Page 21 of A Different Form of Oxygen
Thirteen
Gavin
I jolt awake at my aching neck. I attempt to reach for it, to help loosen the tightened muscles, but my right arm remains stuck under the weight of someone’s body. My eyes are completely open now, glancing down at a sleeping Ben. He’s still here.
His warm breath heats my neck as he snuggles his face deeper into me. I don't want to wake him, but I know I’m enjoying him being this close to me way too much. He appears completely at peace and his soft lips move against my neck; a delicious shudder spikesthrough me. Incoherent sounds come from him before his lashes flutter open.
"I take it I never made it to that guest room?”
I shake my head, smiling and his eyes grow wide.
“I wasn’t talking in my sleep, was I?" Ben stretches his body against me, not seeming in a hurry to pull away. I smile down at him rubbing sleep from his eyes; he's breathtaking even with tousled hair and sleep lines running down his face and smeared makeup.
I unthinkably move my hand to his face. "No, I think the sleep lines from you laying on my shirt will prove I didn't either. Also, you may have talked a little bit."
He pushes my hand away, rubbing his palm over his face. "Oh yeah, what did I say?"
I smirk, before standing off the couch. "Just how awesome you think I am and how I'm the bestest friend you've ever had."
He rolls his eyes, tugging down his half rolled up shirt. Covering up that sliver of pale skin that's been taunting me for the last few minutes. "What time is it anyway?” he asks, picking up his phone to swipe the screen. Before I can answer, he jumps off the couch in a hurry, running over to pull his jacket off the kitchen chair. "Crap. I have to go. Mind if I use your bathroom really quick?"
I shake my head. "Of course not. Everything okay?"
He runs his hands through his hair, walking over to the bathroom. "Yeah, I have to be at school in an hour. I can't believe I forgot I had class this morning."
The bathroom door shuts behind him and the water starts to run as more curse words slip from his mouth, loud enough for me to hear them through the door. I move to the kitchen to get the coffee and pull out a carton of eggs. My stomach grumbles as the stove heats the pan. The door creaks open and a scurrying Ben emerges, heading to the front door.
“Hey, not so fast—a least not until you have something to eat first.” I crack four eggs into a pan, pushing them around with a spatula. The front door shuts and I almost sigh in disappointment, until the kitchen chair scrapes against the floor. "I guess I can eat really quick. After all, I’d rather not embarrass myself in class with my stomach being louder than my professor.”
I laugh, scooping the eggs onto a plate, pulling two slices of toast from the toaster, golden and warm in my hands. "I'm glad you agree. I thought I was going to have to tie you to the chair and force feed you."
"Who told you I was into that," he says with a cheeky smile. He takes the plate from my hand, with his eyes never leaving mine. I stand there silently, affected by his last words and the warm heat in his green irises. "Are you going to join me or are you going to eat your breakfast standing up."
I slide into the chair across from his. “Happy now?”
The slice of toast crunches beneath his teeth, and he smiles around each bite. “You were making me nervous just standing there staring at me.”
“You, nervous? Yeah, right. I find that hard to believe. You know, I really did like watching movies with you last night. We should have more movie nights.”
His eyes widen, and his mouth goes still around the toast. The silence is once again replaced with his chewing and the smacking of his pink shiny lips. “Yeah, maybe next time we can do a whole night of nothing but Stephen King inspired films.”
I nod. “Sounds like a good time. We can even invite the others too when we do it.”
Ben frowns and his eyes are back on his food, no longer beaming. It must have been the mention of other people. Ben was all smiles until then. Maybe game night can be for our friends and movie night can be something that’s only ours. At least this way, it increases the chances of more sleep overs. I smile, resisting the urge to take his hand in mine.
“We can always just make movie night our thing and game night can be for the whole group.”
His smile is back, reaching his eyes, satisfying every part of me. He’s back to shoveling a spoonful of eggs into his still full mouth. I reach across the table, placing my hand on his. “Slow down; you’re going to make yourself sick. Then you definitely won’t be able to sit through class. What class do you have today anyway? And don’t answer that with your mouth full either.”
He swallows the last few bite of eggs in his mouth, chasing it down with his tea. “Ecology. It’s not as exciting as it sounds. I’m also sure there’s a pop quiz today and no telling how long it will take me to get out of Farmville and how many animals may greet me on my way out.”
Laughter falls around my coffee cup. “Yeah, yeah. You’ll be okay. Don’t be so dramatic. I’m sure you will do a lot better on that quiz now that you ate some breakfast and had a nice intellectual conversation with me, and it looks like the cows only like to greet you at night so you should be fine.”
Breadcrumbs fall from his lips with the brush of his hand. “Yup, and on that note, I should get going before my IQ drops. Thanks for breakfast and offering your body as a pillow last night. I doubt the ones at home will be able to compare. Also, they don’t smell as good as you do either.”
His eyes widen at his own words. “Shit, I said that last part out loud, didn’t I? Yeah, I’m going to go now.” His cheeks redden before he turns to make his way to the door.
I arch my brow. “Oh, yeah? What do I smell like exactly?”
He runs his hand through his hair before turning back to face me, biting his lower lip with flushed cheeks. “Bye, Gavin.”
I erupt in laughter. “Wait; you can’t leave now. It was just getting good.”
He waves me off as he heads out the front, slamming the door behind him. I shake my head, bringing my cup to my lips. Smiling widely around the ceramic. The vanilla from my coffee wafts in my nose, as the warm liquid travels down my throat. The room is already too quiet the moment he leaves. I move from the table, setting the dishes in the sink. I let the clinking of the glasses and running water drown out the stillness of the room. Soap suds form around the plate in my hands as I remain scrubbing it for way too long while my mind falls back to me waking up with Ben in my arms this morning. Even though I woke up aching everywhere, it was still the best sleep I’ve had in a long time. Then it dawns on me: I rather sleep uncomfortably on a couch with Ben than in my comfortable bed without him any day. I can keep remaining in denial all I want, or I can finally admit to myself the truth. I want Ben Gonzalez. And not just as a friend.
