The Road - 7. Part 7

In the morning I was woken by the engine roaring to life. I looked out the window and saw that it was barely dawn, but I climbed down anyway and got dressed.

"Good morning," I said to Troy.

"Hey, I didn't mean to wake you, but I wanted to get an early start."

"It's ok. How's your head?"

"Better and I just took a couple of painkillers, so I should be fine in a minute."

"Please promise me you'll tell me if it gets worse, so I can take over."

"Alright, sure."

"Have you eaten yet?"

"No."

I made some milk for Lucky and then I shared a can of pineapple with Troy. I wasn't fully awake yet, so we didn't talk much. Soon the sun came up and it got nice and warm. It was kind of weird that we were in the freezing snow only a few days ago and now we were in the middle of the desert. The scenery was pretty boring, not much to see really, except for lots of sand, seemingly dry brushes and the occasional cactus.

"How about you make us some coffee?" Troy asked.

"Sure."

"But not like last time, alright?"

"I know."

I made two cups and returned to the front with them.

"Thanks," Troy said when I handed him his. He tasted it and raised his eyebrows. "Not bad."

I grinned, sat down and put Lucky on my lap. He wanted to inspect my coffee, so I held it up. I took a sip and closed my eyes. After a while I forgot about the kitten and put the cup on my thigh. Suddenly I felt him move and opened my eyes just in time to see how he dipped his paw into the coffee. He quickly jerked it back, probably because it was hot, and then started to attack the cup, which made it spill over.

"Lucky, you little rascal, look what you've done," I said. The kitten sat down, looked at me and innocently licked his paw. I giggled.

"What did he do?" Troy asked.

"He ruined my coffee."

"We can share mine if you want."

"That's ok, but thanks."

The rest of the morning was more or less uneventful. We kept playing games like "20 questions" or the grocery game, where you had to come up with random things and every turn you had to list all of them and then add one. Troy won almost every time, but I had fun anyway. Around noon we stopped and had lunch. Afterwards I insisted that Troy takes a short nap, which turned into a pretty long one. Apparently he really needed the rest. By the time he got up and joined me in the front we had already left Nevada behind us.

"Hey, sorry, I didn't mean to sleep that long," Troy said.

"I'm glad you did. Now guess where we are."

"We're in California? Already?"

"Yeah, I just saw a palm tree. How awesome is that?"

"Pretty awesome. Where are we headed?"

"We need fresh water, right? I figured finding a well would be near impossible, so I looked for rivers on the map. I found one by the coast, north of LA. We should be there in about two hours."

"That's great."

"And I haven't seen any monsters in a while."

"That doesn't mean they're dead, they could just be hiding from the sun somewhere."

"I guess."

"We could go skinny dipping in the ocean tonight."

"You just want to see me naked," I said, grinning.

"Busted... We should also stop wearing shirts all together."

"But then it won't be special anymore if you see me without one."

"It'll always be very fucking special to me, trust me. And how about I cut off the legs of your pants?"

"No thanks, you'd probably cut them so short that I'd look like one of the Village People."

He laughed.

"That's right... Hey, want me to take over?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks."

"You know, I think I'm gonna miss living in the RV. I mean, it's really cosy and we have a shower and a CD-player and it's pretty safe."

"I feel the same way. Maybe we should wait a while before we move into our house. We could take our time remodeling it and decorate it till we like it better than the RV."

"Sure, that makes sense... Do you realize how much work we have ahead of us?"

"Yeah, but it'll be worth it and at least we'll always have something to do."

"Are you worried you'd get bored otherwise?" he asked, slightly frowning.

"No, of course not, I'd never get bored around you, but idle hands are the devil's playthings, you know?"

"I guess."

"How's your head by the way?"

"Fine. It's getting better."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"You didn't answer me earlier. You are up for some skinny dipping later?"

"I don't know, I think I'd be a little uncomfortable, but I'd go swimming with you in my Speedos if you want."

"You in those tight-ass Speedos? Hell yeah. I'm getting hard just thinking about it. I'm pretty sure if I see that in the flesh I'll have to jump you."

"I wouldn't mind that. It's been a few days."

"Is that an accusation?"

"No, an invitation."

"I'll take some painkillers right now and later I'll eat you the fuck alive," he said, smirking.

"You could make love to me tonight if you want."

"Could we postpone that? Till I've fully recovered? I want it to be perfect, you know?"

"Ok, maybe in our new house, in a real bed, with lots of candles everywhere?"

"Yeah, exactly... Hey, look!"

He pointed to a sign that said "Brauer Family Orchard. 1.3 miles south of exit 9. See you there."

"Do you think we should check it out?" I asked.

"Definitely."

I took the exit and headed south. About five minutes later we arrived at the orchard. There were seven twenty-yard-long rows of different trees and it was all totally overgrown, the grass alone was maybe three feet high. We went outside and looked around.

"Watch your step, there could be freaks lying in the grass," Troy said.

None of the trees seemed to bear any fruit and some of them were even withered. Then we came to the last row in the back. My eyes widened and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There were oranges, lots of them, really big and ripe and just beautiful. I almost started to cry, I was so happy. I ran to a tree, picked one off, peeled it as fast as I could and bit into it. It tasted incredible. I closed my eyes and moaned softly.

"Oh my god, that's the best thing I've had in my mouth in a year," I said dreamily.

"Hey! What about my dick?"

"Don't be gross Troy."

He laughed.

"I'm just saying."

"We don't have a squeezer, do we?"

"No, it felt crazy to me packing one, so I left it. But I'll squeeze them for you with my hands, no problem."

"I think I'm going to eat oranges now till I throw up."

He laughed, but when I didn't he stopped and frowned at me.

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"You bet. Hey, why are you just standing there, start eating."

"I thought we wanted to fool around later."

"So?"

"We can't if you have stomach cramps and keep throwing up."

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that."

"Please don't tell me you prefer eating oranges till you're sick over fooling around with me."

"No... of course not. I guess I'll just eat a couple then," I said disappointedly.

"Good, I'll get the buckets."

"Ok, I'll come with you."

I finished my orange on the way and then we took the buckets and our backpacks, returned to the trees and started to pick them. After bringing back the first load I emptied the backpacks on the floor in the storage room.

"What are you doing?" Troy asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't you keep them in the backpacks?"

"And how would I carry the rest of the oranges over here then?"

"The rest? We have at least fifty now. How many more do you want?"

"All of them?"

He laughed.

"Was that orange you ate fermented? Are you drunk right now?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Jesus, Cody, there are probably over 400 oranges out there. It would be crazy to take them all. Most of them would spoil and make one hell of a mess in here."

"No, they won't spoil. I'll eat them before that happens."

"Even if you could eat them that fast, you'd get really sick, so I can't let you do that."

"You're not the boss of me. I can do whatever I want," I said defiantly.

"Cody, you once told me that when I hurt myself it hurts you too. Well, the same goes for me and you're about to hurt yourself. So just snap out of it, alright?

I thought for a second.

"Fine, but just one more load, ok? Please? I won't get sick, I promise."

"I guess," he sighed.

We picked maybe fifty more and then moved on. The RV smelled amazing. Troy was driving and we shared one orange after another. I was in heaven. We arrived at the coast, near the river, in the late afternoon.

"Let's get you into those Speedos," Troy said, smirking.

"The sun is going down soon. How about we take Lucky and a blanket, go down to the beach and watch it? Afterwards we'll put him to bed and then we can have some fun."

"Sounds like a plan."

We all went to the beach together and made ourselves comfortable. Lucky didn't want to leave the blanket at first, because he was scared of the sand, but after a while he realized that he wouldn't sink in completely and headed for the water. He still had trouble moving in the sand though, so he was constantly trying to jump and fell over. It looked so awkward and funny that it made us laugh. The sun began to set and Troy took me into his arms. I leaned against him and stroked his chest. The sky was painted in the most breathtaking combination of warm colors. Suddenly I felt like my life was complete, that it was perfect and that nothing could possibly make it any better than it was in that moment.

"I love you Cody," Troy said softly and proved me wrong.

"I love you too. I'm so happy right now, you have no idea."

"Yeah, me too."

We stayed like that till it got dark and then we went to pick up Lucky, who was busy chasing after the water when it receded and running away from it as fast as he could when it returned. We brought him to the RV, made him some milk and a hot-water bag and when he had eaten, done his business and was asleep in his bed, I put on my Speedos, Troy stripped to his underwear and we went back to the beach. We walked up to the water and I dipped my foot in. It was really cold.

"I don't think I want to go in anymore," I said, but Troy didn't respond, so I looked over and caught him staring at my body. He seemed totally mesmerized and had a very obvious erection. It made me giggle.

"Troy? Can you hear me?" I asked.

"What?... I wanna touch you. Can I touch you please?" he said, without looking up at me.

"What about swimming?"

"Fuck swimming. Can I touch you now please?"

"Sure, go ahead."

He walked up behind me and let his hand slide down my stomach and over the front of my Speedos. I was fully aroused in an instant. He massaged my erection through the fabric and then moved his hand to my butt. He cupped both cheeks at first and then rubbed his finger back and forth over my anus.

"I want you so badly," he whispered in my ear, which gave me goose bumps, the good kind.

"Come on."

We went to our blanket and I lay down. He kneeled next to me and slowly took off my Speedos.

"Lift up your legs," he said.

"No, I'm not clean enough for that. Let me take care of you instead."

"No, I have a better idea."

He pulled off his underwear, moved in front of me and then started to lick me from my testicles, over my penis, up my stomach and chest, till he finally reached my mouth. We kissed passionately and he lay down on top of me. He propped himself up on his elbows and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He slowly and tenderly ground his erection against mine. It sent a jolt of pleasure through my body. We kept kissing and occasionally he would grind into me again. I became more and more aroused every time he did and it went on like that for what felt like an eternity. Finally I couldn't take it anymore and started to press him against me more frequently. After a couple more minutes I climaxed so hard I was sure I would pass out. I felt Troy tense up at the same time and we both moaned loudly. When it was over we were so out of breath it made me giggle.

"What's funny?" Troy asked.

"If we keep this up we will pass out from pleasure one day."

"So this IS getting more intense every time, right? It's not just me who feels that way?"

"No, it is. I can't even imagine how it'll be when we'll go all the way."

"We'll probably lose our minds. I know I will."

"Yeah."

"Wanna get cleaned up?"

"How? We forgot to bring our towel, or any towel for that matter."

"In the ocean."

"I'm not going in there."

"Wanna bet?"

He picked me up and started to run towards the water.

"Troy, don't you dare throw me in."

"Or what?"

"I won't speak to you for two days."

"I don't react well to threats. Now I have to throw you in."

"No, Troy, I take it back, I won't do anything, just please don't do it, ok? Please?"

"You're filthy, you need to be washed... Here we go!" he said, laughing, as we reached the ocean. He squatted down a little and then threw me up in the air, but he didn't let go of me and pulled me right back into his arms.

"I'm just fucking with you. I wouldn't do that to you," he said.

"Thank God," I gasped. "I would've died, you know?"

He laughed.

"I highly doubt that. Come on, let's go in," he said and put me down.

"No way."

"It'll only be cold for a second, you'll see."

"I don't think so."

"What will it take? Name your price. Anything you want."

"Why do you want me to go in so badly?"

"Cause it'll be fun."

"I don't know."

"How about I'll empty the toilet tank when it's full the next two times?"

"Eww... Ok."

"Great, let's go. On three, alright?" I nodded. "One... Two... Three."

We both ran into the water and when it was deep enough we dove in head first. It was freezing, but not as bad as I had imagined it would be. I surfaced and saw Troy standing there hugging his chest.

"Fuck me that's cold," he said and I laughed.

"I thought you said it would only be cold for a second."

"I was so fucking wrong."

I laughed again.

"Come on, now that I'm in I want to swim for a while, at least for half an hour."

"Jesus."

"I'm just messing with you. Let's go back to the RV and get warmed up."

"Yes please."

We got out, took our blanket and walked to the RV. It was really warm and cosy inside. We dried ourselves off, put on some underwear and a shirt and went to bed. I cuddled myself against Troy and fell asleep with a smile on my face. The next morning I was gently woken by Troy stroking my hair. I looked up at him and we smiled at each other.

"Hey gorgeous," he said and kissed me.

"Hey."

"Are you ready for some house-hunting?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty excited actually. I know it's a cheesy thing to say, but today could be the first day of the rest of our lives."

"That is cheesy, but you're right, if we find the perfect place we might end up living there till we grow old."

"So let's get to it, ok?"

"Sure."

We climbed out of bed and got dressed. After feeding Lucky and having a couple of oranges for breakfast we started to explore the area around the river. We searched for hours, but nothing seemed to meet our expectations. There was always something wrong with them. They were either too big, too small, impossible to secure or there just wasn't enough space for a garden. At noon we finally took a break to have lunch.

"Maybe we should look somewhere else," I said disappointedly.

"You wanna give up that quickly?"

"Well, no, but we've been driving around forever, so maybe we should be more realistic about this. It was kind of naive to think that we'd find a place right away."

"And it's a good thing we haven't, cause we don't want a place that can be found easily, so I think we've just approached this the wrong way. We should get off the roads for starters."

"That could be dangerous."

"It could also be worth it... Hey, I have an idea, why don't you ask God to help us?"

"I don't know, we're not really in trouble and I don't want to waste any favors he might grant us on something that isn't absolutely necessary."

"But this is pretty important, so I think you should make an exception."

"Ok, but just this once."

I folded my hands and silently prayed to God for a few minutes.

"Done," I said.

"Great."

We finished our meal and then continued our search. After about an hour he decided we had looked everywhere and moved on to the next river, a couple of miles north. We stayed off the roads right away. There were a lot less houses and it was mountainous and really rocky. I was driving and we tried to check the most unlikely places possible, but it didn't get us anywhere.

"We should just call it a day," I said, disheartened.

"Alright. How about you drive up on that hill? We'll have a nice ocean view from there."

"Sure. Good idea."

It took us a while to find a way up there, but we finally made it. That's when we saw it. There was a small two-story house on top of the hill that hadn't been visible from below. We parked the RV and got out. There was a huge space in front of it that could be used as a garden. The lock was already broken, so we entered cautiously. It smelled a little stuffy, but not like rotting flesh, which was a relief, because it meant that there were no monsters or dead bodies lying around. Everything looked very modern, whoever had owned it must've had money. The whole first floor was one big room. There was the living area to the right, with a large, white, L-shaped couch in front of a fireplace. Instead of a wall there was a glass window and a screen door with the most amazing view over the ocean. Across from the living area there was the kitchen, also white, and a dining table with six chairs. On the left there was another wall-sized window and screen door leading to a big patio and the garden. Upstairs we found a bathroom and two bedrooms. The house was maybe twenty minutes away from the beach, on foot, and about fifteen from the river and it had its own generator, gas and water tank. I couldn't believe our luck, it was almost exactly what we had been looking for, even better in some regards.

"What do you think?" Troy asked.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" I said excitedly.

"Yeah, it's pretty great."

"Should we keep looking or is this it?"

"No, I'd say this is it. What about you?"

"Yeah, I think we're finally... home."