Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2017 10:46:37 -0500 From: D B Subject: The Journey of a Lonely Heart - chapter 6 The Journey of a Lonely Heart, Part 6 by DGB This story is a product of my imagination, under my copyright, so no reposting/publishing without my consent. Hell has a special place for copyright violators. If you are not of legal age or somewhere in which this document is illegal, please stop reading and focus on getting someplace safer. Have you donated to Nifty? I have: http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html If you enjoy the story, I'd appreciate comments to donbon@gmail.com. Thanks for all the kind messages after the last chapter; I might have called the story over a little too early. Hopefully I can continue to entertain you all a bit longer. ***************************************** The couple made tender love that weekend, slowly exploring one another in a quest to please the other. Freed from doubts about how the other felt they were both able to drop their guard and stop trying to impress each other, or the world, and just be themselves. Trevor couldn't remember ever being happier. It wasn't that his life had been lacking before, quite the contrary. He had always found satisfaction with both his work and volunteer efforts, and was proud of all that he had accomplished. But now he had someone to share it with and all the good in the world just seemed a little brighter. Saturday night they had lain in bed talking till a little after three. Trevor was halfway through relating his story about Kurt before he realized it, suddenly becoming terrified about what his new lover would think. His lover had just pulled him closer and kissed his forehead, reacting to the sudden tensing of the man in his arms. When Trevor finished he was hesitant to look Derek in the eye. Derek gently tilted Trevor's head with his fingertip till they were looking eye to eye, "Kurt was a fool for not realizing the amazing man you are. We've all made bad decisions at some point in life, but the past is only the past. I'm your future, and I'll never take you for granted." That kiss sealed away Trevor's past forever. ================================================ Derek managed to impress Trevor at breakfast on Sunday, whipping up a delicious quiche after foraging in the kitchen. Derek was pleased to see his boyfriend smiling again. The weekend had been magical, at least until late afternoon. One minute everything seemed to be fine as they were laughing together on the couch, but by the time he got back from the bathroom the mood had completely changed. Derek sat back down on the couch but Trevor made no effort to lean back into him like before. In fact the other man might have moved further away. Their easy conversation was suddenly stilted and awkward. Derek's initial concern had quickly turned to annoyance, and now he was getting downright pissed as Trevor continued to pout. "Look, I don't know what I said or did to upset you so please just spit it out. Are you having second thoughts about us or what?" Trevor made no effort to hide that he was upset. "I just...", he started, returning the other man's stare. "It's probably best for me to just go," Derek sniffed. "I'll go grab my stuff real quick and get out of your hair. Hopefully you'll talk to me later." Trevor flew across the couch knocking the wind out of Derek. Derek was still recovering from the blow when his lips were covered in a surprisingly aggressive kiss, instantly dissolving his anger. Breaking the kiss Trevor rushed to explain, "I don't want you to go. While you were in the bathroom I realized what time it was and I know you'll be heading home soon since you don't have any clothes for work tomorrow. This weekend has been perfect and I don't want it to end." Derek couldn't control himself when he started to giggle, much to Trevor's consternation. "I'm sorry babe I don't mean to laugh at you... but you have to admit it's funny I was going to leave because I thought you were pissed but really you were just upset I was going to leave." Before Trevor could retort Derek went into action pulling the smaller man in for another kiss, using his fingertips to gently massage the back of his neckk. Trevor melted right on queue not caring that he was being manipulated. "Come back tomorrow night?" "I promise," Derek replied without hesitation. Trevor hadn't explicitly invited him to stay Monday night, but Derek decided to pack for the week as soon as he got home anyway. He had more than enough work clothes to keep a weeks' worth at each house. He decided it would be easier to just lay his clothes across the back seat still on the hangar, and filled a duffel bag with everything else. Too bad he didn't think to check how much clean underwear was left at Trevor's place. Coincidentally all of his underwear was now clean. Trevor had started laundry, and it just felt natural to wash both their clothes. Perhaps this could be an atonement of sorts for his behavior this afternoon he thought. He was a grown man after all, and up until a few days ago had been incredibly independent. He didn't have to have Derek there, he just really wanted him. Trevor groaned when he crawled into bed that night, the lingering smell of his lover magnifying the loneliness. Derek was tossing in his own bed when his cell phone vibrated on the night stand. A simple text from his beloved, "Wish you were here, miss you. I love you." "I love you too," he quickly sent back. Derek stared at the ceiling wishing he was with Trevor. He had a feeling it was going to be a long sleepless night. For some reason his bed just didn't feel comfortable, suddenly lumpy and a little chilly like a bad hotel mattress. And that's when it finally hit him. Five minutes later he was pulling onto the freeway in a t-shirt, basketball shorts and flip flops. He made good time since Sunday night wasn't exactly rush hour traffic. He glanced at a new text message that came in while he waited at a stoplight, "I can't sleep :-(" Derek hit speed dial on the number he had programmed into his car's Bluetooth just hours earlier. "Hey babe, I didn't think you'd still be up," Trevor answered on the second ring. "Meet me at the door; I'm pulling into the neighborhood now. I couldn't sleep either so I came home," Derek hung up not waiting for a response. He pulled into the driveway a minute later just as Trevor flipped on the porch light. He stumbled out the door wearing fuzzy slippers and his trademark smile to help his boyfriend carry in clothes. Leaving the unpacking for another day they slipped into bed and snuggled up in their favorite position, quickly falling asleep. ================================== Monday morning Trevor waited for the caffeine junkie to get his fix before initiating conversation. "I know we brought in a lot more clothes than you needed for today. I assume that means you plan to stay a few nights?" Derek was feeling a little naughty when he replied, "Well no, not really. The service here tends to be a bit iffy at times, but my boyfriend pouts when I leave. So I'm kind of stuck here just to keep him happy." "Gee how charitable of you. You're such a nice guy." Trevor leaned over to lick and nibble at the base of Derek's neck in that spot that seemed to turn his boyfriend to jelly. He pulled back to see his handiwork, and smirked when he saw a small wet spot on Derek's tented boxers. "And since you complained about the service, you'll just have to take care of that yourself." Trevor quickly stepped out of reach and went to get ready for work. Their banter continued while they jockeyed for counter space in the bathroom, determined to act like the double vanity was only a single. Trevor seized the opportunity for more mischief while Derek was finishing up in the bathroom. Trevor was in the kitchen putting dirty coffee mugs into the dishwasher when Derek walked in looking around. "Hey babe, do you know where I put my keys last night?" he asked. "Did you check your pockets?" Trevor inquired, a grin spreading on his face. "Or maybe you should check my pockets." Derek pulled the other man close and gave him a tender kiss, slowly sliding his hands down the others man's back until he was cupping the twin mounds of butt in his hands. "Not in these pockets." Seeing the clock, Derek reluctantly sped up the search and reached into Trevor's front pocket. Retrieving his keys something felt out of place, slightly heavier. Trevor reached over and plucked the keys out of his lovers hand, taking ahold of a key he had added only minutes before, "In case you beat me home tonight. I'll dig out the manual tonight to add your code into the alarm system." Derek had been rendered speechless by the unexpected gesture, overwhelmed by emotions. He settled for a simple "I love you" and another kiss. ============================================== Trevor was surprised to find a package on his doorstep Wednesday afternoon since he hadn't ordered anything. He was even more surprised to find Derek's name on the address label. Had their relationship really evolved to the point where Derek would be getting packages? The question hung in his mind as he went about his usual routine, changing out of his work clothes before starting dinner. Of course it wasn't just his clothes sitting in the hamper when he threw his in, and it was hard to miss the dress shirts and slacks hanging alongside his t-shirts. There was no denying Derek's deodorant and razor sitting on the vanity. Trevor accepted the proof; Derek was now more of a resident than a guest, and that was exactly how he wanted it. I Trevor was chopping vegetables for dinner when Derek came in the kitchen door, giving him a one armed hug and kissed his cheek, "I missed you today. How was work?" "Pretty good, I've only been home 15 minutes or so. That was on the doorstep for you," Trevor gestured towards the package. Derek instantly started to grin like a kid on Christmas morning, using his keys to cut through the packing tape. Trevor watched on in curiosity, amused at his boyfriend's antics as he slowly pulled a long rectangular box from the package. He couldn't help but snicker when he finally realized what was causing all the excitement; Nespresso coffee pods. Derek stuck out his tongue, "Don't look at me like that. I bought these for you just as much for me. We're almost out of the samples that came with the machine" That set Trevor off in a fit of laughter. Finally catching his breath Trevor bowed dramatically, "Thank you your highness. I'm honored you've protected me from your morning grumpiness. Now we just have to figure out where to keep them." "Oh don't worry, I've got that taken care of," Derek said mysteriously on his way to the bedroom to change clothes before helping with dinner. The mystery was short lived; Thursday afternoon a little drawer unit for under the machine arrived in a shipment from Amazon. ========================================== Derek was shutting down his laptop at the office Friday afternoon when his phone beeped with a text message, "Forgot to buy paper towels and eggs. Can you pick up on way home?" "Sure. Leaving office now," he sent back. The grocery store had a big display of flowers setup near the door, so Derek picked up a single red rose for his love. The college aged girl ringing up his purchases asked, "So big date tonight?" Derek shook his head in confusion. "The rose? I don't see a ring so I was guessing a date," the cashier clarified. "Oh no, no date, I'm just heading home." Derek paid for everything and was quickly on his way, but the conversation kept replaying in his mind, nagging at the edge of consciousness. Trevor noticed immediately that Derek was distracted when he walked in. Even the rose had seemed like a hollow gesture. Something was up, but he decided to let it ride for a bit and give the other man some space to work through whatever it was. He stuck to his plan until after dinner when Derek had actually thanked him for the meal before moving to sit on the couch. The big lug could be so silly at times. Leaving the dirty dishes sit on the table Trevor flopped onto the couch and leaned into Derek's lap. "Ok, what's going on?" "Sorry, I don't mean to be so distracted. I talked to Jenn today and she's dying to meet you. She's having a party tomorrow night for a few friends and neighbors. Want to be my plus one?" "Of course," Trevor leaned over and gave his boyfriend a quick kiss. "Now quit stalling and spill it. What's wrong?" "Am I really that easy to read?" Derek finally relaxed a little and gave him a real smile. Trevor wasn't going to be sidetracked, "After living with you a week I think I can read you pretty well." Noticing Derek's face had quickly fallen again he continued, "ok now you're worrying me. Please just say it." Derek took a deep breath, not sure where to start, "the cashier asked me if the rose was for a big date, and I told her no, I was just heading home, and that got me thinking... I need to actually go to my house this weekend to check the mail and stuff, and part of me wonders if I should just stay there. I mean I kind of forced myself on you last week, and then I've been coming here every night even though you haven't actually invited me. I just don't want to push you too hard or overstay my welcome." Trevor sighed; his big strong man could be so insecure at times. "I figured you'd be staying a while when you started having packages delivered here." Trevor kissed his lover to cut off his response, "I know you didn't mean it like that. What I'm trying to say is I've already thought about our living situation and I want you to move in with me. Permanently." It was obvious his declaration had been unexpected so Trevor continued, "You don't have to make a decision right now. If you want to go house shopping together and find another place we can, but I'm ready to make a home together whenever you are." "Help me pack tomorrow?" Derek grinned before pulling him in for a tender kiss. The debris from dinner lay untouched on the table that night. =================================================================== Both men drove to Derek's house Saturday morning so they could use both cars for moving. The plan was to figure out what furniture they would eventually move to Trevor's place, what they would donate to charity, what they would sell, and of course what was getting thrown out. It wasn't going to be easy to combine the contents of two fully furnished homes, but both men had admitted that they only had a few pieces they were emotionally attached to. Trevor's fourth bedroom was pretty much empty, so that provided some wiggle room for furniture as well. The other three held the master bedroom, the guest bedroom, and Trevor's rarely used home office. "Most of the stuff in my kitchen is pretty old, but there is one thing I insist on," Derek smiled and walked over to a cupboard. "Yes dear," Trevor smiled back, "I'll find some space for your espresso cups." Moving through the front of the house was surprisingly easy. Trevor wanted Derek's dining room furniture but they would keep Trevor's chairs. Trevor's entertainment center was nicer, but Derek's TV was bigger. They measured and were fairly certain both of their desks and bookcases would fit in the office. Trevor had looked at all the electronics and declared Derek was in charge of reworking the home network and Wi-Fi. Derek made a beeline for his dresser in the master bedroom, rummaging around in the top drawer. He turned around holding up a single key, "I've wanted you to have this since Monday. I know we'll be selling this place soon but I still want you to have it." Trevor was touched by the gesture even though it was mostly symbolic. With an impish grin he asked, "Aren't you going to put it on my ring for me?" Happy to take the bait Derek started to paw at his lover's pockets. Knowing the keys would be in the right front pocket he chose to start on the rear. Both men were primed for more fun by the time they key was in place. "You know, only one way to really find out which one goes in the master and which in the guest bedroom," Trevor gestured towards the bed. A few hours later they set off for home. Trevor cooked a light lunch with the food they had moved while Derek hauled in his clothes and some other daily use items. The big stuff could wait for another day, there was no rush, and besides, they had a party to get ready for. There was no way Derek was going to miss the opportunity to show off his boyfriend. ************************************************************* This isn't the end... there will be more. Trying to balance writing time between this and another project, so next chapter might take a little longer than normal. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this addition.