Warm - 1. Warm

         ~~~~~~

     

The young man stepped into the diner, shivering viciously and stomping the snow from his boots. He looked around and approached the long counter, forgoing the booths lining the walls, and slid onto a stool.

     

Jack watched the newcomer from the corner of his eye. This diner was mostly a haven for truck drivers, salespeople and other transients, so seeing strangers was not a terribly uncommon experience. This guy, for some reason, caught his attention. He thought it might be his eyes, electric blue and hard as diamonds which were somewhat at odds with his relaxed, good natured expression. A mane of unruly brown hair fell in and around his face that he would occasionally comb back with his fingers. He smiled at the waitress when she came over to take his order, leaning forward slightly. Jack thought he had a nice smile.

     

He was interesting enough for Jack to study a little longer. He was lean; a little on the thin side, but not skinny. He was wearing a sweater, a heavy leather coat, and appropriate boots, but no hat--an obvious sign that he must have come from warmer climates. Walking around in this kind of weather without something covering your head could kill you if you were in it long enough. The stranger was wearing gloves at least, but the fingertips were conspicuously missing, leaving them open to such dangers as frostbite. A leather satchel rested on the floor near his feet and he looked awfully young. . .maybe still in college.

     

Jack found himself wanting to know his story.

     

He had gotten caught, Jack realized, as the stranger lifted his eyes and met his. A blush rose up in the stranger's cheeks and he glanced away hurriedly. Jack smiled as he felt himself blushing as well at getting caught in the act. The kid was obviously a little shy.

     

Jack turned back to his dinner, eating and biding his time as the boy ordered coffee and a bowl of Madeline’s famous chili. When the boy had eaten the last spoonful of the chili and pushed the bowl away, nursing his coffee, Jack got up and crossed the diner.

     

"Excuse me, but do you have a cigarette?" Jack asked, casually sliding onto the stool next to the stranger.

     

"Ah. . .no, sorry. I don't smoke," the stranger said, still smiling. Damn, but Jack was really beginning to like that smile.

     

"Me neither," Jack said. The stranger glanced at him, surprised and with that blush rising up his face again.

     

The waitress sauntered over to where they were sitting. "Can I get you anything else hon?"

     

"Another coffee please," the stranger said. "To go."

     

"Sure thing," she said.

     

"And do you know if there are any motels in the area?" the stranger asked.

     

"Not nearby," Jack said before the waitress could answer. "There's a Motel 8 several miles down the interstate."

     

"Oh." It was obviously not the answer the young man was hoping to hear, his whole body seemed to slump down in a posture of disappointment. "Well, thanks." He got up with his ticket and approached the cash register.

     

Jack sighed and got up as well. "Tell Madeline to add it to my tab okay?"

     

The waitress looked up from where she was giving the stranger his change. "Sure thing. See you around."

     

Jack followed the young man outside. "Do you need a ride?"

     

The stranger regarded him with eyes that seemed considerably colder away from the warm light of the diner. "I'm alright," he said, pulling a scarf from his pocket and winding it securely around his neck.

     

"Would you rather walk several miles in the dark, in below freezing weather with inadequate clothing? I'm curious as to what would kill you first, this cold or the car that wouldn't see you on the side of the road."

     

"I've done it before."

     

"Not in weather like this. Besides, why bother if you don't have to? My truck is heated."

     

"How do I know you're not a psycho who will lure me away into the woods to cut me up and eat me?" the stranger asked, already shivering.

     

Jack smiled. "I'm a nice guy. I won't cut you up before I eat you."

     

"Nice guys are liars."

     

"C'mon," Jack said. "This liar promises not to kill you tonight."

     

The stranger, despite his obvious reservations, followed Jack to his truck, and climbed into the passenger seat. Once Jack had the truck warmed up and the heat blasting through the vents, the stranger held his hands up to them.

     

"So where are you from?" Jack said. "Not from here obviously."

     

"Texas," the stranger said. "What's your name?"

     

"Jack."

     

"Jack what?"

     

"Jack Davis. What's your name?"

     

"Emanuel."

     

"Emanuel what?"

     

"Just Emanuel."

     

Jack raised his eyebrows, but didn't push the subject. “Emanuel," he said slowly, trying it out. He liked the way it sounded. "That's a nice name. What does it mean?"

     

"It's Hebrew. Means God is with us."

     

"Ah, I see. And is God with you tonight, Emanuel?"

     

"God hasn't been with me for a while."

     

"Amen to that."

     

"Jack, on the other hand, is an interesting name," Emanuel noted. "It is short for either Jackson, which means the son of Jack, or Johnson, which stands for-"

     

"The son of John," Jack finished.

     

"Good. So which one are you?"

     

"Neither. My dad's name was Daniel."

     

"Well, I like the name Jack. It's simple and uncomplicated. No hidden meanings you are expected to live up to."

     

Jack glanced over at Emanuel, but his face was impassive, unreadable. Jack himself, however, was growing more intrigued by the second. He was sorry when they reached the Motel 8.

     

"Hey." Jack put his hand over Emanuel's when he reached for the door. "Let me give you this." He reached in the back and pulled out a gray knit hat.

     

Emanuel blushed. "That's very kind of you but I don't think-"

     

"If it's that kind of me, then you shouldn't refuse," Jack said and without waiting for a response he pulled it down on Emanuel's head, covering the dark hair. "Besides you need it. You lose most of your body heat through your head. If you were from around here, you'd know that, Texas boy."

     

Emanuel looked at him for a long moment. "Thanks for the ride man," he said, then jumped out of the truck, reaching back to grab his satchel. He pushed the door shut and went to the entrance of the motel.

     

Jack sat back in the seat and killed the headlights, waiting to see which room Emanuel would go to. If it was in the back, he would be out of luck, a clear sign to go home. But if the room was in the front, then he would be paying Mr. Emanuel a visit.

     

He waited for a while, and then he saw Emanuel come back out the front. He sat up straight, his breath catching. But instead of heading to one of the rooms, Emanuel sat down on the curb. Jack frowned. What the hell was that kid doing?

     

He saw a glimmer of light in front of the kid's face, a flame from a lighter, then a glow of burning embers. And that little fucker had told him he didn't smoke. Really.

     

Jack got out of the truck, crossed the parking lot and sat down next to Emanuel. "And you called me a liar," Jack said.

     

Emanuel looked at him, raised his eyebrows. "Pardon?"

     

Jack nodded to the cigarette held in between his fingers. "You told me you didn't smoke."

     

"It was my last cigarette man, I wasn't going to give it to some stranger. Besides, I don't smoke much. Only when I'm stressed."

     

"Oh. And what are you stressed about?"

     

Emanuel nodded behind him to the Motel 8. "No vacancies."

     

"You're kidding."

     

"Sure I am. I'm sitting out here, freezing my ass off, smoking my last cigarette and talking to some guy I barely know when I could be inside a warm room taking a shower and getting ready to sleep in a real bed."

     

"Why don't they have any rooms available?"

     

Emanuel shrugged. "How the hell should I know? I'm not from here, remember? Just the idiot kid with no hat."

     

Jack studied Emanuel, who sounded close to tears. "Well, come on then," Jack said, standing up and offering his hand.

     

"Come on where?" Emanuel asked, not budging.

     

"I'm taking you back to my place to spend the night. You can't stay out here and I can offer everything that motel room has except for the pay per view movies."

     

"I hardly know you."

     

"So? Look, I'm not going to hurt you. If that was what I had in mind I wouldn't have brought you here. But I'm not going to leave anyone out on their own on a night like this. It's not right. In the morning, I'll drive you to the bus stop or whatever. But come on, it's damn cold out here."

     

"I don't-"

     

"Kid, stop being stupid. You have no other option here."

     

Emanuel ground out his cigarette and got to his feet, ignoring Jack's still outstretched hand. He silently followed Jack back to his truck and climbed inside.

     

Jack didn't attempt conversation on the drive back and Emanuel spent the entire ride with his head resting against the cold truck window, clutching his satchel.

     

Jack pulled up to his small, modest house crammed on a narrow street with other small modest houses. He parked in the street and led Emanuel inside.

     

"Are you allergic to dogs?" Jack asked, almost as an afterthought.

     

Emanuel glanced at him. "No."

     

Jack fished his keys out and unlocked the front door, motioning Emanuel in. He was halfway expecting the dog to be asleep but that hope was dashed the moment he heard the thunder of footsteps coming down the hallway. He moved to intercept the dog, but was too late, by the time he had turned around, his German Shepherd had already tackled Emanuel. Emanuel, to Jack’s surprise, stayed down on the ground and allowed the dog to jump on him, and lick his face. Emanuel laughed and reached out to rub the dog affectionately.

     

"Sadie!" Jack snapped and pulled the dog off of Emanuel, dragging her over to her food bowl by her collar and filling it up. Once she was occupied, he went back to where Emanuel was and helped him to his feet.

     

"Sorry," Jack apologized. "She gets pretty excited around new people. I was hoping she might be asleep. Usually I crate her if I'm going to be gone for a while, but I was running late so-"

     

"No problem," Emanuel interrupted. "She's beautiful. Sadie, right?"

     

"Yeah. You gonna tell me what that name means too?"

     

"I have no idea," Emanuel said. “I love animals though. I always wanted a pet but I was never allowed to have one. Not even a fish."

     

"Why not?"

     

"Unsympathetic parents," Emanuel said.

     

Jack took Emanuel through the house. "This is the bedroom," Jack said, flipping on the light switch. "Bathroom is through that door on the right. You'll stay here tonight."

     

"Where will you sleep?"

     

"On the couch or something."

     

"I can stay on the couch. I don't want to kick you out of your own room."

     

"You're not. I'm offering it to you so be nice and accept it. I usually sleep on the couch anyway when the weather gets cold so I can get up in the night to stoke the fire. Which I'm going to go get started right now. Feel free to use the shower."

     

With that, Jack left the room and started the fire in the fireplace, mulling over the events of the evening. It was rare that he brought anyone home with him, especially a man. Especially someone he barely knew. He knew his name; that he liked chili, lied about smoking and didn’t like to talk about his family. That was about it. He didn’t think the kid was still a minor, but it might be prudent to ask. The last thing he needed was a pissed off parent slapping him with a kidnapping charge. But if Emanuel was from Texas, as he claimed, it would take his folks a while to track him down all the way out here.

     

Sadie came over and nudged the underside of his arm with her wet nose. Jack petted her in an absentminded manner.

     

“What do you think girl?” he said, softly. “Stupid or just horny?”

     

Probably both.

     

Jack was still sitting on the couch by the fire with Sadie when Emanuel came out. He had changed out of his jeans into a pair of sweatpants and a bulky sweatshirt that was unzipped over a white T-shirt. His face was pink from the shower, his hair still slightly damp. He looked delicious. He walked over, sat down next to Jack on the couch. He folded his legs up to his chest, making him look extremely young.

     

“Thank you for letting me stay here.”

     

“No problem,” Jack said. “Sadie likes the company.”

     

Emanuel smiled and glanced at the dog who was curled up on a large pillow in the corner. “So, Jack, what do you do?”

     

“I work at the factory,” Jack said. It was the main source of employment for the population of his tiny town.

     

“Doing what?”

     

“Making axles.”

     

“Do you like it?” Emanuel asked.

     

“It doesn't matter. It's what you do around here,” Jack said, kneeling next to the fireplace and tossing another log into the fire. A flume of sparks flew up into the air, the wood cracking and popping.

     

“What do you do, Emanuel?” Jack asked.

     

“Well, before I started traveling, I was a student.”

     

“How old are you?” Jack asked, remembering his earlier concern.

     

“Nineteen.”

     

Old enough.

     

“What about you?”

     

“Twenty two,” Jack answered. “So why aren’t you still in school?”

     

“I had some. . .family issues come up. My father passed away.”

   

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

     

“Thank you. He was a good man, I miss him.” Emanuel licked his lips. “What do you want from me?”

     

“What do you mean?”

     

“Well, I don’t believe in altruism. I don’t believe a person like you would take a stranger home, and give him a warm bed to sleep in while you freeze on the couch without wanting something in return. I don’t have a whole lot of money, you know that. So what are you looking for?"

     

“Your story,” Jack said. “Tell me how you came to stop going to school and come out here.”

     

“I already told you I left school because my father died,” Emanuel said, unfolding his long legs and setting his feet down on the floor.

     

“Yeah, but that’s not the whole story. That doesn’t explain why you are far from home, traveling on foot, by yourself. Do you even know where you’re going?”

     

"Yes. I’m trying to get to my aunt and uncle’s house. I'm hoping they'll let me stay there for a while so I can try and get some things straightened out. I’m pretty close. If I can thumb it another day or two, I can probably make it."

     

"Where is your mom?"

     

"She and Dad divorced when I was small. Then she died. Cancer. After that I lived with my dad and my stepmom. Then my dad died and my stepmom and I had a falling out. She kicked me out of the house and left me with no money for school. I drove for a while, but then my car broke down. It was an ancient machine, anyway, so from there I've just been getting along on foot as well as I can."

     

"What did you and your stepmom quarrel about?"

     

"I can't talk about that," Emanuel said quietly. Jack glanced up and saw that he was perfectly serious, rubbing his hands together nervously.

     

"Are you still cold?" Jack asked. Grateful for the change of subject, Emanuel shrugged. "A little, maybe."

     

"Here." Jack poured him a glass of whiskey. "This'll warm you up."

     

Emanuel turned red. "I'm not old enough to drink."

     

"No one's here but the two of us. No one will know."

     

Emanuel gave him a flirtatious smile as he took the glass. "You're not going to try to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me, are you?"

     

"Of course not, I plan on taking advantage of you while you're sober," Jack said. He was teasing, but the look that Emanuel gave him over the rim of his glass was anything but.

     

Emanuel downed the whiskey with a lot of coughing and Jack turned away for a moment so Emanuel wouldn't see him smile. When he turned back to take the glass back, Emanuel was sitting there with bright eyes and a red face and Jack couldn't help but to lean down and kiss him. Emanuel kissed him back, the alcohol already working into his system. Jack could feel Emanuel relaxing, sinking deeper into the kiss and winding his fingers into Jack’s hair. Emanuel's mouth was warm, tasted like whiskey with soft lips and a rough tongue and felt so good to kiss.

"God, you're making me so hard," Jack groaned against Emanuel's mouth. "See?" He grabbed one of Emanuel's hands, pressed it against the fly of his jeans. Emanuel groaned, let his head fall back as Jack's hungry mouth attacked his neck, and pressed his hand against the bulge in Jack's jeans. Emanuel finally reached for the zipper with shaking fingers and was stopped by Jack placing his hand over his. Emanuel glanced up at Jack, who was staring at him intensely.

     

"Emanuel, you don't...I'm not expecting anything from you. You can say no or stop anytime. I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to."

     

Emanuel wet his lips. "I suggest a compromise. Instead of one of us spending the night in that big lonely bed, why don't we share it?"

    

Emanuel's sweet smile and offer was all Jack needed. He stood up and pulled Emanuel up against him, kissing him fervently. "Sure thing lover," he whispered in his ear, feeling Emanuel shiver as his hot breath ghosted over his ear. He locked up the house, banked the fire and followed Emanuel into the bedroom.

Emanuel was already on the bed, shirt off, revealing a well toned chest and arms, a trim sexy waist. A tattoo, a sharp tribal pattern etched in deep black wound around his arm, all sharp points and spikes. He was staring up at him with those hot blue eyes and Jack couldn't resist the urge to kiss that sweet mouth again, to taste the inside of his mouth, the warmth and the wet tinged with the faint taste of alcohol and tobacco.

Jack pushed against Emanuel gently, coaxing him down onto his back, then moved over him, pressing him down into the bed.

Everything after that was a warm collection of memories: the taste of Emanuel's cock in Jack's mouth, the fine trembling of Emanuel's muscles when Jack ran his hands over his thighs. The way Emanuel's skin tasted underneath his mouth as one of Jack's fingers slowly worked him open, then another. The way Emanuel squirmed and cried out when Jack gently entered him, moving slowly, inch by inch, breath by breath until he was engulfed in his heat.

The white noise explosion in his head when the orgasm hit, making him grit his teeth, pressed as close to Emanuel as he was able to get, smelling him and sweat and sex and the vague distant scent of cotton sheets, and Sadie’s fur. He came down off his high in a slow easy curve, softening inside Emanuel’s body. He eased out gently, lifting his head and stroking Emanuel’s face.

“Okay baby?” he asked, the endearment slipping too easily off his tongue before he could think to stop it.

 

Emanuel nodded, his eyes shut. “Yeah,” he sighed out.

     

“Look at me,” Jack commanded gently, wanting to be sure. Emanuel glanced up at him and there was nothing in his eyes except the drowsy contentment of someone who has just been thoroughly fucked. Jack smiled at him and kissed the tip of his nose before getting out of bed and walking into the bathroom. He peeled the condom off and disposed of it, then wet a washcloth, returned to bed and wiped them both down. Jack turned off the light and lay down next to Emanuel before carefully gathering his warm weight into his arms.

     

“Thank you,” Emanuel murmured, sleep already creeping into his voice.

     

Jack’s lips quirked upward in a smile. “For what baby?”

     

Emanuel turned in his arms and snuggled up to his chest, pressing a hot kiss against the sweaty skin. “For keeping me warm.”

     

     

Jack woke up with Sadie's warm weight next to him instead of Emanuel’s. He reached out blindly and swallowed down the cold disappointment as his hands encountered nothing but cool sheets. Jack fought down annoyance as he got up and took a shower. He hated waking up alone. If Emanuel had stayed, he could have driven him to the bus depot, or at least made the kid breakfast.

     

After he got out of the shower and poured a cup of coffee, he went to let Sadie out and found another surprise: a bright white blanket of fresh snow covering the yard and his truck. He smiled, drank his coffee as Sadie romped in the yard, jumping up and snapping at the snowflakes still falling.

     

There were no footsteps in the snow. So either Emanuel had left before the snow started following or enough snow had fallen after he left to cover his tracks. Either way, Emanuel had to have left early. Even though he knew this, he still stepped outside, feet cracking the snow underneath, his breath coming in white plumes and his skin puckering and crawling against the cold, eyes scanning the empty street. No sign of the boy. He went back inside and finished getting dressed, poured another cup of coffee and locked Sadie back inside before leaving for work. Upon opening the door of his truck, he found a note, scrawled on the napkin from Madeline’s Diner.

     

Thanks for keeping me warm. I hope to see you again.

     

Rolling his eyes, but unwilling to discard his last reminder of what had happened last night, he folded up the note and slid it in his pocket. As he started the truck, he reminded himself to be more vigilant about locking his truck up at night. He thought he had, but obviously he had forgotten.

     

     

He stopped at Madeline’s again that night. Ordered a coffee and chili. As he ate it slowly, savoring the warmth inside the diner before having to head back out into his cold truck again, his eyes drifted to the television, broadcasting the six o clock news.

     

“And in local news, the police have identified the body of a young man found frozen to death at the side of Highway 11 as that of nineteen year old Emanuel Scott.”

     

Jack’s spoon clattered back into his bowl, splattering chili onto the counter top and his shirt, as Emanuel’s face flashed on screen. The same tousled mop of hair, the same electric blue eyes. This Emanuel was obviously from happier times, he was smiling broadly, his eyes warm. “According to police, Scott, whose body was discovered by a stranded motorist, had been dead for less than a week before being discovered by authorities two nights ago.” Jack’s world narrowed alarmingly as he gripped the countertop in desperation. The newscaster continued to talk, her voice a pleasantly bland monotone, but Jack couldn’t hear her with the blood rushing in his ears. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, the word had righted itself as if by magic.

     

“Jack?”

     

Jack lifted his eyes and saw Madeline giving him a concerned look. “Are you okay?”

     

Jack felt his head snap back and forth in an unconvincing nod. “I’m fine. Just--” He glanced back up at the TV, but the story involving Emanuel had been replaced by the weather forecast. More snow was to be expected tonight as temperatures dropped. “Do you remember the young man that was in here last night?”

     

Madeline tilted her head. “What young man?”

     

“The one that came in late last night. A stranger, he ordered the chili.”

     

“There were no strangers last night. Just you and the regular truckers.”

     

Jack looked down at his half eaten chili and then back at Madeline’s concerned face. “No strangers last night?”

     

Madeline shook her head. “No, I would have remembered.”

     

“Okay. Thanks Maddie.” He stood up and thumbed through his wallet. “How much do I owe you?”

     

     

Jack couldn’t remember driving to his house, just remembered sitting in the cold living room, staring at the dead fireplace. He had the note that Emanuel wrote him gripped tight in his fist, the only proof he had that last night wasn’t some kind of fantastic hallucination, a beautiful dream. His head was spinning, two realities crashing together.

     

Fact: He had slept with Emanuel last night.

     

Fact: Emanuel had been dead for about a week.

     

Fact: He was 99% sure they were the same person. That left 1% for extreme possibilities and crazy coincidences. Jack didn’t believe in either.

     

He sat there for a long time, turning it over in his head, hoping that sooner or later it would make sense. When it didn‘t, he put the napkin down on the table, smoothed it out. The ink was already beginning to fade.

     

Thanks for keeping me warm. I hope to see you again.

     

Emanuel just wanted to be warm. And Jack wouldn’t mind seeing him again either. Ghost, dream, hallucination or whatever the hell he was.

     

He got up and stacked the logs in the fireplace, lit the kindling. He fed Sadie and, as the main room warmed up, went to the bedroom, made the bed then returned to the living room. He poured two shots of whiskey, then sat back to wait.

     

Emanuel wanted to be warm. Jack wanted Emanuel. He would give Emanuel what he wanted, if Emanuel would give him what he wanted.

     

He waited.

     

Waited.

     

Waited.

     

And when the ice cold hand slid over his shoulder, he turned to meet Emanuel with a smile.

     

~END~