Christmas Tree Wishes

Chapter 4

"Lexi!' Sam hollered. She was supposed to be helping him carry the boxes up from the storage in the basement. She said she was stopping for a second to grab the mail and then she would follow him down. He should have known she would disappear, she did it every year.

He hauled what he could to the elevator and thanked the lord they had one and he didn't have to lug all of this up four flights of stairs. When the elevator doors opened, Sam picked up the boxes and headed for their apartment door.

"Lexi! You jerk! You do this every year!" Sam stepped in the door, dropping the boxes carefully on the floor.

"Oh, hey Sam, sorry! I was getting the mail and I ran into someone who was looking for you," Lexi called from the kitchen.

Sam felt his heart rise into his throat. Had his white knight found him? But how? And what were the chances? "Oh yeah? Who?" Sam tried to sound more casual than he felt.

"Me." Brian walked out of the kitchen ahead of Lexi, who was giving Sam a dark look. Brian was different from the last time Sam saw him. He was hard looking and wore a dark suit with no color. His normally lightly styled hair was slicked back with more grease than should be legal.

"Oh, hey," Sam closed the distance between them, giving Brian a kiss on the cheek. He could feel Lexi's eyes shooting daggers into him. This is not the way he wanted her to find out about Brian again. She was going to be so mad at him later.

"I was hoping to take you out for a bit? For a coffee?" Brian asked, flashing his million dollar, banker smile. A zero to sixty from the look of anger a second ago.

Sam was beginning to wonder what had drawn him to Brian in the first place. It had been three years since he had met him, just after Sam first arrived in this city, working at a restaurant waiting tables. Brian had swept Sam off his feet with the promise of great things.

Where had that got him? A broken heart, that's where, every time Brian decided someone else was more interesting than Sam for a while. But he always seemed to come back to Sam, so maybe there was something between them.

"Oh, yeah. Lexi and I were going to decorate tonight, but we still have to get a tree. Could we pick one up after coffee?" Sam asked, turning to put his coat on.

"Can't you just have one delivered?" Brian huffed, opening the door.

"Uhm, yeah, I guess. I kind of like picking out the perfect tree though." Sam shrugged. He could always just get the tree later. "No worries, never mind. Let's just go get a coffee," said Sam, following Brian out the door. Before he could shut it, Lexi caught his arm.

"Don't let him hurt you again, Sammy," she whispered, closing the door behind them, her eyes on Sam as she did.

Out front waiting at the curb was Brian's car. The man never walked anywhere even though normally everyone walked in the city. Especially short distances. Sam enjoyed walking for the most part. Brian's driver opened the back door and Sam slid in beside Brian.

"So where are we going?" Sam asked, settling in.

"Just down here for coffee, since you are not dressed for more than that." Brian nodded to Sam's outfit.

Sam felt slightly shabby in his outfit of old jeans and a simple red flannel shirt. He hadn't planned on seeing anyone but Lexi today. It's not like Brian gave him any warning or time to change.

He held his tongue, not wanting to start their first time together again fighting. He watched out the window as they arrived outside of Lexi and his favorite cafe. For a second he hoped that it was Jackson's day off. Not that he had any reason to care if Jackson saw him with Brian or that it should matter either way, but something inside him said he didn't want Jackson to see him.

This was not shaping up to be his day. His mind was terribly confused right now. Part of him had wanted Brian back, while part of him enjoyed flirting with Jackson and the third part of him was still hoping his white knight would show up out of the blue.

Ugh. He was a mess. He should have stayed home and faked sick. He waited until the car had stopped and the driver opened the door for them.

Following Brian into the cafe, Sam felt more like a client of Brian's than his boyfriend. Maybe this was his lot in life...

Sam could see Jackson working behind the counter as they walked up. Of course it couldn't have been his day off. Sam shook his head, it shouldn't affect him that Jackson was working and Sam was here with Brian. It shouldn't matter, but it did.

"Good morning, how can I help you?" Jackson smiled brightly. "Oh, hey Sam. How are you?"

Sam felt a small lift that Jackson noticed him behind Brian, though it did cause Brian to turn and give him a pointed stare. Sam shrugged before returning Jackson's smile.

"Hey, Jackson, we are in need of caffeine." Sam stepped up next to Brian. He was allowed to speak to whoever he wanted. Brian didn't own him, though his glaring at Sam said he thought otherwise.

"Your regular?" Jackson asked, picking up a large cup.

"Yeah and for here. What would you like Brian?" Sam looked towards the man next to him.

"I will have a venti iced ristretto, 10 shots of espresso, with breve, 5 pump vanilla, 7 pump caramel, 4 Splenda and poured, not shaken," Brian supplied curtly.

"Oh wow, that's quite a drink." Sam was taken back not only by the order but by Brian's rudeness.

"I will have these up in a moment. That will be $15.75 today." Jackson didn't skip a beat.

Brian paid and, taking Sam by his upper arm, he guided him to a table near the front. "Care to explain what that was all about?" Brian asked sharply.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Sam countered as he took a seat, pulling off his jacket.

Brian huffed, removing his own overcoat before taking a seat across from Sam. "I was not the one making eyes and flirting with the man behind the counter."

"Neither was I, so that makes two of us," Sam retorted.

"Oh really? You could have fooled me." Brian pulled out his phone and proceeded to ignore Sam.

"What do you want, Brian?" Sam decided a direct approach to all of this was needed. "Why are you here today with no call or text beforehand?"

"I want you to come away with me for Christmas."

Sam couldn't hide the surprise on his face. "What? You want me to come with you over Christmas? To where? For how long and why now? You hate the holidays."

"For exactly that reason. I want to take you with me to Mexico. I have business to take care of and then we can spend a few days."

"Do you remember the last time you took me somewhere for a business/pleasure trip?" Sam paused to see if Brian would ask, when he didn't, Sam continued. "Well, I do. You took me to France and proceeded to ignore me for three days, only showing up in my room, my separate room, each night late when you wanted me. Not really my idea of a fun-filled trip," Sam said bitterly. He was doubting this could be a relationship even more now. If this was how it was going to start. "Plus I always go home for Christmas, you know that. My family is expecting me."

"Oh please. They will be fine for one year. You can go for New Years," Brian sneered.

"No." Sam was putting his foot down on this. He would not be bullied. "I also promised Hannah that I would help at the center over the holidays."

"You and that horrible care facility. Fine, if this is how you are going to be, then I will find someone else to take to Mexico with me. You ungrateful brat." Brian stood in a huff, wrenching his coat on, almost knocking Jackson down, who had arrived with their coffees.

"Whoops, uhm. Your coffee, sir?" Jackson managed to save the coffees and place them on the table.

"Just give mine to the selfish queer instead." With that Brian stormed out the door.