Along the Trail - 3. Night Kiss

The man standing before Ellis was tall as a tree compared to him. Ellis bets his head would just reach this man's well-defined chest with hair peeking out from the top of his shirt. What does that body look without clothes on? The things that he could be done to this Ben fellow. Ellis stomps that thought as quickly as it came.

Ben smiles widely at Ellis. They look into each other’s eyes for a moment. Ben’s eyes shine with affection that Ellis questions but just baths in a strange warmth that spreads through his body. Ben seeming to remember where he was, speaks up. "Hello. I am glad you are awake. My name is Benjamin Asher but you can just call me Ben. I hope my sister Sarah here, has been helpful and good company while I was gone today."

"Hello Ben, I'm Ellis McArthur. Your sister has been the best. We had a great evening together since I woke up." Ellis replies, with a light smile.

"She's a good sister but don't get her started her favorite pastime. She's the biggest gossip in town."

Sarah with a click of her tongue gives Ben an annoyed look. "Ben, I'm right here! I am not a town gossip! If you want a town gossip you should listen to what those old hags cackle about at the diner in town."

With a deep laugh, Ben tells her, "There is my proof right there. I know for a fact you talk with those same "hags" any chance you get."

"Go to hell Ben." Sarah grumbles with a hint of a smile behind the facade.

"As long as you’re with me, dear sister of mine, I know I'm there. Thirty years of annoying the piss out of each other since birth."

"Twisted parasitic twin!"

"Twat!"

Both burst out laughing with Ellis watching the scene in front of him. It made him smile with a twinge of sadness that bloomed inside his chest. He wished he had a sibling bond like they do.

Ben turns to look at Ellis, "I'm sorry Ellis. My sister and I are so close we get carried away with each other."

"Don't be. It shows you both care about each other to the moon and back. It’s a wonderful thing. I never had any siblings or family to speak for myself."

'Way to kill the good vibes, Ellis.', he mentally says to himself.

A frown forms on Ben's before he says, "I'm sorry. I know I'm lucky for what I have but you will have it as well one day."

Ellis looks at Ben like he grew another head. This guy sounds too good to be real.

"Seriously! Did you both have Michael Landon as a father?" Ellis sarcastically asks them.

They both laugh at Ellis's sarcasm.

As Ben begins taking off his shoes beside the door, Sarah stands up.

"Well men, I'm going to head home and feed the cats. Apparently, that is what old gossipy hags do at the end of their day." Sarah jokes.

After a quick goodbye Sarah leaves with just Ben and Ellis in the living room.

Ben walks to Ellis and asks, "Care if I sit beside you?"

"Of course, It’s your home." Ellis says in a higher than normal pitch. Why he's acting like he's back in high school with a crush baffles him.

"I'm glad to see that you’re doing better. I was worried even when I was told that you were going to be ok." Ben declares with a look of concern and passion in his eyes.

Trying to ignore the magnetic pull between Ben and himself, Ellis asks "Why was you in the woods behind my boyfriend’s house?

The word boyfriend to describe Adam was sour in his mouth and he swears he just saw a flash of anger from Ben with the word.

"I was with a couple of my friend's heading back from surveying the woods when we heard the commotion. My friend Rob's family owns the land behind your 'boyfriend's' house."

The emphasis on boyfriend was not lost onto Ellis but let Ben continue. "I was concerned and debating on going closer when you ran out the backdoor into the woods. When 'he' chased after you and I saw a knife in his hands, I had to get stop him from hurting you. I didn't get there in time for him to stab you. I couldn't let scum like that get away. I tackled him away from you. We fought and was able to get you out and here to our doctor in town for help."

"Why here and not a hospital? There has to be at least 3 hospitals between where I was and here." Ellis is trying to focus but the need for sleep sweeps through him with Ben being inches away.

"That requires a bit of an explanation. I do want to tell you everything but you are still healing and looking like you need to rest more. Will you accept a rain check until tomorrow morning?" Ben asks with his silvery eyes pulling at Ellis.

A little irritated on not getting all his answers tonight but the feeling of exhaustion pulling at him convinces Ellis that tomorrow would be a better time.

With a nod Ellis grumbles out, “Yes, but I want answers. Got that?”

Ben looks at him and laughs. “Yes sir.”

“I’m sorry Ben. I’m just a little moody and tired.” Ellis feels guilty on being rude to his rescuer.

“Its fine Ellis. You can be moody all you want. Let me help you to bed.” Ben replies in a soothing voice holding out his hand to him.

Ellis takes Ben’s hand and lets the larger man guide him back to the spare bedroom down the hall. The urge to lean all his weight into him unnerves him. He has just survived almost being killed by Adam and over two years of abuse by same said man. Here is his body completely trusting this man that could snap him in half like a stick.

After settling into bed and enjoying returning to the blanket that feels like a cloud, Ellis looks at Ben standing in the doorway.

“Thank you, Ben. I been trapped at the house with Adam for so long. If you didn’t save me I don’t want to think what would have happened to me.”

Ben with his eyes so full of care, “I would do it all again. You won’t ever be harmed by someone like that ever again.”

“Goodnight Ben.”

Goodnight Ellis.”

Ben turns the light off and closes the door to just a crack. Sleep comes to Ellis surprisingly easy.

Ellis is standing along a trail in the woods. The birds are chirping, and the sun breaks through the canopy shining beams of light to the forest floor below. A gentle warm breeze travels through the canopy with the trees rustling almost like soft whispers to each other. Ellis is feeling at total peace.

Ellis walks along not having a care or thought in the world. Hearing a stream close by, he walks off the trail following the sound. In just moments he enters a small clearing of wildflowers and grasses with wild raspberry bushes in bloom growing along a bubbling, stone-filled stream. Sitting down on the cool earth, his hands weave through the Bluets, Miami-Mists, Buttercups, and various other flowers with-in his reach.

“You are not getting away from me this time.”

With wide eyes, Ellis’s eyes immediately lock onto the voice and sees Adam leaning against a locust tree only feet away. Something ice cold strings its way into his chest with the too familiar unhinged smile on Adam’s face.

“I can’t have something like you anymore. You just don’t do anything right. I need a new toy. The only way for me to get a new toy is if I get rid of my old toys.”

A gun appears from behind Adam’s back. Ellis’s brain kicks off so fast on the various thoughts he becomes frozen. He can’t think to speak or do anything. Just his brain fighting with itself on what to do. His eyes are frozen on what is in his twisted boyfriend’s hand.

“Goodbye old toy.”

Adam pulls the trigger.

Ellis’s eyes snap open. His heartbeat thrumming in his throat, as he sits up in bed. A swift sound of footfalls approach and the door opens.

“Ellis! Are you alright?” Ben asks, his eyes wide in concern.

Just seeing Ben sooths Ellis’s fears and adds a rush of blood to his face. Ben is standing there in just a loose pair of boxers that do little to hide the pouch in front. Muscles nice and toned with body hair in all the right places in Ellis’s opinion. Ellis tries to shake the images of what he would do about removing those boxers.

“I am now. It was a nightmare. Well, it started out as a wonderful dream of me in a forest in Spring.

It was fine until the end when Adam shows up with a gun and shoots me.”, whispers Ellis.

Ben walks over and sits on bed beside Ellis. “He isn’t going to come near you again. I promise.”

“I know. I just hate that my brain must bring him up in my sleep. I never want to go back there again.”

An arm wraps around Ellis. “Ellis, if it is ok to say, you don’t have to go back. You are welcome to stay here. You can start over here in Armstrong.”

How can this man truly exist? The attraction that is blooming for this man is too much. He has to get away before it gets too deep. Looking up at Ben with a sad smile Ellis softly tells him, “I can’t stay here.”

Ben holds Ellis in a firmer grip and asks, “Why do you have to leave?”

“I’m attracted to you.”, sighs Ellis, looking down at his hands wringing the edge of the blanket. “You don’t seem real. I haven’t even known you for half a day and everything about you has me wanting to be next to you. It’s scary. I can’t be here and control these feelings. I haven’t ever felt something like this so strongly. Please don’t be angry.”

So many thoughts race through Ellis’s mind. So many scenarios on what Ben’s reactions will be.

Ben takes a few moments of thought before he lifts Ellis head by the chin and leans towards him.

His lips meet Ellis’s. Ellis is shocked to hell and back. He never thought this scenario would happen. Not wanting to miss this moment Ellis lets himself go. The sparks and vibrations running through his body is nothing he felt before. As soon as his and Ben’s tongues touch Ellis loses all his inhibitions. He grabs Ben and pulls him closer. The sounds coming from them is turning each other on more.

Soon Ben is on top of him. A trail of kisses along Ellis’s face leads to his neck just below his right ear. Ellis moans loudly and is holding onto Ben like the big strong tree of a man, his legs wrapping around him. Ellis doesn’t ever want to leave Ben’s side from now on. Ben is Ellis’s drug.

Slowly Ben pulls away chuckling, “I think you’re staying here.”

Ellis, miffed about Ben’s cocky smile, lightly smacks him on the shoulder. “Ass.”

Ben, looking over at the alarm clock says, “I’ll let you get some sleep. It’s past midnight and we will be talking all morning.” Ben tells him, going to get up off the bed.

Ellis grabs Ben by his large muscular arm. “Sleep here. Please.” Affection and fear is in Ellis’s mahogany brown eyes begging Ben to accept.

“Alright but we have to behave.” Ben smiles with a twinkle in his eye.

Ben and Ellis get under the covers. Ellis snuggles up underneath Ben’s arm, laying his head on his chest and both arms and legs wrapping around him like a baby primate with its mother.

"Goodnight Ellis." Ben whispers with a kiss to top of Ellis's head.

"Goodnight Ben." mumbles Ellis, pressing his face into Ben's chest hair.

With a hand stroking Ellis’s shaggy hair, They lightly squeeze each other and quickly fall into a peaceful dreamless sleep.