The Sauna Part 131

The morning sun streamed in through the french doors and I could hear the faint sound of seagulls in the distance. I wondered absently if Richie chose this place because it reminded him of Jersey, but it was a beautiful area even without the memory to enhance it. It was still early and I drifted back to sleep knowing there was no rush to get up and that Richie tended to be a late sleeper anyway.

I woke about an hour later and Jon was gone. I listened for the shower, but the house was still quiet, so I made my way downstairs silently so as not to disturb Richie if he was still sleeping. There was a fresh pot of coffee and a note from Jon.

Went for an early run-be back at 9-don’t shower without me-Jon

I laughed at the note and muttered a “yes, master” to myself as I poured a cup of coffee and began to clear the dishes from last night’s dinner and load up the dishwasher. It was the least we could do after all the trouble Richie had gone to for us. I sipped my coffee and decided to sit on the terrace and wait for Jon.

I heard some movement and turned, expecting to see him, but it was Richie who greeted me. He had a mug of coffee and Jon’s note, which I’d forgotten and left in the kitchen and he was grinning.

“Thanks for taking care of the dishes, doll. I assume this was meant for you?” he joked.

“Unless there’s something you’re not telling me, Richie” I quipped right back.

“Trust me, I love Jon like a brother. A rather spoiled, peevish little brother, but that’s all” Richie answered emphatically, emphasizing the word little.

I laughed so hard I nearly spit coffee as the look on his face was priceless. Richie had a way of making faces that were so expressive and he was a natural born comedian. I imagined that he could charm his way out of any situation just as easily as Jon could and I wondered how his wife had ever managed to stay mad at him long enough to leave him.

“I was thinking about something this morning” he began, his expression changing.

“Instead of flying to San Francisco on the weekend, what would you think about driving down there today and staying tonight and tomorrow and driving back on Friday? It’s a beautiful drive along the coast, with lots of places we could stop along the way and no real pressure then to hurry along. I haven’t done a road trip like that in years and we’d still have plenty of time to see stuff back here when we got back” he suggested.

“That actually sounds like a lot of fun. I’m game, as long as Jon didn’t make any other commitments here during the week. He doesn’t necessarily tell me the plans in advance” I said ruefully just as Jon appeared in his running shorts and a sweaty t-shirt.

“What plans?” he asked, having just caught the tail end of the conversation.

Richie explained what he was suggesting and Jon confirmed he hadn’t made any appointments or commitments. He was ready for an adventure of sorts and we made haste to get ready. We showered quickly, confining our behavior to bathing this time, and by ten-thirty we were loading up the car and on our way.

The drive was more than scenic and we stopped at a couple of rest areas that were simply breathtaking. I had not forgotten my camera and I was determined to chronicle our trip on film. I soon learned that traveling with two men was much like traveling with two boys as Jon and Richie had a tendency to bring out the adolescent in each other.

They were silly and sweet, at times whiny and competitive, but genuinely playful. Jon could not resist harassing Richie about his driving and occasionally demanding that he be allowed to drive. Richie, for his part, tried harder to behave like a grown-up, but Jon’s ribbing would get the better of him and soon his behavior degenerated to the juvenile level as well. I was finally forced to insist on taking the wheel myself, thinking to end the squabbling.

Richie conceded, acknowledging that I was somehow more fit to be the parent here despite being the only one who was childless among the three of us. The driving was no longer the source of bickering, however they seemed quite capable of finding other ways to torment each other until I threatened to banish one of them to the back seat if they could not behave. But in truth, I wasn’t serious at all and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them play. I wondered how long it had been since either of them had had a chance to express their inner children.

We stopped at an ocean side restaurant for lunch and I managed to get a little souvenir shopping in since I had control of the keys. We made it to the Bay by about seven o’clock and the search for a hotel began as none of us had thought once about not having reservations. The name Bon Jovi would get us a table at a crowded restaurant, but it wouldn’t get us a room in a packed hotel when most of the guests had already checked in.

We finally found an old Bed & Breakfast with a vacancy as they had just received a cancellation, but there was only one room available with one bed. Jon pouted and Richie smirked and I convinced the owner that we would behave ourselves and were just very tired and not planning to engage in any unusual activities. The owner’s wife eyed me a bit suspiciously, but she was clearly envious and I could hardly blame her.

The offer to pay triple the price finally won out and I had the keys in my hand. We entered the room and flicked on the light. Richie immediately sprawled out on the bed with a sigh and grinned.

“Looks like the bed is big enough for the three of us” he said mischievously.

“Your couch is right over there” Jon pointed out, not at all amused.

“Awwww, c’mon man. I thought we were brothers. You’re not gonna share?” he teased again and I started to smile, but Jon’s expression stopped me instantly.

“Don’t go there” he said in a quiet tone.

“Jon, he’s just kidding you. Relax, love” I said soothingly.

I wasn’t really sure what I was trying to interrupt, but I began to suspect that this scenario was kicking up some memories better left buried. I knew that they had both been wild in their younger days and I didn’t really care to know what sort of things they might have shared, but it damn sure wasn’t going to be me. I was certain that whatever the past had been, Richie was just teasing now, but sometimes he didn’t know when to quit and this was definitely one of those times.

“I’m sorry, babe. I’m an ass. You’re right. Sorry, Rich” he apologized, his features relaxing as he drew me to him and kissed my forehead.
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“I really was only kidding, man. Really” Richie said apologetically.

Whatever ghost had been raised, the shadow passed and Jon’s face brightened. He grabbed a stack of menus off the desk for some local take-out places as there was no room service and sat down on the bed, pulling me along. He tossed a menu to Richie and handed one to me.

“What should we order?” he asked, his attention now focused on dinner.

“Pizza” Richie and I said in unison and we all laughed, the previous tension completely gone now.

We ordered a pizza and settled back on the bed, flipping through the channels on TV as we decided what to watch. I left the decision to the boys, deciding to take a shower and wash off the grime from the road and figuring it would give them an opportunity to discuss whatever had led to the earlier tension.

Jon joined me instead, deciding I was the one who deserved an explanation as Richie understood his reaction better than I did. He stepped in behind me and slipped his arms around my waist, kissing my neck, as he whispered in my ear.

“I’m sorry” he said softly.

I turned to face him and he looked ashamed, but not angry. I put my arms around his neck and kissed him, wanting him to know that it was okay. We all had a past and that was then, this was now.

“When we were younger, we did some things I’m not really proud of. I guess I just over-reacted as it brought up a memory I would rather forget and I thought Richie was jerking my chain on purpose. I …” he began when I put my finger to his lips to stop him.

“Jon, you don’t owe me any explanations. I know you weren’t an angel and neither was I. But the past is the past. Let’s just leave it there” I said, seeing no reason for him to confess.

“I love you so much” he murmured into my hair, holding me tightly.

“I know and I love you too” I said, comforting him.

We finished our shower and somehow the intimacy we shared seemed enough. I wanted to make love to Jon, but I didn’t need to make love right then. We were as close as I imagined two people could ever be, and that was enough for now. We emerged from the bathroom just as Richie was paying for the pizza.

I hadn’t brought a nightgown, never having had a reason to need one before, but I did have my fuzzy bathrobe. Jon wrapped a towel about his waist and a smaller one around my hair to dry it and Richie actually had PJ’s. We piled onto the bed and dug into the pizza and if anyone had seen the three of us, they would have been hard pressed to believe this was a rock star slumber party.