Folded Paper.

Allister watched her with the quiet hum of one of his CDs playing in the background. Her slender body moved lithely throughout his home, fingering the spines of books as she walked past the bookcase. He wanted Hudson to feel comfortable in his home and if that required her to explore every crevice of his home, then so be it.

After the making of her unique plane, she cried of guilt because she could not remember. Allister promised her that it was okay, that he didn't care whether she remembered or not. He was just glad to have had the privilege of being able to make her feel wanted. She had ditched her skirt and her blouse, but covered herself back up with one of Allister's button downs. He couldn't help but want to touch her again.

"What's this?" Hudson asked, returning to Allister's side with a pocket watch cradeled in her hands.

He furrowed his brow. "It's a pocket watch."

"No shit, Allister. I mean, what does it mean to you? It's the only thing that I've come across that may have underlying meaning besides the books on your shelf."

"Oh." It wasn't as if the pocket watch meant nothing to Allister. He didn't harbor objects that had no meaning. It's just that the meaning of keeping the pocket watch was one that he never really thought of. "I don't know," he said, pre-planning an explanation. "It belonged to someone that I once loved and the thought of ridding it hurt me more than keeping it. I could throw it out if I tried hard enough, but I don't know if I have the willpower to do so."

He hadn't realized that he had drifted until he felt Hudson's cold hand upon his shoulder. He didn't know if "loved" was the correct terminology, as he was still haunted by the memory of his love's existence. "I'm guessing that she meant a lot to you?" Allister couldn't bring himself to correct Hudson, to tell her that it was a he rather than a her.

He sighed. "They were definitely something, I'll tell you that. The loss of them ruined me. For years, I looked for something to numb the pain, to numb the guilt." He took the pocket watch from her hands before setting it on the nightstand and placing his hands on the curves of her hips. "And I think I've finally found it."

Hudson smiled softly, draping her arms on either side of Allister's head. "Was it a he?"

Allister's eyes flitted away to Hudson's chipped toenails. . He couldn't bring himself to look at her while he confessed to it. "How did you know?" he asked.

She placed a hand on his chin, wanting Allister to look at her. "There's no need to be ashamed about it. We can't help who we fall in love with it. And I knew because it was obvious the way you changed my faulty pronoun of she to they. I don't mind, really. It isn't going to make me like you any less."

"It's not like he and I ever did anything sexual. I simply had a soft spot for him. I'd do anything for him and if he ever came back, I think I still would. And when I confessed my love for him, he never interacted with me the same. It's like he feared that I would do something to violate him and that was never a thought of mine. I had no intentions of ever touching him in ways that were unwanted." Allister considered for a moment. "The only time we'd ever kissed was a time when he had drank too much and even then, I felt guilty for taking advantage of him."

Hudson offered Allister a sad smile and took a seat in his lap. She gave his collar bone a chaste kiss and rested her head in the crook of his neck. Allister was grateful for her being more than understanding to him, and returned the notion by wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to him. "I'm sorry for asking about the pocket watch," she murmured, kissing his shoulder lightly. Her fingers trailed from his shoulders down to his waist. "Please, let me help you bury the memory once more."