Anywhere But Here

by Remmy Duchene

  “You would leave me?”

  “I was about to invite you.”

  “Chad, traveling is expensive. I cannot afford such luxuries…”

  “Nimal.” Chad pointed.

  John hesitated in looking but eventually turned as his brother approached the car and looked in.

  “Well, he wanted to confess the whole sordid story to everyone,” Nimal said. “And I do mean everyone. Mother is there, as well as Uncle Chandu. Cousin Abal is there, who by the way I just heard he is to be married to some woman studying in England he’s never met, so he’s having a somewhat horrible night. Do you remember them?”

  John nodded. “Uncle Chandu killed Anu.”

  “Do you still wish to do this?” Chad asked.

  To answer him, John climbed from the car into the heat of the Sri Lankan street. When Chad walked around, he reached out and took Chad’s hand. Together, all three walked across the street and back in through the large gates. At the front door, John released Chad’s hand. His heart raced so loudly, he was sure it would leap from his chest and hurry off down the driveway. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he forced his feet to follow Nimal into the devil’s pit.

  When they entered the sitting room where everyone was located, Nimal’s muscular frame blocked John from view. Then silence descended over the room, and Nimal stepped aside. Their mother instantly surged to her feet. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she hit the floor hard.

  John watched as Chad rushed to her side. Though he felt no sympathies for her, he was glad Chad was there to check her out.

  “She’s fine—just fainted.” He tapped her cheeks lightly until she moaned and opened her eyes.

  “Dilip?” Chandu called. “But you are dead!”

  “I pushed you out of the truck myself!” their father cried. “You are dead!”

  “I am sure you would like to think so,” John said. “But, thanks to some amazing people in Jaipur and this—this fantastic doctor—” He motioned toward Chad. “Here I am. You see.”

  Abal rose from where he was, and before he could take two steps to John, Chandu grabbed his son’s arm. The fury that surged to Abal’s face then was something John had seen once before—on Chad’s face when he heard the story of what truly happened to John. Abal shrugged his father off.

  “You and Uncle Babi tried killing Dilip?” Abal shouted. “After everything he has done for you, for our family? If it hadn’t been for Dilip this family would be on the streets. You and I would have nothing. And you would repay him with death? Tell me, why did you believe he deserved to die? Because he likes men? Well, tell me, Father, do you think I deserve to die?”

  “Of course not, my son!” Chandu pleaded.

  “Why not? I like men!” Abal confessed. “Oh, you did not know that before? Do you think I deserve to die now?”

  Silence washed over the room, but Abal merely walked across to stand before John. Chandu sobbed in a corner, pleading with God to take away his son’s gayness. But John smiled down at Abal, then hugged him.

  “Do you know what you have done?” John asked. “They will want you dead now.”

  “Of that I am quite sure. But I will not tolerate bad behavior especially against someone who has been so kind to me.” Abal stepped back. “I will come with you. Wherever you lead.”

  “Abal—you have your own life,” John said.

  “Yes. Away from here.”

  “I cannot ask you to give that up.”

  “Dilip,” Abal said. “There is no more life here for me. I am gay, and I am certain they will do the same to me as they did to you.”

  John looked over at Chad, who was now standing a step’s distance away. Chad smiled and nodded as if he could read John’s mind. Once he saw that, John turned back to Abal. “Very well.”

  “I thought I would be angrier today.” John turned to face his father again. “I thought I would be so pissed off I would want to light everything on fire. But as I stand here all I can feel is pity—for you. You tried killing me because of what I am. I am a part of you, Father. Your blood flows through these veins, your DNA makes me what I am. Do you truly hate yourself that much?”

  “You cannot speak to me like that! I am your father!”

  “No,” John thundered. “You lost that right when you tried to have them electrocute me! When you and Uncle beat me half to death then pushed my battered body from a moving vehicle! No! You have no right to call yourself my father!”

  “Son…” Preema began.

  A look from John silenced her.

  “All my life,” John continued. “I am sure I never thought my own father would do such a thing. Whether I liked men or women should not have been the reason you wished me dead. I may not remember everything, Father, but I know I loved you.” John paused. “I know I love you still. Maybe, one day, I will be able to forgive you for all the horrible things I am certain to remember you doing and saying to me during my attack. But know this, I will carry on with my life. I will not let this ruin me anymore. I will love and open myself up to be loved. And when they ask about my scars I will tell the truth because I do not want you to forget what you have done.”

  “John.” Chad’s voice was soft.

  The concern in Chad’s voice was thick. John offered him a small smile. “I am all right. I promise.”

  “Father, this is your son, the son you have wronged,” Nimal spoke up, his voice crisp and held a warning. “You shall give him his inheritance now so he may live his life.”

  “I will do no such thing!” Babi hollered. “No such thing!”

  “Would you rather I tell the neighbors what you have done to Anu?” Abal asked. “I am quite sure they would love to hear it. I know you have the police in your pockets and they will do nothing, but your neighbors? Think of the dishonor that would cause on this house.”

  “No.” John shook his head. “We will not resort to blackmail.”

  “Fine.” Nimal snapped. “We will find another…”

  “There is no need for that,” Preema, their mother, finally spoke. “What we have done is wrong and the gods will punish us for it. I know they will. Dilip, we will give you what is rightfully yours. No more tricks. No more games—your father will see to that.”

  “But, Preema…” Babi protested.

  “You wish a curse on this house?” She whirled to face him, her sari a swirl of red fire. “Dilip has returned from the dead to haunt us! What further proof do you need? You will do what you are told or I will return to my father’s land!”

  To John’s surprise, that seemed to kick some sense into his father, who nodded and slipped to the sofa behind him.

  “I will make the arrangements, and Nimal can accept it. Am I to assume you wish to leave as well, Nimal?”

  “You assume right,” Nimal confirmed. “My place as a brother is by Dilip’s side. If he chooses to leave this land, I, too, must go.”

  Preema sobbed as she clung to Nimal. “I cannot lose both my sons!”

  “I am sorry, Mother, but you lost me the day you concocted this scheme to get rid of Dilip.” He stepped from her, and she covered her face with the ends of her sari. “We must go—I will be in touch within the week.”

  “Before we go,” John said, reaching for Chad’s hand. “I would have rather this be something I would be excited to share. But you have left me no choice. This is Dr. Chad Holstrom. He was my doctor in Jaipur and now the man I wish to spend the rest of my days with. He has protected me, cared for me, but most importantly, he has loved me. I am telling you this not to rub salt in any wounds or to be mean or cruel. I tell you because I wanted you to see that I am happy. I choose to be happy, and I will not spend another day worrying what any of you think. Accept, do not accept, I no longer care. Being gay is not a death sentence—well, it does not have to be.”

  With those words out, John led the charge out of the house. In that moment, it was as if a world had been lifted from his shoulders. Though the sounds of sobs followed them from the
house and back to the car, he clung to Chad’s hands. He’d thought once this was all over he would have no one. But he was walking from his parents’ house with a brother and a cousin who loved him and a man who was kind and loving and romantic—John sighed.

  Driving back toward the hotel, John rested his forehead on Chad’s shoulder.

  “I don’t think we were introduced,” Chad said leaning forward to tap Abal on the shoulder.

  Abal extended a hand. “You are Chad Holstrom, the man who loves our Dilip.”

  “That’s me,” Chad grinned and shook Abal’s hand.

  “Abal Chandra.”

  “Now what are we going to do?” Nimal asked.

  Chad lifted his arm and wrapped it around John. “Well.” He dropped a kiss to John’s head before tilting John’s chin to get his mouth. “First we are going to get you and Abal here a hotel room. Then, we’re going to have a big dinner. We shouldn’t make life decisions on empty stomachs.”

  “Then?” Abal asked.

  “We sleep.” John lifted his head. “And tomorrow, we face what comes.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  After getting Nimal and Abal a room together, Chad returned to their suite and fell into the sofa. He turned his head to see that John was on the balcony, and even though he wished to go to him, he decided to give the man he loved some time to digest the day’s events. It was a lot, even for Chad, so he could only imagine the things running through John’s head. Over the next little while, Chad knew he and John would have to sit down and run through a serious talk. They would wait to see what John’s inheritance was and go from there.

  Tired, he closed his eyes and rested his head back on the sofa. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell. Opening one eye, he found his sister’s name in his contacts and called. When she finally answered, Chad sighed.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “You sound tired. What’s going on?” She asked.

  Chad rubbed his eyes. “What’s not going on is the better question. John’s family is a piece of work. The father and uncle tried to kill John. The uncle was trying to marry off John’s cousin to some woman he’d never even met. Turns out the cousin is gay and had no idea what his father and John’s dad tried to do.” Chad sighed. Just rehashing the whole thing was beginning to give him a migraine. “It’s the clusterfuck of the century.”

  “I can imagine,” Eliza said. “So what now?”

  “Well, now, John will be getting his inheritance, to his father’s horror. But it seems the mother is the one who really wears the pants in that house. She sees John’s return as punishment for what she has done, so she is demanding the father give John what is rightfully his.”

  “Awesome—and what’s that?”

  “I don’t know. They seemed crazy wealthy, so we will find out at the end of the week.”

  “Chad, I don’t mean to add to your plate, but you know Nimal and the others cannot remain in Sri Lanka, right?”

  Chad nodded needlessly. “I know. That is why they are all returning with me to Jaipur. Listen, Lizzie, I’ve been thinking of taking a leave of absence from the hospital to travel the world—take John with me.”

  “Oh nice!” Eliza cheered. “After what you two have been through over the last few months, I’d say it should be mandatory that you do that.”

  Chad laughed. “Nothing is set in stone yet. Any chance you could visit Jaipur in the next few weeks?”

  “Now that you’ve mentioned it.” Eliza giggled. “I was thinking of coming home in a couple of weeks. I only have exams for two days, and then I have—let me see now—five days to kill, and I am sure I can miss a couple of days at the end for traveling so no big. I just have to make sure I take all my books and don’t fall behind on reading. So yes.”

  “Perfect! You may have to stay in the main house with John and me since Abal and Nimal will be using the guesthouse.”

  “As long as I don’t hear your freak, I’m good.”

  He crinkled his nose. “You’re a jerk.”

  “Your jerk!”

  Chad chuckled. “Okay. Call me once your flight is booked so I know when to get you at the airport. Thanks for listening, Lizzie, and I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He waited until she hung up before he did the same. Chad turned to look over his shoulder to see John was still staring out over the water. Hauling his tired body from the sofa, Chad set his cell on the center table and removed his shirt. He dropped it back to the seat before walking through the glass doors to the balcony.

  “John?”

  John didn’t move.

  “John?” Chad touched his shoulder gently. “Baby?”

  “Hmm?”

  “You’re tired. Come inside and let me run you a bath.”

  “I am trying to find one reason for me to stay here,” John said instead of moving. “Just one—I figured if one thing told me I had to stay then I would start rethinking my yearning to leave.”

  “And?” Chad held his breath.

  “I found none. This land has no redeeming qualities to me anymore, and that breaks my heart more than you can ever imagine. This was my home, Chad. This land is supposed to be ingrained in my blood. But all I feel for it is disdain and betrayal. My own father! My flesh and blood!”

  Chad turned John and wrapped his arms around him. “Oh darling.” He kissed the side of John’s head before rubbing his back. “I’m sorry. Hopefully one day, your feelings will change again, once the wounds heal.”

  “But there will always be scarring.”

  “Yes. That is true. But what kind of life would it be without those scars?”

  John sighed and seemed to melt into Chad’s chest to return the hug. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For everything. For giving me the strength to do what I did today. I mean, without you there I probably would have crumbled at the mere sight of my father. But there you were, like my bodyguard.” John smiled. “Thanks also for saving my life, helping me figure all this out, saving Abal, protecting Nimal—I swear my family puts the ‘dys’ in dysfunctional.”

  “Anytime, darling.”

  “I like that.”

  “What?”

  “I do not think I have ever had a lover who calls me ‘baby’ or ‘darling’. I find l like the sound of those words coming from your lips to my ears.”

  Chad kissed his head. “Good. Now, baby, I should like to take you to bed after a bath. There are a few things I’ve been dying to do to you all day.”

  “Oh?” John lifted his head to meet Chad’s eyes. “Do tell.”

  Chad smirked as his hand snaked down John’s body. He rubbed John’s cock to life through his pants before kissing John deeply.

  “I see,” John said, breathily.

  John eased his body away from Chad and walked back into the unit. Chad took a moment to step in and lock the door behind them before following John’s beautiful ass into the bathroom. He watched from the door as John ran a bath in the large tub then stripped down to nothing and climbed in.

  “Are you waiting for an invitation, Dr. Holstrom?”

  With a smile, Chad moved his clothes and joined John. He wrapped his arms around John’s wet body and rolled them. With John on top and laughing, Chad found his hair with soaking hands and brought John’s mouth to his. Their tongues tangled while their slick cocks glided over one another’s in the tub. It was marvelous simply making out with John, having his body hard and sliding over Chad’s.

  Snaking a hand between their bodies, Chad wrapped his fingers around John’s cock and stroked as much as their limited space would allow. John gasped and tossed his head back while riding his hips to push and pull his dick through Chad’s fists. Chad kept his gaze locked to John’s face, loving the different expressions that passed across it. John’s lips puffed up from their kisses, and each time John passed his tongue over them, Chad became harder.

  “Chad,” John whispered. “Please…”

 
; John’s soft pleading always stirred all Chad’s pleasure buttons. His words flowing over the words, the soft intake of breath when he said Chad’s name, and the gentle way his body trembled, all of it was one of the biggest turn-ons for Chad. He used his free hand to drag down John’s back and cupped his ass to give it a squeeze. But Chad didn’t stop there. He snaked the finger between John’s cheeks, found his hole, and inserted it.

  “Oh yes!” John shouted. “Deeper!”

  “Do you like that?” Chad asked, pumping his finger in and out. “I need to hear it.”

  “I do.” John exhaled. “I love it.”

  “Well then, show me.”

  It always sent Chad’s heart racing with excitement when John climaxed. It was always powerful the way John shouted his joy even as his body shook. Chad held onto his lover as best he could, and caressed him through his orgasm until John slumped back against the tub. He then gathered John into his arms and held him as close as the tub would allow. Their breathing calmed slowly, but he took the silent time to think of everything that had happened over the last few weeks. Who would have thought at the end of it he would have a man in his arms that he loved more than anything?

  Turning his head, he kissed John’s forehead. In that moment, he dreaded returning to Jaipur. Even though John said he would go nowhere, Chad was still afraid. His future with this man depended on a family who hated John. Chad was still let dumbfounded at the extent they went through to show their displeasure. Chad wanted to say something, to stand up for John, but he knew John would not want that. John always said Chad couldn’t protect him from everything, that Chad couldn’t fight all his battles for him. And as he stood there, in that crowded living room, watching all the emotions that passed over John’s face as he let loose on his father, Chad knew all he could do was wait until the smoke cleared, then show John just how loved he truly was.

  He dragged his palm up and down John’s wet shoulder and sighed.

  ****

  John walked from the waves and fell to the large blanket under the massive umbrella beside Chad. He kissed Chad’s back, and his lover inhaled and arched. John grinned and rained kisses all over Chad’s back even to the crack of his ass before rolling over to stare up at the umbrella. Chad had used the last few days to take him all over the city. They visited all kinds of tourist sites and fancy restaurants. In that moment, he realized what Chad had been doing.