Random Encounter: A New Life

Tristan settled into the driver's seat as he pulled out onto the highway for the last leg of his drive. It had been over a month since his first adventure out to the old ghost town and that was a trip he would never forget. He wiped his hands on his jeans one at a time as he watched for the turn off. He wondered if Adam would still be there. The road stretched out in front of him in the fading sun. He was running behind, something he never did. "I should have gotten his phone number. He had to have a phone all the way out here, didn't he?" Tristan asked the empty car. But he couldn't remember seeing one at the house. Though admittedly by the time they had gotten there he wasn't really paying attention to anything other than Adam.

He shook his head refocusing on the road and the drive ahead. The radio dial turned with its normal clicks as he spun it looking for something to listen to take his mind off the worry. He stopped as the cords of an old rock song filled the car. He zoned out to the music, never noticing the last few miles of the drive, it wasn't like there was anyone else on the roads out here. These old roads weren't traveled by anyone other than people who were lost. As the road dipped into the valley he could smell the smoke from a wood fire. The stress and worry simply washed off of him as he breathed in scent.

This time he didn't park on the main street. He drove along to the end of the street and pulled in behind the big house that held a handful of memories. Memories of an afternoon that changed his life for the better. He didn't get the car turned off before the back door of the house swung open and a silhouette stood filling the opening. "Bout time you showed up. I was starting to think you weren't coming back," the voice boomed across the space between the house and where Tristan sat in the car suddenly shaking. He wasn't sure if it was fear or excitement causing it.

"I didn't know how to contact you. I was held up with work. The company sent me to the other side of the state," Tristan said climbing out of the car and all but running the few steps to the porch. Even if Adam told him to leave, he wanted to feel the man's touch one more time.

Adam stepped from the doorway onto the porch wrapping his arms around Tristan as soon as he was close enough. Tristan's arms followed suit and wrapped around the other man. His head falling to Adam's chest. "It's been too long," he lifted him into his arms, turned around and went back into the house forgetting to close or lock the door behind him.

Their lips found each other on a breath of a sigh. Passion raced between them. Tristan wanted nothing more than to curl up in the big old style feather bed upstairs with the man and fall asleep in his arms. He hadn't realized how long of a day it had been until he was in Adam's arms. "I can agree. I've missed you," he said, the words punctuated by a yawn.

Adam climbed the stairs without pause, crossed the hall and thumped his bedroom door open with the toe of his shoe. "You need sleep. What did you do, drive straight through from the city?"

"Not the city, I was in Dallas when they gave me the week off. I got in the car and headed west," he yawned again, "I didn't even stop at my apartment." He snuggled into Adam's chest as he lowered them onto the bed.

"Sleep now, love. We will talk in the morning," Adam said pulling away from Tristan long enough to slip his shoes off and tuck him under the blankets. Then he slipped back into the bed, staying on top of the covers.

Tristan whimpered. "Why?"

"Because its better this way. You need to sleep, love. Once you've gotten sleep we can talk. Now, hush and let me hold you." Adam said.

Tristan tried to fight off sleep as long as he could but lost the fight as darkness wrapped around him. "I love you," he whispered as he drifted off.

# # #

Adam lay there desperately trying to keep his breathing even as Tristan lay wrapped in the blankets. He had waited longer than he thought he would for him to return. He had never wanted someone as much as he wanted the man in his arms. It was hours later when the calm of holding Tristan eased the stress and worry enough to allow sleep to capture Adam. As he slipped into the blessed darkness, he sent a silent thank you to which ever God had brought the man back to him.

The morning sun washed through the window waking Tristan. He tried to roll over and found himself trapped under the weight of a well-muscled arm across this chest. Looking down a smile crept over his face. He knew that arm. He didn't remember making it all the way to Adam's the night before, but it looked like he had. Without a second thought he turned on his side and snuggled back into the bigger man's chest. A sleepy groan reached his ears before he even settled. "Morning, love," Adam said, kissing the back of Tristan's neck. "Are you feeling a bit more like yourself this morning?"

Tristan smiled even knowing the other man couldn't see him. "Yes, I haven't slept that well in ages. Thank you," he said.

"It was entirely my pleasure. Are you ready to get up or do you want to snuggle a bit longer?" Adam asked shifting just enough that his growing manhood pressed against Tristan in a most enticing way.

"You keep that up and we won't be getting out of this bed for hours. But I know you have things you need to do in the mornings around here," Tristan said.

Adam buried his nose in Tristan's hair. "One day won't hurt the place. I've missed you," he whispered.

"I wasn't sure you even wanted me to come back. We never said where this was going to go when I left." Tristan said, keeping his voice low to keep the sound of unshod tears from it.

"I didn't think I needed to. I thought you knew by the time you left that I wanted everything from you. That I wanted a future as your life partner," Adam said.

Tristan couldn't keep the smile from lifting the corners of his mouth at Adam's words. He had been hoping it was the case when he drove all the way out to the ghost town the second time, but he hadn't held out much hope until he was back in Adam's arms. "I didn't know. I hoped but..." he hesitated. "But I was scared."

Adam curled closer around Tristan holding him closer. "There's nothing to be scared about, Tris." He watched as Tristan blushed at the shortening of his name.

Tristan felt the heat on his cheeks, no one had ever called him anything but Tristan. The shortened name touched something inside him he hadn't even known was there. "I like that," he whispered against Adam's chest.

"You like what?" Adam asked, running his fingers through Tristan's hair.

"Tris. No one has ever called me that. I like the way it sounds on your lips," Tristan said.

Adam smiled leaning down and pressing his lips to Tristan's. "This time you aren't leaving, you know that right."

It was a long moment later when Tristan was able to speak. "That sounds perfect."