11:11
Gauges, cereal, joints, books, and talking.
Lying on his back, Gerard turned his head to the right and looked at his boyfriend. Frank was awake, drumming his fingers over his chest that was covered with a blanket. He smiled when he felt Gerard’s eyes bore into him.
“What are you looking at?” Frank asked with a slight smile.
All of the lights in their small bedroom were turned off. The only light that shone was the bright line from the digital clock that was resting on the small drawer next to Frank. He had always insisted that he slept on the right side because he felt more ‘comfortable’ beside the light. Gerard has figured that it was because Frank had originally started out on the left side but that all changed when he saw a spider web on that side.
Gerard rolled over and propped his elbow up and placed his chin on the palm of his hand. He moved his free hand to caress Frank’s cheek and to move fallen hair from his eyes.
Frank giggled. “Gerard! It’s too late at night to be doing this. It’s like past midnight.”
“It’s never too late for some loving,” Gerard replied back with an unseen smirk. “But seriously Frankie, I have a question for you.”
“What is it?”
“Do you remember when we first started going out?”
Frank nodded his head. “Yeah, why?”
“Well, I don’t know if you remember this or if I ever told you this, but when we would sleep in the same bed, I always noticed one thing about you. Or specifically this one thing you would do.”
Frank squinted his eyes in confusion. What was Gerard talking about? When they first started going out, Frank would do all kind of crazy things at night. He would mess with his gauges, fix a bowl of cereal and eat it, get a handheld flashlight and read a book, smoke a joint or two, and he even talked to himself sometimes when Gerard was passed out from the booze. He gulped and muttered a shy yeah.
“I remember that every night at 11:11, you would close your eyes and whisper to yourself. Then you would lean over and kiss me on the cheek.”
Frank smiled. “Aww, that’s what you were wondering? I thought it was something major, ha. I can’t believe you remember that. What brought that up?”
“I was thinking about how we each had our own separate sides of the bed that we sleep on. I remember how we started out on the other side and how you switched.”
“Well, mainly I moved over to this side because I found a huge spider web that gave me nightmares for months. But I’m also not the biggest fan of the dark and I had to sleep somewhere with a little bit of light. It’s like the clock wanted me to sleep beside it with all the light it was giving off.” Frank laughed at his own joke. “But I always wished on 11:11 because I really liked you a lot back then Gerard. I was worried that you always leave me or the alcohol would take you away from me. You were a blessing in disguise and I wanted you to be mine and nobody else’s. I guess the little wish fueled my hope.”
Gerard took in and absorbed what his boyfriend had just told him. Frank had always been a hopeless romantic and everything he had just said tied in with that fact. “God, I love you so much Frank.”
“Oh, I know that already Gee.”
“Can I ask another question?”
“Yeah, it’s fine Gerard. Just ask.”
“Why did you stop?”
“Stop what?”
“One night I didn’t hear you whisper and I didn’t feel your usual kiss. I’ve always wondered why you suddenly stopped,” Gerard said. “It was just… weird.”
“I stopped because one night you came home and you were completely sober. You told me that you loved me before you climbed in bed and rested your head on my chest. I knew that you were mine at that moment. I knew that 11:11 would be a waste of my time from any day after that. Besides, wishing on a time wouldn’t solve my problems. Wishing on you was the answer.”
Gerard didn’t know how to respond. He was overwhelmed with the amount of emotion that came from Frank’s words. He never knew how much Frank was a savior to him until now. “Don’t ever give up hope on me. I swear I’ll make it baby.”
“I believe in you Gerard and nothing will ever change that.”
“What are you looking at?” Frank asked with a slight smile.
All of the lights in their small bedroom were turned off. The only light that shone was the bright line from the digital clock that was resting on the small drawer next to Frank. He had always insisted that he slept on the right side because he felt more ‘comfortable’ beside the light. Gerard has figured that it was because Frank had originally started out on the left side but that all changed when he saw a spider web on that side.
Gerard rolled over and propped his elbow up and placed his chin on the palm of his hand. He moved his free hand to caress Frank’s cheek and to move fallen hair from his eyes.
Frank giggled. “Gerard! It’s too late at night to be doing this. It’s like past midnight.”
“It’s never too late for some loving,” Gerard replied back with an unseen smirk. “But seriously Frankie, I have a question for you.”
“What is it?”
“Do you remember when we first started going out?”
Frank nodded his head. “Yeah, why?”
“Well, I don’t know if you remember this or if I ever told you this, but when we would sleep in the same bed, I always noticed one thing about you. Or specifically this one thing you would do.”
Frank squinted his eyes in confusion. What was Gerard talking about? When they first started going out, Frank would do all kind of crazy things at night. He would mess with his gauges, fix a bowl of cereal and eat it, get a handheld flashlight and read a book, smoke a joint or two, and he even talked to himself sometimes when Gerard was passed out from the booze. He gulped and muttered a shy yeah.
“I remember that every night at 11:11, you would close your eyes and whisper to yourself. Then you would lean over and kiss me on the cheek.”
Frank smiled. “Aww, that’s what you were wondering? I thought it was something major, ha. I can’t believe you remember that. What brought that up?”
“I was thinking about how we each had our own separate sides of the bed that we sleep on. I remember how we started out on the other side and how you switched.”
“Well, mainly I moved over to this side because I found a huge spider web that gave me nightmares for months. But I’m also not the biggest fan of the dark and I had to sleep somewhere with a little bit of light. It’s like the clock wanted me to sleep beside it with all the light it was giving off.” Frank laughed at his own joke. “But I always wished on 11:11 because I really liked you a lot back then Gerard. I was worried that you always leave me or the alcohol would take you away from me. You were a blessing in disguise and I wanted you to be mine and nobody else’s. I guess the little wish fueled my hope.”
Gerard took in and absorbed what his boyfriend had just told him. Frank had always been a hopeless romantic and everything he had just said tied in with that fact. “God, I love you so much Frank.”
“Oh, I know that already Gee.”
“Can I ask another question?”
“Yeah, it’s fine Gerard. Just ask.”
“Why did you stop?”
“Stop what?”
“One night I didn’t hear you whisper and I didn’t feel your usual kiss. I’ve always wondered why you suddenly stopped,” Gerard said. “It was just… weird.”
“I stopped because one night you came home and you were completely sober. You told me that you loved me before you climbed in bed and rested your head on my chest. I knew that you were mine at that moment. I knew that 11:11 would be a waste of my time from any day after that. Besides, wishing on a time wouldn’t solve my problems. Wishing on you was the answer.”
Gerard didn’t know how to respond. He was overwhelmed with the amount of emotion that came from Frank’s words. He never knew how much Frank was a savior to him until now. “Don’t ever give up hope on me. I swear I’ll make it baby.”
“I believe in you Gerard and nothing will ever change that.”