Chandi turned into
the private road to their property a little faster that he knew was acceptable
and brought his Harley Davidson to a full stop. For some unfathomable reason,
he loved the sound of scattering gravel. It was why the area leading from the
tarred portion of the driveway to the lean-to behind the garage where he stored
his bike had been left unpaved.
He took off his
helmet and hung it on the handlebar. He grimaced when he saw his partner’s car as he hadn’t expected Eric
home until later.
After wheeling his
motorcycle into the shed and locking it up; he hurriedly made his way into the
house to greet his lover. He found Eric sitting at the kitchen table with a
half-filled mug in his hand and an empty plate containing a few scattered bread
crumbs in front of him.
“Nice surprise, sweetheart,
seeing you back so soon. How was the shopping excursion? Find anything
worthwhile?” Chandi dropped a kiss on the other man’s head, removed his leather
jacket and draped it over the back of a chair; then went to the counter to pour
himself a cup of coffee before joining his husband.
“Definitely not
worth the trip, which explains my earlier than planned for return,” Eric
commented, slightly disheartened. “I had been lead to believe from the
advertising that some great deals were to be had. Such was not the case.”
“I’m sorry to hear
that,” Chandi responded, trying unsuccessfully to sound like he meant it. He
really was pleased to see his partner. “But you’ll be happy to know I ate well
as promised. I had supper at the Maple Grill with Stewart. We took advantage of
the time to catch up on what’s been happening in our lives. Good grief, you’d
think living in the same small town would afford us more time to spend time
together. But I guess Summer is always a much busier season than Winter. It
seems like the town swells to at least twice its’ size during this time of
year.”
As Chandi started to sit down, Eric grabbed his hand and gently pulled him
onto his lap. “Settle down,” Eric whispered. Chandi often felt self-conscious
when Eric held him on his lap. “I want a proper kiss ‘hello’,” Eric said
and then proceeded to do exactly that. When Chandi melted completely
against him, Eric softly broke the kiss and released his love.
He gave a sharp swat to Chandi's rear when the younger man stood
up. “That’s just a little reminder to drive a little slower down the lane. Gravel
is as slick as ice.” Eric knew his small reprimand got through when
Chandi ducked his head and sat down. “But yes, I am happy to hear that you ate
well. So tell me, what is Stewart up to? And you’re right; we don’t
stay in touch like we should.”
“Stewart’s
doing fine, except for feeling a little neglected lately.” Chandi took a sip of
his coffee and grimaced. “This is barely warm.” He put down the cup and pushed
it away.
Eric’s Top senses
were suddenly on full alert; Chandi was prevaricating. He knew he had two
choices at this point: pretend to go along with Chandi and let his partner come
to him with his concerns or confront him. Eric decided quickly that he’d not
allow whatever was bugging Chandi to fester.
Giving his lover
his full attention, Eric said, “I’m glad Stewart’s doing fine, but that doesn’t
answer my question. Did something happen at dinner? Did Stewart do or say
something to upset you?”
“Huh?”
Chandi was surprised at the mistaken impression he’d apparently given his
partner. “No! No, not at all! Actually something was upsetting him and I was
able to set his mind at ease. At least, I think I did. But in doing so, I may
have divulged more than I should have. I mean, I have no idea of how you feel
about anyone knowing the type of relationship we have.”
Seeing the
sincerity on his Brat’s face, Eric was calmed somewhat with the knowledge that
his love wasn’t upset. So with that out of the way, Eric turned his attention to
what Chandi had just said. “Chandi, I’m not ashamed of you or how we live. I
don’t think we should advertise how unique our relationship is, but I’m not
going to hide it either. You, and more importantly us, is what’s important to
me. We live in a relationship that is what we both need.”
“Yes, I understand
all that, Eric. I am certainly not ashamed of how we live. But at the same
time, I agree with not wanting to shout it from the roof tops.” Chandi grinned
at the smile lighting up his Top’s handsome countenance. “But I was just
wondering if you’re all right with my talking over our lifestyle with Stewart;
especially seeing as he and Lucas live the same way. I was also curious to know
just how differently Tops see our type of relationship as opposed to Brats. As
long as we’ve been together, we have never discussed the matter. Exactly when
would you feel like I’ve stepped over the line?”
Eric
took a moment to think over how he wanted to phrase his next comment. A wrong
word could upset the balance they’d come to know. Finally he said, “Chandi,
that’s a hard question to answer. I don’t think either one of us wants to live
by a long list of rules. But I can’t come up with every scenario.”
“What
do you mean by every scenario?”
“Well,
take something small; something others might find silly, like you running
outside barefoot. On a warm day when you are healthy, I wouldn’t even comment
on it. But on a cold day or one when you are ill, I’d take exception to that. I
might swat you, but I’m not going to set down a rule that you can’t ever go
barefoot.” Eric looked closely into Chandi’s face, hoping he’d understand
what was being said. ‘Barefoot?’ Eric thought to himself. ‘Could I have come up
with an example that was any lamer?’
“Eric,
I hate to nit-pick, but we already have rules to cover that situation. It falls
under ‘taking care of myself’ or ‘not doing something that endangers me or my
health’, right?” Chandi laughed heartily when the man sitting across from him
merely rolled his eyes. “I think where Tops might differ is in the possible
feelings of pride that they experience in having a partner who trusts them
enough to let them be in control of many very personal matters; and rightfully
so, I might add. But I doubt they go around bragging about it or discussing it
with just anyone. I bet there are other emotions involved, too.”
Eric
nodded when Chandi earnestly stared at him. “I can’t speak for everyone who’s
a Top, but for me there are a lot of emotions. I’m not sure that pride is
one of them. I feel very humble that you trust me so much.” Eric reached out
and took his partner’s hand. He stroked it lightly as he tried to gather his
thoughts. “I think we should take pride in who we are as a couple, as a
team. I may have the final say in most situations within the bounds of our
relationship, but it’s up to both of us to stay strong enough to live this way.
I have pride in who you are, and in how you protect the citizens of Jade
Heights. I feel an immense awe that you give yourself over so that I may
protect you. You let me take that role when you already possess the ability to safeguard
yourself.”
“True,
but it is you who provides me with the opportunity to relinquish control. I can
never put into words how much I cherish the knowledge that you have my back. I
feel liberated to just be myself and by not having to set an example all the
time.”
Eric
lifted Chandi’s hand and tenderly kissed it. “I’m proud to stand by your side.
As for what other Tops think or feel, I just don’t know. It’s not something I’ve
ever felt comfortable talking about. I’ve had suspicions that someone we know may be
a Top, but I’ve never come right out and asked him.”
“Bet
you suspected Lucas of being a fellow Top, right? ‘Cause he is. And even though
you aren’t at ease discussing the lifestyle with him, I hope you don’t mind me
talking to Stewart about it.”
Eric
knew that as Chief of Police, Chandi had a lot of pressures on him, things he
couldn’t talk about. And while he wasn’t overjoyed at their personal life was
being discussed, he also knew Chandi might need another Brat to talk to.
“I
think you talking to Stewart is a good thing as long as you use some discretion. I
can’t always see things from the Brat side.” Chuckling out loud, Eric continued.
“We Tops aren’t always perfect, you know.”
“I’d
never delve into our personal life, Eric. Honest. Stewart and I grew up here in
Jade Heights; knew many of the same folks and attended the same schools, even
though I was a year ahead of him in a couple of classes. Both of us were kind
of shy and were never part of the ‘in’ crowd. I kept my sexual preferences to
myself and to my knowledge, so did Stewart. I doubt either of us would be
inclined to openly discuss private stuff with just anybody…if with anyone at
all.”
Chandi
paused to make sure he was getting his meaning across. So far, it looked good.
“I know there are several couples right here in our home town who live somewhat
comparable to us, but I’d never mention names. I was really kind of surprise to
find out that Stewart and Lucas did. Whereas you may have already picked up on
that, it kinda blew my mind to only now discover it, especially with us often
spending time together. I mean, it’s easy to see that you and Lucas are alpha
males. After all, even though Lucas’ dominate personality traits are very
noticeable while yours are a little more subtle, you both exude an air of being
in charge. But that doesn’t automatically infer a Top/Brat relationship. I have
to admit that I’m rather pleased to realize Stewart and I have something so
important to us in common, cause I very much like the idea of having a fellow
Brat to talk to.”
He
began chuckling. “I wonder if Stewart was as surprised by this new revelation
as I was. Some of the stuff we’ve done together should have been dead
give-aways.” Chandi shook his head in disbelief. “You remember when I got that
Prince Albert piercing? Stewart was with me at the time and got his tongue
pierced. I never did see him wearing a stud so I’m guessing Lucas wasn’t any
more pleased with the body impaling than you were. The spanking I got hurt as
much or more than the piercing did.”
“The
punishment was well deserved,” Eric commented.
“Yeah,
I know.” Chandi’s dark brown eyes were sparkling. “And while I know I can
converse on any subject I want with you, this is different. You understand
that, right?”
Eric's heart filled with joy at the light in his
love’s eyes. They hadn’t talked a lot about their relationship; Eric knew he
was more of a doer than a talker. But that sparkle in Chandi’s eyes convinced
him to try and talk more with his Brat. But he also knew Chandi needed
another Brat to talk things out with. Stewart seemed the perfect choice.
Pulling on Chandi’s hand, Eric maneuvered him onto
his lap once again. “I do understand,” he said and kissed him. Eric lowered his
voice; not quite a growl, but close enough to gain Chandi’s attention. “I
do understand. However, I will be most displeased if you talk to Stewart about
something that I need to know about. If you are in trouble or stressed or
anything like that, I need to know. As your partner, as your Top, I can’t be
left in the dark to read your mind.”
“I don’t
want to let that happen, Eric. With the exception of my poor decision where
eating was concerned a while back, I’ve not often made it a practice of keeping
things from you and I hope don’t make a habit of it now.” Chandi wrapped his
arms around the other man’s neck and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “By the
way, I know you’re not perfect. Close enough, but not exactly one hundred
percent, which I am so thankful for. I’d hate the added stress of having to
live up to the expectations of someone who never makes a mistake.”
Laughing,
Eric assured him, “I promise I’ll make enough mistakes that you don’t have to
worry about that.”
Holding
on to Chandi’s hips, Eric’s big hands put a little pressure on his love. “We
grow each and every day together. We’ll continue to do so and change, and as
long as we keep the lines of communication open, we’re going to last.”
As
Chandi squirmed on his lap, Eric couldn’t help but say something cheesy to
lighten their mood. “Our relationship isn’t the only thing that’s growing.” He
ground his hips up, letting the other man feel his erection.
“So I
noticed,” Chandi merrily concurred.
Eric
stood up, setting his partner on his feet. “Come on, love. Let’s go see if you’re
growing too.”
“Yeah,
let’s go check that out,” Chandi laughed, heading towards the master bedroom
and undoing his trousers at the same time.
The
End
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