Chapter 18 Andrew

The thick musty air was filled with dust motes dancing in the sun filtering through the cracked shades of the trailer made Andrew cough. He let out a sigh of relief as the cool air from the air conditioner washed over him. Beside the front window, he could see Rafael had been wrestling with a tattered floral-patterned wallpaper strip. Removing the paper was going to require a lot of effort and patience.

"You started without me," Andrew said.

Rafael nodded. "You can work on the other side of me, so we're not too far apart." Rafael handed Andrew the crisp, white apron to protect his clothes.

Andrew couldn't resist the temptation and planted a kiss on his cheek. "We're going to make this place sparkle." He put on the apron and took the scraping tool to help remove the wallpaper.

"Our Love Nest, Andrew. It's our place. Not just mine."

"I love that you said that."

"I mean it. Let's make our Love Nest brand new for us."

When it came to removing the wallpaper, they both had a side to work on. "Ugh, this stuff is coming off in confetti," Rafael muttered.

Andrew chuckled. "Don't worry, it gets easier…ish." Wallpaper, once cheerful daisies, now hung in limp tatters. A chipped and faded turquoise paint was revealed beneath. It held a strange charm, a testament to the life Rafael's grandfather had lived here.

"I bought some wallpaper remover for the stubborn areas." Rafael sprayed a few areas, and they stripped off more wallpaper. "When we've done this, I'll prepare the walls for the white paint if you could sweep up the floor. Bags are on the table and the trash can is outside."

"Okay," Andrew said, wiping the beads of sweat from his brow. "It's already looking better without the wallpaper."

Rafael grinned. "Absolutely. This place needs a fresh start. Just like…" He trailed off.

Andrew felt a blush creep up his neck, a warmth entirely unrelated to the heat. "Like what?"

Rafael shrugged, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Like maybe a beginning chapter for both of us?"

Andrew's heart pounded against his ribs. Chapter. Is that what this is? He wasn't sure, but the thought sent a delightful shudder down his back. "Yeah," he agreed.

Rafael's smile widened. "So, are you free later? We could order something for dinner…maybe some pizza?"

"That sounds good."

"I have to pick up Gabriella shortly and have a talk about last night, then I can meet you here around eight."

Andrew's smile mirrored Rafael's. "What happened last night?"

"She brought a guy into my home. I told her no boys when I'm not there."

"She's eighteen."

"My house. My rules. I don't want her pregnant."

"Pregnant? She's not stupid. Give her a break." Mimi's image filled Andrew's thoughts. Despite being a nurse, she'd found herself unexpectedly pregnant.

"I'm responsible for her."

"I didn't know she had a boyfriend."

"She said he's just a friend. I don't know."

"Joe is moving out tonight and eloping on the weekend," Andrew blurted out as he scraped a sizeable chunk of wallpaper.

"Why is he getting married so fast?" While waiting for the remover to set in, Rafael took a sip of his water.

"He got Mimi pregnant."

"See what I mean. Do your parents know?"

"Nope. Don't tell anyone. It's a secret until it's not."

"So, you'll have the house to yourself?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Looks like it."

"Is everything else okay?" Rafael asked.

"Why?"

"You seem down."

"It's not every day my father humiliates me in my diner and my brother moves out with hardly any notice."

"Yes, your father was over the top. I'm glad I was there. No one will talk to you like that when I'm around."

"No matter what I do, I can never seem to gain his approval. He forced Joe and me to take business classes. So, here we both are in Foggy Basin doing what our parents and grandparents have done. We all had to work in the diner."

"What did you want to study?" Rafael asked.

"Graphic design. The idea of studying graphic design had me excited, bringing ideas to life through visual media. But no, he had to force us to follow in his footsteps."

"You could still do that. Let's take a break."

They washed their hands in the kitchen sink, the scent of fresh soap in the air. After drying their hands, Rafael pulled two sodas out of the fridge and handed one to Andrew.

"Take off your shoes," Rafael said.

With a smile on his face, Andrew kicked off his shoes, feeling the cool floor beneath his feet.

"Take the apron off."

Andrew removed it with a swift motion, letting it fall onto a nearby chair.

"Lie down so I can make your day better." Rafael pointed to the bed as he unfastened his apron and put it on top of Andrew's.

As Andrew reclined on the bed waiting for Rafael's touch, he could feel the coolness of the sheets beneath him.

Rafael moved onto the bed and crawled in between Andrew's legs. He unzipped Andrew's jeans, pulling his fully erect cock out of his underwear. Rafael bowed his head, taking it in his mouth. He licked and sucked, taking it to the back of his throat.

"Feels so good," Andrew said. Aroused. Turned on. Whatever he wanted to call it, the feeling was more satisfying than anything he'd ever experienced with anyone. Rafael was such a loving sexual partner.

"You taste so sweet," Rafael whispered.

Andrew moaned, craving more, when Rafael stopped and turned him on his side. He got some lube stored under the bed, dribbled it onto his fingers, and slipped one into his hole, then two and three fingers, perfectly hitting his sensitive area. Andrew arched into Rafael's fingers, still needing more. He wanted to scream for more friction. He wanted his cock inside of him.

Rafael kept his fingers inside when he returned to sucking Andrew's cock.

He tongued Andrew with a rhythm as he shot his load into his mouth. Rafael swallowed, then he lay beside Andrew and took him into his arms.

"Oh, I love you beside me in bed." Rafael grabbed Andrew's hand as Andrew leaned on his chest.

"It feels so right to be with you."

"I want to fuck you so badly, but there's not enough time. I have to pick up Gabriella. After we eat dinner, we'll take up where we left off."

"I wish we could stay here together forever." Andrew moved his head to Rafael's shoulder.

Rafael ran his fingers through Andrew's hair. "You're beautiful when you come."

"You're hot."

"I guess I better go. You can stay here."

"No, I need to talk to my brother."

They got off the bed and washed up, then dressed.

"Not before I kiss you." Their lips locked, the kiss sending quivers down Andrew's spine.

As they headed for the creaky screen door, Andrew couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, the dusty trailer wasn't such a terrible place to start a new chapter after all.

He drove to the diner. The vintage jukebox was playing a sixties song as he walked in. He didn't see Joe or his cousin Jonathan, just Gabriella serving food to the booths. Startled by approaching footsteps, he twisted around and came face to face with Rafael.

"What are you doing here?" Andrew asked, knowing very well why he was there. He didn't want it to look like they came in together from the same place, though.

"Picking up Gabriella."

"Looks like she's still working."

"Something seems off in here," Rafael said.

"It does."