The Contractor

Justin slammed the car door shut and ran up the stairs to the large porch of his beloved home just as the rain started falling. As soon as he entered the house he turned on the lamp by the door and took a box of wooden matches and several chunky pillar candles from the sideboard drawer. He lit the candles and blew out the match flame.

"Well, I'm ready if the electricity goes out again," he said softly to himself, a smile on his face. He was used to using candles for light and kept them available for stormy nights. His house was off the beaten path and city services weren't always dependable.

All too soon Justin was treated to a flash of lightning and a loud crack of thunder. He jumped slightly, laughing at his reaction.

He had bought the old house several years ago with cash he had gotten from the sale of several paintings. His mother, who sold him the house, didn't even want to show it to him because she knew he'd fall in love with it even though it had so many things that needed to be fixed. She was afraid he'd use all his money updating the old building into a livable space.

"Mom, I love it," Justin had said as soon as they got out of the car.

"Honey, wait until you've seen the inside; it really needs a lot of work."

She wasn't kidding and Justin spent all his free time overseeing the renovations that were necessary to make the house habitable. And it changed his life.

Since he was going to be alone until much later, he fixed himself a cup of tea and a sandwich and carried his meal into the living room. He turned the television on as he did when he was alone like he was tonight. He sighed, thinking how much better it would be to be able to snuggle up in his lover's arms and listen to the rain on the roof.

The local news was on and Justin settled back into the overstuffed sofa. The weatherman stood in front of a map of the Pittsburgh area giving his forecast. The worst of the storm would last for a few hours then lighter rain until morning. Justin sighed, glad he had lit a few candles.

The long day was getting the better of him. Despite the noise of the thunder and wind outside, Justin could feel himself starting to doze. He scrunched down into the soft cushions and pulled the blanket from the back of the sofa atop him to ward off the chill. He was soon asleep.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 

"Mom, I love it," he remembered saying when he first saw the house. He knew his mother had reservations, but he was determined to own it, no matter how much work it would be to fix it up.

The day he got the keys, he was on the phone to a contractor and arrangements were made for him to come see the house the next day.

The pickup truck turned into the dirt driveway. The driver surveyed the property from the driver's seat. He was struck by the lines and character of the old house. Although he did renovations on all types of homes, his passion was bringing older, previously uncared for buildings back to their one time glory. He smiled, knowing this house was a winner. He envied the owner.

Justin watched from the window as the truck came to a stop. The driver seemed youngish, not at all like the old voice on the phone. He watched the driver as he stared at the house. Justin wondered if he could see the potential, the beauty that was hidden underneath the peeling paint. If so, that's who he wanted to do the work.

It was only when the driver exited the truck that Justin saw how beautiful the man was. He smiled, thinking that he needed to get to know this man better. Justin opened the screen door and stepped out onto the porch, mindful of the loose board right in front of the door.

The contractor stopped in his tracks, wondering if he was really lucky enough to have been contacted for this job. His gaydar was pinging. Boy, would his father be surprised. The contractor and the home owner met at the bottom step.

"I'm Justin Taylor."

"Brian Kinney."

The handshake took longer than necessary as blue eyes met hazel and held their gaze.

"Um, are you ready to see the house?" Justin said as he reluctantly let go of the other's hand.

"I'd love to. It's a great house; lots of potential from what I can see outside."

"I think so, too. My mother's not so sure. She thinks I made a big mistake buying it."

"Let's see the inside and maybe we can prove her wrong." His remark was greeted with the best smile he had ever seen.

The inspection took a few hours. Brian wrote down pages of notes trying to keep his mind on his business, not the young blond with the blue eyes and great smile. Luckily, he didn't think he missed anything about the house. He knew he hadn't missed anything about the owner. Kinney Construction was on the job bright and early the following Monday morning.

Justin had spent the night at the house in a sleeping bag on the living room floor. He was waiting on the porch with a cup of coffee when the truck appeared down the road. Not that he was anxious for the contractor to show up. Well, maybe he was, and not only because it meant the house was that much closer to becoming his home. No, that wasn't the only reason.

Justin made it a habit of watching the contractor and the contractor knew it. He would feel those blue eyes staring at him and he would smile then glance back at the blond, only to be greeted with a smile and faint blush to the perfect skin of his perfect face.

"I sent my crew home early today. The sky, it looks like a big storm is on the way and I don't want them to get…"

He never got a chance to finish his sentence. His arms were soon full of blond sunshine and he was being thoroughly kissed.

The kiss lasted forever or so it seemed. Justin stirred in his sleep feeling warm hands caressing his hair. He opened his eyes when he could no longer feel the lips on his.

"Hey, sleepyhead."

"Hey, yourself. You're home. I missed you."

"Missed you, too," Brian said, leaning in for another kiss.
 

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