Frame Seven
CERTAINTY
“Just keep at it,” Theo said just as a flash of lightning lit up the dome of the clock tower above us.
I kept my eye pressed to the viewfinder, the camera fixed on him. He turned toward the pile of clothes on the bench. His bare butt flashed at me as he leaned forward to grab the white briefs. I snapped another photo before the moment vanished.
He stepped into the briefs one leg at a time—click—and pulled them up—click—covering his dick—click—though he had to adjust twice before everything finally settled inside.
I zoomed in on the outline of his dick and took another shot.
Then I switched to fisheye, framing the entire dome of the tower, making that big guy look small in comparison as he rubbed the towel through his hair.
Another thunderbolt lit up the clock faces, causing Theo’s bare chest to glow white against the gray stone behind him—click.
Theo ignored me entirely, as a good model should. He wasn’t just someone who saw things; he seemed to enjoy being seen too.
He tossed the towel on the metal railing of the clock apparatus next to him—click—reached for the gray shirt—click—and pulled it over his head—click.
The gray sweatpants that were too short for him came next, and I kept shooting until he wore everything I had lent him.
I must’ve taken at least thirty pictures, each one catching that mix of sexual tension and vulnerability.
Satisfied, I turned toward my backpack and set the camera on the ground beside it. I knew I had more things to keep him warm somewhere.
“Are you done?” Theo asked.
“Yeah. We’ve got more important stuff to take care of now.”
I ran my hands over every outer pocket, trying to remember everything I had packed.
Most of the stuff in there, I rarely touched.
I still had this backpack ready from my days of tornado hunting, usually swapping out only food and camera batteries.
Everything else, even the clothes, had stayed in there, still prepped for a day that had already passed.
My mind went through the list of things that should be in there, trying to determine if I was forgetting about something useful, when my hand stopped on the top pocket. I unzipped it and pulled out a small heating pad, a rescue blanket, and a hip flask.
“Ha!” I yelled in excitement. “I’m more prepared than I thought. Look what I found.” I turned to Theo, holding the rescue blanket high. “Downside is, there’s only one.”
“I guess we’ll have to share then. For our safety,” he teased.
He sat down on the bench and pulled his legs up, crossing them. I walked over with the three items and showed them off as the treasures they actually were in our situation.
“If everything here is for emergency heat, I think I can guess what’s in the flask,” Theo said. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the shiny metal in my hand. “It’s vodka.”
“Close, but no. And it’s actually not for warmth.” I gave him the flask. “When I put this bag together, I actually wanted to put vodka in, but then looked it up and found out that alcohol just gives you a false sense of warmth. It actually cools you down further.”
Theo unscrewed the lid, brought it to his nose, and took a whiff. “Oh, it’s whisky. No… scotch?”
“Whisky, yes. In case something went south with a tornado, and I got trapped.”
“Oh, so you get to hammer yourself before being swallowed by the sky?”
“Maybe it was wishful thinking that I’d ever have time to drink it if that happened.
Besides, it has probably gone bad by now.
I’ve read that the alcohol can take on the scent of the metal if stored in it for too long.
I spent a long time looking for a titanium one, since that’s supposed to lessen the effect, but I actually never checked if it did. ”
“Only one way to find out, though we probably shouldn’t if it really cools us down more.”
“One sip should be fine,” I said as I lifted the heating pad and the still wrapped up blanket into his view. “And we have these.”
“True. But let’s see if they work first.” He screwed the flask back up. “Because safety… or survival at this point.”
I put the heating pad aside for now since it had a rather short lifespan, and we still had a full night ahead of us.
We couldn’t know how cold it would get, so saving it as a last resort felt like the better choice.
Instead, I removed the blanket from its plastic wrapping.
The foil was thinner than the aluminum foil in my kitchen and didn’t look like much at first. But the more I unfolded it, the bigger it got, eventually stretching wide enough to fit two people under it.
“Hard to believe that this is supposed to keep us warm,” I said.
Theo nodded toward the spot next to him. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
I wrapped the blanket around my back with the shiny side facing me, sat down beside him, and lifted half of the foil over his shoulder.
Theo pulled it around until it covered his back and chest, nearly reaching me again.
Our arms pressed against each other, warmth already radiating toward me—though that was likely him and not the blanket.
“Better than nothing,” I said.
“Can I kiss you?” Theo’s fingers curled around the flask, his eyes on me. “I’d really like to kiss you again, but only if you want it too.”
His bold question made me freeze at first, and a second later, sweat. I kept my eyes on the floor, needing a moment to process. He leaned forward and set the flask on the ground, as if to say that if he were going to get drunk on something, it would be me, not alcohol.
“You’re quite the straightforward guy,” I uttered.
“Because hinting at it didn’t work out in my favor with you.”
“I’m a tough nut to crack,” I said, still not daring to look at him. “I know it better than anyone.”
What bothered me the most wasn’t my constant hesitation. It was that I left him with no choice but to do all the heavy lifting. That had to end if I ever wanted to see eye to eye with him.
I gathered the courage to place my right hand on his knee, brushing my thumb across it.
My gaze lingered there for a moment before drifting to his chest, pausing another second before finally reaching his face.
I lifted my left hand and rested it on his cheek, caressing him gently.
The corners of his mouth twitched upward, pushing his cheek further into my palm.
I nudged my head a little closer, glanced at his lips, and—fuck it—leaned in and pressed my mouth on his.
Tingles spread from my lips across my face and through my entire body.
His mouth opened, inviting me in. Following his lead, I parted my lips too and let our tongues meet.
Somehow, this time his kiss was far more arousing than the first we shared a week ago.
Back then, it had felt forbidden, like something we shouldn’t be doing, which had been hot in its own way.
Now, however, his kiss felt comforting, inviting me to linger and savor the moment.
The foil around our shoulders rustled when Theo wrapped his arms around my back and deepened his kiss.
My chest fluttered, catching me off guard—as if I weren’t allowed to feel that way anymore, as if I were too old and rusty to make out with someone and still have my chest flutter like this.
But that was nothing more than a lie I had told myself, words that had carried me through the last few years to avoid getting attached to the men who were only interested in casual sex.
There was no need for that now. Theo had proven more than enough that he wasn’t the smash-and-dash type.
If he were, he wouldn’t have spent so much time with me, still choosing to be here even though nothing physical has happened between us for so long.
I slipped my tongue into his mouth. Theo tightened his grip on my shoulders and pulled me closer until I had to brace myself against his legs to keep from tipping into him.
His right hand slid along my thigh and crawled beneath my shirt.
His fingers traced through the hair that had grown there like weeds, moving more eagerly with every passing second.
Before I knew it, he had unlocked something inside me I hadn’t known was still there.
As if I were twenty years younger, I sat up and swung my legs over his, climbing onto his lap. My ass pressed against his groin, already feeling his erection nudging into me. His hands wandered to my back, settling on my flanks to steady me.
A gigantic thunderclap rolled through the night. Our lips parted as our heads turned toward the sky. Another rumble followed, quieter than the first.
Theo repositioned his hands and pulled my hips half an inch closer. “I have to admit that I didn’t expect you to get on top of me.”
“It’s one of the best ways to keep you warm.”
“Sure, let’s pretend that’s the reason.” He pulled me into another kiss.
While he held me in place with his left hand, he grabbed my bulge with his right, feeling up my hard dick through my jeans.
He pressed his palm firmly against it, rubbing me so intensely that I wanted to tear the fabric between us.
As if he could read my mind, he unbuttoned my pants and tugged down the zipper.
“Is that okay?” he asked.
“It’s only fair considering the show you gave me earlier.”
He pulled down my briefs, letting my dick spring out. His fingers wrapped around my shaft and started to jerk me off. I brought my right hand behind my back and cupped his bulge.
“Can I suck you?” I asked, acting as if I had never done it before and needed his permission.
“Only if I can repay the favor.”
We kissed once more before I slipped off him and knelt before him.
He uncrossed his legs, put his feet on the ground, and spread them wide.
His erection pressed hard against his sweatpants.
I leaned my head against his leg and stared at the outline for a moment, unable to fathom that I was about to hook up with him again.