Winter Storm - 1. Winter Storm

Winter Storm

 

Iowa in the middle of December is usually cold with snow on the ground, but this winter had been unusually mild so far. It had been cold, but not much of the ice and snow.

 

TJ decided to head up to his family’s cabin in Charles City, Iowa. It was always nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Christmas shopping and decorating. He had put in for the vacation time back in June because he knew that this time of year was difficult for him

 

Ever since his parents had died four years ago, he had had trouble handling the Christmas holidays. Christmas was always their favorite time of year, even though it had only been the three of them.

 

On December twentieth, he loaded his suitcases into his truck and headed out for the cabin. He was really looking forward to the solitude that he would have.

 

It took him about three hours, but he finally reached Charles City and was soon pulling into his driveway. If it weren’t for his job he would live here year round, but he had worked hard to become a detective in the Davenport Police Department.

 

Once he had gotten his bags inside, he went about opening the cabin up. Thankfully, things weren’t too bad since he had been up there that summer. There was a layer of dust that needed to be taken care of and he needed to bring in some wood for the fireplace.

 

He went about the clean-up that was needed, putting fresh sheets on the beds, cutting some firewood, and dusting the furniture.

 

On his way to town to get some groceries he saw that the sky looked ominous. TJ thought it looked like there was a storm coming his way, so he hurried up so that he could get home before it hit.

 

All too soon, the sky opened up and sleeting hail was coming down so hard that it was difficult for him to see out his windshield. He slowed his speed down and continued on his way.

 

Just before he got to his driveway he noticed that a car had ended up in the ditch. He stopped to see if he could be of any help to them so that they wouldn’t be stranded. He grabbed his slicker that he always kept in the truck and approached the vehicle.

 

“Do you need some help?” TJ asked when the driver rolled down his window.

 

“Yeah, do you have a phone that I can use? Mine seems to be dead and my car charger isn’t working right,” replied the man in the car.

 

TJ handed him his cellphone and stepped around the car to see how bad the damage was before returning to the driver’s window.

 

“Apparently, it’s going to be a while before they can get out here to get my car out of the ditch. There have been several accidents in town because of the sudden change in weather.”

 

“Well, your car isn’t going anywhere without the help of a wrecker. It looks like you may have broken something when you went over into the ditch. You are welcome to come up to my place to get out of the cold.”

 

“Thanks. By the way my name’s Stephan.”

 

“It’s not a problem, Stephan. I’m TJ. Let’s get going, it feels like the temperature has dropped drastically in the last few minutes.”

 

They both got into TJ’s truck and headed up to the cabin.

 

Stephan helped carry in the groceries so that they only had to make one trip. He stopped in his tracks when he walked inside the door. From the outside he figured that it was maybe a one bedroom, old and rustic cabin. However, once inside he saw that there were a couple of rooms off of the living room, not including the kitchen.

 

“This is nice,” commented Stephan.

 

“Thanks, it’s been in my family for years. I grew up coming here during the summer,” replied TJ.

 

“Do you live here all the time now?” asked Stephan.

 

“No, I’m just up here for vacation for a couple of weeks.”

 

“No big Christmas plans then?”

 

“No, no one to spend the holidays with.”

 

They finally got all the groceries put away. TJ went and started a fire going in the fireplace to warm up the cabin, even though there was central heat.

 

The wind had picked up and was howling outside something fierce. The lights were soon flickering and TJ was thankful that he had a backup generator, and had checked to make sure that he had plenty of fuel for it just in case.

 

All of a sudden, the lights went out and the cabin was pitch black except for the light from the fireplace.

 

“Well, I guess I had better run out to the shed and start the generator so that the food I just bought doesn’t go to waste,” stated TJ as he grabbed his slicker and headed back outside.

 

Stephan couldn’t believe his luck. He had come to town to try to find a place to live before he started his new job with the Charles City Police Department. He needed a change of scene after his ex-boyfriend outed him to some of the cops in his department in Atlanta.

 

Now his car was in a ditch and he didn’t know when they would be out to get it. He had met a handsome guy that let him use his phone and come in out of the storm.

 

Pretty soon the lights were back on and TJ had come back in. The wind was still howling outside and they could hear the hail hitting the roof at a steady pace.

 

“Well that should help, but I have a feeling the tow truck ain’t coming out tonight,” stated TJ.

 

“That’s not good, I was supposed to meet the realtor to look at some property. I have to find a place to live before I move here in a month,” responded Stephan.

 

“Well, I have some sweats if you would like to get into some dry clothes and there is a second bed if you want it,” suggested TJ.

 

“That would be great. I have clothes in my car but I would get drenched going out there to get them.”

 

“How about this, while you get changed I can put my slicker back on and drive to your car and grab your suitcase, that way you’ll have clean clothes for the morning.”

 

“I can’t ask you to do that,” replied Stephan.

 

“It’s no problem, I don’t mind. Let me go get you those sweats for you. Here’s the bathroom, there are towels in the cabinet above the toilet,” TJ said before heading to his room to get the sweats.

 

He brought the sweats out to Stephan before leaving him in the bathroom. TJ put his slicker on and headed out into the storm. It took him several minutes because the constant hail had led to the driveway icing, making it treacherous to go down.

 

He came back to the cabin to find Stephan in the living room dressed in his sweats, sitting in front of the fireplace.

 

“Here’s your suitcase that was in your backseat.”

 

“Thanks, TJ.”

 

“Would you like some tea or hot chocolate?”

 

“Some hot chocolate would be great,” replied Stephan.

 

After drinking their hot chocolate TJ showed Stephan to the guest room and they both turned in for the night.

 

***

 

When the guys woke up the next morning, the first thing that they noticed was that the weather had not improved any. The wind was still howling outside and when they looked out they could see snow swirling around along with several inches of snow on the ground.

 

“It doesn’t look like I’m going to be looking at houses any time today,” stated Stephan.

 

“No, I don’t think you will be. Go ahead and call the mechanic shop and see when they will be out to get your car. I’m sure that the roads have already been plowed but I’m betting that it’s going to be a while before the wrecker gets out here.”

 

“I’m sure it will be. Is mother nature always so wrathful here in Iowa?”

 

“Nah, this has been an unusual winter. I mean we get snow, but this severe of a storm is rare,” replied TJ.

 

“Can I use your phone again to call the shop?” asked Stephan.

 

TJ handed over his cellphone so that he could make the call.

 

“Hello, I was calling to see when you might be able to get my car towed out of the ditch? …Just a minute, let me find out the address.”

 

“TJ what’s the address here?” asked Stephan.

 

“Here let me talk to them,” replied TJ as he reached for the phone, “Hey Bill, its TJ… Yeah I found him in the ditch by my driveway… Ok, I’ll let him know, thanks Bill.”

 

“So what did he say?” asked Stephan.

 

“He said it may not be until tomorrow, they have to let the snow stop because it’s snowing too heavily to be out driving in.”

 

“Man, that sucks, I need to get my charger out of my car so I can get my phone charged, and luckily I brought the wall charger with me.”

 

Stephan grabbed his shoes and jacket before heading out to his car to get his charger, along with his computer bag. He just hoped that his computer was ok after having been left outside in the cold all night.

 

Several minutes later Stephan came back into the cabin, trying to stomp all of the snow off of his shoes, as well as shaking all of the snow off of his jacket.

 

“Man it is really coming down out there,” Stephan exclaimed as he was shutting the front door behind him.

 

“I have the radio on to get the weather advisory to see how bad this storm is going to get. They are calling for several feet of snow, so you may be stuck here for a few days.”

 

Stephan held up his wall charger and asked, “Am I able to plug this in somewhere?”

 

“Well, we are running on the backup generator so I would really prefer to not plug anything additional so that it doesn’t draw away from things like the refrigerator and hot water heater.”

 

“Ok, no problem. I guess my realtor isn’t going to be looking for me today because of the storm.”

 

“Where are you moving from?” asked TJ.

 

“From Atlanta, wanted a change of scenery,” replied Stephan.

 

“Well, it’s definitely a change, that’s for sure. You will probably need to get a sturdy vehicle, I’m guessing that’s a rental?”

 

“Yeah, I figured that. Wasn’t expecting this storm to hit while I was visiting though. I have a small SUV back home.”

 

“What do you do for a living?” asked TJ, wondering about this handsome stranger that had shown up on his doorstep.

 

“I’m a detective with Atlanta PD, I am actually going to be starting in the Charles City PD in about a month. What about you?”

 

TJ looked at Stephan and figured he had moved up in the ranks fairly quickly, because he didn’t look like he was over thirty five years old, but you could never tell these days.

 

“I’m a detective with the Davenport PD, just came up here to get away for the holidays.”

 

Stephan looked into TJ’s eyes and could see pain and sorrow there. He wondered what had put that there and if there was anything possible that he could do to help ease it.

 

TJ had realized that he would have company for the next day or so whether he wanted to or not. His parents had not raised him to be rude or inhospitable to those in need and Stephan was obviously in need right now, otherwise he would freeze to death if he was kicked out now.

 

“Hey, you want to play cards or something?” asked TJ.

 

“Actually, if it’s ok with you I was thinking that I’d read for a little bit. Maybe we can play cards a little bit later,” responded Stephan.

 

“That’s fine with me, I’m just gonna go make sure that we have plenty of wood in the garage and that there is enough diesel for the generator in the shed. I would hate for us to run out at some point tonight.”

 

TJ headed out to the garage and shed, while Stephan went to his bag and pulled out a romance book.

 

If the guys at his station knew about that they would never let him live it down. Then again, not very many of the guys were actually talking to him anymore since it had become public knowledge that he was gay, thanks to a very public breakup with his boyfriend of two years.

 

That was the whole reason behind him moving and transferring to another police department. The work environment had become downright hostile and no one wanted to work with him as his partner.

 

He was up front with his new captain when he was hired and was told that it didn’t matter to him as long as Stephan could perform his job. He was looking forward to the change in scenery, as well as the change in attitude.

 

“Folks, I wouldn’t even attempt to go anywhere right now, we are looking at a possible blizzard. So stay inside with some hot chocolate and a fire going if it’s at all possible,” came the announcer’s voice over the radio.

 

Soon TJ was coming back inside and was trying to get rid of the snow that had accumulated on him while he was outside. “We are well stocked for firewood and diesel so we should be fine until the electric is back on. There is at least a foot of snow out there and that wind is something fierce.”

 

“I have heard wind howl before, but never to the point of rattling the windows like this, except in a tornado,” commented Stephan.

 

“Yeah, this is turning out to be one bitch of a storm. I think we are in for several more inches of snow. With the ice below the snow it’s gonna make it that much harder when they are able to get out and clear the roads.”

 

“I was listening to the weather information on the radio while you were outside and they are saying to stay inside and that this is looking like it’s turning into a blizzard,” Stephan informed TJ.

 

“Yeah, I had that feeling while I was outside. Do you have any long johns?”

 

“No, hadn’t bought any yet. All I have are sweaters and sweats,” replied Stephan.

 

“Well, I keep a supply here, you are more than welcome to borrow some. They will help keep you warm while we wait out this storm,” stated TJ before heading to his room to get the long johns.

 

While he was in his room TJ took a little extra time to gather his thoughts. He couldn’t believe that he was feeling attracted to Stephan. For all he knew he was straight.

 

“It’s got to be the holiday season and not wanting to be alone for the rest of my life,” TJ thought to himself as he headed back out to the living room with the long johns.

 

“Here ya go, Stephan. I gave you a couple of pairs so that you would have some for tomorrow as well,” stated TJ.

 

“Thanks, I was getting a little cold. I’m going to go put them on. Be right back,” Stephan replied as he headed off to put them on.

 

“I bet he’s straight, there’s no point in getting my hopes up, but he seems like a decent guy. Maybe we can build a friendship at least,” thought Stephan as he was changing into the long johns.

 

While Stephan was changing, TJ saw the open book on the coffee table and he couldn’t help but taking a look at it. When he saw that it was a romance book, TJ felt a grin light up his face.

 

“So he likes romances, huh? Maybe he’s not as hard-nosed as I originally thought,” thought TJ.

 

TJ walked over to the bookshelf to pick out a book for himself to read. He sat in the wing back chair in front of the fireplace and started to read, which is how Stephan found him when he came back to the living room.

 

“What division do you work in Atlanta?” asked TJ.

 

“I work robbery/homicide, although I’m not sent out on many cases since a lot of the detectives in that division don’t want to work with me,” replied Stephan.

 

“Why doesn’t your captain just assign someone and make them work with you?”

 

“For the simple fact that he wants me gone just as much as the rest of the guys. In fact, if I can find a place to live, I can get here a little earlier and maybe start my new job sooner.”

 

“Well, it couldn’t be too bad or Chief Billings wouldn’t have hired you,” responded TJ.

 

“It was nothing that I did, or even have control over for that matter, but they don’t see it that way. They think that it’s a choice that I have made and until I change they want nothing to do with me.”

 

“I wonder what he means by that,” thought TJ.

 

While Stephan was thinking, “I hope he doesn’t freak out if he figures it out.”

 

They both sat there and read their books. When Stephan looked he could see that TJ was reading a western romance book. They sat there and read in a companionable silence for the next couple of hours.

 

“Well, I’m going to put together the makings for a beef stew so that we have something for dinner. Would you like a sandwich for lunch?” asked TJ.

 

“Sure, that would be great, but you don’t have to go to the trouble, I can make my own sandwich.”

 

***

 

The day passed slowly, but what else could you expect with no TV to watch and not being able to go outside because of the weather. Both TJ and Stephan finished their books to the tantalizing aroma of the beef stew that was cooking in the kitchen.

 

After dinner, Stephan was trying to think of something to do so since he had finished his book already and hadn’t brought another one with him.

 

“You want to play some cards, Stephan?”

 

“Sure, what do you want to play?”

 

“Let’s play Go Fish, I know it’s a little childish but it should be fun,” suggested TJ.

 

“Sure, let’s play,” responded Stephan.

 

TJ went and got the cards and they sat down to play Go Fish. Pretty soon, though, the child’s game lost its appeal and they were trying to think of another game to play.

 

“Let’s play five card draw, or we have some board games that we could play,” suggested TJ.

 

“Let’s try a board game. Whatcha got?” asked Stephan.

 

“Well, I know we have Monopoly and I think we have the Game of Life as well. Which would you prefer?”

 

“Monopoly sounds fine to me, my family always enjoyed playing it together,” replied Stephan.

 

TJ got up and went to get the game so that they could sit and play. While he was gone Stephan cleared off the coffee table so that they would have a decent surface to play on.

 

When TJ came back with the game, Stephan noticed that it was the version that had the electronic banking machine. He was used to the version with the paper money but was looking forward to just hanging out and playing games with someone who could easily be a friend.

 

They sat there and played until they were both getting tired and decided that it was time to turn in for the night. They left the board set up so that they could finish the game the next day.

 

That night while he slept, TJ dreamed about the man that was in the room next to him.

 

I woke up to a knock on my bedroom door. When I opened the door there stood this handsome man and I could not help but check him out. He stood approximately six foot five inches tall, brown hair cut short, and brown eyes. I could not believe that this handsome man was knocking on my door.

 

“Is there something wrong, Stephan?”

 

“Nothing wrong but I have been wanting to do this since you stopped to help me,” replied Stephan as he leaned in and kissed me.

 

I was in shock and in that shock my mouth opened just a little bit. When that happened Stephan slipped his tongue inside my mouth, deepening the kiss, causing me to moan.

 

TJ woke up with a start. When he realized that it had been a dream he ran his hand over his face. He looked down and saw that he had gotten very aroused, almost painfully so. He tried to think of anything that would help his cock to go down so that he could go back to sleep.

 

When he wasn’t able to get it to go down he decided that the best thing for him to do was to relieve the tension. He laid back down, threw the covers off of himself, slid his boxers down, reached down, wrapped his hand around his swollen cock, and started to masturbate. He was leaking copious amounts of precum that he used as a lubricant.

 

After several minutes he threw his head back, let out a grunt, and exploded all over his chest. He went into his en suite bathroom and cleaned himself up before going back to bed. He just hoped that he hadn’t made enough noise for Stephan to hear him.

 

The next morning TJ was up first. He took a quick shower, got dressed, and went to make breakfast. Once he had the hash browns started he quickly went out to the garage to get some more firewood for the day.

 

When he got back to the kitchen he looked out the window and noticed that it had finally quit snowing. His breath was taken away when he noticed that the sun had come out and was reflecting off of the fresh snow like a sea of diamonds.

 

He continued to make the pancakes, adding bacon in another skillet. The smell from the bacon wafted into Stephan’s room and woke him up, making his stomach rumble with hunger.

 

Stephan got up, took a shower, and got dressed, remembering to add the long johns to his layers of clothing. He went out to the kitchen just as TJ was putting breakfast on the table.

 

“Everything smells delicious, but you didn’t have to go to this much trouble, a bowl of cereal would have suited me just fine,” stated Stephan.

 

“It was no trouble, I actually like to cook and it’s nice to have someone to cook for,” replied TJ.

 

“I’m not much of a cook so this is very much appreciated.”

 

“I was thinking that after breakfast we could see how badly we are snowed in and if it’s not too bad we could start to shovel a pathway from the garage to the driveway, as well as a path from the door to the shed.”

 

About that time they noticed that the lights got a little brighter, including the light off the back of the garage that was not connected to the generator.

 

“Looks like we have electricity officially back on and I can go shut off the generator,” stated TJ.

 

After breakfast they loaded the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and started it before bundling up and heading out to the garage so that they could get started with the shoveling.

 

TJ opened the back door of the garage and saw that the snow piled there was about two feet. He also noticed that it didn’t seem to be packed too tightly which would make it easier to shovel out of the way. They each grabbed a shovel and started making a path that was wide enough for two people to walk through.

 

After about twenty minutes they had finally made it to the shed, and TJ went in to shut off the generator and checked to see the diesel level so that it would be ready the next time that it was needed. Once that was done they headed back to the garage.

 

TJ opened the garage door and saw the same amount of snow there. Stephan started to laugh a little when some of the snow began to fall into the garage.

 

“Ok, let’s get started with the snow removal here before any more falls into the garage,” suggested TJ.

 

“All right.”

 

Both men worked steadily to clear a path the width of the garage, working their way down the driveway to the road. While they were down there they worked to get Stephan’s car cleared out so that the wrecker would be able to get hooked up to the car to pull it out of the ditch. As they were clearing around the car they noticed that the snow plow had already been through, along with the salt truck to salt the roads.

 

By the time they were done with the shoveling, they had worked off their breakfast and were ready for a snack since it had taken them a couple of hours to get all of the shoveling done.

 

They each fixed a sandwich and some chips to eat before sitting down and continuing their Monopoly game from the night before. When they finally finished, Stephan had won by a landslide.

 

Stephan could hear his phone chirping in the other room letting him know that he had messages, so he got up and retrieved his phone from the kitchen counter. He looked at the text messages that had come in while they were busy playing board games.

 

“I hope you rot in hell,” from his former partner in the precinct.

 

“Ur evil and a spawn of the devil,” from another officer.

 

Then he noticed that he also had a voicemail that he hadn’t noticed when they came in from shoveling snow, so he dialed his voicemail, entered his pin and listened as his soon to be former Captain said angrily thought the speaker, “I can’t understand how Chief Billings can be so accepting of a faggot like you, but you can guarantee that I did not give you a good recommendation to transfer to their police force.”

 

Stephan stood there in shock and didn’t hear TJ come up behind him until TJ cleared his throat.

 

“Is everything ok?” TJ asked.

 

“Yeah just my soon to be former boss and co-workers being jerks is all. I wish they would just leave me alone and let me be.”

 

“I couldn’t help but hear part of the voicemail since it seemed like he was yelling at you. I can understand you wanting to get out of there, it sounds like you are working in a hostile environment,” TJ replied as he went and got a drink out of the fridge.

 

“I hope he didn’t hear exactly what was said and just heard the loud voice,” Stephan thought as he walked out to the living room to sit down and possibly do some reading while TJ headed to his room to do some thinking.

 

TJ sat on the bed and thought, “I know that I would love it if he were gay because he’s so handsome and seems to be really nice, but I am just visiting here. I don’t want to get my heart broken again and he could easily do it.”

 

While TJ was in his room thinking Stephan was in the living room in front of a fire doing some thinking of his own.

 

“It figures, I meet a great guy and he wants nothing to do with me. I mean I know that he’s going back to Davenport in a few days and I’m going back to Atlanta for about a month. Maybe if he’s ok with me being gay we can continue building a friendship when I moves here. I would love for it to be more but I’m not going to count on it.”

 

Stephan heard a noise and looked up and saw TJ standing there. He wasn’t sure what to think because he couldn’t read the look on TJ’s face.

 

“I don’t know how to ask this, so I’m just gonna come out and ask it. Are you gay?” asked TJ.

 

Stephan looked at him with uncertainty before saying, “I’m not going to lie to you. Yes, I’m gay and I hope you don’t have a problem with it because I think we have started to become close friends. I will understand, however, if you decide that you want nothing to do with me.”

 

TJ chuckled and said, “I don’t have a problem with you being gay any more than I would have a problem with myself. I too think that we have started to build a friendship and I hope that when you officially move up here in a month that we can get together every now and then just to hang out.”

 

“I would like that.” Stephan looked at TJ with a sad look on his face before saying, “I’m going to go ahead and tell you the whole reason why I am moving and changing departments. You see, my boyfriend and I broke up a couple of months ago because he thought I was having an affair with my partner because he and I were always together. I wasn’t, but there was no convincing Brad of that, so he went to my partner and accused him of sleeping with me. Well my partner figured out just who Brad was and the next thing I knew it was all around the department that I’m gay and no one wanted anything to do with me. My partner refused to work with me, as did anyone who was partnered with me.”

 

“Stephan, it was no one’s business who you share your bed with. I can’t believe that someone who says they care for you would do something like that. Hopefully this will be a fresh start for you in more ways than one.”

 

TJ went over and sat on the other end of the couch and the two of them sat in companionable silence for a while before Stephan’s stomach rumbled, letting them know that it was time for dinner. They decided to just heat up some of the beef stew from the night before.

 

“Is your phone done charging?” asked TJ.

 

“Yeah, and I had like ten messages from the real estate lady that was supposed to show me properties yesterday. She hoped that I didn’t get stuck in the storm and wanted to reschedule our viewings.”

 

“You gonna call her back?”

 

“Yeah, wanted to let my phone charge a little more before making another phone call.”

 

“Go ahead and use mine. Do you mind if I come with you? Maybe I can give you some advice on certain areas of town,” requested TJ.

 

“Sure I would appreciate the help and the company. Let me just go get the number and give her a call,” Stephan replied as he headed to get the number out of his phone.

 

Stephan got the number, TJ’s phone, made the call, and set the appointment with the realtor. When it was time they bundled up and got into TJ’s vehicle.

 

It was slow going on the roads because there was still some ice in parts. By the time the guys got to the realtor’s office they were almost late. The realtor, Marcie Schmidt had several rental properties, including some houses and a couple of condos for rent.

 

As they looked at the houses, Stephan realized that he would not have the proper time to be able to take care of a house of his own and let the realtor know this, so before they continued looking at houses they decided to skip them and go straight to the condos.

 

After looking at several, Stephan finally found one that he liked. He asked Marcie, “How much is this one and what are the lease terms?”

 

She replied, “This one is a six hundred dollar deposit, six hundred a month rent, and the owner would like for the first lease to only be six months so that the tenant and landlord can feel each other out making sure that it’s a good mix.”

 

“I really like this one. What do you think, TJ?” asked Stephan.

 

“The choice is ultimately yours, but personally I like this one. It would give you time to see if this is where you really want to be or if you would later prefer a house,” suggested TJ.

 

“Thanks, TJ. Ms. Schmidt, I would like to rent this one if the owner approves.”

 

“Well, let’s head back to my office and get the application started so that we can see if we can get you approved so that you can move in as soon as possible.”

 

TJ and Stephan got in TJ’s car and followed Ms. Schmidt back to her office.

 

“Do you think you will be happy in that condo?” asked TJ.

 

“I would like to think so. Do you think that’s a good price for it?”

 

“I think six hundred a month for a one bedroom/one bathroom/study is a tremendous deal.”

 

The guys headed into the office so that Stephan could fill out his application and pay his deposit. While he was filling out the necessary paperwork, Ms. Schmidt was on the phone with the owner and let him know that she had a possible tenant for him.

 

He seemed impressed that Stephan was a police detective and felt that the condo would be in good hands, therefore he agreed to rent the condo to Stephan as of January first.

 

Stephan went ahead and paid January’s rent so that he could go ahead and get packing when he got home. He decided to go ahead and put in for his vacation time so that he could use it up before he moved. He didn’t think that his captain would have a problem with it since he didn’t want him there to begin with.

 

Soon they were heading back to the cabin with a stop at the grocery store first. As they went to pull into the driveway they noticed that Stephan’s car had been towed out of the ditch, so as soon as they were inside he called the mechanic while TJ put the groceries away.

 

“Hi, this is Stephan, you towed my car out of the ditch earlier today… Have you been able to see if there was any damage to the underside…? Ok, thank you, I will be there in the morning to pick it up.”

 

“So what’d they say?” asked TJ.

 

Stephan replied, “Since no one was home they went ahead and towed it back to the garage. Thankfully, there was no damage to the car, they just had a little issue getting it out of the ditch because of all of the ice and we can pick it up at any time. Would you mind taking me into town tomorrow so I can pick it up?”

 

“Sure thing, man. Not a problem,” responded TJ.

 

“Thanks, TJ. Now, let’s get started on those dinner preparations.”

 

They went about getting dinner ready and then sat down to finish their game. After a couple of hours they had finished their game and decided that it was time to head to bed.

 

TJ slept soundly dreaming about what he would like to do with Stephan now that he knew that he was also gay. Stephan dreamed about what he would like to do with TJ, but because of what his ex had done to him he was scared to admit to himself that he was already starting to fall for TJ. He thought that even if he admitted to how he felt about TJ, he didn’t feel that it would be reciprocated.

 

***

 

The rest of their time together seemed to fly by. When it was time for TJ to head back to Davenport, and Stephan to Atlanta, they said good-bye as they were loading their cars up at the cabin.

 

“Here’s my e-mail address, please stay in touch. Let me know if you want some help unloading your moving truck and I will come up to help you. This was a good Christmas for me, I was really dreading it this year,” stated TJ.

 

“This was a good Christmas for me as well. This is my e-mail address and cell phone number. Let’s go ahead and plan on the help, that way you know ahead of time to make proper plans, I’ll even feed ya for the help,” Stephan said as he shook TJ’s hand.

 

“Sounds like a plan to me. Who would have thought that because of Mother Nature’s wrath a new friendship has blossomed,” commented TJ.

 

“I never would have thought it possible. Be safe on your trip home and I will see you in a few weeks,” replied Stephan.

 

“Be safe.”

 

With that said the two men got in their respective vehicles and pulled out of the drive, each headed in their own direction with thoughts of the other on their mind.