Apartment 4C

It was Wednesday again, just a normal evening doing his laundry, and Jake was feeling a little giddy. What? Laundry nights were his thing with Alfie, and he didn’t care if it made him a total dork that despite everything that had happened, they still had this. It was sacred. It was their thing.

Tonight’s reading was Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, for one of his last freshman lectures. To be honest, this was one of his favourite books to teach, as it had been one of his favourite books to study. And he was going pretty easy with the essay questions – he was letting his students pick one of ten. Ten. Who wouldn’t love choices like that?

Just after 8pm, right on time, Alfie poked his head through the door, smiling widely when he saw Jake sitting on top of the dryer. Well that was a nice confidence boost.

“You work too hard,” Alfie teased, walking into the room, laundry basket on his hip.

“Probably,” Jake mused, “Just trying to get this essay preparation done before tomorrow,”

Alfie sighed fondly, pressing a quick kiss to Jake’s lips before heading over to the washers behind him. Jake tried not to whine at the short contact (only a quick kiss?!), making Alfie laugh.

“Haven’t you set enough essays for your classes yet? Or are you determined to be known as the Hot Mean professor?” Alfie grinned.

Jake couldn’t stop the blush that spread over his cheeks. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of hearing that Alfie finding him attractive. Guys that looked like Alfie just didn’t go for guys that looked like Jake. They just didn’t. So this was something Jake was not going to let go of.

“I’m not mean – I’m preparing them. Freshman year is a breeze compared to the next three years,” Jake defended.

“Well I wouldn’t know that, would I?” Alfie grinned, “Some of us are drop-outs. So maybe you’ll just have to fill me in,”

“I’ll fill you in,” Jake muttered.

“Excuse me?” Alfie choked.

Oh God. Jake had actually said that out loud! That was meant to be for his own dirty thoughts only!

“Nothing! I, uh, well…”

“You are so adorable, you know that right?” Alfie grinned, interrupting.

“Shut up,” Jake mumbled, blushing.

Alfie held his hands up in surrender, laughing, before closing the lid of his washing machine, slowly walking around to where Jake was sitting. Jake just smiled as Alfie hopped up to sit on the dryer next to him, leaning forward so his forearms were resting on his thighs. Fuck, his boyfriend was so good looking.

No, these types of thoughts were exactly how he ended up blurting out his desires. Bad Jake.

“So…talk to me about this essay,”

What?

Alfie laughed, rolling his eyes at Jake’s frown.

“I want to know what essay you’re setting. I’m trying to learn more about the stuff you’re into,” Alfie explained.

Oh, well, in that case…

“I’m actually setting ten essay questions, and my students can pick one question out of those to write over the weekend,”

“Jeez, you’re coming up with ten questions?” Alfie winced.

“I’ll admit, I’m reusing a couple from last year. But I’ve come up with a few fresh ones,” Jake shrugged.

“Like what?” Alfie asked.

Well if he really was interested…

“Okay, for example, one question is ‘consider the role of parent-child relationships in Wide Sargasso Sea, examining themes of power, identity, and abandonment’.

That question was one of the easier ones, and one that was probably going to be most chosen.

"Another option is ‘How do the characterizations of Antoinette and her mother restructure the way we think of "madness"? Does the downfall of these two women seem more related to a genetic trait or the cruelty of others? Is Antoinette's "madness" really caused by Rochester, or does his treatment of her merely exacerbate her condition?’.

This one was kinda long-winded but all those parts were necessary for the topic to flow.

"Another question is ‘compare and contrast the characters of Rochester and Antoinette. How are they different, and in what ways are they similar? How do their different cultural and social backgrounds account for the failure of their relationship?’,”

This was his favourite question. Their relationship dynamic was his favourite part of the book.

“Fuck you’re so smart,” Alfie said, awe in his voice.

Jake just smiled. “I love what I do – definitely can’t complain,”

Yes, he was a bit of a nerd. And yes, he’d spent far too many years in high school with books rather than people and had gotten bullied for it. And yes, he really shouldn’t ramble as much as he did, but he couldn’t help it. Reading and literature were his life – he wasn’t going to change that.

“This book, Wide Sargasso Sea, is the prequel to Jane Eyre, y’know,” Jake said, smiling.

“That’s the book you were reading when we first met, wasn’t it?”

Jane Eyre…yes, that would make the timing right. That first night Alfie stumbled into the laundry room, the first time they spoke, before they knew each other properly…and Alfie remembered?

“You remember?” Jake said, slightly breathless.

“Of course I remember. I remember every detail of that night, right down to that grey beanie hat thing with the small hole at the back you were wearing, to the dog-eared copy of Jane Eyre you were holding in your hands,”

Wow. Oh wow. Jake didn’t know what to say. To have Alfie remembering all those details, those insignificant minute details, really meant so much to him. His boyfriend had paid so much attention to him, even back then, and the fact that he hadn’t forgotten a single thing? Wow.

“I can’t believe…I…”

Jake trailed off, feeling slightly overwhelmed. If there were any doubts about his feelings for Alfie, they were long gone now.

“There is one thing about that night that bugs me though,” Alfie said, breaking the silence.

“What?”

The grin that spread across Alfie’s lips made Jake’s breath hitch in his throat. Fuck. That grin was almost predatory.

“I didn’t get to do what I really wanted,” Alfie said innocently.

Jake blushed slightly. The look in Alfie’s eyes was far from innocent.

“And what’s that?” Jake asked, his voice only a little shaky.

Alfie just winked, and slid off the dryer to stand between Jake’s legs, capturing his lips in a firm kiss.

Oh. Oh.

Well Jake could definitely get on board with this. But then Alfie pulled away, hands firmly planted on Jake’s thighs, pupils wide with lust. It was all Jake could do to watch as Alfie sank to his knees, jaw dropping slightly as Alfie tugged on his sweatpants, pulling them off until Jake was just in his underwear. He managed to snap out of his shock as Alfie raised an eyebrow, fingers hooked in the waistband of Jake’s underwear.

“T-The door’s not locked,” was all Jake managed to choke out.

Alfie just grinned, not wasting any time in tugging down the cloth barrier between them, and ducked his head.