“Lee, please, don’t do anything that will get you hurt or thrown in prison. Why can’t you…why can’t you just quit?”
“That would be the coward’s way out, Eli. Besides, change has got to come, or this country will implode. I don’t want that. You don’t.”
He had to understand. From looking into Lee’s eyes, when Lee would look his way, he knew it was hurting him to do it. Eli couldn’t make it harder on him no matter how much it hurt him to lose Lee. “I’m sorry, Lee. I won’t make it harder, but…but I really care about you. And more.”
“Me too, more. But, Eli, no matter how it’s gonna hurt to not have you, I can’t do this to you. I’ve done enough.”
“Yeah, you made me happy, Lee. I’m happy when we’re together. Maybe that wasn’t always true, but it is now. Remember that, okay? When you start to doubt yourself, remember that you made me happy.”
“I’ll try, Eli. I will.”
“Good. So, these last days, saying goodbye should be at the end.”
His heart was shattering, and by the looks of it, Lee’s was as well. Lee grabbed him into his arms, and they held each other, staying like that for a long time, until both of them could breathe.
He pulled back and Lee looked into his eyes and asked, “Can we make these the best two weeks of our whole lives? Can we, maybe, forget it’s almost over and just be happy?”
It would take everything he had not to beg, but he nodded. “Okay. I repeat, though, we’re gonna need to have a lot of sex.”
“I think I can manage that.”
And it started right then, Lee leading him to the tent and pushing him on the sleeping bags while their kissing started, heating up quickly. Lee didn’t rush, didn’t push him. He kissed him and unbuttoned his shirt, running his hands over Eli’s chest, and the only time their mouths parted was when he had to take off his own shirt.
With his eyes closed, feeling Lee’s lips on his, he touched the center of Lee’s chest and that small bit of blond fur there. He saw it in his mind, how it glistened silver in the sunlight, how beautiful he was…
All he wanted was to stay with the man forever. Lee had gone from his nightmare to the only dream he really had. He could forget teaching, philosophy, all of it to lay in a bed with Lee for the rest of his life and feel him.
They undressed sporadically, kissing, taking off pants, kissing, taking off underwear, it was all lost in their breath, their heat, but mostly their love.
He knew the moment Lee told him the little he had about what he’d do, that he loved him without a doubt and without remorse. They were in love, they were a strange and unlikely pair, but love connected them.
Lee had brought along the lube on the camp, and he used plenty while he asked with a smirk, “Still sore?”
“I’ll live,” he answered, laughing.
As he pushed inside of Eli, it was real, he could forget the sadness, because in that moment, they connected and became one. Lee held him in his arms, kissing him tenderly while they made love.
They’d be kinky again, Eli was sure, and they’d make love again in their limited love affair. It was going to be their legacy, unfortunately. Lee saw him, wanted him, and got him. Lee was the type of man, like all those like him, that got what he wanted.
Moving his hips slowly, he pushed his cock inside of Eli, kissing him senseless, pushing all those thoughts of sadness away. He wanted to run, maybe run far into the woods, hiding in them, becoming one of those crazy hermits that lived on rabbits and berries.
All to run from the feelings that he didn’t want to face.
“You feel so good to me, Eli. You fit me like a glove.”
He clenched his ass, pulling him into a deeper kiss to avoid words. Words hurt. Words were horrifying and contained pain that rang in a mind like a bell in the wind. Clang, clang, clang.
Feeling Lee on top of him, covering his entire being, kissing him, holding his face, keeping him right like he wanted him, it felt right. Being with Lee felt right, no matter the man he thought he was. He wasn’t that man.
The dungeon, how he’d fallen back in that chair while those men sucked him. He didn’t look happy or aroused as much as sad, hurt to his core. At the time, Eli thought Lee simply hated himself for being there with men, but it wasn’t that. Lee hated himself and had for a long time.
If Eli could do nothing else in two weeks, like change Lee’s mind about breaking it off between them, he could make Lee hate himself a little less.
They lay together when they were done and smiled, Lee caressing the tips of his fingers over Eli’s face. “You’re so fucking hot.”
“Thanks. You just get more romantic all the time.”
“Shut up,” Lee laughed. “I can be romantic. Look where I brought you.”