Speechless (GRETHAN)

Chapter 24: A Few Good Men

Grayson Bailey

The next morning, I woke up with Ethan's phone silently buzzing on my nightstand. I used his phone as an alarm since I wasn't in possession of my own phone. The neon hands of the bedside clock read 6:12am. Time for school. A light snore out of nowhere came from behind me. I turned to the right and Ethan was snoring away soundly. I smiled to myself.

Ethan had a rough night. He was weary and tired and exhausted from the pain shooting through his jaws. He wept all through the night keeping us awake until the early hours of dawn. His parents and myself were present to tend to his ache. It was around 3am when the pain had finally subsided and he was able to sleep. I hadn't slept much but I couldn't miss school too.

It was still partially dark outside as I peeked through the drapes from the closed balcony door. A fresh layer of snow covered the scene, the backyard, the awnings of the deck and Ethan's balcony railings. The sun was just beginning to rise with its golden rays rising above the trees. I stood in my spot for a few minutes watching the light spread over my face, pulling me out of sleep. Then I closed the drapes again and grabbed my towel along with my underclothes.

While the water heated, I brushed my teeth and observed myself in the mirror. I smiled differently like a teenager in a movie and I watched myself in the mirror. My overgrown chestnut hair, my round butt, my flat stomach, my fairly muscly arms and my tanned chest. I tested the temperature of the water and when it was just how I liked it, I bathed quickly. While I scrubbed myself with shower gel, I devised multiple plans on retrieving my phone from Chase and his boys. I don't know how I'd do so but it was worth thinking. Maybe I could sneak into the locker room during gym practice and search his duffel for the device. Fear hung over my mind that if I did find the phone and Chase, on the other hand, found it missing, he'd beat me up and most definitely, kill me. My body naturally shivered under the hot water at the thought of his rugged boots contacting my face and body, busting my lips and marking bruises that'd make blood pour out.

Once done showering, I sauntered to the walk-in closet. After my first stay at his house, Ethan made me keep a few of my clothes at his place thus offering me the freedom to spend the night over at anytime and still have the option of fresh clothes to wear the next day. I had stored my clothes in a box with my name and I still remember that day Ethan made me draw a heart beside it which was inscribed in ink.

But as I stood in front of the expansive collection of shirts, trousers, jackets and coats, I felt like putting on his clothes and I'm sure he wouldn't mind. He loved it when I dressed up in his garments. I selected a pair of dark grey chinos and a plain black sweater as today's look. It would pair well with my jacket. I quickly slid into the clothes. I opened the first drawer on my left in search of socks but it revealed Ethan's Calvin Klein boxers; so neatly folded and placed colour-wise, starting with the blacks, then greys and last but not the least, blues. It nearly gave me an organisational orgasm watching his neatly-placed underpants.

I located the socks I was looking for in the third drawer and I slipped on a white Nike pair. I turned off the closet light and walked into the room to watch Ethan sprawled over the bed. His right socked foot was out of the blanket. His forearm rested over his forehead. His mouth was open wide as he breathed deeply, also the reason for his snores. I walked to him and peered into his mouth to make sure the little balls of cotton were under his gums and that he hadn't swallowed one of them in his sleep. Covering his body with the blanket, I placed a kiss on his delicate hand.

'I love you E-t-h-a-n.'

I walked downstairs after talking my bag. Coffee was made in the coffee machine and I poured myself a bowl of cereal. No sooner did I get done with breakfast, I heard footsteps descending the stairs. From the corner came Mr. Dolan.