Taxi to Paradise
-O-
DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV
-O-
Aaron and Jackson were in their living room. It was a bright summer's morning and Jackson was sitting patiently with their cases, but Aaron was fidgeting around. He crossed the room to the window and looked out.
"We're going to miss our flight!" Aaron fretted, but he was excited about his forthcoming holiday with his husband.
"Don't worry, there's plenty of time," Jackson answered, "The taxi will be here soon."
"Yeah, as long as they don't confuse 'Brook Drive' with 'Brook Avenue'; like they did last time!"
"You'd think the town planners could come up with more original names for new roads!" Jackson tutted, "I suppose it takes time to update sat-navs with new postcodes!"
Just then, Adam and Ryan came bounding down the stairs.
"You still here? Sorry...that's got to be the most stupid question anyone's ever asked!" Adam said.
"Don't apologise mate, it's only what we've come to expect!" Aaron teased him.
"Oi you!" Adam shoved Aaron's shoulder, "I was going to say I'll miss you; but I'm not going to now!"
"It's a wonder we're going at all," Aaron frowned at Adam, "I dread to think what we'll find when we come back, with you and Ryan holding parties every night and having orgies with wild women! We're likely to return from holiday and find you've trashed the place!"
"Calm down Grandad!" Adam was in a cheeky mood, "I don't know any wild women!" Adam looked at Ryan and smirked, "Neither does Ryan, as far as I know! If he does; he hasn't told me about 'em!"
"Maybe I just want to keep them all to myself!" Ryan replied, but was interrupted by the sound of a car horn outside.
"Finally!" Aaron sighed.
The friends said their farewells and Adam and Ryan waved the couple off.
Once they were seated in the back of the taxi, Aaron relaxed and started to get in the holiday mood, "What's the name of the place we're going to again?"
"Attention span of a goldfish, you!" Jackson rolled his eyes skyward, "Mahe Island in The Seychelles!"
"Oh Yeah!" Aaron said it as if he had known the answer all along, "Tree-house villas perched above the Indian Ocean. Our own little heaven for a few days, somewhere for just the two of us, sand, sea, stunning views, a place called paradise!"
"If you can remember the blurb from the brochure, how come you can't remember the name of the place?" Jackson sounded a little exasperated.
"You know how I love winding you up!" Aaron had the cheekiest of smiles playing around his lips and, combined with his twinkling blue eyes; it was a look that floored Jackson every time he saw it.
"What are you like?" Jackson asked, smiling warmly at his ever-loving.
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As they sat in their sun-loungers at the luxury hotel, under the shade of a huge bamboo umbrella, Aaron turned to Jackson who was staring at the white sandy beach, the palm trees and, beyond that, the blue-green sea. He had rarely seen his husband look so happy and relaxed and he sighed contentedly. Jackson picked up on his sigh.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Jackson almost did not need to ask the question.
"They were right, weren't they?" Aaron said.
"Who was right; and about what?"
"This place is paradise! And the hotel is fantastic!"
It struck Jackson that Aaron was like a little boy who had seen all his Christmases come at once.
"Well, there's no point in having thousands in the bank and not enjoying it, is there?"
"True!"
"Talking of which," Jackson adopted a serious tone, "have you given any more consideration to my idea, about buying a house?"
"But, I thought you were happy where we are."
"I am!" Jackson knew that Aaron was hard work sometimes, but he persevered, "It's just that our place is rented, whereas we could buy our own place with our money. Coming away like this is great, but if we keep doing this every year the money will be gone in no time; not to mention paying the rent at home. If we buy a property, we'll have something to show for it! Plus, if property prices go up again, it'll be an investment."
"Hark at you, Captain Sensible!" Aaron teased.
"One of us has to be!" Jackson gave Aaron a stern look.
"Can't we just chill out for a while and not worry about tomorrow, just for once?"
Jackson realised that Aaron was in no mood for discussions about property purchases; and he wanted to enjoy this holiday as much as his husband did, so he changed the subject, "Yeah, you're right! We'll wait until we get home. Let's go for a stroll along the beach, shall we?"
"I thought you'd never ask!" Aaron jumped up from his sun-lounger and grabbed Jackson's hand and they walked off along the stretch of white sands.
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It was warm and sultry that night. Aaron could hear Jackson sleeping soundly next to him. Just his close proximity gave him a sense of wellbeing; of everything being alright with the world. He was glad that his husband was enjoying their break; he worked so hard throughout the year; so to relax for a couple of weeks was very welcome. He snuggled up to Jackson, feeling the warm skin against his own. Jackson roused.
"Sorry, babe" Aaron apologised, "I didn't mean to wake you."
"It's OK, babe!" Jackson said, groggily, "Come here!"
Aaron melted into Jackson's embrace and kissed him lovingly. He had never thought that it was possible to love someone the way he loved his husband. He knew that he would do anything to make his wonderful man happy. He would, quite literally, give his life to achieve it!
Jackson also loved Aaron with a passion; his perfect partner, his soul-mate, his 'other half'. His husband had proved to him that he could be the kind, caring, compassionate man that he had always known he could be. As he cuddled this gorgeous guy to him, he felt like the luckiest man alive! They were all alone; no-one and nothing to spoil their intimate time in this secret paradise. Just for that moment in time, they were the only two people that existed in the whole world!
The next day, they sat at a table under the umbrella as the waiter brought them breakfast, as usual.
Aaron sipped some fresh fruit juice and then spoke, "So, what do you want to do today?"
"Mmmm...let me think," Jackson pondered for a minute, "Maybe we could take a boat trip and see some of the scenery."
"Yeah, why not? Anything you want, babe."
Jackson wore shorts and a t-shirt, but Aaron was in shorts and a floral shirt which was unbuttoned, leaving his front bare.
"You're getting brown," Jackson looked at his husband's well-developed chest, "you are putting plenty of sun cream on, aren't you?"
"Yeah, don't fuss! I know it's important not to overdo it in the sun!"
"Good!"
The couple made their plans and spent each day doing exactly what they wanted to do. Whether it was going on excursions, relaxing by the pool or strolling along the beautiful coastline, they needed nothing more to make them happy. They both felt as if they had truly found the best place in the world!
All good things must come to an end and Aaron and Jackson's time in the Seychelles was over much too soon! As they touched down at Leeds Airport, the sky was cloudy and grey and the wind was quite cool for summertime.
"Back to reality!" Aaron said as they collected their luggage.
"Yeah, good old England!" Jackson added, "Looks like it might rain!"
"Can't we get the next flight back?" Aaron looked at Jackson pleadingly, "You said you wanted to buy a house; they had some for sale on that island, do you remember? What was it, Eden Island?"
"A nice idea, babe," Jackson put his practical hat on, "but what would we do for work? All our money would go to buy the place and we'd still have to work to survive!"
"Why did I marry someone so sensible?" Aaron groaned.
"Go on, admit it, you couldn't resist me!" Jackson chuckled and gave Aaron's backside a gentle tap.
He expected Aaron to pass comment, but none came; his husband just laughed it off. He was clearly still in the holiday frame of mind!
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As the taxi pulled up outside their house in Brook Drive, Aaron looked through the window of the cab and spoke, "Looks like the place is still standing! Maybe Adam and Ryan behaved themselves after all!"
"We haven't seen inside yet!" Jackson replied, "It could be like World War three in there!"
They paid the driver and carried their luggage into the house. Everything looked spotless, much to their great surprise.
"You're right," Jackson said, "they really did behave themselves!"
"Either that, or they've made sure to hide the evidence before we came home!" Aaron chuckled.
Later on, Adam and Ryan both returned from work and greeted their friends.
"What's for tea?" Aaron asked, opening a cupboard in the kitchen and finding that it was bare.
"Erm, we didn't get the chance to shop!" Adam looked a bit shame-faced.
"I knew it!" Jackson said, "I knew this tidy, efficient set-up was all too good to be true!"
"Well, we did tend to have quite a few take-aways!" Ryan admitted.
"What, every night?" Aaron looked amazed, "I suppose its pizza again, then!"
"We had that last night," Adam complained.
Jackson grabbed the keys to the pick-up, "OK guys, who fancies fish and chips?"
"Great!" chorused Adam and Ryan.
Jackson looked at Aaron, "You coming with me, babe?"
Aaron followed Jackson, who turned to the other two and said, "You can make yourselves useful and lay the table. It's the least you can do for leaving us to starve!"
Aaron and Jackson chatted en-route to the fish and chip shop. "Can you believe those two? Bare cupboards and fridge, I suppose we'll end up doing a big shop tomorrow!" Jackson said.
"Well, at least the house is still in one piece!" Aaron replied, "I suppose we've got to be grateful for small mercies!"
They both laughed.
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Aaron and Jackson were back in their own bed. Jackson cuddled Aaron to him, "It'll be strange not to get up and be served breakfast; and then walk along the sands in the sunshine!"
"It was great, wasn't it?" Aaron sighed.
"We've got to return to reality on Monday," Jackson was thinking out loud, "I've got to help finish off some four-bed detached places in a cul-de-sac on the new development. The boss says they're going on the market for over two-hundred grand each; they've got a lounge, dining room, study, wet room; they're nice houses"
"They should be for that money!" observed Aaron, "Did you want to buy one then?"
"I would like to; we've got enough left in the bank. But I thought you were against buying a place, anyway!"
Aaron looked Jackson straight in the eye, "I was at first, but I've been thinking; and you're right. We should invest in property. You won the money after all, so I think you should decide how we spend it!"
"But the money belongs to both of us. You've got to be happy about what we do with it!"
"Well," Aaron looked pensive, "I think we should still leave a bit in the bank for a rainy day."
Jackson smiled, "Now who is being the sensible one?"
"I can be when I want to!" Aaron defended himself, "Jackson, you've never steered me wrong...not ever! I trust you to make the right decision. But, do we need a house that size?"
"Well, I was thinking about the investment. The bigger the house, the more it should increase in value and give us a profit if we want to sell later!"
"...and the bigger the bills will be!" Aaron answered.
"But, think of the positives, babe!" Jackson sensed that he was winning the argument, "We'll easily be able to afford it with both our wages coming in. There'll be no mortgage to pay, after all."
Aaron had another thought, "I suppose, with a bigger house, we could take in lodgers who would pay us rent as well; I'm sure Adam and Ryan would want to keep a roof over their heads!"
"You wouldn't mind them still living with us?"
"They do now; and it works doesn't it? Well, most of the time!" Aaron chuckled.
"Except when somebody needs to do the shopping!" Jackson laughed along with his husband.
"Look, babe," Aaron turned serious again, "If you think buying one of those houses is the best thing to do; I'm with you, one hundred percent!"
Jackson kissed Aaron; he loved it when they agreed on something.
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"So, we're being chucked out, are we?" Adam said, as the four friends sat in the living room, sharing a few cans.
"That's not what I said!" Jackson was struggling to get his point across, "We've put the deposit down on the new place because we want to own it," he nodded towards Aaron to emphasize the 'we', "but you can still rent your rooms, just the same. The only difference is; we'd be your landlords!"
"Sounds like a plan!" Ryan joined the conversation, "It's only round the corner so it won't make a lot of difference to me."
"Well, it will!" Aaron piped up, "Have you seen the new place, it's quite posh round there, all 'detached residences', 'double garages' and 'chintz curtains'!"
"You say that like it's a bad thing!" Jackson replied.
"Yeah," Adam said, "and I suppose you'll be putting our rent up if we're going upmarket!"
"We'll have to look at that and put things on a formal basis, of course," Jackson continued, "But I don't see why you couldn't pay what you do now; to start with anyway!"
"OK," Adam was first to give his approval, "I can just see myself in a posh house!"
Jackson looked at Ryan, "Are you happy with that?"
"Yeah!" Ryan replied, "I've always fancied living in a house with a wet room!"
"See what you've done now!" Aaron addressed his husband, "You've turned them into a couple of snobs!"
They all laughed together at Aaron's joke.
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On their first morning in their new house in Beckindale Close, Jackson roused first and gazed at the beautiful sight of his husband sleeping next to him. He looked so peaceful, as if he had finally found the place he wanted to be.
Aaron opened his eyes and focussed on Jackson staring back at him, "You haven't been gazing at me all night, have you?"
"And what if I have?" Jackson had a cheeky grin on his face.
"You're supposed to sleep when you go to bed!"
"Not always; there are other things you can do in bed!" Jackson moved forward to give Aaron a loving kiss.
"...and I suppose you're going to show me what else you can do?" Aaron smirked.
"Well, at least Adam's room is further away in this place, so we can make as much noise as we like!"
They giggled and Aaron kissed Jackson again, "Now that we'll have the rent money coming in from those two, we'll be able to save up for our annual trip to paradise!"
"There's no need!" Jackson returned Aaron's kiss, "We've got paradise...right here!"