Salvation
Chapter 10
I sighed in contentment as I woke and felt the small warm body curled into my chest. Then my mind began to also wake up and the cogs began to turn. I came to the very sudden and unwelcome conclusion that there shouldn’t be a small warm body in bed with me.
I shot back in surprise but failed to realize how close I was to the edge of the bed, landing on the hard wooden floor of my bedroom and ended up ridiculously tangled in my duvet.
Second’s later, Frank’s bemused face appeared over the edge of the bed.
“You alright down there?” he yawned, his voice thick with sleep.
“No, I am not alright!”
“I was quite comfortable you know, until you decided to make a racket and steal the duvet."
“What are you doing in my bed?!”
“You don’t remember?” he asked with a smirk causing my heart to shoot into panic mode.
“Remember what?” I asked nervously.
“Oh Gerard, I could have so much fun with you here,” he chuckled.
“You could?”
“Yeah, convince you that you came into my bedroom late last night, begging me for hot passionate sex and at first I was reluctant what with your innocence and all but eventually that desperate, smouldering look in your eyes drove me over the edge and we made love in every room in this house until we passed out here in each other’s arms.”
“But we didn’t, right?”
“No, but now you’re totally thinking about it”
“Only in the sense that I’m disgusted you could be so vulgar. So what are you actually doing in my bed?”
“I couldn’t sleep, I was freaking myself out, hyperventilating, I came in here to see if you could calm me down and the next thing I know, you’re waking me up by loudly landing your ass on the floor and making me cold. You still don’t remember?”
“No, not at all.” That was a lie now. I did remember. I remember how big and scared his eyes were when he had gently and cautiously shaken me awake. He had reminded me of my little brother when I was twelve and he was nine and he used to nervously shake me awake after a nightmare. I had been right last night; I couldn’t resist him on anything. I had let him crawl into bed with me, where he had slept like a baby.
“Weird, so Sunday, huh?”
“What?! Oh shoot! Frank, what time is it?”
“Like 9am, fuck it’s early.”
“Early?! I’m going to be late! I have to be at church in twenty minutes!”
“Dude, what time does your mass start?”
“10am!”
“So you have like 40 minutes before you should even consider leaving, why do you have to be there so early?”
“I have to prepare the servers and the Sunday school!”
“You’re nuts, can I at least have the duvet back so that I can sleep a bit longer?”
“But I have to shower and then get changed in here,” I frowned.
“I won’t peek, promise,” he smirked and yanked the duvet out from under me, causing me to land with a smaller thump on the floor again.
By the time I had heaved myself up, Frank was stretched out across the double bed and appeared to be dozing. I shifted uncomfortably when I realized that I was watching him sleep and at the thought of what I was about to have to do. I knew I had no hope in getting him to move, and maybe deep down, I was ok with that.
My shower was quick since I was short for time but my priority for Sundays was always washing my hair so it wasn’t greasy. When my task was complete, I stepped out of the shower, towel dried my hair and wrapped said towel around my waist.
Upon my return to my bedroom, I faked getting dressed for a minute, opening and closing drawers while watching Frank to see if I could catch him peeking but he didn’t move and I guessed it was safe.
That didn’t stop me dropping the towel and pulling on my boxers so fast you’d think the devil himself was on my tail. My black trousers swiftly followed them and a starched white shirt cover my torso.
To my shame I was twenty-eight years old and I still didn’t know how to tie a tie properly. I never actually undid any of my ties all the way. But in my haste, I tugged the black and white striped tie too sharply to get it undone enough to fit it over my head and the knot collapsed in my fingertips. I squeaked in panic and hurried over to my wardrobe to find a new one, tripping over the long piece of material as I did.
“Need some help with that?” came the quiet amused voice from the bed. I sighed and pivoted, walking over and sitting on the bed, not surprised that he had in fact been awake the entire time, allowing Frank to take the tie from my hands. He reached around my neck, his fingertips grazing at the skin of my throat lightly enough to send the smallest of shivers down my spine. His fingers made easy work of the required knot and when he was done and had tightened it up to the collar, his hands came to rest on my shoulders, a shy smile on his face.
“Thank you Frankie,” I whispered, my fingers ghosting over the backs of his hands.
“You’re going to be late Gerard,” he reminded me. I frowned and gently returned his hands to his lap, standing up and pulling my waistcoat on over the shirt and tie and my coat over that. Then I left the bedroom without another word, pausing right outside the door to poke my head back in. Frank had been sat where I left him, looking sadly at his hands, when he looked up questioningly.
“I’m helping with the school fete straight after church, I won’t be home until three, four-ish,” I told him. He nodded and went back to looking at his hands. I left again when his quiet voice called me back.
“Gerard?” That trademark smirk was plastered across his face again but there was something off in his eyes. “Thanks for the show,” he winked. I scowled at him and left, slamming my front door behind me and briefly pausing in the rising sun to take a deep shaky breath before making my way to my car.
I shot back in surprise but failed to realize how close I was to the edge of the bed, landing on the hard wooden floor of my bedroom and ended up ridiculously tangled in my duvet.
Second’s later, Frank’s bemused face appeared over the edge of the bed.
“You alright down there?” he yawned, his voice thick with sleep.
“No, I am not alright!”
“I was quite comfortable you know, until you decided to make a racket and steal the duvet."
“What are you doing in my bed?!”
“You don’t remember?” he asked with a smirk causing my heart to shoot into panic mode.
“Remember what?” I asked nervously.
“Oh Gerard, I could have so much fun with you here,” he chuckled.
“You could?”
“Yeah, convince you that you came into my bedroom late last night, begging me for hot passionate sex and at first I was reluctant what with your innocence and all but eventually that desperate, smouldering look in your eyes drove me over the edge and we made love in every room in this house until we passed out here in each other’s arms.”
“But we didn’t, right?”
“No, but now you’re totally thinking about it”
“Only in the sense that I’m disgusted you could be so vulgar. So what are you actually doing in my bed?”
“I couldn’t sleep, I was freaking myself out, hyperventilating, I came in here to see if you could calm me down and the next thing I know, you’re waking me up by loudly landing your ass on the floor and making me cold. You still don’t remember?”
“No, not at all.” That was a lie now. I did remember. I remember how big and scared his eyes were when he had gently and cautiously shaken me awake. He had reminded me of my little brother when I was twelve and he was nine and he used to nervously shake me awake after a nightmare. I had been right last night; I couldn’t resist him on anything. I had let him crawl into bed with me, where he had slept like a baby.
“Weird, so Sunday, huh?”
“What?! Oh shoot! Frank, what time is it?”
“Like 9am, fuck it’s early.”
“Early?! I’m going to be late! I have to be at church in twenty minutes!”
“Dude, what time does your mass start?”
“10am!”
“So you have like 40 minutes before you should even consider leaving, why do you have to be there so early?”
“I have to prepare the servers and the Sunday school!”
“You’re nuts, can I at least have the duvet back so that I can sleep a bit longer?”
“But I have to shower and then get changed in here,” I frowned.
“I won’t peek, promise,” he smirked and yanked the duvet out from under me, causing me to land with a smaller thump on the floor again.
By the time I had heaved myself up, Frank was stretched out across the double bed and appeared to be dozing. I shifted uncomfortably when I realized that I was watching him sleep and at the thought of what I was about to have to do. I knew I had no hope in getting him to move, and maybe deep down, I was ok with that.
My shower was quick since I was short for time but my priority for Sundays was always washing my hair so it wasn’t greasy. When my task was complete, I stepped out of the shower, towel dried my hair and wrapped said towel around my waist.
Upon my return to my bedroom, I faked getting dressed for a minute, opening and closing drawers while watching Frank to see if I could catch him peeking but he didn’t move and I guessed it was safe.
That didn’t stop me dropping the towel and pulling on my boxers so fast you’d think the devil himself was on my tail. My black trousers swiftly followed them and a starched white shirt cover my torso.
To my shame I was twenty-eight years old and I still didn’t know how to tie a tie properly. I never actually undid any of my ties all the way. But in my haste, I tugged the black and white striped tie too sharply to get it undone enough to fit it over my head and the knot collapsed in my fingertips. I squeaked in panic and hurried over to my wardrobe to find a new one, tripping over the long piece of material as I did.
“Need some help with that?” came the quiet amused voice from the bed. I sighed and pivoted, walking over and sitting on the bed, not surprised that he had in fact been awake the entire time, allowing Frank to take the tie from my hands. He reached around my neck, his fingertips grazing at the skin of my throat lightly enough to send the smallest of shivers down my spine. His fingers made easy work of the required knot and when he was done and had tightened it up to the collar, his hands came to rest on my shoulders, a shy smile on his face.
“Thank you Frankie,” I whispered, my fingers ghosting over the backs of his hands.
“You’re going to be late Gerard,” he reminded me. I frowned and gently returned his hands to his lap, standing up and pulling my waistcoat on over the shirt and tie and my coat over that. Then I left the bedroom without another word, pausing right outside the door to poke my head back in. Frank had been sat where I left him, looking sadly at his hands, when he looked up questioningly.
“I’m helping with the school fete straight after church, I won’t be home until three, four-ish,” I told him. He nodded and went back to looking at his hands. I left again when his quiet voice called me back.
“Gerard?” That trademark smirk was plastered across his face again but there was something off in his eyes. “Thanks for the show,” he winked. I scowled at him and left, slamming my front door behind me and briefly pausing in the rising sun to take a deep shaky breath before making my way to my car.