Holiday Escape Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  Holiday Escape

  A #gaymers short

  Annabeth Albert

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Holiday Escape

  Copyright 2017 by Annabeth Albert

  Cover Art by Sloan Johnson of Sloan’s Design Stop, image credit Deposit Photos

  Cover art is intended for illustrative purposes only—any persons are paid models

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact information:

  [email protected]

  For all those who have a complicated relationship with the holidays. Tristan and Ravi share your struggles! All my love!

  Author’s Note: This story takes place after the events of BETA TEST and will best be enjoyed as continuation of that story rather than a stand-alone. There’s also a brief cameo from the WAITING FOR CLARK guys! And if you find yourself curious about Adrian and Noah, be sure to check out STATUS UPDATE! Thank you to all the #gaymers fans for all your amazing support!

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Well, I think that makes an even half-dozen invites,” Ravi said as he strolled into the bedroom, cat riding on his shoulder like the queen she was.

  “Who was it this time?” Tristan asked, stomach already sinking. He set the laptop where he’d been reviewing a project plan for work before bed on the nightstand. So far they’d fielded holiday invites from friends and co-workers for weeks. They’d been reluctant guests at a co-worker’s large family Thanksgiving and that had been enough of a disaster to put them both off the idea of sharing more holiday cheer with other people’s families.

  “Adrian and Noah. Adrian wants us to know how very welcome we’d be to come to Colorado for the week we’re off, see them and the baby, and Adrian’s family.” Ravi let the cat climb down with a weary grin. Clearly the good intentions of their friends were getting to him too.

  Adrian and Noah were great guys with good families and a cute kid, and they just didn’t seem to get that not everyone was on the same path to domestic bliss as them. And of course they wouldn’t—they had darn near perfect families what with Adrian’s sister being their surrogate and Noah’s family warming up more and more to Adrian. The two of them weren’t going to understand that not all family rifts were fixable and that time most certainly didn’t heal all wounds.

  “What did you tell them?”

  “That we’re ditching everyone and eloping to Tahoe.” He flopped next to Tristan on the bed, papers landing next to him in an untidy heap.

  “You did what?” He shoved Ravi’s shoulder. “You didn’t have to lie.”

  “I didn’t.” Ravi grinned at him. “We’re ditching everyone and eloping to Tahoe.”

  “We’re what?”

  Ravi thrust one of the papers at him. “See? They have a whole package. We go away for the holidays, avoid all the mess and drama and good-intentions, and we come back married. You’ve been making noises about wanting to see snow, and I really don’t want to have to put up with Adrian’s never-ending family togetherness to get some cold weather fun for you.”

  “Yeah, I did say I’ve only seen snow a handful of times in my life, but…” Tristan shook his head slowly trying to test whether he was in some sort of alternate reality where his boyfriend had been replaced by an android or something. “Married? We’re not even engaged.”

  “Yeah we are.” Ravi sounded hurt, which was a rare thing and never a good sign. “We’ve been talking about this a lot the last few months. And then three weeks ago, you said that we should maybe be married before we look for a bigger condo so that we can reap more tax benefits and both be on the mortgage and I said that sounded great to me.”

  “That was our proposal?” Tristan gaped at him. “I was just talking hypothetically. I needed to run some more calculations on the tax and mortgage stuff, come up with a plan.”

  “Tahoe. That’s my plan. The package includes everything, even photos. And we already said that we absolutely didn’t want the big family and friend thing.”

  “God, no.” Tristan had been to enough weddings the past few years to know exactly what he did not want. And being up in front of two-hundred odd people in a tuxedo was something he could definitely skip. “But…shouldn’t there have been…I don’t know…a moment? Something?”

  “You want me on one knee?” Ravi’s head cocked. “I figured you were just being you and asking in a more practical way.”

  “Sorry.” He relied on Ravi being the more spontaneous one. And maybe Tristan had let him down here, thinking of logistics before romance.

  “Don’t be. It worked for me. And it was a moment. At least to me. We were at Salad Time. You had a chicken club, and I had a black bean southwestern surprise. You were wearing that blue dress shirt I love on you. You looked all serious, so I figured that meant we were going to move forward with getting married instead of still batting the idea around. But if you need romance…”

  “I don’t.” Tristan said quickly, skin going all itchy at the thought of some big public proposal. “Even the thought of you asking in front of our friends makes me nervous. And I like our friends.”

  “I like our friends too, but I’m tired of being jolly around them for a holiday I don’t celebrate and that I know is painful for you because of how strained things are with your parents.”

  “This is true. Last year was miserable.” They’d ended up sharing a meal with his parents at a fancy restaurant that had almost nothing vegetarian that Ravi could eat, and the tension had been so thick it might as well have been carved up and served alongside the potatoes. It was nothing like the happy family holidays of his childhood, back when his older brother had been alive, and they’d had their nanny, Maria, baking cookies and decorating with them.

  “That’s why I want to do my Tahoe idea. Escape the season full of parties and questions about when we’re going to finally take the plunge and just do it.”

  “I’m sure they have Christmas stuff in Tahoe,” Tristan felt obliged to point out. “It wouldn’t be a real escape for you. Maybe we should check the savings, see if we could go somewhere that celebrates Diwali—”

  Ravi laughed. “It already passed this year, back in October. And I’m not that observant of a Hindu anyway. I don’t mind all the seasonal American trappings—peppermint is tasty and presents are fun, but I just think it would be really special if while everyone else is celebrating Christmas each year, we’re celebrating us. Anniversary presents and trips and dinners. And then the season can be… I don’t know….”

  “More personal?” Tristan’s heart contracted. The spontaneity of this plan was stressing him, but he really liked the way Ravi was thinking. “Full of traditions that are just for us instead of tagging along on everyone else’s?”

  “Exactly. Starting with this trip. We might love Tahoe, decide to go back each year. Or find a different spot to escape to every year. Whatever. It’ll be fun because it’s you and me and a road trip—”

  “Those do usually end well.” Tristan laughed. They’d first gone from office coworkers to hooking up while on a road trip for work, and ever since then, they’d had some great trips both for work and pleasure including the long drive to Colorado to see Noah and Adrian
last year.

  “They do.” Ravi pulled out his phone, tapped around until the strains of Bruno Mars’s “Marry You” filled the room. He knelt in the center of the bed. “And there. This is your moment, Tristan Jones. Will you run away with me and get married for the holidays?”

  Only a fool could turn that down, and Tristan was no fool. “I guess I better start a new project folder—”

  “Tristan.” Ravi pulled him up so they were face-to-face. “You don’t need the spreadsheet. Just say yes.”

  “Yes.” Tristan managed to get the word out without his voice shaking. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  ***

  Ravi pulled Tristan in for a quick kiss right as the song hit his favorite part. As usual though, his body had other plans where Tristan was concerned and a quick peck turned into a long, searching kiss. Fuck, but he loved this man. His practical, confounding man who had spent the better part of a year debating marriage and weddings and missing every single hint Ravi had dropped that all he really needed was Tristan, some rings, and a picture to hang on the wall.

  Finally Ravi had had to take matters into his own hands. And Tristan had mercifully given in. There had been a moment there when his heart had started hammering, hands shaking on his phone, as he worried that maybe Tristan was about to say no. Not because Tristan didn’t love him—Ravi didn’t doubt that, but because Tristan needed things to be just so, and maybe he really did hate Ravi’s big idea. Or maybe he still wasn’t ready…

  But he’d said yes, and Ravi’s heart had soared, and now he wasn’t going to let doubts about whether Tristan was just going along with him to make him happy take hold in his brain. No, he was going to enjoy his man and his moment and this kiss, which went on and on, Tristan beautifully pliant as always.

  “Oh yeah, we are going to love that honeymoon suite,” Ravi said as he finally had to come up for air. “You’ll see. This going to be terrific.”

  And it would be. He’d see to it, banish any doubts, make sure Tristan didn’t have time to second guess things. He was so ready to take this leap together, and he was also ready to turn this month into something good. Less worrying over Tristan’s hurt over his family stuff, less grumbling on his part about holidays he didn’t really observe, less watching everyone’s cheer and traditions and good fortune. More seizing that for themselves, starting traditions that would mean something for them.

  The song shifted into “I’m Yours,” and Tristan busted out laughing. He grabbed for Ravi’s phone. “What is this station? Whoa… you made a whole play list called ‘Going to the Chapel?’ When did you have time for that?”

  “While I was listening to Adrian talk about the kid,” he quipped even though the right answer was that he’d started the play list a few weeks ago, finished it up tonight.

  Pulling back, Tristan regarded him carefully. “This isn’t entirely spontaneous is it? Like you didn’t just have this idea while talking to Adrian? You…you’ve been planning this?”

  “You’re not the only one who can plan, my friend.” He winked at Tristan before pushing him back on the bed and straddling him. “Already made the reservation. And we’re looking at rings tomorrow.”

  “We are?”

  “Yep. I know a jeweler through my volunteer work.”

  “Wow. You were awfully sure I’d say yes.”

  Actually, no. Ravi recalled that heart-clattering moment when he hadn’t been at all sure, but he pushed it aside. “Yup. Because you asked first.”

  “I think I like your version a lot more.” Tristan grinned up at him. “Yours had a soundtrack. Mine had kale and some fake bacon bits. Let’s go with yours when we tell people.”

  “But we’re not telling anyone until after. I swore Adrian to secrecy. You know people would start volunteering to come, and then we’d have a circus in no time.” Ravi laughed as the cat wandered off, no interest in what her humans were doing. Probably off to raid the food bowls of the other two cats. Rey might be their newest addition, but she had the most personality by far.

  “Please no.” Tristan shuddered. “But if you want someone there… Your sister maybe?”

  “She’s pregnant again. We don’t need her trekking up a ski slope, and unlike Adrian, she can’t keep a secret to save her life. My whole family would know before breakfast tomorrow, and you know how…complicated that would get fast. I—we—don’t need that.” Ravi loved his family, he really did, but most of them were back on the east coast, and it wasn’t just physical distance separating them. Some in his family were cool with him being openly gay, but a number of people weren’t, and there were opinions and expectations galore to navigate every time he went back home, which wasn’t very often.

  For the most part, he and Tristan had formed a tight-knit family of two, and that was how Ravi wanted to get married—only the two of them, no outside opinions or complications and absolutely no stress over family relations.

  “And if we ask two friends to be witnesses, feelings are going to get hurt by whoever we don’t ask. Trust me, it’s better this way.” Leaning down, he kissed Tristan again.

  “Oh, I agree. Totally. I just want to make sure you won’t have regrets—you’re the more social one than me.”

  “Nope, no regrets.” He took his time with the next kiss, trying to tell Tristan how much he loved him and how much he wanted and needed this. Ever since he’d seen the Tahoe advertisement a few weeks ago, he’d just known deep in his gut that this was the right course of action for them.

  Tristan’s hands clutched at Ravi’s shoulders, holding him close as they kissed. He tugged at Ravi’s shirt, hands cool against the heated skin of Ravi’s back, and he gasped. “Need you.”

  “Yes.” Tristan’s head fell back as Ravi devoured his neck. “Need you too.”

  They both scrambled out of the rest of their clothes. Naked now, Ravi straddled him again, reveling in Tristan’s touch as he stroked Ravi’s sides. He loved how Tristan always looked at him, almost as if he couldn’t believe his good fortune. Ravi tried not to be overly vain, but he didn’t mind being Tristan’s prize one bit.

  Tristan moved to fiddling with Ravi’s nipple rings. Heat arced from his chest right down to his balls.

  “Fuck yeah.” Ravi grabbed the lube from his nightstand and got his palm slick before lining up both their cocks. He was a fan of pretty much all sex—loved blowing Tristan, loved fucking and getting fucked, loved rubbing together, and lately he’d been really into stroking off like this. Mainly, he loved watching Tristan’s face, seeing his reactions as Ravi worked their cocks.

  “Mmm.” Tristan made a series of low moans. “Love that.”

  “I know you do. Gonna come for me?”

  “Yeah.” Tristan was panting now, back arching. His touch became more determined, driving Ravi nuts as he flicked and tugged his nipple rings.

  “Hmmm. Maybe I should make you wait…” Ravi slowed down his strokes.

  “Fuck. You’re terrible.”

  “And you love it.” Ravi managed a laugh even though he too was getting close. Edging like this was just the best, getting them both close then backing off. “And such a mouth on you. I remember when you barely cursed.”

  “Yeah? Come up here and I’ll put my mouth to better use.” Tristan moaned softly between words.

  “Nope. Having too much fun like this.” He sped up his strokes again, adding a twist at the top of the strokes.

  “God. Need to come. Now.” Tristan’s eyes squished shut.

  “Wait for it,” Ravi urged but didn’t slow his strokes. It blew him away, still, how he could feel Tristan’s love in moments like this, could feel so much more than he’d ever thought possible. Leaning forward, he captured Tristan’s mouth in an urgent kiss, tried to tell him how very lucky he was.

  “Now, now, now” Tristan panted against his mouth. Their cocks slip and slid, delicious friction in his tight grip.

  “Yeah,” he finally relented. “Come for me.”

  “Oh, fuck. Fuck.” Tristan gr
oaned as he came, slick fluid coating Ravi’s fist.

  “That’s it.” Ravi let himself fall over the edge he’d been riding, coming in a series of moans.

  “Love you.” Tristan pulled him close for another kiss. “Love you so much.”

  Ravi returned his kiss for long moments before finally pulling away. “And that was great, but I can’t wait for the wedding night.”

  “Me too.” Tristan’s smile was seriously all the gift Ravi required—all the hope and promise that he’d made the right choice, that his plan would work out. He wanted to give Tristan everything he wanted, everything he deserved.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “I think we have everything.” Tristan shut the back hatch of his little SUV. Warmth spread in his chest, the same way it always did when things were organized to his satisfaction. They’d traded in his car for the SUV last summer before the Colorado road trip. It was way more comfortable for long trips than Ravi’s Mini Cooper. “Snacks are in the cooler in the back seat, luggage in the back, and I’ve got a detailed plan for the trip—”

  “You are so lucky I love you,” Ravi groaned, blinking against the morning sunshine. “I’m totally fine with winging it, you know? It’s eight and a half hours. I’ll drive part. You’ll drive part. We’ll get there.Unless I leave you in one of the national forests.”

  Tristan knew why Ravi was cranky, so he simply rolled his eyes. “I’m driving to start. We all know you and mornings don’t get along. You can sleep off last night’s party.”

  The previous night had been the end of their holiday obligations with the annual company party. Thank goodness they’d ditched the gift exchange this year and gone for a competition to raise money for various charities. It had been fun socializing with their work friends, but still, they were both so ready for this escape. Silly holiday games got tiresome, even when they were for a good cause. It was no wonder Ravi had drank a little more than usual.