Chapter 9
C hapter N ine
“When you said have some fun, I sort of expected something… I don’t know….” Arden said as Ronny pulled into the parking lot.
“You thought we were going back to bed,” Ronny said with a grin. “Oh, we’ll do that, definitely.”
“But go-carts?” Arden asked as they got out, the engines zooming as the cars rounded the nearby track. He closed his eyes as memories washed over him. Arden sighed as he returned to the present. “Really? This is what you want to do for fun?” He shook his head, even as he smiled. Okay, this looked amazing, and Ronny grinned right back at him.
“Sure.” He took Arden’s arm. “Come on. Let’s go pay and then we can ride. They’re fun, and you and I deserve a little of that right now. Real laughing, smiling fun. No worrying about bars or families, anything like that. Just pure delight like we had when we were kids.”
“If you say so,” Arden told him with fake grouchiness.
Ronny rolled his eyes dramatically before they went inside, and he loaded up a card with their go-cart rides. Then they went outside and chose their cars. Ronny picked a red one, but Arden chose the purple racer. It seemed they were the only two on the track this time, and Arden got out in front as soon as they were allowed to go, inching Ronny out as the on-ramp narrowed.
“I’ll get past you,” Ronny shouted, but Arden put his accelerator to the floor and sped around the track, taking the smallest distance as they passed around the curves. Ronny kept on his back for the first couple of laps and then Arden started to pull ahead, putting a little more distance between him and Ronny with each lap.
“What was it you were saying?” Arden called as they ended the race and returned to the home base. He got out of the go-cart, hurrying to where Ronny waited.
“Yours was just faster,” Ronny grumped. Arden shrugged as Ronny used the card to log them in once more. Since their carts were now in back of the line, they took the ones in front. Both were green, and this time Arden started off behind, but passed Ronny on the second lap and then bade him goodbye.
“You were saying?” Arden said when he won the second race.
“How? I was ahead,” Ronny groused. “You passed me like nothing.”
“It’s all in the turns,” Arden said. “You’re trying to take them too closely, and the rear wheels spin out a little. You lose speed, and when you did, I passed you. Also, you’re taking the snake curves too wide. Just weave right through and you get the shortest distance,” he explained, and on the third race, they were evenly matched and agreed that it was a tie as they walked back inside. “See.”
“Did you race go-carts before?” Ronny asked.
Arden grinned. “Yeah. It was something….” He paused and turned away, wiping his eyes. “When I was twelve, Dad and I built a go-cart, and we used to race with others in the area. It was so much fun. We used an old lawn mower engine. It was something the two of us did together.” He had forgotten all about it until now. “That is, until Dad got tired of it. I always loved it, but I couldn’t do it without Dad, and he sort of lost interest.” After that, whenever Arden had suggested something they could do together, his father was too busy.
“Did you win a lot?”
“Yeah. I used to be able to go pretty fast, and I knew how to make the most of the tracks. We figured out how to widen the wheel base so the go-cart was more stable, and I could go faster on the turns. After that, I won a lot, and Dad was super happy. Then others figured out the same thing we did, and they started to win, and Dad didn’t care about it anymore.”
“But you had fun, right?” Ronny asked.
“Sure, I did. But once Dad stopped, it got ripped away. The go-carts sat in the garage for a while until Dad decided he needed the space to work on cars and took them apart. He found a wreck and pulled it into the garage. The thing is still there, and it hasn’t moved or been worked on at all. That’s my father in a nutshell. It was all about him and what he wanted. It didn’t matter that I liked what we were doing together. He got tired, and that was it. It was the same with fishing or anything else we did together.” Arden shrugged. “So I had to find things of my own to do, and he and I grew apart after that.” He swallowed hard. “I always thought I was a disappointment. See, I knew I was different, and I thought he could tell that somehow, but now I know it was all him. He just didn’t care that much.” Arden shrugged.
“Then your dad was a fool,” Ronny told him. “And a selfish ass. That isn’t your fault. I mean, in a way he did the same thing to your mom. He lost interest and decided to go looking for his fun somewhere else. Maybe it’s a pattern and has nothing at all to do with you.”
Arden wiped his eyes. “I think I see that now.” He shook his head as if trying to get rid of these thoughts. “I didn’t mean to have this conversation out here while we’re trying to have fun. So let’s do something else.”
“There a laser tag game in half an hour,” Ronny offered, and Arden grabbed his hand, tugging him toward the desk. He paid for the two of them and requested that they be on the same team.
“But what if we’re not?” Ronny asked.
“Then I’ll kick your butt in there too.” He couldn’t help smiling and loved how Ronny rolled his eyes.
When their group was called, they were on the same team, and between them, they kicked the other team’s butt. Arden had the high score each game, with Ronny coming up right behind. They laughed as they ran through the obstacles, taking out the opposing team’s targets and racking up high scores as they fell. “Shouldn’t we defend?” Ronny asked him after a few minutes.”
Arden shook his head. “This game is all about offense. Let the others defend the goal. We take out the opposing team.”
And that was exactly what they did. After their time was up, they left and got Asian food on the way back. It was the best Monday Arden could remember having in a very long time.
“Thank you for today,” Arden said as they pulled into Ronny’s driveway. He checked his phone and was grateful there were no messages or calls for help. His aunt and mother seemed to have things in hand. He sent each of them messages to make sure they were okay.
We’re talking and having tea , his aunt responded. I might have added a little whiskey… because we needed it. But we’re fine.
Okay. Just don’t tea and drive , he sent back and got a smiley face in response. He put his phone in his pocket and got out of the car, letting Ronny lead him around the side of the house and down through the yard to the stream.
“I love this spot right here,” Ronny told him. “With the bend, you can see a long way up and down. I love to listen to the water as it passes over the rocks.”
“Did you inherit this place?” Arden asked.
“My grandparents bought it years ago. When they died, Mom and Dad lived here for a while, but the stairs were too much, so they passed it to me and moved into a retirement community before they died. The houses along here are often passed through families because there aren’t that many properties on the LeTort. I love it back here. It’s really quiet, and the neighbors are very nice. They have a summer party each year for the Fourth.” A few of the neighbors were out in their yards. Ronny waved, and they did the same in return.
“It’s lovely.”
“I want to do some more plantings back here, but I haven’t decided on anything yet. Mom and Dad kept the yard very simple, and sometimes I think that’s best, but then I think it would be so pretty to have flowers and shrubs along the side. I guess I’m still deciding.”
“This way is simpler,” Arden told him. “A carpet of green from the house to the stream, with the trees as shade. You know, there’s a garden designer in the eighteenth century who worked with that as his canvas. He used focal points and then did these huge, broad landscape plantings to create these huge vistas. He often built ruins or follies as the focal points, but you have a real one, the stream itself.” He leaned against Ronny. “My advice is to leave things as they are. The trees are full, and the lawn is lush and thick.” He ran his fingers through Ronny’s hair. “Sometimes simple is best.”
“I guess,” Ronny whispered. “But then, sometimes there’s something to be said for complex and interesting.” He drew closer, and Arden felt himself getting lost in Ronny’s eyes. Just before they kissed, the happy shout of children drew his attention. He pulled back with a smile.
“We don’t need to scare the straight people,” Arden teased. “Come on.” He turned away and led Ronny inside. As soon as the door closed, Arden pushed Ronny against the back of it, kissing him hard with all the passion that he’d been holding at bay for hours. When they’d played laser tag, he had thought about pulling Ronny into the corner behind one of the pillars to jump him. But now that they were alone, there was nothing stopping him, and he was damn certain to take advantage.
“Arden…,” Ronny whispered.
“What?” he asked, opening Ronny’s shirt and stripping it down his arms. “Do you want to wait longer?” Arden growled.
“Not exactly. But maybe we should move to the bedroom….”
Arden took his hand, pulling him up the stairs and down to the bedroom. He pushed Ronny onto the bed and straddled him before kissing Ronny until he couldn’t see straight because… damn… the man had magic lips or something. Arden quivered with excitement as Ronny’s arms surrounded him, tugging him closer. Their kisses deepened, and Ronny continued exploring, setting his skin on fire as he slipped his hands under Arden’s shirt and tugged it upward and off.
“Are you going to fuck me?” Arden whispered.
“Is that what you want?” Ronny asked, his voice rough and deep. Arden whimpered as Ronny slipped his hand into his jeans, opening them at the waist before shoving them down past his hips. “I’ve been thinking about you like this, all day.”
“Me too. It was like vroom , vroom foreplay.”
Ronny chuckled. “I’ll give you vroom , vroom , if that’s what you want.” Ronny rolled them on the bed and stripped off the last of Arden’s clothes. He loved the feel of skin to skin, and it wasn’t long until Arden had exactly that. The heat between them rivalled the sun, and as Ronny took care of him, making sure he was ready before joining them together in a rush of white heat that blocked out everything else, all he felt was the way Ronny filled him and how their souls seemed to join in a wave of ecstasy that left him without words. All he could do was whimper as Ronny slowly pushed him to heights of passion he didn’t think possible. The house could have fallen apart around them, and Arden probably wouldn’t have noticed. All that mattered was how Ronny made him feel and the way his gaze bore into him, like Arden was the center of the universe.
Arden came to the realization in a few seconds that things between them might not be perfect all the time, but that he wanted Ronny in his life more than he wanted or needed anything else. Ronny completed him, made him feel safe and whole. This was all that mattered.
“I love you,” Arden said, without really thinking it through. The words just came out, and along with them the realization that if Ronny didn’t say them back, that it was okay. Expressing his feelings was good, no matter what. At least he hoped so.