If you don't agree with guys being in love with guys, then
you need to find someplace else to spend time.
Okay, these characters are not meant to resemble any living
or dead persons.
I make no apology to anyone who is offended by anything in
this story.
Let me know what you think of the story by emailing me at
Hnstskr4@aol.com
Copyright 2008 -2021
Jason and
Shaun
Chapter 32
Eric and
Steve's Visit
Summer
vacation has barely just started, and Eric has a great idea. He gets on the phone and calls Steve to see
what he thinks of his idea.
"Hey Babe,
what would you think about going to see Jason and Shaun?"
The guys
have not seen Jason and Shaun for a few months.
It would be great to spend some time with the guys.
"Do you want
to go see Jason and Shaun? Heck yes, I
want to see them. How exactly are we
going to do that?"
Steve knows
that he can't afford to fly out to see the guys, and he's pretty sure that Eric
can't afford to fly out either.
"We can get
the money, no problems, man. Maybe
between the two of us, we can gather up the money. We should speak with Jason and Shaun first to
see if it's okay for us to visit?"
Eric says to
Steve because Sarah might give them some of the music for the trip.
"Which one
of us is going to make the phone call?"
Steve asks
Eric.
"Why don't
you come over and we can make the call together, or I can come over to your
place, and we can make the call there?"
There is
silence on the phone for a few seconds before Steve replies.
"My mom is
going out, and you know how she is about you being over when no one else is
home. I think I had better come over to
your place. I can come over right away
if you want?"
He is just waiting
for Eric's response before hanging up and heading over to Eric's.
"Yeah, I
think I had better stay home if I want you to keep your head. Yes, let's hang up, and I'll see you when you
get here."
They end
their calls, and Steve immediately heads out for Eric's house. Steve keeps his word, and in no time, he
arrives at Eric's house. Eric gets Steve
into the house, and then the guys sit on the couch. Eric gets out his phone and calls Jason's
phone first. Sometimes, calling the guys
can be hit or miss depending on their work schedules, but they get to talk to
someone this time. Jason answers the
phone.
"Hey Eric,
what's going on, dude?"
Jason is
happy to get a call from one of his adopted little brothers.
"Well,
since we are finally graduated, and on vacation
between high school and college, we sat down, talked about plans for our
summer, and we sort of came up with going out west to visit Shaun and you, but
we didn't just want to show up at the house unannounced."
Jason is
immediately thinking about what they could do while the guys are there visiting
them.
"Yeah, that
would be amazing. Would it be just Steve and you coming?"
Jason knows
they can put the guys up, but anyone coming with them might push it a bit.
"Yeah, it
would be just Steve and me."
Shaun enters
the house from working in the yard, and Jason smiles.
"Hey Babe,
say hi to Eric and Steve."
Shaun goes
from tired to excited, and he promptly sits down next to his hubby.
"Hey, guys,
what's going on?"
In unison,
the guys say "Hi!" to Shaun.
"Well, we
thought that we might come out to see you guys.
Hope it's okay?"
Shaun looks
at Jason and shrugs his shoulders.
"When were
you thinking of flying out?"
Jason asks,
hoping their trip won't conflict too much with their work schedules.
"As soon as
we can get the money together and we can buy the tickets, we'll let you know when
we buy the tickets, and we'll go from there."
Jason's and
Shaun's hearts sank because they don't know how much planning they need to do
or what their schedules will be because neither Jason nor Shaun has been around
long enough to have any vacation time, and their bosses aren't about to let
them have time off to show the boys around their fair city.
"Eric,
Steve, we aren't able to take time off of work for your visit. There is a good chance that you will have the
house to yourselves at some point during your visit. We will do our best to see that you have fun,
but the visit will be what it is; I'm sorry, guys."
Shaun tells
the guys he wants them to know what they have to put up with on their visit to
Salt Lake City.
"We can deal
with that, and it's all good."
Eric said
their adopted older brothers.
"Eric,
Steve, we need to go. Let us know when
the tickets are bought and when your flights are., okay?"
Eric doesn't
want to end the phone call because he doesn't want to say goodbye to them just
yet, but he knows that their schedules are bonkers.
"Good night,
guys!"
Steve and
Eric say together. As the call is ended,
Sarah walks into the room. She overheard
part of the conversation from the dining room and knew they were making some
plans with Jason and Shaun.
"Okay, so
what is going on, and how much is it going to cost me?"
She isn't
against them seeing Jason and Shaun; she is more concerned about emptying their
bank accounts over this trip. She wants
her brother to have some money for college.
"We are
thinking about going to see Jason and Shaun in Utah?"
Eric tells
his sister, who stops what she is doing and gets her laptop to look up and
compare ticket prices.
"Okay, so
we'll say that you're doing round trip tickets.
You'll fly out on the 8th and then fly home on the 12th."
Once all the
information is entered, she clicks to pay for it. Eric's and Steve's mouths drop. They expected to pay for the trip all on
their own.
"Okay, guys,
here is the deal; I need $205 from both of you.
Mark and I will cover the rest of it."
The guys are
happy.
"When do we
leave?"
Steve asks,
so he knows when he has to pack.
"You leave
tomorrow morning so, you had better pack.
Steve, you need to go home and pack, and then come back home. Once packed, Eric and Steve meet again once
Steve is packed about two hours later.
Once they are back at Eric's house, they call to confirm their arrival
in Salt Lake City at 10:26 am. They luck
out because Jason and Shaun are to pick them up. Early the next morning, Mark, Eric, and Steve
get up and head out to the airport, leaving Sarah and the baby to rest at
home. Eric and Steve feel a little
nervous, but they manage to find their way to their plane.
***
When they
land in Salt Lake City, the guys navigate the airport, and when they can, they
text Jason and Shaun. It's Jason who
responds to the text. Shaun and Jason
meet them at the door to the airport, and they get them loaded up into the car,
and off they go to the house. Eric and
Steve both fall asleep in the car. When
they arrive at the home, Shaun wakes the guys up and helps them get into the
house. When they get into the house, the
first thing that happens is the cats have discovered the visitors. It's obvious the cats remember who Eric and
Steve are, and they greet them warmly.
"Do you want
me to take you guys to the guest bedroom?"
Eric looks
up to Shaun from the couch where he's sitting.
"Please!"
Eric is
thinking of taking a long nap, and Steve is thinking of the same thing. Shaun leads the guys to their bedroom. Eric and Steve spend a few minutes setting up
their room, and then it's time for a nap.
Jason was going to have Shaun set up the couch to be used as a bed, but
after texting with Mark, it was decided that it would be all right for the guys
to share a bed.
***
After their
nap, Eric and Steve head downstairs in time to have lunch. Lunch is pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw,
and peach cobbler. After their lunch,
the guys make a list of things they need to buy from the store.
"Before we
head out to the store, I want to know what you want to see and do while you're
visiting our little city."
Shaun tells
the guys, hoping they'll want to do some fun things. Eric has never been to Salt Lake City, but he
knows what he would like to see, and hopefully, some of it will impress Steve a
bit. He also hopes that Shaun won't mind
visiting some of the church sites. Eric
just wants his boyfriend to understand a little bit more about his background.
"I would
like to see some of the church's sites, like the LDS history museum, Temple
Square, the Natural History Museum, Little Cottonwood Canyon, maybe a bit of
downtown window shopping, the zoo, and I heard there is an amusement park."
Shaun and
Jason listen to the places that Eric told them that he would like to visit,
hoping that they have to do all those things.
"Steve, are
there any places that you want to see?"
Steve thinks
for a second and then gives his answer.
"I wouldn't
mind seeing all the things that Eric mentioned, and I would love to see the
Great Salt Lake."
Jason writes
that down as a possible place to visit.
They have plenty of things to do, and the list is made. Shaun grabs the list and tells the guys to
grab their wallets. The first thing they
need to do is to go shopping for some basic supplies. There were a few things that Eric and Steve
couldn't bring on the plane or things they might need during their visit. After all the items were bought and dropped
off at the house, the guys get ready to see sites. They decided to see some areas that are close
to downtown. The first place they visit
are those around Temple Square.
***
They visit
sites around Temple Square include the Visitors' Center, the Memorial Building,
and the LDS History Museum. Shaun acts
as the tour guide for the crew. Eric was
happy to see his boyfriend taking in the sites from the church. There were many questions from Steve and the
pauses as they went through the different locations. For Eric, this is his first time seeing these
sites, and it's fascinating to visit these places. For Shaun and Eric, the LDS History Museum
proves very interesting. Eric has always
loved the history of the early church.
Still, a lot of it is wasted on Steve, but Eric is right about one
thing. It is helping Steve understand a
bit more about his boyfriend's background.
"Shaun, I
want to hold Eric's hand in here, but somehow it feels so wrong to do it here."
Steve tells
Shaun how he is feeling right now.
"I get it,
Steve. It can be a little weird to hold
hands around here, but I recommend not worrying about it. You might get a few ugly stares, but if you
feel like you want to hold hands, then hold hands, but if you don't want too
that is also okay."
Jason tells
the guys. Usually, Jason and Shaun wouldn't go to these places, but this is
worth it. Eric and Steve decide not to
hold hands. After the museum and the
Visitor centers, they choose to walk around Temple Square and other areas. Steve has enjoyed looking around the area and
talking in the cityscape. He has been enjoying the plantings in and around the
square. It may not seem like it, but
several hours have passed, and everyone is ready to head home.
***
When they
get home, Jason gets busy grilling outside.
Dinner is Italian sausage, grilled corn, grilled peaches, and freshly
squeezed orange juice. While they are
waiting for food, Shaun wonders what the guys thought of the places they've
visited today.
"What did
you guys think of the places that we visited today?"
Shaun asks
the guys wanting to hear their thoughts about them.
"I loved
it. The museum had interesting items in
it. I also loved seeing the landscape
around the different LDS sites.
Steve tells
the groups.
"I loved the
History museum. It was fascinating to me
since I was brought up in the church, and being able to see some of the items
in the museum was pretty cool."
Eric gave
his answer to Shaun's question. Eric has
one regret from the time that they spent out in the city. He wanted to hold hands with his boyfriend,
and he let fear get in the way. Steve
wasn't the only one apparently who felt weird about holding hands while out and
about. He won't miss the opportunity to
do that again on their next outing. He
wants to relax and just enjoy this trip.
For a while, the guys are left alone just to relax and chill. Shaun disappeared to help set the table with
Jason. It feels good to have Eric and
Steve around them. It's been quite a few
weeks and months since they have seen each other. This visit is going to be good for both
couples. They have a lot to discuss with
each other. The guys get called to dinner. After dinner, the guys sit around the table
and talk to each other.
"So what is going on, guys?
What's new in your lives?"
Jason asks
his friends.
"Right now,
we are just relaxing and looking forward to the future."
Steve says
as he looks at Jason, and then he looks at Shaun.
"Do you have
any other things going on?"
Shaun asks
Eric and Steve.
"Right now,
no, but things will be changing in a few months when we start college."
Eric answers
this one.
"Okay, so
for tomorrow, Jason has to work, so you'll be hanging out with me. We could hit up Little Cottonwood Canyon, and
then around Jason's lunchtime, we have lunch at the zoo, and then visit the zoo."
Eric and
Steve nod their heads, and they can't wait to spend the day exploring. Shaun wishes that Jason could be with them
tomorrow. They know that the guys are
going to have fun tomorrow. Eric wants
to know what's going on with the guys.
"Guys, you
asked us what is going on with us, but we never asked you what is new with
you?"
Are they
going to be positive, or are they honest?
Shaun decides, as always, that honesty is the best way to go.
"We do have
our dream jobs, but we miss Indiana.
Shaun knew what the culture was like here in Utah, and he tried his best
to prepare me for it, but I felt a little lost at times. I miss my old job, Mr. Bowman, and the
animals that I worked with at it. Maybe,
these animals need time to get accustomed to me, but yeah, I miss it. What about Shaun?"
Jason speaks
up and then passes the torch to Shaun.
"I'm with
Jason on this one. I wish I could have
stayed in Indiana, but it just didn't end up that way. Even if I had found a place in Indiana or
Illinois, I would have followed my hubby here to Utah. We just can't afford to live off of Jason's
salary. Yeah, there isn't a day that goes
by that we don't miss Indiana."
Shaun
answers Eric's questions. The guys are
enjoying their visit. Jason needs to get
ready for work tomorrow. He needs to get
the food taken care of from dinner tonight, and he also needs to get his lunch
packed. He wants to relax tonight with
Shaun by his side since they've been around the guys for a good part of the
day. Shaun retires to the living room,
while Eric and Steve retire to the guest bedroom.
***
In the guest
bedroom, Eric and Steve get out their phones to call home before it gets too
late. Eric calls Sarah.
"Hey Eric, I
take it you arrived okay?"
The last
thing Eric wants to do is worry his sister.
"I'm
fine. I just wanted to tell you that we
made it to Utah in one piece. Sorry for
not calling when we first arrived."
Eric feels terrible
for not calling sooner.
"Eric, you
need to stop. You're fine. Thanks for calling, and enjoy your trip."
Eric smiles
at his sister's words.
"Thanks,
Sis!"
She wants to
know what they've been doing so far. Yeah,
Sarah is kind of nosy.
"What have
you seen anything or just stayed at the house?"
Eric is kind
of excited to tell her about the trip so far.
"We saw the
Church History Museum, walked through Temple Square, and then walked around the
area that surrounds Temple Square."
She wonders
if the visits to these sites were for Eric or Steve's benefit. Either way, the guys are pretty happy with
everything that happened today.
"Sounds like
a good time, so what are Steve and you doing now?"
Sarah asks
her brother.
"We are
sitting here in the guest bedroom relaxing and taking turns calling our family
to let them know that we are okay."
Eric answers
his sister, who is planning to end the call so that Steve can call his mom, who
has already contacted Eric's sister, hoping that she had heard from her.
"Mark wants
to go to bed, so I'm going to let you go."
Eric wants
to stay and talk, but he isn't going to upset Mark.
"Night,
Sarah!"
With those
words, Eric lets his sister go. He ends
the call and then cuddles up against Steve.
At this point, Steve calls his mom.
"Steven, I
expected you to call me much earlier.
Are you okay?"
His mom, as
already mentioned, has been worried and even tried to call Steve's phone a
couple of times and texted him. He had
his cellphone muted while out in public, so he didn't offend anyone.
"I'm fine,
Mom. I was calling to let you know that
I'm at Jason's and Shaun's house. I'm
okay. I just wanted to touch base with
you."
She is glad
that he called.
"Bye Steve,
I need to go shopping so I'll talk to you later."
Steve's
mother works late and has to get all her errands done in the evening as much as
possible or on her days off like everyone else.
"Bye, Mom!"
Steve ends
the call. The guys are cuddling together,
and soon they are sleeping.
***
Jason wants
to make sure that the guys have a good breakfast, but at the same time, it
needs to be quick and straightforward.
He gets himself up, showers, and then packs his lunch. He immediately gets to work on making
breakfast. It's not fancy, but it's
something that he does for Shaun some mornings.
In a flash, he makes up oatmeal then sits down to eat his
breakfast. Shaun walks out of the
bedroom with his robe on and sits down for breakfast. It just feels right, and it's an excellent
way to start the morning. After Shaun
gets up, the visitors get themselves out of bed, freshen up, and then they join
hosts in the kitchen.
"Good
morning. Are you guys ready to eat?"
Like every
young man, Eric was already stuffing food in his mouth when Shaun asked the
question. Eric gives Jason and Shaun a
big thumbs up. When his mouth is empty,
Eric complements Jason's cooking.
"Dang, this
stuff is good. I have not had oatmeal in a while."
Eric says,
and it's apparent that he's enjoying his oatmeal. Steve speaks up next.
"Yeah,
Jason, this stuff is excellent."
Jason's glad
that Eric and Steve like the oatmeal.
"Thanks,
guys; I'm glad that you liked it."
Jason gives
Shaun a sad face as he cleans up his spot at the table. When he returns to the table, he approaches
his husband, and they exchange a kiss that could melt lead. Shaun blushes a bit, but he's still thankful
for the kiss.
"I'll see
you at lunch, Babe! Bye guys, enjoy your
day."
Jason grabs
his lunch box, his keys, his keys, and then he goes out the door, and in a few
minutes, he takes off for work. Shaun
always feels a little sad when Jason goes off to work. After all the trips, Shaun will sit down to
work on an article and look over his work email. He got the okay to work from home once a week
but has to work at least 7 hours, although he can adjust the time as he sees
fit.
***
After
cleaning up breakfast, the guys grab their stuff and head out to go
hiking. They head out for Cottonwood
Canyon. Eric and Steve are beside
themselves, neither one of them has ever seen mountains in real life, so they
are taking things in and enjoying the views as they head towards the
Canyon. When they arrive at the
trailhead, Eric can't wait to get out and see what lays ahead of them. Along the way, Eric and Shaun take pictures
as they hike. Eric plans on using his
for another project. It takes them a
while to reach the end of the trail. The
guys get to a point on the hike, where they need to turn around and then head
back to the car. Now you might be
wondering about the car that Shaun is driving since they only brought one car
to Utah. It's a car that Shaun's dad
decided to loan his son, so he didn't have to worry about taking the
train. They love the smell of the
mountains. Maybe, it's the smell of the trees; whatever it is, they love
it. It's so different from the smell of
the air back at home in Indiana. Utah
has at least that going for it. The hike
was nothing like the hikes in Indiana as far as the boys are concerned. It's time to head back to the car so that
they can get to the zoo in time for lunch.
***
The trio
makes their way to the zoo, and when they arrive at the zoo, they pay for the
entrance, and then Shaun texts Jason.
Jason texts back to meet him by the Rainforest Exhibit. There is a café there that serves delicious
food. Everyone heads towards the café
and the exhibit. They haven't even begun
looking at exhibits, and already Steve and Eric are excited about the zoo. They finally arrive at the café.
"You may
want to order your food."
Eric tells
Shaun, Eric, and Steve. Shaun orders a
couple of slices of pizza; sausage pizza, Eric orders a quarter-pound hamburger
with the works on it, and Steve orders fried shrimp and fries. It doesn't take long for the food to come
out. While they are waiting, the guys
sit around and talk.
"How was the
hike?"
Jason asks
to see what the guys thought about the trail.
The guys are happy with the hike.
"Are you
kidding, Jason? That was an amazing hike; it's one of my favorite hikes so
far. The mountains were amazing."
Eric tells
Jason.
"We felt the
same way about them when we first hiked the trail. The whole place smelled
incredible."
Jason says.
"I agree
with you guys."
Steve says.
"Jason, what
exhibits should we see during our visit today?"
Jason takes
the zoo map from Eric's hands. He
circles a few exhibits that allow them to see a wide variety of animals.
"The Aquarium,
The Rainforest, South America, North America, Asia, Africa, Polar Regions, The
Predator buildings, the Island Exhibit, and check out the Australian exhibit
too."
Jason made
sure to point out each exhibit to the guys.
He didn't point out what they might see or what parts of the display should
not to be missed. Eric is excited, as is
Steve, to get started with the zoo.
"Have our
guests been behaving?"
Jason asks
his husband as he teases Eric and Steve.
"I don't
know; they kept eyeing this shirtless Mormon guy on the trail."
Shaun tells
his boyfriend with a smirk. Jason eyes
Eric, Steve, and his husband.
"Wait, you
all saw a hot guy and came back with no pictures?"
That is when
Eric surprises Jason by pulling out his cellphone. He digs through his photo gallery. He finds this photo that shows off the guy's
back and the guy's butt. He offers his
phone to Jason. Jason smirks at him.
"I was just
joking, and you guys did see a hot guy on the trail."
The guys enjoy
their time together, but Jason finds that he needs to get back to work. Jason doesn't kiss his hubby; instead, they
exchange a hug and say goodbye. Jason
also exchanges hugs with their guests.
The guys throw their trash away in the garbage, and then they recycle
what they can do before moving on and seeing the zoo.
***
They start
their zoo visit with the Rainforest exhibit.
This exhibit is home to tons of animals, and each exhibit is so
cool. In the South American section,
their favorite exhibits are the Amazon river, which features fish from the
Amazon and other rivers that make up the Amazon rainforest. There is also a
large Green Anaconda. They also really liked the Red-Bellied Piranha. In the Canopy section of the exhibit, they
see a magnificent Harpy Eagle couple. In
the African rainforest section, they spent fifteen minutes watching the
gorillas. In the Asian area, they
watched the clouded leopards and the orangutans. As they continue their journey through the
zoo, they take in all kinds of critters.
At the end of the zoo visit, Eric and Steve fell in with the RainForest Exhibit.
It could easily be its own zoo in itself, but we are getting away from
the story.
***
The crew
gets back to the house; everyone is hungry, including Shaun. Shaun decides to order. They talk back and forth for a couple of
minutes, and then they decide on pizza.
He orders three pizzas, one cheese, one sausage, one pepperoni, and two
orders of breadsticks. Eric and Steve
are left to themselves while Shaun gets started on his work. Twenty minutes later, the pizzas are
delivered, and Eric and Steve love the delivery guy. After, Shaun puts the pizza into the
refrigerator for Jason, along with breadsticks and the salad. Shaun goes back to work while Eric and Steve
hang out with Sasha and Nyx, the cats.
Around 6:00 pm Jason walks into the house, the first thing he does is
gather up new clothes, showers, and then Shaun warms up his husband's dinner,
and then Shaun and Jason excuse themselves into the dining room, where Jason
eats, and Shaun sits back and talks with his husband about his day at
work. While they are talking, Eric and
Steve have moved upstairs to the guest bedroom.
Jason is enjoying his dinner and his husband's company.
"Babe, how
was your day?"
Shaun asks
Jason, and then he pauses and waits for a reply.
"It was
okay. I think I am getting a handle on
things. I found out our female yellow
anaconda gave birth today, which is pretty cool. I didn't get to see the little snakes, but
that is okay. I did get to interact with
our littlest orangutan today. She
reached her hand out to me for a snack during training. Talk about amazing!"
Jason ended
his response and then took a few bites of salad. Shaun thought about how he would have
received texts showing all the babies back in Indiana and how Mr. Bowman would
have done a lower admission rate so that the public could see the babies. It would have been his assistance's job to
decide which ones would be kept and which ones would be sent to their sister organization. Knowing Jason, he was on cloud nine when that
young orangutan reached out to him.
Shaun wouldn't have been surprised if Jason didn't have a happy tear on
his face when that happened.
"Have you
been getting work done?"
Jason asks
his husband, knowing that there might be more distractions than usual with the
guys here.
"Yeah, I
locked myself in the bedroom with the door closed. I've been plugging away."
Jason smiles,
knowing that Shaun is good at working from home. He was always able to block out the world and
study when in college. He would sit in
his bedroom and pour over the books, and then when he was done, he would seek
out food and company.
"You know,
having Eric and Shaun here makes me realize just how much I want to be
home. Do you think we'll stay here in
Utah for any great period of time? It's
great being close to your family, and I wouldn't change that for anything in
the world. It's great being able to get
in the car and see your family any time we want to instead of having them come
in on a plane just to see us."
Shaun has
been feeling that too.
"Yeah, I
know what you mean. Sandy asked me the
same thing you asked me, and I told her that it depends on how long you can
stand being here. Now that we're here, I
see all kinds of jobs in my field, but I won't leave you just for my
happiness. I married you, and I am
sticking with you, babe. Yeah, it's
sweet being this close to my niece and nephew, not to mention being close to my
parents and siblings. But now, we are
away from your parents. I guess it's
just going to be like this for a while."
Shaun
responds to Jason's questions, and it's nothing new but a couple of those
sentences sort of hit hard. Tomorrow the
guys are going to the Great Salt Lake, so Jason gets busy setting things up for
tomorrow after dinner. He grabs his bird
book, binoculars, and camera and then sets about preparing lunches. He sticks the lunches in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, Shaun is still busy working. Jason is kind of curious to see what the
guys thought about the zoo.
***
Jason knocks
on the guest bedroom door. The guys
aren't sleeping yet; they are watching a movie.
Eric pauses the movie while Steve opens the door.
"Am I
interrupting anything?"
Jason asks,
not wanting to disrupt any cuddle sessions or the like.
"We were
just watching a movie. What's up?"
Eric says to
one of their hosts. Steve returns to
the bed while Jason sits down in the computer chair.
"I was just
wondering what you thought of the zoo?"
Instantly,
Eric's and Steve's faces light up.
"Shaun made
sure to take to every exhibit that you mentioned, and it was amazing to see
some of the exhibits. We talked on the
way back home, but a couple of exhibits in the Aquaruim
hit us. The Rivers exhibit was
stunning. We loved the Amazon Flooded
Forest; this was our first time seeing Amazon River
Dolphins. We also loved the touch
tank. The Rainforest was pretty cool
too. Our favorites were the Jaguars, the
river, and the gems in the South American section; in African Exhibit, it had
to be the Gorillas; in the Asian exhibit, we fell in love with the Bengal
tigers, the Clouded leopards, and the Orangutans. All of the exhibits in it were amazing. For me, the Australian house was pretty cool. Seeing the Saltwater crocodiles from above
and below was super cool. Course, the
parrot flyway was amazing too. I love
being able to interact with the animals on some level."
Eric responds
to Jason. It made him feel good to hear
what Eric thought.
"What about
you, Steve, any favorites?"
Steve
thought for a second, and then he went into his favorite exhibits.
"Eric and I
like pretty much the same things, but I had a liked a few things that Eric
didn't mention. IN the Australian
house, I loved the Venomous Critters section. The venomous snakes were
breathtaking. In that same vein, seeing
the king cobra and Reticulated python in the Asian section of the rainforest
was amazing. In the Aquarium, I loved the River Giants exhibit. I also really loved the flooded forest. It was cool seeing the species in that
tank. I think seeing the pacu was intense.
Also loved the butterflies in the Central American section."
Jason agrees
with Steve; the king cobra exhibit is stunning with its tree trunks,
understory, and even in some of its plantings.
"I was
hoping you guys would get a taste of what the zoo has to offer, and maybe at
some point, you can come back and spend a day exploring the zoo. I have heard it can take two days to do the
zoo justice."
The guys got
that feeling from the little bit of time that they spent in the zoo. Jason doesn't want to ruin the rest of their
day, so he lets them go.
"I will talk
to you later, guys."
Jason walks
out of the room and returns to his babe.
Eric and Steve have no idea what they are doing tomorrow.
***
Eric and
Steve are sitting back in the bed, and they are talking while cuddling.
"What are we
doing tomorrow?"
Eric asks
Steve, hoping that he has knows what they are doing
tomorrow. Steve looks at him and shrugs
his shoulders.
"Should I go
ask Jason or Shaun?"
Steve thinks
for a second. Should they bother their
adopted brothers to find out? Is the
answer yes? Steve gets up out of bed and
heads out to find the guys. He finds
Shaun sitting on the couch along with Jason.
"Sorry for
interrupting; Eric was wondering what we are doing tomorrow. I think he's trying to plan out his outfit."
The last
sentence to come out of Steve's mouth makes the guys laugh a little. They look at each other and smile.
"We are
going out to the Great Salt Lake, so more hiking."
Jason
answers his friend's question. Eric will like that trip. It will give him a
chance to take in more of the scenery that makes Utah a neat place to visit.
"Cool, I
will go upstairs and let Eric know.
Thanks!"
Steve turns
around and heads to the guest bedroom.
When he enters the room, Eric looks at him with a questioning look.
"What did
they say?"
Eric asks,
hoping for an incredible day out with his boyfriend and their friends.
"We are
going out to the Great Salt Lake. Jason
said that we are going hiking there too."
The guys
decide to look at the internet and see what the Great Salt Lake is all
about. It is all good. Since they'll be going hiking, they decide
that it might be a good idea to retire early.
***
The morning
has come, and today, Jason is making breakfast again. Today, he is making French toast with berries
and powdered sugar. He also makes some maple
syrup. He also fries up some breakfast
sausage. This time for a drink, he is
doing apple juice from a bottle. When
everyone gets up around the same time, so they eat breakfast together. Jason is off from work today, so he gets to
enjoy the trip with everyone else. They
are visiting Antelope Island today, an hour and 57 minutes away from Salt Lake
City. The park doesn't open till around
10:00 am. They will leave around 8:30 am and hope that they get there in enough
time to enjoy themselves.
"Guys, there
are a couple of trails around the park, and we can do several hikes to see
different parts of the park if you want, or we can do one trail and be done.
What do you want to do?"
The guys
think for a second, and they make their decision.
"Why don't
we try to hike all the trails? I mean,
we are going to be there, right?"
Steve
doesn't know a thing about the park or the trails, but he does give his
voice. Eric agrees to hike all the
trails. Even Shaun wants to do it
too. They decided to do almost hike all
the trails. They pack up their stuff and head out for the lake. They decide to the Buffalo point trail
first. It's only a mile, and there is no
shade on this hike. You get to see the
lake and the beach. They enjoy the lake,
and the brine flies not so much. The
next trail they decide to do is the Frary Peak
Trail. It's a little over 6.9, and it is
a little tricky. After this trail, the
guys head back to the car and have lunch.
The guys have been taking pictures left and right. It's amazing.
After lunch, they hike some more of the trails and do lots of photos,
and take time to watch the buffalo.
Along the way, Jason has quite a few birds on his life list. I am not sure how many times Eric or Steve
stood in awe over the views or the animals.
Eric is super excited. He saw a
place on one of the trails that would be a perfect place to propose, and that
twisted his heartstrings. When the guys
grow tired, they head back to the car and head for home. The whole way home, the guys are talking
about the trails, the scenery, and of course, the animals.
***
At home,
Jason and Shaun decide that tin-foil dinners are the way to go. They cut up some potatoes, carrots, celery,
and some of the fresh green beans. They
prepare the hamburger patties, then add the salt pepper and plop them into the
oven. While they are cooking, the guys
talk about tomorrow.
"Okay, guys,
I have to be honest. We were going to go
to the amusement park tomorrow before we found out you guys were coming, so
unless you object to going, you are invited to come with us. Honestly, we get discounts through our jobs,
and I actually picked up two more tickets when we found out you guys were
coming, so yeah, you are coming."
Eric and
Steve love rides, so that this trip will be great. When they get to the park, the guys split up and
enjoy the park. The boys plan on hitting
the roller coasters first and then hitting the other rides. Having ridden many rides, they meet up with Jason
and Shaun for lunch in the park, and then the guys decide to ride the
train. A couple of things on the train
ride upset Steve. The guys enjoy the
rides, but they choose to the ferris wheel together
romantically. They want to end their day
on a high note. On the way home, the
guys discuss what they liked and what they didn't like at the park. They also talked about how it compares with
the park in Illinois. When they arrive at home, everyone is hungry, so Jason
decides to cook fish because it's fast.
Shaun does fries, and the drink is pink lemonade. At the end of the day, we find ourselves in
Shaun and Jason's bedroom.
***
We are in
Jason's and Shaun's bedroom, where the guys are sitting up in bed doing some
reading. The guys take a chance to
unwind before going to sleep.
"Shaun, do
you want kids here in Utah or Indiana?"
The question
catches Shaun a little off guard. Jason
isn't sure what place would be better for kids.
Here in Utah, they have the advantage of being around family. In
Indiana, they have friends who act like family and support from them.
"I have not
given the location much thought. I
suppose Indiana because that is where are want to be in the first place. So I will go for
Indiana."
Jason smiles
and hugs his babe. At this point, it is time
for bed because tomorrow will be another day.
***
On the final
day, Shaun has to go to work, as does his husband. Eric and Steve knew that there might be a day
that the guys might have to work during the visit. This situation is where Eric and Steve find
themselves at this point. They have this
day to sit back and relax. The guys
spent the day out in the yard, and they explored the neighborhood. They even had lunch by themselves. Eric made grilled ham and cheese
sandwiches. When Shaun comes home, they sit
around and talk.
"Shaun, do
you think you and Jason will ever return to Indiana?"
Eric asks,
hoping that they'll return to Indiana.
Steve won't admit to it, but he's been suffering from their absence as
well.
"Eric, I can
only say that we want to return to Indiana.
I would like to return to Indiana, and I know Jason wants to return to
Indiana as well.
Shaun
wonders if things are okay with him. He
truly worries about his friend. How is
Steve doing? Have they had any problems?
"Eric, are
you okay? I mean, are you happy? How are you, Steve?"
Steve looks
at his friend, as does Eric. They take a
moment to think about the question.
"I've been
good. We've come to rely on each other
and our families. Yeah, I've been pretty
happy."
Shaun is
having a hard time reading between the lines.
He truly misses his younger brothers.
"I feel a
little lost sometimes, but as Eric said, we've come to rely on each other for
support."
Steve's
voice echos Eric's words. When Jason gets home, they decide to come up
with something nice to have for dinner.
Jason decides to go with a taco bar.
He put everyone to work doing something for the dinner. In the end, no one went to bed hungry. Tomorrow would come soon enough.
***
Shaun and
Jason wake up and make a simple breakfast of fresh fruit. As soon as Eric and Steve get packed, they
print out their tickets and head out for the airport. Eric and Steve are holding hands and kissing
each other's hands.
"Eric, when
you get back to your house, I want you to call us. We just want to know that you are okay."
When they get to the airport, Eric and Steve
head inside the airport.
They kiss
each other briefly once they are inside the airport.
"Babe, can
you imagine if we were dating each other at their age?"
Shaun asks
Jason hoping for an excellent discussion to come out of it.
"I think we
would have made it. I don't think we
would let anything stop us. I'm not sure
what would have happened, though. After all, you were born in Indiana, and I
was born in Utah."
Shaun isn't
sure what would have happened if they had been born in one state or the
other. Shaun reflects on their friend's
departure.
"Jason, I
asked the guys how they were doing, and they both said that they were fine but,
their voices had something inside of them.
I think they didn't want us to worry them."
Jason didn't
want to think about what might be going on back in Indiana. Is it something that Sarah or Mark would tell
them what's up with Eric and Steve? Now,
they wait for the phone call. Several
hours later, the
call does come.
"Eric, how
are you?"
Shaun
answers the phone. Jason had to go to
work.
"I am
feeling a bit tired, but I'm glad that I caught you. I'm good. Steve is good too."
Shaun
doesn't want to keep him. He just wants
to know that the guys are okay.
"Eric, I'm
going to let you out so I can get some errands ran."
Eric
understands the need for Shaun to get the errands done.
"Bye Eric,
be good! Call us if you need us."
Shaun and
Jason have tried hard to make themselves accessible to the boys because
everyone needs someone they can talk too.
They've been that for Eric and Steve ever since they moved next door,
and they refuse to let distance change that.
***
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