Chapter Three
"That's the last box," Riley said with a relieved sigh, carefully dropping the cardboard box onto their newly finished hardwood floor in the living room. "I didn't think we'd have that much after bringing stuff over the last few weeks."
"It piles up," Colin said. "We've lived together for five years and it shows."
Jerry and Caleb came in with the coffee table and placed it in front of the couch. "And that's the last of it off the truck," Jerry said.
Riley looked around their new living room appreciatively. The ceilings were high, giving the older house an open, airy feeling, and the crown molding finished the walls nicely. He gazed through the arched doorway leading into the dining room and couldn't help admiring the intricate detail on the fireplace facing him, a perfect match to the one at his right in the living room. He thanked the stars again for modern technology and their ability to heat the house through other means that didn't involve chopping wood and keeping five fireplaces hot.
"We can't thank you enough for helping us out, Jerry," Colin said.
"That's what friends are for, buddy," Jerry replied amiably. "Now I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm ready for some grub."
"I could eat," Riley said, placing the near-empty water bottle to his lips.
"Rachel!" Jerry yelled through to the kitchen.
"God bless, Jerry, you'd think I was in the next county," Rachel said, coming through the swinging door between the kitchen and dining room, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.
Jerry smiled at his wife with a gleam in his eye and said, "Sorry, darlin'. I think we're ready to break for some food if you're ready for us."
"You boys have an appetite?" she asked. "Take a load off in the dining room and I'll bring in the food."
Rachel set a basket in the middle of the dining room table and passed paper plates around to the famished men.
Taking a seat next to Jerry, she said, "I hope it's all right. I figured fried chicken was good cold or hot, so that's what I made."
"It's wonderful," Colin said, taking a bite of a crispy chicken leg.
"Pass the potato salad," Riley said.
"I've about got the kitchen in order," Rachel said, smearing butter on a biscuit. "I love the flooring you put down."
"You like that?" Colin asked. "We thought black wouldn't show dirt."
"Well, it won't show dark dirt," Rachel said wisely. "You might see dusty dirt, like dirt from your boots, but it won't matter. It's still beautiful. I can almost see myself in the shine."
"Thanks. We still have to replace the cabinets in there, but that's one thing that can wait a bit," Riley said.
"I love that you have stairs down the back of the house as well as the front," she said. "That'll save you some steps on occasion. Wonder why they did that when they built the house?"
"Oh, I know that one," Riley said around a mouthful of chicken. "For the servants."
"Right," Colin said. "The servants used the back stairs leading into the kitchen and not the front."
"Were they not allowed to use the front stairs?" Caleb asked.
"Don't know," Riley said. "All we know is the realtor said the back stairs were for servants."
"Who knows what all they did back then," Jerry said. "I'll bet there's a lot of history in this house."
"If walls could speak," Rachel said. "Funny how times change. When was this house built?"
"In the late 1800's," Colin said. "She's been around for a long time."
"When you think about it," Riley said, "it's only been a bit over a hundred years, but things are totally different today."
"True. Did they even have cars then?" Colin asked.
"I don't know," Riley said. "Wonder what it will be like in another hundred years?"
"Just as different, I'm guessing," Caleb said.
Rachel stood to clear the table as the conversation rolled to a close and the meal finished.
"Rachel, let me get this up. You've done enough." Colin tried to take the paper plates from her but Rachel held on.
"Nonsense. I'm going to clear this table in five minutes. Most of this can go in the trash, and what can't, can go in the dishwasher. Get yourselves some beer and put your feet up."
Rachel whisked away paper plates and food bowls in a flash while the men retired to the living room.
"Long day," Colin said, twisting the top off another beer. "It would have been a lot longer without your help. Thank you."
"Hey, it was no problem at all," Jerry said. "We didn't mind a bit. You'd do the same for us; I'm sure of it."
"You know we would."
"I think we'll get out of your hair when Rachel's ready. You must be looking forward to a nice quiet evening in your new home."
"I was thinking a hot shower then curl up with Colin," Riley said.
"I like that idea," Colin said.
Caleb asked, "So what's next on your agenda with the house after you're finished vegetating for a while?"
Colin looked at Riley inquiringly and Riley shrugged. "We've had so much to do just to get ready to move in that we haven't talked about the next phase."
"There's so much, but we can't do it all at once," Riley said.
"Good thing about it is," Jerry said, "you don't have to do it all at once. Take your time and enjoy it."
"We have to get back to work, too," Colin said. "We shuffled some projects around so we could work on our own house, but we need to get the cash flowing in again or we won't get anything done."
"We'll be broke," Riley laughed.
"Since we're going into summer, we need to work on the outside some," Colin said. "The shed in the back could be converted to be a detached garage, maybe."
"That would be nice," Caleb said.
"We need to clear out those old shrubs around the house, not to mention fix the porch. Talk about a job," Riley said.
"Are you going to put up siding?" Jerry asked.
Colin smiled at his partner. "I don't know, are we?"
"We really haven't thought that far ahead," Riley said. "It would be nice, though. We need to replace the windows before winter…"
"Get the fireplaces functioning or sealed…," Colin added.
"Update the kitchen cabinets…"
"Cement and seal the basement…," Riley added.
"Seal the basement?" Jerry asked. "Is it wet?"
"I don't know about wet," Colin said, "but it's a dirt floor basement."
"You're kidding," Caleb said. "I had no idea."
"Yeah, these older homes had dug out basements. You go down basement stairs like you would any home, but you end up on a dirt floor," Riley explained.
"You want to see it?" Colin offered.
"Yeah, we'll take a look," Jerry said.
Colin led them into the kitchen, opening a door tucked in the corner.
"I thought that was a pantry or something when I was putting stuff away," Rachel said. "I didn't realize you have a basement."
"It's a basement of sorts," Riley said. Descending the stairs he pointed out, "The back staircase is overhead. This staircase is tucked under it."
Riley felt the cooler air as they got to the bottom of the stairs, stepping onto a tightly packed dirt floor. Despite Colin switching on the single hanging light, Riley felt the darkness surround him in the close quarters as shadows fell this way and that with the swinging bulb.
"It's creepy down here," he said almost to himself. He rubbed his forearms unconsciously, the temperature feeling much cooler than it actually was and making the hair on his arms stand to attention.
"Not real homey," Colin agreed.
"I've never seen a dirt floor basement," Caleb said. "Crawlspaces I've seen, but not a full basement."
"I've seen 'em in old houses," Jerry said. "You know, cementing it is going to be a job."
"I know," Colin said. "Do you know anyone who can do a good job with it?"
"I'll have to give it some thought. Nobody comes to mind right off the bat, but I'll see what I can come up with." He toed the floor and said, "Packed tight."
"A hundred years of people walking on it will do that," Riley said. "We can't really use it for storage like it is. Maybe it could be a wine cellar."
"Or we could store potatoes down here," Colin said, laughing. "If the hot water heater ever burst we'd be wading in mud."
"Don't let it burst then," Jerry said with a hearty laugh. "One thing's for sure, you don't have to seal it tomorrow. It doesn't smell musty down here."
"No, it doesn't, thank God. We can put cementing the basement near the bottom of the list," Colin said.
They went back upstairs to find Rachel just finishing with the kitchen, draping the dish towel over the oven handle.
"Now, look at you boys," she chastised, pointing at the floor. "You've tracked that dust from down there on these beautiful floors."
Riley glanced behind him and saw the distinct tracks of the four of them leading from the basement door and ending where they stood. So that's the kind of dusty dirt Rachel was talking about earlier, he thought. She was right. The dusty footprints stood out starkly against the shiny black tile.
"We'll need to get a rug for the top of the basement stairs," Colin said to Riley.
"Or don't go downstairs," he offered. "It gives me the creeps anyway."
"You could always get a rug *and* not go to the basement unless you need to," Rachel said amiably. "Compromise."
"Are you two ready to hit the road?" Jerry asked his family.
"I'm all finished in here. Now, I put your linens away upstairs. I couldn't make the bed because I got sidetracked in the kitchen while I was waiting for you boys to bring the beds in," she said. "Caleb, honey, take my dishes to the car for me, would you?"
Caleb took the basket from his mother and balanced a Tupperware bowl in his free hand. "And let's see," she continued, "I put your cups here, bowls there, plates in here."
"Did we put anything away?" Riley said, kissing her cheek. "You did everything."
"Oh, shoot," she said with a blush. "I was just helping, that's all."
"And we appreciate it," Colin said sincerely. "We might actually have time to relax some this weekend after all your help."
Rachel smiled and said, "I didn't mind at all."
They packed up and Riley and Colin waved to them from the slightly sagging front porch.
"Alone at last," Colin said, taking Riley's hand. "That was nice of them to help so much."
"It was." Riley looked to his right and admired the church next door. "That church is pretty. It looks about as old as our house."
"I know. I could do without the graveyard between us, though."
The little church graveyard was sparsely populated, apparently once used to inter a handful of parishioners at one point in time. The headstones showed as much age as the buildings flanking them, some leaning this way or that and others missing parts of the original design or missing entirely. Large oak trees provided cool shade, interspersed between the dead, providing an additional layer of covering above the dirt and grass carpeting.
"At least the yard is big enough that we aren't right on top of it," Riley said.
"Yeah." Colin took a deep breath and said, "I don't know about you, but I'm ready for that shower and some quality time."
Riley grinned seductively. "Want to share the shower?"
"Most definitely," Colin said, leading the way into the house.
Later that evening, Colin roused Riley from the sofa. He squeezed the sock-covered feet in his lap and said, "Hey, sleepyhead. Can you wake up enough to move to the bed?"
Riley moaned in protest at being nudged from his sound nap. "Come on, babe. Time for bed."
"No," Riley mumbled.
"Up. Come on," Colin said, patting Riley's thigh. He moved Riley's feet off his lap and gently placed them on the floor as he stood.
Riley ignored the hint and turned to bury his face in the back of the sofa, curling up into a ball. Colin patted the firm bottom jutting out at him. "Riley. Up. I'm not saying it again."
Riley moaned again and rolled over on his back to cover Colin's target, then stretched his arms overhead. He cracked his eyes open and his lover came into view. "Go on," Riley said. "I'll be up in a minute."
"Now, Riley," Colin said, switching off the television.
Riley sighed and looked at his partner looming above him. "Hateful," he muttered.
"Yes, I am." Colin held his hand out for Riley and after a moment's hesitation, Riley obliged, placing his hand in Colin's for a lift up.
Colin pulled him to his feet and kept his grasp on Riley's hand. They climbed the ornate staircase, switching off the hall light as they entered the upstairs hallway.
Riley shuffled drowsily into the bedroom and Colin went to the bathroom. When he got back, Colin found Riley collapsed on top of the covers of their queen-sized bed. He maneuvered Riley amid sleepy protests until he was able to get his legs tucked under the covers, pulling the sweats off him before tucking him in. When Colin slipped in beside him, Riley moaned in his sleep and flung a leg over Colin's, being led by habit and his subconscious, though dead to the world.
Colin smiled in the night, content with his lover wrapped around him in their new home. Riley had been working so hard. They both had. It was nice to be settled enough for life to get back to normal. He turned his head to kiss Riley's forehead then closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep almost instantly.
Riley slept fitfully, the stress from their efforts of the last few weeks taking its toll now that they had the better part of the work done. He woke up off and on, dreams and fleeting images of their work and progress coming and going. The movies in his head were realistic yet not, with the house shifting in unnatural ways, and floors more like quicksand than wood. It was as though it preferred to be left alone rather than be updated and changed.
One dream left him alone and trapped in the bathroom, the door holding stubbornly as he yanked and tugged at it, desperate for it to open. Riley's struggles with the crystal-like doorknob stopped suddenly as he heard a familiar sound behind him, and he slowly turned toward the sound of water gushing into the bathtub. He stood frozen, the hundred-year-old door at his back, refusing to give him leave, as the water poured unbidden into the clawfoot tub.
A silent scream struggled to get past Riley's throat as the water turned blood red, beating down so hard it splashed upward, landing in streaked droplets along the lip of the tub. As blood filled the tub, it overflowed its bounds and spattered against the worn white tile, streaking the floor as it trailed in rivulets toward Riley. He backed up in horror against the door, frozen in fear as the blood reached his feet, his ears ringing from the increasing sound of the bloody water running at full force. He slid down the bathroom door unable to escape, his mouth gaping, his scream stolen by an overwhelming fear.
He awoke with a start, in a sweat and unsure of where he was. His heart pounded angrily against his chest as though it wanted to escape as much as Riley had in his dream. He reminded himself that it wasn't real even as he wiped beads of sweat from his forehead. As he blinked in the darkness, he sought Colin and saw the outline of his body next to him, assured by his presence even though he knew it was a dream.
Riley's bladder demanded attention and he rolled his eyes in the dark. He had fallen asleep without going to the bathroom first and now his bladder refused to be ignored. He assessed how full it was, trying to convince himself he could make it until morning. One look at the alarm clock made him realize the futility in that line of thinking. There was no way he could hold out another four or five hours.
The hall nightlight glowed softly in the dark and he was more than a little grateful now that Colin had suggested they plug one in. He eased himself out of the bed and Colin barely budged, sleeping soundly as he typically did. Riley tiptoed out of the bedroom and cringed when he found a squeaky spot in the floor that echoed loudly in the quiet, just as he neared the door. He stood stock still, waiting for his heart to slow down again, and glanced over his shoulder toward his sleeping lover. Still out like a light.
Riley released a caught breath then continued on to the bathroom, his shadow looming ahead of him as he passed the nightlight along the way. He hurried into the bathroom, plunging it into a wash of light as soon as he crossed the threshold, the new tile shining and unscuffed like the old flooring in his dream. He pushed the door further open, wishing he had something to prop it with just in case. He couldn't help but take a quick glance in the bathtub, and sighed in relief when it was sparkling clean, devoid of any bloody water.
He kept one eye on the door while he rushed to do his business, then hurried back to their bedroom. He tried not to walk too fast, unwilling to admit how much the dream had spooked him, yet he gave up his pride after just a few steps and rushed down the hallway in spite of himself.
Despite his hurry, Riley took the time to carefully sidestep the squeaky spot just inside the door so he wouldn't disturb Colin. Peeling off his t-shirt, he climbed back into bed and snuggled close to Colin, too hot to drape himself over him, but still craving the contact in the unfamiliar house. His jitters were soothed having survived the darkened trek to the bathroom but he still found sleep elusive after the adrenalin rush.
Riley finally drifted back to sleep as the frightening images began to fade. His sleep was interrupted again, but this time pleasantly, with a feather light touch of Colin's fingers against his face. A whisper of Colin's breath on his cheek preceded a soft kiss, and Riley smiled to himself. His cock began to swell as it was wrapped in a grip under the confines of his underwear. He lifted his hips and pulled his briefs down and out of the way.
Riley groaned in pleasure as the steady stroking sent shivers of pleasure through him. He said, "God, Colin. You feel so good."
He opened his eyes expecting to see his partner leaning over him but found a dark void instead. He looked beside him and saw the gentle rise and fall of Colin's chest as he remained prone beside him deep in sleep and unaware of Riley's hard-on pointed toward the ceiling under the sheet.
At least this dream was a good one, Riley thought. It crossed his mind to wake Colin, not just to finish what he started - even if in a dream, but to keep him company since it wasn't meant for him to sleep, apparently. He reached under the sheets and stroked himself until he came, his thoughts turning to things other than bloody bathrooms and locked doors. His fantasies weren't as good as the dream, but they did the job.
Sated, he tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. Why couldn't he sleep! The house might be different but their bed wasn't, and he groaned in frustration when he saw it was 4 AM. He had been trying to go back to sleep for an hour and was no closer to getting there. As if the crazy dreams hadn't been enough… He finally drifted off again as the sky turned to gold with the sun pushing its way onto the horizon.
His eyes snapped open after feeling like they were closed no more than ten minutes to a car horn, blaring as though trying to get someone's attention. Whether it got the attention of the person it was after, Riley couldn't be sure, but it had his, and from the sounds of Colin stirring next to him, it had awakened him, too. Riley could hear Colin blindly slapping at the nightstand in search of the quiet alarm, still too groggy to realize it was a car.
"It's outside," Riley advised sleepily.
Colin muttered acknowledgement and settled back down, leaving the innocent clock alone. Various sounds from below them drifted through their open bedroom window, careless of it being a Sunday morning or that people could be trying to sleep. As much as he tried to shut out the noise, Riley couldn't help hearing children chasing each other and women scolding them to be careful and not get dirty. A dog was barking incessantly somewhere in the distance, either hot on something's trail or notifying something else that it was on his territory.
"Jesus," Riley complained as a couple of people began laughing outside. "What the hell's going on out there?"
"Church," Colin mumbled into his pillow. "Or the welcome wagon."
"Oh, man," Riley fussed. "Will it be like this every Sunday?" He pulled his pillow over his head and tried to drown out the noise.
Colin tugged the pillow away and tucked it back under Riley's head where it belonged. "Probably."
"Crap."
Colin turned toward Riley and slipped an arm around his chest, pulling him close. "Sleep ok?" Colin asked.
"No," Riley said bitterly.
"I slept like a rock."
"I know," Riley said around a yawn. "I couldn't help but notice you were knocked out while I was staring at the ceiling. You can sleep anywhere, any time."
"Probably," Colin said.
"'m tired," Riley mumbled.
"What kept you awake?"
"Locked bathrooms and hard-ons," Riley said.
"Mmmm," Colin replied, running a hand over Riley's smooth chest. "Dreaming about our interlude the other week?"
"Not hardly," Riley said, grasping Colin's hand and kissing his palm. He hugged Colin's arm to him. "It was awful. I was stuck in the bathroom and there was all this blood."
He shivered, remembering the dream more vividly than he wanted to and Colin pulled him closer. "Sounds horrible, babe."
"It was. Then I had to go pee so I had to go in there. I couldn't bring myself to shut the door after that."
"I thought you told me you fixed the door?"
"I did," Riley said, "but after a dream like that I didn't trust my work."
"Did you sleep after that?"
"No, then I dreamed we were fooling around but I woke up before you were finished with me in my dream only to find you sound asleep in real life."
"You should have awakened me," Colin said, nuzzling Riley's ear. "I would have taken care of you."
"I might next time. It was so real. I don't usually dream that much."
"No, but you've been working hard and it's made you restless. We'll take it easy today, have a lazy Sunday. I think we could both use a break."
"Want to go rent some movies?" Riley asked.
"That's sounds good. Let's fix some breakfast and then go pick out some stuff to watch."
Colin kissed the back of Riley's head hard then got out of bed. "Come get me if I get locked in," he said as he left the bedroom.
TBC
