Caelyx #2
We talked for a little while longer, his voice becoming increasingly softer and sleepier, until finally he stopped answering me, his chest rising and falling against me in a perfect, serene rhythm.
He’d fallen asleep. Was he vulnerable enough with other guys to fall asleep on them?
Was I experiencing a rare phenomenon? I basked in it for a few minutes, listening to his quiet, rhythmic breathing, before softly pressing my lips into the top of his head.
As much as I hated to admit it, I couldn’t sit out there with him all night. We were both twisted into odd, somewhat awkward positions to accommodate each other, and I knew he’d probably wake up with a sore back if I let him.
“Come on, Cupcake,” I murmured to him, gently nudging at his side to wake him up. “Let’s get you to bed.”
He groaned lightly, nuzzling his face into my shoulder, sending tingles down from that area into my stomach. But when I reached down under his thighs to scoop him up myself, he went stiff all over and let out a little growl.
“If you pick me up, I swear to god I will never forgive you,” he warned me, and I couldn’t help but snort at the juxtaposition between his soft, drowsy voice and the vitriolic tone he’d used.
“Okay,” I said quickly, yanking my hands back and showing him my palms in submissive surrender. “No picking you up, ever. Noted.”
I stood and pulled him up along with me, my pulse tripping at the way he leaned back against the wall, staring up at me through his lashes. I slipped my hands around his waist to steady him, stroking my thumbs on his warm skin, just under the hem of his t-shirt.
He’d never looked so incredibly fucking kissable, all pliant and sleepy with his pink lips just barely parted into a tiny ‘o’ shape.
My heart pounded up into my ribs, and my cock stirred as I imagined hoisting him up, wrapping his thighs around my waist, and crushing my mouth to his.
Knowing that would likely result in mortal injury for me, I just brushed the pad of my thumb over his bottom lip. He glared, inhaling deeply.
“Keep dreaming, pervert,” he advised me, and a grin carved itself across my face. He was eerily good at knowing what was in my head sometimes. Or maybe I was just an obvious kind of person.
“I will,” I assured him. It was funny, he seemed to consider rubbing cocks together to be a perfectly acceptable way to spend our time, but the moment I wanted a kiss, I was a total deviant. “You want me to walk you to your bed?”
“No.”
“Why, because you’ll be too tempted to just let me crawl in there with you and cuddle with me all night?”
“No.” He repeated flatly.
“Oh please, BB, it gets so cold and lonely in my bed. I wish I had someone like you to keep me warm all night,” I whimpered out the words in my ultra-annoying Aspen impersonation, before switching back to my normal voice.
“I know, Cupcake, and I really want to, but I don’t think your roommate would like that very much. I mean, we might get kind of loud.”
He flicked his gaze up to the ceiling like he was trying to gather his patience, but I could tell he was trying not to smile.
“Like I said, keep dreaming.”
I let out a melodramatic sigh before shrugging my shoulders. “Okay, but just for the record, you are going to love waking up next to me.”
“Don’t you mean I would love waking up next to you?” He questioned.
“I said what I said,” I assured him, and he scoffed, reaching out to poke a finger into my chest and nudge me back so he could push off from the wall without bumping into me.
“Goodnight, Caelyx. Try not to get mugged on the way home.”
“It would be worth it,” I said quietly, as he carefully twisted the doorknob. He stared at me thoughtfully for a few moments, unblinking, before closing the door in my face.
THE NEXT DAY, Aspen avoided me like I’d contracted the world’s most highly contagious virus.
He ignored my texts, wouldn’t make eye contact with me, and showed up to the class we were in together at the very last minute, sitting as far away from me as possible.
The moment class was over, he was up from his seat and bounding out of the room like a startled deer.
It was Friday, which meant we were closing together at the café before heading back to my house for movie night with everybody. I didn’t think he’d screw me over by not picking me up like usual, but he seemed incredibly determined to ignore my existence, so I couldn’t exactly be sure.
Once all my classes were over and I was back home, I sat on the couch and racked my brain for what the hell I should do. When Maddox eventually waltzed in the front door, Ren clinging to his heels like an enthusiastic puppy, I realized it was another lucky day for me.
“Mr. Suzuki,” I piped up from the couch and watched both of them turn to face me. “You are exactly the man I’ve been needing to talk to.”
“Me?” Ren asked, surprised.
“If you can spare me the time, Sir,” I said, placing a hand on my chest and giving him my most earnest, pleading expression.
Maddox huffed out a growl, narrowing his eyes at me. “I told you to stop calling him that.”
I’d started calling him that after hearing him dominate Maddox into a whimpering, moaning, begging mess through the bedroom door one too many times.
I hadn’t planned on it being a running joke, but Maddox’s pissed off reactions were too funny to let go of.
The boy had a temper, but he was more bark than bite.
He had the strength to follow through on his threats and kick my ass, I knew, but his heart would never really be in it.
“Um, sure, Caelyx,” Ren said. “I can talk.”
“Thank you, Sir. I’ll keep it brief, I know it’s probably time for Maddox’s daily semen injection and I wouldn’t want to delay that. He gets so cranky when it’s late.”
“Do you seriously think I won’t break you in fucking half?” Maddox asked flatly. “I know where you sleep, asshole.”
Ignoring him, I kept my eyes on Ren. “See? He’s already having withdrawals.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and pointer finger, Ren winced at the string of curses his boyfriend snapped at me.
“Let’s, um, go into the kitchen,” he suggested, separating us like a weary kindergarten teacher. “Maddy, can you just wait for me?”
“Sure. Whatever,” he responded, flicking his irritated gaze in my direction as Ren sailed past me into the kitchen. I pursed my lips and blew him a kiss, fluttering my eyelashes at him, which he responded to by sticking his middle finger up at me.
Sitting across the table from Ren, I couldn’t help but smirk at the concerned way he glanced back toward the living room before letting out a sigh.
“Why do you have to rile him up like that?” He asked me. “You know he gets upset.”
“Sorry, it’s the only way I know how to communicate my fondness,” I answered honestly. I did like Maddox, and I owed him a lot. I was pretty sure he liked me too, but animosity and snarky remarks just felt right between us.
Ren shook his head a little, running a hand through his shaggy mop of jet black hair.
“Well, so… What did you need to talk about, anyway?”
“I need to know what’s going on with Aspen’s mom,” I said. I didn’t see the need in beating around the bush about it. “I know she’s sick or whatever, but I need the details.”
Ren’s dark eyes widened at my request, but he looked apprehensive.
“Why do you want to know about that?”
“Why else?” I asked, leaning back in my chair and folding my hands on the table. “I’m trying to be there for him. It’s easier if I understand what’s on his mind. And don’t tell me to ask him myself, you know damn well he’s not going to tell me.”
“Caelyx…” Ren said, looking oddly guilty and miserable. “Look, I know you have a thing for Aspen, but um…” He trailed off, groaning lightly before pressing his fingers into his closed eyes. “Aw, man. I don’t really want to tell his business, but you should know he’s kind of…”
“Kind of?” I prompted, raising an eyebrow. Kind of closed off to his emotions? Kind of would rather die before admitting any kind of weakness to me? Kind of avoiding me because he’d inadvertently done that exact thing just the night before?
“Well, I, um, I was actually just talking to him yesterday and he mentioned the fact that he is kind of, you know, seeing somebody. I mean, probably not dating or whatever, you know how Aspen is, but they have already hooked up more than once, and he, you know, he downplayed it when we were talking, but he seems pretty happy about it. I mean, I’ve seen him all, like, giddy texting this guy and everything, and…
” He stopped, shaking his head. “Anyway, I’m sorry.
I know you like him, but don’t get your hopes up about him or anything right now. ”
Dragging my tongue around my teeth, it took every fiber of my being not to break out into an incredibly cheesy grin. Somehow keeping my composure, I rubbed my hand over my mouth as I considered my next words carefully.
“He told you he’s hooking up with someone?”
“Well, yeah, he kind of mentioned it to Che and I yesterday. I guess Che knows who it is because he saw them together at that rave party or whatever. I didn’t ask who it was because Aspen said we didn’t need to talk about it yet.
” When I didn’t respond, still desperately trying not to react and reveal everything just yet, Ren went on.
“But I mean… Like I said, he’s been texting some guy nonstop lately.
And, um, taking pictures for him and stuff, too. ”
“Did he say he really likes this guy?” I wondered, biting down into my tongue.
“Well, he didn’t say it, but I can pretty much tell. I mean, I do live with him.”
“That’s really, really good to know,” I said, shifting in my seat so I could lean forward to rest my elbows on the table. “Really.”
“You’re not upset?” He asked hesitantly, his brows drawing together as he eyed me.
“Considering I’m the guy he was with at that party, no. I’m not upset.”