Red Running Shoes - 10. The Perfect Weekend

Still slaving away at Rick and Matteo’s

All right, I was officially the temp waiter and the chopping boy - you know, the poor guy who has to chop all the vegetables and whatnot in the damn kitchen. It was in my best interest of course, because it ‘prevented me from becoming gloomy’. Thank you very much, Matteo!

Then there was the small issue of having to get up at four in the morning. ‘Come on Jonah, get up already, we're going to the central market! You need to learn how to distinguish good from bad quality.’ Did I? Wasn’t it more that I needed to learn how to drag and haul heavy crates of fruit and vegetables? Ha, maybe I should have dropped one or two of those crates, accidentally of course. Just to show Matteo what a klutz I was.

And the best of all, I was given an ultimatum. "We're closed on Mondays, which means we'll have time to read and discuss your journal. Make sure you're finished with it by then." Three more days…and how I liked the word ‘discuss’.

The problem was, it was getting harder and harder to write this stuff. The closer I came to the end, the worse it got.

Those wonderful moments we had had… I didn't want to live through them again, feel the perfection again, think about him again, and again…

“Shit, shit, shit. Where are my running shoes?” Before I started to write about that part, I needed to run. Good thing it was getting cooler already. I walked back to the kitchen.

"Matteo? Do you think I can skip kitchen slavery tonight? I need to run my mind into oblivion for a while; otherwise I won't be able to write what I have to write about…"

"Sure no problem, do whatever you need to do, what matters is that you finish this. You need to move on Jonah, otherwise you will break. Richard and I are really worried about you. You don't behave like you anymore; you're too upbeat, too cheerful, too funny. You need to mourn, to breathe, and finally to live again, little one. Get over it already." He sighed. "Sorry about that, but I had to get it out somehow."

Whoa. I really needed the damn shoes.

I decided to run along the beach. The vast expanse of water always helped level my problems a bit.

I ran for half an hour. It was still too warm to run more, but it helped. At least to get all dirty, sweaty, and thirsty. I needed a shower!

One bottle of water and a shower later I was as ready as I could be for the last chapter.

***

All right Zach, let me tell you about our first perfect weekend.

When I woke the second time that day, I was in bed, feeling a strong arm around my waist, a warm body against my back, and smelling cinnamon…and man. Ren.

Trailing kisses along my neck until he reached my ear, he whispered, "Hey baby, what about a late breakfast in bed?"

"Hmm.” I stretched and sighed contentedly. “Okay. The coffee will be cold though." I didn't really mind.

“Stay here.” Ren got up and I immediately missed the warmth of his body, but I was compensated for the loss by the sight of broad shoulders, a muscled back, and a perfect ass. Which in the near future would be mine; that I was pretty sure of. I grinned broadly when he came back, carrying the remains of our previous breakfast. "You look an awful lot like you’re plotting and scheming over there."

"Nu-uh…" I couldn’t stop grinning though.

"You're thinking something naughty, I can see it in your eyes…." He put the paper bag containing the muffins and donuts and the paper tray holding the coffees on the bedside table, then fell down on all fours and crawled over to me, pretending to stalk me. I snorted when he pawed at me like a big playful cat, only to have him pounce on me seconds later. Holding me down by my shoulders, he growled, "Tell me…"

"Nope.” I pressed my lips firmly together.

He nuzzled my neck. “Tell me…”

I turned my head. “No.”

Next he tickled me. “Ren, no…" I laughed, trying to squirm out of his hold.

But he didn't let me go. "Tell me…" He changed tactics and now gnawed on my ear.

"Please Ren, no…it's…no-oh, please … Ren, let go…" I pleaded, breathlessly.

"There is nothing embarrassing between us, you can tell me every naughty, kinky, little fantasy you have babe, now come on tell me…"

I shook my head wildly. "Later Ren, please it's…I don't feel like telling you yet."

"All right, but because you were a naughty kitten you’re not allowed to eat by yourself. I will feed you. With my mouth. I'm not embarrassed by my fantasies."

“Kitten, huh? What’s with the cat analogies? I’m only a few years younger than you.”

"Five. Now open your mouth…"

Ren lifted his eyebrow and after a brief hesitation, I did as he said. He took a bite from his favorite donut, bent forward and pressed it with his tongue into my open mouth. After chewing I swallowed it, and let my tongue roam in his mouth until he whispered against my lips, "So, you're still hungry…open up."

He tongue-fed me the whole donut; it was messy but somehow it was fun too, even though I usually don’t eat in bed. I hate to sleep on a cracker's grit or breadcrumbs. Just yuck! That day though, I didn't care. I’d just change the sheets later.

After finishing some more donuts, the muffins, and the cold coffee, we took a little nap. Again. Yes. You wouldn't believe how straining a second breakfast in bed can be, Zach…I can imagine…Really?

When I got out of bed, Ren was already in the shower adjusting the temperature. I stepped into the stall and immediately wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder. Because I finally could. While the water was raining down on us, I thought about what an idiot I had been. I could have had this weeks ago, if I just had admitted I liked him. If I hadn’t given in to my fear. Instead, I got defensive. Ruth always calls it my survival mode. And no, I’m not suddenly blind with love, or lust. I know Ren had been a dick too. We both played the old game of action - reaction - counter-reaction very well. Too well.

Ren moved his hands over my shoulders, down my back, to my butt and pulled me even closer. I could already feel his growing erection against my hip.

"You know what?"

"Hmm?" He kissed my neck.

"I just realized how happy I am right now…" I murmured into the crook of his neck. And I was scared of how right this felt also, but that I didn’t say.

He chuckled. "Me too babe, I really didn't think that I’d be holding you like this anymore after last night. When Eric told me he'd wanted you back…"

After long minutes in each other’s arms of just enjoying the hot relaxing water, Ren moved me out of the spray, grabbed the bottle with the shower gel, and popped it open to squeeze some directly onto my back. He sniffed "Vanilla?" And then he started to gently massage knots out of my muscles. I moaned contently. I had sat too long at my desk lately.

"It's my favorite flavor, although lately I’ve developed a liking for cinnamon."

"Why cinnamon?"

"You smell like cinnamon, besides this unique Ren flavor of course…" I started to kiss his chest, letting my hands slide up and down his sides and then down his back so that I could knead his ass, rubbing our already aching erections together somewhat desperately.

Finally Ren pinned me to the cold wall of the shower, while almost devouring my lips and tongue, not being too gentle anymore.

My breathing increased when he buried his hands in my wet hair holding my head in place and only then I realized that I had wrapped my right leg around his thigh.

Pressing against each other, we tried to touch as much skin as possible, kissing fiercely enough to bruise our lips.

Eventually Ren moaned. "Do you have any condoms in your bathroom?"

It took me a while to comprehend his question. "Yeah, in the cupboard under the sink…"

Reluctantly he left me, opened the door of the shower and rummaged around in the cupboard till he finally found what we needed.

When he came back, I immediately took the condom wrapper from him, sank to my knees, and after kissing his already leaking tip, I tore the wrapper with my teeth and with one hand, I held the base up, while I rolled the condom down his shaft with my other hand. When I was done, I couldn't resist sucking him into my mouth. Good thing my condoms taste like… Vanilla?

He moaned when I locked eyes with him. Then all of a sudden he pulled me up, turned me around and pressed me firmly against wall. He sucked at my neck, bit down hard and I grinned. He'd marked me.

"You're mine…don't forget that."

"Uh-huh…" Obviously he felt the need to show his claim on me. I never thought I'd like that, but surprisingly, I did.

We didn't last long though. The moment he commanded me, "Now." I lost it and I spilled myself across the tiles while he chased his own climax.

When our breathing finally slowed down, he pressed his forehead against mine, stroked my cheek and whispered, "I-I can’t find words…"

“Shhh…there’s no need for words.”

***

"So, lover of mine, what are we going to do with the rest of the day? Suggestions?" I grinned at Ren as he came back from the bedroom dressed again in his black leather pants, minus underwear, as I knew perfectly well by then.

He raised his left eyebrow then his gaze fell on the helmets sitting on the floor. "What about this big, bad, black, beast of yours? Take me for a ride?"

"Absolutely. I can't get enough of feeling your arms around me." I winked just when his phone started to ring.

"This is Ren Arnold… Oh hey, it's not one of your usual numbers…Yes… no, I'm sorry I can't…no…yes…all right, we'll talk later, okay? Bye."

"Who was it, someone I know?" I asked him, although I already had a feeling who he had been talking to.

"Eric."

"Oh. What did he want? Aw, never mind, it's none of my business anyway, sorry."

"Nah, it’s okay, he wanted to meet me…but obviously I have better things to do, right now, haven't I?" And with that he bent forward and kissed the tip of my nose.

"Hey!"

"You just have such a cute nose; especially when you wrinkle it in disapproval, like you just did."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Come on get your stuff and let’s go."

It was perfect. His arms were around my waist and his body against my back as I drove us out of the city the shortest way I knew. Then I took the scenic route along the river: Narrow winding roads lined with vineyards and woodlands. Two hours later we reached a small café I knew, which served the best-ever fresh waffles with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream and hot cherries.

Whipped cream and hot cherries? Shut up Zach.

He wasn’t a talker and even I can shut up at times. We sat at a small table by the window, eating one-handed because we couldn’t stop holding hands and looking in each other's eyes every now and then, smiling like idiots because we couldn't believe what we had. What we finally had.

Afterwards, we took a little walk in the forest behind the café. We followed a narrow path path until we reached a beautiful vantage point. Sitting down on a bench, we enjoyed the view of the wide landscape in front of us, when Ren told me that he'd have to go on a business trip on Tuesday for four days. I knew I would miss him and I thought it would be a good thing to finally have someone I could miss again. How stupid can you be, when you're in love?

On our way back home I asked, "So, what do you think about takeout pizza and a movie night at home?"

"Does it include lying on the sofa with you at my disposal?"

"At your disposal, hmm, well I'll think about that."

Two wood-fired pizzas and a 'Pirates of the Caribbean' marathon later I asked Ren lazily, "You stay?"

"I’d like that…"

The next morning, a Sunday morning, we had a very late breakfast. What? The process of getting up can lead to many unforeseeable events, distractions, and difficulties…

I was glad that Ren agreed to visit the Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition with me. I had wanted to see it for weeks, but somehow had never found the time. I fell in love with Mapplethorpe's work (although a few of his pictures might be disturbing for some people), when I first saw 'Parrot Tulips'. He said once, 'I look for the perfection of form. I do this in portraits, in photographs of penises, in photographs of flowers.' For the most part, I think that he succeeded.

Later we ate at a small Italian restaurant Ren was very fond of, and I told him that my cousin Rick and his husband Matteo own a restaurant in Sicily.

It was our first perfect weekend, Zach. One of many, I hoped. I need to stop writing now. I can’t finish this today…I’m sorry.

Photo exhibit