Since You've Been Gone. (boyxboy)

Chapter 6: Bedroom talk

"You were the only one."

☆

Molly quickly steps aside to allow Jasper to enter. "O...of course." She is a little taken by surprise, as she turns to see the two males looking at each other. "Are you sure you're both going to be ok on your own?" She says warily, unsure if she should leave them by themselves.

"Don't worry Molly. I won't hit him."

"And I won't fuck him." Thomas adds with a laugh, though the humour was maybe a little out of place.

Molly sighs. "Just don't damage the bedroom." And with that, she closes the door behind them.

They stay just as they are for a moment, until Thomas pats the space on the bedspread next to him. "Don't be shy Jas. I'll behave." He gives off a wicked smile, but Jasper isn't playing.

He takes a couple of strides towards the bed and sits next to Thomas, making the bed creak once again. "Just say what you need to say Tom, then fuck off." Jasper's gaze remains fixed on his old trainers, too scared to look at the man next to him. The man who still after all this time, made him feel like a lovestruck teen all over again.

Thomas gazes at Jasper's profile. He hadn't changed that much since he last saw him. He hated the fact that the guy looked even more handsome than before. Thomas had half hoped time would have been unkind, but Jasper seemed to have bloomed into a handsome being. "Can you at least look at me?" Thomas utters low.

Jasper feels himself holding his breath as if counting down to a pinnacle moment. He turns his head towards Thomas and for the first time, in so long they look deep into each other's eyes.

As Thomas finds himself getting lost in those cocoa brown eyes, he didn't realise until that moment how deep their connection was. Was it even this intense the first time around? Or did absence really make the heart grow fonder. He cannot take it anymore, his good intentions were in danger of being replaced by bad decisions if he didn't break the stare. Thomas gets up from the bed and walks over to the window. He sees that handy escape route of a tree, still standing proud. He sighs as he puts his hands into his pockets. "I just want to say that I'm happy for you Jas. That's all. I'm happy for you and Beth and...." Thomas forces himself to turn back around. He sees Jasper sitting a little further back on the bed to look at him. "I'm sorry I left you hanging."

Jasper raises an upturned palm at the words he was hearing. He snorts out a sarcastic laugh. "What...that's it? You're happy for me and you're... sorry?" He now gets up from the bed, making his way over to Thomas at the window. "What about the promise we made to each other huh? I waited for you, but you disappeared. Even Molly wouldn't tell me where you were or give me your number, saying she had to respect your wishes. Were you avoiding me?"

"No Jas." Thomas pulls both his hands down his travel weary face. "We were kids. We really were. Even me. I still am. Look at me. No home, no money, nothing. You have it all. I did you a favour."

Jasper takes a step towards Thomas. It makes Thomas feel aware of every action Jasper was taking, as if his nerves were tingling. "Is that the real reason?"

Thomas sighs, feeling defeated. "You have a life now Jas, a good one, you wouldn't have had that with me."

"You never gave us a chance." Jasper mumbles. "But you're right. I have a baby on the way, I'm gonna be a dad and I am not going to be like my own dad and disappear."

"That's the spirit." Thomas smiles. He gives Jasper a hearty slap on the back. It causes Jasper to smile back. He matches the friendly gesture and before they know it, they are embracing like long lost friends. "I missed you Jas." Thomas utters into his ear as the friendly slaps stop, with the hug getting tighter.

"I missed you too Tom." Jasper whispers back. He buries his face a little into Thomas' sweater. That smell... it takes him all the way back to his youth. He pulls his head away, just a fraction, with Thomas doing the same. Still caught in the embrace, their eyes meet. Faces so close, all Jasper needed to do was to lean in, just a little....

"So, you're getting married to a woman." Thomas suddenly says, raising an eyebrow, accompanied with a smile." The words catch Jasper off guard and bring him back from his wandering thoughts.

Jasper pulls away a little, furrowing his brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ok, I'm sorry. I guess I just assumed because we did what we did, you may have been..."

"You were the only one." Jasper interrupts.

"What?"

"You heard me, you were the only one, the only man I've been close to." Jasper sees the look of smugness on Thomas' face, but he is determined to wipe it off. "I guess in the end your cock just wasn't enough for me."

Thomas turns hard faced as he stares into Jasper's eyes. They are literally nose to nose. "Liar."

Jasper feels the intensity of the closeness between them, it felt dangerous. He pushes Thomas with enough force that Thomas takes a step back. "I guess you will never know." He clears his throat. "I think we're done here." Jasper says, before heading towards the bedroom door.

Thomas waits and wonders if Jasper will turn around, just a glance, anything. But the male just reaches out for the handle, turns it and leaves the bedroom, with the door making a firm bang as it closes behind him. Thomas pushes his tongue into his right cheek, emitting a sarcastic chuckle. "Fair play. I lost."