Chapter 14

The next time Garrett opened his eyes it was after nine a.m.

Not having to go to work, not having plans was just what he needed. A day off.

A holiday weekend off.

The sleep felt refreshing for a change. He sat up and looked at Aaron who was still gripped by slumber.

A smile formed on Garrett’s lips and knew a great place to head to today. Sandy Point Beach.

He hadn’t been there in eons.

He was about to climb out of bed when he felt Aaron touch his hip. Garrett paused and caressed his short blond hair. “Hey, buddy. How about a day at the beach?”

“Yeah?” Aaron’s brown eyes widened like an excited kid.

“Yeah.”

“Awesome!” Aaron seemed wide awake now.

Garrett pecked a light kiss on his forehead and climbed off the bed, entering the bathroom. When he saw himself in the mirror, he nearly couldn’t recognize the guy in the reflection. He looked like a new man.

Love?

Who knew?

~

Aaron leapt from the bed and danced around the room happily. A day off at the beach with Garrett? Yahooie!!!

As Garrett brushed his teeth, Aaron dug through his clothing, realizing he didn’t have a bathing suit, but he had those blue shorts he’d run in.

Leaving them on the bed, Aaron took his turn in the bathroom when Garrett emerged from it.

He felt giddy.

He recalled wanting to take day trips before, but in foster care, he didn’t do much more than walk through a lawn sprinkler in a backyard.

He shaved, making sure he kept up the new appearance of Brad Houston, and inspected the dark roots that soon appeared after a bleach-blond dye job. But, heck, he’d just dyed it, so it could wait.

~

Garrett noticed a pair of shorts on the bed and realized Aaron didn’t have a bathing suit. He dug into a drawer and located his.

He had three. One was small, like a Speedo. He had used it to swim competitively, and the other two were trunks, baggier.

He opted for the two trunk-style suits. One was gray, the other had a pattern with bright colors.

Putting the gray ones on, Garret wore shorts over them, then dragged a T-shirt over his head. He then found a small canvas backpack and loaded it with a change of clothes, from both their items, as well as flipflops. He inspected his smaller handgun, a snub-nose thirty-eight caliber revolver, checked the barrel was loaded, and slipped it into a sleek holster, one that was easy to conceal and fit in the pocket of the backpack.

Once Aaron finished in the bathroom, Garrett found sunblock and a small first-aid kit from under the sink vanity.

He then packed two beach towels and left the bedroom to grab water and snacks.

~

Aaron saw the brightly colored swim trunks on the bed near his shorts. He smirked at Garrett’s leaving them out for him and shrugged, putting them on. He then found baggy shorts to fit over them. Once he had on a T-shirt and his sneaks, he pocketed his wallet with his fake ID inside it, leaving the real one behind.

He found Garrett in the kitchen packing stuff into a green canvas, army-looking, backpack.

“Should I make coffee?” Aaron pointed to the pot.

“Nah. Let’s grab it on the road. Since this is a holiday weekend, the beach may be mobbed, which is good for us. Crowds make people invisible.” Garrett added two bottles of water and snack-sized bags of almonds and pretzels to the sack. “Let’s go.”

“Cool!” Aaron was impressed with Garrett’s spontaneity.

They locked the house behind them and exited through the door connecting to the garage. Aaron sat beside Garrett on the passenger’s seat and realized this car may be a government issued vehicle. It seemed to be less posh than the luxury models. But certainly not barebones. He didn’t look at the license plates to see if it was exempt. He assumed not, because that would be conspicuous.

The garage door rolled open, and Garrett backed out, lowering it, then he hit the highway east.

~

On his way out of the city, Garrett pulled up to a drive-thru coffee shop. It was already warm out, and the sun shined without a cloud in the sky. A few other cars were in front of him as the menu came into view. He turned towards Aaron, who looked sexy with his blond hair and dark sunglasses. Garrett rubbed his bare leg. “What do you want?”

“Your cock.”

After he gave Aaron a wicked smile, Aaron said, “Anything. A donut, a bagel… doesn’t matter. And coffee. Please.”

“Got it.” Garrett winked at him, and sensed Aaron needed a little spoiling. He had a feeling, being in foster care his whole life, Aaron certainly wasn’t pampered. He’d read his bio and rap sheet. That was not the life of a spoiled brat. Quite the opposite.

He rolled his window down, since they had the A/C blasting. The woman at the window asked, “What can I get you?”

“Two grande iced mocha fraps, two bagels with cream cheese, toasted.” He took cash out of his wallet. After he paid, Aaron muttered, “I take it you’ve done this before.”

“Too many times to count.” Garrett tucked his wallet away.

The drinks came first. He handed them to Aaron. Aaron set them into the cupholders on the console and wiped the dewy condensation on his shorts.

Next, a white bag was handed to him.

“Thanks.” Garrett left the drive-thru as Aaron dug into the bag.

Garrett sipped the iced coffee drink through a straw, and then headed for the highway. He was correct. The highways were far from empty, but heck. They had a day, maybe even two, to have fun, and it didn’t matter how long it took to get there.

Aaron handed Garrett the toasted bagel, still in its paper wrapper. He had spread the cream cheese on it with a tiny plastic knife included in the bag. While driving on Interstate 95 South, Garrett munched the bagel, wondering on a life of leisure, away from DC, away from politics and espionage, and enjoying himself… for once.

~

Aaron wasn’t a mind-reader, but he had a feeling Garrett didn’t do this kind of thing often. As they devoured the small plain bagels first, then slurped on the sweet cold drinks, Aaron kept stealing glances at his lover. For the first time since they’d met in that seedy apartment he’d lived in, crawling out of the air vent duct, Aaron sensed Garrett was completely relaxed.

At ease, soldier!

He rested his hand on Garrett’s bare thigh.

Garrett peered down at it as he sucked on the straw and maneuvered lanes. The drive to the beach took around an hour.

“Okay?” Aaron asked, regarding his hand on that luscious thigh.

“Yup,” Garrett replied between sips.

Mmm. Man, I love this guy . With his pinky, he gently rubbed the large mound between Garrett’s legs while the rest of his hand held his muscular thigh. Settled in for a nice summer holiday weekend, Aaron slunk low on the bench seat and set his empty plastic cup in the holder. While pointing to the dash, he asked, “Music?”

“Absolutely.”

Aaron turned on the radio and scanned stations. He stopped when he heard California Girls by the Beach Boys.

He and Garrett sang the lyrics together, but instead of saying ‘girls’, each time they said, ‘boys!’ and then laughed loudly.

Seeing Garrett’s smile warmed Aaron’s heart.

Yes. We needed this. A day to be ourselves. A day to see how we are as a couple without the bullshit.

But as Aaron tried to enjoy their free time, he felt a weight on his shoulders of what was going to happen in the future.

He knew they had a couple of hurdles to leap first. But with a man like Garrett on his side, well, they would win, of course.

~

Signs for Sandy Point State Park appeared on the highway. Garrett took the exit to the park and saw the traffic slow as they neared the entrance. There was a fee. A small one. And he could show his military ID and get in free but… he chose not to.

He paid the fee for them both at a booth and looked for parking. Aaron sat up and asked, “What body of water is that?”

“The Chesapeake Bay.” He located a parking spot, sadly in the direct sun, but who cares. He shut off the motor and reached for the backpack.

They climbed out of the car and Aaron, being conscientious, removed the trash from the interior, the two empty cups and the paper bag, and threw it into a garbage can.

They strolled along with families, some with dogs on leashes, to the sandy beach.

“Look at that bridge!” Aaron laughed as he pointed to the long span over the bay. “It’s beautiful here.”

Garrett agreed. He walked across a grassy area then onto the sand towards the water, trying to find a spot that wasn’t jammed with bodies.

There was a pavilion with restrooms, areas with picnic tables and shade trees, and the beach, which had sunbathers as well as families using umbrellas to shade their lawn chairs.

He and Aaron walked to an open spot. The beach was a mile long, so although the parking lot was packed, the beachgoers had spread out, so they weren’t on top of one another.

He and Aaron chose a spot away from the populated area, which was near the bathhouse.

He spread out the two towels and then sat down to remove his shoes.

Aaron plopped down on his towel and took off his tee in the heat. Garrett removed the sunblock and handed it to him.

“Right. Good idea.”

While Aaron used it on his chest, arms, and legs, Garrett looked around, knowing if he helped coat Aaron’s back, they may get odd looks.

He too, removed his shirt and shorts, getting down to just his swimsuit. His gun was still hidden inside the backpack.

Aaron didn’t even ask about coating each other with the lotion, knowing it would raise eyebrows. This wasn’t Key West or West Hollywood.

Garrett did his best to cover his skin with the block, including his face, then he wiped his hands on the towel under him and lay back on the sand.

The sound of children laughing and squealing, and the barking of dogs was relaxing. There were no waves here. No soothing crashing tide.

Aaron lay back beside him, and they both let go a loud sigh of relief in harmony, making them chuckle.

Aaron snuck a touch to his fingers, then retracted his hand.

While they did nothing but relax, Garrett closed his eyes and went over the plan. On Tuesday, when work resumed, he and Aaron were going to visit Sandra Ginsberg’s office, and this mess was going to get behind him. It had to.

He was ready to move on.

~

When the heat began to feel overwhelming, Aaron sat up and stared at the water. Kids were playing in it, and families were swimming to cool off. It wasn’t even noon yet, but the July sun promised a very hot day.

Aaron stood and dropped the shorts, revealing the brightly colored swim trunks. Garrett, shielding his eyes from the sun’s glare, stared at him.

“I’m roasting.” Aaron left his sunglasses on the towel.

Nodding in agreement, Garrett also stood, and they headed to the water’s edge. Traffic moved on the bridge in front of them, and even though dogs were supposed to remain on leashes, several were off and enjoying the water with each other.

Aaron waded into the cooling water and then dove under to wet his head.

Garrett did the same. Lifeguards were on duty, and orange buoys roped off the area where the guards did not want you to swim beyond.

Able to stand after the refreshing dip, Aaron wiped the water from his face, and gazed at sailboats out in the distance. Kids in floating rings spun in delight as families enjoyed the outing.

He and Garrett bobbed in the deeper water, head and shoulders above the mild current.

“This is nice.” Aaron smiled at him.

“I’d love to live by the beach one day.”

Aaron would too. “Any place in particular?”

Garrett shrugged, staring at the distant bridge.

I want to do that with you. Anywhere you go, I want to go with you. Aaron eyed the crowd. No one was looking at them. No one thought it was odd. They had finally found peace.

“Have you ever been to California?” Aaron asked.

“Yes.”

“Did you like it?”

He got another shrug, so he shut up, leaving Garrett alone.

~

After the dip, Garrett sat on the towel to just chill and stare at the view. By three they’d had enough and stopped at the bathhouse to rinse off under a shower, change into dry clothing, and relieve themselves before the trip home.

The sense of being anonymous here was nice. Garrett didn’t feel the paranoia he did while in Baltimore and especially in DC.

He hung the damp towel around his shoulder, held the backpack, and waited for Aaron near the exit of the bathhouse.

Although he did check his surroundings, Garrett didn’t make direct eye contact with the men coming in and out of the building. He had no fear here.

None.

He liked that. Liked not having to be alert for an attack or the suspicion of being tailed.

Aaron, wearing shorts and his tee, holding his towel and wet bathing suit, met him near the exit. They left and walked across the grassy lawn towards the parking lot.

The intense heat of the day was hitting and even with sun-bock, Garrett felt a little sun-kissed. Not burned, no. But warm.

The metal of the cars in the lot gave off waves of heat from the glaring sun. Aaron stood on the passenger’s side while Garrett unlocked the doors and placed his backpack in the backseat. They spread out the towels on the vinyl because the interior of the sedan was broiling hot.

Garrett started it, reaching in gingerly, and blasted the air conditioner. As they stood waiting for the fans to blow cool, Garrett smiled as Aaron scanned around the parking lot, seeing families departing for the day.

Dinner. Yes. A nice restaurant. Yes.

Garrett entered the car and Aaron joined him. Once they were driving out of the parking lot, off the park grounds and headed back to the highway, Garrett asked, “Did you have fun?”

“I did.” He got a sweet smile from Aaron.

“Have you been on vacation before? Anywhere you’d like to see again?” Garrett lowered the blower now that cold air was coming from the vents. The radio aired Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven .

Aaron’s smile faded away. “No. I was in foster care my whole life. So…”

Garrett suspected as much. “Do you mind talking about it?” he asked as he drove. The highways were moving swiftly but were far from empty.

“No.” Aaron rested his hand on Garrett’s thigh. “Ask me anything you want.”

After he changed lanes to pass a slow car, Garrett did, “What happened to your parents?”

Some thought occurred before Aaron answered. “I’m not sure. I think they were too young or something. I remember my grandma taking care of me. But I think I was too much for her. I don’t know who my mom and dad are. I mean, Grandma showed me pictures of mom, but I never met her.”

Nodding, Garrett thought more about the dossier he’d received on Aaron, not telling him what he knew.

“I guess I was around five when she gave up on me. Maybe I was a handful for her. Seriously, Garrett, I don’t know. I wasn’t given their names when I was placed into foster care. Maybe they asked them if they could let me know who they were when I grew up, and they said no.”

Garrett wondered if Aaron wanted to track them down. He certainly could.

“… I was sent from foster care to foster care. I never stayed more than a year, maybe two. No one wanted to formally adopt me.”

Garrett kept glancing at Aaron as he discussed a topic that must be painful.

“Then, when I was around… fourteen?” Aaron’s hand slid off his thigh and rested on his own lap. “I fell in with a bunch of wise guys. We didn’t do hard drugs or violent crime. Nothing like that. We smoked weed, drank beer, and maybe did some shoplifting. We didn’t have any money. So, we stole stuff to eat. Stole cigarettes, booze… shit like that.”

Garrett thought of the contrast of his own regimented life, one with a military father and mother. One with a brother who was killed while on active duty in the Middle East.

Aaron glanced at him and continued, “When I was in my late teens, I did stupid shit. Like stealing cars and dealing drugs for cash. It was better than living on the street pushing a shopping cart.”

Garrett exited the highway to avoid the downtown area of DC and continued northeast.

“Then, I got arrested after some cop lifted my fingerprints from a stolen car. I was released, didn’t show up for my hearing, got a warrant… blah, blah, you know the deal.”

He did, and didn’t. He’d read about it in Aaron’s papers, but would never behave that way himself.

“Then, around three months ago, when I was picked up for several outstanding warrants, a dude from the government approached me. He gave me the deal. Ya know. No jail time if…”

Garrett nodded.

“Ya hate me now?” Aaron pouted. “Now that you know I’m a crook?”

“I already knew that.”

“Oh.” Aaron rubbed his face as if he were tired.

“It’s okay. Look,” Garrett said as left the highway and took local roads home, “We’ve both done shit in our past we regret.”

“What have you done?” Aaron stared at his profile.

“I wish I could tell you.”

Aaron continued to stare at him.

Garrett glanced at him and then focused on the roads, since they were far from empty, and people may already be drunk from weekend gatherings. “Maybe I will one day. But my life, my work, it’s all classified.”

“Geez.”

“I know.” Garrett shook his head at the absurdity. He’d done much worse things than Aaron, all in the name of national security. And the irony that he would never do time for killing or torture, yet Aaron went to jail for petty shit, like car theft, wasn’t lost on him.

~

Aaron wondered about men like Garrett. How did they do it? How did they keep their lives to themselves, live in isolation, hide in plain sight?

“Are your parents alive?” he asked.

“Yes. I don’t see them much. They live in the South Carolina.”

“Brothers? Sisters?”

“One brother, older. Died in combat.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry.” Aaron felt his heart break. “Were you close?”

“Very.”

Aaron paused to think about that.

Then, Garrett added, “My parents sort of closed down after he died.”

“Wow.” Aaron didn’t mean to say that out loud. “But, they still had you.”

“Yeah. They liked him better.”

As they drew closer to the house, Aaron said softly, “We have a lot more in common than I first thought.”

“I’m thinking the same thing.”

“I take it they don’t know you’re gay.” Aaron gazed at him.

“You are correct. Both my parents would kill me.”

“Both? Mom too?”

“My mother was a career officer in the army. That’s where she met my dad.”

Aaron kept quiet.

Garrett muttered, “She thinks AIDs is a way to kill us off.”

Wincing in reaction, Aaron shook his head. “Man, that’s bad.”

“Yeah. So, I vanished. Mostly for the government work, but the work gave me an excuse to avoid them. It’s my excuse for no longer contacting them.”

“Do you hate them?”

“No. I feel nothing. Apathy.” He pulled into their driveway and tapped the garage door opener on the visor.

Aaron reached into the backseat for the backpack. As Garrett shut off the motor and lowered the garage door, Aaron felt how heavy the pack was. It was the first time he’d carried it. He also took the two towels they’d covered the seat with to toss into the washing machine.

When they stood at the connecting door to the house, Aaron asked with a laugh, “What do you have in here? A brick?”

“No. A gun.” Once inside, Garrett took the backpack and walked towards the bedroom.

Aaron stopped in the kitchen, staring at him as he realized they had been armed the whole time at the beach.

How do people live like this?

He took off his sneakers, dropped the towels into the washing machine, and removed a bottle of water from the fridge, gulping it down.