Page 71 of Sweet Thing

Epilogue

Simeon rarely took road trips, favoring the speed and comfort of air travel, but sharing this journey with his partner of three years was a little bit special. Simeon hadn’t visited the Duchamp ancestral chateau in Provence Verte since he was sixteen. Back then he’d opened the house for a month of debauchery, with random strangers out for a good time, until Patrice sent his estate manager to break up the party. Sim had behaved like such a selfish brat back then, and now felt deeply ashamed by how much he’d put his parents through.

The memories of that summer faded as Bastian drove them at a leisurely pace up and down the country roads. The sky was a pure azure blue and Simeon could see for miles, the patchwork of crops, flowers, and grasslands throwing a blanket of color across the landscape.

Simeon took a side glance at Bastian, whose long hair and full, blond, hipster beard made him look like a Viking warrior. Initially, Sim disapproved of the beard Bast sprouted. He’d been growing it since Simeon turned down his proposal three years before. Simeon was not ready for marriage back then, especially given the fact he was experiencing his first real relationship, and in recovery from his addictions. It all felt like too much, too soon. And so, Bastian proclaimed that he would grow his beard until Simeon said he would be his husband. Simeon liked the beard now, and he loved the man who wore it. He loved Bastian more than he ever thought he could love another person, and felt deeply grateful each day that the adoration he offered his lover was returned ten-fold.

The car breeched the top of the hill, and Bastian stopped on the empty country road. The landscape was rich and lush, and Sim could see the swathes of purple blooms between the verdant fields, surrounded by the dusky, foreboding shadows of the French Alps.

“There, that terracotta roof down in the valley,” Simeon enthused, pointing at a majestic rectangular old building of whitewashed stone with Robin’s egg blue shutters on the windows.

Bast could see it had rickety turrets, and in the grounds, vast walled gardens, an orchard, and a lake. Bastian’s eyes widened. His love for old architecture was roused. The thought of having an old chateau to explore gave him a rush of excitement. The pleasure turned to something more sentimental when he looked at his partner and he felt that warm feeling in his belly. Bastian wanted to explore the chateau with Sim; in fact, he wanted to explore the whole world with Simeon by his side. Bastian slung an arm over the back of Simeon’s seat and turned to look out of the rear window. He reversed the car a couple of hundred meters back up the road and then drove into a secluded coppice of trees.

“What are you doing?” Simeon queried. Bastian turned the engine off, and Simeon’s question was answered by Bastian’s hungry look. He knew that look all too well.

“If I drive straight down, there will be people and talking, and we have to socialize,” Bastain explained.

“I would just be looking for you, wanting you and not able to have you. This is the last chance before Lukas steals you from me.”

Simeon laughed. He knew Lukas would commandeer his time as soon as they drove into the courtyard. Simeon observed his partner, silent for a long moment; then he unclicked his and Bastian’s seat belts, smiled, and leaned seductively over. Bastian appeared to ready himself for a kiss, but Simeon did not kiss him. Teasingly, he reached over to the side of Bast’s seat and pulled a lever. Bastian’s seat shot back, and he lay prone, his laughter a deep rumble in his chest.

“Better?” Simeon purred.

“Oh yes, much better.”

Simeon’s hand went straight to Bastian’s crotch, and he outlined the growing hardness beneath the loose charcoal gray sweat pants he wore. Bastian snuck a hand inside Simeon’s Navy sweats and cupped Simeon’s warm, moist balls and weighed them in his hand, then rolled them and gave a squeeze.

“Ahh.” The passionate sound from Simeon, in turn, made Bastian’s erection harden beneath Simeon’s fingers. He pulled the band of Bast’s sweats down so he could release the length of musky hot cock that he could never get enough of. Sim moved in the awkward small space to straddle Bastian so that Bast could take hold of both dicks and rub them side by side. Simeon leaned in and cupped Bastian’s bearded face. His fingers brushed Bast’s unruly long hair back from his brow, and he took in the handsome man beneath him. Simeon rotated his hips, and Bastian’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth to let out a groan of pleasure, but the sound never got a chance for release, as Simeon moved in and claimed Bast’s mouth.

The kiss was deep and passionate, but then Bastian let go of their cocks and gently pushed Simeon back. He observed his lovers androgynous, elfin face.

“What?” Simeon questioned.

“Nothing.”

“Just tell me!” Simeon writhed teasingly on Bast’s lap, making him growl.

“I was just thinking how perfect this is.” The scent of lavender hung on the dry breeze, and Bastian took in a lungful of air.

“You are so precious to me,” Bastian said, smiling when Simeon’s cheeks flushed. “You make me believe that anything is possible.”

“You give me a reason to keep fighting each day,” Simeon responded.

The men started to move their hips in slow, rolling circular motions, holding one another’s faces, watching as the arousal ramped up and and was reflected in their gazes.

“Tu sais que je t'aime,” (You know I love you) Simeon said in a breathy purr.

”Oui, et je t'aime aussi,” (Yes, and I love you too!) Bastian replied.

The car suspension groaned and creaked as the thrusting, frotting movements increased in speed and both men aimed for a quick release.

Entwined in passion, Simeon had no idea what Bastian planned for their first summer at the Duchamp Chateau.

****

Four-year-old Lukas Bayer sat on the old gray stone wall beside a decaying lion sculpture that looked out over the long roadway that led from the Duchamp Chateau. His father had told him not to climb the wall as it was crumbling in sections, but Lukas was a climber, and nicknamed Little Bird for a good reason. He found a tree that grew close to the wall, climbed it and then walked carefully along it to find a good spot to watch for the new arrivals. He held his plastic binoculars to his eyes and watched for movement at the top of the distant hill road.

Minutes later, Lukas felt like he’d been up there forever. He was getting a little bit hungry and thirsty and was unsure whether he should leave his post and return with snacks, or sit it out. Then, he saw the blue car stop at the crest of the hill. He knew that was Uncle Bast’s car. He threaded the cord of the binoculars over his head and then crawled back along the wall to the tree. When he reached the ground, his heart beat with the excitement of the plotting and planning coming to fruition. He ran like the wind.