Passing Looks and Disappointed Faces

[Gerard's P.O.V.]

Teasing Frank was a blast; I enjoyed watching the way his cheeks tinged pink, his fingers fumbling slightly as he tried to get the wrapper off the mint I had handed him. It had been one of those complimentary mints most restaurants shower you with once you have spent a ridiculous amount of money for their succulent food, as if to appease you for over-pricing their meals. I didn't mind the loss of money though; as long as it pleased him, I was perfectly fine with having spent sixty-four odd dollars on the meal, including the waiter's tip. He didn't need to know the expenses; it would just make him feel guilty again and I didn't need his apologies at the moment. I wanted him to feel good, to enjoy himself, not to worry about what I was doing.

I glanced back at him, noting the way he was gripping his seashell again, examining it as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. I assumed that at the moment, it really was. It was a reminder that he had finally visited the ocean and it overjoyed him. I couldn't help but smile at his childish excitement over it, going back down the roads that would take me home. I needed to stop off and get some things I had forgotten but first I would treat Frank to a movie or something of the sort; some time needed to pass before I could return home to get the necessary supplies.

"Where are we going now?" he finally piped up curiously, averting his gaze from the small grooves in the shell to look up at me, tilting his head slightly to the side. A small laugh bubbled inside my throat and I shook my head negatively, sucking softly on the mint I had in my mouth, rolling it around and letting the peppermint taste replace the taste of the food I had just eaten.

"Now, now, Frankie; I told you that you would have to wait to see. Don't ruin the surprise," I admonished him gently, laughing when I saw the expression on his face; he was obviously not happy with the response. I was going to spoil him so much; he had absolutely no idea. I'm not entirely certain what could have possessed me to do this for him so early in our relationship but I needed to do it; I needed to make him feel happy and I would stop at nothing to do so. It was so strange to be doing this, to want to make him enjoy himself so much. In a sense, it may have been to celebrate his coming out to his grandparents or perhaps to take his mind off his current problems. It was heart-wrenching to see the way those dark circles extended beneath his eyes, the way he was so obviously exhausted and pained over the proceedings. The fact of the matter was that he was different, so very different from anyone else I had ever dated.

I would stop at nothing to make him feel like he belonged, to make him feel cherished and loved. I glanced back at him, unable to keep my eyes off his pale skin and jade eyes. I was going to liquidate my entire life's savings on him but it was worth it; it was worth it to see his eyes light up and a smile curve his Cupid's bow rose lips. He shifted fretfully in his seat, staring out the window as he attempted to figure out our location. He probably wouldn't know however; we weren't in Belleville at all, far from it in actuality. It seemed I was determined to waste all the gasoline in the tank of my beat-up little car trying to make that smile reappear on his gentle face. I continued driving and in about another hour, going down busy streets and avoiding the pedestrians attempting to cross the street when the light was very clearly green and in favor of the cars speeding down the lanes, we reached the destination.

Curiously, Frank looked out the window but, seeing as I had parked in reverse, he couldn't very well find out where we were. It was busy, people walking to and fro, passing us by. I removed my seatbelt, trying not to look at him as I walked out of the car, shielding my eyes from the sunlight ricocheting off the surrounding buildings. We were in Newark now, the largest city of Jersey, and I assumed he knew that much; he couldn't have possibly missed every single sign pointing to the city. Traffic was a bitch getting here but I didn't mind; Frank was getting only the best today. Already the area was somewhat crowded though the summer had long since passed; I assumed the area had such a charm it was irresistible even in late October. I was going to regret wasting so much money today but as long as Frank could cherish the moment for the rest of his natural-born life, it would most definitely be worth it.

"Jenkinson's?" he read aloud, jumping slightly when I grabbed his hand before smiling. "Where the fuck are we, Gerard?" I shrugged and laughed at his expression, leaning in to place a gentle, fluttering kiss on his lips.

"An amusement park slash boardwalk slash aquarium slash night club slash sweets shop," I smirked in response, tugging on his hand to make him follow along. I forced him to walk behind me, ignoring the way he insisted we should go home; there was no need for all this. Blatantly tuning him out, I walked to the entrance, retrieving my wallet from my pocket to pay for admission and for tickets for the rides. Frank attempted a wild grab for my wallet, trying to keep it from me so I wouldn't have to pay. Slightly frustrated, I had pushed him away, preventing him from doing so; he hadn't come very close to grabbing it in the first place, however. Rolling my eyes at his protests, I paid the man, offering him a smile as I grabbed what I had paid for, grabbing Frank's hand to pull him with me.

"You know, I'm almost afraid what you're going to do for my birthday." I laughed at that, looking back at him, handing him his tickets, watching as he placed them carefully in his pocket.

"Why's that?" I asked curiously, wrapping an arm around his waist, pulling him in so that our hips bumped together as we walked, taking in the sights casually.

"You're doing all this for me now, with no special occasion to celebrate or anything; imagine when there really is a reason to celebrate. I think you wouldn't stop to take me across the globe or something." I laughed again, pressing a quick kiss against his cheek, reluctantly agreeing with him; he was right.

"Come on, let's get on the rides." And so we did. For the better part of the day, we were dashing from ride to ride, using up all the tickets I had purchased. I had barfed once, having eaten a snack before getting on one of the rides, throwing up my stomach contents into a bush. Frank had insisted we leave then but I refused wholeheartedly, pushing him towards another attraction so he would lay off my health. It was late in the evening when we finally left, the whole park beginning to shut down. Reluctantly, we left the place, going back into the car, sweaty but satisfied.

"Are we going home now?" he asked with a smile on his face even as he wiped at the salty beads dripping down his forehead. I shook my head happily, pulling out of the parking lot to head back to Belleville.

"Not exactly," I admitted, watching out of the corner of my eye as he picked up his shell again, placing it in his lap. To prevent his asking any more questions, I spoke up, "Aren't you going to name that thing or something? It'll be like a pet rock for you. God, I don't know why people ever bought those things." He sat in thought for a moment, looking over the pale pink grooves, running his fingers lightly over them. He glanced back at me, a grin slowly taking over his features.

"Its name is Gee," he stated resolutely, hugging it to his chest, adjusting himself on his chair. I giggled lightly at it, stopping when he suddenly looked crest-fallen.

"I'm sorry, Frankie. It's a good name...I just can't imagine why you'd name it after me of all people, that's all. I'm sorry."

"Why wouldn't I name it after you?" he asked, a hint of a growl in his voice as he clutched his treasure closer to him. I understood it suddenly and shrugged, casting my eyes to the road even though I was stopped at a red light, trying not to look at him. Suddenly, his hot breath was hitting my skin, his lips brushing delicately over my cheek, fingers just lightly ghosting over my hand. I couldn't help but close my eyes at the sensation, jerked to attention only by the sudden horns blaring behind me. Noticing the light was green, I immediately stepped on the gas pedal, resuming the way home. He retreated into his seat, averting his gaze to his lap, fingers lightly plucking at all the little imperfections in his jeans.

It was a while before we returned home and I didn't waste much time there, leaving him in the car as I dashed inside. Once I grabbed everything I needed, I stuffed it all in the trunk, returning to the driver's seat before he could investigate my supplies. He looked at me curiously, feet up on the dashboard, back hunched down in the seat. I shrugged at him, setting the car in drive again and tearing away from the house. I was probably driving him crazy with all this roaming around Jersey but I loved to do it; I loved it when I could see that smile on his face. He had had such an amazing time at the amusement park once he had gotten over the fact that I had paid for everything, dashing from ride to ride, that childish innocence back on his face. He had been handed a balloon and had eagerly run around with it until he got distracted and it floated away. He sulked but quickly found interest in something else: the boardwalk; he was back on the beach.

That beach was too crowded and he didn't strip, instead staring into the ocean with a look of glee. Moments like those made my heart swell, made me glad that I was doing all this for him. It instilled a sense of pride to know that I was the one making him happy, that I was the one distracting him from all his troubles. The sound of his stomach gurgling in the near silence of the car dragged me from my flashbacks and I glanced at him, a smirk on my face. He glared, a pout on his face, tightly holding onto his abdomen, trying to convince me it was nothing. Rolling my eyes at him, I turned my attention back to the road, willing the whining engine of car to go faster so that we could arrive at our destination soon; I was beginning to become hungry as well, probably because I had expelled my stomach contents into a bush.

After taking a few winding roads, I finally arrived at our destination, taking in a deep breath only to glance at Frank and have it taken away from me. He smirked, hiding that shell of his under the seat, stepping out of the car carefully, stretching his arms over him. I soon followed suit, dashing to him, pulling him into my arms and spinning him around briefly, setting him on the heated hood of my car. He protested briefly but stopped as I placed my lips over his, motioning him to stay there until I came back. Once I had extricated a large navy blue cooler from the trunk, I began walking toward the building I had parked in front of, motioning for him to follow. Up the stairs we went, our footsteps echoing in the staircase around us, climbing higher and higher until we were both completely out of breath. We finally reached the roof where I could finally collapse, setting the cooler on the ground, looking out over the city with a self-satisfied grin.

"Say 'hello' to Newark, baby."