Everyone Learns Faster On Fire
Chapter 16: 29th October 2004
“I just don’t know what to do, Gerard! I feel so bad!”
Gerard put a comforting arm around his friend’s shoulders. He hated seeing Frank so distraught and upset. It broke his heart.
Barely ten minutes ago, Gerard had been awoken by desperate knocking on the hotel room door. He had quickly pulled on his jeans and a crumpled t-shirt from the floor and had opened the door to find his friend with puffy red eyes, a tearstained face, and clutching a mobile phone. As it was gone one o’clock in the morning, Gerard had ushered him inside the tacky room with haste, ‘shh-ing’ him to quieten down his sobs to avoid any nasty complains from fellow guests.
So here they were, sitting on the crumpled flowery bed sheets together, discussing the latest argument between the Iero-Nestor team.
“I love her, I really do. I don’t want to lose her!”
Frank’s heart wrenching sobs were making the mattress bounce every time he gasped for oxygen. Gerard found himself unashamedly wishing that he could make the bed bounce with Frank another way, before shaking the distracting thought away and returning back to offering his kind words.
“Don’t say that! Of course you’re not going to lose her!” Gerard soothed, softly rubbing circles around Frank’s upper back. “She loves you, it’s just a silly little argument. I’ll all be forgotten in a matter of days, you’ll see.”
Frank bought his glassy hazel eyes up to Gerard’s. God, he looked cute when he was sad. “But she was so angry… She’s right about it all, I barely make an effort with her when we’re on the road!… I-I can’t imagine how abandoned and lonely she feels in that apartment all by herself for months on end. And I can’t even remember to drop her a phone call every once in a while just to see how she’s doing!…S-she deserves better.”
‘Better? Frank is the very best you can get.’ Gerard thought. ‘He‘s got the sweetest personality, amazing looks…what more could anyone ask for?.’
“But I can’t think of anyone more perfect than you, Frank.” Gerard said, thinking about how lucky Jamia is to have him as a boyfriend. “I promise everything will be okay. Just call her later on and I’m sure she will have calmed down. Midnight phonecalls are always the worst.”
There was silence for a few moments in which both men sat staring that the carpet, collecting their thoughts. In the distance, the sounds of traffic and party-goers making their way home could be heard from the street outside, drifting through the open window. The cheap hotel curtains danced as a soft breeze invited itself into the room, sending shivers down their spines. Frank then broke the peaceful silence.
“Thanks Gee.” He said, wiping his tears away with the sleeve of his hoodie. “You’re so good to me, you’re the bestest friend a guy could ever ask for.”
Gerard smiled and felt like for the first time in his life, he had accomplished something worthwhile so early in the morning. He looked deeply into the other man’s eyes and could see that he meant it. “No problem. Anytime you need me, whether it be day or night, I’ll be there if you wanna talk.”
Frank seemed to be shifting closer to him. Gerard could feel himself starting to blush. He discreetly edged away, trying to fight the urge to press his lips against the other man’s melancholy smile. The fact that they were sitting on a bed didn’t really help matters either. A sudden gust of icy-cold wind broke into the room though the open window and made Gerard shiver.
“Are you cold?” Frank asked, once again scooting up the bed so their thighs were touching. The feeling of his body against Gerard’s was like electricity. Frank didn’t wait for an answer and took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Gerard’s torso and rest his head on his shoulder. Gerard rested his hand on his friend’s back. Gerard’s heart was doing back-flips in his chest, and he could feel Frank’s speeded pulse against his body.
“Gerard…I…” Frank started, but trailed off.
“What? Frank, you can tell me anything.”
Frank bit his lip and took a deep breath. “I love you Gerard.”
The words hung in the air for a few seconds. Gerard could have sworn that his heart had stopped beating for a moment. Did Frank really just say that? Was he imagining it? Frank sat as still as a statue, and Gerard wondered if he was still alive.
“Yeah, I love you too mate.” Gerard said, playing it safe. “I’m proud to have you as my best friend.”
“No…”Frank said in a quavering voice, and sat back up again so their eyes were level with each other. Gerard could feel his hypnotising stare taking over this mind. “I-I love you, Gerard.”
It was like the planets had shifted into alignment. Gerard did not utter a sound. It was at times like these that actions could speak meaning a thousand times more than words. Instead, he cupped Frank’s face between his shaking hands, feeling his cool skin melt into his, closed his eyes, and captured his lips in a deep kiss. It seemed that they were the only ones left in the entire universe. The taste of his mouth, the feeling of his tongue dancing with his…everything was perfect.
And when Gerard awoke later that morning, the sunlight peeping through the gaps in the curtains, with Frank snoring softly by his side, he knew that everything was how it was supposed to be. They were supposed to be together. Mikey was right, the chemistry between them was amazing - talk about a chemical romance.
But when Frank scuttled quietly off to his room, before anyone else realised where he had spend the remainder of the night, Gerard did not worry about Jamia, or what the others would think. He sat down on the very bed they had slept in, and smiled.
Gerard put a comforting arm around his friend’s shoulders. He hated seeing Frank so distraught and upset. It broke his heart.
Barely ten minutes ago, Gerard had been awoken by desperate knocking on the hotel room door. He had quickly pulled on his jeans and a crumpled t-shirt from the floor and had opened the door to find his friend with puffy red eyes, a tearstained face, and clutching a mobile phone. As it was gone one o’clock in the morning, Gerard had ushered him inside the tacky room with haste, ‘shh-ing’ him to quieten down his sobs to avoid any nasty complains from fellow guests.
So here they were, sitting on the crumpled flowery bed sheets together, discussing the latest argument between the Iero-Nestor team.
“I love her, I really do. I don’t want to lose her!”
Frank’s heart wrenching sobs were making the mattress bounce every time he gasped for oxygen. Gerard found himself unashamedly wishing that he could make the bed bounce with Frank another way, before shaking the distracting thought away and returning back to offering his kind words.
“Don’t say that! Of course you’re not going to lose her!” Gerard soothed, softly rubbing circles around Frank’s upper back. “She loves you, it’s just a silly little argument. I’ll all be forgotten in a matter of days, you’ll see.”
Frank bought his glassy hazel eyes up to Gerard’s. God, he looked cute when he was sad. “But she was so angry… She’s right about it all, I barely make an effort with her when we’re on the road!… I-I can’t imagine how abandoned and lonely she feels in that apartment all by herself for months on end. And I can’t even remember to drop her a phone call every once in a while just to see how she’s doing!…S-she deserves better.”
‘Better? Frank is the very best you can get.’ Gerard thought. ‘He‘s got the sweetest personality, amazing looks…what more could anyone ask for?.’
“But I can’t think of anyone more perfect than you, Frank.” Gerard said, thinking about how lucky Jamia is to have him as a boyfriend. “I promise everything will be okay. Just call her later on and I’m sure she will have calmed down. Midnight phonecalls are always the worst.”
There was silence for a few moments in which both men sat staring that the carpet, collecting their thoughts. In the distance, the sounds of traffic and party-goers making their way home could be heard from the street outside, drifting through the open window. The cheap hotel curtains danced as a soft breeze invited itself into the room, sending shivers down their spines. Frank then broke the peaceful silence.
“Thanks Gee.” He said, wiping his tears away with the sleeve of his hoodie. “You’re so good to me, you’re the bestest friend a guy could ever ask for.”
Gerard smiled and felt like for the first time in his life, he had accomplished something worthwhile so early in the morning. He looked deeply into the other man’s eyes and could see that he meant it. “No problem. Anytime you need me, whether it be day or night, I’ll be there if you wanna talk.”
Frank seemed to be shifting closer to him. Gerard could feel himself starting to blush. He discreetly edged away, trying to fight the urge to press his lips against the other man’s melancholy smile. The fact that they were sitting on a bed didn’t really help matters either. A sudden gust of icy-cold wind broke into the room though the open window and made Gerard shiver.
“Are you cold?” Frank asked, once again scooting up the bed so their thighs were touching. The feeling of his body against Gerard’s was like electricity. Frank didn’t wait for an answer and took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Gerard’s torso and rest his head on his shoulder. Gerard rested his hand on his friend’s back. Gerard’s heart was doing back-flips in his chest, and he could feel Frank’s speeded pulse against his body.
“Gerard…I…” Frank started, but trailed off.
“What? Frank, you can tell me anything.”
Frank bit his lip and took a deep breath. “I love you Gerard.”
The words hung in the air for a few seconds. Gerard could have sworn that his heart had stopped beating for a moment. Did Frank really just say that? Was he imagining it? Frank sat as still as a statue, and Gerard wondered if he was still alive.
“Yeah, I love you too mate.” Gerard said, playing it safe. “I’m proud to have you as my best friend.”
“No…”Frank said in a quavering voice, and sat back up again so their eyes were level with each other. Gerard could feel his hypnotising stare taking over this mind. “I-I love you, Gerard.”
It was like the planets had shifted into alignment. Gerard did not utter a sound. It was at times like these that actions could speak meaning a thousand times more than words. Instead, he cupped Frank’s face between his shaking hands, feeling his cool skin melt into his, closed his eyes, and captured his lips in a deep kiss. It seemed that they were the only ones left in the entire universe. The taste of his mouth, the feeling of his tongue dancing with his…everything was perfect.
And when Gerard awoke later that morning, the sunlight peeping through the gaps in the curtains, with Frank snoring softly by his side, he knew that everything was how it was supposed to be. They were supposed to be together. Mikey was right, the chemistry between them was amazing - talk about a chemical romance.
But when Frank scuttled quietly off to his room, before anyone else realised where he had spend the remainder of the night, Gerard did not worry about Jamia, or what the others would think. He sat down on the very bed they had slept in, and smiled.