In Dreams He Came

by Trina Lane

  Before him stood the most beautiful specimen of manhood. The blinding white of the naval officer’s uniform made Gabe squint. The bright blue eyes smiled at him, and he knew in that moment that his heart would never belong to him ever again.

  “So this is really it?” Gabe asked.

  “We have no choice. The war will destroy everyone before it dies out on its own.”

  Gabe looked down at the gold bars on the brown sleeves of his own Army Air Corps uniform. His khaki tie seemed to strangle him as he looked across at the man he loved more than his own life.

  His lover came toward him but stopped before their bodies touched. They couldn’t reveal their love. Not here. Gabe wished more than anything they could share one last kiss. Hold each other one last time before their obligations ripped them away from each other, maybe permanently.

  “You come home to me. You hear, Gabriel? You come home. I don’t want to hear through the grapevine that some Gerry took you out over that god-forsaken hell they call home. Never let your guard down. Never let them take you by surprise.”

  Gabe nodded as tears clouded his eyes. “I promise. You… you too. I know you love the water, but don’t go for any extended swims, okay?”

  “I’ll write. You know mail gets a little sketchy out on the water, but I expect to hear from you.”

  Gabe nodded. “Every day. I promise.”

  “I love you, Gabriel.”

  Gabe couldn’t look away from the sapphire eyes filled with moisture. They were as blue as the seas his love was setting out to protect. Gabe couldn’t help but be terrified they’d never see each other again. He’d heard horrific things from men returning from the south Pacific. Sea battles on a scope nearly unimaginable. Great hulking ships disappearing beneath the unforgiving water, taking all aboard to their watery graves. Then again, it wasn’t as if the air over Europe was much safer. His commanding officer had drilled into their heads over and over that two out of every three planes never returned from their missions.

  “I love you too.”

  Gabe’s eyes twitched. He opened them to find that he was back in his parents’ home in present-day Idaho rather than standing in the middle of the street saying goodbye to his lover on the brink of joining a war that had changed the scope of the world. The lights on the large Christmas tree twinkled, and Gabe sighed. He couldn’t imagine what living during those times must have been like. The fear that must have lingered in the hearts of friends and family, waiting to hear about the fate of a loved one. The complete upheaval of home life for those left behind. And for men like him and Nick, the inability to reveal their true relationship even to their closest confidants. It made Gabe very thankful for the sacrifices of those who’d come before him, that he could live the life he had.

  “Did you have a good nap, sweetheart?”

  Gabe looked up and found himself staring at matching blue eyes to those in his dream. He sat up and climbed into Nick’s lap. Straddling Nick’s legs, he plastered their lips together. Their mouths met, and Gabe was desperate to rediscover Nick’s taste. To sink into the essence of the man he loved and absorb the very breath of his life. Nick’s hands gentled on Gabe’s back, the soothing strokes calming Gabe’s desperation enough that the frenzy in his mind cleared, and he pulled back from their kiss.

  Gabe leaned his forehead against Nick’s. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, my sweet prince. Your heart is racing, and I tasted your fear. That must have been some dream. Are you okay?”

  Gabe nodded. “Yeah. Sorry, I didn’t mean to maul you. I couldn’t stop myself. I had to kiss you one last time.”

  Nick cupped Gabe’s cheek. His thumb traced Gabe’s cheekbone. “Not the last. I promise.” Nick proved this by sealing their lips together, softly.

  “Gabe?” Melody called.

  Gabe looked over toward the kitchen where his mom stood, holding a large mixing bowl. “Yeah, Mom?”

  “Will you come help me with the Christmas cookies?”

  Gabe smiled. “Do I get to use the cut outs and sprinkles and everything?”

  Melody smiled. “I’ll even let you lick the bowl when we’re done.”

  Gabe bounded off Nick’s lap. He loved making Christmas cookies with his mom. It was something they’d shared since he was little. When he came around the island, he accepted the bowl from his mom and went over to where the standing mixer was set up. He added the butter and sugar to the bowl and then turned the power to a low setting. A whirring noise filled the kitchen, and Gabe looked over his shoulder to smile at his mom.

  “You seem happy, Gabe,” Melody said.

  “I am. School is going well. Only one semester left till graduation, my times in the pool have improved and well… I’m in love,” he finished sheepishly.

  “I can see that. It’s been nice getting to know the real Nick behind what we see on television. You seemed upset a minute ago, though. Is there something bothering you?”

  Gabe dug out the whisk and whipped the egg, vanilla, and brandy together. “No, had one of my dreams. You know how that goes.”

  The warm scent of the brandy filled his senses, and Gabe looked over at his mom. Her blue eyes spoke of the empathy he knew wouldn’t cross her lips. Gabe’s realistic dreams were well known by those of his family. When he’d been a child, they’d sometimes been so intense it would take him some time to accept that the dream was only that.

  He remembered several times as a little kid sitting at the breakfast table telling his mom all about his new friend. It took some time before his parents figured out that Gabe’s new friends only lived in his subconscious. On the nights when the dreams turned to nightmares, Gabe would be found curled in a little ball in the corner of his room, crying. His parents had used baby monitors until Gabe was ten, in an effort to monitor their son’s sleep patterns.

  Over time, the dreams had lessened their hold on Gabe, but as anyone close to him could attest, he still slipped away from reality on occasion. Gabe had always had an overactive imagination. When most kids had outgrown imaginary friends, Gabe could still be found having conversations with the characters in his head.

  “How has Nick handled your daydreaming, and are you still having trouble sleeping at night?”

  “He’s great, actually. I told him how it drives Phil up a wall, but anytime it happens with Nick he… well, um… he usually finds some pleasant way to bring me out of the dream.” Gabe knew his cheeks had to be flaming red, but his mom didn’t say anything other than grin that secretive smile of hers. “You know that sleeping has never been my problem. It’s the waking up part that I have difficulty with.”

  Gabe added the egg mixture to the now fluffy ingredients sitting under the mixer. His mom opened the oven, and the delicious scent of cooking turkey filled the kitchen. He moaned and licked his lips. His mom handed him a separate bowl filled with flour and salt. Gabe slowly added it to the batter. When the mixer reached its limit, he removed the dough and then kneaded the remaining ingredients together on some wax paper sitting on the granite countertop.

  “I still say you should have been an English major. Take creative writing classes. Use your dreams to become the next great American novelist.”

  Gabe shrugged. “I may try my hand at writing someday, but I love history too much.”

  Despite the progress of the times, Gabe didn’t think the American public was quite ready for the books his mind had been conjuring up recently. Nick came in from the deck where his parents kept their log crib. Gabe’s eyes were glued on the curve of his back and ass as his lover bent over to set the armful of fuel in the cradle by the fireplace. A hand appeared in Gabe’s face and snapped loudly. He jerked and then looked over to his left to see Lauren standing there with a smirk.

  “Snap out of it. He’s hot, I’ll give you that, but there are more important things in life than ogling your boyfriend’s backside.”

  Gabe tilted his head. “Like what?”

  “Hello! Cookies! Get back to work. I want me
some sugary yumminess.”

  “Yes, master,” Gabe said in a low husky voice.

  Gabe placed the dough back in the bowl and covered it with plastic. He placed it in the fridge and set the timer for two hours. After the dough set they could roll it and cut out the actual cookies for baking and then ultimately his favorite part; decorating them. God, I am such a child sometimes. But it’s Christmas, and nobody better get between me and my cookies!

  “Good boy. Now make me a cuppa good cheer, and don’t be stingy on the Bailey’s.”

  Gabe’s dad came into the kitchen, rolling his eyes. “Lauren, stop trying to enslave your brother.”

  “But, Dad,” Lauren whined. “I’m down on my quota for the year. With him living all the way in California, it’s not like I get to torment him on a daily basis any longer.”

  Nick came into the kitchen and stood beside Gabe. “No, he has Phil for that. In fact, I’m pretty sure that Phil is the male version of you, aside from the whole gay playboy aspect.”

  It was as if a lightbulb went off in Gabe’s head. He’d never made the connection before between his and Phil’s friendship and its similarities to his and Lauren’s relationship. Gabe chuckled at the image of Phil’s head on his sister’s body or vice versa.

  “What’s brewing in the mind of yours, sweetheart?”

  “Nothing!” Gabe said quickly, but then looked at Lauren and started laughing all over again.

  Lauren took out the ingredients for her drink and turned her back on Gabe. “Whatever. Go on and play.”

  Nick turned Gabe so they were facing each other. “Can we go build a snowman?”

  “Really? You want to?”

  Nick nodded. “I’ve haven’t in ages.”

  “Great idea!” Scott exclaimed. “Go get dressed in outdoor gear.” He opened the door to the refrigerator. “I’ll get the supplies ready. We’ll make the best snowman this side of the Mississippi.”

  Gabe took Nick’s hand, and they raced up to their bedroom to get dressed. They entered the room laughing as if they were little kids again. Nick shut the door, and Gabe quickly stripped his sleep pants down his legs. He’d bent over to grab a pair of jeans from his suitcase when Nick’s hands grasped his hips and the distinctive feel of a thickening cock ground against his ass.

  Gabe moaned as a flood of arousal washed through his system. His cock thickened in his briefs, and his nipples budded beneath the T-shirt he wore.

  “If we had time, I’d devour you from head to toe just as I did last night,” Nick growled behind him.

  Gabe straightened up and adjusted the angle of his cock. “Now how am I supposed to shove this in my jeans?” he asked, massaging his hardened shaft.

  Nick dropped to his knees, moving Gabe’s hand away as he pulled Gabe’s underwear out and down his legs. Gabe’s breath caught as he watched Nick lick his lips. Gabe leaned back against the dresser to steady himself. Nick’s head swooped down and swallowed Gabe’s cock. The wet heat inside Nick’s mouth seeped into Gabe’s pores. Gabe’s head tilted back, and he closed his eyes to savor the sensation.

  Nick’s hands rolled Gabe’s balls as he sucked greedily on the hard shaft. Nick’s tongue flicked across the slit and gathered up the leaking fluid from the tip. Little whimpers escaped from Gabe’s throat as Nick worked him over with exquisite perfection. Nick’s mouth moved up and down Gabe’s cock, increasing his speed as his hand wrapped around the base of the shaft and joined in the movement. Gabe’s body climbed toward climax at an embarrassingly quick pace. He gripped the edge of the dresser as his pelvis thrust, seeking more of Nick’s amazing mouth. Nick’s hand fell away from Gabe’s cock, and he almost groaned in disappointment until both palms landed on Gabe’s hips. That was their signal to let go.

  Gabe’s hand threaded through Nick’s hair and held his head the way he wanted it. He thrust into the sweet heaven of Nick’s throat. Below him Nick had pulled his sleep pants down beneath his balls, and was jacking off in rhythm to Gabe’s thrusts.

  “Boys! Hurry up! It’ll be dark in an hour!”

  “We’re coming, Dad!” Gabe yelled and then saw stars as his prophecy came true.

  Nick swallowed every ounce of his seed, and Gabe felt a blast of hot cum land on his foot as Nick found his pleasure. As soon as Gabe could breathe at a normal pace, and the spots receded from his vision, he sank to his knees and kissed Nick, tasting his release in Nick’s mouth as their arms wrapped around each other.

  “Better hurry. I’d hate for your dad to come up here and investigate what’s taking us so long.”

  “He wouldn’t dare, but I wouldn’t put it past Lauren.”

  They quickly dressed in their jeans, sweatshirts, and boots. As they made their way back downstairs, Gabe saw his dad standing beside the doors leading to the deck off the great room.

  “Oh good, I was about to send a search party.”

  “Mwahahaha,” Lauren cackled from the sofa, while rubbing her hands together.

  Gabe threw a pillow that sat in one of the club chairs at his sister. He and Nick put their coats on, and then they followed his dad out onto the deck.

  “There’s only about six inches out here, so I’m afraid it’ll be a little snowman. Too bad you weren’t here last month. We had record snowfalls. I think the news reports said we had a total of thirty-three inches last month. Yet ironically we barely squeaked out a white Christmas.”

  “That’s okay, Scott, it’s not the size that matters.”

  Scott laughed. “Truth is, I’m thrilled to have the chance to play. I spend my days corralling twelve and thirteen-year-olds. When Gabe and Lauren come home it gives me a chance to turn off teacher mode and have fun with my own children.”

  “Think fast!” Gabe yelled, right before he launched a snowball right at his dad.

  “Why you little!” Scott prepared his own cannonball then threw it at Gabe.

  A full-scale snowball fight ensued. It was every man for himself as they took up strategic positions around the house. Since the elevated deck wrapped around the exterior of the main floor, Nick, Gabe, and his dad had a bit of guerrilla warfare going till the battle waned and eventually a cease fire was called.

  Gabe peered through the plastic of the table he’d been using as a shield. It seemed that the coast was clear. Gabe stood and saw Nick heading in his direction, brushing snow off his hair. He didn’t see any sign of his dad, though.

  “Think fast!”

  Gabe turned his head toward the voice only to catch a faceful of snow. With a yelp, his feet slid out from underneath him, and he ended up on his butt. His dad came skidding across the deck, laughing.

  “I’m the king of the world!” Scott cheered.

  Gabe shook the snow off his head and shivered as some dropped beneath his collar. “Jeez, Dad. I was in fourth grade when that line was popular. We need to work on your repertoire.”

  Scott shrugged. “I may use cheesy lines, but I can still whip your butt.”

  Nick came up to Gabe and helped him get all the snow off his head. “I bet our fathers would have a blast together.”

  “You mean your dad has the maturity of a twelve-year-old too?”

  Gabe had actually met Nick’s dad a month or so ago. He found the man very nice, and his pride in Nick’s accomplishments was evident to even the most casual observer. Bruce had been very nice to Gabe. He’d lifted his ban on alcohol and enjoyed a night of drinking wine while the three of them told stories and laughed in Bruce’s restaurant till the early hours of the morning.

  “Now about that snowman….” Scott gathered up some snow from the deck and patted it into a ball.

  Gabe watched his father warily. He didn’t trust his dad not to pull another sneak attack, but when he knelt in the snow and began to roll the ball around the deck to build up its width, Gabe managed to relax.

  “Remember, the first thing you have to do is build a base.”

  Nick nodded, and Gabe scooped up a pile of snow and then handed it to Nick.

&
nbsp; “You make the middle, and I’ll take care of the head.”

  Gabe went to work. When the three main pieces were complete, all three men converged from their corners where they’d been rolling the white stones of snow. They positioned the snowman so it could look in the window of the great room. Nick lifted his ball and set it on top of Scott’s base.

  “Now we need to take some leftover and fill in the gap where the joints meet,” Scott instructed.

  Gabe’s cheeks hurt he was smiling so hard. It seemed that try as he might, his dad never left the classroom completely. The sun was quickly dipping low over the lake. Gabe estimated that they only had maybe another twenty minutes of light left.

  “Okay, Gabe. Your turn,” Nick said.

  Gabe lifted the head into place, making sure it was stable before letting go to fill in the joint.

  “Perfect!” Scott declared. “Now to give him some personality. Nick, would you do the honors?”

  Gabe’s dad handed over a carrot and two lumps of charcoal, obviously leftover from grilling during the summer. Next, his dad handed over a couple pieces of red yarn. They managed to fashion a mouth after a few attempts.

  Gabe stepped back to view their handiwork. He thought they’d done an admirable job. Nick came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Gabe’s waist.

  “Thank you, sweetheart.”

  “It was fun. I haven’t done anything like this in years.”

  “Okay, you two. I want a picture. Go stand next to Frosty.”

  Gabe and Nick went on either side of the snowman. They bent over so that their heads were equal to the snowman’s and smiled as his dad snapped the picture.

  “Perfect! I’ll download it and send it to both of you. Now, my old bones are getting cold, so I’m going inside.”

  Gabe took Nick’s hand and walked around the house till they stood outside the windows of the kitchen. He leaned against the railing and watched the sun sink below the hillsides.

  “Wow, I didn’t realize how high we were,” Nick said while leaning over the metal and glass barrier.