Part XV
Morning came with bright light streaming in through the window. The day was bright and cloudless but just as cold as the ones before it. Ross stirred and found that he had rolled over onto his other side in the night but Chad’s arms were still around him and they were in the spooning position. Ross snuggled close to Chad and felt his warm body behind him. Chad was breathing heavily still sound asleep. The rest of the house was silent, Robert was not even snoring.
Gently lifting Chad’s arm Ross slips out from against him and stands up in the cold living room. He quietly went to the fire place and got the fire going again, it had almost died out on them during the night. Once it was burning hot Ross warmed himself and his clothes then headed outside. The scene was a winter wonderland, snow fresh and untouched everywhere around him. Trees looked like white spiked pillars rising out of the ground and everything was topped with a layer of white snow. Birds landed on trees knocking clumps of snow from the branches and showering the ground with a fine powder.
Ross trudged through the snow and went into the house. There was no sign of the fight last night and Ross could hardly believe it had happed so recently, it seemed so long ago. He rummaged around under the counter till he found what he was looking for, two old style grill cheese makers. The type that you use in a fire, Ross had no idea why Chad’s family had them but he was happy they did, you could make lots of things in them with enough skill but grill cheese was fast and easy. Ross also grabbed a tomato and some ham that was in the fridge along with bread and two types of cheese, you could do so much with grill cheese.
The guest house was already warmer when Ross returned and he carefully put everything down in the kitchen before heading back to bed, Chad would warm him all the way up in no time, he was sure of that. But instead Ross sat on the couch, crossed him legs under himself and stared at the fire. His head was spinning with the events of the last couple days and he wanted to work them all out while he had some peace and quite. Once people started to wake up it would not last long. Strangely Ross’s head was about to become even more confused.
“You know it was never you that I really hated.” A soft voice said out of nowhere
Ross looked around trying to figure out where the voice came from, it was one he had never heard before and it was so soft.
“Chad was the one I was always mad at, and I used you to get back at him for choosing you over me.” Continued the voice. This time Ross figured out who the voice was coming from, it was Robert. He was lying still as a stone in the sleeping bad staring at the ceiling, then his head turned and his eyes met Ross’s.
“I could have beaten up Chad if I wanted to, in a one on one fight I could have always taken him and you know that. But what good would that have done, he would have always been able to take more and sooner or later one of us would have been thrown off the team. So I found another way to hurt him, and it did more damage then I ever expected. After the first time I beat you up and I saw how shook up and hurt Chad was I felt like I had beat him into the ground. I got such joy out of that, I made him feel as bad as I did when he abandoned me for you. Back then my reason was childish, I was mad because I was jealous and that fire was fueled when even when we were on the same team he treated me like another person and not even a team mate, and yet there you were his best friend and I had no clue why. Now I understand all too well. Still I continued to beat you up when ever I could. I think it’s kind of funny actually, Chad always thought he was protecting you but that notion was a notion of false protection. If it was not for you it would have been Chad that I would have been beating up every chance I got. You were actually protecting him. You took every punch, kick, blow, and curse that I would have thrown at him.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Ross asked
“Because it’s done, or I’m done rather. I can’t beat up Chad, and I can’t beat up you either anymore. Where there used to be only one person at school who stood up to me there are now four and there is no way I would go up against the four of you. I figured I would let you know what it had been all about these years, I’m sure you had your own ideas but I bet the fact that you were protecting Chad was one of them.”
Ross just shook his head, it was truly amazing, and Ross knew that Robert was telling the truth.
“So where do we go from here then?” Ross inquired
“Nowhere really, I’ll leave as soon as the roads are cleared and I’ll take the twins home. School will start back and life will go back to normal. The only things that will change are that you don’t have to worry about me picking on you anymore, and the twins can do as they wish. Besides that there nothing different, we aren’t friends, I’m not going to treat you any different. This will most likely be the last time I will ever talk to you.” Robert broke eye contact and closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.
Ross was fine with Robert’s decision but his mind was now going a million miles an hour trying to figure everything out, he had no idea what to think anymore. He tried to clear his mind the best he could and listened to the sounds of the fire. Ross pulled his legs up against his chest and hugged his knees, it looked like he already had one secret to keep from Chad, at least until the school year was over. He fell into a mutative state that he would stay in till Jess came downstairs hungry and bored.
Jess came downstairs as quite as she could to see if anyone was awake and was happy to see Ross sitting on the couch watching the fire, he looked like he was somewhere else thought. She descended another step and the wood creaked under her. Ross snapped out of his trance and looked at her and smiled, he patted the seat next to him. She happily sat down and Ross wrapped an arm around her and they sat and watched the fire together. The sun rose higher in the sky and soon the twins stirred, almost at the exact time and in the same way, and sat up in their beds; they rubbed their eyes and yawned before saying “good morning” to Ross and Jess.
The two of them got up and quickly got dressed before joining the two on the couch. The twins gave Ross and fiendish look and Jess gave him a smile as well, they all knew that something was up and wanted in on it.
“What all that happened was that I told Chad that I loved him and he told me the same back, it’s no big deal.” Ross said failing to hide the excitement in his voice.
Everyone else that was sleeping was suddenly woken up by the loud exclamation from the living room made by the twins and Jess together. Ross didn’t care he was to excited himself and it was late enough in the morning for everyone to be getting up anyways. Chad was wide away in a heat beat scared half to death by the sudden outburst and Robert was up as well, he never really fell back to sleep after speaking with Ross.
Ross made breakfast at request to how each person wanted it and soon everyone was happily eating grill cheese. Ross was making his own when a he heard a weird noise outside; everyone else heard it as well for they all stopped eating and listened to the noise. Rachael was the first to figure out what it was, a snow plow, sure enough when they looked out a window they saw a snow plows go by as it made large banks of snow on one side of the road.
“Oh good I can finally get a hot shower.” Sara said
“Yes and we love you too.” Ross said in response.
“Sorry but I don’t like having to go multiple days without a hot shower and we have a generator at my house so I’ll be able to have a shower.” Sara said back nicely.
“Right well it’s been great guys but I need to be going soon, I’m sure my folks are getting a little worried about me and I don’t want to over stay my visit.” Robert said.
Ross had quite a few remarks to say to that but he bit his tongue. Chad was the one to answer. “You’re fine to stay if you want but since the roads are clear it would be a good idea to take the chance to get away in case there is another storm behind this one.” It was a nice way of saying leave.
“Hey Massey and Troy would you mind helping me wash the dishes in the kitchen, getting cheese off the plates will take some scrubbing.” Ross said giving the twins a look of “I have something I need to say.” The twins grabbed their, and anyone else who was finished plate and went into the kitchen with Ross
“Don’t take too long I want to be leaving soon.” Robert said after them.
“What’s so urgent?” Troy asked
“I needed to tell you something before you and Robert left, I didn’t know if he would tell you or not.” Ross said
“Tell us what?” Massey persisted
“Last night on the last hand of the poker tournament Robert and I raised the bets a little bit. I said if I won he would have to let the two of you go and give you and evidence that he has on you that would expose you. Well as you know I won the game and we shook on the bet before hand and Robert will keep his word I just wanted to make sure you two knew before you left.”
Massey stepped forward and embraced Ross in a bear hug “man you have no idea how much this means to us.”
“Well you could start showing your thanks but not killing me.” Ross barely got out.
“Why didn’t you bet yourself in the game?” Troy asked confused
“Because I needed to show him that I was not afraid of him, not win it in a cheap way that he might not have followed through on or found a loophole in.” Ross answered, and I was the truth.
“Ok that makes sense.” Massey said
“Hey you two ready to go yet?” Robert said from the kitchen doorway, he was dressed and ready to go.
“Yea just let us get our stuff and we'll be on our way.” Tory said
Ross followed the twins back out and found the girls were getting ready to leave as well; it seems that everyone was getting ready to leave. He guessed that they got the hit and Jess pushed them a little so that Ross and Chad could be alone. Everyone said their goodbyes and walked out the door. Just as fast as everyone had shown up they had left and Chad and Ross were alone again.
Ross flopped down on the couch. “What a crazy weekend, I hope it is over.”
Chad sat down beside him and put a arm around Ross who leaned into him and got comfortable against his chest. “I know what you mean, but I hope it’s no where close to over, the more time we have off from school the more time we have together.”
The two sat there and watched the fire, both of them content the way they were, together but in a way that was so alike so many other times and yet it was altogether new and exciting. The fire in the hearth slowly died down to glowing embers but the embers that had been glowing in the hearts of two young men had been brought up to a flaming inferno and nothing could smolder their love for one another.

: Well thats the end of this story, finally finished a short story (thus the breaking of a brick wall. Have a new one going already and trust me its going to me longer, more erotic, and exciting then this one. There are a few side stories that might tackle later on that arise from this story but for now lets leave Ross and Chad to themselves. Hope you all enjoyed and thanks for all the commets.
