It was getting dark outside now. It was getting late. He looked at his watch and saw the time and knew it was probably too late now. Justin was still kneeling on the floor of the lobby - he'd been waiting for hours now - he hadn't received any response and he knew that it was now too late. He was alone. Forever. Alone.

His legs were stiff and numb from having sat in the the same position for so long. He knew though, now that it was over, there was no sense in remaining here any longer.  He tried to stand, almost toppling over due to his frozen muscles, but managed to maintain his balance and push himself up at last. Once he was again on his feet he didn't know what to do next - he had nowhere to go now, no one to go to. He didn't want to think about what he'd lost or how he was going to go on, he just wanted to leave this place but didn't know which direction to head. As he stood there, trying not to think of anything other than his next step, trying to avoid the pain, once again, he reached for his bracelet as an anchor to keep him grounded.

He always wore the bracelet on his left arm so that he could reach it with his right hand whenever he needed the comfort of the feeling of the smooth cowry shells. He needed that comfort now more than ever. He reached over with his hand and stoked the shells - he knew now that the bracelet had once been Brian's, his lover's, and that thought, more than anything else, gave him even more comfort. Perhaps it would give him inspiration and help him decide what he should do now that he had no more future.

He had no idea how long he'd stood there, playing with the shells, touching the anchor that was now the only thing holding him in this place.

"Arrghhhh!," Justin screamed abruptly. It was gone. The bracelet was gone! Without any warning, while he was standing there with the bracelet on his wrist, in his hand, it was gone. It had just disappeared. He now had nothing - no anchor, no Brian, no future, nothing.

There was no longer anything keeping him here in this place. Justin took a deep breath and turned towards the door - he would leave, he thought. He couldn't go back upstairs to the loft now that it was so utterly empty. He would find some other place where he wouldn't have to remember. He began to take a halting step towards the door, but then heard a noise coming from behind him, from the door to the rear parking area. He wasn't sure why he hesitated - why that noise gave him pause - but he waited nonetheless.

"Sunshine." The name came out in a subdued voice - barely above a whisper. Justin knew that voice but couldn't believe in it. He knew it was already too late - he must be imagining it. His damaged brain was trying to trick him. It couldn't be.

"Justin. I'm here. I waited."

"Brian? You're here?" It was a question, not a statement, because Justin was still unsure if he could believe what he was hearing. He was still not prepared to turn around and face that voice - he needed to be sure it was real.

He heard footsteps, the heels of brand new shoes, not yet broken in, tapping against the linoleum, approaching him. Then, he felt a tentative touch on his shoulder - a hand with long, strong fingers gripped his shoulder. At the first touch, he involuntarily inhaled, knowing finally that it was truly real, he was here. The breath that filled his lungs was permeated with the scent of the man's cologne - that same rich, heady aroma he remembered from the night under the willows, from the welcome letter he'd found when he first moved in, from an amazing encounter in the backroom at Babylon and also accompanied by the smell of stale beer and cigarette smoke from one night at Woody's. As he exhaled, Justin felt his shoulders relax and his head tilting backwards, angling toward the warm body behind him, his eyes closing so that he could more clearly focus his other senses.

"Sunshine." He heard the pet name that only one man used for him repeated again in the strong, sensual baritone voice. Then the hand on his shoulder slowly pulled his body around. The warmth of the body next to him began to seep into his skin. The hand on his shoulder began to drift down his arm, resting on his upper arm with a firm grip, while a second hand trailed down his left arm, down to his hand, and he felt fingers entwining with his own. The two strong hands holding him then pulled his body closer to the one standing in front of him. He could feel the heat emanating from the other body and feel the warmth of another's breath on his face.

"Open your eyes, Justin. What are you afraid of," said the voice with a hint of humor.

"I'm afraid I'll wake up and you'll be gone," Justin replied in a soft tenor.

"This is real. Open your eyes, Sunshine. I want to see those gorgeous baby blues."

Finally reassured and utterly jubilant, Justin let his eyelids flutter open to the glorious sight of the man he'd feared he would never see again.

"Brian. You're here." Justin asserted with more conviction this time.

The other man didn't say anything, he simply pulled Justin's lips to his in a tender, sensuous kiss. The taste of those lips was so soft and warm, so sweet, he wanted to lose himself in those lips forever. Justin sighed against Brian's lips and couldn't help but deepen the kiss, pressing harder against the accepting lips of this amazing, sexy man.

Their kisses began light, tender and soft. Brian kissed Justin's lips again and again, sucking and nipping and savoring every taste. Soon, though, he found that Justin's lips weren't enough. He wanted to taste every inch of this man.  He found himself nuzzling and kissing the younger man's neck, first in that spot right behind the ear where the skin was the most sensitive, then down the length of Justin's long slender neck to the hollow where his collarbone started, as Justin angled his neck away to give his lover better access to the sensitive skin.

Then, as Brian's hands reached around Justin's body and sought out the skin under the material of his shirt, the brunet's lips returned to the blond's lips once again. The kisses now deepening and becoming more insistent, Brian was biting and sucking at Justin's lower lip and then licking, nipping again. After a brief time, Brian felt the other man's tongue poking out, prodding against his mouth, and Justin giving as much as receiving. He opened his own mouth, reciprocating, tongues dancing and twining together. Their mouths were crushed together so tightly that neither could breathe, but for the longest time, neither seemed to need breath and the kiss just went on.

When they eventually drew apart, Brian leaned back so that he could look at his beautiful blond boy and feast his eyes that had been denied this vision for two long years. He felt drawn into the dark, sapphire gaze raking over his own countenance as if to memorize every part. He was utterly jubilant that he was finally here with the one man he'd wanted for so, so long. He let himself drown in the depths of that entrancing gaze and was swept away again with a flood of feelings he could barely name, let alone control.

"We should go upstairs, Sunshine," Brian suggested. Justin nodded and gave his lover that huge Sunshine grin that lit up the room and showed off all of his adorable dimples. Then Brian took the smaller hand in his and led the way towards the elevator, pushing the call button and then sweeping the younger man back into his arms, holding him tightly and breathing in the scent of his musk.

They tumbled into the elevator together, laughing now with the sheer joy of finally being together, now, in the right time and place. They couldn't stop their hands from roaming each other's body, seeking out any exposed skin to reassure themselves this was indeed true. Touching and being touched again and again. Feeling the heat of skin, the pulse of the other, the ripples of pleasure that flowed over their bodies. Pressing their bodies together, unable to get close enough, wanting to simply flow into the other.

On the fourth floor, Brian reached out to raise the elevator gate and again enveloped Justin's hand with his own. Then, pulling the ready, willing and definitely able young blond with him, fishing out his keys and sliding the loft door open, Brian led them back into their loft.  Brian took a moment to relish that idea - THEIR loft - it was true, though. They were together in the place they belonged and he could never let Justin go again. It would be their loft and their house in West Virginia. Brian was ecstatic at the prospect - it would be their lives together, forever. And Brian was no longer frightened by the idea. 'Imagine that,' he thought.

Brian had been still for a brief moment while he'd examined this epiphany. Justin, though, was not ready to slow down for even that short a time. As soon as the loft door was closed, he'd reached out to Brian's cotton, button-down shirt and started to remove it. The feel of the light cotton being pushed off his shoulders by warm hands, brought Brian's attention immediately back to the present and he smiled down at his avid young lover, who was already reaching towards the hem of Brian's ribbed, black wife-beater tee.

"Need help?" Justin teased with a catty grin as he assisted the sexy brunet to pull the tee off over his head. Brian was thrilled with this playful Justin and smiled while lowering his slightly open mouth, trying to get another taste. Justin wasn't through, though - he opened his own mouth and seemed to lean into Brian to complete the kiss, but then, just as their lips were millimeters from touching, the boy pulled back with a teasing smile and sank down to his knees, trailing his lips lightly down the well-muscled chest and stomach in front of him. When his mouth reached the waistband of Brian's jeans, he tilted his head back, grinning up at the other man, and while holding his lover's gaze, he efficiently undid the jeans without needing to look, then slid the pants down, noting with his fingertips that there were no briefs to slow down the process.

Now that the blond had free access to the entirety of Brian's gorgeous golden-hued skin, he dove in to sample the delectable feast before him. Wrapping his right arm around Brian's hips and pulling him closer, Justin began to taste and kiss the tender skin at Brian's hip and groin, still not daring to touch the proud, straining and magnificent cock nearby. Instead, Justin moved up from the soft, tender hips, licking with a wet, flat tongue, back up Brian's stomach, chest and long tender neck.

The teasing touch of that tongue was torture to Brian, but tantalizing torture that caused his dick to pulse and strain even more towards the warm body of the man in front of him. As soon as Justin's face was once again within reach, he swooped down and claimed another, deeper, more lasting kiss from the coral lips, as he walked them both back towards the bedroom. When he had managed to lift an unresisting Justin up the few steps to the room and then over to the bed itself, he let his own teasing grin light up his face and placing his hands on each side of the boy's face, gave a little shove causing the younger man to tumble back onto the bed with a small giggle.

Justin wasn't ready to give up on his exploration of the body of the sex-god now standing in front of him, so he quickly scooted back towards Brian, and resumed his licking and kissing worship of the glorious golden skin. The excited youth concentrated this time on nipping, licking and sucking on the older man's chest and the already hard little nubs of his nipples - flicking his tongue over one repeatedly, while tweaking and pinching the other with his right hand - causing Brian to pant and sigh.

This was too much for Brian, who couldn't wait any longer. He briskly moved Justin's mouth far enough away to be able to tear off the pale blue, over-tight tee the boy was wearing, then shoved against his shoulders dropping the slender young man onto his back on the bed. Brian then made quick work of removing the loose cargo pants and briefs, finally exposing the entirety of the flawless alabaster skin of his wondrous lover. With an involuntary moan, Brian reached up to grasp Justin's wrists and pin them to the bed as he lowered his body to cover the smaller one beneath his and revel in the feeling of the full-body contact.

As Brian had reached out to grab his wrists, Justin's eyes had been momentarily diverted from their lock on the hazel eyes of his lover towards the other man's own wrist. He gasped in amazement when he saw, there on Brian's right wrist, the same cowry shell and leather band that Justin had been wearing only moments before in the lobby, until it had mysteriously disappeared. He didn't have time to contemplate the enigma, though - Brian's insistent ministrations almost immediately diverted his attention back to the real work at hand.

Brian could not keep away from the now swollen lips of this beautiful man in his bed. He dove in again and again for more tastes, still pinning Justin's hands to the bed, while their bodies writhed against each other. Finally releasing those wrists and moving his hands down to grasp and still the insistent hips below him, he let his mouth again wander to kiss and bite the hard clavicle and shoulder bones under the silken skin, and the firm muscled pecs adjacent. Brian noted with glee that his boy was now sporting a small gold nipple ring on his right nipple, and the sexy older man playfully tugged at it with his teeth causing gasps and moans to rise up from Justin's smiling lips.

Brian let his mouth wander further south, licking at the ivory skin of Justin's abdomen and stomach, dipping into the small 'inny' belly button and circling around the navel, all the time holding down the shoulders of the boy, trying to control the ecstatic contortions of the other man until he could complete his inventory of all Justin's lickable, bitable parts. As he continued to lick and taste, going lower and lower, he finally felt the heat of Justin's  full, heavy cock, brush against his cheek, dripping a small amount of pre-cum as it touched.

"I want you inside me, Brian. Now. Please," came a small voice from the thrashing blond boy.

The plea, along with the sensation of the liquid now rolling down his face, drove Brian instantly mad - unable to restrain himself any further, he moved down further so he could taste the salty wetness of that beautiful, full, thick cock, licking and sucking and relishing each second of contact between his lips and the engorged organ. As his mouth made love to the cock in front of him, Brian's hands continued to slide over the youth's body, down Justin's sides and over his thighs, over and around his hips, eventually latching on to the firm, round globes of his perfect ass. He groped and massaged those full cheeks, unable to get enough of the feeling of them filling the palms of his hands while the delicious cock was filling his mouth.

Brian then allowed one hand to circle further down, trailing over the boy's crack and lightly grazing the sweet little pucker within. Justin's frame bucked up violently at the touch and an unrestrained "Oh! Brian" fell from his lips. Encouraged, Brian continued his exploration, circling and teasing the hole while mimicking the actions with his tongue on the twitching cock in his mouth. Finally, daring to push the digit into the tantalizing entrance, Brian noted the louder moan from his charge and the involuntary thrust of the boy's dick further into his throat. He continued to work at the tight little hole with first one then two then three fingers as he increased the suction of his mouth on the eagerly thrusting cock.

Brian knew that they were both getting very close when he felt another spurt of pre-cum leaking across his tongue causing his own dick to jump against the boy's thigh. Knowing there wasn't a second to waste, he released Justin's cock, eliciting a small groan of loss, scooped his arms behind and around the boy's thighs and folded them up to rest on his shoulders as he swooped down for another crushing kiss. Reaching over to the nearby nightstand, he rapidly retrieved the necessary supplies and rapidly prepared himself, then, unable to wait any longer, he drove his straining, aching dick straight into the waiting well of his lover. Brian knew he should have probably gone a little slower, prepared Justin more, but he was so overwhelmed by the emotions and sensations this reunion had engendered, he simply could not restrain himself. His worries were quelled, however, by the happy moan and thrusting hips of his partner, indicating that the blond was just as eager and feeling equally enthusiastic about this coupling. Gratified, Brian let his inhibitions fall away.

Encircling the body of the man beneath him, with his arms clasped around the smaller man's thighs and back, bending the limber body in half, he joyously pumped into the welcoming depths of his lover, pounding in again and again, loving every sound of adoration coming from the lips of his young lover who strained to meet him thrust for thrust. Their rhythm matched perfectly. Brian realized that his moans and gasps were as loud, if not louder, than Justin's as he called out his lover's name again and again, their cries muffled only by the crushing, demanding kisses every time their lips met. Justin's hands were grappling at Brian's neck and shoulders and running through the sweaty chestnut locks, seeking to somehow bring their bodies even closer, to fuse them together so they would never have to part, never have to let this passion abate.

The pace was now becoming frantic - Brian was thrusting into Justin's ass deeper and deeper with each push as he lifted the smaller hips higher to give himself even greater penetration. Justin was arching his back at the same time, trying to take more and more of Brian into his depths, wanting to feel every glorious inch of that proud cock inside him. After minutes or hours more of this pure, completely fulfilling pleasure, Brian felt that his climax was closing in. He started to reach down to touch the hard, pulsing cock of his lover, which was straining between them, but didn't have to since, at that moment, he felt Justin's frame arch up even more strongly, the youth's body becoming rigid for several seconds, and a roar of release rise up from Justin's gaping mouth. Brian felt the warm liquid of his cum spreading between their bellies and then the body below him relaxed as if it were melting away.

The sensation of the boy's ass muscles spasming around his dick as the blond reached his climax, took Brian over the edge as well. He felt the tightening in his balls, the involuntary contractions of his stomach muscles, the feeling as if all his nerve endings were suddenly lit on fire and then his own release, coursing out and draining all the tension from his body. He allowed himself to collapse on the body of his lover savoring the feeling of the unresisting warm body trapped beneath his, their chests and stomachs stuck together with Justin's cum, their breathing in tandem and their pulses racing together. He didn't want to move. If only they could stay like this, this close, so much in unison, forever, he thought.  He knew that he would be truly happy for the rest of his life if he could only stay here, like this, with the feel of Justin under him, for evermore.

"I love you, Sunshine," Brian whispered into the shell of the boy's ear, then rolled their still entwined bodies to the side and blissfully let himself drift off to sleep, his cock still resting inside his lover.

When he roused a little later, Brian felt his heart soar to find Justin snuggled into his side, the bright, blond head nestled on his chest. "This is the way I want to wake up for the rest of my life," he whispered, his lips against the other man's temples.

"That sounds good to me," was the sleepy reply from his bedmate, who smiled up at him with pure joy shining out of his eyes.

Brian's laughter was unrestrained. He couldn't ever remember being this happy. To celebrate, he pulled Justin into the circle of his arms once again, enjoying the knowledge that he could, and proceeded to kiss and fondle the young man. 'On to round two,' Brian smiled to himself as he rolled over to start back to work.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Justin woke up the next morning to the dulcet tones of his lover's voice - Brian was speaking on the phone in a hushed voice - Justin couldn't think of a more lovely sound, especially first thing in the morning. He heard Brian say goodbye to whomever he was conversing with and then heard the light thump of barefoot steps coming towards the bedroom. He turned his head to look towards the bedroom steps and was rewarded with the sight of Brian, clad only in his jeans, the top button undone, with his hair touseled and two cups of steaming coffee in his hands.

"Good morning, Sunshine," Brian greeted him as he set the coffee down next to the bed, then reached over to pull Justin in for their first kiss of the day.

"Mmmmm. That tastes good. Think the coffee will be as refreshing?" Justin smiled up at his lover.

"That remains to be seen." Brian leaned in to kiss the warm, soft lips again, thinking how easy it would be to fall back into bed with this beautiful man. He groaned and pulled away though - they had plans which didn't involve staying in bed all day - at least not here at the loft.

"Come on, Sunshine. Time to rise 'n shine. We have to get going." Brian stood up and reached one strong arm down to assist his lover out of bed.

"Why? I'm pretty happy right here. You could come back to bed and I could endeavor to make you pretty happy, too," the beautiful blond offered.

"God. You are so tempting, Sunshine," Brian allowed himself to be pulled back down for another kiss, one which lasted several minutes and threatened to completely derail his plans. But, with supreme self-control, he finally managed to pull away, and in the process grabbed Justin's hand, pulling the younger man up out of the bed at the same time.

"No fair trying to distract me, Sunshine. It's time to get you to the shower and then we have to go. I want to give you your present."

"You didn't have to get me anything, Brian. I have you, after all. That's all I wanted."

"Well, now you've got me and I want to make sure you never get away," Brian said as he kept tugging at Justin, trying to entice him towards the shower.

"Why would I ever want to get away?"

"Come on. You'll like this present, I think. But we're going to be late if you don't hustle, Sunshine. Besides, don't I remember some rather innovative games that you thought up having to do with a shower and a fresh bar of soap. If you get up and come shower now, I'll even spot you those ten points." Brian teased, and was encouraged to see Justin's eyes light up as the blond vaulted out of bed and pulled Brian towards the shower after him.

A half hour later, the pair was exiting the elevator and leaving the lobby together, where a sleek black limo waited at the curb in front of the building. Justin looked up at Brian with a myriad of questions on his countenance, but Brian merely shook his head slightly, smiled and ushered the man towards the open door being held by the driver. Justin allowed himself to be seated in the elegant vehicle and held his queries for the time being as Brian lifted a chilled bottle of champagne out of the ice bucket next to the rear seat, poured them two glasses of bubbly, and raised his glass to toast his companion.

"To many, many Sunshine filled days ahead!" Brian said while clinking his glass against Justin's. Justin felt his cheeks burning at the overly romantic compliment, but said nothing. This playful, romantic Brian was the best present he could possibly think of and he didn't want to push his luck by pointing it out to the usually more reserved man sitting next to him.

They chatted, kissed, sipped their champagne, touched, and kissed again for the length of the drive. Justin was beginning to wonder where exactly they were heading after the first twenty minutes or so, but was enjoying himself too much to bother questioning Brian. He was too busy sucking at Brian's sweet, champagne-drenched lips at the time the question arose in his mind, anyway. When the limo finally pulled to a stop and the driver came around to the side of the vehicle to open the rear door, Brian pulled away from the lingering kisses and stepped out of the car, grasping Justin's hand and tugging at him to follow.

Justin was confused by what he saw when he'd emerged and finally stood next to the car. In front of them was a large residential building - at least he thought it was a residence, even though it was easily large enough to house several families. It was built in the English Tudor style with half-timbered upper stories and several large gables, all set in a wooded landscape at the end of a long curving driveway.

"Wow, this place is amazing," Justin commented as Brian once again clasped his hand and started walking him towards the front door.

"Wait until you see the tennis court, and the pool, and the stables," Brian responded, his lips curling under in pleasure as he carefully regarding Justin's expression to weigh the younger man's response.

"Stables? Who lives here," Justin asked.

"We do," Brian said as he reached to grasp the door handle and push open door. "Assuming you want to, that is."

"What?" was Justin's stunned reply.

"I bought it,' Brian said as he ushered the speechless young man into the house, through the firelit living room and beyond to a sunlit breakfast nook - table already set, food on the table and mimosas poured in the waiting champagne flutes. Brian maneuvered Justin towards the table, seating him in one of the wrought-iron bistro chairs.

"I bought this house because I wanted to prove to the person I love, how much I love him. I want to be with you, Justin, forever. I don't ever want to try to live without you again, or go through the agony of waiting to be with you and knowing I can't protect you or that I can't be there to take care of you when you're in pain. I want you to live here with me. I want you to marry me."

Then, to Justin's astonishment and joy, Brian pulled a velvet covered box from his jacket pocket and knelt in front of him, staring up at the only man he'd ever loved, with yearning and a little fear in his eyes.

Justin's response was immediate and unreserved. He leaned down, tenderly touched his lips to those sensual, crushed-cranberry lips of his lover and whispered, "Yes. Of course, I'll marry you Brian. That's all I've ever wanted, ever since I first met you. I love you!" And he pressed his lips into the first kiss of many more to come.  

The End. For now!