Turn Around

Part two, chapter four

I am melting

 

 

"What do you mean 'they already have'? Where are we going? When did you hear from someone?" I know he said no questions, but it was a bit of a stupid thing to ask. He knew I would have questions, surely? I wanted answers to them all, then some.



"All you need to know is that they’ve called and offered me something. Two things, actually. And it means we're going on a little trip."



"What do I need to pack?"



"Clothes for several days, toothbrush, that sorta thing. Nothing major. Don't try packing the kitchen sink or anything."



"How long have you known about this?" I asked, because he wasn't rushing around putting stuff in a bag.



"They called about an hour ago, and I decided what I'd do with you straight away. Is that okay? Do you mind? If you really don't want to do it, then we don't have to, but it's going to a good surprise. I promise."



Bags were packed and thrown into the back of the car, then we were off. He seemed to know where he was going, so I lounged in the front passenger seat, shoes off, feet up. We stopped off in a city so that Sem could hop out and pick us up some snacks. He then told me we would be driving for most of the day.



He wasn't joking, either. By the time the sun was setting, we were still on the road. I had managed to doze off at some point, but was awoken by Sem opening my door. I blinked up at him, so terribly groggy, that he unfastened my seatbelt, hoisted me up and carried me bridal style from the car.



"Where are we?"



"Home for the night, darling. It's okay. But don't wriggle because you're a big kid to carry like this."



"... I can walk." But I didn't want to and he knew it, so he carried me up a small set of stairs. There was talking going on in hushed tones between Sem and a woman and then we were moving into a darker room.



"Alright, sleepyhead. Here we are. You need me to get you ready for bed too?"



"Nah. I'm good. Just plonk me down somewhere." When I felt bedding beneath me I stretched out, unable to resist, groaning and closing my eyes.



"Feel good now that you're out of the car?"



"Hey, your car is great. I mean, it's fancy and blows air all sorts of directions, but a car will never be able to live up to these sorts of standards, really. Seriously. Believe me. This is a nice bed."

When I tried to have a good look around the room it was too dark, so I wiggled my way to the top of the bed, flicking on the nearest lamp.



"Sem?"



"Yeah..." I couldn't see him.  I assumed  he'd gone into the bathroom.



"Where the crap are we and how much did this room cost?!" Everything looked so fancy. The bedding was white and gold, plush pillows to top it off. The curtains looked heavy and everyone knows heavy curtains are expensive curtains.



"Keep your voice down. It's late and the hotel is pretty full. Many people will already be sleeping. Are you ready for bed yet? Come brush your teeth."



"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, daddy." I found my toothbrush by some small miracle and headed towards the bathroom, finding Sem just finishing up.



"Are you going to tell me where we are yet?"



"No. I don't think you'd know even if I told you the name of the place, so get sorted and come to bed, okay?"



When I finished, I was naked. The room was little stuffy to be sleeping in clothes. I found Sem laying in bed on his back, hands behind his head, yawning. Sexy, huh? Clambering up the bed, gently nudging his groin with my knee when I got there, I looked down at him, pouting.



"You shouldn't have spent this much money on me, Sem. It looks like it cost a fortune just for one night. Are we staying for longer than that? Are we in the right area yet?"



"Not yet, buttercup. Some more driving tomorrow to come. You wanna try?" I backed up, sitting on his crotch and staring down at him.



"I don't think it's legal for me to drive."



"Sure it is. You can get a learners permit. Then I could teach you how to drive. Would you like that? Or are you too scared, eh?" His fingers on my thighs, tickling their way up, were making me smile.



"I'll take that as a yes, I think."



"You... You really shouldn't have paid this much for a room just for the night, Sem. Neither of us have jobs now. We shouldn't be throwing money around for the fun of it."



"Wasn't for the fun of it. It was for you." He pouted at me and I sighed, resting my head on his chest where it would remain for the rest of the night.



"You know I'd have been happy enough sleeping in the car. You didn't have to do this."



"Well I did, so shush and enjoy it, or I'm going to get grumpy. I want to set off early in the morning so we should sleep."



"But I've been in the car with you all day. All close and unable to do anything with you. That's not fair-"



"But you're tired. I can tell from the way you're starting to slur your words every so often. So sleep and then tomorrow we'll be able to do whatever you have in mind..." Oh yeah, like he doesn't know what I'm talking about.



But we slept anyway, surrounded by the stupidly comfortable bedding. I only woke up when Sem was wandering around.



I opened my eyes to find him entirely naked, hair still damp from his shower. I rolled onto my back to watch him move about the room. He flicked the room service card in my direction when he saw I was awake.



"You wanna order off there and eat here? Or we could wait and find somewhere to pick up some food once we're driving? There should be plenty of places."



That settled it. Minutes later we were out of the hotel. I got a good look around my surroundings for the first time. He was right though, I recognized nothing. Back in the car we settled in for another day on the road.



I'd say it was boring, just sitting there for long periods of time, but it meant I got to be with Sem. I learned a great deal about him through those hours like how he didn't like peas or most green things for that matter. Such information wasn't exactly mind blowing, but I liked to know it all the same.



I napped in the afternoon. My stomach was full of cheap food that we'd managed to find on our route to...Wherever we were going. The days passed the same. The nights were always spent in some expensive hotel. I had realised why; Sem was probably uncomfortable from driving all day, so felt the need to seek out extra comfort whenever he could.



He didn't disappoint with the sex in those days we spent travelling. At one point I worked him around to the idea of pulling over so I could spend some time with his groin.



I was woken from a rather light sleep by him stroking a hand through my hair. When I opened my eyes, I saw we were stopped at a red light and there were buildings all around.



"Looks like this will be our last day of driving, Joonas."



"About bloody time. Feels like we've been going for years." He laughed at me as the light changed to green. I closed my eyes again, too sleepy to bother trying to work out where we were with all the streetlights turned on, warping everything just a little bit. My head hurt.



"Not several days. We could have taken a plane, but then you'd have known where we were going and where's the surprise in that, eh?"



"My ass is numb."



"We're stopping soon, okay? I just need to find the damn hotel. It’s around here someplace."



"What's it called?" I eyed him carefully, wondering if he would tell me. He was beginning to look flustered, and I wondered if he was lost.



"I dunno. I don't remember. I spoke to the receptionist first thing this morning while you were in the bathroom. She said it was on Evernew Street and that we couldn't miss it. Biggest hotel in the area or something."



"Evernew?" Evernew sounded vaguely familiar to me. Maybe there were lots of streets in the world called the same?



"Yeah... Aha! Found it. Right up here and then right into the underground car park and there we are." He rushed out of the car once parked and opened my door, grabbing me and kissing me with the kind of passion that would have knocked me off my feet but, since I was sitting, melted me into the fabric.



01010



"Happy to be here, eh?"



"So, so happy." I rolled about in the bed, enjoying the freedom my legs suddenly had. "Are you going to tell me where we are yet? Are we finally here?"



"We are finally at our destination, yes." He settled on the bed with me, holding my chin still, so that he got my attention enough to kiss me. "You wanna get out of bed and look out of the window to see if you can guess?" He had a sly glint in his eye that worried me just a little, but I got up.



What I saw made me want to be sick.



Even in the dark, I knew it was home. We were right in the city centre. I could remember walking down each and every street I could see.



"Joonas? What do you think?"



What did I think? I thought he was the devil! I laid eyes on the hospital I'd been taken to, kicking and screaming. I could vaguely work out which direction my parents lived in. The old supermarket I used to shop in. Sam's old place.



"Darling, please don't give me the silent treatment. I think this will be good for us. For you, mainly. Please..."



I don't know what to tell you. My mind shut down, closely followed by my body. My brain went into hibernation mode; there was no need for survival mode, Sem wasn't physically hurting me. I didn't go crazy. I just stopped being in that moment. I wish I could tell you where I went, that it was safe, warm, and happy. I can't. The only thing I can say is that I woke up to Sem's tears falling down on my face.



"Baby, Joonas, Joonas, please. Please wake up. I don't understand what just happened with you, and I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry if I managed to mess things up again. We can go straight back home if you want. I don't mind. It's okay. Just tell me what to do, Joonas!"



I reached up and touched his cheek with my thumb, wiping away some of the wetness.



"I think I passed out. I didn't.. Have a panic attack or anything."



"Did you have a stroke?"



"What the fuck type of question is that? 'Did you have a stroke?' No. I didn't. I just passed out. I'm okay. Could you help me up though?"



When we were laying back on the bed, Sem stroking my hair, I sighed into his chest and closed my eyes.



"We can go home if you want." His voice just a whisper.



"I am home." The words burned me. "As much as I hate to admit it, the vast majority of my life is here. Are you really ready to walk into that? My family? Sam, again? My other exes? My old work colleagues-"



"About that... The job I was offered is in your old offices, darling. I don't know how you feel about that, but it's the only thing I was offered."



"In the whole country?"



"Most people who get to my position don't.... Leave until they retire, I guess."



"Sucks balls."



He laughed at that and, eventually, so did I.



"Tomorrow... I thought you could show me around? We can stay as long as you like. What would you like to do here?"



"I... I would like to introduce you to my parents."



"I can do that. Do they bite? Do they know you're gay?"



"They may well bite these days, I don't know. And yeah, they know I'm gay. They never met anyone I've been with though, so this might come as a shock to them."



Sem nodded and asked lightly about how to get into contact with Rosie's mother.



"Through my lawyer. We'll have to ask him."

---

Author notes: Edited by the lovely, if ever so slightly AWOL, Eroburn.

To everyone dealing with 'lovely' weather, stay safe and stock up on candy!

Lisa: Reading on my phone is rather lovely... though I dislike having to scroll so much.

Reader 1962: Joonas has a lot of other things he's been keeping a secret. Poor Sem is in for some surprises.

Snow: Rosie is indeed Joonas' daughter. Don't say magic doesn't exist!

Yohtarama: Well he does, though I can't really say she's the primary focus of part two.