The Gears In My Mind Are Turning Like Dancers - Chapter 15 {Cobra Starship, The Academy Is...}
William woke up the next morning instantly confused. Since he hadn’t been drunk, he wasn’t hung over, and he knew right away that he wasn’t in his own apartment in his own bed. The second thing that he realized was that he wasn’t wearing anything at all, aside from the bed sheet that was draped over him. The third thing that he realized was that he was alone in a double bed. The fourth thing that he realized was that he and Gabe had had sex; sober, casual sex with absolutely no predefined parameters of a relationship. The fifth thing that William realized was that he had broken his most important personal rule: “don’t have sex with someone unless you KNOW where you stand.”
“Fuck.” William rolled over, looking at the empty half of the bed. He frowned as he looked at the pillow that Gabe had been using. It was white, but there was black writing on it. He sighed, reaching over to the bedside table to grab his glasses, but of course they weren’t there - he had worn contacts and his glasses case was in the pocket of his sweatshirt. He pulled the sheet around his waist before grabbing his sweatshirt, removing his glasses and putting them on, looking at the note written directly on the pillow case.
Went to get coffee and breakfast. If you wake up, please don’t leave. I want to talk to you. -Gabe.
William smiled to himself. At least Gabe hadn’t said ‘lock the door on your way out, catch you in another life.’ William lay back, wondering why Gabe had written on his pillow with a sharpie, while waiting for the older man to get back.
“Hey.” Gabe smiled at William as he walked into the room. “I didn’t know you wore glasses.” He sat down on the edge of the bed, handing William a cup of coffee.
“I only wear them when I don’t have easy access to my contacts.” He shrugged. “But I carry them everywhere in case of emergencies and stuff…you know.” William accepted the coffee, taking a large gulp. “This is good,” he mused.
“I know, I got it from this place down the street. Best coffee in the world and best donuts.” He held up a bag. “Are you hungry.”
“A little.” William nodded. He wasn’t opposed to eating, but more than anything, he was curious to know where he and Gabe stood; what kind of a night the previous night had been. “Look, like your note said, I think we need to talk.”
“Yeah.” Gabe agreed, setting the bag of donuts down on the bed. “About last night?”
“Yeah.” William looked down, turning the coffee cup in his hands.
“I’m not really sure what to say,” Gabe admitted. “I mean I never do this.”
“What is ‘this,’ exactly?” William asked, hoping that all of his questions would be answered by Gabe’s reply.
“Have sex with people I actually know.” Gabe bit his lip. Because of his job, he had always tried to avoid attachment - all of his intimate actions since he had started his fieldwork had been one night stands with people he picked up at clubs.
“Oh.” William frowned. Gabe’s answer had not only cleared up nothing, but made him wonder more and more whether he had made a terrible choice the night before.
“I mean I just don’t get to know that many people in my line of work, it’s been easier in the past to have someone for one night and one night only and then never see them again or even really bother to learn their name.” He shrugged. “With you, it was different.”
“Different…how?” William bit down on his lip, feeling the metallic taste of his own blood.
“The whole time I was with you last night, both at dinner and…afterwards, I was thinking about how I had possibly let anyone work their way into my life enough to actually be friends and then it escalated and I kept wondering what the fuck I was doing.”
“What were you doing?” William pressed.
“Acting on my own, real feelings.” Gabe sighed. “For the first time in a long time.”
“So you mean that-” William was cut off by Gabe, who put his hand on William’s cheek, pulling the young man into a fairly short, but passionate kiss.
“I mean that I don’t want you to get dressed and walk out of the door and my life.” Gabe sighed.
“What do you want, then?” William looked down, trying not to get too excited. He was nervous about what Gabe might say, but there was a definite sense of hope inside of him.
“I want you to eat breakfast, get dressed, walk out of that door, go home, change, and meet me at Sander’s Deli on 39th street for lunch.” Gabe smiled. “Then I want to take you for a walk and ask you, after I promise to protect you, if you’ll be my boyfriend.”
“Oh yeah?” William smiled, taking one of the donuts from the bag. He took a bite, chewing thoughtfully for a minute or two before taking a sip of his coffee and looking at Gabe, the smile still in place on his face. “What time do you want me to meet you?”
A/N I know that this is kind of an open ended final chapter, but I think that it conveys what I’m trying to convey about their relationship…so yeah. I really hope that you enjoyed it! I will be replacing this story next week with a new story - so look for that next Thursday if you’re interested! It’s a comedy, at least I hope it will be.