Past Present Future [BL - SaifahZon]

Chapter 14

p a s t

The sun was sinking down the horizon, reaching its long arms for the last strokes on their skins, sneaking between the blinds like a thief of their precious time. It was a blissful feeling; it really was. Even more so with Zon's shoulders being showered with kisses, with Saifah's tight embrace holding him still...

But Zon knew they couldn't stay like this forever; the moving shadows were here to effectively remind him of that.

"We're gonna be late," he murmured and tried to get up. It didn't work—Saifah's limbs closed around his body like a clam, making it impossible for him to move.

It was going to be harder than he had assumed.

"Sai, come on." His voice shuddered when Saifah's nose grazed against his ear. Oh, he was so convincing, even without a word, dammit! But it was Tutor's birthday; even if no one else knew about that, they had to be there.

"It's you who started it," Saifah reminded him, his voice hoarse.

"And it's you who just finished in my hand!" Zon turned around, sending him a playful glare. "Your point?"

His boyfriend's eyes were full of affection, glittering above a smuggish smirk. "We're always late; they won't even notice," he said and tried to draw Zon closer.

But Zon didn't let him, putting a hand on his chest. "No. One of us is always late. Not both at the same time."

"So?"

"They'd talk."

"They wouldn't if they knew."

In an instant, Zon's body stiffened, struck by the freezing chill, and Saifah's eyes shone with regret. It was already too late, though; Zon was uncomfortable in his arms, gnawing at his bottom lip.

"I'm sorry..." he muttered.

He had nothing else to say. There was nothing else to say. No matter what, no matter how he looked at it, he was to Saifah like an anchor.

Just not the good kind of one.

"Hey, no, that's not why I said that!" Saifah rushed his words, his face weirdly twisted. "It's just...lately, we're always around someone else, we barely have time for each other, that's all. I'd rather stay with you and you only..." He rubbed his face, smiling behind his fingers. "Y'know, just you and I," he said, placing a soft kiss on Zon's nose, "so I wouldn't have to hide how much I like you..."

Another peck landed on Zon's lips, tenderly caressing him with the tip of the tongue. It tasted like the fading memory of a summer soda—sweet and sparkling; a perfect refresher after a whole day of sunbathing in Saifah's eyes.

Yet, it didn't make him feel any better.

"Alright," Saifah said, his eyes suffused with the sun that had already gone down. "We're gonna go now—first you, then me—and we're gonna have so much fun pretending it's not Tutor's birthday. But," he paused, brushing Zon's cheek with his palm, "next weekend, we're gonna go to the cinema or whatever, just the two of us, yeah? Just one day without pretending we're only friends, okay?"

A smile tugged at Zon's mouth as he slowly nodded. "Sure, sounds good."

The thing was, even though he was smiling, his stomach kept bubbling. And it was not because of the soda-like kiss. It wasn't at all.

p r e s e n t

"Uhh!" Zon's cry cut through the room, sweaty strands of hair stuck to his forehead. He threw his head back, leaned against the backrest of the couch and panted out the only thing he could; a wise and eloquent, "Fuck this shit."