Page 78 of Cross the Line

“Morning, Theodore.”

“Why are you smiling?”

“Would you prefer I flip you off?” Alec asks, moving to the kitchen island and half slumping over it. The act brings the hem of the sweater up so the bottom of Alec’s ass peeks out, a few freckles making a rather cheeky appearance. Theo nearly bites off the end of his tongue before hurrying around to the other side of the kitchen island, pretty sure he can’t be trusted with that in his line of sight.

“Uh, no, I like your smile. It’s just that you know, you had a lot to drink last night.”

“Wow, did I?” Alec hums, his words not at all matching up with his body language.

“Do you remember last night?”

Alec clears his throat. “Coffee is fantastic.”

“The coffee has been sitting for an hour,” Theo points out, refusing to be sidetracked.

“I was being a polite house guest, Theodore. Here, let's practice. I’m going to tell you that your bed was exceptionally comfortable, and you’ll thank me.”

“Alec.”

“Your bed was comfortable, Theo,” he repeats.

It would be so easy to pretend nothing happened. Too easy. Theo can’t even if he should, even if Alec clearly wants to. He can’t explain why when it’s not the smart, safe choice, but something tells him it's the right one and he’s determined to do right by Alec. “I think we should talk about last night.”

“I think I should walk into the ocean.”

“Glad to see that not even a hangover can dull your dramatics.”

Alec flips him off, the faintest hint of a smile playing at his lips as slumps the rest of the way over the kitchen island so his forehead hits the counter. When he speaks the words are garbled, but Theo manages to understand them all the same. “I’m dying, Theodore. Take pity on me. It’s a lot of work to be agreeable all the time.”

The confession takes Theo by surprise. He’d never considered that Alec being Alec didn’t come naturally. “Alec.”

“If this is about your sweater, I promise to return it. In fact, you can have it right now if you want.” He stands up straight, immediately starting to pull off the sweater, leaving Theo with the mental image of a completely naked Alec standing in the middle of his kitchen, bathed in the soft light of morning.

“Keep it on,” Theo croaks, moving close enough to tug on the bottom of the sweater before Alec can get undressed.

“If you insist.” Alec grins, head popping back through the hole. “Glad we had that talk.”

“About last night?—”

“Look, I was a drunk idiot, I puked everywhere, stole your bed, and cried in the shower. That cover all of it?”

“You’re not an idiot, Alec, and that’s not?—”

“Please, we don’t need to talk about the rest.” Alec’s fingers clench around his coffee mug. “If this is about the guys at the club, don’t give it a second thought. Sure, the guys were dicks, but it's nothing new. I’m used to it.”

Theo’s thought’s take a detour, slamming into a wall of absolute fury. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing.” Alec clacks his teeth together while his fingers tap on the edge of his coffee mug.

“Bullshit.” Theo closes the distance, lifting Alec’s chin so his eyes meet Theo’s.

“Look, I like being touched, it’s not the first time someone’s accused me of being a tease because of it, alright? It’s fine. Can we please not talk about it?”

Theo hates the idea that anyone has ever made Alec feel bad about his desire for tactile affection. He wants to erase the memory of anyone who ever made Alec feel uncomfortable or bad about what he wanted or didn’t want. “There’s nothing wrong with you, Alec. Don’t ever let anyone make you think otherwise.”

The sound Alec makes is hard to read. Eager to reassure him, Theo lets his fingers skim lightly over the side of Alec’s cheek. When Alec doesn’t move away he continues the exploration, letting thumb skim over Alec’s jaw. While it’s only the most fleeting of touches, Alec’s entire body trembles. “This okay?”

Alec’s eyes are locked on the floor, but he nods. It’s only when Theo lowers his hand that Alec lifts his eyes to meet Theo’s, the confusion in them plain as day. He can’t blame him for not knowing what Theo is doing when Theo isn’t even sure. All he knows is he doesn’t want to ignore this pull to Alec. He just needs to find a way to safely get him out of his system, to make sure he doesn’t hurt Alec while trying to get over his crush.

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