Aaron Jones anxiously glanced out of the window of his computer store. The mid-December snow was coming down more rapidly. The sidewalks were already covered, and the branches of the evergreen trees lining the parking lot of the grocery store across the street were bowing under the weight of the snow. He looked up. Judging from the heavy clouds, there was plenty more of the white stuff still to fall. Aaron guessed it all made for an image worthy of a Christmas card, but he wasn’t comforted, not when his boyfriend was driving through it along the interstate.
“Oh, phooey!” an older lady at the small desk in the corner exclaimed. Frustrated, she looked over at Aaron. “Tell me again how I get that line of funny letters into a letter to my sister?”
Aaron did his best to put aside his worries over Ben and focus on his student. In an effort to give the older inhabitants of their small town a basic grasp of computing, he ran a series of classes. He also hoped those taking the classes would get hooked enough to buy laptops and peripherals from him.
Aaron put on a smile and strolled across the room. “Okay, Mrs. K, let’s have a look.” He moved to stand to her left.
“It’s Mavis, dear, remember?” she said, patting his arm.
“Yes, of course.” Aaron nodded.
“I know you’ve shown me this cut and stick thing before, but…”
“Cut and paste,” he corrected.
“Oh, is it?” Mrs. K was a sweet old lady who, despite her best efforts, would never understand modern technology. “I just wanted to send a copy of this recipe to my sister in California.”
Aaron swiped a finger on the touchpad, tapped on the address bar and copied the URL then pasted it into the half-written email. “There you go.”
“Oh, you’re so clever and so quick. How do you remember all this stuff?” Mrs. K asked as she beamed up at Aaron.
Aaron shrugged. “I grew up with it. Do you want a hard copy of the recipe for yourself?” At her look of incomprehension he explained, “A copy on paper so you can read it without having to turn on your computer?”
Mrs. K smiled and thanked Aaron again, telling him how her sister was very jealous that she had a computer whiz who could help her, while the sister only had a book. Mrs. K usually thanked Aaron for his help and patience at the start of each class with batches of homemade baked goods. That afternoon’s offering had been a box of mince tarts, uh, pies. Mrs. K had explained they were so Aaron wouldn’t feel too homesick for his native England. Aaron had just smiled and accepted the plastic box. He didn’t like mince pies but thought Ben might. When they’d first met, Ben was overweight and out of shape. But since then he’d joined a gym and was eating more healthily. Ben was still a bear—a big, cuddly, hairy teddy bear. Aaron loved nothing more than cuddling against Ben’s bulk—it made him feel safe, protected. Aaron inwardly winced, thinking his feelings made him weak, helpless. Before Aaron met Ben he was perfectly self-sufficient, thank you very much. But Ben…completed Aaron, and Aaron hadn’t even known he was incomplete.
Aaron cast another worried glance outside. The snow was still falling and the streetlights had come on, heralding the rapidly approaching evening.
Ben was driving his usual I-95 route from Tallahassee, hauling a load of lumber to Maine. Ben had been driving that route six months earlier when his and Aaron’s paths had crossed. Aaron hugged his arms to his chest, closed his eyes, and told himself yet again how lucky he was to have been picked up by the sexiest, hunkiest, kindest bear in the continental United States. But he now wished Ben could drive local routes because spending nights alone without the sexiest, hunkiest, kindest bear in the continental United States was no fun, especially now winter was upon them with its bad weather and dark nights. But driving a huge Freightliner semi was what his man did for a living and that was that. At least this would be Ben’s last job before the holidays.
The door buzzer sounded, indicating a customer. Aaron opened his eyes, surprised anyone would be coming in so near closing. He turned around and gasped. There, standing on the mat, stomping snow off his boots, all bundled up in hat, gloves, scarf, and a huge red coat, was the sexiest, hunkiest, kindest…“Ben!”
The three old ladies behind Aaron chattered excitedly.
“Why? I mean—” Aaron’s questions were cut off by Ben pulling him into a strong embrace. Ben felt cold but safe and, most importantly, home.
