So Long, Not Goodnight

Chapter Eight

Gerard sat with his feet propped up in one of the few pews that was still in tact, using a pencil stub he found amid the wreckage of the shelter to make notes in passages that he read. It only seemed like it had been a few minutes, but the dark orange glow from the windows signaled that the day was coming to an end. Gerard marked his place and stretched, still holding the bible as he did. His tee shirt pulled up showing the smallest bit of his stomach as he stretched. The stained glass of the broken windows cast a kaleidoscope of color throughout the room. The church was quiet, except for the wind howling outside that picked up from this morning. Gerard rubbed his arms and stood up from the bench. "Frankie?"

The silence startled Gerard a bit, especially since he knew that Frank wasn't the silent type. He walked up the aisle towards the empty altar and couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. "Frankie?"

The stairs creaked as Gerard ascended to the choir pews. He heard faint rustling from the side room. The door was cracked and a slight glow emitted onto the exterior carpet. Gerard quietly approached and peeked through the crack. "Frankie?"

Frank's face appeared in the crack, startling Gerard. Gerard jumped, almost dropping his bible. "Gee, it isn't finished yet..." Frank smiled cracking the door open wider.

Gerard peered over Frank's shoulder and pushed the door entirely open. "Oh, Frankie..." His voice trailed off as he entered the small room.

The red carpet felt brand new below his feet, barely trodden on, and it felt warm. There weren't any windows, but there were what appeared to be hundreds, okay maybe dozens, of lit candles in varieties of red and white that were all lit; their flames causing the room to dance. A white sheet was adorning a chaise lounge with red velvet peeking out at the edges that weren't covered. Dingy cream pillows were scattered at the chaises feet all lined with frills of lace and some were tasseled with beads. A large painted portrait of angels among billowy clouds hung on the far wall, the glassy eyes of the cherubs followed wherever Gerard stepped. As he approached the lounge, Gerard noticed that there was a gold bladed switchblade open beside a gold plated offering bowl on a small table that seemed to float amidst the scattered pillows. Gerard's heart thudded against his ribcage beating so hard that he thought his bones were going to shatter and splinter. Frank was still standing in the doorway, blushing. "What is all this?" Gerard spun in a slow circle and stopped to face Frank.

"Well..." Frank shrugged and grabbed at his arm. "I figured that since you and I are kinda stuck here for a while... Why not make the best of it, ya'know?"

Gerard rubbed the back of his neck, beginning to pick at his scab from earlier. Before Gerard had a chance to respond, Frank shut the door and slowly made his way towards Gerard. The air in the room was so still and the movement of Frank's footfalls stirred dust motes from the carpet into the candlelight, stars in a dark night sky. They were stars, yes, but they were also the grain from a romantic cinema of black and white film, they were those round discs that made everything look ethereal after looking at the sun for a brief second, they were raindrops that fell during an intense summer thunderstorm that fell so fast you could barely see them. As Frank approached Gerard, it all felt like they were in a movie and that everything was in slow motion building up to the main event. As their lips collided, the candleflames seemed to jump and spark but the light also seemed to dim to give them privacy in this windowless room. Frank pulled back from Gerard's kiss and eyed him up through hooded eyes. "Wait here for a second." Frank dragged his finger along Gerard's jawline and winked at him before he left the room, leaving the door ajar.

While he waited for Frank's return, Gerard smoothed his hair, tried to rub all the dirt from his face, and found that he couldn't decide what to do with himself. The anticipation was killing him. Where did Frank go? Was he okay? As Gerard quieted his thoughts, the door opened onto Frank dressed in a white button down dress shirt and red and black striped tie. Gerard froze where he stood. Frank smiled crookedly at Gerard as he slammed the door closed behind him. As Frank stepped towards Gerard, he began to unbutton the cuffs of the shirt and roll them up, exposing his tattooed forearms. Gerard's palms began to sweat as he wiped them on the front of his jeans. Frank, barefoot, stepped over the pillows on the floor and stopped in front of Gerard, still smiling crookedly. He rolled his neck and began to pull loose the knot of his tie. Gerard began to back up until the back of his knees hit the chaiselounge. Gerard tripped and fell onto the cushioned bench staring up at Frank, who was leaning down close to Gerard. Frank knelt down and began to pull off Gerard's shoes and socks followed by his jeans. Frank threw them all into a pile close to the doorway. Gerard's excitement grew as Frank kissed up his thighs, over his underwear, up onto his stomach and torso until he reached his neck where he began to suck and bite as Gerard wriggled beneath him. "Frankie..." Gerard moaned.