The Year Of Us
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Intro:
Tanner’s life had all been
planned for him, and falling in love with his boss was not a part of that plan.
Tanner is new to country life, and a stranger to country living. He is not new,
however, to love. During his summer in the countryside of upstate New York,
Tanner falls in love with the man he has come to work for and learn from.
Tanner knows he must leave at the end of the summer and return to medical
school, but cannot imagine life now without his boss, Mr. Knight. Tanner must
decide for himself if he will follow the predetermined plan for his life, or
follow his heart and stay with the man he loves.
Excerpt:
Having completed his first year of
medical school at Columbia University, Tanner had no idea what he was going to
do for the six weeks of vacation that all the other students had been looking
forward to for at least the past three months. Tanner loved school, and he
would have been happy if classes continued nonstop all year long. He had had
offers to spend the vacation with some of the other students at their parents’
homes, but Tanner really just preferred to spend this time to get out of the
city and maybe see some of the countryside. Having been raised in Beijing,
Tanner had known no other life than that experienced in a city, and had heard
from other students how wonderful it was to live in the country. Many of them
spoke of things Tanner had believed were reserved for only the wealthiest of
families, such as massive estate homes with many more rooms than were needed,
stables filled with various breeds of horses, swimming pools both indoor and
outdoor, and many more amenities that when first heard about Tanner thought had
to have been embellishments in an attempt to impress the other students. When
he was shown photographs of their homes, however, he was convinced of their
wealth, though still found it hard to believe.
After giving some thought regarding his plans for the next six weeks, Tanner had
decided to answer an ad for a veterinary assistant in upstate New York. He
wanted to experience something he had never experienced. Tanner knew very
little about animals. Neither his family nor his friends in Beijing had ever
had pets because there simply was not room. It was difficult enough to find
room for people in Beijing, much less animals. So as soon as Tanner had taken
his final exam of his first year at Columbia Medical School, he packed what few
belongings he had brought with him from Beijing, as the students were required
to remove everything from the residence halls during the break, and caught the
train that would take him to his new home for the next six weeks.
The train ride upstate was a relaxing one hour one. The scenery was absolutely
breathtaking, and the countryside was so green that it reminded Tanner of
pictures he had seen of Ireland. There were rolling hills as far as the eye
could see, a refreshing change to the somewhat dismal atmosphere found inside
the sterile walls of the hospital. As the train pulled into the station of the
small town, Tanner pulled out the little slip of paper with the name of the man
who was supposed to meet him. Braden Knight was written very neatly, with
somewhat of a calligraphic style. Tanner didn’t know what Braden looked like,
but in as small a town as this one appeared to be it was likely that he would be
the only person waiting for someone to come into town on the train.
As Tanner entered the
station, there was only one man waiting. Braden Knight was a tall man who
Tanner guessed to be about six feet tall, with dark hair, a slight build, and a
very kind face with the bluest eyes he had ever seen. As Braden stood up,
Tanner slowly walked toward him. “Hi, Braden Knight,” the nice man said with a
kind voice to match his kind face.
********
They parted at the top of the staircase, and as Braden walked toward his
bedroom he turned around to get one last look at Tanner before he retreated into
what he knew would not be restful slumber. As Braden turned around for this
last look, Tanner was stripping off his shirt on his way to a much needed
sleep. Braden stopped and stared. He couldn’t stop himself from staring at
this young man’s perfectly sculpted physique. Even the muscles of his back were
in perfect form, and as the door closed behind Tanner, Braden found himself
staring at the door to the room that had just swallowed his new friend, and he
envision the entirety of Tanner’s body naked in the bed at the end of the hall.
Suddenly Braden snapped out of his daydream and walked into his own bedroom.
Stripping off his clothes and climbing into his bed alone, he masturbated while
wishing it was Tanner’s hand around his dick, and fell asleep.
********
Changing the subject, Braden said, “It seems like it’s going to be a slow
afternoon as far as getting calls from the office. Would you like to walk down
to my lake and catch some fish?” Braden thought that it might be good for
Tanner to get out in the fresh air. It was beginning to warm up outside, with
the coolness of the morning gone. “I’ve never fished before, Braden, but I
wouldn’t mind being out in the fresh air. I’d prefer to just walk around
though, if that’s okay?” “Sure, buddy. The exercise will do us both a lot of
good. I would love to show you my entire farm.” Braden was very proud of his
family homestead, and was anxious to show it to Tanner.
They put on light jackets just in case it felt cool to them, and headed
outside. As they walked past the garage, Tanner could see the enormity of
Braden’s property and understood why he was so proud. Tanner stopped in his
tracks. Taking it all in, if this was the entire property, he couldn’t see an
end to it. “Is this all yours, Braden?” “It sure is,” he answered, beaming
with pride. “My grandfather was very proud to have worked so hard to buy the
land and build the house that I couldn’t help but get caught up in his
excitement when I was growing up.” “Where does it end?” Tanner asked, as he
continued to stare out into what appeared to be infinity. “It ends at the lake
over there”, he said pointing, “the row of Grandma’s fruit trees over there”,
pointing in the opposite direction, “and just at the bottom of that hill”, he
finished, as he pointed straight ahead. “So, you see, it’s not all that big,”
Braden said humbly. “It’s so much bigger than anyone could ever dream of in
China,” Tanner said. “I can see why you love it here, Braden. I would too.”
This last comment made Braden absolutely tingle with pride. He wanted Tanner to
love it here. “So, are you ready for a long walk?” Braden asked. “I sure am,
Braden. You can see for miles out here.”
Braden motioned to Tanner that they should start walking toward the west, and
then make their way around the property to the east. They walked slowly. They
were in no hurry, and Braden wanted Tanner to enjoy his entire “tour.” As they
neared the lake at the edge of the property on the west, Tanner could see how
blue the water was and how the slight breeze caused a slight rippling effect.
He loved the water. It reminded him of home. Braden was watching Tanner the
entire time. He loved looking at him, and seeing the look of contentment on
Tanner’s face made him want him even more. They walked around the lake, and
then headed on down to the far side of the property. Braden decided to be
silent and let Tanner talk, or not talk, whichever he chose. Tanner seemed to
enjoy the silence, and was taking in the sounds, smells, and especially the
fresh air that surrounded him. They walked on slowly, not noticing that the sun
was beginning to set. Tanner was beginning to feel the light of the day begin
to fade around him, and wasn’t ready for the day to end.
Braden noticed Tanner’s occasional slight shivering as the cool of the evening
set in, and offered to share his own jacket which was a little thicker than
Tanner’s. “Okay,” Tanner gratefully agreed, though he didn’t know how they were
going to accomplish this. “Here”, Braden said, “I’ll place my arm in the left
sleeve, and you place your arm in the right sleeve, and then I guess we’ll just
put our free arms around each other’s waist.” It was a large jacket, so doing
this didn’t make Tanner feel uncomfortable. They could still remain a few
inches apart, while their free arms rested loosely on the other’s waist, just
barely touching. “Is that better?” Braden asked. “Yes, much better,” Tanner
answered. As they continued to walk in silence, even this slight feel of the
top of Tanner’s slender hips underneath his hand was almost too much for Braden
to bear. Braden wanted to feel every inch of Tanner underneath both of his
hands. He wanted to feel all of Tanner’s body against his own very aroused
one.
Braden was so intently picturing
the two of their bodies meshed together enjoying all the pleasures each could
provide the other, that he hadn’t noticed they were almost back at the house,
nor had he noticed that it was almost entirely dark. The beauty of Tanner’s
skin, with its perfect oriental tones, was breathtaking in the moonlight. His
lips which were parted just slightly were so enticing that Braden had to bite
his own just to keep from kissing Tanner right there in the moonlight.
********
The day dragged on endlessly. Finally, at around 6:00 p.m. the
clinic phone rang. Braden was alone, still sitting at his desk finishing the
paperwork of the day. His mind was far away, and it didn’t register with him
that the phone was ringing until the third ring. He picked it up quickly, and
said hello twice. His nerves were frayed, and he couldn’t hide it. At the
other end of the line was a very feeble sounding voice which Braden barely
recognized as that of Tanner. “Braden, is it okay if I come back?” Dumbfounded
by the question and the unbelievable sadness with which it was asked, Braden
could barely speak. “Tanner, I have been so worried about you. I’ve been sick
with worry not knowing where you were. You absolutely can come back. Baby, I
want you with me forever.” His words sounded so sincere that Tanner wanted to
believe them. Braden didn’t know what to think or what to say, but felt that he
needed to keep talking so that Tanner would not hang up the phone for any
reason. “Let me come and get you, Tanner. Just tell me where you are, and I’ll
be there as fast as I can.” Tanner couldn’t do this. He couldn’t let Braden
see him like this. “How about this, Tanner, get a cab and tell the driver that
I will pay him when you get here, please,” Braden said, a little more
commandingly.
Braden had done so much for him that Tanner hated to do this, but he needed to
be somewhere safe. He just wanted to put this entire week out of his mind
forever. “Okay,” Tanner heard himself say. “So, you’ll get a cab and tell him
exactly how to get here. Do you remember how to get here, Tanner? If you
forget, have the taxi driver call me, okay? They all have a phone with them.”
Braden had no idea where Tanner was calling from. It certainly wasn’t the cell
phone number. “Tanner, I’ll see you soon, then, right?” Tanner was so tired he
just wanted to lie down somewhere on the streets of New York and sleep. “I’ll
try, I’ll try.”
Braden heard the click of the phone as Tanner hung up. He held the phone in his
hand for the longest time, knowing that he could only wait and hope that Tanner
made it back to him. Braden called his motherly receptionist and told her about
the call. She was thrilled, and offered to contact Braden’s substitute
veterinarian who fortunately was available for tomorrow, which would allow
Braden the time he needed to be with Tanner. “It sounds serious, Braden, about
Tanner I mean,” she admitted. “I don’t know what to make of it, but at this
point I just want him back,” Tanner said, and thanked her for arranging a sub
for tomorrow.
Braden sat and stared straight ahead at nothing in particular, feeling drained.
What in the world had happened to his Tanner? I can only hope that he will
return soon. Fortunately for Tanner, he was able to get a cab to drive him as
far as he requested. His driver was a woman and very nice to him, which was
what he needed right now. “Honey, you look terrible, you been in a fight?” she
asked Tanner as they left the city. “I guess so,” he answered. “Well, if you
want to hide your bruises for any reason, I keep my makeup kit under the seat.
Just a little foundation will do the trick. Help yourself.” Tanner looked at
the makeup, and decided that it couldn’t hurt. It didn’t look that bad either.
It blended well with his skin color. Maybe Braden wouldn’t notice. The lady
also noticed that Tanner’s shirt was torn, with blood on parts of it. “There
might be some of my boyfriend’s shirts back there. You can put one on if you
like.” Tanner thanked her, and placed a button down shirt over his own.
Looking in the rear view mirror, he decided that he really didn’t look that
bad. Tanner was glad he had gotten her as his driver. She had been very
helpful. He certainly didn’t want Braden to see him like he was, and planned to
keep it from him as long as he could. He felt ashamed and embarrassed, and
wanted to hide.
Braden was replaying his phone conversation with Tanner over and over in his
mind, but still could make no sense of any part of it. Braden heard a car pull
up and stop, which snapped him immediately out of his daze. He rushed to the
front of the clinic, and was surprised that it was Tanner so soon. It had only
been two hours since they had talked, and Braden was thankful that Tanner had
been able to find a cab so soon, and also that he hadn’t forgotten what to do,
as he had seemed so out-of-it on the phone. Braden rushed out the door to pay
the driver, and to help Tanner with his things. When he opened Tanner’s door,
however, he encountered a much different Tanner than had left here. His eyes
told a story of deep anguish and detachment, and he was disheveled. He tried to
get out of the car, but found that his legs would not hold him. Braden quickly
helped Tanner to his feet, and could feel the weakness. He needed Braden to
support him entirely. Tanner tried to lower himself to the ground out of fear
of falling, but Braden stopped him. “Let’s go home,” Braden said, and scooped
Tanner up into his arms and carried him to his truck. He carefully lowered
Tanner to his feet, holding him to his own body, realizing that Tanner’s body
was a weak and emaciated vessel. Braden carefully placed Tanner into the truck,
laying him down gently. On the way home, Braden continuously wiped tears from
his face just seeing his precious Tanner this way. What happened to you,
Tanner? What in the hell happened?
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