Very Good Friday – Chapter 2
-O-
DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV.
-O-
To all those who reviewed chapter one: thank you so much. This Easter story was destined to be a 'one-shot', but the positive response has inspired me to add another chapter.
-O-
Aaron had been right about one thing, the lambing season was keeping Paddy busy on the farms surrounding Emmerdale and, even though it was Easter Saturday, the vet was out somewhere dealing with a problem with the birth of some lambs. Aaron knew from past experience that Paddy would probably be gone for most of the day and it was likely that he and Jackson would have the house to themselves for a while. They sat in the kitchen of Smithy Cottage having spent the night together in Aaron's room as had become their custom. Jackson's cheeky grin lit up the room and Aaron adored the look on his boyfriend's face. In fact, the young builder hadn't stopped smiling since the previous evening when Aaron had surprised him with an eternity ring. Every now and then, Jackson would look at the ring on his finger and his expression was a mixture of pleasure and pride. He would never have thought that Aaron could be so spontaneous and generous and he realised that he was falling in love with the surly young mechanic. However, he also knew the gargantuan struggle that Aaron had been through, just to accept his sexuality, so he still approached the lad with caution, he felt that one false move could ruin everything, although he had been given heart by Aaron's touching gesture and he decided to test the waters a little further.
"Thanks for last night," Jackson looked up from the ring on his finger to look into Aaron's perfect blue eyes, "It was lovely of you to surprise me like that. The meal was delicious: we'll have to go there again sometime."
"You paid for half of it," Aaron was playing down his uncharacteristic display of generosity, "I wanted to pay for your meal but you wouldn't let me."
Jackson was well used to this sort of response from his boyfriend by this time and he brushed it aside, "I couldn't let you pay for it all and besides, you bought me this," Jackson held up his hand to display his ring, "Last night's little soiree must have cost you a fortune."
Aaron gazed back into Jackson's beautiful chocolate brown eyes, "I've been saving up and anyway, you're worth it!" he said, simply and with feeling.
Jackson stood up and crossed over to Aaron, he put his hands either side of his boyfriend's face and drew him into a kiss. They had kissed passionately so many times the previous night, in the privacy of their bedroom, but this one was loving and gentle, an expression of deeply held feelings which were about to be expressed, "Aaron, you know how I feel about ya, don't ya?"
Aaron looked fondly into his boyfriend's eyes, he knew that they had reached a turning point in their relationship and emotions which they both felt, deep down, were about to be aired, "Yeah, I do, I...um, feel the same."
Jackson could sense Aaron's hesitancy, this was something major in Aaron's make-up, an unwillingness to show his emotions or to let someone though his defensive wall. But, he could feel that Aaron was on the verge of taking that one giant step and he felt privileged that he was the one that Aaron could trust and that the mechanic felt confident with him, he decided to take the bull by the horns, "I love ya, Aaron."
Aaron felt as if a light bulb had suddenly switched on inside his head. For so long, he had denied being gay, denied having 'those' feelings for another man, denied a part of himself. But, he could not deny the strong, overpowering sensations coursing through him at that moment. He had given Jackson a sign, with the ring, of the way he was feeling and he could not back down now. This was the moment of truth and he wanted Jackson to know that his love was not an unrequited one, he needed Jackson to stay in his life: nothing had ever been so important to him before. He cleared his throat to make his declaration, "I love ya too, Jackson."
Jackson could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, this was even better than being given the ring! He was waiting for Aaron to backtrack and say that it was all a joke on his part, but Aaron was being serious, he had finally admitted that he loved him. He kissed his boyfriend again, partly because he wanted to, but partly because he didn't want Aaron to see the tears running down his cheeks at that moment. It was a hopeless task though, as Aaron drew back to stare into his face again. The young mechanic wiped Jackson's tears away with his thumbs, "You big, soft git!" Aaron chuckled, although his own blue eyes looked watery too, "You're supposed to be happy...or have you just realised that you've got a moody, stroppy chav for a lover?"
Jackson had to laugh, even in an emotionally charged situation such as this, Aaron could always find the humour in it, "Yeah," he replied, "Sod my luck, eh?"
They both burst out laughing, the serious mood shattered. Jackson looked into eyes so blue, eyes that held a simple honesty and loyalty, "You know what I want to do now?"
"What?" Aaron smiled.
"Well, we've just declared our undying love for each other, so I think that we should cement our new relationship." Jackson could not stop grinning.
Aaron had a lecherous grin on his handsome face, "And how are we going to do that?" he asked.
Jackson took Aaron's hand and pulled him towards the stairs, "There's a bed with our names on it upstairs, just waiting for us to demonstrate our feelings."
"Is that why you said you loved me, so that I'd agree to go to bed with you?" Aaron's smirk was well known to his boyfriend.
"You didn't have any objections to sleeping with me last night," Jackson's own smirk matched Aaron's, "and I hadn't told you I loved you then."
Aaron pulled Jackson into another embrace, "Well, I'm just a slut, I'd jump into bed with anybody who's interested...didn't you know?"
"What have I let myself in for?" Jackson giggled, "I thought you only had eyes for me!"
As much as Aaron loved their light-hearted banter, he turned serious again, "You are the ONLY one I'd buy a ring for...so you must be something pretty special."
Jackson kissed Aaron again, this time with a little more passion and fire, "As long as I wear your ring, I'm yours and you can do whatever you want with me...but, please be gentle," Jackson pouted and fluttered his eyelashes.
Aaron took Jackson's hand again and pulled him up the stairs, "You are a Muppet," he chortled.
They were soon naked and lying on their bed. They touched, they kissed and they fingered their partner in all their intimate places...hands, lips, and tongues exploring each other. They were desperate to show one and other how they felt, to give the other one the satisfaction of knowing that they were loved, completely. This was the umpteenth time that they had made love, but, since they had declared their feelings for each other earlier, there was a new excitement, a little crackle of electricity as their bodies came into direct contact, skin on skin. Jackson did indeed love his Aaron, he loved everything about him: the sparkling blue eyes, the handsome face, the gorgeous smile, the athletic body. But, as physically appealing as Aaron was, there was more...so much more. The boyish charm, the sense of humour, the tough exterior which was reserved for the outside world, yet a loving, caring side hidden underneath: a side that only the privileged few ever got to see. Aaron was everything that Jackson had ever wanted.
Aaron had finally realised that he loved Jackson. The young builder was the only man that he had ever wanted to share a bed with. Jackson had helped him to come out, shown him that it was alright to be himself...his true self. He loved the dark, curly hair, the neat stubble, the wonderful, expressive face with gleaming white teeth and big, brown come-to-bed eyes. But, like Jackson, Aaron found so much more in his partner than just a physical attraction. Jackson was kind, patient, loving and so gorgeous in countless ways. He knew how lucky he had been to find such a wonderful bloke the first time he went looking. That first, nervous foray into a gay bar seemed a lifetime away now. In a way, it was indeed another lifetime, as Aaron had discovered a new life with his brilliant partner, a life far away from the frightened, angry teenager in denial. That was all in the past now and he could concentrate on a new future with his soul-mate by his side. It gave him solace and peace: things that he had never found before in his young life. Being with Jackson felt so right, like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle that had slotted into place to complete a picture.
For a short time, after they had shown their love to each other in the most intimate way possible, they just stared at the ceiling, calming down from the heights of passion that they had taken each other to. Aaron was first to speak, "I'm hungry now."
Jackson could not resist a sarcastic comment, even in such circumstances, "I'm not surprised...you've certainly been doing something to build up an appetite!"
Aaron looked at his partner, "I know: so have you! Wait a minute...we haven't eaten our eggs yet, have we?" So saying, he retrieved his own Easter egg from the bedside table, the egg that his lovely Jackson had given him. After unwrapping it, he broke a piece of chocolate off. Jackson expected his boyfriend to start feeding his own face but instead, Aaron offered the morsel to Jackson's lips and he bit into it with his teeth. Jackson then copied Aaron's actions, breaking off another piece of chocolate and feeding it to Aaron, who chuckled as he nearly took off Jackson's fingers with his bite. There was something sexy about feeding each other, like a secret ritual, only between themselves and excluding the rest of the world. They were happy, content and loved-up, no-one to interrupt them or spoil their moment of happiness.
"Happy Easter, babe," Jackson said, with a broad grin on his attractive face, "Love you."
Aaron was also grinning: he had never looked so handsome and relaxed, "Happy Easter, gorgeous...love you too."