Butterflies (boyxboy)

Chapter 15: Let's talk

"So he hasn't touched you then?" 

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Blake's gaming gets distracted by a commotion at the door. He turns his head to see Henry wrestling with the door handle, arms laiden with a brown box, with two carrier bags pulling on either arm.  He spots Blake watching on like a gormless idiot. "Uh...a little help please!" Henry calls out, under a strained breath. 

This seems to prompt Blake into action who casts the game's controller to one side and gets up to help with the box, which they now both slowly guide to the table. 

Once the box is laid to rest, Blake peers inside the opened flaps. "What is all this?"  He begins to pull out beer bottles and cans and a few wrapped packets of paper cups. 

"I swear you never listen to me." Henry huffs as he places the two carrier bags on the table. "It's for the party tonight."  He says, now resting his hands on his hips. 

"Ohh!" Blake nods slowly. He vaguely remembered Henry saying something, but his mind had been elsewhere all week. Mainly thinking about the artist and his past and how he couldn't think about one without the other.  Blake then turns and walks back to the sofa, picks up the controller and continues with his game. 

Henry watches the action. Blake hadn't been his usual cocky self since he'd come in that evening a week ago. Henry had said nothing, hoping that Blake would open up to him about whatever it was, but he hadn't. Maybe he needed to be a little more persistent. He didn't want his flat mate killing the mood at the party.

Henry flops down next to Blake who pays no mind to his actions. He bites his bottom lip before he opens his mouth. "I'm going to tell Dale."

This does grab Blake's attention, as he whips his head to one side to look at Henry, who was still staring at the screen, watching Blake's car crash into the side of a building. "What?" Blake questions.

"I said, I'm gonna tell Dale I like him, tonight, at the party." He now turns his head and looks at Blake with a wide almost nervous grin, to which he just stares back at.

"Henry, that's really bold of you. I mean, like, does he, you know... like men?" Blake looks almost worried for his friend. 

"Well, I will know soon enough I guess." Henry laughs nervously, before clearing his throat. "Now, your turn." 

"What? What do you mean by my turn?" Blake furrows his brows, getting all defensive. 

"Don't give me that bullshit Blake, I know something is up with you. Why won't you tell me?" Henry now twists his body to face Blake completely, which only makes Blake turn away. He picks up the controller once again and resumes his game.

"I don't know what you mean?" 

"Yes you do!" Henry insists. "Ever since you got back from that nude modelling thing you've been weird." Henry squints his eyes at Blake's profile. "Did he touch you?" 

"What? No, NO....no!" Blake now looks back at Henry in shock. "It was nothing like that." 

"Then tell me!" Henry says, almost pleading. 

Blake relaxes his body, almost in defeat, he doesn't take his eyes from the game, it acts as a distraction as he finally decides to speak. "The artist... Tamesh, that's his name, he just has this aura around him, it's hard to explain." Blake huffs, knitting his eyes together. 

"Try." Henry says in a persistent tone, making Blake's side eye him in annoyance. 

"I don't know, just, it's like when I'm there, naked in front of him, I'm exposed, but not just physically, but emotionally too. I guess I feel vulnerable and I'm letting my guard down."  Blake sighs. Did Henry even get what he meant? Blake didn't quite understand it himself. 

"So he hasn't touched you then?" Henry questions again, smiling a little. 

"Have you even been listening to what I just said?" Blake stands up and throws the controller on the sofa. He heads to his room. 

"Hey I was just kidding!" Henry shouts as he watches Blake's bedroom door slam behind him. 

Blake's face dives into the bed. He groans loudly. He hated feeling this way. He hated how Tamesh made him feel so weak. It was against his nature. He needed to stay strong. He had to. Tamesh has the key to opening Blake's box of secrets. His pandora's box. He needed to keep it locked, not just for his sake, but for the sake of others too.

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A/N Hey, how is this story going down so far? If you have reached this point, thanks for sticking around.