Everyone Learns Faster On Fire

It was a rainy Friday evening and Frank sat watching cartoons, just minutes after he had kissed his girlfriend goodbye and told her to have a nice evening. He had half wanted to tell her ‘Stay out as long as you want’, rather than the usual ‘Don’t be back too late’ he had to use like all the other caring boyfriends did.
It was ten minutes to seven. Gerard would be arriving soon. Butterflies began to flutter in his stomach at the thought of what they would do when he eventually arrived. He had been excited about this all day, like a kid waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve. He kept replaying the scenes of what happened the last night they got together over and over in his mind, and hoping that this evening would be even more spectacular.
He had even thought of going as far as cooking a romantic meal for the two of them, complete with candlesticks and wine, but Jamia would wonder why he was using the fine china for just a meal for one. He wasn’t much of a cook anyway. Usually he just shoved something in the microwave, and two minutes later, ping! A perfectly edible meal. But Gerard was a little more talented at cooking, and Frank didn’t want to make a fool of himself.

‘Oh well, more time for the fun stuff.’ Frank thought deviously.

Then, there was a knock at the door. Frank sprang up from the sofa with fervour and began checking his reflection out in the mirror mounted on the wall, making sure his best shirt wasn’t creased and checking that he had no food stuck between his teeth.
Gerard was knocking again, obviously eager to get in, and Frank practically bounced out of the living room, and down the hall to the door. He cleared his throat and unlocked the latch, getting ready to set eyes on the most stunning man in existence.

“Would you like to buy some cookies sir?”

‘What?…Gerard?’

Frank looked down to see a mousy-haired young girl scout, carrying a few boxes of cookies.

Frank sighed and half hoped that the girl would miraculously rip off her mask to reveal Gerard’s laughing face. But he doubted that Gerard would’ve gone as far as bringing other actors - behind her, standing with their backs resting against the stair rail, were two other girls in the same uniform, smiling shyly and shaking a collection tin.

Frank couldn’t say no to a bunch of kids, so he fished a couple of dollar bills out of his wallet and handed it to the girl. She smiled and squeaked a barely audible ‘thank you mister’, before handing over the box. He could feel the heat from the homemade treats still radiating through the thin card of the box.

“Oh Fraaaaaaankiiiiiiieee!”

Frank looked past the girls to see Gerard ascending the staircase, looking as sexy as ever in his leather jacket and tightly fitted jeans. Frank grinned and skipped halfway down the stairs to him, pulling him into an embrace.

“Hey handsome!” Frank said, giving his backside a firm squeeze of affection with the hand free from cookies.

As they hugged, the sharp sound of disapproval echoed around the stairwell as Mrs Crabbe, the nosy neighbour from apartment number 2, clicked her tongue. She was all dolled up, wearing a cream and lime green floral skirt and a frilly blouse, obviously on her way down to the bingo hall. She had evidently seen it all, including the way he pinched Gerard’s ass a little too overzealously for the public eye. She gave them a piercing look that told them she did not like what she saw.

“Oh, go away you interfering old bat!” Gerard growled over his shoulder. Frank sniggered.

She shook her head critically again before tottering out of the front door, muttering something about the how rude young people were and how God frowned on homosexuals. Frank and Gerard exploded with laughter as soon as she slammed the heavy-duty door behind her, and they began walking up the stairs to Frank’s apartment. They walked past the girl scouts, who all wore similar looks of disbelief and humour on their faces.

“Thanks for the cookies!” Frank flashed them a smile before closing the door.

Gerard was still giggling from his encounter with the old lady from downstairs. “Stupid old woman! Is she always like that?”

Frank laughed and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Yeah, most of the time. You should’ve seen the look she gave me when we first moved in! She looked at me as if I were going to mug her or something!”

“Aww Frankie, you wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Gerard said, and taking the cookie box from him. “Fancy a cookie?”

Frank didn’t really have much of a choice. Gerard chose the biggest cookie in the box and placed it in Frank’s mouth like he were feeding a baby. They were most certainly the best cookies he had ever tasted. The chocolate chips just seemed to melt within his mouth the second he bit into it. Gerard helped himself to another homemade treat , while taking Frank’s hand and leading him down the hall and into the bedroom, their feet practically gliding over the laminate flooring. Gerard dropped the box on the floor without a care.

They had barely reached the room before Gerard was hastily unbuttoning Frank’s shirt and kissing him passionately. Frank could taste the pleasant flavour of the cookie Gerard had just eaten mixed with the cigarettes he smoked on his tongue as it explored his mouth. The shirt he had spent so long ironing was discarded within seconds, and sent flying across the room in one swift motion.
But Gerard was a tease. He wouldn’t let things start as Frank wanted. He attempted to remove Gerard’s heavy jacket and shirt, but he was pushed against the wall, causing the framed beach scene painting above to rattle against the wallpaper. Gerard was dominant again, tracing the patterns of his tattoos across his heaving chest, without their lips parting for even a second. Frank moaned deeply into Gerard’s forceful kiss, not wanting him to stop. Frank began bucking his hips suggestively.

“You like that, don’t you babe?” Gerard whispered, his warm breath ghosting against his neck. Frank replied by meeting his lips again, licking them softly with his warm tongue.

Frank kicked his shoes off and Gerard followed. He grabbed Gerard’s sweaty hand and led him over to the freshly made bed, which Frank had decorated with rose petals in the shape of a heart. It had taken him ages to create what he thought was such a masterpiece, and now it was to be destroyed in a matter of seconds.
He laid Gerard down on the bed on his back and began fiddling with the buckle on his belt. Gerard moaned loudly, letting him know that he was enjoying this. A naughty smile played across Frank’s lips.

The rattle of a key in the lock made them both freeze.

‘What the hell?!’ Frank thought, his heart beating in his throat. ‘Not again! Please God, why are you so cruel to me?!’

But they were not going to stop this time. The return of the girlfriend was not going to obstruct them having their fun. Frank hauled Gerard up from the bed, making the petals scatter in all directions, and they propelled to the neighbouring bathroom. They locked the door swiftly and the kissing began once more.