A Year in the Life

The Countdown Part 1

By Bix Meister

 

This is a story featuring gay men, and gay sex, intended for Adults, not Minors. It is fiction, and as such is not based on any actual people or events. It is a fantasy intended purely as a catalyst for pleasure. No attempts have been made to portray safe sex, but the author encourages you to practice it.

 

If this is your first trip to my series, I suggest you start at the beginning, Snowplow. You will get to know the characters.

 

If you enjoy it, consider donating to Nifty. If you have suggestions or feedback, contact me at bixmeister57@gmail.com

 

The Countdown Part 1

Fourteen Days

"Rolf

Fourteen days from now we are meeting at the diner. I hope you have it in your heart to forgive a foolish man. I know it won't be easy to do so. What I have done is impossible to forgive. However, I am taking steps to be the man that you need.

I can't go into details, but I need to get my house in order if you know what I mean. I was about to take the easy way out, but duty called. I now realize that duty will always call, so the easy route is not one I can take. I hope you love me enough to know this.

Fourteen days. Hopefully the man who is in that booth, looking into your hazel eyes will have more of the answers you need.

FCH"

Reading the email Rolf thought to himself "My personal countdown is thirteen days." Rolf often looked at his schedule that way. For instance, when he woke up Monday, he automatically counted the workday complete. That left him three more days of work before his vacation started and five days before Drew would be joining him. He saw the Captain as much more of a pragmatist who needed to have the day in the books before he could cross it off.

One sentence stood out for Rolf. "I hope you love me enough to know this." The word l-o-v-e was used. Was this the Captain's way of letting Rolf know he loved him? Rolf was sure he loved the Captain, but would it be enough? The pain Francis had caused him would be hard to overcome.

********************

Sitting in his office, the Captain mulled over the events of the last few days. Two more dildos were discovered after a lull in the case. The one at the end of the dock was the most troubling, since it had his initials on it.

The quiet in his neighborhood was interrupted by a homophobic relative of a neighbor. The Captain's friend Cal had agreed to tail Isaiah, and look into his past in an effort to see if there was anything fishy going on. It was just a hunch, one he couldn't investigate within the confines of the Police Department, but something he wanted to take on personally. As a professional, he knew at some point the department might get involved, but right now he needed to do it for himself.

He was also without his protégé Jason. Ashley was in her hometown hospital, hundreds of miles away. She and her baby were being monitored for their safety after she was rushed to the hospital. So far it looked like Ashley should be able to return to Duluth, but have to spend the rest of her pregnancy on bedrest.

With Jason out of the picture, the Captain was looking forward to the arrival of Carl, and Randy, Carl's brother-in-law. Maybe Carl would be able to figure out where the initials FCH come into play regarding the latest dildo they found.

********************

As much as I like cars, I hate buying them. And yet, here I was, helping Fred pick out a new truck. His old pickup was on its last legs with the manual transmission giving him difficulty in the last month. A new truck became even more imperative with work starting on the Lakeside area home he was remodeling with Van. They were to be meeting with their client the next day, and a new truck would look more professional.

I was there as moral support and a possible co-signer for credit. Fred's credit had taken a dive during the last few years as alcoholism impacted his ability to pay on time. Six months of sobriety, and an improvement in his pay, had helped in that regard, but he still needed my assistance to get a better interest rate.

The Dodge dealership wasn't far from my office, and Fred already picked out the truck he wanted, so the final negotiation wouldn't take long. I had called my bank, and was quoted an interest rate that the dealership would have to beat. I really didn't like shopping for vehicles, so I was planning to make the process painless.

The minute before we entered the office to negotiate, I gave Fred an envelope. Inside was a check for four thousand dollars. It represented his share of the rent he had paid me, and a bonus for his work on my house. "It's yours buddy. Now let's make this happen."

********************

The guest room at Jason's in-laws was showroom perfect. Even the computer desk was tidy, almost pristine. Jason was staring at the computer screen, talking a breather. The last two days had been grueling. After grabbing a small bag, filling it haphazardly with clothes and his dopp kit, Jason made the trip to his in-laws on Saturday night. He then spent the night, and all of Sunday with Ashley in her hospital room. She was stable, but they worried that the trauma might make the last two months of her pregnancy difficult.

The Captain had been supportive, ensuring Jason that he could take as long as needed. Jason was ready to spend the entire week at the hospital, but the doctors sent him home, assuring him that things were fine, and he needed the rest. However, being alone in his in-law's perfect house, made him climb the walls.

Jason signed on to his private email account, then pulled the scrap of paper from his wallet. It would be a quick note to Bub, he couldn't keep him in the dark. Jason wanted Bub to be aware, that is all he wanted. Like the song that kept playing in his mind, he didn't want to set hopes up too high, but he also didn't want them crashing down.

If anything, Bub would now have his private email, the one Ashley didn't know about. Jason then switched over to his SftBllStud username and entered the one place that he never talked about his personal life, the chatroom. Many of the usual guys were there, but the place was quiet considering it was Monday afternoon.

Jason drifted in and out of chat while surfing the web on his father-in-law's computer. He was aware that he couldn't do certain things because history would leave a trail. However, he couldn't resist an urge to check out a website he had seen a few weeks before. One of the men on it reminded him of Bub. It would be a quick visit, while he rubbed one out to relieve tension. He was somehow able to juggle the slow chatroom, and surfing the web while jerking off. He knew he was close, so he lifted his t-shirt and unloaded on his tight, furry gut.

He licked what landed on his hand. The taste reminded him of Bub. He took a quick whiff of himself and realized he hadn't showered in a few days. The last time had been with Bub. Jason closed down the screen he was in, then grabbed his dopp kit and went to the adjoining bathroom. He pulled out the soap he had gotten from Bub. "It's gonna be hard to forget this guy, everything I do reminds me of him" he thought to himself, as he entered the shower.

The shower and the soap washed away the remaining cum tracks, and two days of funk. He toweled himself off, then went back to the guestroom where he put on a fresh t-shirt and jeans. He knew he had time to clear the history of his visit to the porn site before his in-laws would be home.

An instant message stopped him in his tracks.

Smalltowncatcher: I saw you in the chatroom but you aren't responding, what's up? How is Ashley?

SftBllStud: Oh, she's fine, the docs sent me home, I took a shower, I forgot I was still in the chatroom.

Smalltowncatcher: Well you might want to check it out, I think some of the guys you told me about are in there. Randy is here and ready to do some cyber-snooping on them, if you are able to engage them.

Jason quickly pulled up the chatroom. Yes, SloPitcher and DreamField were there.

SftBllStud: Affirmative on SloPitcher and DreamField, they are the guys. You check `em out and I will keep them in there.

Jason frankly didn't know what to do, except talk to them, but he still needed to take care of the internet history. He felt like he was in an old movie, talking to someone on the phone while the cops traced the call. It was usually easy for him to bullshit and trash talk, but the urgency made it suddenly difficult.

He was also expecting his Father-in-law within the hour, so there was that added pressure. He could quickly delete all cookies, but that would be hard to explain should Patrick check into things. "Well what do we have here?" Jason smiled at what he saw. His father-in-law had obviously been sloppy about his own travels on the web. Jason knew the sites all too well. Some were regulars he visited, others were much too risqué even for him.

Jason spent the next half an hour switching from the chatroom, to perusing the contents of his in-law's computer. His father-in-law always had the upper hand when it came to their relationship, but Jason suddenly had the evidence he needed to put him in his place should he ever need. There was a stash of diskettes, so Jason started to copy and paste web addresses and computer files.

Patrick certainly wouldn't notice one missing diskette, especially if he was ignorant enough to leave information like this so readily available on his computer. The sound of the instant message brought him back to reality.

Smalltowncatcher: Randy has gotten so much info; we'll be on their tails soon.

SftBllStud: Great! Hey I gotta run, the in-laws will be here soon, and I need to be more presentable. They will probably want to go out to dinner.

********************

"I owe ya buddy." Fred looked at me, smiling behind the wheel of his new truck. "I couldn't have done this without ya. Well, you and all of the guys. Remember what a mess I was six months ago?"

"Oh I remember it well. I especially remember how sure you were that you'd never find someone to love you. Aren't you glad Jeff proved you wrong? By the way, have you told him about this yet? I knew you wanted to keep it a secret."

"Gonna surprise him tonight, take him out to dinner. Maybe I should invite the you and Pete. It'll be my way to thank you for every way that you've helped me. I know that Jeff's gonna shit when he sees it. He had his heart set on me buying a motorcycle. But I need this for work you know. Still, it's gonna be fun surprising him."

I understood Fred completely. I remember my Dad would buy a new car, and surprise the family with it. Pete had even pulled the surprise on me recently, with the Dart, and chances are I would be doing the same thing down the road when it came time to buy my new car.

"Meet you at six at the Diner?" Oh, by the way, I mean the actual restaurant, not the downtown sauna. I'm not sure if that is on your menu with Jeff."

Fred smiled. "I knew which one you meant. They have a few healthy alternatives for me. And as for that other diner, Jeff and I have gone there for fun. It is a little different going there with a guy you love. I still remember the first time when I ran into the bearded man we saw at the Diner the day before. He was hot to play with, but in the end he is not Jeff."

********************

The power position. Arms folded across a strong chest, legs set wide. Jason had seen it often enough from the Captain, but today he had it. The diskette was secure in the chest pocket of his jacket, giving him the upper hand with his Father-in-law. They were waiting for a table at the local Applebee's. It was a safe choice, he could pick one of his favorites, and have a single beer, before heading back to the hospital to see Ashley.

Patrick could see the swagger in his son-in-law. "Looks like the rest helped you, you look refreshed. We did get good news about Ashley, they think she should be able to go back home with you on Friday. I know you'll miss a game, but they'll have to make do without you."

"The Captain already knows I won't be there. He's been very supportive of me. Looks like they have a few leads on the case I had been involved in. I don't know if I told you, but they took me off my beat for a bit. I'm involved in an interesting investigation. If this works out it might be my foot in the door for a promotion to detective."

"I'm proud of you son. Just what my grandson needs, a detective for daddy." Patrick slapped Jason's strong shoulders. "I know the wife would say the same thing if she was here. I just couldn't get her to break away from the hospital."

For a moment Jason regretted his actions earlier in the day. However, years ago his father told him that a policeman always needed to collect all the evidence at his disposal, because you never knew when it would come in handy.

********************

"You don't mind if they join us, do you?" I knew it was Fred's night to celebrate, but Carl and the Captain arrived at the Diner at almost the same time as the four of us. "You remember Carl, don't you Fred? You certainly remember Rhonda, and their house overlooking the lake."

"Yes I do. That's a great home you've got there, and an even better wife. She made me feel like family. She even wants me to come back sometime and visit."

"You'll have to do it on the Fourth of July. I don't think anyone is using the townhouse yet. Maybe the four of you could take it over. I'll have to run it past Rhonda first, but I know she'd be happy if Duke and Pete made it home for the Fourth."

"Duke? Oh yeah, now I remember, that was his nickname, the one his dad gave him. From the sounds of it, he was a great guy, someone I wish I could have met."

"When you meet the family in a couple of weeks, you'll see a lot of Roy in Kyle and the others" Carl said. "And I can tell you he'd love Pete."

The hostess sat us in the corner booth. We were all sharing stories while looking over the menu. All I should say, except the Captain, who seemed to be off on his own as he looked towards the next booth and the window. "Sorry, we shouldn't bore you with our old stories FC. It sometimes gets that way when I meet old friends."

"Oh, you guys aren't boring me. My mind is just on this case we've been dealing with. Carl has been a great help. He's got a lot of insight. His brother-in-law Randy has been perfect too. We tried to get him to join us tonight, but he's working on some computer issue with his company."

"Randy is helping too? Do I dare ask?"

"Duke, Randy is helping the Police department while they implement his software. Shit, I remember when the two of you were dorks in junior high, and look at where the two of you are today.

"I know, Carl. I never guessed Randy would own a multimillion dollar business and I would be marrying a man. I mean, I knew I was gay a long time ago. But I never would have dreamed that someday I would be saying vows to the wrestler I used to idolize."

********************

"Here's your water sir. If you change your mind, happy hour prices are good for the next fifteen minutes. Just flag me down."

"No, I'm good. Gotta go see the wife. Can't be tipsy in the hospital. I'll need a mint to cover the beer as it is." Jason turned to his father-in-law. "You know how your wife can be."

"You're telling me brother" Patrick laughed. When the waiter left, Patrick leaned in to whisper. "You know the bookstore is on the way to the Hospital. We could make a pit-stop, dump a load into some hungry mouth, and our wives wouldn't be the wiser."

Jason simply crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Patrick. He was tempted to tell him off, but kept the end goal in mind. He then made a jacking motion with his right hand. "Took care of that earlier buddy. And don't worry about your guest room, I cleaned up the evidence."

********************

"So you guys are good with giving up your house for a week before your ceremony? Not sure if I could do that."

"Hey, we trust Rolf. We are even trusting him with writing the ceremony. He wants it to be a surprise.

"Rolf from the lumberyard? That Rolf?" The unusually quiet Police Captain interrupted me.

"Yeah, do you know him?"

"Just from the lumberyard. He doesn't seem the type that would write a commitment ceremony. I mean I can see him doing the landscaping, but I didn't know he was a writer."

"He is a man full of surprises when you get to know him" Pete added. "We're hoping that the landscaping project will give him something to keep his mind off of his romantic problems. He got dumped, and though he won't admit it, it's hitting him hard."

Well at least he has friends like the two of you" Carl said. "I've been with Rhonda since just after graduation, I forget how difficult it can be to be dumped. However, if he's as great as the two of you think he is, I doubt whoever dumped him was worthy."

"You never know. Like the old R&B song says love is a two-way street"

"That's my hubby, always relating life to music. You should hear his playlist for the reception.

*********************

Jason stood, looking down on his sleeping wife. He had finally convinced his Mother-in-law to go home. He would be staying with Ashley tonight while her parents got some rest in their home. Standing there, his arms folded across his chest, he felt the diskette hidden in the chest pocket of his jacket. Every time he felt like he was connecting with Patrick, he would have an experience that would make him question the connection.

How could a man be so cavalier about cheating on his wife? It was almost like a game for Patrick. Jason wondered if Patrick included him, so he wouldn't be the only one cheating. Jason knew he was no better than Patrick in the past, especially when it came to Bub. However, looking down at his sleeping wife, who was carrying his unborn child, Jason knew he had to be a better dad and husband than Patrick. He knew this even if it meant he had to give up on someone he truly loved.

He saw the recliner in the corner. It was his bed for the last two nights, it would be his bed again tonight. He laid down on it, pulled a blanket over himself, and went to sleep.

********************

Rolf

Thirteen Days. What can I say? I was at the Diner last night. I wanted to avoid it until we met in thirteen days, but it was close to the hotel that the visiting deputy sheriff is staying at. I saw our booth, but all I could see was the handsome man across from me that night.

The Captain stopped typing. Should he mention what he heard? He would be seeing Rolf at the wedding and he wasn't sure he could face him. No, he would have to put up a strong front at the wedding. As much as he hated it, the Captain knew he had to pretend that things were fine.

Rolf, I'm really looking forward to seeing you at the Diner and being the man you need. I know I'm not perfect, far from it, but I do have my qualities.

Francis

He looked at the email. Just as he admitted about himself, his email wasn't perfect, especially the last line. It was always those moments that Rolf responded to. The awkward things the Captain did, his often clumsy lack of words to express himself. Rolf had loved him, flaws and all. Flaws and all, he sent the email, then walked naked to the bathroom.

Looking in the mirror he saw his thick stubble. He rubbed his knuckles over his chin, feeling the scratchiness. A few years back was forced to "use or lose" some vacation, so he took two weeks off and let his beard grow in. It felt great to feel how quickly his beard became lush. The department, and his position didn't allow him to keep it.

A steamy shower was always required before he shaved the stubborn stubble. He started the shower, then spied the dildo that sat on the tub's corner. He had used it Saturday while thinking of Rolf. He picked it up and wetted down the suction cup base, and applied it to the tiled wall. "Gotta keep my ass in shape just in case he'll have me back." The Captain teased his hole with a finger and then slowly slid back.

********************

Pete stared at the tongue and groove ceiling. "It was great what you did for Fred yesterday. He sure is proud of that truck."

"He earned that. All we have ever done for those guys is give them the support they need. When they succeed they are simply paying us back for our confidence in them."

"You could tell that Jeff was turned on by Fred's new truck. I bet they went home sucked each other off. Unless they did it on their way home. They should get some personalized license plates. I wonder if 69RUS is available?"

I chuckled. "Speaking of 69, it's been a while." I pulled back the comforter showing Pete my hard-on. "Want an early morning protein shake before I head off to work?"

Pete threw off the rest of the comforter, then pointed his own hard dick towards me. "You be six, I'll be nine."

********************

Jason splashed the water on his face, then inhaled the scent of the soap. There was an immediate reaction as his dick started to tent his underwear. Though Ashley was sleeping in the next room, Jason lowered the band on his boxer briefs, and started to stroke away.

He lifted the bar of soap to his nose and inhaled. It was the scent of the sauna, of his lover Bub, it was the scent of sex. It was the scent of Bub's freshly scrubbed ass. It was the scent of Bub's thick dick. It was the scent he remembered lingering on Bub's strong neck. It was the scent he remembered as he kissed his lover goodbye, possibly in hindsight, for the last time.

Last night he looked at his sleeping wife and made a vow to give up on his lover Bub, but today he was losing the resolve needed to keep that vow. He took another hit off the bar of soap, thought about the thick ass he had fucked just a few days earlier and stroked the length of his dick. He came with a velocity that created a streak across the hospital bathroom mirror. The aftershock caused Jason's cum to splash all over the sink. He stumbled, catching himself with a quick "Oh fuck."

"Everything okay in there?" The voice of the nurse startled him. Jason recognized who it was. It was the bearded, bearish guy from the previous day.

"Yeah, just washing up. Be out in a minute." Jason started running the water, then did his best to clean up the evidence.

********************

Sitting at his computer, Rolf read the Captain's email. His hefty ball sac touched the desk chair cushion. The Captain's words caused his dick to fill out and bounce skyward. He could almost imagine the Captain, fresh from the shower, coming up behind him and rubbing his rugged stubble on his neck. The thought made Rolf shudder.

"Oh the hell with it" Rolf said. He started to stroke his dick.

********************

 

"You missed a spot" the nurse said with a wink. He then lowered his voice "I understand buddy. A healthy young man like you needs to keep the plumbing in working condition. Don't worry, in a few months your wife will be back to normal. `Til then your hand will be your best friend."

Jason looked at the nurse, noticed his name tag. "Lloyd, did Ashley notice? Fuck!"

"No. I took care of it quickly after I situated her. She might need your help taking a shower. It would be a perfect way for you two to have some intimacy while keeping her safe in the shower."

No matter how Jason thought it if, he couldn't get his last shower mate out of his mind. Lloyd was about the same size as Bub. His full beard, and hairy forearms hinted that he was much furrier than Bub, more like the Captain. Lloyd was quickly joining the ranks of men that enticed Jason, but the wedding band meant he was straight, and off limits. Damn, once again he was thinking of sex with a man. Jason knew as hard as he might try, it would be hard to ignore his attraction to men and almost impossible to forget Bub. But for the sake of Ashley, and their son, he would try.

********************

"Dammit Kyle. Everything I do with you feels like the best sex ever. I wanted to draw this out make it last, but you had me going the way you were sucking me, you pulled my load right out of me."

"I blame that on you, babe. You got me going. We were so damned in tune there for a minute, I don't think we could have stopped if we wanted to.

"I know what you mean. Even Al mentioned how in sync we were." Pete hesitated for a second, looked at the ceiling, then into my eyes. His right hand reached over to stroke my beard. I could sense he was getting introspective. "Kyle, I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but when we met, I was stuck in a rut. Hell I hadn't changed a thing about certain parts of this house since it was built."

"I thought I had entered a time capsule" I said, smiling. "You're lucky that people are starting to appreciate this era of architecture again. I remember Van said the similar house on Skyline Parkway has had too many attempts at modernizing that haven't worked."

"You caught me looking at the ceiling earlier. I was wondering how we could update this place to accommodate you. After all, you still have a lot of things down at the farmhouse."

"No need to rush into this. You said the right word. Those are things, probably nothing important. Maybe all we need is what Rolf is doing in the backyard. Besides I love this house the way it is, and if we ever feel the need to redo anything, we have Van chomping at the bit to work on it.

********************

Fred was nervous driving to the Lakeside home of his new client. The pride in his new truck was the only thing that kept him from being a complete mess. Sure he had all his ducks in a row. Van and Mike would be there for moral support. Van was bringing along his laptop with the CAD images of the proposed kitchen remodel. Fred also had a sample cabinet carefully wrapped beneath the tonneau cover of his pick-up bed.

But he didn't know much about the client, beyond what Van told him in the briefing. Russ was married with two children. They enjoyed outdoor activities, especially skiing and snowboarding in the winter, and were looking forward to owning a boat this summer. Russ' job at a downtown bank, and the home equity he gained from the sale of his previous house, allowed him the wherewithal to afford a much bigger house in Duluth than he had in the Twin Cities.

That is what intimidated Fred. Hell, his own credit was in the crapper mere months before. He was proud of the progress he had made to rebuild his credit, and his career, but this guy was a civic mover and shaker. How could someone like that relate to Fred who needed help buying a pickup?

Fred pulled into the driveway off London Road. The BMW parked there was most definitely the homeowners. He parked near it, then got out and started to roll back the tonneau cover. He gingerly lifted the cabinet and started to walk towards the house. There he saw the client talking to Van and Mike. His tailored suit was unable to hide the bulk of the man. "Dammit" Fred thought. "It would be easier if the guy was some average guy in a suit, but this man looked like he could have been a wrestler."

Van caught his eye. "Put that down Fred, I'd like to introduce you to Russ. Russ, meet Fred. He is a master with wood."

Russ turned towards Fred. A smile was evidenced behind his thick beard. "I'll bet he is" Russ said, quickly adjusting his crotch, then offering his hand to Fred.

"Shit!" Fred thought to himself. "It's the bearded guy I played with in the sauna this winter." Fred immediately knew he had a level playing field, possibly even an upper hand. He shook the offered hand. "Great to finally meet you. I look forward to working closely with you during the remodel."

********************