a note in my final wishes for these pictures to be sent to them. I figured if they didn't want them, they could toss them. Don didn't know any of these people, but he at least simulated showing an interest.

He got a tickle in his throat as we neared the end of our project. Once I put the lid on the box, I was going to go take a "pill" and asked if he wanted to stay over. I was extremely excited to be the one fucking this time.

"Oh dear," he muttered. "Emory, I know this feeling. I think I am coming down with a cold. It will start as a sore throat. I should probably take my leave and keep my distance."

What??

"But ..."

"I hope I haven't already infected you."

"But ..."

Damn.

Don carried his mug to the kitchen sink.

"I've enjoyed our time together. I'll give you a call and let you know how this is all progressing. I'm sorry. Just know I am kissing you in my mind."

He grabbed his coat, said "Good night" and was out the door. It happened so fast that I didn't even tell him I was confident I could get it up.

But not then, apparently. Pedro had to remain in the minor leagues.

—

Don's cold lasted for five days. He was sure it wasn't the flu, but his cough sounded awful. The sore throat only lasted a day, but he didn't sound well on the phone. I delivered some chicken soup to his doorstep. He appreciated the gesture.

We hadn't seen each other in almost a week. After being apart for four days, I managed to get hard in the middle of the night and took advantage of it. Truth be told though, I wanted to be super hard for Don. I wanted to be inside Don. Penetrate Don. Impale Don. Fuck the fucking living daylights out of Don.

It had been half a year since I was able to do so. I had only fucked him once.

—

"I received a Christmas card from Cooper and Laramie ... and well, Corey is on there too," Don said on Day Six. "That was sweet of them. Did you provide them my address?"

"I did," I said over the phone. "Umm. Do I get to see you tonight?"

"How about tomorrow? I think I'm through the worst of it, but I just don't want to infect you, particularly this close to Christmas."

It was December 18, but I saw his point.

—

The next day, I was excited to greet Don in my doorway with a big kiss.

"I have missed you so much," I said.

"Well, thank you, my love, but it has only been a week."

While a week wasn't an eternity, it was very frustrating for me to wait when I had a bottle of new pills just waiting for me to make love with my partner like I had always wanted to. I felt like a kindergarten child who had money in their pocket just waiting to be spent.

We didn't separate. I kept my lips pressed to his for what seemed months.

"Goodness, what a welcome," he smiled, once we finally parted.

"I'm just excited to see you again."

"I appreciate that, Em. You always know how to make me feel special."

"I hope you're hungry. I am making fettuccine Alfredo."

"Mmm. I can smell the garlic already."

Hmm. I loved this dish, but was garlic the right choice on a night I wanted to be really special? I fumbled the ball on that decision. But I had mouth wash and everything; we'd be fine.

"I have salads ready. Head on into the kitchen."

Don knew the way. He saw two glasses of wine poured. I even had a candle lit on the table, even though it wasn't fancy tall candles.

"Looks nice."

"Italian dressing is already on it."

"The candle is a nice touch."

"We haven't had dinner together in a week. I just really missed you. I wanted tonight to be a nice break from your being cooped up."

Halfway through salad, the oven timer dinged. I hopped up to pull the foil-packaged loaf of garlic bread from the oven. More garlic. What was I thinking? I ripped it open and separated half the slices into a basket, waving my fingers in the air to cool off after dropping each slice. Don smiled watching me.

"We haven't really discussed Christmas," he said, once I returned to the table.

"Yes, we did. We both agreed we would get each other one gift that was less than a hundred dollars."

"Right. Yes. That. But ... Christmas Eve is on Sunday, and ... I was hoping that we could spend the holiday together at my place. Saturday through Christmas afternoon."

"That sounds wonderful."

"It does? You don't mind not being in your own home on Christmas morning?"

"Compared to being in the arms of the man I love? Hardly. Easy choice."

"I'm glad," Don smiled.

"You know we agreed to help Larry move into Cooper's house though on Saturday evening."

"I know. Cooper will be off, but Larry will be slammed at his store all the way up to Christmas Eve. Hopefully they won't expect two old farts to do too much heavy lifting."

"They have next week as well. At least, Cooper is off. Larry hopes to have a lighter schedule."

"I'm so excited for them," Don said.

As I placed diced chicken in the microwave, I wondered if Don was thinking about the two of us moving in together. Nothing was said. We hadn't ever discussed it, but after a year ... it seemed like a logical topic. But I never thought about leaving the house Gene and I had made our home. Don's house was too nice for him to want to leave. What we had going on worked, but as partners ... were we truly committed if we didn't spend the entirety of our lives together?

"Full confession. I cooked the chicken last night," I said, pulling the protein from the microwave.

"It smells wonderful."

I pulled a tangle of noodles from the bowl onto each of our plates. Then the chicken. Then I sprinkled grated parmesan.

We were quiet for a moment. I wondered what he was thinking about. Christmas? Us moving in together? Having sex with me before going to bed? Love? His cold? The wine? His favorite Christmas carol? I just didn't know!!

"It is delicious, my darling."

"Thank you. I'm glad to have you here." I pulled another slice of bread out for my plate.

We were quiet again.

"Do you miss Christmas shopping?" he asked after a few minutes.

"For a lot of people, you mean?"

"Yes."

"Well, I hadn't really done that since I was a kid. We would visit with relatives at my grandmother's house on Christmas when we were kids. Even with all the relatives, there were fewer than ten people. But I still liked it. We drew names for that night. As an adult, I bought gifts for my parents and my brother. For a few years, I got things for my grandparents as well. It was never a lot of shopping for me. When Gene and I were together, we usually gave four or five things to each other. I liked that and hated that at the same time."

"Why so?"

"He wanted a list of things that he could get me, but I never knew what to suggest. I liked buying things for him. But we both felt we had what we needed."

"I can relate. I wasn't sure what to get you."

"To be honest, it was nice just to need to buy for someone again," I said.

We finished up our meal. I packaged up a small portion of fettucine for tomorrow's lunch. He wrapped the remainder of the bread and closed it tight.

It was 7:08. Way too early to think about sex.

We each carried our wine — that I had topped off — to the living room.

"I always hope for a white Christmas," Don said. "It has been way too warm lately to even wish for that."

"Yeah. Wind and rain, but nothing festive."

"Wouldn't it be nice to snuggle under the covers during a glorious snowfall?"

Yes, it would. With a bottle full of dick pills on the nightstand.

"Surely we will have an opportunity this winter," I smiled.

Don noticed my Christmas cards. He sifted through the small amount. He asked about the three that had pictures. I enjoyed telling him about the people in the photos. He recognized the one from Zane and Enrique; he had received the same one.

"People our age enjoy sending cards. I fear it is a dying tradition," Don observed.

"Well, Cooper and Larry are young."

"True. Most younger couples are all about social media and such things. To physically buy cards and mail them seems so foreign."

"How many do you send?" I asked.

"About fifty."

"Wow! I struggle to use up a box of eighteen."

He held up the picture of Cooper, Larry and Corey again. He seemed fixated on it.

"Larry was so thrilled to be in a Christmas card," I smiled.

"Indeed. I can't blame him." Don turned to me. "Next year? Us?"

I was taken aback. Gene and I had never included a picture of us in the small amount we sent. My family didn't when we were growing up either. I think the thing that startled me the most was Don's picturing us a year from now.

And I loved the idea. Long-term us. I didn't hesitate at the thought.

"Sure."

"We'll take a few by the tree this year and use them next year."

"It will have to be at YOUR place as I don't have a tree. This is the most decorating I've done in four years."

Don looked around at the sparse decorations I had out.

"It's not much, but after Gene ... I didn't see the point ... by myself and all."

He looked again. "Well, I'm pleased you did this much for little ol' me then."

I laughed.

"Well, not that I'm little. The holidays are putting a few pounds on me."

"Even with having a cold?"

"Well, I might be down a pound or two, but I attended numerous functions at the beginning of the month. They all involved dessert tables."

I reached over to rub his belly. "More of me to love."

"Oh, please."

"I love your body, Don. You're very handsome."

He pulled my body down to recline in his lap. "You're too good to me."

The back of my head was near his crotch. I got to thinking of the hot sex we would have in two or three hours. Or sooner. I couldn't wait to surprise him.

A Christmas special on television let us finish our wine, followed by a mug of decaf. A holiday creamer made it festive.

It was coming up on 10 o'clock. I knew the pills would take close to twenty minutes to take full effect, so I walked to the bedroom to put the plan into place. After swallowing my encapsulated holy grail, I returned to the couch.

I figured we could make it through the weather forecast, and then I would suggest more romantic plans.

Once we knew there was a slight chance of snow as New Year's Eve got closer, we turned off the television and began turning out lights.

We were about to fuck.

The dishwasher wasn't full enough to run. I figured I would start it after breakfast. I turned toward the bedroom, carrying the candle I had lit at dinner.

We were about to fuck.

Both of us brushed our teeth at the same time. My dick was getting hard because I was thinking of what was about to come.

We were about to fuck.

I had set the candle on the dresser, and I struck a match to light it once more.

"Ooo. Romantic. I like it," Don said.

We were about to fuck.

My dick was harder than it had been in ages. The pills were working. My cock pressed against the fabric in a huge bulge. Don smiled as he noticed.

"I have a surprise," I said. "I saw the doctor two weeks ago. I suppose I can tell you that ... well, just let me say: I'm supplied."

He reached into the waistband and felt the rigidity of my erection. My hard erection. My waiting erection. We were about to fuck.

"Tonight, I get to do something I have wanted to do all year," I softly said. "I have wanted to show you how much I love you from my end."

"You've always shown me nothing but pure love, Em." Don looked at me sincerely. "Never question that."

I pulled off my underwear and lay naked before him. My dick demanded attention.

"I can't wait to be inside you tonight, Don. For the first time in ages."

His expression fell.

"Oh."

I could immediately tell: we were NOT going to fuck.

"You don't want me to fuck you, do you?"

Don closed his eyes. His face twisted in pain.

"My dear, precious Emory." He opened his eyes and gave me the saddest look. "I have dreamed of feeling you inside me again for months now. Trust me, I've thought about it. I'm ... sure you know that there are ... certain times ... that your body isn't ... let's just say in the mood for that."

My look was of a small child whose older brother ate all their Halloween candy. My expression was crestfallen.

"Ohhh, Emory, bless your heart," he continued. "Soon — very soon! — we will absolutely do this. But today, my stomach has been a little ... off. Your delicious dinner is also ... digesting actively. I – I – I don't want to risk ..."

"Say no more," I softly said. "I get it. I know."

He reached for my cock. He felt it.

"It's wonderful. I'll find other uses for it."

I gave a weak smile. "Okay."

We kissed for a while. It kept me hard. I felt Don too. Emotionally, he was struggling. He felt sad for letting me down. I needed him to know that I loved him no matter what. He had done the exact same thing for me countless times.

My face plunged to his crotch. Don's penis was nice ... always. With it drawn into my mouth, I could feel it firm up. I slurped on it some more. It got stiffer.

"That's it," I said, pulling off for a moment.

"Keep going," he softly said.

His cock felt hard.

Mine felt harder. Very hard. Incredibly hard. Wonderfully hard.

It was everything I wanted — without the fucking.

"I shouldn't let that go to waste," he said, pulling my shoulders up.

Don turned in bed to where we were both nose-to-balls. Soon, we both sucked madly on each other's male amenities.

My partner was enjoying it. His moaning and humming confirmed that. I was thrilled that he could experience my anatomy at its best. My dick almost felt too hard. I would consider taking a slightly smaller dosage next time.

But now, my dick was made out of diamond.

Don was quite good at blowjobs. I was enjoying it. I had enjoyed servicing him for the past year as well. Both of us knew what we were doing. Despite our age, we felt like two college kids.

Sucking.

Licking.

Swallowing.

Consuming.

Minutes of oral lubrication and stimulation had us groaning. Finally, Don forced me off.

"Em, stop. I'm close to coming."

"Then why make me stop?" I asked.

"Because I want you to shoot your load in my mouth first."

Don sat up with a pillow behind him. Strangely, I could hear his stomach gurgle.

"Bring that up here," he directed.

I got on my knees. My cock was a divining rod to his mouth. Once it entered, his lips sealed around it, and I began thrusting in and out. I wasn't technically fucking him, but I was fucking his face. It felt marvelous.

Marvelous and hard.

Steel.

Thrusting and pushing, my hips rushed my lover's face. I began grunting in my pleasure. My stimulation had been strong previously. I wasn't going to have to do this for too long before Don would take me over the edge.

Thrusting.

Hard.

"Ohhh, babe, that feels soooo good."

Don hummed around my cock in response.

Thrusting.

Steel.

My fingers reached down and threaded through Don's hair near my waist. I roamed through his soft locks, gently teasing them along the way.

"Fuck yeaaaahhhhh."

Thrusting.

Granite.

"Ohhh, Don. Yeah, babe. It feels so good. It feels amazing. Ohhhhhh."

My fingertips touched on the backside of his head as it bobbed on my dick. He lunged, I thrusted.

Thrusting.

Titanium.

"Unnnhh. Oh. Ohhh. Ungh. Yeahhhh. I'm close, babe. Unghh. FUCK! I'm going to come."

I did. The spasming of cum through my cock felt like a surge.

"UNNGHH! Fuck yeah!! Unghh. Unghh! Ungh. Gah! Yes. Yes. Ungh! Ungh." I gasped for breath. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

I pulled my dick from him. His hands clutched my ass a moment and guided it back.

"Keep it there."

Don swallowed me again, toying with the head of my penis with his tongue. I could feel the motion of his arm yanking on his own hardened flesh.

Pulling.

Stroking.

Yanking.

He continued to moan into my organ, which was still very hard. I teased his hair between my fingers.

Pulling.

Jerking.

Pounding.

He moaned louder into my stretched skin.

I knew Don's body language. His torso tensed. His hips slightly gyrated and raised before he groaned into my erection. I knew cum was escaping his wonderful cock.

`Yeaah," I whispered. "That's it. Come for me."

He hummed-screamed through his orgasm into my rod.

And then we were done. It wasn't what I pictured, but it was good.

I pulled away from my straddle. I stared down at his ponds of cum. For a man his age — or my age! — he had more cum than should be permitted. I dabbed it. I traced the stickiness of it around his wilting dick.

"You had some force behind your cum tonight," he said.

"Good to know."

I took my hand and smeared it through all of his cum. His body lurched as I did so. "Oh!"

"Relax."

He did.

I played with his dick with cum all over my hands. I leaned down to swallow him one last time. Then I moved forward to kiss him.

"I think it's kind of cool that two guys our age can be so hot."

"It was wonderful," he replied back.

I left the bed to get a washcloth. When I returned to clean my partner, he watched me but also apologized.

"I'm sorry that I let you down tonight."

"Don't say that. How many times have you told ME never to think that. To be intimate with someone you love is a gift, Don. YOU are a gift. You are my gift."

"Thank you, love. I do look forward to being on the receiving end next time, however."

I took the washcloth to the bathroom, dabbed my own penis and went to blow out the candle and turn out the light.

—

Cooper's house was very decorated. He and Larry had invited us in for hot chocolate following helping transport several boxes. Larry had told us which pieces of furniture would move at the close of the year and which things he was donating. I could tell he felt good about giving them to charity. As a carpenter, Larry could build anything he ever wanted, but they both knew the house was full — with several things, love being the most important.

Corey wanted to show Don his room.

As they descended back down the staircase, Don commented on how Cooper had displayed the Christmas cards along the trim.

"Thank you for your card, by the way. It has inspired Emory and me to do one ourselves next year."

"Are you guys moving in together too?" Corey asked.

I sighed. "Not right now, kiddo. Who knows what the future might hold."

I sure didn't. It would make sense for Don and me to move in, but ... we each had a house of our own that was ... our own. But Cooper and Larry had made the leap. It just wasn't a conversation I was ready to have. At least Cooper and Larry weren't getting married. I didn't need that further pressure. Besides, I still worried that Don would tire of me. I had a checklist of blah qualities.

__ Not involved
__ Mediocre dick
__ Small circle of friends
__ Didn't socialize much
__ Not sophisticated

Some catch.

Until I knew Don could accept that — forever — neither of us needed to move.

Thirty minutes later, I was back at his house. Among Don's decorations was a large angel. It looked very delicate with lacy fabric and fine threads as if made of gossamer. Standing before it were numerous Christmas cards. Three times as many as I had.

"Wow. You get a lot of cards."

"Well, if you send them, you are more apt to receive them. But I'm on committees and all that. Which reminds me, I need to get today's mail. Perhaps one or two more might arrive."

If more came, I wasn't sure how they would fit on the table.

Don came back inside with a handful of mail.

"Junk ... junk ... card from Joanne ... bill ... junk ... invite from Zane and Enrique ... junk ..." And then Don gasped. "Oh my."

"What is it?"

"It's – it's – it's ... from Tate's son."

"Don? The man ... named after you by your childhood crush?"

"I – I think so." Don went to get a letter opener. "Oh my oh my oh my."

I had never seen him so flustered. He slit the envelope and pulled out the contents.

"It appears not to be a card but a letter. Oh, there are photos too."

I stepped over to look.

"Nice looking family."

Don and I gazed over the letter together:

Dear Mr. Raines,

With a little effort, I remembered the city where you lived and did some online searching. When a picture of you on the Arts Committee confirmed it was you, I tracked down your address. I hope I'm not being impolite by sending you holiday greetings.

I have thought about your visit this past summer. In fact, I think of it often. In some small way, you have helped me get a more complete picture of my father.

My wife and children still miss him. I have included a picture of them. If you really were an influence in his life, I wanted to thank you again for making a better life for all of us. I'm quite sure if it were not for you, I would never have been born.

The other picture is the last one taken of my father and me. It was five years ago.

I think you helped me understand his confused feelings toward his own father even more. My father always seemed to have been complicated, but he exhibited a calm and patient side for most of his life. I am very grateful that you brought that out in him. He was loving and accepting.

I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Sincerely,

It was signed: Don Copeland

"Well, that's very nice," I said.

"Indeed. I'm very touched." Don looked at me. "I am so pleased Tate turned his life around. It's a shame we never got to see each other again. I'm not sure what he thought of me after I told him I loved him."

"He named his son after you, so you clearly meant a lot to him."

"That would be nice. I don't think he was gay though. He probably just needed someone to love him, find the good in him."

"And there you were. Fate intervened."

"It is those moments that make me question if maybe there is a higher power."

I didn't want to ruin the moment by trashing concepts of God, so I let it go.

He looked at the photo of both men. I could see in Don's expression the longing to find the teenage boy in the man in his late 60s.

Don's eyes watered a bit, and the corners of his lips formed a slight smile.

He walked to the table with the other cards. I saw him press the folded letter to his chest for a moment. He then lifted the delicate angel and placed the letter underneath its white robe. He sighed. It was a contented sigh.

He returned to me and tended to the rest of the mail.

The phone rang. It was Don's sister. He and Vicki talked for a few minutes; I waved my regards. I could tell she asked about our plans for Christmas. Don was surprising me with a Christmas Eve concert the next day — the surprise now being spoiled. After they both wished each other a Merry Christmas, he hung up.

"Vicki sends her love."

"Is it a busy weekend for her?"

"Not too bad. She was getting ready to drive to Florida to one of her kids for the holiday."

"Nice."

Don looked at me. "If we hadn't found each other, what would you be doing the next two days?"

That was a hard question.

"I don't know. Last year, I put on some Christmas music and made myself an enchilada casserole that lasted the two days. I went out and bought an apple pie and a pumpkin pie."

"Two!?"

"They keep. I froze half the apple. Enchilada casserole and pumpkin pie don't really fit, so I ate the pumpkin pie with lunch or an afternoon snack."

"Let's go," Don said, grabbing his keys.

"Go where? We've hardly been home."

Home. It was Don's home, not mine. But it felt like home. And that thought hung with me until it made me face decisions I didn't want to.

"To go get pie! I have a small turkey for us and all the side dishes. I thought I might make a cake or bake cookies or something, but ... pie it is."

"But I like cake and cookies."

"Then we'll gorge ourselves on sugar. C'mon."

I rolled my eyes and giggled. Soon we were in a crowded grocery store buying pies. Don was in such a great mood. He sang along with the Christmas carols on the overhead speakers. I noticed a woman looking at him and smiling at his mood. It broke her look of overwhelming stress.

"This place is mobbed. Crazy," I said in astonishment.

"This close to Christmas, it's not a surprise."

"Since you are taking care of the next two days, how about I treat us to dinner?" I asked.

"Sounds good. What did you have in mind?"

"Nothing too fancy. Gracie's Garden sounds like a nice balance with the two pies in our hands."

"Indeed. And a can of whipped cream."

The pies were fine on the floorboard of the car while we ate our dinner. Don had butternut squash soup and a grilled chicken breast with a side of cilantro rice. It seemed rather tame, and I was hoping it was so that he made sure he was "receptive" tonight. I had a baked potato and a chicken Ceaser wrap.

Once back home with the pies on the counter and whipped cream in the fridge, we snuggled together on his couch while watching a rebroadcast of a Christmas special with Pentanonix. He brewed hot tea for each of us.

Once our programming for the night was finished, he asked me if I brought a certain bottle. I told him I had.

"I think you should go take care of that. We can watch the forecast to see if any snow is going to happen, and then ..."

"And then the holiday can really start," I smiled.

I went to the bedroom and took a slightly smaller dose than the week before. I hoped it was still enough to give me the erection I wanted.

Thankfully, the news wasn't too heavy with murders and robberies as we went into Christmas Eve. Holiday-related stories were the bulk of the newscast.

"Well, cold but no snow," Don said, turning off the television following the weather. "I'm going to go get ready. Can you take care of the lights?"

"Sure," I said.

I carried our mugs to the kitchen and loaded them into the dishwasher. I liked feeling at home in Don's house. I checked to make sure the front door was locked too.

The effects of the prescription weren't noticeable yet, but I knew they didn't work if there weren't thoughts and actions of arousal. I hoped I had taken a big enough dose.

I put my jeans and shirt on the chair in Don's room. When I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth, I was surprised to see Don completely naked. I assumed he would be in his boxers.

I liked Don's body. I knew very well that the man was 73, but I still found him handsome and alluring. I stared at his butt jiggling slightly as he brushed his teeth. It made me smile while I moved over to take a leak. When I got to the counter, I could see his reflection in the mirror that spanned the two sinks. His erection was in full glory. I turned to look at it directly.

That did it. I could feel my dick move. I could feel it lengthen. I was relieved that I hadn't caused things to go sideways with a lower dose. I could feel my cock harden. By the time I finished spitting the toothpaste out of my mouth, my boxers were tented in front of me. Don noticed too, and his erect dick jumped a time or two.

By the time I returned to the bedroom, Don had dimmed the lights to just a soft glow. I threw my boxers on top of my jeans and pulled off my socks. My partner had pulled the covers back, and he sat in the bed with his back propped up and his legs spread open. I moved between them to kiss this man I loved. Our kisses were soft. Then my lips moved to his neck. Don exhaled pleasurably. I knelt to kiss his chest and followed the white hair down the center of his torso until I buried my face into his crotch. I didn't take his cock first. I inhaled the scent of his bush, as my nose brushed his erection. I breathed in deeply. My tongue extended, reaching down to tease his balls.

"Oooooooooohhhhhhhh, Emoreeeeeeeee," Don breathed out.

I suckled his testicles, making Don's legs slightly pulse and writhe.

Finally, I took his erection, magnificent as it always was. It seemed to make my dick harder. I loved sucking Don. I loved everything sexually about Don. Sexually, we were a good pair, assuming Pedro joined us. Don moaned and groaned as his cock was lubricated in my mouth. He called out my name; he groaned as my tongue toyed with his flesh.

"Em! Baby! Do me. I want you inside me!!"

I took my mouth from his rigid staff. I noticed he had placed a hand towel and bottle of lube on his nightstand. I reached over to obtain the objects. Instantly I placed a little lube on a few fingers and probed his hole. Don's back arched feeling me explore inside him.

"Ohhhhhh yesss."

Two fingers widened his hole. I wanted him prepared. I had only fucked Don once and that was half a year ago. I needed this to be good. I wanted him to love it.

"I want you, baby," he pleaded. "Fuck me."

I coated Pedro in a glistening shine. I could see it in the dim light. I kissed Don once more and pulled him further down the bed. I lined my cock up with his hole.

"Do it," he whispered. "Do it. I want it."

Slowly, the head of my cock passed his pucker. I was in. Gradually, I pushed in, checking his eyes to make sure it was okay. Don nodded, and I moved all the way in.

"OHHHHH, YES," I groaned.

It was magnificent inside Don. Gently, I pulled almost out and then thrust back in. Both of us hummed in approval; both of us moaned in approval. Thrusting. Moaning. Fucking. Cursing. Groaning. Fucking. Thrusting.

It started out loving and tender. Then we got loud. It was wonderful, but I missed the tenderness and placed my lips on his to make us quieter again. Don had his legs spread apart enough to welcome me in; his arms were free to wrap under my own arms and hold my shoulders. Our faces were close as we fucked. We breathed heavily, inches from each other. It was sensual and passionate and intimate.

"I love this," he said.

"Me too. I love fucking you."

"It feels amazing. Keep going."

I did. Thrusting. Kissing. Pushing. Breathing. Holding. Fucking.

We moaned, but quietly. Our eyes did all the screaming. All the ecstasy. All the lovemaking. We were mesmerized in each other's stare.

It was love.

Passionate love.

Glorious love.

I loved Don. I wanted my actions to sexually tell him that.

"Emory," he breathed. "Let me know when you're close."

"Getting there," I panted.

He took one hand and reached for his cock. He began stroking it.

I fucked.

He stroked.

I leaned in further again to kiss him. He hummed pleasure into our kiss.

I fucked.

He stroked.

"I love being inside you, Don. I'm glad this worked out," I breathed.

"Me too. You feel incredible. It feels wonderful."

I fucked.

He stroked.

"I'm getting close, babe."

Don increased the tempo on his strokes. He pulled and yanked his dick harder. His moans began to sound more like a squeal. He worked harder and grunted louder.

"Fuck me, baby. Fuck me fuck me fuck me."

"Yes," I said. I pushed harder and plowed into him harder and thrust harder and fucked harder.

"FUCK, YES!!" he screamed.

And my orgasm rose like magma in a volcano.

"I'm going to come," I whispered. Then I planted a kiss on his lips and pressed hard as my cock pushed into him, unloading as much cum as a 66-year-old man could produce. He held me tightly with one hand, gripping the skin on my back tightly. His other hand worked a death grip on his erection.

We kept kissing. We hummed/moaned through it all, breathing what we could through our nostrils. My orgasm finished, but Don's hand moved down to my ass to make sure I didn't take my cock from within him. I could feel his fist rub against my belly as he jerked his manhood with an animalistic ferocity.

And our kiss continued.

Soon, his humming moan into my lips escalated. He called out into my throat as I felt cum hit my stomach. I knew it was all over his chest as well.

And our kiss continued.

Don took his sticky hand from his cock and pulled my body fully on top of his, causing Pedro to re-emerge back into the world.

"My dear, Emory," he said, now that his lips were free. "That was completely wonderful."

I looked into his eyes, peering into his soul. "I'm glad you liked it. It was everything I wanted."

"It was the best fuck I've had in the past ten years."

"Well, Merry Christmas, babe."

Our pressed skin was sticky and messy. We both knew we would tend to it momentarily, but the euphoric intimacy of the moment had us content to look and smile and kiss.

And love.

—

I took a sip of my coffee as Don came from the hall into the kitchen. Naked. I liked seeing him without clothes. Even though he was 73, I enjoyed looking at him.

"Morning."

"Good morning, Emory. You are up awfully early this morning."

"I got up to pee around 6 and couldn't fall back asleep. Too much on my mind."

"Bless your heart," he said, reaching for a mug. `I'm sorry you didn't get a good night's sleep."

"Me too."

As he stirred a touch of creamer into his coffee, I noticed his quiet smile. If I wasn't imagining it, his penis started to move and get bigger. I knew he was thinking about last night.

I wasn't in a good mood. I was glad that our coffee group wasn't going to Joe for coffee at 9 on Christmas Eve.

Don pulled out a chair and sat down with his java. His growing dick slipped under the kitchen table.

"I sooooo loved sex with you last night," he smiled. "It was tremendous."

"Indeed. You rather went on and on about it before we fell asleep."

"I was on Cloud 9."

"Yeah."

"Want to crawl back into bed with me?" he offered.

"I'm up. I don't think my mind will let me fall back asleep."

"We don't have to sleep. I can just hold you still in the afterglow of our lovemaking."

And I felt worse.

My lack of a response caused him to look at me.

"Is everything okay?"

"I'm not sure," I said, after a short pause.

His expression changed to one of concern. "What is it, baby?"

"Sorry. I'm just in an odd mood."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know."

"Well ... what's running through your head?"

I hesitated answering, but I didn't want to rudely ignore him.

"Us."

"Us? What about us? We're great. Last night was amazing."

"And that's what bothers me!" I snapped back.

Don was taken aback. "I – I don't understand."

I sighed. "I'm glad the sex was good last night, but ... until the boner pills ... I now feel like I'm ... not good enough. At what point will you find me not worth the effort?"

"What!?? Where is this coming from?"

"You've gone on and on about how great I was if I took the pills. So ... if I don't, is it worth the bother? Are you okay with me being less than average? What if the pills stop working? What if you really look at me and see that I'm not involved in the community and that I have no purpose and I'm lazy and – and -and realize you could do so much better."

"Emory, what's gotten into you? Where is this coming from?"

"Sorry. I'm just not feeling great about myself."

"Well, I won't have it. If you honestly think you are inadequate, well let me tell you right now that I will NOT let you think you are unworthy or any other silly nonsense for a single second. You are enough! You are my love!"

"I want to be, but-"

"No buts!" He got up and walked around the table. He reached over the back of the chair to hold me from behind. "I love you so much. Tell me what I did wrong last night so that I can fix it."

"I so wanted to fuck you. I so wanted to be inside you again."

"And I wanted that too!"

"And – and -and it was great. But then you went on and on about how much you enjoyed it that I realized all the other times this year, you were probably disappointed in me."

"Baby! Don't even think that." He squeezed me tight. "I've loved every single night of intimacy. I'm sorry that my exuberance over your being inside me made you feel otherwise."

"I just can't live up to you, Don. You could do so much better."

"That's just crazy talk. Look at my life. Have I done better? Ever?? My first crush was on a straight boy. I loved a man who dropped me because of my weight. My relationship with Lars didn't last. I fell — stupidly! — in love with a married man. Was any of that better than what we have? Emory, I love you so much. SO MUCH. Don't ever question that."

"And I love you. But I don't want your sexual happiness to be dependent on my taking pills."

"Oh dear." He let go and sat in the chair right next to me. "How can I explain this?"

He took a drink of his coffee, stared at the ceiling and then reached over to hold both my hands. "My house is fine, right?"

"Yes. It's great."

"And your house is fine."

"Uhh. Yeah. I guess."

I didn't know where this was going.

"Now imagine we won the lottery."

"We don't play the lottery."

"Work with me here. Let's say we won the lottery and now had millions, and the two of us decided to build our dream home from scratch — everything we ever wanted."

"O...kay."

"Does that make either of our houses now disappointing?"

"I guess not."

"Exactly. I love you. I love everything about us. Do you not like it when I fuck you?"

"Of course I do. I love it. I always have."

"And I love all our moments of intimacy too. Last night was just something new. It was the lottery. And I'm sorry if I praised you too much. Just being with you ... holding you ... kissing you ... feeling you naked next to me is everything. That is the love I share with you. The rigidity of your penis is not as important as any of that. Last night ... your hard dick inside me was just ... sprinkles on top."

"Please do not give my dick the nickname Sprinkles."

He chuckled. "Lord no. I'd never give a penis a name."

I felt Pedro appreciated that.

"But do you believe me, Em? Do you? Don't question our love. We're a year into this, and I've never been happier."

"No matter what? Even if my dick conks out for good one day?"

"Emory, if we never had sex again, I'd still love you just as much. But ... while we enjoy it, let's enjoy the hell out of it."

I exhaled, letting a lot of weight evaporate off my shoulders.

"I love you too, Don. More than I ever thought I could love again after Gene. I love you as much as Gene. I do. I – I just want to be enough."

Don let go and put his hand over his mouth.

"Really? I mean, of course you are enough. But ... you love me as much as Gene? I never thought I could reach that level."

"Yes, you are enough too. You and Gene are different people, but ... I do. I'm madly in love with you, Don. I'm so grateful for our relationship. I ... I just want to live up to it."

"And you do! Everything. We're great together."

"We are," I said, and leaned forward to kiss him.

We smiled at each other.

"Can we have pumpkin pie for breakfast?" he asked.

"No! You are capable of waiting until lunch," I scolded like a mother to a young child.

"Then can I talk you into coming back to bed with me? I'd like it if we could just hold each other. There's just the right amount of chill in the bedroom."

"Do you want me naked?"

"Preferably."

"We can have coffee later then."

—

"Merry Christmas, Cooper!"

"And you too, Emory. Are you spending it at Don's place? Or are each of you in your own home?"

"I'm at Don's. He took me to a nice Christmas concert yesterday."

"Ooo. On Christmas Eve. How nice."

"It was. So, is Larry spending his last days at his place?"

"The land of boxes? Not so much. Most of the time he's here, but the movers come on Saturday for the final furniture. He'll be all in here by New Year's Eve. I plan to have his name added to the mailbox next week."

"Nice." I paused. "I didn't have much to say ... I just wanted to wish you and Larry Merry Christmas. And Corey, of course."

"And likewise. I hope your holidays are great ones. Are you up for coffee at 9 on New Year's Eve next week?"

"Absolutely. And ... Cooper, we've known each other a couple of years now. I – I don't know if I tell you how much you mean to me. Our friendship is really ... well, it's a gift."

"I feel the same way, my friend. I love you." Cooper paused. "Am I talking to the real Emory Pike? Who is this? This is way too sentimental for the Emory I know."

"Oh, fuck you, Cooper."

"There he is!" He chuckled. "I was just kidding. I know you have a soft side. I've always known it was there. I appreciate you."

After we hung up, I texted Corey: "Merry Christmas to the ONLY teenager in my phone contacts. Hope you are having a great holiday, kiddo."

In the other room, I could hear Don say a quick hello to his nieces and nephews via a phone call with Vicki.

Corey's reply came in: "Merry Christmas to you too! So far it has been pretty cool. Mom and Dad almost seem to have personalities. Just chilling is nice. Although I did miss seeing everyone for coffee yesterday. Hope we all meet next week."

After what we felt were obligatory phone calls were made, Don and I met back in the kitchen. It was 9:30. We each microwaved our remaining coffee to rewarm it.

"What is our agenda today?" I asked.

"Can we have pie every hour?"

"Will you stop!? One slice at lunch and one in the afternoon. Didn't some guy leave you because of your weight?"

I immediately regretted saying that.

Don stood expressionless.

I jumped out of my chair to hold him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to sound that way. Please forgive me. Please. I'm so sorry. That was terrible."

"It's okay. I know you were joking. I deserved that."

"By no means did you deserve that. I'm sorry, baby. Really."

Don was quiet. Motionless. His stillness concerned me.

"Baby, I'm so very sorry."

"I'm fine," he said blankly.

I stared at him. "You sure?"

He motioned for me to sit down.

"I realize I'm not skinny..." he started.

"Dooooon, I'm so sorry," I breathed aloud.

"I know. But you love me how I am."

"I do. I totally do. I think you are handsome and sexy and ... hot."

He closed his eyes and slightly laughed to himself.

"Let's not exaggerate." He rolled his eyes at me. "At 73, my hot days are behind me. Not that I ever had any."

"Think again. I feel very lucky to be in a relationship with you. To love you. To be your partner. I crave you, Don."

He stopped to look at me sincerely. "Thank you. I feel the same. But when Kendell did leave me because of my weight, I felt ... unlovable. I haven't felt that way at all this year with you. This has been an incredible year, Emory. You have made life incredible."

"WE have ... together."

"So ... back to today's agenda," he said. "What would you think about ... showering ..."

"Together."

"Making love."

"For sure."

"Then opening gifts."

"And then we can have pie with lunch."

"Yes!" he screamed.

As we drank the last of our coffee, Don asked, "Would you like your package to be inside me again for Christmas?" He winked. "I promise to leave the pom poms under the bed this time."

I smiled. "Actually, I haven't been on the receiving end in a couple of weeks. I think that would be nice."

"If you insist."

I stared out the window of Don's kitchen wishing snowflakes would fall, even though nothing was in the forecast. I realized how happy I was. Christmas had never been anything joyous since Gene died. Don had restored the holiday for me. I felt a magic I hadn't in years.

—

Don's mouth was right at my ear. He made one last push, grunting loudly as he began to unload his love for me within my hole. His grunting and moaning were like carnal Christmas carols.

His hands and arms were below my chest. His crotch pushed into my ass again. I felt his forehead touch the back of my neck.

"Ungh. Ohh. Oh. Ohhhhhhh." He exhaled.

"Stay there," I softly said.

I loved feeling Don's body on top of me. Smothering me. Loving me. Warming me. Still fucking me.

My arms were still holding my pillow. I turned my head to the side. "The Christmas gifts have started," I smiled.

"Gee. Now I wish I would have requested you call me Santa during sex."

"Damn. Me too. How hot would that have been?"

"Or perverted, depending upon who you asked."

I laughed.

"Seriously. Don't get off me. I love you like this."

"I love that you love me, period," Don sweetly said.

"Ohhh, Cooper would give me a hard time for being so lovey-dovey."

"Isn't he??"

"Totally. I'm supposed to be the gruff one."

"I know better."

"Just keep holding me. Stay inside me. Be my gift wrap."

Don snorted. "I think Cooper would be right."

Still, Don complied. I felt the entirety of his weight and relished it. His dick was still in my ass. His erections never failed to astound me. And then it retreated to where Don rolled off.

"Your turn?" he said, looking into my green eyes. I stared back into his brown eyes.

"I don't think my cock is going to cooperate today. So, I'm okay."

"Are you sure? I don't mind giving it some attention."

"I think getting plowed by you was enough attention to wake it up."

Damn Pedro.

"Still ..." Don leaned down to suck my cock for about fifteen seconds, not that it was big. Or hard. Or worthy of any attention.

"You won't be disappointed if we just hold each other for a little while, right?" I meekly said.

"Sounds wonderful." He kissed me.

And we kissed for several minutes.

"Should we open gifts naked??" he smiled.

"Oh. My. Goodness. You're like a little kid on Christmas, aren't you?"

"It's kind of like my first Christmas with a man I love. For forty years at least."

"How about shirtless? Pajama bottoms are in order."

"Fine. Spoilsport. Now I'm glad I got you that ironing board for Christmas."

"What?"

"I'm kidding."

I got out of bed and reached for my pajama bottoms I had draped over a chair. Don went to wipe off his dick and then did the same.

"How about some champagne while we open gifts?" he said.

"Festive. Sure."

He went to the kitchen to take care of that while I went to the living room to illuminate the tree.

"Put on some music!" he called out from the kitchen.

I had learned the sound system in Don's house well enough to do so. One of the town's radio stations had been playing constant Christmas music since November 1.

He walked out with two glasses of champagne.

I stared at his chest. I loved the small amount of white hair covering it. I found him so sexy; I regretted my joke about his weight going sideways earlier.

We both took a sip and placed the tall glasses on the coffee table. The two of us sat on the floor like kids. We stared at the pair of gifts under the tree. His gift to me was long. Mine was boxier, but both were sizable.

"Let me go first," I said.

Don smiled as I handed him his boxy gift. He carefully untaped the paper and slowly peeled it back.

"Just rip it!!"

"I'm savoring the moment," he said with tongue in cheek.

"Oh, Jesus."

"It is His birthday."

"Just open it, you adorable kook."

Don finally had the gift wrapping removed.

"A Bartesian?? Emory! We agreed to keep it under a hundred dollars. This is nowhere near that."

"I know, but it was what I wanted to give you."

"Hon-eeee!" he scolded. "Now my gift will really be unimpressive."

"I doubt that. Besides, you'll be having several of those drinks with me, so imagine that part of it is for me."

"Oh ... whatever. Well, it's a lovely gift. Thank you."

He leaned over to kiss me.

"And now you," he said, handing me his gift.

Contrary to my partner, I shredded the paper with no remorse. I saw him smirk. A long cardboard box had objects moving around inside, but only slightly. I tried to pop the tape to open it, but Don hopped up to pull some scissors from a nearby desk. I sliced through the tape.

Once I had the box opened, I saw folds and folds of bubble wrap. Assuming things were fragile, I lifted the first item out. I soon learned that each contained photographs. There were two large frames and one long wall hanging that had an arrangement of six 5-by-7-inch photos. I looked at the first framed picture. It was an enlargement of the two of us taken at Reiman Gardens.

"Beautiful."

The second large frame had a picture of the two of us sitting on a fountain downtown.

"This was one of the first pictures you and I had ever taken together."

"It was," he said. "That makes it more special to me."

The assortment of pictures in the arrangement were from occasions throughout the year. Most of them were of both of us, but one of him was just him and one was just me.

"Thank you, babe."

"It seems rather simple now. But if I may add to it — particularly after your gift — how about I pay to have portraits taken professionally of the two of us? Is that too presumptuous?"

"No. That sounds nice. I could go for that."

"Good. After our talk yesterday morning, I felt good about the pictures."

"Talk?"

"Well, when we both told each other we were `enough.' It sounded very long-term," he said.

"Right. We both know we are in this for the long haul."

Every time I loved thinking about that, it also brought up the conundrum of being in two houses. After a year, it almost seemed like we were trying to avoid talking about it.

"Time for pie!" snapped me out of it. He jumped up.

"Hey. Lunch first."

"But it's Christmas."

"Fine. Whatever. It's your house. Do as you wish."

"Okay, guilt me into having lunch first. At least we have leftovers. All we have to do is warm them up."

As we stood, we held each other.

"Thank you again," I said with a kiss.

"Merry Christmas, my love," he said.

And it was. I hadn't been this happy on Christmas in years. Really happy.

—

We rang the doorbell, but in all honesty, we figured we could probably walk in.

The door opened. "Happy New Year, fellas!" Zane said. "Come on in."

"Well, technically we are a few hours away," Don said.

"Close enough," he said with a swish.

"We have something for you," I said.

Zane looked shocked. "Wha-? Christmas was a week ago, and ... we don't exchange gifts. What's the deal?"

"Get Enrique. We'll explain."

Zane sauntered off to get his husband with the gift in hand. They both met us in the living room.

"What's going on?" Enrique asked.

"We wanted you to have something."

"I don't understand," Zane said.

Don and I looked at each other.

"Well..." I started.

"Emory and I met at your party last year, and ... well ..." Don interjected.

"And here we are a year later madly in love," I finished. "We wanted to say thank you for introducing us."

"Oh, pfff!" Enrique said, flipping his wrist. "You two found each other last year. I'm just so thrilled it has worked out."

"Has it ever," said Don. "Emory is the man I have waited for my whole life."

"Well, I'm hardly Chris Hemsworth, but ... yeah. We are great for each other."

"I love all this ... love. Ohhhhh..."

They hugged us. Then I motioned to the gift. Like Don, the gentlemen took a ridiculous amount of time opening the paper. Once the box was revealed, they saw the stamp on it.

Zane gasped. "Is it really from Visions?"

We nodded.

"WE LOVE that place," Enrique said. "It's a shame that adorable Jakob and his hunky husband moved to Von."

"We know them," I said.

"Plus that radio personality Trent Kyriazi. You just hobnob with the elite, don't you?" Zane said.

I laughed. "Hardly. We see them on occasions, but not all the time. We did last month at Trent's Friendsgiving."

For a moment, I felt ... like somebody. I had nothing to do with meeting those people our hosts held in high regard, but I did know them. I had felt Don could have done so much better than me. He seemed so much more sophisticated than me. But for a second, I was okay with who I was.

They opened the box and pulled out a glass vase with a wavy lip.

"Oooo. So Chihuly-esque," Zane said. "I love it."

"Me too," said his husband. "Thank you so much!"

"Well, let it remind you of us and the role you played in bringing us together."

They smiled at us and reached out their arms to hold our hands. Our hosts were pretty flamboyant, but they were delightful fun.

Zane held me back a moment. "I know losing Gene was incredibly hard," he softly said. "But I'm so glad you found happiness again. You two are great together."

"So it seems. I'm very happy."

"And you deserve to be."

"Thank you. I know Gene was very close to you two. I didn't want to diminish my love for him by finding someone else ..."

"No. Don't even think that. You truly loved Gene. And he loved you. That never changes. But I think he would be happy knowing you are happy again."

"Thanks. But ..." I sniffed. "Stop. I never know when something might hit me funny. Not a day goes by that I don't miss Gene, but I now get through those days more easily. Love is healthy."

"Indeed," Zane said, wrapping his arms around me. "We both love you, you know that, right?"

Just as it had been the year before, food was plentiful. Don and I had been guilty of pies and sweets and fattening foods over the past two weeks. We needed to control ourselves. But then again, the new year didn't start until the next day.

"I'm getting another glass of wine. Want another beer?" Don offered.

"Um. No. Bring me a bottled water please."

My partner looked at me curiously. "...sure ..."

We socialized and nibbled. We laughed and sang. We danced and drank, but I had only water.

"Are you okay?" Don asked after a couple of hours.

"Yes. Why?"

"It's New Year's Eve and you've had one beer. That's not like you."

"I'm looking ahead."

"What? Like a resolution or something?"

"Lord, no. Just later tonight."

"I don't follow."

"Wellll ... it is recommended that you don't mix alcohol with my pills ... aaaaaand ..." I paused. He looked at me and processed my meaning. "Do you think your ... contribution ... will be up to it?"

"Absolutely. Although now I wish I had avoided the bean dip." He kissed me. "How long have you been planning this?"

"I thought about it yesterday. I thought what a perfect way to bring in the New Year."

"I concur. So, are we doing this when we get home? Or ... were you planning it for midnight."

"Would you mind leaving before midnight?"

"To have your dick up my ass? I think I can deal with it."

"That sounds like three glasses of wine talking."

"I'm perfectly fine, I'll have you know."

"Okay."

I looked at the clock. It was 10:55. I had pills in my pocket. If I took them as we left, and it was fifteen minutes to my house, then ... we could leave at 11:30, be naked in bed just before midnight and be fucking like crazy when the New Year arrived.

And as my plan began to play out, we started making our goodbyes about 11:20.

"You're not leaving so soon, are you?" Enrique asked.

"Yeah. We have something to get to," I said.

"You're not going to another party, are you?" Zane protested. "Are we not good enough?"

"We love it here, but Emory has something in mind for midnight," buzzed Don gave away.

Our hosts looked at us and gave us a raised eyebrow.

"All right then. Get on with your bad selves," Zane said.

"Go get your kink on," Enrique followed.

I rolled my eyes and gave both of them a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for hosting us. Happy New Year."

We hugged and kissed. They thanked us for the gift one last time.

I had one last gulp of water in my bottle. I reached for the boner pills in my pocket and took the final swig and darted to the recycling bin in the kitchen.

When making it to the car, I could tell Don's motions were slightly off.

"How buzzed are you?"

"Kind of." He grabbed my hand. "But don't worry. I can get it up."

"That's never in question. Your easy erections are your superpower."

"All because I love you, baby."

Back at the house, we were both naked and brushing our teeth at 11:51. Once Don walked into the bedroom, I noticed he paused at the framed picture he had given me as a gift. It was on my dresser. He smiled seeing it. The other picture was on the mantel, and the composite wall hanging was hung in my office.

I pulled the sheets back. Lube and a towel were on my nightstand. The candles — three! — I had lit as soon as we got home had the bedroom scented with vanilla and peach.

11:53. We spread out on the bed and let our hands roam. Don was hard before getting into bed. His touch on my body caused my penis to rise. And lengthen. And stiffen. Pedro was ringing in the new year.

11:54. We kissed. Simple kissing changed to deeper kissing. Passionate kissing. Our hands held the back of our lover's head as our tongues danced to the celebration of the night.

11:56. I leaned down to bury my face in Don's crotch. I kissed his balls. I licked his shaft. Then my fingers reached for the lube.

11:58. I worked a finger inside him. He cooed at being probed. Two fingers made him moan.

11:59. I slid clear liquid around my cock, enthusiastically pleased that it felt perfectly long and hard. I placed the head at his hole. His legs spread even wider for me. As my flesh began to enter into his, I looked him deeply in the eyes. We didn't say anything. But our eyes told each other how happy each of us made the other and how much we loved each other. My cock was all the way in. We both exhaled and groaned in the same guttural expression of pleasure. It felt good inside him. Again.

I had neighbors who had gone out into the cold for the countdown. We heard them begin at "ten." By the time it got down to "one," I had begun slowly fucking my partner.

"Happy New Year," the neighbors screamed and then blew noisemakers.

"Happy New Year," we whispered to each other. Then we kissed. Firmly.

Fireworks began going off, which was perfect timing as we both began to groan. My dick moved in and out of his passage. We both loved it. It was so pleasurable.

Don's arms scrambled all over my back as I fucked him. His fingers on my skin felt wonderful.

"Emoreeee," he breathed. I could detect hints of Chardonay on his breath, even after he had brushed his teeth. "Yes, babeeee. Fuck meeeee."

"Ohhh, yeah," I groaned back.

Fireworks went off as we moaned.

And we fucked.

Don's hands gripped my ass as I pushed into him further and repeatedly.

I groaned. He called out.

More fireworks went off.

"Ohhh, Em. It feels so good."

"Me too, Don. It feels so good inside you."

"Fuck me."

"Fuck, yeah."

Fireworks went off one last time.

And we fucked.

I grunted as my pelvis ground into Don's willing channel. My hard-on — glorious hard-on — was rubbing the inner lining of my partner. I moaned as the stimulation to my hard skin increased. The sensations flooded through me, making me louder. I could feel Don's shaft move up and down my belly.

"FUCK, YES! Emory, keep going! Ohhhh, don't stop, baby. FUCK ME! FUCK ME!"

I smiled at his enthusiasm as I followed his directions. I felt his fist move between us. I felt it jerking on his own dick.

We growled and moaned and screamed.

And fucked.

"OH! MY! GOD! OHHHH FUCKKKK!" he yelled.

His cum splashed on both of our torsos. It fueled me with energy to fuck harder.

"FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK!!" Don called out as his orgasm continued.

I loved feeling the warm liquid touch my skin.

"Unngh. Oh, Don."

"Yeah, baby."

"Ohhh, yeaaaahh."

"That's it. Fuck me harder. Come for me, honey."

"Ohhh, I'm close."

"Fuck me with your hard, wonderful dick."

"OhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHH. YES! UNGH!!!"

"Come for me!"

"Oh yeah. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming."

I felt my cock pulse and spasm, sending cum into the man I loved.

When my climax ended, I lost some of my strength.

"Stay in me," he whispered.

I leaned down. The tips of our noses touched. A drop of sweat dripped from my forehead. We stared into each other's eyes.

"Happy New Year, baby," I said.

"I'm so happy to spend it with you. I love you, Emory."

"I love you, Don."

—

January 7.

Our coffee group hadn't met since mid-December. Our plans to do so last week were unrealized — with apologies. Larry had to oversee the final things being moved from his house to the place to which he was donating. Larry and Cooper told us of their Christmas and holidays. Corey talked about his favorite gifts.

It was good for us to be together again.

Much to my surprise, the New Year provided something unexpected. I was the first to see Mitch walk in.

"Well, look who's here."

"Hi," Mitch said. Everyone turned.

"Mitch!" Corey shouted. He jumped up to hug him. "It's nice to see you."

"God, it's awesome to see you, kiddo. You've grown like two feet."

"Hardly."

Most of us hadn't seen Mitch in a long time. Cooper mentioned something about all of them running into each other at a work gathering. Still, I didn't know if Larry would want to see Mitch or not. He was, after all, the "ex."

"Is it – is it okay if I join you?"

I didn't object, of course, I didn't think Cooper would either. Clearly, Corey was welcoming. It was down to Larry. There was a brief but heavy moment of uncertainty.

Larry gestured to the empty chair. I smiled. I glanced at the counter. Brad had been holding his breath.

"Cooper said you might come," Larry said. I assumed Cooper and Mitch had spoken at work.

I realized Mitchell had never met my partner.

"Mitch, this is Don, my partner. I'm not sure if you've met."

Mitchell shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Brad walked up.

"Hey, stranger. What can I get you today?"

"How about cinnamon rolls for the table, and I'll have a dark roast."

"Thanks," everyone said.

Minutes later, Brad had delivered a plate of calories — which everyone was now trying to avoid following the holidays — to each of us. As we smacked our lips, we all felt one last moment of weakness would be okay.

Everyone knew this was tough for Mitchell. I was never his greatest fan, but I had to admire his courage to come back to this circle of friends and lick his wounds as the "one not chosen." Perhaps after a year, time healed some of those wounds. I was proud of him. And even though I was delighted that Cooper had chosen Larry a year ago, I had to admit I liked seeing Mitch again.

Cooper mentioned someone that Mitch had brought to a party.

"He was quite the looker," Larry said.

"He is handsome," Mitch said. "We have ... been seeing each other for two or three weeks. We're new. Nothing amazing."

Having started over with Don, I was glad that Mitch had tried again. We both had lost our life's loves, albeit in different ways.

Mitch pulled out his phone and showed us a picture of Layton. His new lover was quite good looking.

"Mmm. Yummy," I said.

"Emoreee," Cooper quietly admonished under his breath. His eyes acknowledged Corey sitting next to me.

Surely, even as a teenager, Corey had picked up on gay men finding hunks to be ... well, yummy.

"I'm just talking about my cinnamon roll. That's all." I winked at Mitchell.

Mitch went up to pay his tab with Brad.

"Good for you," I said to Larry.

"What do you mean?"

"It's not always easy to be with your partner's ex; you know, someone they have history with."

"I understand that, but ... I was the one that got to be with Cooper. I can imagine the pain if I didn't. I can be accepting of Mitchell, especially since Cooper and me falling in love was by accident. I never intended to hurt him."

I noticed Corey listening. I wondered how much a teenager's observations of the gay world could process the feelings involved. Corey was mature, but even being the harmless souls we were, he experienced a lot of gay talk. I wondered if it affected him in any way.

When Mitch returned, he and Corey caught up. It was nice to see the love between the two of them had been salvaged. Good for Cooper for being a calming balance for everyone too.

Mitch left first. As he stood, so did we. I wanted to offer a hug.

"It's nice to see you, Mitch. Come back often, okay?"

Don was next. "I can be a hugger too. It was nice to meet you."

I was sure I would have questions to answer once Don and I were alone.

Larry gave him a hug too. That made me feel good. Not only was the New Year starting out well — I was in a loving relationship — but I saw friendships repaired. It was starting out to be a tremendous year.

What could go wrong?

* * * *

Email is always appreciated and welcome: timothylane414@gmail.com