NICHOLAS: I couldn’t believe it was his touch until I lifted my arm to feel it. ‘Don’t get ahead of yourself, idiot. It is just a sleeping cuddle from a sleeping person.’ I was near to believing my subconscious self and his warnings when I felt Greg move his palm, caressing my arm. ‘Don’t get excited, stupid. Greg sleeps so freely.’ Then I felt his movement and adjustment on my nape. ‘Don’t try it. Don’t react; you clot. Greg is sleep-moving.’ His soft kisses came on me, making me shiver and twitch. ‘Don’t make a fool of us. Hold it in.’ Greg tendered more kisses on my neck. “I miss you,” he breathed, and I shut my eyes and clenched my hands, trying to listen to my subconscious self, not to disappoint us. ‘Good. Hold it in. Greg is sleep kissing and talking.’ Greg kissed my ears and plastered kisses all over the parts of my body he could access, moaning as he went. ‘What now?’ I asked my subconscious self, who I know is as confused as me. Greg traced his hand all over my b
NICHOLAS: “Hmmm.” I perceived amidst sleep. The scent was comforting and alluring. I have no one beside me but Greg, and I wonder why he would exude freshness when I still smell of cum. “Nice!” I reached for his hand with closed eyes and brought it to my nose. “Did you use a perfume?” “I did,” he said. The voice came deeper than I knew. But since it was a morning call, who cares for a clear voice? “Hmmm,” I kept sniffing and kissing his hand as I went on. “How did you get one?” “From my closet.” Huh? Closet? I blinked open to see my Greg, only to be furnished with Dr. Ray squatting before me, grinning like the Joker. “Holy shit!” I dropped his arm in disgust and sprang to my feet to his laughter. “Why did you….?” “Good morning.” I watched his laughter turn into a snigger. His eyes remained steady and stuck below me despite my celerity. “Fuvk you, Ray!” I stumbled upon the discarded clothes on the floor to cover up, causing more amusement for the old-ass doctor. “What the fu
NICHOLAS:“Are you alright?” He mouthed.I walked to a corner and stood perplexed, giving no ear to Greg’s concern.“Hi.”“Hi.” Dr. Waldeen responded to Ray with her gaze tight and rigid, pronouncing her not being happy to see me.“Please,” Ray guided her to his inner space, drawing the curtain against us.“Nicholas,” Greg came closer. “What is wrong?”“You!” Acting ignorant of his action put me off. “Nothing.” But I said. I am a thief. It is not wrong if I went in cuffs.“I am sorry I didn’t tell you beforehand.”I walked past him and out of the door. I entered Elena’s ward; if I am going into the cops' car, whose sirens I am hearing now, I will have to see Elena and warn her to stay alive.“Nicholas?”I tilted my neck to the voice of Greg behind me. I shut my eyes to endure his presence but couldn’t help it. I couldn’t stand his betrayal and caring attitude.“I want to be alone.”“What is wrong? You are being strange.”“Strange?” I burst against my intention, making him jump in fear.
NICHOLAS:Dr. Waldeen didn’t forget to complain about our absence from school and ordered our return to the city as soon as possible. But we had other plans.Greg suggested we spend more days in the countryside, and I saw it as a good decision and a perfect time to introduce him to my parents other than Ray.I will miss Ray. The inability to meet Dr. Saint before leaving the clinic made it sad, but I will have to bear it until I repay him a visit. Yes, I will come back to their shitty clinic to spend time with them, as always. I love and value them. I may not have said it, but they are the parents I lost years ago.“You can clear the wardrobe too,” Ray said in a disguised fear of the possibility I would take all my belongings.When he saw me folding D’caprias’ uniform into an old leather bag, he paraded the ward, sweating in worry. “Why should I?”“You know, since it is goodbye from here.”I knew he was scared of not seeing me again.“Do you at any chance miss me already?”“No!”I kn
GREG:“Good night,” Nicholas whispered and I clutched the jumper to suppress my desperation.I didn’t want it to be a good night. I wanted him to lie beside me, hold me, and maybe, do it with me. Yet I was too unsure to say it.I listened to his footsteps walking out of the greenhouse, and after a few minutes, I heard splashes from the lake.The movement of the water told me he was having a late swim. I could tell it wasn’t because of his prone to water and swims, but his little way of avoiding me, of wanting me to sleep ahead.I understand he needs time alone. His sister is the only meaningful thing to him in this clock frame. But I want him with me. I yearn for his touch.He may want the same, whereas it would be a freak denial to act blind to how important Elena is to him and his subtle to think of nothing else.He stole for her. He wanted nothing but to save her, and that is what I should do before heeding my desires.“Gregory!” Mum answered on the first beep.“Mum.”“What is going
GREG:I watched Nicholas enter a far-situated door with a gent’s sign crafted on the wall above it. It gave me some re-touch; maybe I was overthinking. But when I finished another glass of beer without seeing him walking back to me, I had a fresh reflex that I was neglecting the obviousness that Nicholas may have roaches in his jar.‘You are overthinking,’ the caution came again.To believe I gulped the previous glass way too fast, I signaled the waiter, and she brought another.I snailed on it. I sipped it on every hour, and when I emptied it, I knew it was time I faced my doubt and acted upon my suspicions.On a flexible walk-through, despite the alcohol intake, I found my steps to that door and before the puffy bouncers stationed on both sides.I noticed these men minutes after Nicholas went in. I didn’t think much of them. I know nothing about local bars and their principles. They might be there for security incline.Except they advanced to block me out, which turned out serious
NICHOLAS:“He couldn’t stop weeping, Nicholas. You broke him into a mess. He deserves so much more, you know.”I know about it. I do not need anyone to remind me of how unfairly I treated Rahul. I am conversant of every shit I caused him, and I am fuvking sorry about it.“He is such a darling.”“So you weren’t dumb and blind?” I bowed before the glass of water on the counter, the only approved liquid during working hours, exasperated and guilt-ridden, and Janie stood behind it, wiping bottles of wine off their dust.“I hope he is alright.”“What do you care?”“Don't make me the Lucifer.”“I could tag him better, yeah," She loosened her apron and dropped it on the counter in anger. "At least, I've got a pumping heart.""Whatever! It is your loss though. Big loss!”Janie’s condemnation is prominent, but if compared, I have gained something superior, so her bashes hole no place in me.As I thought, Rahul wasn’t in the country. “He’d temporarily moved to Columbia,” Janie confirmed.I may
NICHOLAS:His pouting remained until we got to my apartment. He transferred all aggression to the things I shared with Rahul. He packed them with mockery and defeat. He abandoned them in the donation boxes, contacted the charity agency, and laid them on the kitchen counter for pick up.Thankfully, he said nothing about the bracelet. I have, however, taken it off my wrist and placed it in the gift box it came with and kept in my wardrobe. When Greg saw the bracelet in its keep, he looked at it for minutes, weighing if he should discard it, but decided to let it be and took his remaining aggression on every piece of my underwear emblazoned with Rahul’s face and scoffed as he wrapped them up in a bag.“I will go incinerate them.” I offered to escape his furious face and leave him in the apartment for a while.“No, thanks. I want to watch them burn.”“Jesus, don’t be so scary.”“Are you asking to burn along?”“I will keep shut now.”Well, his mood has lightened up. It went better when the