When Chris woke up, Darren had already set to work making breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast for them both. It was more like lunchtime, but hey, they were on vacation, so time didn't really matter. "We really need to talk," Chris commented, as he drank the coffee Darren had given him when he'd taken a seat at the kitchen counter. "Seriously, I'm not kidding Darren," Chris said when Darren didn't say anything. "We've only been together a little over 48 hours and already I feel like I've been to hell and back, twice in fact and I'm pretty sure you probably feel much the same."
Darren gave a sigh as he passed Chris his breakfast, sitting to join him at the counter. "I know." He sighed again. "Who knew relationships could be so complicated." Darren shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth. "What happened to the 'us' who used to goof around, watch a few movies, bicker about trivial things and throw popcorn at each other? Everything's got so damn serious..."
Chris worried his bottom lip. "I don't want to lose all that either. I've always loved spending time with you."
Darren reached across the counter to squeeze Chris' hand. "I want all that and more. I'm not just talking about sex... I just want to be able to hold your hand when we go out together, or for us to be able to walk along with our arms round each other...simple things really. Now I feel like I'm being told who I'm allowed to have a relationship with." Darren looked down at his unfinished breakfast, frowning.
Chris couldn't bear to see Darren so despondent. He got off his stool and moved round to Darren's side of the counter, wrapping his arms around Darren's neck as Darren swivelled his stool to face Chris.
"We'll work this out Darren." Chris gave a shuddery breath against Darren's neck. "We can be careful while we're out and about here in New York, I mean everyone already knows we're friends. Then when we get back to work we can see Ryan, explain to him that there's no way we want to keep our relationship secret and work out when he thinks it'll be a suitable time for us to start being seen out together. Hopefully he'll have calmed down a bit by then too."
"I wish we didn't have to wait," Darren pouted hugging Chris tightly. "But I could go for that, I guess." They pressed their lips together, breakfast forgotten for the moment.
"I think I got it all out of proportion after speaking to Ryan yesterday. I just felt angry and fearful at the same time , and I panicked... I'm truly sorry. You've no idea how much I regret what I said." Darren ran his hand gently through Chris' hair, looking him in the eyes.
"Oh I think I do know...Just as I know I seem to over react to anything that happens between us. We've both got to learn to talk to each other and not get in these ridiculous situations." Chris moved in to press his lips firmly against Darren's, needily demanding entry with his tongue, causing Darren to whimper as Chris deepened the kiss.
Chris Colfer was going to be the death of Darren - for sure.
They kept a respectful distance from each other as they walked along. They'd decided to go Christmas shopping partly to get out of the apartment, as apart from getting something for each other, there was no other urgent christmas shopping that needed to be done now that they weren't seeing Chris' family until a few days after Christmas.
"Can we just go somewhere?" Darren asked after they'd been shopping for a while, shoving his hands in his pockets sulkily. "I'm finding this harder than I thought. Probably because I'm 25 years old and feel like I'm being treated like a child."
"I know, I didn't think it would be so hard." Chris looked over at Darren as they walked. "Why don't we go for a coffee somewhere not too obvious.? I need to write a list for things I still need to get, even if I don't get everything today."
Darren relaxed a little at Chris' suggestion. "Let's try down a side street - find somewhere slightly out of the way.."
"Maybe we could just go in this stationers first - I want to get my sister a journal."
"No." Darren spoke firmly. Coffee first, baby. More shopping after." Darren's pupils were dark as he stared at Chris' lips.
Chris' stomach flipped at Darren calling him 'baby'. Suddenly he didn't care about shopping. He was about to suggest going back to the apartment when Darren spotted a potential coffee shop further down the road they'd turned into.
They found a table tucked away right in the back corner of the coffee shop. It was actually perfect with big comfortable chairs and low lighting. Chris moved to sit opposite the seat that Darren had leapt into once they'd ordered their coffees. Darren shook his head. "No."
Chris looked up. "No?"
"Come and sit with me - we can cuddle."
"Is there room?"
"Yeah. Come here."
Chris moved round to Darren's side of the table, leaning to kiss him chastely on the lips, before squeezing himself into the soft chair beside Darren.
"Do you know what you want for Christmas?" Chris asked Darren slightly hesitantly, as Darren looped his arm over Chris' shoulder, "Only.. if you don't, I've had an idea." Chris leant his head against Darren's shoulder.
"Do tell," Darren whispered close to Chris' ear, wrapping his arm around Chris' shoulder, pulling him in closer. Chris could feel Darren smiling against his ear.
"Darren, I know how your mind's working, and it has nothing to do with sex." Chris hit Darren playfully on the arm.
"O..k..ay."
"I just thought we could decide on a Broadway show we both want to see and buy each other a ticket - maybe for tomorrow if we can get tickets. What do you think?"
"If it's not going to be sex ..then I think that's a great idea. What d'you fancy seeing, baby?" Darren purred.
Chris was seriously having trouble thinking straight. "Um, I was thinking, how about 'Once'? I really want to see that." Chris turned to look at Darren, who'd been kissing Chris' neck gently while he'd been talking. "Seriously Darren, if you don't stop doing that our 'keeping things a secret' plan is going to go wrong."
"No one can see us here, plus we're not doing anything to draw attention to ourselves, are we? Darren ran his fingers through the hair at the nape over Chris' neck.
"No Darren," Chris said quietly through slightly gritted teeth, "but if you keep doing that, I'm going to end up straddling your lap with my head flung back - it's really turning me on. So that won't be discreet will it?"
Darren was quiet for a few seconds. "Sorry, you're right." Darren held back a small smile. "We certainly can't have that. Well we can...later."
"Anyway," Darren got himself back on track, "'Once' is a great idea. I love that song from it - 'Falling Slowly', I sang it at a thing with Lea recently in fact."
"Yeah I saw you two on YouTube - it is a great song. We should try singing it together sometime."
"We definitely should," Darren whispered, still close to Chris' ear, his sexy tone sending a shiver down Chris' spine. "Actually talking of Lea, maybe she can get us tickets for 'Once'. She knows someone in the show I seem to remember."
"Won't she be suspicious. You know, wonder why we're together for Christmas."
"Well I don't have to tell her it's for you and me. Although she already thinks we're 'together'. She's always on about it."
"Really!"
"Really. In fact everyone pretty much does. Probably because we spend so much time together, I don't know. So I don't think many people will be surprised when they do find out. I think we've been a bit obvious actually - to everyone but ourselves." Darren smiled at Chris' shocked face. "Or maybe I've been a bit obvious to everyone but you."
Chris lay sprawled on the couch, his naked body warm underneath the cosiest of blankets. He should really get dressed but at the moment he felt too sated to move.
He could hear the distant noise of Darren making them both a late dinner, singing quietly to himself while he cooked. Chris could get used to the simple domesticity of this.
Darren had phoned Lea from the coffee shop earlier about the show tickets. She'd called back later to confirm she'd pulled a few strings and got them second row seats for the next day (Christmas Eve). Chris was beyond excited. Somehow Lea had known it was Chris accompanying Darren without him telling her - maybe Darren was right, perhaps they had been obvious to everyone else. They had for now sworn her to secrecy, briefly explaining the Ryan situation.
After the phone call, Darren had been keen for them to get back to the apartment. Just minutes after getting home from shopping, Chris had been naked on all fours on the rug in the lounge, crying out as Darren teased him mercilessly. By the time he'd been allowed to come, his thighs had been shaking uncontrollably with the strain of spreading them so wide for so long.
This was swiftly followed by round two which had Chris pressed up against the tiles in the shower, his legs wrapped around Darren's waist. Then swiftly after that there had been unashamedly an hour and a half of foreplay leading up to round three after Chris' towel had slipped off while drying himself off. Needless to say, Chris was now blissfully exhausted.
Chris didn't know where Darren got his energy from. There was no way on earth Chris would have been in any fit state to get up off the couch and make dinner - they'd starve if it were down to him. He hadn't even found the strength to haul himself into the bedroom to find his pjs yet. He'd just close his eyes for five minutes..
The next thing Chris knew Darren was shaking him gently awake. "Hey Chris, dinner's ready." Chris eased his eyes open to see Darren kneeling on the floor beside him, holding his pjs. "I thought you might want to put these on." Darren offered him the clothes.
"You're so sweet to me," Chris crooned sleepily, trying to sit up. Darren pulled him up, helping him slip on his pjs before he got cold.
"Shall we eat here on the couch? I'm not sure if you'll make it to the table," Darren smirked.
"Alright, show off. Just because you never get tired.."
"You choose a movie - I'll go and get the food, darling." Darren kissed Chris on the forehead before going back to the kitchen to serve up their dinner.
Chris looked over at the small pile of movies Darren had brought with him to New York, his stomach full of butterflies at Darren's words. Not 'Moulin Rouge' he thought as he looked at the titles- he'd cried enough lately. He wobbled over and picked out 'Aladdin', nothing too intense, and quickly set it up so he could start it as soon as Darren came back with the food.
As an afterthought, Chris decided to go and get them drinks to have with food. Darren might be finding his ability to do nothing endearing at the moment, but the novelty might wear off eventually. However, super guy, Darren, had already got that organised. So Chris just brought over the bottle of wine and glasses that Darren had put out in the counter, pouring them both a glass after sitting back on the couch.
Darren came over with the pasta and chicken he'd put together and Chris hadn't realised how hungry he was. If he thought about it, they hadn't really eaten that much all day. They'd come home from shopping thinking they'd make themselves some food as soon as they got in. It was now four hours after they'd come home that they were eventually eating.
Chris blushed profusely, when he remembered what they had been doing when they came home to the apartment. Darren's hand rubbed the top of Chris' thigh, as Darren looked over at him. God, he was sure Darren must be able to read his mind - he was looking at Chris so intensely. "Chris," Darren spoke low, still looking at him, "this has all been fantastic.. And when we made love after the shower, that was something else. Really.. The best ever."
Chris grinned, still blushing furiously. "It was kind of good, wasn't it," he giggled. He could see Darren's eyes - the pupils darkened. Maybe he could read Darren's mind, as well as Darren being able to read his mind.
Chris nudged Darren with his elbow, startling him slightly. "Watch the movie," he told Darren looking straight ahead at the television. Seriously, there was no way Chris had the energy for anything else right now.
"Later, Colfer," Darren mumbled, his mouthful of pasta.
"Uh huh," Chris shook his head. "I need sleep!"
"You've had a nap already, now eat up.."
(Thanks for reading)