Page 88 of Unexpected Boyfriends

AXEL

“Finally, I can go home.”

Oh, no, no, no!

Justin says it with such relief in his voice, as though he truly thinks it’s going to be that easy. I’m pretty sure it’s not. If his family hated the idea of him being gay, enough to send him away for anti-gay therapy, I don’t think they’re going to suddenly decide they’re cool with the whole thing. But I don’t tell him that. He's so cute when he’s excited and I don’t want to harsh his buzz, but as far as I can see, he may have finished school, and he may now be financially independent since hehas his inheritance, but nothing else has changed. Anyway, I might be wrong. Either way, he’ll have to find out for himself. I promise myself I’ll be there to pick up the pieces if it all falls apart.

“How do you want to spend your day?” I ask him, running my fingers through his hair. The silky strands slip through my fingers like a faint caress.

“I want to go somewhere… leave the house. Doesn’t matter where, just out in public. Go out like a normal person, like I haven’t been able to do for weeks.”

“How about we go out for lunch?” I ask.

“Fish and chips down on the beach?” Justin suggests.

“Only if you don’t mind being attacked by seagulls,” I warn him. I’m not joking either. I’ve taken a few walks out along the bay while Justin’s been having his therapy, and I’ve seen how feral the seabirds are here.

“I don’t care,” he tells me, grinning happily. “I can defend my lunch.”

“Sure you can,” I lean down to drop a kiss on the dirty-blonde hair. “We’ll see about that. They seem pretty vicious to me.”

“I grew up here, remember? I know how to defend my chips from those thieving scum.”

“You can show me later,” I tell him. “Right now, I’ve got other plans.”

I roll over, take him in my arms and start kissing him again. Justin rolls on top of me. The bedclothes are between us but he must surely feel my hard-on pressing against his belly. He wriggles a little, probably simply to let me know he does, and I bite his lower lip.

“Sorry,” I tell him.

“For..?”

I thrust my pelvis towards him. “That.”

“It’s fine.” He blushes. “I’m feeling a whole lot better about all that. I’ve been sorta meaning to tell you that I’m ready to start up again…” his voice trails off, sounding embarrassed.

“Sorta?”

“Um, well I wasn’t sure how to bring it up, so to speak.”

I frown at him. “Are you sure, though? We don’t have to rush into anything.”

“Yeah, I’m good, I think. Just… let’s take things slow, okay?”

“Sure. You set the pace. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

He thanks me with a kiss, rips away the covers and starts kissing and licking his way down my chest. Though we’ve been emotionally intimate all this time, I’ve missed having intimate physical contact with him. This feels so good. I groan.

******

In the end, Justin doesn’t call his parents until evening. Now that the moment is near, I can see nerves are starting to get to him. His hands shake as he picks up his phone from where it’s been sitting on the coffee table taunting him all afternoon since we got back from our outing to the bay, and he moves towards his bedroom. He hesitates and looks back at me, nervously worrying at his lip with his teeth until it looks red and abused.

“Do you want me to be there when you call?” I ask him.

Justin shakes his head.

“Nah. I need to do this on my own. Just… be here after… in case it goes to shit?” he asks anxiously.

“I’ll be here,” I assure him.

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