Fanfic: Winter Romance 4/?
Winter Romance Part 4/?
By Marea67
About: Kevin/Scotty
Rate: Don't know yet,
Disclaimer: Written with love, not for money.
Summary: AU - Kevin/Scotty - Scotty is the manager in a hotel in a ski-resort. Kevin just got divorced. The Walkers think that he needs a 'nice family holiday'. He doesn't.
Where were we? - Scotty found Kevin in the hotel and has no choice but to take Kevin to his own home. (Oh! The drama!
)
*******
They move at a slow speed because Scotty is careful. Every once in a while, when it gets rough, Scotty asks Kevin if he's still alright and every time Kevin answers positively, because he doesn't want to show how scared he is and he hopes that Scotty knows what he's doing.
Kevin can see the darkness creep up on them and the snowflakes get bigger and heavier. Though it's warm in the car, Kevin can feel that the windows get colder to the touch, so the temperature outside is really dropping fast. He looks to his side and he can see the concentrated look on Scotty's face and he's glad that Scotty is driving.
He seems to know what he's doing and Kevin hopes for the best. They slowly forge ahead while the snowfall gets wilder. Just when he fears this ride will never end and that they will get lost in the darkness of the night, a house suddenly emerges from the darkness.
"We're here. " Scotty announces with a relieved sigh. "Can you help me by opening up the shed? I will park the car inside." Kevin nods and tries to get out of the car, but practically falls flat on his face, because it's rather slippery.
"Careful! Don't want to break anything now." Scotty smiles.
Kevin quickly opens the shed and Scotty moves the car inside.
"I will take care of the rest later on, first let's get warm and get something to eat. I'm starving." Scotty closes off the shed that is attached to the house and lets Kevin in to a small room.
"Here. Take off your boots and leave them there to dry. There are some slippers over there, take those, they'll get your feet warm in no time." Scotty points to the several different pairs of men's slippers on the floor. "Just pick a pair. They may be slightly too big, but it will be more comfortable than those boots."
Kevin puts a pair of them on his feet and the sheepskin indeed make for a nice, relaxing and warm feeling. Scotty leads him through another door into the kitchen.
"So. Ahm... This is my house. My kitchen.." He announces awkwardly, not sure how to proceed.
Kevin smiles, waves and replies with a grin:
"Hi, Scotty's kitchen." It looks funny and Scotty starts to laugh as well.
"Yeah, I agree, that was stupid."
"No, it wasn't. I don't quite know what to say either." Kevin replies.
"I will make us dinner first. Shouldn't be too long. I had already started to defrost something I made a few weeks ago. It will probably be about 20 minutes until we can eat..." Scotty explains. Kevin looks around while Scotty searches for a pan. The kitchen reminds him of his mother's kitchen.
On a shelf he sees cook-books that look well used. On another shelf are bottles with dried herbs. There's a high refrigerator and a large freezer. While Scotty heats up their meal Kevin admires the cooking island. It's clearly not new, with the wooden top that shows signs of being well used.
A bit further away Kevin can see a large kitchen-table that could easily fit 8 people. But that is as far as he can see, the rest of the house is still dark, with Scotty only focusing on the kitchen area. Kevin feels a bit useless, not sure what to do in this strange house, in the company of a man he's likes superficially, but doesn't know all that well.
"Sorry, just a little bit of patience, I will show you the rest of the place in a couple of minutes. I just want the soup to start warming up... I hope you don't mind a vegetable soup with bread? I hadn't counted on guests." Scotty says apologetically.
"Fine with me. I'm so grateful for the fact that you bothered to go look for me."
"No problem. Though it does mean we're kinda stuck with each other for now." Scotty turns the radio on and immediately they get struck with the news-bulletin that the snow-storm is bigger than expected. Lots of snow-fall expected. Warnings not to leave the house if you don't have to. Protect you animals, make sure they're out of the snow....
"That sounds very serious." Kevin says with a concerned look on his face. Scotty nods.
"Yes. It is. It's why I had to find you fast, before we'd get stuck there in the hotel. I'm so glad you decided to come down to the hall and not have me look all over the place for you." Scotty says.
He is stirring the soup which has almost melted to a point where he could simply let it heat up.
"I completely freaked out when I realized I was all alone there. I couldn't reach anyone either."
"Nearly everything electric, except for the huge freezers in the kitchen, was turned off on my boss' orders." Scotty explains. "So, it will most likely get very cold there. If we would have had to stay, I would have had a tough time. No idea how I could have kept us comfortable and warm, without starting up the entire hotel again.
I guess it should be possible, I just don't know how. Alright, are you ready for the rest of the house?" Scotty asks, not quite able to hide a bit of excitement from his voice. Kevin nods, so Scotty turns on the lights to the rest of his house. As he flicks switches, the living room gets flooded in warm light.
It's clear that Scotty has put quite some time and effort in his house. The first thing Kevin sees is a large dining table that has only 2 chairs, one on either side, and clearly functions as work desk, an area to keep paperwork, stack magazines and clutter with all sorts of Tupperware containers filled with knick-knacks.
There's a huge fire place that simply begs to warm your body and soul. The couch looks comfortable to snuggle up on, the round table next it invites you to put some cheese, crackers and beer on it, so you can watch the fire light. The entire room oozes coziness.
"And for my little piece de resistance...." Scotty announces as he flicks one more switch. The lights go on in the garden and now Kevin can see through the floor-to-ceiling windows how the snow-storm rages outside. It's an mesmerizing sight.
"Wow!" Kevin manages to say, clearly in awe of what he sees. "This place is gorgeous."
"Thank you." Scotty answers with a happy grin.
"Must have been a lot of work."
"Nearly 17 years, but it's slowly turning in what I want it to be. Just 15 more years and I want to retire here and maybe do something else. I'd be around 55 years old by then and I hope to have accumulated enough money to keep myself afloat for a few years."
"Future vision then, huh? Nice.... Isn't there a ... significant other... to share this place with?" Kevin now asks, noticing the absence of pictures of someone in particular.
"No. Lost the last 'significant other' a few years ago, when he got a job in San Francisco and I didn't want to join him there."
"You didn't?"
"I like my life as it is and I thought he was happy with his life too, but he got the offer and accepted it without even discussing it with me first. He just assumed that I would quit everything I had here to go with him. He never even asked me anything..."
"How rude."
"Yes. You know what he told me? That I could easily leave my job. No one would miss me. He considered my job insignificant, something a monkey could do... Well, thank you and don't let the door hit you on your way out."
Kevin shakes his head in disbelief. That had been a stupid thing to say to someone who clearly enjoys his job and takes pride in what he does.
"Well, that's enough of the ex. Time to get something to eat. I'm famished. It's been a long and exhausting day."
*****
Kevin feels slightly disorientated when he wakes up. It's light in his room, because he hadn't closed the curtains last night. It's also cold in the room, but comfortably warm under the covers. The pillows are so soft and the mattress gives you the feeling of floating on air. Scotty had clearly put some effort in the comfort of his guests.
It's remarkably quiet and Kevin enjoys the silence. He has to admit that it's nice to hear his own thoughts, instead of this constant rush of other people venting their opinion on what he should do, what he should think, what he should have known and what he should have done.
Alright, he knows he's not entirely fair here. His resentment is mostly because of his family and how they had told him that they had already heard and known about the fact that his ex was cheating on him, except they hadn't told him, because they had not want to 'hurt his feelings'...
But when Kevin had told them that the break up had been easier than expected because his ex had cheated on him before, the entire drama had been about how he coulda /woulda/shoulda reacted before, and then 'hurting his feelings' had not been a problem anymore. None whatsoever.
To them, it was all Kevin's own fault that his marriage had ended in failure. Kevin isn't even surprised that he ended up feeling sick the next day. He had spent half the night, tossing and turning in bed, questioning just about every decision he had made in the last few years.
The feeling that he just could not win had triggered something and he's sure that it had made him sick. His body had told him to stop and regroup. But, last night, spending time with Scotty, having a relaxing dinner and just normal conversation, had somehow given him a new strength.
Scotty hadn't made any negative comments on Kevin, not even when he heard that Kevin's ex had cheated before and that Kevin had let him get him away with it the first time. In fact, Scotty had sympathized, understanding that walking out on someone you love isn't all that easy.
He understood the hope that Kevin had talked about. This hope that it would never happen again. Kevin even wonders if Scotty had perhaps not made the same mistake as he had, considering how well he could put himself in Kevin's place. Or maybe Scotty could sympathize because he wasn't all that lucky in love either.
He turns to his back, nestling nicely under the warm blankets. Through the window he can see the snow fall. Slow and thoughtful now, not erratic like last night, during the storm. His stomach growls and he knows he should get up. Would Scotty already be awake?
Would he dare to go through Scotty's kitchen to look for something to eat if Scotty wasn't up? Good question and only one way to find the answer. He pushes the covers aside and quickly gets dressed. Once he opens the door he knows he shouldn't have worried. The smell of coffee and something else hits his nose.
Entering the kitchen he finds Scotty there, just as he expected.
"Hey! Good morning! Did you sleep well?"
"Like a baby, that bed of yours is amazing!"
"Thank you. Coffee? Tea? Bacon and eggs?"
"I wouldn't say no to bacon and eggs. I'm starving."
"Good. Dishes and cups are in there. Grab one for me as well. Breakfast is ready." Scotty announces and few minutes later they are at the table, ready to enjoy their meal.
"This is so good." Kevin mumbles between 2 bites.
Scotty smiles, but doesn't reply right away. He's too busy eating.
"It looks like it's still snowing. Can they predict when it will stop?" Kevin asks.
"No." Scotty shakes his head. "The storm is moving slower than expected and it's also bigger than anticipated. They think we might get hit with more heavy snowfall later today."
Kevin looks at Scotty's garden where the snow is really piling up.
"Won't it get dangerous with avalanches?"
"Here? Unlikely. Not impossible, but unlikely. I'm not too worried about it. I've seen worse winters. It's inconvenient at most. We're kinda trapped inside." Scotty answers.
"I see. So.... What do you do all day when you're 'trapped' inside?" Kevin now asks, wondering how he should fill his day. Scotty smiles.
"If you want, you could help me?" He answers in a questioning tone. "My neighbor cut down a tree for me. I want to put it up after breakfast. And decorate it."
"Help you decorate a Christmas-tree? I can do that. It's usually my job when my mom buys one. My brothers and sisters hate it. My mom has a gazillion boxes filled with all sorts of stuff to decorate and it drives them crazy just to think about going through them." Kevin answers with genuine laughter.
"Oh, so I have Professional Christmas-tree Decorator? I can't wait to see what you'll make of it. Feeling strong enough to help me carry the tree inside? It's in the shed.... Or .. are you too delicate?" Scotty teases.
"Me? Strong like an ox!" Kevin answer, tapping himself on the chest as a show of strength.
He immediately lets it follow with a fake cough as if it's been too hard and Scotty laughs. He motions Kevin to follow him and together they bring in the tree. It's takes a bit of moving back and forward, but eventually the tree is where Scotty wants it and then he can finally get all the boxes with Christmas decorations.
"Wow! I thought my mom had a lot, but you're quite a match to her collection." Kevin says in awe.
"Most of it belonged to the previous owner. His name was Alex. When I moved here, I was all alone. I wanted a place to stay that was not close to the hotel.
I had a bit of money and he was looking for someone to rent a room. He told me that his wife, Andrea, was terminally ill and they needed the extra income. Alex and I became friends. I helped him take care of his wife wherever I could and they both appreciated my help. Andrea once told me that i had become the son they never had.
Alex taught to me take care of myself here in the mountains. Chop wood, make a fire, recognize edible plants, give first aid to myself in case something happened to me when I was alone up here. We worked on the house together. He showed how to make furniture and how to maintain the house.
When Andrea died, sooner than expected, I was devastated. She was the closest thing I had to a mother. Alex and I grieved together. Not on the same level of course, but we both missed her and we often visited her grave together. Not long after Andrea died, Alex got some medical issues and his own health deteriorated.
I took care of him until the end. I was with him when he fell asleep to never wake up. I took care of everything, funeral and all. I knew they didn't have close relatives, but I figured someone would crawl out of the woodwork, considering how well situated the house is and how much it was worth.
Then I get call from his lawyer. Alex had actually made a will and I inherited everything. The house, the land and his money. Turned out he had over 250.000 dollars in his account. Alex and Andrea never really needed 'my' money, they just liked the idea of having a younger person in the house and they felt that they had been lucky with me.
So, that's how I suddenly had a house, enough money in the bank and far more freedom than I had before. I didn't tell anything to anybody at first. Took my time to consider my options. I decided to stay at the Sunny Meadows, in the knowledge that, if I was fed up with my work, I could always quit.
From that point on, everything I did or didn't do was because I chose for it. My work, my life, my boyfriend... or lack thereof... I have the freedom of choice."
"That is indeed a beautiful gift they gave you." Kevin nods, listening to Scotty stories, while unpacking the boxes. "And they have left you some pretty decorations as well."
"Andrea loved, loved, loved Christmas. For years she had slowly expanded her collection. One year the Christmas-lights, then the next prettier baubles and a year later something else, until she had all these boxes. I love Christmas too. I started buying things once I moved in here. Just a few things every year, so now there's quite some of my stuff as well. "
"I can't wait to start decorating the tree." Kevin sighs, almost in heaven. Scotty turns on the radio to a station that plays Christmas-music and soon enough they're singing along and having fun, while outside the snowfall is getting heavier again. Scotty notices it and decides they'll need something warm and sweet to stay in a good mood.
When Scotty comes back in the room, carrying a tray with coffee and cake, the tree looks good. Nice. Neat. A bit predictable though. Kevin stares at it.
"What do you think?"
"It looks nice." Scotty answers in all honesty.
"It does. But..." Kevin looks at the large box with decorations in a soft pink, green and blue tones. "It looks very 'straight'..."
"If you want to 'gay it up', be my guest."
"Don't say that to me unless you mean it. Because,... that's dangerous."
"So? Shock me!" Scotty replies. "I dare you."
"You're making a terrible deal, because you have glitter-stuff, you have pink ornaments and lots of silver and gold thingies..." Kevin tries to downplay what he could do, though he obviously has some ideas.
"Like I said... Shock me!" Scotty repeats. Kevin nods. Challenge accepted. He takes his coffee and cake and sits down on the couch to watch how far he has come. Scotty can almost see how Kevin's brains plan on how to continue decorating.
"This is good." Kevin then says unexpectedly, holding up his cake.
"Thank you. Made it myself."
"It's excellent! Don't change a thing about it. You've given me inspiration for the tree." Kevin jumps up and starts to remove certain darker colored decorations such as green and blue ones.
Scotty watches him momentarily, an amused look on his face. Kevin almost seems in his own little world. Scotty picks up the few branches he had cut from the tree and nails them to the walls, before he starts decorating them as well. Every once in while he looks over his shoulder to see how Kevin is doing.
Like a fashion-designer or the creator of a beautiful painting, Kevin occasionally steps back to take a look at his work, only to get back to it and make a few changes. Once Scotty is done, he turns back to Kevin to see him throw out tinsel all over the tree with an expert hand.
"Wow!" Scotty says in awe. "That is.... definitely not straight!" He laughs as he sees all the sweet pink, light blue, soft green, bright red, silver and gold in his tree. "It brightens the room."
"Too much?" Kevin asks.
"Never! ... Just right! Don't change a thing about it." Scotty echoes the words that Kevin had said to him earlier. The radio announces that they will play 'Rocking around the Christmas-tree' next and Scotty reaches out to Kevin.
"May I have this dance?" He asks. Kevin hesitates, but then smiles.
"You may." He answers and within seconds they dance around, remarkably well coordinated too. Kevin wraps his arms around Scotty's neck, while Scotty's hands move down Kevin's back. Kevin looks up at him, a happy smile on his face. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For making Christmas 'fun' again. My ex never liked it. He watched all of the Christmas-cheers with total disdain. It was so beneath him. He even went as far as to have his secretary buy me a Christmas gift, because he couldn't be bothered to make the effort himself.
What we did this afternoon, the decorating, having fun, enjoying a hot drink, something nice to go with it.... dancing? He'd have loathed it. He'd be counting calories and calculating how long he would have to work out to lose the slice of cake. The tree would have been too flashy, too gay. And this dancing... Man, act your age!"
"He sounds like a boring guy." Scotty breathes in the scent of Kevin's hair. It's sweet.
"He became that way. He took this 'being an adult'-thing way too serious." Kevin agrees. "I tried to continue to love him, but I think, because I'm a Walker, I never quite managed to 'grow up'. Meanwhile, he lost his inner child."
"Don't change that. I like you spontaneity. The way you decided to take that room to get away from your family, getting behind the bar to help... That was fun. When I found out that you were lost, I was worried, but there you were, simply waiting for me..."
"Not sure I was waiting for you, but, I sure was glad that you came to find me."
Arms loosely around each other they look at each other with gentle smiles, until Kevin awkwardly decides to let go and take a step back, looking all shy.
"I think that we were getting a little too close.... I wouldn't want you to think that I was trying something...."
"I didn't think that at all." Scotty immediately answers. "I liked our little dance. Maybe we can do it again, later on? I haven't danced in a long time. I might be a bit stiff in that regard."
"Nah, it was... good... I liked it too." Kevin reacts. He's a bit sad that their dance is over.
Scotty can't remember the last time he had this much fun. Where he had worried about how to keep that lawyer entertained, it now turns out he had nothing to worry about. Kevin can take care of his own fun and Scotty loves it. He's almost happy that Kevin had been left behind and was now staying with him.
*********
End of Chapter 4
/
By Marea67
About: Kevin/Scotty
Rate: Don't know yet,
Disclaimer: Written with love, not for money.
Summary: AU - Kevin/Scotty - Scotty is the manager in a hotel in a ski-resort. Kevin just got divorced. The Walkers think that he needs a 'nice family holiday'. He doesn't.
Where were we? - Scotty found Kevin in the hotel and has no choice but to take Kevin to his own home. (Oh! The drama!
)
*******
They move at a slow speed because Scotty is careful. Every once in a while, when it gets rough, Scotty asks Kevin if he's still alright and every time Kevin answers positively, because he doesn't want to show how scared he is and he hopes that Scotty knows what he's doing.
Kevin can see the darkness creep up on them and the snowflakes get bigger and heavier. Though it's warm in the car, Kevin can feel that the windows get colder to the touch, so the temperature outside is really dropping fast. He looks to his side and he can see the concentrated look on Scotty's face and he's glad that Scotty is driving.
He seems to know what he's doing and Kevin hopes for the best. They slowly forge ahead while the snowfall gets wilder. Just when he fears this ride will never end and that they will get lost in the darkness of the night, a house suddenly emerges from the darkness.
"We're here. " Scotty announces with a relieved sigh. "Can you help me by opening up the shed? I will park the car inside." Kevin nods and tries to get out of the car, but practically falls flat on his face, because it's rather slippery.
"Careful! Don't want to break anything now." Scotty smiles.
Kevin quickly opens the shed and Scotty moves the car inside.
"I will take care of the rest later on, first let's get warm and get something to eat. I'm starving." Scotty closes off the shed that is attached to the house and lets Kevin in to a small room.
"Here. Take off your boots and leave them there to dry. There are some slippers over there, take those, they'll get your feet warm in no time." Scotty points to the several different pairs of men's slippers on the floor. "Just pick a pair. They may be slightly too big, but it will be more comfortable than those boots."
Kevin puts a pair of them on his feet and the sheepskin indeed make for a nice, relaxing and warm feeling. Scotty leads him through another door into the kitchen.
"So. Ahm... This is my house. My kitchen.." He announces awkwardly, not sure how to proceed.
Kevin smiles, waves and replies with a grin:
"Hi, Scotty's kitchen." It looks funny and Scotty starts to laugh as well.
"Yeah, I agree, that was stupid."
"No, it wasn't. I don't quite know what to say either." Kevin replies.
"I will make us dinner first. Shouldn't be too long. I had already started to defrost something I made a few weeks ago. It will probably be about 20 minutes until we can eat..." Scotty explains. Kevin looks around while Scotty searches for a pan. The kitchen reminds him of his mother's kitchen.
On a shelf he sees cook-books that look well used. On another shelf are bottles with dried herbs. There's a high refrigerator and a large freezer. While Scotty heats up their meal Kevin admires the cooking island. It's clearly not new, with the wooden top that shows signs of being well used.
A bit further away Kevin can see a large kitchen-table that could easily fit 8 people. But that is as far as he can see, the rest of the house is still dark, with Scotty only focusing on the kitchen area. Kevin feels a bit useless, not sure what to do in this strange house, in the company of a man he's likes superficially, but doesn't know all that well.
"Sorry, just a little bit of patience, I will show you the rest of the place in a couple of minutes. I just want the soup to start warming up... I hope you don't mind a vegetable soup with bread? I hadn't counted on guests." Scotty says apologetically.
"Fine with me. I'm so grateful for the fact that you bothered to go look for me."
"No problem. Though it does mean we're kinda stuck with each other for now." Scotty turns the radio on and immediately they get struck with the news-bulletin that the snow-storm is bigger than expected. Lots of snow-fall expected. Warnings not to leave the house if you don't have to. Protect you animals, make sure they're out of the snow....
"That sounds very serious." Kevin says with a concerned look on his face. Scotty nods.
"Yes. It is. It's why I had to find you fast, before we'd get stuck there in the hotel. I'm so glad you decided to come down to the hall and not have me look all over the place for you." Scotty says.
He is stirring the soup which has almost melted to a point where he could simply let it heat up.
"I completely freaked out when I realized I was all alone there. I couldn't reach anyone either."
"Nearly everything electric, except for the huge freezers in the kitchen, was turned off on my boss' orders." Scotty explains. "So, it will most likely get very cold there. If we would have had to stay, I would have had a tough time. No idea how I could have kept us comfortable and warm, without starting up the entire hotel again.
I guess it should be possible, I just don't know how. Alright, are you ready for the rest of the house?" Scotty asks, not quite able to hide a bit of excitement from his voice. Kevin nods, so Scotty turns on the lights to the rest of his house. As he flicks switches, the living room gets flooded in warm light.
It's clear that Scotty has put quite some time and effort in his house. The first thing Kevin sees is a large dining table that has only 2 chairs, one on either side, and clearly functions as work desk, an area to keep paperwork, stack magazines and clutter with all sorts of Tupperware containers filled with knick-knacks.
There's a huge fire place that simply begs to warm your body and soul. The couch looks comfortable to snuggle up on, the round table next it invites you to put some cheese, crackers and beer on it, so you can watch the fire light. The entire room oozes coziness.
"And for my little piece de resistance...." Scotty announces as he flicks one more switch. The lights go on in the garden and now Kevin can see through the floor-to-ceiling windows how the snow-storm rages outside. It's an mesmerizing sight.
"Wow!" Kevin manages to say, clearly in awe of what he sees. "This place is gorgeous."
"Thank you." Scotty answers with a happy grin.
"Must have been a lot of work."
"Nearly 17 years, but it's slowly turning in what I want it to be. Just 15 more years and I want to retire here and maybe do something else. I'd be around 55 years old by then and I hope to have accumulated enough money to keep myself afloat for a few years."
"Future vision then, huh? Nice.... Isn't there a ... significant other... to share this place with?" Kevin now asks, noticing the absence of pictures of someone in particular.
"No. Lost the last 'significant other' a few years ago, when he got a job in San Francisco and I didn't want to join him there."
"You didn't?"
"I like my life as it is and I thought he was happy with his life too, but he got the offer and accepted it without even discussing it with me first. He just assumed that I would quit everything I had here to go with him. He never even asked me anything..."
"How rude."
"Yes. You know what he told me? That I could easily leave my job. No one would miss me. He considered my job insignificant, something a monkey could do... Well, thank you and don't let the door hit you on your way out."
Kevin shakes his head in disbelief. That had been a stupid thing to say to someone who clearly enjoys his job and takes pride in what he does.
"Well, that's enough of the ex. Time to get something to eat. I'm famished. It's been a long and exhausting day."
*****
Kevin feels slightly disorientated when he wakes up. It's light in his room, because he hadn't closed the curtains last night. It's also cold in the room, but comfortably warm under the covers. The pillows are so soft and the mattress gives you the feeling of floating on air. Scotty had clearly put some effort in the comfort of his guests.
It's remarkably quiet and Kevin enjoys the silence. He has to admit that it's nice to hear his own thoughts, instead of this constant rush of other people venting their opinion on what he should do, what he should think, what he should have known and what he should have done.
Alright, he knows he's not entirely fair here. His resentment is mostly because of his family and how they had told him that they had already heard and known about the fact that his ex was cheating on him, except they hadn't told him, because they had not want to 'hurt his feelings'...
But when Kevin had told them that the break up had been easier than expected because his ex had cheated on him before, the entire drama had been about how he coulda /woulda/shoulda reacted before, and then 'hurting his feelings' had not been a problem anymore. None whatsoever.
To them, it was all Kevin's own fault that his marriage had ended in failure. Kevin isn't even surprised that he ended up feeling sick the next day. He had spent half the night, tossing and turning in bed, questioning just about every decision he had made in the last few years.
The feeling that he just could not win had triggered something and he's sure that it had made him sick. His body had told him to stop and regroup. But, last night, spending time with Scotty, having a relaxing dinner and just normal conversation, had somehow given him a new strength.
Scotty hadn't made any negative comments on Kevin, not even when he heard that Kevin's ex had cheated before and that Kevin had let him get him away with it the first time. In fact, Scotty had sympathized, understanding that walking out on someone you love isn't all that easy.
He understood the hope that Kevin had talked about. This hope that it would never happen again. Kevin even wonders if Scotty had perhaps not made the same mistake as he had, considering how well he could put himself in Kevin's place. Or maybe Scotty could sympathize because he wasn't all that lucky in love either.
He turns to his back, nestling nicely under the warm blankets. Through the window he can see the snow fall. Slow and thoughtful now, not erratic like last night, during the storm. His stomach growls and he knows he should get up. Would Scotty already be awake?
Would he dare to go through Scotty's kitchen to look for something to eat if Scotty wasn't up? Good question and only one way to find the answer. He pushes the covers aside and quickly gets dressed. Once he opens the door he knows he shouldn't have worried. The smell of coffee and something else hits his nose.
Entering the kitchen he finds Scotty there, just as he expected.
"Hey! Good morning! Did you sleep well?"
"Like a baby, that bed of yours is amazing!"
"Thank you. Coffee? Tea? Bacon and eggs?"
"I wouldn't say no to bacon and eggs. I'm starving."
"Good. Dishes and cups are in there. Grab one for me as well. Breakfast is ready." Scotty announces and few minutes later they are at the table, ready to enjoy their meal.
"This is so good." Kevin mumbles between 2 bites.
Scotty smiles, but doesn't reply right away. He's too busy eating.
"It looks like it's still snowing. Can they predict when it will stop?" Kevin asks.
"No." Scotty shakes his head. "The storm is moving slower than expected and it's also bigger than anticipated. They think we might get hit with more heavy snowfall later today."
Kevin looks at Scotty's garden where the snow is really piling up.
"Won't it get dangerous with avalanches?"
"Here? Unlikely. Not impossible, but unlikely. I'm not too worried about it. I've seen worse winters. It's inconvenient at most. We're kinda trapped inside." Scotty answers.
"I see. So.... What do you do all day when you're 'trapped' inside?" Kevin now asks, wondering how he should fill his day. Scotty smiles.
"If you want, you could help me?" He answers in a questioning tone. "My neighbor cut down a tree for me. I want to put it up after breakfast. And decorate it."
"Help you decorate a Christmas-tree? I can do that. It's usually my job when my mom buys one. My brothers and sisters hate it. My mom has a gazillion boxes filled with all sorts of stuff to decorate and it drives them crazy just to think about going through them." Kevin answers with genuine laughter.
"Oh, so I have Professional Christmas-tree Decorator? I can't wait to see what you'll make of it. Feeling strong enough to help me carry the tree inside? It's in the shed.... Or .. are you too delicate?" Scotty teases.
"Me? Strong like an ox!" Kevin answer, tapping himself on the chest as a show of strength.
He immediately lets it follow with a fake cough as if it's been too hard and Scotty laughs. He motions Kevin to follow him and together they bring in the tree. It's takes a bit of moving back and forward, but eventually the tree is where Scotty wants it and then he can finally get all the boxes with Christmas decorations.
"Wow! I thought my mom had a lot, but you're quite a match to her collection." Kevin says in awe.
"Most of it belonged to the previous owner. His name was Alex. When I moved here, I was all alone. I wanted a place to stay that was not close to the hotel.
I had a bit of money and he was looking for someone to rent a room. He told me that his wife, Andrea, was terminally ill and they needed the extra income. Alex and I became friends. I helped him take care of his wife wherever I could and they both appreciated my help. Andrea once told me that i had become the son they never had.
Alex taught to me take care of myself here in the mountains. Chop wood, make a fire, recognize edible plants, give first aid to myself in case something happened to me when I was alone up here. We worked on the house together. He showed how to make furniture and how to maintain the house.
When Andrea died, sooner than expected, I was devastated. She was the closest thing I had to a mother. Alex and I grieved together. Not on the same level of course, but we both missed her and we often visited her grave together. Not long after Andrea died, Alex got some medical issues and his own health deteriorated.
I took care of him until the end. I was with him when he fell asleep to never wake up. I took care of everything, funeral and all. I knew they didn't have close relatives, but I figured someone would crawl out of the woodwork, considering how well situated the house is and how much it was worth.
Then I get call from his lawyer. Alex had actually made a will and I inherited everything. The house, the land and his money. Turned out he had over 250.000 dollars in his account. Alex and Andrea never really needed 'my' money, they just liked the idea of having a younger person in the house and they felt that they had been lucky with me.
So, that's how I suddenly had a house, enough money in the bank and far more freedom than I had before. I didn't tell anything to anybody at first. Took my time to consider my options. I decided to stay at the Sunny Meadows, in the knowledge that, if I was fed up with my work, I could always quit.
From that point on, everything I did or didn't do was because I chose for it. My work, my life, my boyfriend... or lack thereof... I have the freedom of choice."
"That is indeed a beautiful gift they gave you." Kevin nods, listening to Scotty stories, while unpacking the boxes. "And they have left you some pretty decorations as well."
"Andrea loved, loved, loved Christmas. For years she had slowly expanded her collection. One year the Christmas-lights, then the next prettier baubles and a year later something else, until she had all these boxes. I love Christmas too. I started buying things once I moved in here. Just a few things every year, so now there's quite some of my stuff as well. "
"I can't wait to start decorating the tree." Kevin sighs, almost in heaven. Scotty turns on the radio to a station that plays Christmas-music and soon enough they're singing along and having fun, while outside the snowfall is getting heavier again. Scotty notices it and decides they'll need something warm and sweet to stay in a good mood.
When Scotty comes back in the room, carrying a tray with coffee and cake, the tree looks good. Nice. Neat. A bit predictable though. Kevin stares at it.
"What do you think?"
"It looks nice." Scotty answers in all honesty.
"It does. But..." Kevin looks at the large box with decorations in a soft pink, green and blue tones. "It looks very 'straight'..."
"If you want to 'gay it up', be my guest."
"Don't say that to me unless you mean it. Because,... that's dangerous."
"So? Shock me!" Scotty replies. "I dare you."
"You're making a terrible deal, because you have glitter-stuff, you have pink ornaments and lots of silver and gold thingies..." Kevin tries to downplay what he could do, though he obviously has some ideas.
"Like I said... Shock me!" Scotty repeats. Kevin nods. Challenge accepted. He takes his coffee and cake and sits down on the couch to watch how far he has come. Scotty can almost see how Kevin's brains plan on how to continue decorating.
"This is good." Kevin then says unexpectedly, holding up his cake.
"Thank you. Made it myself."
"It's excellent! Don't change a thing about it. You've given me inspiration for the tree." Kevin jumps up and starts to remove certain darker colored decorations such as green and blue ones.
Scotty watches him momentarily, an amused look on his face. Kevin almost seems in his own little world. Scotty picks up the few branches he had cut from the tree and nails them to the walls, before he starts decorating them as well. Every once in while he looks over his shoulder to see how Kevin is doing.
Like a fashion-designer or the creator of a beautiful painting, Kevin occasionally steps back to take a look at his work, only to get back to it and make a few changes. Once Scotty is done, he turns back to Kevin to see him throw out tinsel all over the tree with an expert hand.
"Wow!" Scotty says in awe. "That is.... definitely not straight!" He laughs as he sees all the sweet pink, light blue, soft green, bright red, silver and gold in his tree. "It brightens the room."
"Too much?" Kevin asks.
"Never! ... Just right! Don't change a thing about it." Scotty echoes the words that Kevin had said to him earlier. The radio announces that they will play 'Rocking around the Christmas-tree' next and Scotty reaches out to Kevin.
"May I have this dance?" He asks. Kevin hesitates, but then smiles.
"You may." He answers and within seconds they dance around, remarkably well coordinated too. Kevin wraps his arms around Scotty's neck, while Scotty's hands move down Kevin's back. Kevin looks up at him, a happy smile on his face. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For making Christmas 'fun' again. My ex never liked it. He watched all of the Christmas-cheers with total disdain. It was so beneath him. He even went as far as to have his secretary buy me a Christmas gift, because he couldn't be bothered to make the effort himself.
What we did this afternoon, the decorating, having fun, enjoying a hot drink, something nice to go with it.... dancing? He'd have loathed it. He'd be counting calories and calculating how long he would have to work out to lose the slice of cake. The tree would have been too flashy, too gay. And this dancing... Man, act your age!"
"He sounds like a boring guy." Scotty breathes in the scent of Kevin's hair. It's sweet.
"He became that way. He took this 'being an adult'-thing way too serious." Kevin agrees. "I tried to continue to love him, but I think, because I'm a Walker, I never quite managed to 'grow up'. Meanwhile, he lost his inner child."
"Don't change that. I like you spontaneity. The way you decided to take that room to get away from your family, getting behind the bar to help... That was fun. When I found out that you were lost, I was worried, but there you were, simply waiting for me..."
"Not sure I was waiting for you, but, I sure was glad that you came to find me."
Arms loosely around each other they look at each other with gentle smiles, until Kevin awkwardly decides to let go and take a step back, looking all shy.
"I think that we were getting a little too close.... I wouldn't want you to think that I was trying something...."
"I didn't think that at all." Scotty immediately answers. "I liked our little dance. Maybe we can do it again, later on? I haven't danced in a long time. I might be a bit stiff in that regard."
"Nah, it was... good... I liked it too." Kevin reacts. He's a bit sad that their dance is over.
Scotty can't remember the last time he had this much fun. Where he had worried about how to keep that lawyer entertained, it now turns out he had nothing to worry about. Kevin can take care of his own fun and Scotty loves it. He's almost happy that Kevin had been left behind and was now staying with him.
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End of Chapter 4
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