Chapter 3
Chapter Three
MILES
I was pretty sure I’d tripped on the street, hit my head, and slipped into a coma. There was no way this really beautiful guy, with his pink hair and cute tattoos, was lounging in my apartment, touching my chest and telling me he liked spending time with me.
And drinking my special holiday hot chocolate. I never knew there was a sexy way to do that. But the way he kept dipping his finger into the whipped cream and sucking it off, making those appreciative little noises, I’d already had to yank a pillow into my lap to cover up my boner.
I’d tried to explain the nuances of my overbearing but well-meaning parents, who routinely but unintentionally trampled over my feelings because they didn’t understand how hard it was for me to be gay and awkward and bad at dating, and they just wanted more grandkids.
I’d warned him how pushy and intrusive they would be to him, grilling him on stuff that would likely be way too personal, and how embarrassing it would be for both of us.
But he hadn’t been remotely worried, assuring me he was great with parents and people in general.
If he wasn’t worried, then why should I be worried?
If only it was that easy.
The second movie was fun and gave me the warm fuzzies as usual, but it was a completely new experience for me. Meadow kept scooting closer and closer to me on the couch, until our sides were lined up and the warmth from his body was creeping over me and making me all tingly and nervous.
“Comfy?” he asked, staring into my eyes, our faces way too close.
I’d asked him if he was wearing contacts before, and he’d said no, that green eyes ran in his family.
But up close, it seemed impossible to believe.
They were so deep, like an evergreen forest. I suddenly felt hypnotized, borderline paralyzed.
I could count the freckles on the bridge of his nose if I wanted to.
“I, uh… what was the question?”
“Are you comfy?” His voice was so pretty and soothing, relaxing me the tiniest bit. I’d never met anyone like him, and if I had, they sure as hell had never been on my couch, pressed up against me.
“Oh, uh… sure,” I lied. I was distinctly uncomfortable in a way I’d never felt before. But the feeling was kind of addictive. The corners of his lips perked up into this really hot, smug grin, which didn’t do anything to quell what was going on under the decorative pillow in my lap.
“Would you prefer if I gave you some space?” he wondered.
“No,” I answered, trying not to feel embarrassed by admitting it.
“This is… nice.” It was more than nice, but I was pretty sure if I started spouting poetry about how incredible it felt being so close to him, he’d run for the hills and never look back.
“As long as you think it’s nice,” I added quickly.
“Very, very nice,” he said. “I think it might be the nicest thing I’ve done in a really long time, actually.”
And then he snuggled a little deeper into my arm, laying his head on my shoulder. His hair smelled warm and a little floral, like wildflowers in the sun. My chest was pounding, but I wriggled into a comfortable position against him too. We watched the rest of the movie like that.
When it was over, Meadow yawned and stretched, finally moving away from me. I immediately missed his warmth, but I ignored it and stood up.
“I need to take a shower before bed,” I said. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all. Do you mind if I take one too?” he asked, and I shook my head.
“Do you want to go first?”
“You can go first,” he said, tilting his head and giving me a look I could only think to describe as sweet and gorgeous and kind of sultry, and I was pretty sure he wasn’t even trying. But maybe I was just smitten. Very stupidly smitten. “I promise I won’t rob you while you’re in there.”
“I, ah, hadn’t even thought of that,” I admitted, though now that he mentioned it, it could have been a real possibility. I’d gotten lucky about the complete stranger I’d very impulsively decided to bring home.
He shrugged, raising his hands, palms up innocently, as if to assure me again I wouldn’t come out to an emptied apartment. Well, that was convincing enough for me. Pathetically, it might have been worth the hour of snuggling.
In the bathroom, I shed my clothes, setting my glasses next to the sink, and flipped around the knob so the water was at the perfect temperature and pressure before slipping in.
Dumping shampoo into my palm and lathering up my hair, I thought about what else I’d have to do to make Meadow comfortable for the night.
He hadn’t exactly packed an overnight bag.
But I could lend him some clothes and a pillow and blanket, at least.
And then tomorrow, for the party… I’d cross that bridge when I got to it.
I was incredibly grateful that he was even coming at all.
I wasn’t sure how my parents would feel about him, and honestly, I’d stopped caring.
Impressing them or shutting my mom up about my special person was just a pleasant side effect.
I just wanted him to stick around for as long as humanly possible.
I wasn’t sure how long that would be, since he’d made it clear he wasn’t much for sticking around in one place, but I’d draw it out in any way I could.
The sound of the bathroom door creaking open basically stopped my heart, and I scrambled for the shower curtain, whisking it aside just enough to stick my head out and investigate.
“M-Meadow?” I stammered out, just before my brain short-circuited and lost most of its functioning power.
He was already naked, and his body was pretty much the best thing I’d ever seen.
He was toned and slender, with smooth skin and perfect…
everything. I knew I shouldn’t stare, but I couldn’t stop myself.
My eyes drank in everything, from his perfectly ridged chest and stomach, down to his lithe hips and thighs.
Small, colorful tattoos were dotted all over him, even a bright green shamrock on his hipbone.
My eyes locked there for a moment, and I tried not to drool.
“You didn’t specify when I should take my shower,” he said, as calm and collected as someone could possibly be. He blinked, watching me closely for a few moments before tilting his head. “Did I… misread the situation? I’m usually pretty good at that,” he added.
“Uh, I… what situation?” Was this actually happening to me? It was unbelievable enough to have him sitting on my couch, but to have him naked in my bathroom while I was also naked in there was definitely reinforcing that whole coma theory.
“We’re mutually attracted to each other. Aren’t we?”
“Yeah. I-I mean, I’m attracted to you.” I could barely force the words out.
“Do you mind?” he asked, reaching out and toying with the edge of the shower curtain, like he was teasing me. “It’s so much more fun this way.”
“Okay.”
Even though I felt like my head and heart, and possibly other vital organs, were on the verge of exploding, I stepped back so he could pull back the curtain and squeeze in.
I had to tense my muscles and pretend my arms were frozen to keep from covering up my dick, which had already started perking up at the prospect of having him so close. And so naked.
He looked me up and down for a bit before finally raising his gaze to lock onto mine, his eyebrow cocking up. At least he didn’t look totally repulsed.
“For a guy who sits at a desk all day, you have a great body,” he observed.
“Well, I… my job is pretty sedentary, so I try to get to the gym sometimes,” I said, painfully aware I was rambling. This was not a conversation I’d ever had before. “Just cardio and some weights. Nothing too intense.”
“Nothing too intense seems to work for you,” he said.
He reached out and put his hands on my shoulders, gently pushing me over so he could stand under the spray, soaking his vibrant hair, and then pushing it up and out of his eyes.
In a weird way, it felt like it put both of us on even footing since now we were both soaked.
Even though I was pretty sure I looked like a drowned rat and he looked like some kind of modern god.
A god with a bellybutton piercing and a dripping ice cream cone tattoo on his upper thigh.
“So…” he started, forcing me to look up from watching the tiny rivulets of water run down his stomach and drip off his pretty dick. “What do you like?”
I had absolutely no experience with this kind of thing, but I was pretty sure he wasn’t asking about my hobbies and interests.
He didn’t want to know that I collected comic books and subscribed to probably too many astronomy blogs.
He wanted to know how I wanted to get off.
Which I unfortunately wasn’t exactly sure of, myself.
But the way my cock was sticking straight up, like it was straining to be nearer to him, I had a suspicion that it would be fine with anything.
“Uh, Meadow, I kind of need to say something.”
“Go ahead,” he said, with that lovely lilt to his voice.
It was like he could calm a thunderstorm just by whispering to it.
I was nervous to tell him I was a virgin, but his voice and eyes just radiated this energy that made me feel like he wouldn’t judge me.
He put his hands back on my shoulders, squeezing them a little, like he wanted to encourage me.
“I, um… I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“You mean in the shower?”
I cleared my throat, glancing up at the ceiling. “No, like… ever. At all. Anything.”
“Ah.” He pursed his lips for a moment, looking like he was deep in thought. “I’ve been too pushy, haven’t I?”
“No,” I promised. “It’s not that at all. I’m really, really into… what’s going on right now.” He snorted out a small laugh at my confession, but it sounded affectionate and not offended, which helped keep me from wanting to die. “It’s just that I don’t exactly know how to answer your question.”