Page 12

Chapter seven

Combination reaction: a chemical reaction in which two reactants combine to produce one product.

“ T he May Ball.”

He nods.

I must sit there for an absolute age, staring at him and trying to make sense of what I’ve just realised. “You came to talk to me in the sunken garden.”

“I did.”

“You… you came out to me.”

Luke smiles cautiously. “You were the first person I told, Charlie. I’d had my eye on you for a while before that, even though we didn’t know each other very well at all. I’d always thought… well, I’d always thought you were very nice, and wished that we’d known each other a little better.”

“Oh.” I don’t even know what to say for a long moment. “You… I didn’t manage to find you for the rest of the night.”

He looks inexplicably pleased. “You stayed then - I always wondered.” He shakes his head.

“My friend - Lucy, I don’t think you knew her - managed to get her foot caught in a tree root and land oddly.

Her ankle was the size of a melon by the time I found her, and I ended up dragging her over to the first aid tent while she tried to tell me she could tough it out.

I ended up spending the rest of the night waiting with her at Addenbrooke's Hospital A it's just whatever we want, when we want it. "

"How about… I figure out something to make from the food in the kitchen and we find an old movie to watch?"

"Good plan." Luke grins, and generally looks so adorable that I just have to lean forward and kiss him again.

I end up making cheese and ham toasties with tinned tomato soup - I make a mental note to stock up on more food options now that I have someone else to share meals with - and we put on a generic 2000s action movie that both of us have seen before to watch while we eat.

We end up talking over most of the movie, alternately poking fun at bits of the movie that don’t make sense and sharing previous experiences and stories.

Quite a bit after the food has been consumed and as the movie’s sequel has automatically started playing, I realise that we’ve gradually shifted so that he’s more or less lying on top of me, hands slowly roaming across my body and lips grazing mine.

Neither of us have glanced at the TV screen in ages.

One of his hands has been exploring below the belt, gently palming the bulge straining under the front of my joggers and then sliding around my waist to trace the curves of my arsecheeks.

I can feel his own erect length pressing against my thigh, and as I tentatively reach down to grasp it he lets out a breathy noise that has my dick twitching in my briefs.

I squirm and gasp as his hand slips under my joggers.

“Not too fast,” I warn him in a broken whisper. “It really has been a long time.”

There’s something wolfish about his smile as he bends down to slip his tongue into my mouth again.

“I know.” He trails a line of kisses across my cheek to my ear, and I buck against him.

“As you once said, there are loads of firsts to experience, and I’m going to make sure we take our time to enjoy them thoroughly. ”

“Oh yeah?” I nearly swallow my tongue as he gently closes his teeth over my earlobe.

“Very, very thoroughly.” His eyes are dark as he captures my gaze. “Shall we take this to the bedroom? You’re looking a little… overdressed.”

“You too,” I manage to get out. “I… whoa!” I yelp as he sits up, and with barely any effort, lifts me into his arms.

“Sorry.” Luke grins down at me, not looking at all sorry. He carries me into my bedroom, and deposits me lightly onto my rumpled bed sheets.

As promised, we take our time. Clothes come off slowly, as we uncover and reveal new parts of ourselves to each other.

Hands stroke, clasp, grip. Mouths kiss, suck, nip.

I take a few minutes to tangle my hands in the tuft of wiry blond hair on his chest. Luke finds out that the insides of my thighs are incredibly sensitive, and pauses his explorations to press light kisses to them and listen to my strangled moans.

I peel off his tight boxer briefs before he gets to my own underwear.

He rests compliantly against the head of the bed, looking down at me as I run eager fingers over the thick pillar of his erection and gently tug at his heavy balls.

I glance up at his face through my eyelashes, enjoying his look of ecstasy as I slide both hands up and down his length.

He threads a gentle hand through my hair as I rest my lips over the tip of his cock, not pushing, just letting me suckle at it while I build up the confidence to take more of it into my mouth.

I can’t get the last third of it down - it has been a while, and he’s big - and after the second time I gag he tugs at my shoulders, shifting me up to press a firm kiss to my lips.

“I think I can do it,” I insist stubbornly.

Luke smiles. “We’re enjoying our firsts, poppet. Here, it’s my turn now.” He pulls my briefs down slowly..

“I’m already super close,” I warn him urgently as he clasps my dick, which is straining upwards, moist with precome.

“Good.” He pushes me back onto my haunches and starts moving his head down towards my hard-on, starting a series of firm strokes as his other hand closes around my buttcheek, the tip of his middle finger grazing against my clenched hole.

“Luke - fuh… fuck…” I groan as I unload string after string of come onto the hair on his chest. He halts in his descent, looking surprised for a second before he resumes the rapid milking of my cock, until finally I have to put a hand on his to stop him as I get too sensitive.

As I catch my breath, I give him a sheepish smile. “I did say I was super close.”

He looks down at the mess I’ve made on his chest, then up at me.

I yelp as the world spins, and suddenly I’m on my back and he’s straddling my thighs, jacking himself off with urgent strokes.

“Fucking hell, Charlie,” he gasps. “That was so hot.” He rubs his heavy erection against my belly. “I’m going to…”

“Do it,” I demand, reaching up to grasp his meaty, firm thighs. “On me.”

He groans loudly, arches up, and paints my entire torso with his heated spend. The sight of him looming over me, flooding my chest and belly with his sticky release, is so hot that my softening cock twitches one last time, making a valiant effort to stand.

Luke lowers himself gently onto me, making sure not to crush me, and kisses me lightly. His wiry chest hair scratches against my nipples. “That was brilliant.”

“Absolutely fucking amazing,” I agree dreamily. I wrap my legs around his thighs. “You know we’re going to stick together if we don’t move soon.”

He chuckles. “I honestly can’t bring myself to care right now.” He rubs his nose against mine. “We can shower in a bit.”

“Together?” I ask hopefully.

“Of course, poppet.” The rakish smile reappears. “After all, I have a feeling that you’re in need of a very thorough scrubbing.”

I wrinkle my nose, pretending to be offended. “Hey. Are you saying that I look dirty?”

“My apologies, I shouldn’t have assumed.

I think I’ll just have to carry out an inspection and find out,” he replies, and I can’t help but laugh, pressing my sweaty forehead against his as I relish the feeling of being entwined with this remarkable man; body, mind and soul.

This wonderful man, who’d flitted into my life a decade ago and left a permanent imprint; who has kept a little piece of me in his heart, and in showing it to me now, has restored something to me I thought I’d lost.

I’ve never been particularly spiritual, and I don’t really buy into karma or fate, but - and maybe this is all the post-coital hormones talking - but something about this feels…

inevitable. As if, even if Will hadn’t set us up, even if Luke hadn’t moved up to Manchester, our paths would still have crossed sooner or later.

And whatever happens next, is exactly what is meant to happen.

Luke tweaks my nose gently. I blink, and look at him. “Hello, poppet. Where did you drift off to there?”

I shrug, not knowing how to tell him what I’ve been thinking without it sounding way too serious too quickly. “I’m just… really happy,” I confess, shy in a way that seems ludicrous given what we’ve just been doing together.

Those warm green eyes seem to see all the thoughts that I’m not ready to put into words. “Me too, Charlie. Me too.”