Conventional
By Redtoes
I'd buried my face beneath a pillow in an attempt to block out Les's amused laughter so I didn't hear the soft knock at the door. I didn't hear the rap of Jan's knuckles on the doorframe. I didn't see him leaning against the wall watching as I hid under a pillow, trying desperately not to think about, well, him, and the thoughts that Les had put in my head.
So it came as a bit of a shock when Les stopped laughing and said -
"Jan. Dude."
I feel the mattress shift a little as Les gets up.
"Les."
I can hear the slap of skin as they exchange greetings. The two of them are close. Really close. It always amazed me how close they are. I mean most guys, most men, they have issues about sexuality. Jan gets stress and shit just coz he cheers. Les, he hides it well, but there's stuff he just won't talk about. Like his home-life. Like his sexuality beyond the basic distinction of straight/gay. Les has issues, but he and Jan are tight.
"So." Jan starts.
"Yeah," Les answers, "She's communing with the comforter."
And that's enough for me to sit up and throw the pillow at him. Les catches it easily, and grins at me.
"Bit hostile Miss," he comments, eyebrow raised.
"Yeah," I fumble, "well."
Les is the only one grinning here. The only comfortable one in the room. The amused observer who just can't get enough of this stuff. My discomfort. Jan's unsurety.
"Les," I venture, "Don't you have a place to be right now?"
"Nope." I swear that's grin's getting wider.
"Les," I warn, my voice dangerously low.
"Missy?" he asks, all innocence.
The grin doesn't falter as I try to glare him out of the room.
Jan's mouth quirks a little.
"Buddy." Jan says, his tone neutral.
"Okay," Les says, "I'll catch you cats tomorrow."
And with that he's gone.
Leaving me and Jan alone. In my room. Alone.
Did it suddenly get hot in here?
Jan shifts on his feet, looking away from me. In fact looking everywhere but at me.
"You've got to teach me how to do that," I say as he wanders around the room.
"Huh?"
"The getting rid of Les thing." I say. "It could be helpful."
"Yeah," he says, his eyes drifting over the framed photos on the wall. Not looking at me. Barely speaking. Uninterested.
So now I'm uncomfortable, wondering what he's doing here. My mouth feels dry, my skin sweaty. He's not interested. And man how much do I not want to hear him say it.
So.
Let's be normal.
With that thought in mind I slip off the bed, and move around until I can see what's got him so distracted.
"I look terrible in that one," I say, gesturing to the photo he holds in his hands. "All puffy and red. I should never let Cliff near a camera." And it's true, I do. And Cliff should never be allowed to carry machines he can record anything on, images, sounds, anything. I swear every picture he takes is a calculated attempt at blackmail.
"What happened?" he asks.
I look at the picture. I'm holding up the Kentucky State trophy so that would make me what, sixteen? About two years old or so. Year and a half at least. But it's not the trophy that's caught Jan's attention. It's the clear physical signs that I won that day while suffering from one of the worst colds I've ever had.
"I'm a hardcore gymnast," I state, "I laugh in the face of influenza. I snigger at bronchitis."
"And no way is jumping up and down screaming "go team" gonna satisfy ya?" he quotes back at me, a smile on his lips as he looks me straight in the eye.
"Something like that," I manage to get out past the blush that's threatening to take over my skin.
"Really," he says, leaning in a little closer.
"No," I quietly admit. "I like it."
"Me too," he says softly. "I like it a lot."
There's some serious eye contact going on here. High level eye contact and a mega-watt smile. If I didn't know better I'd say he was flirting.
I look away before I make it too obvious. He's not flirting. He can't be flirting.
"Would you like a drink," I ask, my eyes fixed on the table, "Or something to eat?"
"I'm good," he replies.
"Yeah," I say, almost to myself as I start to step away.
Except that his hand's on my arm, and I'm looking up at him and I'm caught, and confused. And I have absolutely no idea what's happening right now.
"Missy," he breathes with something almost like pain in his voice.
I staring into his eyes and I swear I could just die now except -
Except -
Except he just let go of my arm and stepped back.
"Maybe I should go," he says quietly, his eyes focused on the wall.
"No!" The outburst surprises even me. "Stay a while. I've got time. No practice today."
"Okay," he says, "what would you like to talk about."
*****
She looked so much like herself when I got here. All rumpled and ruffled and buried beneath some cushion or other trying to ignore Les. She looked tough and vulnerable, happy and angry. Honest. Truthful.
There's no way she could hide her true feelings, she's such an expressive person. Dancing and joking when she's up. Quiet and thoughtful when she's down. And to find her hiding under her pillow, well that's just her.
Les just grinned at me when I turned up. Fact he didn't stop grinning till he left when he gave me this serious look through the door with the unspoken message of "Don't screw this up".
And I'm not gonna.
If I have to spend the next three hours talking about photographs and gymnastics I'm gonna do it, coz it'll take me that long to get up enough courage to say what it is I want to say.
Missy I like you.
She's standing so close I could just reach out and -
No.
Talk first.
Action later.
Maybe.
"Take a seat."
"Huh?" She's knocked me out of my own head and now I'm standing alone in the middle of the room whilst she sits cross-legged on the bed.
"Come on," she says, "there's loads of room."
I know I'm just staring at her. Sitting there. On her bed.
"Come on Jan," she repeats. She's not quite tapping the quilt yet, but the implication is there. I take a quick glance around the room - there's only the stool at the vanity and that's fair too small and too far away to be useful. Yup, she means the bed.
With enthusiasm I flop down on the mattress. She shifts her position to lie beside me, kicking her feet in the air negligently.
"It's a big bed." I comment needlessly.
"Yeah," she comments, "I think my parents really expect me to get some action this year."
I bite back a very unmanly gasp.
"Yeah?"
She grins.
"Possibly," she answers, "It's the first house I've ever had a double in. The rest have been twins."
"Like you and Cliff?" I ask. I've always been curious how it is they're in the same academic year.
"Nah," she replies, "He's older by, get this, ten months. Guess the parentals didn't want to wait." She mock shudders. "Freaks me out sometimes, to think I'm the result of them getting back to sex as quickly as possible after having him."
I smile.
"Good result." I comment.
She blushes, the colour sweeping up from her neck, up across the features of her face, and down to the tint the skin of her shoulders. Embarrassed she stares down at the mattress.
I want to touch her and find out if her body's warmer when she blushes.
I can't stop my hand as it reaches out to brush a strand of hair from her cheek. Ever so gently I tuck it behind her ear, and let my fingers brush down the line of her chin as I start to withdraw.
Swallowing deeply she opens her eyes as I touch her skin and looks up at me. I'm leaning in towards her, moving closer and closer as the seconds pass.
As she pushes in towards me my hand slips back into her hair, cradling her neck. And that's all the reasons I need as I pull her closer, closing the last few centimeters, and lower my lips to hers.
*****
As kisses go this one's pretty much amazing.
His lips against mine, his hand on my neck, our mouths together.
Somewhere, caught up in the moment, I raise my arms around his neck and let pull me closer by a hand on my waist.
And it's perfect.
We lie together, side by side, and I have to say I'm not one for romantic clichés but if something ever felt right, this is it.
He pulls back slightly, watching my face intensely.
"I should tell you something," he says softly, "I like you. I really like you Missy."
"I really like you too Jan," I reply, barely getting time to reply as he pulls me close again for another soul-searing kiss. "I really like you too."
By Redtoes
I'd buried my face beneath a pillow in an attempt to block out Les's amused laughter so I didn't hear the soft knock at the door. I didn't hear the rap of Jan's knuckles on the doorframe. I didn't see him leaning against the wall watching as I hid under a pillow, trying desperately not to think about, well, him, and the thoughts that Les had put in my head.
So it came as a bit of a shock when Les stopped laughing and said -
"Jan. Dude."
I feel the mattress shift a little as Les gets up.
"Les."
I can hear the slap of skin as they exchange greetings. The two of them are close. Really close. It always amazed me how close they are. I mean most guys, most men, they have issues about sexuality. Jan gets stress and shit just coz he cheers. Les, he hides it well, but there's stuff he just won't talk about. Like his home-life. Like his sexuality beyond the basic distinction of straight/gay. Les has issues, but he and Jan are tight.
"So." Jan starts.
"Yeah," Les answers, "She's communing with the comforter."
And that's enough for me to sit up and throw the pillow at him. Les catches it easily, and grins at me.
"Bit hostile Miss," he comments, eyebrow raised.
"Yeah," I fumble, "well."
Les is the only one grinning here. The only comfortable one in the room. The amused observer who just can't get enough of this stuff. My discomfort. Jan's unsurety.
"Les," I venture, "Don't you have a place to be right now?"
"Nope." I swear that's grin's getting wider.
"Les," I warn, my voice dangerously low.
"Missy?" he asks, all innocence.
The grin doesn't falter as I try to glare him out of the room.
Jan's mouth quirks a little.
"Buddy." Jan says, his tone neutral.
"Okay," Les says, "I'll catch you cats tomorrow."
And with that he's gone.
Leaving me and Jan alone. In my room. Alone.
Did it suddenly get hot in here?
Jan shifts on his feet, looking away from me. In fact looking everywhere but at me.
"You've got to teach me how to do that," I say as he wanders around the room.
"Huh?"
"The getting rid of Les thing." I say. "It could be helpful."
"Yeah," he says, his eyes drifting over the framed photos on the wall. Not looking at me. Barely speaking. Uninterested.
So now I'm uncomfortable, wondering what he's doing here. My mouth feels dry, my skin sweaty. He's not interested. And man how much do I not want to hear him say it.
So.
Let's be normal.
With that thought in mind I slip off the bed, and move around until I can see what's got him so distracted.
"I look terrible in that one," I say, gesturing to the photo he holds in his hands. "All puffy and red. I should never let Cliff near a camera." And it's true, I do. And Cliff should never be allowed to carry machines he can record anything on, images, sounds, anything. I swear every picture he takes is a calculated attempt at blackmail.
"What happened?" he asks.
I look at the picture. I'm holding up the Kentucky State trophy so that would make me what, sixteen? About two years old or so. Year and a half at least. But it's not the trophy that's caught Jan's attention. It's the clear physical signs that I won that day while suffering from one of the worst colds I've ever had.
"I'm a hardcore gymnast," I state, "I laugh in the face of influenza. I snigger at bronchitis."
"And no way is jumping up and down screaming "go team" gonna satisfy ya?" he quotes back at me, a smile on his lips as he looks me straight in the eye.
"Something like that," I manage to get out past the blush that's threatening to take over my skin.
"Really," he says, leaning in a little closer.
"No," I quietly admit. "I like it."
"Me too," he says softly. "I like it a lot."
There's some serious eye contact going on here. High level eye contact and a mega-watt smile. If I didn't know better I'd say he was flirting.
I look away before I make it too obvious. He's not flirting. He can't be flirting.
"Would you like a drink," I ask, my eyes fixed on the table, "Or something to eat?"
"I'm good," he replies.
"Yeah," I say, almost to myself as I start to step away.
Except that his hand's on my arm, and I'm looking up at him and I'm caught, and confused. And I have absolutely no idea what's happening right now.
"Missy," he breathes with something almost like pain in his voice.
I staring into his eyes and I swear I could just die now except -
Except -
Except he just let go of my arm and stepped back.
"Maybe I should go," he says quietly, his eyes focused on the wall.
"No!" The outburst surprises even me. "Stay a while. I've got time. No practice today."
"Okay," he says, "what would you like to talk about."
*****
She looked so much like herself when I got here. All rumpled and ruffled and buried beneath some cushion or other trying to ignore Les. She looked tough and vulnerable, happy and angry. Honest. Truthful.
There's no way she could hide her true feelings, she's such an expressive person. Dancing and joking when she's up. Quiet and thoughtful when she's down. And to find her hiding under her pillow, well that's just her.
Les just grinned at me when I turned up. Fact he didn't stop grinning till he left when he gave me this serious look through the door with the unspoken message of "Don't screw this up".
And I'm not gonna.
If I have to spend the next three hours talking about photographs and gymnastics I'm gonna do it, coz it'll take me that long to get up enough courage to say what it is I want to say.
Missy I like you.
She's standing so close I could just reach out and -
No.
Talk first.
Action later.
Maybe.
"Take a seat."
"Huh?" She's knocked me out of my own head and now I'm standing alone in the middle of the room whilst she sits cross-legged on the bed.
"Come on," she says, "there's loads of room."
I know I'm just staring at her. Sitting there. On her bed.
"Come on Jan," she repeats. She's not quite tapping the quilt yet, but the implication is there. I take a quick glance around the room - there's only the stool at the vanity and that's fair too small and too far away to be useful. Yup, she means the bed.
With enthusiasm I flop down on the mattress. She shifts her position to lie beside me, kicking her feet in the air negligently.
"It's a big bed." I comment needlessly.
"Yeah," she comments, "I think my parents really expect me to get some action this year."
I bite back a very unmanly gasp.
"Yeah?"
She grins.
"Possibly," she answers, "It's the first house I've ever had a double in. The rest have been twins."
"Like you and Cliff?" I ask. I've always been curious how it is they're in the same academic year.
"Nah," she replies, "He's older by, get this, ten months. Guess the parentals didn't want to wait." She mock shudders. "Freaks me out sometimes, to think I'm the result of them getting back to sex as quickly as possible after having him."
I smile.
"Good result." I comment.
She blushes, the colour sweeping up from her neck, up across the features of her face, and down to the tint the skin of her shoulders. Embarrassed she stares down at the mattress.
I want to touch her and find out if her body's warmer when she blushes.
I can't stop my hand as it reaches out to brush a strand of hair from her cheek. Ever so gently I tuck it behind her ear, and let my fingers brush down the line of her chin as I start to withdraw.
Swallowing deeply she opens her eyes as I touch her skin and looks up at me. I'm leaning in towards her, moving closer and closer as the seconds pass.
As she pushes in towards me my hand slips back into her hair, cradling her neck. And that's all the reasons I need as I pull her closer, closing the last few centimeters, and lower my lips to hers.
*****
As kisses go this one's pretty much amazing.
His lips against mine, his hand on my neck, our mouths together.
Somewhere, caught up in the moment, I raise my arms around his neck and let pull me closer by a hand on my waist.
And it's perfect.
We lie together, side by side, and I have to say I'm not one for romantic clichés but if something ever felt right, this is it.
He pulls back slightly, watching my face intensely.
"I should tell you something," he says softly, "I like you. I really like you Missy."
"I really like you too Jan," I reply, barely getting time to reply as he pulls me close again for another soul-searing kiss. "I really like you too."