Author's Note: Thanks so much for sticking with this story. It turned into a chaptered story on the fly, and work and life have intervened time-wise getting it done. There is one more chapter-a conclusion-which will be posting very soon.
*****
It was the middle of the night. Craig woke up suddenly, scared and disoriented. He'd been having a terrible nightmare. At first, he didn't recognize where he was. The dark wood-paneled walls of the room he found himself in were not his own, and the sheets on the bed were made of silk instead of cotton. He kicked them off in a panic before he heard a voice next to him murmuring, "What's going on?"
Evan.
Craig relaxed, though his heart was still pounding in fear.
He rolled over and hugged him tight, thinking how utterly wonderful it was to wake up from one of his nightmares and find him there. He threw one thigh over his as Evan grasped his hands, interlacing his fingers with his, and held them to his chest, whispering, "Go to sleep."
Craig snuggled into his warm body, and calmed himself down by reviewing the previous 24 hours. At the last minute, they'd decided to take a road trip down the coast. They were in The Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, just north of San Diego, right on the beach. They'd gotten in late last night and dropped off to an early sleep, too tired to have sex.
Evan,
Craig thought, still half asleep and still shaking with lingering fear; he's here, he's with me. His smell, his hair, his waist, his voice, his cock. His strong hands are holding mine. My lover. My boyfriend. The word quelled the uneasy fluttering of his stomach, the traces of panic from the dream he could no longer remember. Everything was fine.
They held each other, spooning, Craig nestling his soft cock in the small of Evan's back, and eventually drifted into a peaceful sleep.
The next morning, Evan awoke to sunlight pouring through the large windows of the California Craftsman style suite in the luxury hotel Craig had booked. It really was a special place. It had a cool 1920's Art Deco style, but was cozy and rustic as well. Outside the window he could see masses of pine trees and beyond that, the gorgeous beach. He yawned and stretched luxuriously before he reached for Craig, planting a trail of kisses across his shoulders and up to his neck, while pushing his hard cock into his thigh.
"Mmmm . . . good morning," Craig laughed, as he felt it.
"Morning," Evan whispered against his lips. He rolled on top of him and kissed him deeply. "How'd you sleep?"
"Uh, great, until I woke up."
"Why?'
"Ah, I had a nightmare."
"Oh? What was it?"
"I don't know. I can't remember. I never remember. I just wake up feeling like I'm falling. It's always like that."
"Really? How long have you had them?"
"Since I was little. God. I used to wake up like that and I'd have to go find my sister and crawl into bed with her."
Evan laughed. "Seriously?"
"Yes—in her pink canopy bed with her stuffed animals. I'd creep down the hallway through the house, in the dark, terrified, and go find her. It was horrible."
"Hey, let me ask you something."
"What?"
"Well you told me you've never been in a long term relationship. I get that. But I mean what about all these boys you were with . . . were you close to any of them?"
"Uh . . . sure . . . yeah," Craig stammered. "Yes, I mean, we'd talk . . ."
"Did you ever tell anyone about your nightmares? Any of your boyfriends?"
"Well, you're getting a little ahead of yourself there."
"What do you mean?"
"If I have to be honest, really honest, I have to say I haven't ever really had a boyfriend. Not a real one. Not really. Not until now."
"Oh, is that what we are?" Evan smiled at him, not missing a beat. "If that's the case, then we're exactly the same, aren't we, because I never have, either."
"Um, I guess so."
"Then that means neither of us really knows what we're doing, doesn't it?" Evan said.
Beneath him, Craig felt Evan's erection pushing into him. "Do you like that?"
"I do."
"Why?"
"Because," Evan said, kissing his way down his neck, "It makes this even more fucking amazing than it already is. It's like it was meant to be."
"Jesus, Evan. You are so different. From anyone I've ever been with," Craig said, reaching up touch his face. "Just so, so different. I'm not used to this."
"To what, exactly? No wait—tell me later. Let's get up. Let's go do stuff. I want to hit the beach. Do some surfing, and then we can hang out and just . . . talk. I still haven't told you about my trip to Laguna."
"Alright, but what about this?" Craig said, stroking him.
"'This' can wait. Until tonight," Evan whispered. "Let's have a wonderful day. Let's do something a 'couple' would do. And then we'll come back here. How does that sound?"
"It sounds good. Perfect. In fact . . . if you want to, maybe we can go to a bar," Craig said, a light bulb going off in his brain. "Let's go find a gay bar. I bet you've never been to one, have you?"
"What do you think?"
"What I think is . . you'll like it. I know a lot in San Diego. It's just a quick drive down. You want to?"
"Sure, though I have no idea . . . how to . . .um . . ."
Craig kissed him quickly on the lips. "Well I do. That is one thing I know how to do really well."
"Well then let's go."
+++
A couple of hours later, Evan sat on a sloping sand dune watching Craig take one last final wave before they called it a day. He smiled as he watched—he wasn't as skilled or as practiced as he was, but he was pretty damn good and they had had an absolute blast, as well as a fantastic work-out. This, to Evan, was as close as it got to a perfect day. Sun, sand, and ocean waves. His body loved it. The beach was engraved in his longest memories of being alive.
Watching Craig's shaky moves on the surfboard, Evan was reminded of his days spent with Chad—an association aided by the fact that Craig looked so much like him. For a minute it was as if the ten or so years between now and then completely faded away, and he was 16, 17, laughing his ass off with his best friend. In fact, Evan realized, that was the last time, the very last time, he remembered being this happy. He hadn't quite realized how much he had missed it, until he had Craig.
He smiled again, watching him. He adored seeing him so carefree and lighthearted. He would do anything to see him like this every day. "I'm really
with