Waking Up in Mykonos A Soren & Alexei Short Story
Alexei’s hands trembled.
It was all the same. His uncle Gabriel had kept everything looking the same as it had been more than ten years ago. Not a stone or flower looked out of place. The walls were brilliant white, and the door was the same Mykonos blue as all the other doors and windows on the island.
A breeze swept past them, carrying the scent of sea salt from the ocean and a hint of cooked meat from someone’s open window.
It stirred up old memories he hadn’t expected to hit him so hard.
His palms grew sweaty, and he couldn’t get his feet to move from where they were now permanently locked to the paving stones.
A firm hand landed on his shoulder and gently squeezed. The loving touch seemed to have the power to free his lungs, pushing out the air trapped there. He drew in a fresh, ragged breath and flashed Soren a shaky smile.
“There are hotels all over this island. We can spend the night somewhere close by and come back tomorrow. After you’ve had some sleep. It was a long flight here. You’re tired.”
His boyfriend was right. He was exhausted, and maybe that was making him more emotional than normal, but that wasn’t all this was. Alexei could feel his mother here as if her ghost were clinging to these few happy memories.
“No, I’m okay. I want to stay here,” Alexei argued. He thrust the hand clutching the keys at Soren. “Just…could you…could you open the door for me?”
“Not a problem.” Soren pried the keys from his fingers and pressed a kiss to his forehead before walking past him to the bright-blue entrance.
Alexei watched him approach the house, the past and present merging in his mind.
Ten years…
It had been at least ten years since he’d last stepped foot on Mykonos and in this house.
It used to be their hideaway from the world.
Their escape. Not that they were crazy enough to believe they’d truly escaped.
His grandfather had always been watching, but it felt like when they were on Mykonos, he’d watch a little less closely than normal.
Nadia had allowed him to dress however he wanted and to wear makeup.
He’d never had to tone down his personality or monitor how he spoke. He’d been free to be himself.
The door creaked loudly as Soren pushed it open; the sound jerked Alexei free from old memories and ugly emotions and sent him racing to the present, where his loving boyfriend smiled at him with worried eyes.
They’d been together for a few years now, but they’d not shared a lot about their past. And that felt wrong. Alexei wanted to know more about Soren, yet it felt unfair to ask questions about Soren’s family and past if he wasn’t prepared to share similar information about his past.
Talking about Nadia and the Krestyanov family was a tricky thing, but returning to the first safe, happy place he’d ever known felt like the best decision. Digging into the past demanded a safe spot to exist in for a while.
Soren turned toward Alexei and extended his hand, patiently waiting for him, always ready to be at Alexei’s side no matter what. And there had been a lot of crazy that he’d thrown at Soren since they had first hooked up. The man never ran. Didn’t even fucking flinch.
Finding his joy again, Alexei lunged at Soren, throwing his smaller frame at the older man to wrap him up in a tight hug.
“What the fuck did I do to deserve you? I must have been so good in a past life,” Alexei murmured, stealing a kiss.
“I think you’ve been pretty good in this one too,” Soren murmured against his lips.
“Good at driving you crazy in bed.”
Soren hummed. “Yes, that too.”
Feeling like he’d shaken off some old memories at least for a little while, he released his stranglehold on Soren and caught his hand so he could drag him inside.
The air was warm and stale, as if the house hadn’t been aired out in a while.
Alexei’s eyes traveled over the white sofa and chairs.
They were similar to what had been here when he and his mother had stayed in this house, but everything here was newer.
“You mentioned you used to vacation here with your mother,” Soren murmured. “Looks like a great place to relax.”
“It was. My mom had a way of turning this island into a magical world of great food, shopping, playing at the beach, and just being free. After we left Russia permanently and moved to Paris, we returned here only a couple of other times. We didn’t feel the need to escape any longer.
We…” His voice drifted off under the weight of the words that struggled to come out.
He was so happy to be here with his boyfriend.
Why did he have to ruin it with bad memories?
Soren curled an arm around his waist and pulled him in a reassuring embrace. “At your own pace. You tell me, or you don’t. There’s no rule that states you have to share everything with me all at once.”
Alexei growled and slipped away. He darted into the kitchen with its blue-and-white tiles. There were still colorful plates decorating the walls and dishes stacked on the shelves as if waiting for Alexei and Nadia to stroll through the door.
“But I want you to know. I want you to know about my mother. She was an amazing, strong woman who didn’t take shit from anyone.”
Soren grinned at him, eyes sparkling with warmth and love. “I don’t doubt it. She raised a son just like her.”
The only problem was that nearly all his memories of his mother were tangled up with dark, ugly memories.
“Plus, I want to know about your life and childhood. How can I ask those personal questions if I’m not willing to share the same information about myself?” Alexei pressed on.
A loud bark of laughter jumped from Soren, and the man shook his head.
“Is that what you think? First, you’re going to be sadly disappointed with my stories.
My childhood was boring. And second, I’d never force you to talk about something you’re not comfortable sharing.
I know you’ll tell me things when you’re ready, and that’s enough for me. ”
Soren joined him in the kitchen and kissed his cheek. “How about we bring in the bags and food? We grab something to eat, drink a bottle of wine, and collapse. We’re here for at least two weeks. That’s plenty of time to stir up old ghosts.”
“Yes. Perfect. It’s been too long since I was last in Greece. I want to eat my weight in baklava.”
Evening passed quietly. The only slightly awkward moment was when Alexei directed Soren away from the master bedroom and had him place his bags in the other, smaller bedroom with only a full-sized bed. The master bedroom had always belonged to his mother, and he wasn’t ready to sleep in there yet.
Thankfully, the awkwardness passed quickly, and they stuffed their faces with so much good food they’d picked up in the market on their way to the house.
The flavors danced on Alexei’s tongue, conjuring up old, happy memories.
Each time he’d vacationed in this house with his mother, she’d made all his favorite Russian dishes, but there had been plenty of authentic Greek dishes too.
Prior to meeting his Uncle Gabriel, his summers here had been the one time his mother had been relaxed and smiled all the time. They both had.
A long sigh tumbled from Alexei’s lips as he sank into the mattress, the light sheet resting on his bare legs.
The bed shifted behind him and, a heartbeat later, Soren’s arm draped over his waist as his lover moved to spoon like he did so many nights in the past. While Alexei preferred to be the one in control in almost all situations, he’d learned that with Soren, he loved being the little spoon.
Deep inside him, something ached to be cuddled and held as the darkness closed in.
Yet, as he relaxed in the familiar old room, a soft giggle bubbled up his chest and broke free.
“What are you thinking?” Soren inquired, his voice a low rumble.
“When I was a tiny tween lying in this bed, I would never have believed that one day I’d be here with my boyfriend.”
“Oh, really,” Soren purred, his arm tightening on Alexei. “You didn’t let yourself daydream about having a sexy boyfriend?”
Alexei snorted. “Back then, I was focused on blending in. Having a boyfriend would not have helped that.”
“Yes, but you told me that you were free here. That was when you got to wear your makeup. You’re telling me that you didn’t let yourself have any naughty fantasies?”
Alexei bit his lower lip and nearly rolled his eyes in the darkness. “Not until after I met my uncle. He introduced Justin as his boyfriend. Later that night, I started thinking about possibly having a boyfriend one day. If my uncle could do it, why couldn’t I?”
Soren hummed softly as he nuzzled Alexei’s neck, leaving behind a trail of wet kisses up to his ear.
Soren’s right hand smoothed down Alexei’s waist and into his skimpy briefs to caress his cock.
Goose bumps broke out across Alexei’s arms, and a gasp jumped from his throat at the fiery touch of his skilled fingers.
Soren thrust his hips forward, pressing his dick into the crease of Alexei’s ass, teasing him all the more.
“Wanna properly break in your childhood bed?” Soren growled.
“Oh, fuck yes.” Those three words left Alexei as a moan, and he rolled over to face Soren, taking his mouth in a deep, drugging kiss.
In a flash, the heat of Soren’s kiss and the strength of his amazingly skilled hands shoved aside all the old worries and fears.
They pushed off the thin sheet, and their underwear flew off the bed to land somewhere on the floor.
Alexei didn’t care. He just wanted to feel Soren’s skin rubbing his.