Your Voice
Dylan.
“Do I have anything booked on Thursday the 10th of January, afternoon and evening?” John asked one morning and I smiled to myself while checking the date.
“Nope,” I said. “You have a meeting at 9.15 and at 11, but then your afternoon is open. You just have a breakfast meeting at 8am on Friday.”
“Great, can you phone The Ledbury and book a table for 2 at 8pm?” he asked and I nodded, making a note to do so. The Ledbury was a restaurant in Notting Hill and I knew from looking at the website in the past that it was pretty fancy. I’d booked John a table there only twice before since I’d started working for him, always around this time, and I knew he loved the food there. It was also super popular, so I understood the need to book it almost a month in advance. It gave John time to rearrange those meetings if he wanted to, as well.
Once I’d phoned the restaurant and confirmed the booking, I took out my phone to text Kade. I smiled when I saw I already had several unread texts from him. Seeing as he was off school, he had more free time on his hands and I guessed that meant more time to text me.
I wish you were here watching TV with me xx
Actually, I wish I was there in the office with you. I could hide under your desk and blow you! Xx
Ignore that – I can't believe I sent it! Xx
I’ll be at yours tonight when you get back from work xx
I grinned down at my phone and then I heard someone clearing their throat beside me and I looked up at John.
“Texting Kade?” he asked and I smiled sheepishly.
“Sorry,” I said and he chuckled and shook his head.
“I don’t mind,” he said. “Kade seems lovely.” I smiled and nodded.
“He’s great,” I said
“I hear he’s texting Mark a lot,” John said and I frowned in confusion.
“He is?” I asked. Why hadn’t Kade told me that?
“Mark thinks he’s a cutie,” John smiled. I smiled and nodded, thinking about my amazing boyfriend. “Anyway, I have a meeting now, I’ll be back in about an hour.”
“Okay,” I nodded, waiting until he’d left before texting Kade back. I desperately wished I could phone him, to reassure him that I hadn’t judged him or anything for that text. But I couldn’t. So I had to settle for texting.
Hey baby. I wish you were hiding under my desk too! Would make my day a million times better. Can't wait to see you later xx
I was pretty jealous of the amount of time Gemma and Kade had off from school. I wished I could be off with them, but I’d have to settle for the few days I got between Christmas and New Year. It was the 20th today, so I only had 3 more days until my last day in the office before I had over a week off, from the 24th to the 2nd. I knew John didn’t plan to have much of a break; he still had meetings scheduled for days between Christmas and New Year, and I was just thankful that he didn’t need me to come in. All I wanted was to spend some quality time with my family.
I texted Kade for the rest of the day, probably spending more time on my phone than I should have, but John didn’t have all that much for me to do so I didn’t feel too bad about it. I stayed at the office until 5 o’clock and then shut my computer down. John was pretty busy with working on a new account so I just waved before heading home.
I got home at just after 6 and went straight into the kitchen to find my boyfriend standing at the sink rinsing a glass out. I smiled softly and crossed the room, circling my arms around his waist and pressing a kiss to his neck. Kade grinned and set the glass on the draining board before turning to me. He wrapped his arms around my neck and stretched up to kiss me. “How was your day?” I asked him after the kiss ended.
“I missed you,” he signed, pulling his hands in between our bodies. I smiled and cupped his cheek, pulling him in for another short kiss.
“Me, too,” I whispered, deepening the kiss for a moment. “Where’s Gemma?”
“Out with Chris,” he signed. “I hope its okay I was here on my own.”
“Of course,” I smiled. “It’s fine. I like you being here when I get home.” Kade smiled and then rested his head on my chest with a content sigh. “How about we have a date night?” I asked, nudging Kade back so he could read my lips. His eyes lit up and he grinned up at me. “We could go to the cinema and get dinner?” Kade nodded happily and I smiled and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Is there anything you want to see?” I asked and Kade bit his lip as he thought about it.
“I can’t think of anything,” he signed and I nodded.
“Okay,” I said, grabbing my keys from where I’d dumped them on the table. “We can see what we fancy when we get there.” Kade smiled, linking his fingers with mine as we left the house.
We ended up watching a standard action movie as it was the only film with subtitles for Kade. I didn’t mind, it ended up being a decent film and I’d just wanted to be out and doing something with Kade. I bought a big tub of popcorn and a large coke for us to share, though Kade moved it out of the way about 10 minutes into the movie so he could cuddle into my side. I happily wrapped my arms around him and ignored the drink that was out of reach.
After the movie, we went for dinner at the pizza place next door and then I drove around town for a while. Eventually, I pulled to a stop at a park at the top of a hill on the outskirts of town. “What are we doing?” Kade asked as we got out of the car. I smiled and took his hand in mine and squeezed.
“Thought we’d go for a walk,” I said, tugging him away from the car. We walked a few minutes until we entered the park, and then I led the way over to a clearing which looked over the town. The town sparkled in the darkness. Kade and I sat on a bench and I pulled him close in next to me. I pressed a kiss to his temple and looked out over the view. I could stay like that forever despite the chill in the air. It was only a few days until Christmas and we were both bundled up into coats and scarves.
I sighed in content and Kade turned and looked up at me. His eyes sparkled in the reflection of the town lights and I smiled softly. I love you. I leant down and kissed him tenderly, bringing my spare hand up to cradle his cheek. His cheek was warm under my cold fingers but Kade didn’t seem to react to the cold, simply pushed himself closer to me as the kiss deepened. The kiss ended slowly and Kade’s warm breath blew over my face. I rested my forehead against his and I looked down at him. “Will you spend Christmas with me?” I asked and Kade blinked. “I mean, with us? With me and Gemma?” Kade grinned and pecked my lips quickly. I wanted Kade there on Christmas; it was a day for family and Kade felt like my family. I knew that he’d have to spend part of the day with his parents, but I hoped he’d come over to ours in the afternoon at least. I felt like I’d appreciate his company way more than his parents would.
“What do you want for Christmas?” Kade signed in between our bodies and I smiled and shook my head.
“You don’t need to get me anything,” I said. “I just want you.” Kade smiled and kissed me once again.
After a few more minutes, he started shivering beside me and I knew it was time to go. We’d been there for about 20 minutes, which was about as long as we could stand to be out in the cold for.
When we got home, I made us both hot chocolate with mini marshmallows and we took them upstairs to bed. Kade was huddled under the blankets when I got to my room and I smiled softly, setting the drinks down on the bedside table before shutting the door, turning off the light, and stripping down to my boxers. I climbed into the bed beside Kade and pulled him into my arms. I felt his warm skin against mine and smiled. “Still cold?” I asked, moving my hands in front of him. He snuggled against me, his back pressed against my chest and shook his head. “Let’s watch television while we drink our hot chocolate,” I said, flicking the television on and starting an episode of Game of Thrones. I leant back against the pillows and Kade shifted so he was sitting between my thighs and leaning back against me. He tucked the duvet around us and then passed me my mug before cupping his hands around his own. I pressed a kiss to Kade’s cheek before turning my attention to the television.
About half an hour later, I heard the front door open downstairs and close quietly a moment later. I listened closely to see whether Gemma was alone and it sounded like she was. “Gemma’s home,” I signed to Kade and he nodded. I traced my fingers over his soft skin of his hip and I felt him shiver and I smiled softly. But then there was a knock on my bedroom door. “Gemma’s at the door,” I signed as I called out for her to come in. I didn’t let Kade move away, though he did pull the duvet around him tighter.
Gemma peaked around my door and then grinned when she saw we were just watching television. “You okay?” I asked and she nodded, crossing my room and sitting on the edge of the bed with a wide grin.
“I heard your television on so I guessed you were still up,” she said.
“How was your date?” Kade asked and Gemma grinned.
“Chris said he loved me,” she beamed and I smiled at her obvious happiness.
“That’s so great, Gemma,” Kade signed and I smiled and nodded in agreement. But I couldn’t help but worry; Gemma and Chris hadn’t been together for as long as Kade and I. Was Kade waiting for me to say it to him? I wanted to, I really did, but I wasn’t sure he was ready to hear it yet. I really hoped that Chris telling Gemma that he loved her didn’t make Kade question how I felt about him. Because I loved him more than anything.
“I’m so happy for you, Gem,” I smiled. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.” Gemma grinned and nodded.
“Well, I’m going to bed,” she said, climbing off the bed again.
“Sweet dreams,” I smiled.
“Night,” Kade signed and then Gemma walked out of my room and closed the door behind her again.
I turned back to Kade and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Chris is good for her,” Kade signed and I smiled and nodded.
“I know,” I said. “She’s happy, that’s all I care about.” Kade smiled and shifted to lie beside me with his head on my chest. “You know I have to get up early for work, right?”
“I know,” he signed and I ran my fingers through his hair.
“I wish you could come in with me,” I said softly. “Come and sit under my desk.” Kade blushed even as he grinned. I smiled and shifted down so I wasn’t sitting up against the headboard and lying down. I faced Kade and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. I wanted to say it, I was so tempted, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want him to think I was saying it because Gemma had told us Chris had said it to her. I wanted it to be special and just for us when I said it for the first time. And I knew that moment would come.
“Nope,” I said. “You have a meeting at 9.15 and at 11, but then your afternoon is open. You just have a breakfast meeting at 8am on Friday.”
“Great, can you phone The Ledbury and book a table for 2 at 8pm?” he asked and I nodded, making a note to do so. The Ledbury was a restaurant in Notting Hill and I knew from looking at the website in the past that it was pretty fancy. I’d booked John a table there only twice before since I’d started working for him, always around this time, and I knew he loved the food there. It was also super popular, so I understood the need to book it almost a month in advance. It gave John time to rearrange those meetings if he wanted to, as well.
Once I’d phoned the restaurant and confirmed the booking, I took out my phone to text Kade. I smiled when I saw I already had several unread texts from him. Seeing as he was off school, he had more free time on his hands and I guessed that meant more time to text me.
I wish you were here watching TV with me xx
Actually, I wish I was there in the office with you. I could hide under your desk and blow you! Xx
Ignore that – I can't believe I sent it! Xx
I’ll be at yours tonight when you get back from work xx
I grinned down at my phone and then I heard someone clearing their throat beside me and I looked up at John.
“Texting Kade?” he asked and I smiled sheepishly.
“Sorry,” I said and he chuckled and shook his head.
“I don’t mind,” he said. “Kade seems lovely.” I smiled and nodded.
“He’s great,” I said
“I hear he’s texting Mark a lot,” John said and I frowned in confusion.
“He is?” I asked. Why hadn’t Kade told me that?
“Mark thinks he’s a cutie,” John smiled. I smiled and nodded, thinking about my amazing boyfriend. “Anyway, I have a meeting now, I’ll be back in about an hour.”
“Okay,” I nodded, waiting until he’d left before texting Kade back. I desperately wished I could phone him, to reassure him that I hadn’t judged him or anything for that text. But I couldn’t. So I had to settle for texting.
Hey baby. I wish you were hiding under my desk too! Would make my day a million times better. Can't wait to see you later xx
I was pretty jealous of the amount of time Gemma and Kade had off from school. I wished I could be off with them, but I’d have to settle for the few days I got between Christmas and New Year. It was the 20th today, so I only had 3 more days until my last day in the office before I had over a week off, from the 24th to the 2nd. I knew John didn’t plan to have much of a break; he still had meetings scheduled for days between Christmas and New Year, and I was just thankful that he didn’t need me to come in. All I wanted was to spend some quality time with my family.
I texted Kade for the rest of the day, probably spending more time on my phone than I should have, but John didn’t have all that much for me to do so I didn’t feel too bad about it. I stayed at the office until 5 o’clock and then shut my computer down. John was pretty busy with working on a new account so I just waved before heading home.
I got home at just after 6 and went straight into the kitchen to find my boyfriend standing at the sink rinsing a glass out. I smiled softly and crossed the room, circling my arms around his waist and pressing a kiss to his neck. Kade grinned and set the glass on the draining board before turning to me. He wrapped his arms around my neck and stretched up to kiss me. “How was your day?” I asked him after the kiss ended.
“I missed you,” he signed, pulling his hands in between our bodies. I smiled and cupped his cheek, pulling him in for another short kiss.
“Me, too,” I whispered, deepening the kiss for a moment. “Where’s Gemma?”
“Out with Chris,” he signed. “I hope its okay I was here on my own.”
“Of course,” I smiled. “It’s fine. I like you being here when I get home.” Kade smiled and then rested his head on my chest with a content sigh. “How about we have a date night?” I asked, nudging Kade back so he could read my lips. His eyes lit up and he grinned up at me. “We could go to the cinema and get dinner?” Kade nodded happily and I smiled and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Is there anything you want to see?” I asked and Kade bit his lip as he thought about it.
“I can’t think of anything,” he signed and I nodded.
“Okay,” I said, grabbing my keys from where I’d dumped them on the table. “We can see what we fancy when we get there.” Kade smiled, linking his fingers with mine as we left the house.
We ended up watching a standard action movie as it was the only film with subtitles for Kade. I didn’t mind, it ended up being a decent film and I’d just wanted to be out and doing something with Kade. I bought a big tub of popcorn and a large coke for us to share, though Kade moved it out of the way about 10 minutes into the movie so he could cuddle into my side. I happily wrapped my arms around him and ignored the drink that was out of reach.
After the movie, we went for dinner at the pizza place next door and then I drove around town for a while. Eventually, I pulled to a stop at a park at the top of a hill on the outskirts of town. “What are we doing?” Kade asked as we got out of the car. I smiled and took his hand in mine and squeezed.
“Thought we’d go for a walk,” I said, tugging him away from the car. We walked a few minutes until we entered the park, and then I led the way over to a clearing which looked over the town. The town sparkled in the darkness. Kade and I sat on a bench and I pulled him close in next to me. I pressed a kiss to his temple and looked out over the view. I could stay like that forever despite the chill in the air. It was only a few days until Christmas and we were both bundled up into coats and scarves.
I sighed in content and Kade turned and looked up at me. His eyes sparkled in the reflection of the town lights and I smiled softly. I love you. I leant down and kissed him tenderly, bringing my spare hand up to cradle his cheek. His cheek was warm under my cold fingers but Kade didn’t seem to react to the cold, simply pushed himself closer to me as the kiss deepened. The kiss ended slowly and Kade’s warm breath blew over my face. I rested my forehead against his and I looked down at him. “Will you spend Christmas with me?” I asked and Kade blinked. “I mean, with us? With me and Gemma?” Kade grinned and pecked my lips quickly. I wanted Kade there on Christmas; it was a day for family and Kade felt like my family. I knew that he’d have to spend part of the day with his parents, but I hoped he’d come over to ours in the afternoon at least. I felt like I’d appreciate his company way more than his parents would.
“What do you want for Christmas?” Kade signed in between our bodies and I smiled and shook my head.
“You don’t need to get me anything,” I said. “I just want you.” Kade smiled and kissed me once again.
After a few more minutes, he started shivering beside me and I knew it was time to go. We’d been there for about 20 minutes, which was about as long as we could stand to be out in the cold for.
When we got home, I made us both hot chocolate with mini marshmallows and we took them upstairs to bed. Kade was huddled under the blankets when I got to my room and I smiled softly, setting the drinks down on the bedside table before shutting the door, turning off the light, and stripping down to my boxers. I climbed into the bed beside Kade and pulled him into my arms. I felt his warm skin against mine and smiled. “Still cold?” I asked, moving my hands in front of him. He snuggled against me, his back pressed against my chest and shook his head. “Let’s watch television while we drink our hot chocolate,” I said, flicking the television on and starting an episode of Game of Thrones. I leant back against the pillows and Kade shifted so he was sitting between my thighs and leaning back against me. He tucked the duvet around us and then passed me my mug before cupping his hands around his own. I pressed a kiss to Kade’s cheek before turning my attention to the television.
About half an hour later, I heard the front door open downstairs and close quietly a moment later. I listened closely to see whether Gemma was alone and it sounded like she was. “Gemma’s home,” I signed to Kade and he nodded. I traced my fingers over his soft skin of his hip and I felt him shiver and I smiled softly. But then there was a knock on my bedroom door. “Gemma’s at the door,” I signed as I called out for her to come in. I didn’t let Kade move away, though he did pull the duvet around him tighter.
Gemma peaked around my door and then grinned when she saw we were just watching television. “You okay?” I asked and she nodded, crossing my room and sitting on the edge of the bed with a wide grin.
“I heard your television on so I guessed you were still up,” she said.
“How was your date?” Kade asked and Gemma grinned.
“Chris said he loved me,” she beamed and I smiled at her obvious happiness.
“That’s so great, Gemma,” Kade signed and I smiled and nodded in agreement. But I couldn’t help but worry; Gemma and Chris hadn’t been together for as long as Kade and I. Was Kade waiting for me to say it to him? I wanted to, I really did, but I wasn’t sure he was ready to hear it yet. I really hoped that Chris telling Gemma that he loved her didn’t make Kade question how I felt about him. Because I loved him more than anything.
“I’m so happy for you, Gem,” I smiled. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.” Gemma grinned and nodded.
“Well, I’m going to bed,” she said, climbing off the bed again.
“Sweet dreams,” I smiled.
“Night,” Kade signed and then Gemma walked out of my room and closed the door behind her again.
I turned back to Kade and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Chris is good for her,” Kade signed and I smiled and nodded.
“I know,” I said. “She’s happy, that’s all I care about.” Kade smiled and shifted to lie beside me with his head on my chest. “You know I have to get up early for work, right?”
“I know,” he signed and I ran my fingers through his hair.
“I wish you could come in with me,” I said softly. “Come and sit under my desk.” Kade blushed even as he grinned. I smiled and shifted down so I wasn’t sitting up against the headboard and lying down. I faced Kade and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. I wanted to say it, I was so tempted, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want him to think I was saying it because Gemma had told us Chris had said it to her. I wanted it to be special and just for us when I said it for the first time. And I knew that moment would come.