And….
And wow. Nice.
He smiled. “My family. They’re a big deal in Kansas City. A really big deal. I mean, we’re not the Wagners. But we’re… well….” He blushed. “Rich,” he whispered. “Really rich.”
Micah’s eyes went wide. “You kinda lost me. Wagners? Buckinghams? And really rich? It’s just a lot to take in.”
Chandler nodded.
Micah seemed lost in thought for a minute. “If your family is really that rich, why did you get such a small place in our building? Most of the rich tourists get a condo right on the beach. Or at least one of the big penthouses on the upper floors of Pono Towers. Why the tiny apartment?”
Chandler sighed. “To hide.”
“Hide?” Micah looked more confused. “From what?”
“Not what. Who. My family. My controlling family. My mother. She wants me to lead this big fucking gala that raises all this money. She wants me to sit at the head table and make a speech about the generosity of the Buckinghams and then dance with some woman and at least sort of pretend I’m straight.”
“Your mother doesn’t accept you?”
“She tolerates me. As long as I keep it quiet. Which is why she wants me to have a date with a woman. And make the big speech. Image. God! Our image is so important to her.”
“Couldn’t somebody else do all of that? Somebody who actually wants to? No offense, but it sounds like your mother is a bit of a bully.”
Chandler laughed. “That’s an understatement. Bully is right. And the reason I have to give the speech is that I am the last male Buckingham. I’m the figurehead of the family now. And she is still trying to figure out how I can continue the name.”
“I understand now. Why you changed your name and traveled all the way out here. To get away from it all.”
“You know I don’t even care about my name. Who cares if the Buckingham name continues? I wish she would just let my sister do it all. Chelsey cares.”
“So let Chelsey take over.”
“Mom would die. It wouldn’t be fitting. A woman rule the Buckinghams?” He gave a mock shudder. Then laughed again because a woman was ruling the family!
“That’s such a ridiculous reason.”
“The Buckinghams are an old family. Generations and generations. From what I’ve been able to piece together—Mom isn’t a sharing kind of person—my parents’ marriage was practically arranged.”
“Gosh,” Micah said, a stunned expression on his face. “I couldn’t imagine such a family. It sounds almost unreal.”
Chandler sighed. “I can’t imagine any other kind. It would be nice to have had some Brady Bunch family.” He shrugged.
Micah chuckled. “Well, my family isn’t exactly the Brady Bunch. But we do get along very well. Everyone accepts everyone else. We live with aloha.”
“With ‘hello’?”
Micah laughed. “Aloha means more than just hello and good-bye. It can mean so many things. At its core, it means love.”
Quite suddenly Chandler remembered something that Micah had called him in the elevator. Aloha-something. Love? Shit! Did he need to run for the hills?
But looking at Micah, he realized that was the last thing he wanted to do. That he was tired of running.
“Would you like to meet my family some time?” Micah asked.
Chandler’s mouth almost dropped open. Now he was offering to introduce him to his family?
Micah smiled.
And Chandler knew.
Yes. He did want to meet Micah’s family. Crazy as that sounded, he did.
Chandler nodded. “Yes,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. “That would be nice.”
“In the meantime,” Micah said, scooting close to Chandler and wrapping an arm around him. “Let’s enjoy our day at the beach. You deserve it.”
“Okay,” Chandler said.
And they did.
EIGHTEEN
THEY COULDN’T stay late at the beach. Not with Micah having to work that night. But they still had hours, and a nice day is just what they had.
And when they got back, as they were walking across the lobby, Chandler heard someone call out his name. It was the lady from the office that he’d met the day before. The one who had said something in Hawaiian.
“Mr. Chandler?” she asked, walking—click, click, click in her high heels—across the room.
He had to remember that was his name again.
“Yes?” he said.
“We got something for you today. It’s in the office.”
“Okay,” he replied.
“Something” turned out to be a bicycle. Not a Stromer or a Cervélo. A Schwinn. At least it was put together.
“Ooooh!” Micah looked over the bicycle with much interest. “That’s a nice one.”
For some reason that pleased Chandler immensely. Suddenly a Schwinn didn’t seem bad after all.
“Why’d you get a new bike?” Micah asked.
“Because it was easier than a car,” Chandler said. “A lot easier to buy and keep quiet from my mother.”
“I can see that,” said Micah. “You really thought of everything. Living off the grid and all.”
“I didn’t think of it,” he said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.
Thankfully Micah didn’t seem to have noticed. “We can go bike riding together if you want. I can show you all kinds of places. A lot of them are easier to get to on a bike anyway.”
Chandler smiled.
It sounded fun.
Thank you, Tim, he thought. And realized he meant it.
NINETEEN
THEY HADN’T really had a real date in a while. Not one of any length. Micah longed to spend quality time with Chandler. It was especially frustrating that the man was literally a couple of steps from his own apartment. But as the hours at the restaurant increased due to the holidays, it cut into Micah’s free time. Thank goodness Chandler didn’t have to work. Chandler arranged his schedule in order to be there for Micah. And even if that meant only an hour here or there, even if it meant Micah was too tired to have sex, they slept in the same bed every night.
Not that they didn’t spend time together. And it was amazing how much quality you could get in short bursts if you wanted to. Micah wanted to. And it sure seemed Chandler did too. Why else go to the effort if he wasn’t interested? He hoped it wasn’t some “rich guy fascinated by the poor guy because he was bored” thing.
No. They had fun. Real fun. Micah was sure of it.
There were the bike rides, which seemed to thrill Chandler. He enjoyed the sights, the exercise. “I’ve been lazy about keeping myself in shape.” And he kept muttering over the Schwinn, saying it was a surprisingly good bike—that he hadn’t realized.
One of the neighbors said he saw Chandler riding all the time.
During the evening it was common for Chandler to show up at Auntie’s Kitchen, and he tried something new almost every time, and, oh, how he went on and on about Micah’s cooking! And it was sweet how good his coworkers were about Chandler. Yes, they’d teased him about his haole boyfriend. But thankfully they liked him.
“He seem really nice,” said Marlon. “He seem to be a winner, brah.”
“And he gotta sweet liddah butt too,” added Kenny, surprising the hell out of Micah. Kenny was open-minded, but Micah hadn’t expected him to ever say something like that. And just what was he doing looking at Chandler’s ass anyway?
“He make great fa’afafine.” Which Micah didn’t agree with. Fa’afafine? The Samoan boys who grow up to be considered female and take the “woman’s role” in their society? Nope. Chandler was all man. That thought brought a wicked smile to Micah’s face.
Sometimes Micah would join Chandler at the pool. He’d more likely doze than swim, but it was time together, even if only in proximity.
They’d cuddle together on the bed (since neither had a couch) to watch something on television, although that was usually a DVD from Redbox.
Except for t
he first few days, Chandler hadn’t complained. Micah imagined Chandler wasn’t used to waiting for someone to pay attention to him. But he’d quickly accepted it, and while their arrangement wasn’t perfect, it was nice. Nice to have someone to spend time with. Nice to have someone want to spend time with him.
There were so many things Micah wished he had more time to do with Chandler. He wanted to take him to the North Shore and show him how to surf, or at the very least let him witness surfing. It was pretty amazing to see it in real life and not just on some television show. Or how wonderful it would be to take him snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. To see the beautiful sights, the colorful fish. It made Micah feel part of something glorious and bigger than himself. Oh! He so wanted to take him to Kope Farms, where his cousin worked. Show him a real coffee plantation. But that would be a forty-five-minute flight from Honolulu to Kona on the Big Island, and as short a flight as that was, with the time it would take to get there and then the flight back, he just couldn’t manage it. It would be a full day thing, and that would be rushing it.
Dammit.
He wanted to show his boyfriend everything! Dare he call Chandler his boyfriend?
Would Chandler heed the call of his family name and decide it was time to go home? That he’d punished his mother enough? Chandler had told him about how he would disappear when he was mad at his family. Was that all this was? Micah hoped not.
In the end Micah decided to be grateful for every day, every hour, that they had.
Luckily, Micah had a day off this Friday from the restaurant. It was the perfect time for an experience Micah didn’t want Chandler to miss.
“There’s a big tree-lighting ceremony this Friday,” Micah told Chandler on the phone. “After I’m done with work at Pono, we’ll take the truck to Waikiki and see it.”
“Tree-lighting ceremony? Like they do in Kansas City? With the Mayor’s Christmas tree? Or the Plaza lights?”
Micah didn’t know. Instead, he explained a little more about where he wanted to take Chandler.
It was a special ceremony that happened every year, and Micah never missed it. His family always went, no matter what. Even when Micah moved out and eventually got a place of his own. Even when his little sister, Alani, moved to California for college. Even when their father passed away, the tradition of family being together during this ceremony kept going.
Micah’s heart fluttered when Chandler said yes, he’d love to go.
It was crowded when they got there, and parking was scarce. Micah knew the little hidden spots to park, but it was still a little bit of a hike to get to the beach. Micah didn’t want to miss any part of the event. And he didn’t want Chandler to miss it either.
They arrived just in time to catch the first of many songs from the live entertainment. Though it was a different band or musician every year, the performances were always the traditional Christmas songs with a Hawaiian twist. This year was the Kaimana Five, a group of siblings from Maui who did cover songs using the ukulele. The oldest sister of the group, Leilani, performed a hula interpreting the music through dance.
They were very good, and Chandler seemed to like them, even following Micah’s lead and doing a little hula dancing himself, much to the amusement and approval of locals who caught their little “act.”
Afterward, the crowd “oohed” and “aahed” looking out at the ocean. It was none other than Santa Claus himself. Of course, Hawaiian Santa came to shore on an outrigger canoe instead of a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer. And he dressed in a more comfortable red aloha shirt, shorts, and sandals instead of the big red coat. He still retained the red hat, long white hair, and big white beard, though, and greeted everyone with a hearty, “Ho! Ho! Ho! Mele Kalikimaka!”
Chandler turned to Micah with a big smile. “Our song.”
Our song. That sounded so lovely.
While Santa was passing out toys and greeting all the young kids, Micah heard a distinctive voice.
“Micah, my boy!”
He turned and saw her, running as fast as her short legs would allow, arms stretched out for a hug and grinning from ear to ear. She practically jumped into Micah’s arms, and he swung her little body around in a circle and kissed her on top of her head.
“I’m so glad you made it,” she said. “I thought you might be too busy.”
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Where’s everybody else?”
“They’re coming,” she said. “Wesley dropped us off at the corner, and he’s parking the van right now.” She turned and noticed Chandler.
“Oh, Mom, this is my very dear friend, Chandler. Chandler, this is my mother, Kathleen.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Chandler said, holding out his hand.
“Oh, no need to be so formal,” Kathleen said and stepped forward to give Chandler a hug. “This is Hawaii. Everyone is ohana. Family.”
And speaking of ohana, Micah’s own kin were approaching—two younger brothers, Wesley and Isaac, and his little sister, Alani. Micah greeted and hugged each one.
“Where are the twins?” Micah asked Isaac—referring to his brother’s children.
“At home,” Isaac replied. “They both caught a cold, so Erica’s taking care of them. But they send their love.”
“Oh,” Kathleen groaned. “I won’t get to see my grandbabies for Christmas dinner?”
“If they’re better, Mom,” Isaac said.
Kathleen turned to Micah. “You are coming for Christmas dinner, right?” She turned to Chandler too. “Both of you?”
Micah looked at Chandler, who turned to Micah with wide eyes. For Micah, the invitation wasn’t surprising. What would Christmas be without dinner at his mother’s place? But he didn’t want Chandler to be scared off or anything.
Chandler turned back to Kathleen. “We’d love to.”
Micah’s heart soared.
“Excellent,” she said. “You’re in for a real treat.” And she flashed him a smile.
Everyone turned to the ocean as the sun dropped past the horizon. The color morphed from a bright orange to a calming purple and finally to dusk, and the stars illuminated the sky. As the sun disappeared for the night, eyes started to turn to the enormous fifty-foot pine tree standing just off the beach. With their backs turned to the city, the beach seemed so dark, illuminated only by the glow of people’s cell phones.
The anticipation was killing Micah.
And then it happened.
One second, there was darkness. The next second, the tree glowed and shimmered with lights of red and green and gold. There was some gasping, some soft applause, some murmurs of delight. But overall, it was quiet and peaceful.
Micah moved close to Chandler and instinctively wrapped his arm around him and held him close. It felt so natural. So right. He felt love all around him.
TWENTY
THEY DROVE along the coast, but it was too dark to see the ocean. What a shame! Away from the city lights and buildings, Chandler was sure the view would be breathtaking.
They’d made one brief stop, taking dinner to “Uncle” (who turned out not to be Micah’s uncle at all—Uncle was simply a Hawaiian term of respect) and adding promises that tomorrow they would bring him a very special meal and something his dog, Poi, would appreciate as well.
Micah pulled into a hidden driveway. Hidden to the world, Micah explained, but known by those who lived there. The driveway was winding and bumpy, and overgrown branches scratched against the side of the truck and windows. It was almost spooky, like the beginning of a horror movie.
Micah stopped the truck in front of a tiny, shabby-looking house. There were some lights on inside, and Chandler could make out a moss-covered exterior with surrounding trees seemingly swallowing the little building.
Where the hell are we? Chandler wondered.
They got out of the truck, and Chandler was hit with the smell of something wonderful on the air. Meaty. Sweet. Spicy. Chandler’s mouth was watering.
“That’s my mom’s kalbi
ribs,” Micah said. “It’s not exactly Christmassy, but it’s what we always have.”
“What is Christmassy really?” Chandler asked with a chuckle. “They didn’t exactly have turkey or mashed potatoes in the stable in Bethlehem.”
That made Micah laugh.
He went to Chandler’s side and took hold of his hand. It was amazing, feeling his own hand enveloped in that strong yet gentle grasp. Chandler felt safe and protected with Micah. He had never felt that with anyone else.
They went around the house to the backyard, which was illuminated with a few standing torches. A makeshift buffet was set up: an assortment of beautiful and delicious-looking foods lined up on a long folding table. Smaller patio tables and chairs were placed around on the dry, brown lawn.
Chandler noticed the short little woman in front of a big barbecue grill. Why, it was Micah’s mother, of course. The thing was bigger than she was. She wasn’t all that different appearance-wise from his own mother—short, thick, and wide. But she was an infinitely different person.
“Hey, Mom!” Micah greeted heartily.
She turned around with a big smile. “Hello, boys! Just finishing up the ribs here.”
“Can we help out?”
“I’ve got your brothers on salad duty, and Alani is cutting up some fruit. Why don’t you set the tables? And pour some drinks for everybody?”
“Sure thing.”
The sliding door creaked open as Micah went in. Chandler followed and saw that the inside wasn’t any better than the outside. Three grown adults were bumping elbows in a tiny kitchen, trying to compete for any kind of counter space. But small or not, this place made his apartment at Pono Towers seem palatial. Yet it was so warm. Warmer than his apartment, which he really hadn’t done much to improve. He had no way to get anything of any size back to his place with all the hours Micah was working. Even with his bike, a can of paint or a roll of wallpaper (and he’d messed that up so bad it had to be torn down) or some bedding was all he could manage.
Micah pushed his way into the kitchen to the drawers.
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