Rise Above This

I woke up to a loud knocking on the door.

“Bill! Tom! Wake up! I don’t want to be alone today! Gustav’s ditching me for the interview chick from yesterday!” Georg said loudly.

“Her name’s Chelsea. And keep it down. Maybe they’re sleeping still. You know they barely even wake up for the wake-up call. Let them sleep Georg,” Gustav said.

I started to sit up when I felt arms around me. I looked to see that there was someone else in the bed with me. I looked up to see that it was Tom. Phew. I thought it was someone else for a minute.

I laid my head on his chest as last night’s memories flooded in, causing me to smile. I felt his arms tighten around me as I listened to his heart beat rhythmically. I placed a hand on my own pulse to find out that our heartbeats were even.

Cheesy, huh?

Yeah.

So?

I laid there silently when I felt Tom stir under me. I looked up to see that he was barely awake. He smiled a tired smile and whispered, “Guten Morgen Billa.”

“Guten Morgen Tomi,” I whispered taking one of his hands in mine.

“So, any plans for today?” Tom whispered.

I was about to reply when we heard knocking on the door.

“Bill! Tom! Seriously come on. Gustav left to go get laid. He won’t admit it though. You know what? Fine. I’m going to the mall, find a sexy girl, and I am so getting laid. You two suck,” Georg said before walking away.

I looked up at Tom and smiled before kissing his chest. I snuggled back into his chest when Tom whispered, “So, what are you suggesting we do today?”

“Sleep,” I whispered back when my phone rang.

I grabbed and answered it. “Was ist es?” I asked.

“Okay, you know I don’t speak German Bill,” Gerard said.

“Oh. Sorry.We I was sleeping,” I said.

“Sorry. If you want me to call later, I can. I was just wanting to see if you and/or Tom were busy today,” he said.

I looked up at Tom and asked, “Are we busy today? It’s Gerard and he wants to hang out.”

Tom shook his head. “We’re free,” I replied to Gerard.

“Great. Mikey and I will be there in a moment. Bye,” he said before hanging up.

I threw my phone on the other bed when I said, “Gerard and Mikey are on their way here. I’m not getting dressed though.”

“What if we go shopping?” he asked.

I shook my head. Shocking, huh? Well, you would too if you were with the beautiful dread-locked man that is Tom. Cheesy again. Sorry. “I don’t want to go. I want to stay here. Gerard and Mikey won’t mind,” I said.

Oh shit. I forgot Tom doesn’t know. Oh shit.

“That’s fine,” Tom said.

Huh?

I looked up at him and asked, “Do you know…”

“About Gee and Mikey? Yeah. I overheard an argument about Gee telling you about them and Mikey being petrified that it would get back to their parents,” Tom said.

That took a load off of my chest. I snuggled down into Tom’s chest when there was a knock on the door.

“Tom? Bill? It’s us. Can we come in?” Gerard asked.

“You forgot to say “please” Gerard,” I heard a tired Mikey tell him.

“Oh sorry. Can we come in, please?” Gerard asked.

I looked up at Tom and said, “I’ll get it.”

He nodded and took his arms from my waist as I got out of the bed. I walked over to the door and opened it to find a normal looking Gerard and a tired looking Mikey. “Hey,” Gerard said.

“Eh, Guten Morgen,” I said.

They looked at each other when I realized that they don’t know German. Scheisse.

“I mean, good morning. That is it. I am teaching you two German. Please, come on in,” I said opening the door wider for them to walk in.

Mikey walked in first and Gerard stayed in the doorway. “Hey Gerard, guess what?” I asked.

“What?” he asked.

I leaned into him and whispered, “We’re together.”

I came away from him and he smiled. “That’s great. But come on, our brothers are in there alone,” he said walking all the way in.

I nodded and closed the door before following him in to see Tom on our bed and Mikey on the bed that Tom would have been sleeping on last night. And boy did Mikey look tired.

“You know Mikey, if you want to sleep, you can,” I offered.

He nodded and laid down when, barely a minute later, he was out like a light. I looked at Gerard when I noticed he was itching to say something. “Gerard, if you want to say something, you can say it,” I said.

He looked at Tom before asking, “Are you sure?”

I looked at Tom to see him nod. I looked back at Gerard and said, “Positive.”

He let out a deep breath. “So, how long?” he asked.

He sat down next to his sleeping brother and I sat down next to Tom. “Since last night. I suddenly gained the courage to kiss him and, well, now we’re an “us”,” Tom replied while wrapping an arm around my waist.

I laid my head on his shoulder and said, “Ja.”

Gerard smiled and said, “I bet you’re a happy camper Bill. Maybe you should show him the pictures.”

I blushed. “To tell the truth, I’ve kind of, sort of, already seen them,” Tom said.

I looked at him. I knew it! Eh, it’s okay. He doesn’t think I’m a freak. That’s all that matters. “I knew it,” I said to myself. “I knew you snatched it.”

“Sorry,” he said silently.

“Don’t Tom. There’s no need,” I said. “By the way, what did you think of them?”

Please don’t say they’re awful. Please don’t.

“I loved them,” he replied.

YES! Bill: 1.

Forces of Nature: 0.

Wait, let’s make that Bill: 3.

Forces of Nature: 0.

Why? Well, one for him kissing me, one for him asking me to be his, and one for him liking my drawing. Oh, and let’s add one more for Gerard being in the same boat.

So, let’s reevaluate that.

Bill: 4.

Forces of Nature: 0.

Oh yes. I’m random.

“Bill? You okay there?” I heard Tom ask, interrupting me from my mental rant.

“Sorry, what?” I asked.

“You zoned out there Billa,” Tom said.

I shrugged. “I was having a mental rant.”

“About?”

“Ehm, how if there was a contest between the forces of nature and me, I’m so far winning four to nothing?” I replied.

Tom and Gerard looked at each other before shrugging. “Okay. Why four to nothing?” Tom asked.

“Well, one for you kissing me, one for you asking me to be yours, one for you liking my drawings, and one for having someone else in the same boat, meaning Gerard,” I replied.

Tom shook his head. “I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too,” I said before kissing his cheek.

“Okay, I feel left out. I would wake up Mikey, but he might kill me,” Gerard said.

I looked at Tom before going over to Gerard and hugging him. I stopped and sat down by Tom. “Happy? Will that suffice until Mikey wakes up?” I asked.

He nodded. “Good. Now, what should we do?” I asked.

We looked around at each other before I heard Mikey tiredly reply, “I say Starbucks so that way I’m awake and Bill won’t steal my brother’s hugs. Just kidding about the hugs part though Bill.”

We looked over to see Mikey sitting up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. We nodded in agreement when I went over to grab some clothes. “I’m going to get dressed in the bathroom. I shall return,” I said before going into the bathroom to get dressed for our Starbucks run.