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The second Andrew was out of college, he moved out of Charleston, South Carolina, to a hole-in-the-mountain town called Telluride with a population of 2.479 people. It had been both a hard and a straightforward decision. Hard, because he was leaving his brother behind, his best friend and his cousin Nicky, even though he was moving back to Germany. But easy because he felt like he was getting suffocated in a big city, easy because he needed a change of scenery and easy because everywhere he went, he saw his ex. He had stopped briefly outside the city sign just to take a deep breath. He had left everything behind.
His brother, Aaron, who had gotten married just hours before Andrew left.
His cousin, Nicky, was moving to Germany the minute Aaron had gotten married.
His best friend, Renee.
But most importantly, his horrible and abusive ex boyfriend.
Andrew tightened his hands around the steering wheel and pressed the back of his head against the headrest of his seat, closing his eyes. He didn’t want to leave Aaron behind. But he had to get out of South Carolina. He inhaled deeply, opened his eyes and stared into the ceiling of his jeep.
“Don’t chicken out now,” he told himself. He tilted his head back down and drove into town.
He found the real estate agent’s office and got the keys to his apartment from her. She welcomed him and they chatted a bit before Andrew headed to his new apartment. His apartment was enormous, much bigger than he thought. The real estate lady had been kind enough to let the movers in when they came to deliver and put together his new furniture. He dropped his bag on the bed and laid down with an arm above his eyes, blocking out the light. He should probably text Aaron to let him know he had made it to Telluride alright, but he couldn’t bring himself to.
He sat up and stared at the empty walls, the furniture he had to build, and the pictures he had to hang. Andrew got up from his bed before allowing himself to wallow in self pity and unpacked his bags. He unpacked only what was necessary - his pillows and duvet and blankets. His guitar, toothbrush and other toiletries and his clothes went into the closet and the dresser. His couch would arrive tomorrow together with his brand new TV. He unpacked his Xbox, his PlayStation and his game cube, pushed his boxes of books to the side and found the box labeled kitchen and unpacked it before he called it a day. He grabbed his keys off the small dresser by the door, put on his shoes and headed into the dreadful early June weather.
Andrew went around town, exploring the tiny society he had just joined. He bought shoes and clothes and a backpack for hiking, bought boots and snowboard equipment for when he went snowboarding. There was a record store, but by the looks of it, it was about to close for the day, so he would have to check it out another day. He brought the stuff he had bought to his apartment before he went to the bar where he got a bartending position a few weeks prior. The bar was mostly empty, but there were a few customers. Andrew went inside and sat by the bar, watching the people in the bar. He had been a bartender for a while, while working in college.
“Hello. You must be Andrew,” an unfamiliar voice said behind him. Andrew was about to turn around when the man walked behind the counter. The man had dark brown hair with grey streaks, blue eyes, and a British accent.
What is a British man doing so far away from home? Is what Andrew wanted to reply, but settled for:
“Yeah. Nice to meet you,” and reached his hand out to shake the other man’s.
“Likewise. So, checking out the place before your first day tomorrow?” He asked. Andrew nodded and crossed his arms on the counter. “Understandably. Who wouldn’t prefer to know the layout of their future workplace?” He placed a beer bottle in front of Andrew. “Excited?”
“As excited as one can be,” Andrew said and took a sip from the bottle in front of him.
“Stuart!” A lighter voice called and a red-haired man stepped into the establishment.
Andrew stared.
How could he not when in came a gorgeous man, with red hair and blue eyes a clear as day, his skin tanned and freckles dusted all over his face only broken apart by a couple of scars? He was wearing light blue jeans, a cream-colored shirt with Colorado state printed across the chest, and an orange flannel fleece on top.
Shit
“Hey kiddo!” Stuart said with a smile. “Meet Andrew, my new bartender starting tomorrow.”
The man stepped up to the bar and smiled at Andrew. He held his hand out for him to shake.
“It’s nice to meet you, Andrew. Stuart hasn’t been able to shut up about his new bartender. I’m Neil, Stuart’s my uncle.”
Andrew stared at Neil for more than what they probably deemed necessary. He didn’t think he would run into the most beautiful man on earth in a tiny town in Colorado. He reached out and shook Neil’s hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Andrew said and let go when Neil did, but quickly picked his glass up and took a sip from it, needing to keep his hands busy.
“Do you play guitar? Or bass? Banjo maybe?” Neil asked, and sat down next to Andrew.
Andrew barely put his glass down before Neil’s questions caught him off guard.
“What gave it away?” He asked.
“You have calluses on your hands. Figured you played some kind of string instrument.”
“That could be a cello too, you know,” Andrew said as he grabbed his glass and put it against his lips.
“Or a violin.”
“Which monster would play the violin with his fingers?” Stuart said, sounding shocked at their conversation. He placed a glass and a plate with a burger and fries in front of Neil.
“Kevin would,” Neil said before biting into his burger.
“Well, Kevin is a heathen like his mother,” Stuart sighed and looked at Andrew. “You hungry, kid? You drank your beer awfully fast.”
“Yeah. I suppose I am,” he said and looked at his empty glass. Stuart chuckled and went into the kitchen. Andrew turned his head and looked at Neil, taking in his features. He reached out and snatched a fry off his plate.
“ ‘Ey! ” Neil said with his mouth full.
“Relax, you couldn’t possibly finish that big a burger and your fries,” Andrew said and snatched another one.
“Watch me,” Neil said, and Andrew grinned, more than happy to watch Neil make a fool of himself on his first day in town.
When Stuart came out from the kitchen, Neil was laying across the counter, groaning in pain, and Andrew was finishing what Neil had left on his plate.
“I’m gone for ten minutes and you’re already fighting?” Stuart said and put the plate down in front of Andrew and the blonde picked up a few more fries and stuffed his mouth.
“I’m never eating again. Fuck, my stomach,” Neil moaned into the hardwood counter.
“Wuss,” Andrew said as he picked up his burger and took a big bite.
“Ha!” Stuart laughed and patted Neil’s head, the younger man groaning. “I like him.”
Neil groaned louder and Andrew finished his burger and fries, feeling victorious over Neil. When he went home that night, he was two phone numbers, a friend and a friendly boss richer.
Andrew had evening shifts one week and afternoon shifts the next, which gave him ample time to explore the town and go hiking and do renovations in his apartment. He had a perfect view of the park across the river, but he had two tiny windows, which didn’t really do much for him, so he got ceiling to floor windows and created a nice reading and crocheting corner for himself. But it was also a perfect spot to watch Neil whenever he was working near the park with school kids or when he picked up a group of hikers that had booked a guided tour. Neil would look up and smile at him, throw him a casual wave, and Andrew’s heart would skip a beat.
Sometimes Neil would help in the bar, most when he was off work and when Stuart was off. But they had fun and Andrew hadn’t expected falling in love. But he did, and he wanted nothing to jeopardise the blossoming friendship he had with Neil.
But Neil was everything he hadn’t expected to find in a town with a population of 2.479. He was fun, pretty, smart and didn’t mind telling people off if they were being rude. But being this far away from home meant he didn’t see his friends and family everyday like he was used to.
The summer went and made way for autumn and Halloween. The bar Andrew worked at held a Halloween party at the end of the month and while Andrew wasn’t big on holidays, he liked Halloween. He was working when Neil came in with a giant IKEA bag slung over his shoulder and a few boxes stacked on top of each other, the top one threatening to fall down.
“Do you need help?” Andrew asked from behind the bar, but he made no motion to move from his spot.
“I’ve got it,” Neil said as he walked in and put the boxes down by the bar, the bag next to them with a heavy sigh. He stretched his arms above his head, his shirt riding up just enough for Andrew to sneak a peek at the auburn happy train that disappeared beneath the waistband of his boxers and pale flesh. Andrew was only human, and while he was excellent at controlling himself, that excellence went out the window whenever it involved Neil.
“What’s up with the boxes?” Andrew asked when Neil had crawled onto his usual bar stool.
“Halloween. I’m planning a Halloween tour on one of our most popular trails,” Neil explained, and shook his orange fleece jacket off. “We usually get a lot of visitors from the surrounding towns, even from Montrose and Durango sometimes.”
“Huh,” Andrew said as he placed a beer bottle in front of Neil. “Sounds interesting.”
“Yeah!” Neil said and took a sip from his beer. Andrew could practically see Neil’s tail wagging. “Do you wanna help?”
Andrew stared at Neil. He wanted to help, but he also wanted to stay inside and watch shitty horror movies with his brother on Skype.
“Sure,” Andrew said and turned his back to Neil and headed into the kitchen. He looked at the cook behind the stove. “Make something fun out of Neil’s mashed potatoes.”
“Yes Sir,” he said and Andrew nodded, pleased with himself. He walked out of the kitchen and served someone their beers and took their orders before he circled back to Neil, who was scribbling something down on a napkin.
“Do you need a piece of paper?” Andrew asked with a raised eyebrow. Neil shook his head and continued scribbling on the napkin, not looking up, but he couldn’t help himself. He looked over Neil’s shoulder and noticed he was writing costume ideas for them.
“A cowboy? Seriously?”
“I’ll have you know that Butch Cassidy robbed San Miguel Valley Bank in 1889 before he became famous,” Neil said without looking up from the napkin and Andrew stared at him.
How was he supposed to react when the guy he was crushing on was spewing random history facts about the town they were in, without getting a boner?
“What the fuck?” Andrew said, his voice a tad high pitched. That had Neil looking up at him, the bar light reflecting in his eyes.
“What?” Neil asked, all innocent.
Andrew was about to reply when the cook came out with Neil’s shepherd’s pie with the mashed potatoes on top shaped like tiny ghosts. Neil laughed and covered his face as he did.
Andrew cracked a tiny smile. Not that he could stop it. Neil’s laugh was infectious and soon Andrew smiled from ear to ear.
“Oh my god, you’re so stupid,” Neil snorted between laughs and Andrew didn’t have the heart to tell him otherwise. He didn’t want Neil to stop laughing, ever.
And weirdly shaped food items became their thing. Throughout October, Andrew found various food items. He then asked the cook to turn into a weird Halloween themed thing. Neil would laugh for hours on end and Andrew would smile as they decorated the bar and when they were on the trail, Neil would constantly try to scare Andrew, but the blonde would only raise his eyebrow and ask; “Is that the best you got?” That was until Neil would trip over his own feet and fall down a small hill. That had Andrew laughing and Neil couldn’t help but laugh as well.
But October wasn’t all fun and games. He missed his brother more than he thought he would the closer they got to November 4th, but he had been the one to leave everything behind, only leaving his new address on the kitchen table in Aaron’s apartment.
On October 29th, Andrew knew he wouldn’t be able to work until after November 4th. He talked to Stuart and Stuart gave him the time off he needed. Andrew only needed to call when he was ready to work again. He knew he should text Neil, tell him he couldn’t help on the 31st with the Halloween trail, but he was too exhausted, and he slept the entire day, only awake long enough to notice that he had some unread texts on his phone, but he didn’t reply. When he woke up around midnight, there had been a note slipped under his door. He felt his heart ache a little.
Hi
Stuart said you weren’t feeling well.
I left some food outside - soup, cooked beef, bread and chicken.
I hope you’re feeling better soon. Call me if you need anything.
Neil
Andrew sighed and opened the door. Neil had placed the basket to the side so no one would trip over it, but Andrew was the only one living on the floor. But it was a friendly gesture. He picked up the basket and went inside. He stored the food in his fridge and found another letter, with two Polaroid pictures attached.
So I found these two cats. I know you’ve been talking about getting cats.
I’ve named them Sir and King.
Let me know if you want to adopt them?
Andrew cracked a little smile when he saw the two tiny kits - one a tabby and the other calico. But he couldn’t make that decision now.
He put the letter on the kitchen counter and went to grab his phone and his screen almost lagged at the amount of messages from Renee and Aaron and the occasional ones from Neil, because Neil despised his phone. He didn’t get to read them when there was a knock on the door and Andrew wanted to fling his phone at the door, but didn’t. Andrew walked over to the door and looked out the peephole. Andrew opened the door and stared at his twin and best friend.
“What are you doing here?” He asked.
“Figuring you are feeling just as shitty as I am,” Aaron said and dropped his bag onto the floor and pulled Andrew in for a hug and for the first time in forever, Andrew didn’t lash out or fight the hug. He looked at Renee over Andrew’s shoulder.
“I’m just here to celebrate my best friend’s birthday,” Rene said with a soft smile, her silvery hair tucked behind her ears. He let go of Aaron so he could hug Renee.
Andrew didn’t realise how much he had missed his brother and best friend before they showed up at his doorstep in the middle of the night. But it also made him realise he hadn’t been lonely since moving to Telluride.
Because he had Neil, Stuart and the bar.
Andrew stayed holed up in his apartment with Aaron and Renee for a week. He occasionally got a text from Neil he didn’t reply to when he knew he should. He knew he was probably worrying Neil, which Stuart confirmed when he texted Andrew, asking if he had talked to Neil. Andrew replied he hadn’t, then put his phone down so he could take Aaron and Renee to the airport. When he came back, he stopped by the bar. They had taken the Halloween decorations down, even though it was only November 5th.
“Hey kid,” Stuart said when he noticed Andrew standing in the door. “Feeling better?”
“Yeah,” he said and walked in and climbed onto his usual stool. “It’s just… a lot. My brother came to visit.”
“Ah. That must be the guy that assaulted Neil outside your building,” Stuart said and put a glass of whisky in front of Andrew. Andrew stared at Stuart.
“Aaron assaulted Neil?”
“Well, more like verbally assaulted. That was all I could get out of him,” Stuart said with a shrug.
“Huh,” Andrew mumbled over his glass. “And here I thought they would be best friends.”
“But--“ Stuart said as reached down and picked up a basket and put it on the counter. Stuart picked up a card from the basket and handed it to Andrew. “He left you a basket of stuff and a card. He seemed down when he dropped it off after running into your evil twin.”
“I’m the evil twin. Not Aaron,” Andrew said as he stood up with the card in hand so he could peer into the basket. It was full of Halloween movies, candy, costumes Neil had decided for them to wear and there was hot chocolate and a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label Scotch Whisky.
He listened.
He fucking listened.
“Where is he now?” Andrew asked, putting the things back into the basket again.
“Out on one of the hiking trails. He got called out to a pair of hikers that got lost after the sun set,” Stuart said and put away a few clean glasses. “But he should be here soon. He left a couple of hours ago before it got too dark.”
Andrew sighed and drank his Whisky. He had barely put his glass down when Neil walked through the door, ropes thrown over his shoulders, his bag pack still open on his back and his clothes and shoes muddy.
“Jesus,” Neil sighed as he dropped his stuff by the door and was about to toe off his shoes when Stuart threw a dirty dishcloth at his face.
“You aren’t home,” Stuart said, and Neil scowled at his uncle.
“I practically am,” Neil said and walked over to the staircase that led to the upstairs where Neil lived.
“Then greet your guests!” Stuart said, his voice going up an octave and nodded towards Andrew. Andrew could tell by Neil’s surprised look that he hadn’t noticed him until now and Andrew wouldn’t be surprised if Neil didn’t want to talk to him after how he had ignored him for a week.
“I… have to shower. I’m covered in mud,” Neil said and averted his gaze from Andrew’s. He couldn’t really blame him. Andrew would probably have done the same if it had been him. Neil disappeared upstairs and Stuart poured him another shot of whisky.
“I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but it did something to Neil. I haven’t seen like this ever since Kevin got his first girlfriend,” Stuart explained with a sigh.
Andrew hummed as he drowned his shot before he stood up on the footrest on the bar stool.
“Look after my basket,” Andrew said and jumped down from the stool and headed for the stairs. He looked at the muddy prints leading up to the first floor. He took a deep breath, wrapped his fingers around the railing and took the first step of many. When he stood in front of Neil’s door, he noticed he hadn’t closed it all the way. He knocked and opened the door, peeking inside. The shower was running, so Neil probably hadn’t heard him enter.
He looked around and he was surprised by how neat Neil’s apartment was - except for the muddy shoes, bag and clothes that Neil dropped in the entrance when he entered his apartment. It was a studio apartment, but it was spacious and he had made the most of the space, putting up wall dividers and a drywall to separate the kitchen and bedroom. Andrew walked into the living space and saw the two small cats sleeping in the middle of Neil’s bed. He sat down on the edge of the bed and reached over to scratch one kitten’s head.
“I see Neil is taking good care of you,” he said as the water turned off in the bathroom. “Which is… unsurprising because he’s… good to everyone around him. He’s… caring and gentle…”
Andrew looked up when the door to the bathroom opened and steam flowed into the room as Neil stepped out with a towel wrapped around his waist, oblivious to Andrew sitting on his bed.
“You really should lock your door.”
Neil jumped when Andrew spoke, lost his balance and almost fell on the wet floor. And Neil probably would have fallen if it hadn’t been for the dresser next to him.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Neil gasped, turning around to face Andrew, his ice-blue eyes widened. “Are you trying to kill me?!”
“No, but it looks like someone already tried,” Andrew said, nodding in Neil’s direction, though Andrew wasn’t angry that he got to see Neil’s body without clothes. Neil looked down at himself and seemed to remember that all of his scars were on display. He reached into one drawer of the dresser and pulled out a long-sleeved shirt and took it on before he rummaged through another drawer for a pair of pants. Neil disappeared into the bathroom and came out wearing the sweats.
“What are you doing here, Andrew?” Neil asked as he walked past the bedroom and into the kitchen. He grabbed two packets of wet food and the cats bolted off the bed before they even were awake.
“I wanted to talk,” Andrew said and got up from the bed and followed the cats.
“You never want to talk,” Neil said as he put the bowls down on the floor. “Well, maybe you want to talk to uncle Stuart and not me.”
“I talk to you.”
“What a load of garbage. You’ve ignored me for a week. You disappeared and your brother made it pretty clear that you wanted nothing to do with me,” Neil said, his voice laced with hurt.
Andrew knew he had hurt Neil, but he had never intended to hurt him. He leaned against the wall and watched Neil as he moved around the space. He wondered if Neil would kick him out if revealed the reason he had been absent.
“You are… the best thing that has happened to me in a long time, Neil,” Andrew said and crossed his arms over his chest to protect himself. “The years leading up to me moving here were shitty.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Neil said, “You don’t owe me an explanation.”
“I do,” Andrew said and pushed off the wall. He walked over to Neil, only stopping when he was two feet away from the redhead. “I had a boyfriend. He wasn’t nice or sweet or caring. He hurt me and I let him. I was self-destructive, and I hated myself and the person I had become.”
“Andrew…” Neil said, his voice softer than it had been ever since Andrew nearly scared him to death. Andrew averted his gaze down, so he was staring at his feet.
“Everything reminded me of him and of the person I had become. At the same time my twin brother was getting married and moving out of state, my cousin was moving back to Germany and I didn’t see a reason to stay in South Carolina.”
“Andrew, you don’t have to…” Neil tried to cut in, but Andrew didn’t hear him.
“And I came here with the expectation of never falling in love again. And in walks this… redheaded, blue-eyed man with a huge grin, freckles and a fucking orange fleece jacket, sporting his scars proudly.”
Andrew lifted his gaze and hazel eyes met ice blue ones. Neil closed the distance between them and reached out to touch Andrew, but stopped mid-air, seeming unsure about the idea of touching Andrew.
Andrew reached out and took Neil’s outstretched hand and placed his palm against his cheek. Neil’s palm was rough and soft at the same time. Neil caressed Andrew’s cheek, running his thumb across his cheekbone, his other hand coming up on the other side of his face, his hand mimicking the other.
“I didn’t think you would mean this much to me, Andrew. I was content with just having Kevin and Uncle Stuart. And then you come crashing into my life and change it completely,” Neil said and looked at Andrew. “And then you disappeared and it hurt. It hurt more than having a knife pressed to your skin or a hot car burner pressed to your face. Because I like you.”
Andrew felt the air leaving his lungs. It was like he had been sucker punched in the stomach because he didn’t think Neil would feel the same as he felt about him.
Before Neil could continue with his speech, Andrew leaned in and pressed their lips together. He put his hands on Neil’s waist, his fingers digging into the soft shirt. Neil wrapped his arms around Andrew’s neck, and Andrew didn’t mind. He walked backwards until they tumbled onto the couch, Neil’s legs wrapping around Andrew’s waist and his hands in his hair. Andrew let go of Neil’s shirt in order to hold himself up so he wouldn’t suffocate Neil.
He broke the kiss first, but their noses still touched.
Andrew felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest when he realised he hadn’t asked Neil if he could kiss him. He pushed off the couch and stumbled backwards.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” Andrew said, staring at Neil, still splayed out on the couch. He sat up and looked at Andrew.
“You should,” Neil said.
“I should have asked. I shouldn’t have forced myself onto you,” Andrew said and turned away from Neil, looking out the window as all of his insecurities resurfaced.
“Andrew,” the blue-eyed man said and got up from the couch. Andrew heard him approach, but he didn’t turn. “I liked it. I like you and I want you to kiss me again.”
Andrew rubbed his face, taking deep breaths to calm the anxiety that was rising in his stomach. He dropped his hands and turned around to face Neil. Neil took a step back, giving Andrew space.
“Consent is important to me, Neil. I should have asked if I could kiss you, if I could touch you,” he said and appreciated the space Neil gave him.
Neil nodded, showing Andrew that he understood, and Andrew felt the weight being lifted from his shoulders.
“Can I kiss you?” Neil asked. Andrew stared in surprise, because he didn’t think Neil would ask. “Consent goes both ways, Andrew.”
The blonde nodded, still staring at Neil and his perfect lips.
“Yes. And you can touch my shoulders, neck and hair.”
“Waist, back and thighs,” Neil said before he came crashing into Andrew, pressing their lips together, his arms wrapping around Andrew’s neck and Andrew’s hand finding their way to Neil’s waist.
Andrew stayed the night at Neil’s place, cuddled up with the cats in bed. They ordered a pizza and watched the nightmare before Christmas before they fell asleep, still holding hands.
There was a knock on the door in the morning and Neil mumbled something unintelligible under his breath and buried himself deeper under the covers with Sir and King. Andrew got up and fished up a pair of sweats from the floor and put them on, not caring whether they black or bright orange. He walked to the door and if you asked Andrew; it was too early to be greeted by a grinning Stuart and Kevin at the door.
“Uhm…” Kevin stuttered.
“Finally, huh?” Stuart said, and Kevin’s eyes widened at Stuart’s comment. Neil got up from the bed, yawning as he fished up Andrew’s purple shirt from last night. He trotted over and wrapped his arms around Andrew’s waist, and rested his head on his shoulders.
“What?” Neil yawned.
Andrew snorted when Kevin almost fell down the staircase from shock.
“Nothing. Kevin came by, saying you weren’t picking up and Andrew is late for his shift,” Stuart hummed and turned around to walk down the stairs again. “Take the day off. But I want you at work tomorrow, Andrew!”
Andrew watched as Stuart walked down the stairs, Kevin in tow.
“Also! Keep it down, you were loud last night!”
“ Stuart!" Kevin gasped in shock as Stuart dragged down the stairs.
“We’ll keep it down,” Neil said.
“ Neil! " Kevin gasped now.
Andrew slammed the door closed and turned around in Neil’s arms, wrapping his own around Neil’s neck.
“He’s not used to the idea of me dating. He’ll get over it,” Neil said and leaned in to kiss Andrew’s nose.
“You’re a menace,” Andrew said and picked Neil up and carried him over the bed. He threw Neil onto the bed and crawled over him.
Neil giggled and wrapped his arms and legs around Andrew.
When Andrew moved to Telluride six months ago, he didn’t think he would ever fall in love again. He wasn’t sure he would ever love anyone again. But Neil made it possible for him to open up and let someone in where he had sworn he would let no one in again.
They moved into Andrew’s apartment because Andrew didn’t want to live above his workplace and from his apartment, he could watch Neil work with the school kids. He could watch him take tourist groups on tours on the trails. The cats would sometimes sit with him and watch Neil as he came down the trails and headed for the apartments.
He was happy in a place he never expected to find happiness and as he laid in bed, listening to Neil talking in his silly to the cats. He sat up and watched as Neil placed a big kiss on both their heads, then turned to Andrew.
Neil smiled bright like the sun, then he leaned in and placed a kiss on Andrew’s forehead, then on his lips.
Andrew knew he was home, and he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Neil in a small town in Colorado.