Lucas closed the last folder
with a heavy sigh, stabbed his personalized pen into its’ holder, sat back in
his chair and rotated his shoulders. His ‘in’ basket was finally empty while
the ‘out’ basket almost overflowed with the pile of documents he’d just signed.
Due to the slight downward
shift in the banking industry, the past few weeks had been overly demanding
with several major problems concerning a couple of Lucas’ clients. In the end
he’d sadly had to foreclose a small struggling business and a mortgage that was
almost a year in arrears. He had carried both for longer than he should have and
it had provided neither party with a successful conclusion.
Unfortunately, the stress of
the last two weeks had played havoc with his relationship and as supportive as
Stewart had been, Lucas had still felt himself slipping when it came to caring
for his Brat. But that was about to change.
Stewart had been rather vocal
in expressing his wishes to head south of the border to do some Christmas
shopping on Black Friday. The subject had been discussed every year since Lucas
and Stewart had got together, but nothing had ever come of it. Lucas did the
majority of his shopping on-line while Stewart had begrudgingly gone into
Kelowna to do his.
This year it was going to be
different. Lucas had informed his partner that they would be leaving for Seattle
first thing tomorrow morning. It was an eight hour drive and Lucas had already
made hotel reservations for a three night stay. He just hoped his appeasement
offering would not come back to bite him.
He got to his feet, grabbed
his overcoat and left the office, determined to give Stewart the shopping
experience the younger man was anticipating.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Stewart had taken off early
from the bakery so that he could go home and start packing for both himself and
Lucas. Well, it might be more appropriate to say that his staff had hinted
he leave early as he had practically been bouncing all day with the prospect of
his upcoming trip. Lucas had finally succumbed to his annual begging
to experience shopping in the US on what they called Black Friday. The day
after their Thanksgiving was the signal for the beginning of Christmas and he
had heard that the sales were phenomenal. He enjoyed the thrill of the chase to
get the best gift at the lowest price, which always meant he could buy
more. But he also knew that shopping at crowded stores and malls wasn’t on
the very top of Lucas’ list of things to experience, which was why he mostly
shopped online.
In addition, Lucas had had a
few very hard weeks at the bank. Time away from each other, as well as
hard decisions regarding bank clients, had increased the stress level for both
of them. As much as Stewart wanted this trip to Seattle, he also wanted it
to be fun, or at least not stressful, for Lucas.
As the trip was going to be
short, they would usually just share a larger suitcase, but Stewart had been
watching the advertisements online for some of the tech stores and wanted to
get Lucas an iPad Air. He didn’t want to risk Lucas finding it, so
he decided to use two smaller cases for packing. That way he could hide his
purchases from Lucas without risk. He would worry over exactly how he
would escape Lucas and make the purchase later. It might not be as hard as
he was thinking if the crowds were as bad as he had heard.
He was just finishing adding
a sport jacket in each of their cases, just in case they found a nice place to
have dinner, when he heard Lucas come home.
Lucas drove the car into the
garage instead of leaving it on the drive, and shut down the engine. They’d be
leaving early in the morning, well before first light, and he knew neither of
them would want to waste time scraping a thick coat of frost off the windows.
He walked through the back
door of the kitchen and was greeted by an exuberant young man with a suitcase
in each hand.
“Running away from home, are
you?” Lucas teased.
Stewart stole a quick kiss
before putting the two bags by the back door. “Yes, and I’m taking you
with me. I’ve got the perfect adventure planned. We’ll leave right
after we eat. Wash up. I’ll set the table and by the time you get
back I’ll have the stew served up.”
“Not so fast there, lover
boy. As already discussed, we are not leaving before getting in a good night’s
sleep. I do not plan to make that long drive after a hard day’s work. However,
eating supper sounds good; smells good, too.” Lucas hung his suit jacket over
the back of the nearest chair and headed towards the door leading to the lower
hall and their small downstairs bathroom.
Stewart laughed as he got out
the bowls. “It was worth a try. I can’t wait; midnight shopping and great
bargains. I’m hoping to find gifts for the whole family at half the price. Oh,
and I might want to shop alone for a while. There are some gifts I need to get
and you aren’t allowed to know about them.”
As he washed his hands, Lucas
listened to the younger man’s rambling with a smile on his face. It did his
heart good to see Stewart so happy and excited.
“If we get off really early
tomorrow, we should be checking into our room by two o’clock,” Lucas announced
as he took his seat at the table. “Won’t that be close to when the big sales
start?” He had never really searched for information about this mammoth bargain
event and as a result, knew little to nothing about it. “And I understand you
needing some time on your own, sweetheart. Thank you,” he replied in response
to a bowl of steaming stew being place in front of him.
“Well,” Stewart started
as he passed the plate of crusty bread he brought home from the bakery. “I
looked online and many of the stores are starting their sales tomorrow. Some
opening as early as six in the evening and if you want to go to some of those
stores I won’t object, because I still need to get gifts for my two employees
and something special for Mom since she is pitching in while I’m gone. But
the best sales and the ones I really want to go to don’t start until the
morning, which will mean getting in line the night before. I’ll pack some
blankets for us so we will be warm while we wait at the door.”
Stewart wasn’t sure how that
announcement would go over, but the electronics store was sure to be packed and
he needed to be there early to get that iPad; the deal on that was too good to
pass up and would allow him to buy the accessories for it too. The laptops they
owned were great, but Lucas usually kept his in their study. The iPad is
more portable and this way Lucas could work with his finance group and still
spend time with Stewart watching sports or even a movie.
Lucas frowned slightly as he
buttered the piece of bread he’d just accepted. “First off, I’ve done my
shopping so I won’t be looking for anything in particular. I don’t think I care
for the idea of camping out on a city street in the cold. Surely if we get to
whatever shop you have in mind early enough, the item you are after will still
be in good supply.”
“But that’s half the fun of
it. I know I don’t care for the cold, but we could take our rain coats,
umbrella and some blankets. I’ll bring a thermos and we can fill it with
coffee from the hotel. Please Luc, we’ll probably only do this once and I’d
like to see what all the fuss is about. Besides, there’s this deal I
really don’t want to miss out on. Everyone will be lining up the night
before and all the good door-buster sales will be gone. But if you really
don’t want to go, then I can go alone and we can meet up later.”
Stewart crossed his fingers, hoping Lucas would consider that
option.
Lucas sadly shook his head as
he reached across the table and took his partner’s hand. He’d been worried
about Stewart wanting to do something like this and knew it wasn’t an activity
he’d allow to take place. “I don’t want to burst your bubble, sweetheart, but
neither of us wants to get sick if we can help it. Somehow standing for hours
in cold and possibly wet conditions speaks loudly of us taking a chance that
should be avoided. We’ll just have to wait until the morning, I’m afraid.”
Stewart’s heart sank at Lucas’
words and he couldn’t keep the look of disappointment off his face. This
wasn’t really about staying out all night now. It was something he wanted
to be able to say he had participated in, that is until the weather was forecasting
rain on top on the near freezing temperature. But it was still about getting
that gift for Lucas. At nearly $100 off the original price, those wouldn’t last
long.
He squeezed Lucas’ hand to
let him know he wasn’t angry, but didn’t say anything. He was afraid if he
did, Lucas would call the whole trip off. There was still a chance that he
might get one and small as that chance was, it was better than paying full
price in Kelowna.
Lucas understood the
expression on his partner’s face and sympathized with the younger man who had
been hoping for a new adventure.
“How about we finish up in
here and get ready for an early night? Maybe we can cuddle up in bed and watch
a Christmas DVD to get us in the mood for our shopping excursion. Your choice.
What do you say?” was Lucas’ caring proposal.
Stewart knew Lucas was
trying to make the refusal easier and the evening pleasant, and he wanted to
try too. “How about ‘Auntie Mame’? I’m
in the mood for something light and fun, and if Auntie Mame isn’t a brat then
neither am I.”
“Auntie Mame it is then,”
Lucas agreed as he got up from the table and began to clear away the dishes.
“So I’m in for an evening with two Brats, huh?” He laughed cheerily when
Stewart feigned a glare of indignation.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Stewart woke up almost thirty
minutes before the alarm was set to go off. He had been waking up all
night and knew this time he might as well get up because rolling over and
trying to go back to sleep was pointless. His mind was on the trip and how
he was going to get that gift with Lucas so against waiting in line at
night.
Rolling out of bed and
heading for the en suite for a quick shower, he briefly thought maybe he could
tell a small white lie and say the gift was for his mother, a surprise for her,
but knew that wouldn't sway Lucas one bit. Maybe Lucas would be open to leaving
an hour or two earlier in the morning for their shopping, but he wouldn’t bring
that up until they were well on their way to Seattle.
As he climbed out of the shower,
he felt a little better about his chances for getting that gift. Now he just had
to get Lucas to agree.
Lucas had felt his partner
leaving and had turned unto his stomach, spread out his limbs to take up most
the bed and immediately fallen into a deep sleep. He often referred to this
half hour before the alarm sounded as his ‘dead’ time when he slept so soundly
a tornado could pass over them and he’d not be disturbed by it. Only one thing
could awaken him during this time and that would be his Brat in distress when a
sixth sense of sorts would kick in. Stewart was safe so Lucas dreamed on until
the buzzing of the clock radio followed by the morning news had him up and
ready to start the day. The light from the en suite had him heading in that
direction.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,”
Stewart said through his toothpaste-filled mouth. "Want a kiss?"
“Not just yet.” Lucas
chuckled as he lightly swatted Stewart’s bare butt. He grinned at his lover’s
reflection in the mirror. “But I’ll take a rain-check for as soon as I brush my
teeth and all signs of toothpaste have disappeared.”
Stewart quickly finished up
and dressed. “I’ll go start the coffee and get the car packed. What do you
want to eat? Warm cereal or eggs, bacon and toast?”
“Warm cereal and coffee is
good enough,” Lucas answered as he stepped into the shower.
Half an hour later, they were
on the road and heading south.
“You better stop that
bouncing, babe, or we’ll both be exhausted long before we reach our
destination,” Lucas teased with a grin as he placed a hand on Stewart’s left
knee and gave it a firm squeeze.
“I just can’t believe we are
finally doing this. Well that and maybe too much coffee.” Stewart
wondered briefly if this was the right time, then decided to plow ahead. “You
know, Luc, I was thinking that maybe you’re right; midnight is too early and it
will be cold out there. So I thought that it would be a lot better if we
waited a few hours longer, say to four o’clock. Once we got inside we
could split up and then meet back in like an hour. What do you
say? We could still bring the coffee and I packed plenty of blankets
in the trunk.”
“We’ve already discussed
this, sweetheart. So you already know the answer. But no one can accuse you of
not being tenacious. Be patient and I am sure everything will turn out right
and you’ll find what you’re after.”
“I know. I’m sorry,
Lucas. It’s just that I don’t want to miss out and some things go so much
faster than others. I won’t bring it up again. I promise.” Stewart
knew he’d played his last card. Anything more might see them turning
around and heading home. “Do you think we can stop soon? I’m getting
hungry and could use something warm to drink.”
Before Lucas could respond a
deep rumbling was heard. “Seems like my stomach is in agreement,” he laughed.
“Keep a look out for a place where you’d like to eat lunch.”
After a lunch of soup and a
sandwich, they were back on the road and in Seattle after a couple more hours
of driving. Lucas checked them in while Stewart tried to find a newspaper. He
was hoping to see sale ads. He saw the hotel was providing a traditional
American Thanksgiving meal that evening and wondered if Lucas would want to
go.
“Hey, Luc, want me to treat
you to a turkey dinner tonight? I’m guessing not too many restaurants will
be open, so we might want to consider it. Or we could order room service if you
would rather rest after that long drive.”
“Thank you. I accept your
kind offer,” Lucas answered formally although his eyes were crinkled at the
corners to indicate he was teasing. “And I’ll provide tonight’s entertainment,”
he whispered in his lover’s ear as the elevator took them up to the fourth
floor. His husky voice clarified any possible doubt, as unlikely as that was,
of what he was promising.
The two men quickly unpacked
and cleaned up after their trip. Next they enjoyed a leisurely meal during
which Lucas kept Stewart sitting on the edge of his seat in anticipation of
what was to follow.
The older man has insisted on
taking a small booth in the corner and sitting closer than need be to his
partner. While Lucas was able to maintain an air of composure throughout the
evening, Stewart felt the atmosphere around them crackling with sexual overtones.
He couldn’t understand why no one else noticed until he realized it had to do
with the way the big man carried himself. Even though Lucas easily caught the
eye of many who were seated near them, he was more often than not viewed as
just an exceedingly fine-looking, well-dressed business man. Right now, no one
but Stewart saw him as a lover on the prowl, and one in a very possessive mood.
“I plan to have my way with
you, my handsome one,” Lucas ensured his companion, and he reached over under
the cover of the tablecloth to run his hand down the front of Stewart’s pants.
The hardness he found there had him smiling wickedly and the younger man
blushing in case anyone saw what was going on.
Stewart tried unsuccessfully
to squirm away and ended up settling for an inane conversation about a hockey
tournament taking place this weekend in Seattle that a couple of boys from Jade
Heights would be playing in.
He found it difficult to keep
his mind on what he was saying and eventually gave up, at which point Lucas sat
back in his seat with a self-satisfied smile on his face.
Dinner over with, they
returned to their room where all the promises alluded to were fulfilled.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lucas didn’t know what disturbed
him some time before their agreed upon wake-up call, but as he came around he
recalled that Stewart had gotten up during the night to use the bathroom. Lucas
bolted upright. That was a while ago, so why was he sleeping in the big bed by
himself and why was the room in darkness?
The clock on the nightstand
read 5:30 a.m. and Stewart was obviously gone. Lucas hastily dressed and then
sat down heavily on the bed when he realized he had no idea where to even begin
looking for his Brat.
Stewart sat huddled on the
sidewalk, shivering under his blanket and umbrella. The rain had started
and while it wasn’t all that windy, the damp air was finding its way into his
bones. What was worse, is that he now felt this was all for
nothing. The rain kept the crowds away and he was probably no more than
the twentieth person in line. When he left the hotel, he was determined
to be here regardless of the punishment. But now he knew Lucas was right and
wondered if he would ever be forgiven for this bit of disobedience.
Looking at his watch, he knew
they would open the doors soon. He was torn between staying to get the gift
or heading back to the hotel with the slight hope that he could sneak back in
bed before Lucas knew he was gone. He knew he would confess what he did,
but at least Lucas wouldn’t be worrying about where he was. Making up his
mind, he headed back to the car. He would rather pay full price for this
gift than live with the knowledge that he had deliberately disobeyed and showed
a complete disregard for their relationship.
As soon as he opened the door,
all his hopes of sneaking back in the bed and then being able to tell Lucas in
his own way and time about what he done were dashed as he faced a very unhappy
partner.
Lucas had been pacing the
floor and raking a hand through his hair when the door quietly opened and he
turned to see his Brat tip-toeing in. For all the good it did the younger man.
They stood for several seconds trying to out stare each other. Lucas’ eyes
narrowed warningly and Stewart sensibly ducked his head.
“Where the hell have you
been, Stewart?” Lucas ground out between clenched teeth. He didn’t wait for an
answer before reaching for his partner and pulling him into his arms. “You’re
wet!” he announced unnecessarily as he felt over Stewart’s trembling body.
“We’ll talk after you’ve had a warm shower and are dressed in dry clothing.” Although
still angry, Lucas was calming down now that he knew his Brat was safe.
Stewart started to
explain as he followed his arm, currently in Lucas’ possession,
to the bathroom. He wisely stopped speaking when Lucas turned him and with
a heavy swat to his backside, told him they would be discussing it once he
was out of the shower. He stripped quickly, now very conscious of his exposed
bottom, and stepped under the warm spray of water.
As he stood under the shower,
he wondered how long he could delay the inevitable and if there would be any
chance of explaining this without giving away why he went against Lucas’
wishes. The worst part of all this was that by the time he
finished showering, it would almost be exactly the time they had planned
to leave for breakfast and then shopping. He leaned his head against the
shower wall, wondering how he had made such a mess of things.
While Stewart did what was
needed to warm up, Lucas sat down to think things over. Their present situation
was definitely not conducive for what would normally take place for this
purposeful act of defiance. There was just not enough privacy. But then Lucas
had never in the past kept Stewart waiting for whatever chastisement he had
coming. He wondered how Stewart would act in response to waiting until they
returned home; would he be able to enjoy the rest of the weekend with a
reprimand hanging over his head.
“Guess we’ll just have to
find out,” Lucas muttered to himself as the bathroom door opened and a billow
of steam followed Stewart into the room.
Stewart stepped tentatively
into the room, never taking his eyes off Lucas while he walked to the
clothes Lucas had laid out on the bed. He knew a spanking was coming and
dressing was pointless but still he would feel better, less exposed, with at
least a shirt on. He wished Lucas would say something; anything would be
better than just being watched.
“Luc, I’m sorry. Really
I am. I know you said no, and I know that I went out against your wishes,
but at the time it seemed worth it.” He stopped after seeing the
look on his partner’s face.
Lucas merely shook his head,
let out a sigh of loving exasperation and held out his arms.
Stewart’s guilt didn’t stop
him from moving quickly into those understanding arms, but it did start a
flood of tears. When he could finally talk, he tried to apologize again.
“I knew it was wrong when I
left and the longer I stood there the more I hated that I’d just
ignored our agreement in favour of punishment, hoping that it would make
everything all right again. I came back as quick as I could and hoped to
tell you before you found out I was gone. I wouldn’t have kept it a secret,
Lucas. Please believe me.” He searched Lucas’ face, hoping for empathy
and a sign that he was believed.
“I do believe you, sweetheart,”
Lucas assured him. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll take care of it.”
Lucas rested his head on
Stewart’s when it dropped back onto his shoulder. He continued to move his hand
on Stewart’s back in slow circles under his shirt. “I want you to pay close
attention to what I am about to tell you,” he quietly instructed. “Stewart,
sweetheart, we are not going to have our discussion now. I’ve decided it can
wait until we return home as this is certainly not a place where it can be
held. This weekend is about doing some Christmas shopping and checking out
Black Friday sales to see if they are all they’re cracked up to be. Does this
sound reasonable to you and do you think it is doable?”
Stewart pushed back and
stared at Lucas. They had never done this before and he wasn’t sure how he
felt. Part of him was glad. He didn’t want to be spanked, but he also
knew, no matter how much he wished he didn’t, that there was relief and
forgiveness for him in that action and it was something he desperately needed. “Lucas,
please, no. Couldn’t we find a way?”
“Sorry, babe, we really do
not have a lot of choice here. Please do not see it as additional punishment; I
would never do that to you. I am sure the time will pass fast enough if we keep
busy. Besides, I do not think I care for the idea of you believing it would be
okay to disobey because you’d willingly pay the price later. Hmmm?”
Those words brought more
tears to Stewart’s eyes which he quickly brushed away. “I know it was wrong and
I am sorry, Luc, really. I won’t cause any more trouble today, but I
do still have to go get that gift. We can still shop separate, right?”
Lucas gave the request some
thought and then answered slowly. “I plan to keep you close for the rest of our
trip, Stewart. However, I will give you space to do some of your shopping.
Finish getting dressed and we’ll head out to the Pacific Place Mall. I’m sure
there will be plenty of stores to choose from as well as a coffee shop or two
where we can get breakfast.”
As they shopped Stewart stayed
quiet, responding mostly only when Lucas asked him a direct question. His mind
was on Sunday and having to wait, and wondering whether Lucas was still
angry. When he was finally allowed to shop on his own, he was given
an hour and was to call Lucas if he would be taking longer. The line at
the electronics store wasn’t too bad, mostly because they had enough staff to
handle the crowds. When it was finally his turn, he saw that the price of
the iPad was quite a bit more than at the other store. However, as he talked to
the clerk about how it would be used, he was steered to the Kindle Fire which
was considerably cheaper. Knowing this and knowing he didn’t research well
enough had him feeling even guiltier about his actions earlier that
day. Having made his purchases, he called Lucas anyway just to let him
know he was heading back to their meeting place and would wait there. He
secretly hoped some of this might work in his favour.
While waiting for his
partner, Lucas spent most of the hour window shopping. It was something he had
little interest in but it passed the time. He eventually returned to the
electronics store where he’d left Stewart and busied himself by reading the
sales flyer at the customer service desk. He wasn’t looking for anything in particular
and so was easily distracted by the raised voices next to him. A young woman
was trying to cancel a lay-away order and was having trouble getting her
deposit back.
“I originally purchased this
for someone who is no longer a part of my life,” she explained. “It is not
something I can use personally. I do not understand why you can’t just put it
back on the shelf.”
Lucas found himself attracted
to the item being discussed and made an offer. “How about me reimbursing you
for the amount you’ve already paid?” he suggested to the woman, who happily
accepted.
When she had gone about her
business, Lucas turned back to the clerk. “This item is on sale in your flyer.
Will you accept the balance as payment in full?”
Just as he completed the
arrangements to have his purchase mailed to the bank in Jade Heights, his cell
phone vibrated. He turned to see Stewart just outside the store and hurried to
catch up to him.
Stewart was briefly confused
when he could hear Lucas both over the phone and in his other ear, until he
turned and saw Luc beside him. “I’m almost finished shopping,” he
said into the phone, smiling at his partner as they continued walking. “Maybe
we can meet at the coffee shop and have a cup while I go over my lists?”
“Sounds like a plan to me,”
Lucas responded, returning the smile.
As Stewart looked over his
list, he mentally ticked off each item he’d bought and finally said, “All I
have left is a small stocking stuffer for my mother. Maybe something to go with
the coat we bought. A nice pair of gloves would be good, but that’s something I
can get at home. This place is starting to get crowded and I’m a bit tired. If
you aren’t looking for anything, I think I’d like to leave.”
“There’s nothing I need, and
a nap sounds like just the thing so let’s go back to the hotel.” Lucas was
remembering the sleep Stewart had missed out on that morning.
Stewart looked hopefully at
Lucas. “Maybe we could order lunch from room service and talk about this
morning?”
“Lunch is doable,” Lucas
amicably agreed with the first suggestion. “But I really do think we talked
about this morning as much as we can until we get home,” he patiently stated as
he used the remote to unlock the car doors and trunk that was steadily becoming
full of packages.
Once inside, Lucas started up
the car and then reached over to place a hand on Stewart’s knee. “I am not at
all angry, sweetheart, if that’s what been worrying you.” As he turned to
concentrate on his driving, he saw a brief look of disappointment pass over his
partner’s face.
“I know. You never are. But
this is different to anything I’ve ever done before. I’d be mad at me. I’d want
to know what I was thinking and a whole bunch of other questions.”
Lucas stopped for a red light
and glanced at Stewart. His expression was one of loving understanding. “Oh,
I’ve got questions all right. I guess I just might have a slightly easier time
waiting for the answers.”
Stewart turned to stare out
the window. He knew from past experience that Lucas was immoveable once he’d
made up his mind. This trip was not going at all like he thought it would. They
were supposed to be having fun but all he could think about was how he’d ruined
it all because he couldn’t wait. No, that wasn’t true. It was all because he
didn’t want to wait. He had no idea how he would ever make this up to
Lucas.
Back in their hotel room,
lunch was mentioned again but neither of them was really hungry so it was
decided that maybe a nap was in order after all.
Lucas easily picked up on his
Brat’s restlessness; just as he had the lack of enthusiastic participation in
their earlier conversations. He spooned around his partner and tried to pull
Stewart closer, but that action seemed to cause the younger man to become more
rigid instead of helping him to relax. Lucas elected to wait it out.
Lying in bed with Lucas
wrapped around him was one of Stewart’s favourite places to be. There was
always comfort to be found in his arms. But when Lucas tried to pull him close,
he realized he didn’t want comfort. He wanted to talk and Lucas was
refusing. Lucas being nice to him was just making him more upset and now
he was getting angry. Didn’t he also have a say in where and when they
discussed things? He knew he would never sleep now, not with all this running
around in his head. Making up his mind, he sat up and turned to Lucas. “I
don’t want to sleep. I’m not tired. If you want to take a nap, that’s fine. I’ll
be quiet. I brought book and can sit over by the window and read it.”
Lucas was getting annoyed. He
pulled Stewart down, pushed him onto his side and once more wrapped his arms
around his fidgety partner. “Stewart, you need a nap far more than I do, so
settle down,” he ordered.
“No, Lucas, I don’t need a nap,” Stewart said
as he pushed against Lucas’ arms. “I may be tired but I’m not a child in
need of a nap. I’m an adult who needs to talk, but you’ve refused every time I
tried. Why can’t you see that?” Stewart’s voice had taken on that
tone he always got when near to tears.
Lucas let go of his partner,
which allowed Stewart to sit up and face him. “Okay,” Lucas slowly responded.
“We both know you deliberately chose to disregard my directives concerning this
morning. I think we both know why. And you’ve
apologized several times. It is the end of this type of discussion that I
prefer not to hold in a place other than our own home. So exactly what do you
wish to add to your side of this particular conversation?”
Stewart recognized that tone
in Lucas’ voice and it usually never ended well for him. Now that the
moment was here, he was wishing he had waited. Gathering his thoughts, he
pushed back to sit against the headboard and drew his knees up. “It sounds
really bad the way you say it, but it was even worse, Lucas. It was more
than just disobeying. I tried to get you to let me go out and when you
wouldn’t, I planned this. Right down to knowing I would be punished and
deciding it was worth it. I just tossed our relationship aside in favour
of what I wanted to do. I hate that I did it. I hate how I feel now
and it’s eating me up inside.” As he spoke, he had begun to cry and when
he finished speaking, he laid his head down on his knees.
Lucas sat up beside Stewart
and mulled over all that had said. Placing an arm around the crying man’s
shoulders and drawing him close to his side, he talked softly next to Stewart’s
ear, “Hush, sweetheart. Stop crying. We are going to work on this together as
soon as you’ve calmed down.” He pressed a clean handkerchief into Stewart’s
hand.
Stewart didn’t raise his head.
He just leaned hard into Lucas’ side, taking the comfort that was offered. As
he began to calm down, Lucas’ words finally registered.
“I’ll do anything to make
this right between us, but I thought you said we couldn’t take care of it at
the hotel?”
“And we won’t be,” Lucas
confirmed. “I understand that a lot of what happened this morning is troubling
you, but one thing I want you to know is that you have not damaged our
relationship. Grant it, this has not been the mini-vacation we had planned but
at least we’ve done the most important errands on our list and then some. Our
shopping is finished, so we are going to pack up and head home.”
“Please, Lucas, I’m not ready
to leave yet. I just wanted to talk, to make you understand,” Stewart
pleaded at this announcement.
“I probably understand more
than you realize, Stewart. But we’ll have more than enough time to talk on the
drive home. Maybe you can consider our early departure as part of your
punishment. We actually have several issues to discuss during the trip. For
instance, you endangering yourself comes to mind. You had no idea about the
size of the crowd before you got there, and while most would have been shoppers
like yourself, there was always the possibility of someone wanting to cause
havoc by pushing to start a fight or even pulling off a crime like pick-pocketing.
If I objected to us facing something like that as a couple, why would you think
I’d be happy with you being there on your own?”
“But now you’re being
punished too,” Stewart mumbled, though he didn’t dare complain further
about leaving. It was a deserved punishment for himself even if Lucas
hadn’t intended it that way. “I hadn’t really thought about problems with
the crowds or someone stealing. Really, Luc; all you said was you didn’t want
to stand in the cold and rain. I didn’t think about there being another
reason and I thought your refusal was unreasonable, so I just went.”
“Then I guess I should have
explained myself better. I’ll remember to next time. Although the bottom line
is that I didn’t want either of us standing outside for an unreasonable length
of time. But enough talking for now; we have to get a move on. We’ve a long
ride ahead of us, plus an undetermined time at customs. But you’ll be able to
sleep during the ride.” An eight-hour drive with an over-tired, cranky Brat
seemed daunting, but Lucas felt up to it under certain conditions.
Stewart stood up, headed for
the small closet where they had put their suitcases and brought back both of
them, plus the clothes hanging in there. His thoughts were now on clearing
customs without Lucas seeing what he’d bought. He might be in trouble for his
actions but he still wanted the gift to be a surprise. “I bought a lot of
things here and one of them was for you, so I’ll need to make a separate
declaration from yours. Do you think I’ll end up paying a lot of duty?”
“We’re entitled to a personal
exemption of four hundred dollars between us, and I don’t have anything to
declare. Due to the prices to be had at these Black Friday sales, I don’t
imagine you’ll owe too much. However, the procedure will take up more time.”
Both men shut their
suitcases, shrugged into their overcoats, and turned to leave. Lucas placed a
hand around Stewart’s shoulder to waylay him.
“Rest assured, sweetheart, regardless
of how late it is when we get home, you will be going to bed with a mighty sore
backside. Then the slate will be wiped clean. Am I understood?”
Stewart’s face heated up at
that announcement, his eyes on the floor. All he could manage was a
mumbled, “Yes, sir.”
“Good man!” Lucas leaned down
and kissed his partner’s lips. “Now let’s get out of here.”
Half an hour later, they were
on the highway heading north. They’d picked up sandwiches and coffee after
checking out of their room.
Lucas drained the last of his
beverage and put the empty cup in its’ holder. “All right, sweetheart, you
wanted to talk and I am very interested in hearing what you have to say.”
They had been riding in
relative silence since leaving the hotel, with Lucas driving and Stewart staring
out the window trying to get his thoughts together. He knew Lucas would
eventually ask and now that the moment was here, he wished that Lucas would
have insisted he sleep first.
“When I left this
morning, I was a bit angry. Well, maybe not angry so much as
determined. When we planned this trip, I wanted to do the whole
experience. I thought it would be fun being with you and waiting outside
the stores. It seemed like an adventure. When you said no because it
would be cold and wet, I thought you were being unreasonable and also
because…. well there was a gift I wanted. I knew it would be popular and I
was afraid I would miss out on getting it. I knew if I went alone I would
be punished. But I also knew that after it was over, everything would
be fine between us again. I decided, knowing it would turn out
all right, that it was worth it. I don’t know what to say that could ever
make this better, Luc. I’m sorry that I did it and I wish I could turn the
clock back and make that decision all over again, but I can’t. I just want you
to know that I’ve never done anything like this before and I never will again.”
Lucas had kept quiet during
his partner’s explanation. He really did appreciate where Stewart was coming
from and hoped he could set the younger man’s mind at ease. “I’m sorry the trip
from the get-go didn’t go the way you had anticipated, sweetheart. I truly
empathize with your disappointment. I know you’ve never done anything like this
before, as I am aware of you always trying to live within the perimeters of our
relationship. While it may not excuse your blatant disobedience, it does make
it understandable. It is also definitely forgivable.” He reached over and
squeezed Stewart’s nervously bouncing leg. “Of course there are after-effects
to be faced.”
Stewart's eyes were heavy
with tears but the small smile he bestowed on his partner
was genuine. “I know and I’m almost looking forward to it. Almost.” After
a minute he had to ask the one question that had been on his mind. "Luc,
is there more punishment? I feel like there should be something more”
“There is nothing more, my
love. A physical reminder is all there will be, promise,” Lucas vowed. “Come
morning, we start anew.” He reached for Stewart’s hand and lovingly let his
thumb gently draw circles on the back of it.
Stewart held tight to Lucas’
fingers for a few minutes. He needed that reassurance and having
gotten it, he felt like a weight had been lifted from him. “I think I
could sleep now, if you don’t mind driving for a little while without company?”
“I don’t mind at all. You
could do with some extra shut-eye.” Lucas tuned the radio on to some classical
music and kept the volume down low while he kept an eye on his precious Brat
who slept next to him. He wasn’t looking forward to what lay before them, but
knew it was needed if his promises were to be kept.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Christmas Day finally arrived
with Black Friday having gradually become a distant memory. Or had it?
Each man passed the other one
last gaily wrapped present. Neither of them noticed that the size of both was
exactly the same. They hastily removed the ribbons and paper; then held their
gift up for the other to see.
First Lucas and then Stewart
began to laugh. Both men had given and received a Kindle Fire HDX.
“It looks like we’re always
going to have a reminder of that particular shopping excursion after all.”
Lucas’ comment had them both laughing even louder.
The End
