The sun was peeking through the blinds into Jacob Andrews' bedroom. The beam of light shone directly in his face and Jacob knew it had to be close to noon for the sun to be shining in that window.
The first thing he noticed was his boyfriend Alex Yates clinging to his chest the same way they'd fallen asleep the night before. Then he felt the cool breeze on his damp chest and realized that the smaller boy was drooling on him yet again. He couldnt suppress a sleepy smile as he blinked repeatedly, trying to adjust his eyes. Alex always drooled on him, even though he swears he never does otherwise. If he only ever did when he slept with him, then Jacob was okay with that. It meant he was totally relaxed.
The next thing Jacob realized was how sore his body was, the result of a physical hard-fought victory on the field the previous night. He'd woken up sore on many Saturday and Sunday mornings throughout his pop Warner and high school football days but this was the first he woke up with his first boyfriend in his arms. Somehow, that helped ease the aches even if there was no medical reason for such a thing.
Jacob continued to lay still, letting Alex get a few more minutes of sleep before waking him up. He realized for the first time that the smaller boy seemed to whistle ever so quietly in his sleep everytime he inhaled. It was as endearing to him as his own quiet and low rumbling snores were to Alex.
Jacob turned his head and kissed his boyfriend on the top of his head. Alex stirred for the first time, letting out a groan as he came back to consciousness.
"Ugh, I did it again," Alex said in a sleepy voice that was soft but deeper than usual but he did not lift his head yet.
"Yeah, that's okay though baby," Jacob said sweetly.
He noted that the first time this had happened, Alex had been so embarrassed and flustered. This time, he seemed so much more comfortable with him. Alex finally lifted off of Jacob and stretched violently.
"Ahhhhh...how you feeling?" Alex asked him asked his he did.
"Pretty sore but better than I would be if you weren't here."
"Glad I could help babe," Alex responded as he leaned in for a good morning kiss. Both boys had morning breath but neither really cared.
The boys got up, got dressed and brushed their teeth before heading downstairs to the living room. Jacob's mom was sitting on the couch in the living room and smiled when the boys came down.
"Good morning sleeping beauties, you missed breakfast but I was just about to make some omelets for lunch. Y'all want one?" she asked the boys.
"Oh that sounds fantastic, Mrs. A!" Alex said enthusiastically as he and Jacob approached the couch.
Alex was feeling so comfortable with them, he didn't even realize how different he was being compared to the timid, quiet boy he'd been all through high school. The change wasn't missed by Jacob though. Upon hearing Alex answer his mom and seeing how at home Alex seemed to be, he realized Alex was so totally his. His heart belonged entirely to Jacob and Jacob only.
He couldn't help himself; he grabbed Alex from behind and pulled him onto his lap as he sat down on the single-person loveseat instead of the couch. Alex turned his head so that his cheek rested on Jacob's collarbone.
"I'll whip them up in just a moment then sweetie. How are you feeling this morning Jacob?" she asked her son.
"Very tight but nothing too crazy. Alex says I've got a big bruise on my back though."
"Maybe we should ice it after lunch. Good thing you guys won last night and clenched the first round bye this week!" she responded.
They sat and watched whatever Jacob's mom had on the TV for about fifteen minutes before they all headed into the kitchen. Jacob and Alex sat on the stools at the marble kitchen island as Mrs. A got the kitchen ready to fix the omelets.
"And Alex sweetie, I went out to the grocery store yesterday before the game and got everything I need to make you that manicotti tonight," she said brightly.
Alex had forgotten about her promise to make the dish his mom used to make for him. He felt so much gratitude as he thanked her.
After they enjoyed their omelets, they had Jacob lay on his stomach in the living room floor and put a couple ice packs on Jacob's broad, bruised back. Jacob was laid out flat with only his head propped up by a pillow. Alex sat Indian style at Jacob's head and played with his hair as they watched the big Clemson football game.
**********
Jacob, Alex and Mrs. A sat down for dinner at 6pm that night. Mrs. A sat at the head of the table with Alex and Jacob seated across from eachother. Alex rested his small size seven feet on top of Jacob's much larger size fifteens under the table. Alex smiled coyly at Jacob who puckered his lips as if to kiss him through the air.
The manicotti was delicious. Alex realized he couldn't remember how his mom's had tasted as it had been seven years since he last had it. Regardless, Alex greatly enjoyed everything Mrs. A had cooked for him thus far and this was no less scrumptious.
Much of the dinner conversation was about Alex's mom. Mrs. A wanted to know all about her and Jacob enjoyed Alex's face lighting up as he spoke about her.
"She traveled the world when she was young, modeling for all sorts of different agencies and brands. She met my dad while modeling in New York and eventually decided to retire from modeling to have me. Having a child back then was basically the end of your modeling career unless you were at the top apparently."
"Yeah, the world's definitely come a long way, but some pockets of society have a long way to go," Mrs. A said wisely.
"Yeah, she always said being a mom was the best thing that ever happened to her regardless. She used to play any game I wanted to and I always wanted to play hide and seek when I was really little. She was even able to get my dad to play with us all the time. Wow, that seems like a lifetime ago," Alex said, his face falling a little. For the first time, he felt a sadness wash over him.
Jacob noticed the slight change in his face and reached across the table, grabbing Alex's hand. Alex smiled ever so slightly to him, indicating that he would be okay.
"Well, I'm too old to be squatting down and hiding under beds but maybe me and you could find something to do in the afternoons while Jacob is at practice! I go for hikes all the time, I'm sure you would love it!" Mrs. A suggested sweetly.
Alex chuckled about her comment about hide and seek.
"Yeah, that would be great actually! Me and Dad don't really ever do anything anymore," Alex said honestly.
Mrs. A pursed her lips, clearly disapproving but refusing to speak ill of Alex's father in front of him. Alex could tell Jacob had told her about his father. He didn't mind though, he felt comfortable being open with both of them. After all, they had proven their trustworthiness.
"Actually, now that I think about it, Monday is my mom's birthday!" Alex remembered.
They continued talking long after their plates had been cleared. Mrs. A enjoyed a couple small glasses of wine and the conversation turned to much happier topics. They were laughing and having a great time.
Alex suddenly noticed Jacob looking at him with an odd expression on his face. It was almost as if he'd never seen Alex before, but found him mildly interesting. It made Alex feel a little self-conscious at first but he shrugged it off fairly quickly. He knew Jacob liked him and he didn't have to worry if he was acting too silly or something like that.
Alex helped Mrs. A clean up the kitchen while Jacob laid on the couch in the living room and waited for Alex to be done. When he finally was, Jacob led Alex back to his room.
As soon as the door was shut, he pulled Alex in close and began kissing him more softly than he'd ever kissed Alex before. There was passion behind the kiss, along with a neediness behind it. Jacob was stroking Alex's face as they kissed, Alex rubbing his sore lower back ever so gently.
This seemed to go on forever and when they finally broke apart, Jacob was looking at Alex in that weird way again. Alex just smiled up at the big jock, feeling breathless.
Jacob had Alex pick out a movie to watch and they cuddled up together in bed to watch. Alex, showing his cheesy side, had chosen Titanic. It was a long movie and it was romantic, perfect for cuddling with Jacob.
Jacob had unsurprisingly never seen it. He hadn't been born when the movie came out and, unlike Alex, wasn't the sensitive kind of boy who'd watch a sappy movie like that on his own. Within the first thirty minutes of the movie, Jacob was kissing Alex's neck and gently rubbing his foot on Alex's.
Alex was thoroughly enjoying the affection, so much so that he didn't even get frustrated when Jacob would occasionally ask for plot points he would have known had he been watching the movie closer. Eventually, though, Jacob got sucked into the movie and started watching it intently while still holding Alex close to him.
As the movie progressed into the tragedy it was, Alex teared up like he always did to the scene of the elderly couple laying together just like he and Jacob were as their room filled with water.
Jacob couldn't suppress a smile when he saw his sensitive boyfriend so emotional and kissed him gently on his cheek before wiping the tears away. His girlfriends had cried while watching movies with him but there was something beautiful about Alex's crying. Maybe it was the fact that Alex was obviously a boy but so in tune with his emotions in a way Jacob could never be.
When the moment came for Rose to let Jack go, Jacob couldn't stay silent anymore.
"Damn, Jack was a real one wasn't he...froze to death to give a girl he'd only known for a few days a better chance to live," said Jacob.
"Yeah, thats true love right there...crazy how quickly they fell in love," said Alex.
There was an oddly heavy silence that fell between them before...
"You know, I'd do that for you..." Jacob said, barely above a whisper.
Alex turned to look at Jacob, faces mere inches from eachother. Alex was no longer teary-eyed but his eyes had that recently reddish tint to them. He didn't say anything but just looked curiously at Jacob. Jacob closed his eyes.
"Because...I love you, Alex," Jacob said timidly.
