Page 12

Liam

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH

Liam’s eyes cracked open at the first sound of something distinctly not right. His sleep-sogged brain caught up to him at the sharp inhale of breath from the other side of the room. He pushed his head up and squinted into the darkness to see Jonah twisting against his sheets.

Another nightmare—or whatever it was that had seized him that first night Liam had spent with him. He flipped on the table lamp and, just like that night, approached Jonah’s bed. The outward display of panic didn’t seem to have escalated quite as much as last time, and Liam was determined to pull him out of it before he got to that point.

“Hey,” he said, placing a palm against Jonah’s shoulder. The movement stilled under his touch, just briefly, before he jerked again, a soft whimper escaping. “It’s alright.”

He raised his voice enough to hopefully puncture his unconsciousness.

“You’re okay, Jonah, it’s just a dream.”

When his eyes shot open, wide and bloodshot, it was with a choked-off gasp, as if the air was caught in his throat. It evidently only served to exacerbate the panic, because Jonah’s hand shot up to clasp Liam’s wrist; not in an effort to push him away, but a desperate, silent plea for help.

“Breathe,” Liam instructed, his own voice coming out mercifully more steady than he felt. “Try and take a deep breath for me.”

Jonah nodded, the fingers around Liam’s wrist clamping tighter.

“There you go.” Liam nodded, rubbing his thumb over Jonah’s shoulder. “Again.”

This time he breathed with him, both of them filling their lungs together. The tension in Jonah’s body visibly receded on the exhale, his grip on Liam’s hand falling away. Liam followed suit, dropping his palm to the mattress. He let Jonah take a few more full breaths before attempting to speak.

“You okay?” he asked, finally.

There was only a moment of hesitation before Jonah nodded. Liam could read the transparent apology written all over his face, in his flushed cheeks and downcast gaze, and he thought he might physically lose his dinner if he had to hear that boy say he was sorry for what just happened.

Instead, he spoke up before Jonah could, letting the words fall from his mouth without much filter. “Do you want to sleep with me?”

His mouth popped open.

“Not, like...I just meant, did it make it better last time? Having someone next to you afterward? ”

At least Jonah wasn’t blushing alone now, but if he was at all perturbed by Liam’s question, he did a great job of masking it. His eyes flitted back up to Liam’s, shinier this time and even redder than they had been before.

“God, that’s...That was a stupid thing to suggest. Just, never mind. Are you—?”

“Please.”

Liam blinked. “Please?”

“It did help,” Jonah admitted.

Liam was nodding before his brain could fully catch up. “Okay,” he said. “Yeah, let’s...yeah.”

He stood from his crouch, ignoring the pop in his knee, and hovered uncertainly beside the bed. Jonah wriggled back a few inches, making room and pulling the sheet back with him. Liam pulled one long leg into the bed, then the other.

“Is this alright?” he asked softly, one hand hovering over the edge of the blanket. The tears that had gathered moments earlier were running silently down the side of Jonah’s face, over the bridge of his nose and dripping onto the pillow. Oh, Jonah.

“Tell me what you need,” he whispered.

Jonah pressed his lips together and stared back at him. “This is okay,” he said. “This is good.”

Liam settled into his own pillow, shifting around to try and get comfortable without knocking into him.

“Do you want the light on?” Liam thought to ask before reaching back for the switch.

He shook his head. “Go ahead. ”

Darkness draped over them at the flick of a switch and Liam settled back into his spot. There was quiet for a long moment, save for the whispers of fabric as one or both of them shifted, the soft groan of the spring mattress beneath them.

“Thank you.” Jonah’s voice pierced the quiet.

Liam’s throat tightened. He couldn’t even trust his own voice enough to manage a hum of acknowledgement, so instead he nodded against the pillow, hoping that even in the darkness Jonah could feel his response.