The Barefoot Violinist

Confession

Cory: Hey

Bennett: Hey back at you.

Cory: Do you maybe want to do something today or hang out together?

Tapping his phone in his hand, Bennett wondered about what to do.

Bennett: Blue is here for the day.

Cory: oh

Bennett could almost hear his disappointment

Bennett: Do you want to join us? We won't be doing anything except laying around.

Cory: Yes! I'll see you in ten minutes.

"Cory is coming over to hang out with us" he tells Blue who was already spread out on the couch engrossed in a Netflix series. Next to her, a massive bowl of popcorn, which she refused to share.

"What does dickhead want?" she asked barely lifting her head. She looked up at Bennett when he didn't immediately respond.

"Can't you call him Cory?" He asked, automatically dropping his eyes to the ground, not wanting to say anything.

"Something fishy is going on, isn't it? It's got something to do with that damn jacket of his, doesn't it?" she pressed.

"What? No, it's not really like that." He quickly backtracked, then realised what he'd just said.

"Not really like that? Ben, he almost put you in hospital. You go from scared to fanboy so quickly, shouldn't you first check that things are on the up-and-up? Look I'm not going to tell you what to do. It is your heart, but be careful who you give it to Ben. You're too precious to me." She admitted with glassy eyes, continuing gruffly, "Anyway, don't lie to me, Mr. it's not really like that! What's going on?"

"Okay, now don't be pissed off, but..." Bennett started talking, telling Blue everything that had happened; Cory's promises and his own insecurities and what he was most afraid of. Blue  listened and nodded through his story, not offering any advice, she just listened. It actually felt good to Bennett to just talk things through. They sat in silence for a bit, until the doorbell rang.

"If that fuck turd messes with you, I swear to god that I'm going to destroy him and his little snot rag pals." she warned before turning back to her documentary.

"Does that mean you'll try and be nicer to him?" He asked hopefully?

"You probably also think that the earth is flat, right?" Bennett didn't feel very optimistic about her response.

Opening the door, a very excited, smiling Cory stood before him. Blue jeans that fit him like a glove and a white t-shirt that left very little to the imagination. Bennett swallowed, trying to clear his throat. Damn this man is beautiful, he thought in awe looking at Cory's tall frame, handsome features and almost ink black eyes.

"Hi!" he smiled at Cory.

"Hi!" Cory's world stood still when he saw Bennett's angelic smile. All he could do was look at his mouth, memorising how his lips curled up in the corners, a small dimple on his left cheek. When Bennett moved back to allow him into the house, it took him a moment to come to his senses. Shaking his head slightly, he moved past Bennett, making sure to scrape by him to allow for maximum body contact. He grinned as he saw a flush creep over Bennett's cheeks. Cory had to stop himself from wrapping his arms around Bennett and kissing all sense out of him. Instead he planted a chaste kiss on his cheek.

"What was that for?" he asks reaching to touch the place where Cory's lips had been moments before.

"I'm just greeting a friend." he smiled and moved toward the sitting room. "RED! he yelled when he saw her on the couch.

"Dickhead!" she grimaced at him, turning away and ignoring him completely.

"Why's your name Blue, if you have red hair? Doesn't really make sense, does it? People should just call you Red to avoid confusion." Cory said with a smirk on his face.

"Well, first of all, my name has nothing to do with you, and secondly you are too much of a fucking moron to understand anything beyond kicking a football around, so just go back to the shithole cave that you crawled out of."

"Jeez, you're in a mood today. Ever tried not swearing like a sailor? I'm only making small talk with my baby's bestie." he smirked at her again.

"What the fuck?!! Benneeeett, get your ass in here!" Seeing Cory blush, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are you his baby now?!" she shot at him incredulously. He frowned at Cory, who met his gaze with a mischievous smile and a wink.

"I have to practice upstairs for the recital on Wednesday," he mumbled before heading up the stairs.

Walking, he heard Cory's footsteps follow him. Once inside, Cory lightly grabbed his wrists and spun him around to face him. Holding both hands, he slowly traced circles on Bennett's skin. Wherever his thumbs traced their circular pattern, seemed to spark with electricity. His heart speeding up, breath catching in his throat, he stared up at Cory. His handsome face looked set and determined.

Before Bennett could stop him, Cory leaned in to plant the gentlest of kisses on Bennett's lips and pulled him into a tight hug. He buried his face in Bennett's neck, drinking him in. Bennett could feel Cory's heart beating fast in his chest. He was sure that his own heartbeat also gave him away as he moved his arms around Cory's waist, soliciting a gentle moan from him. They stood like that for what seemed like hours, but Bennett finally dropped his arms and pushed against Cory's chest to create some distance between them.

"Just because we are friends does not mean that you can do whatever you like, with or to me." he said quietly, directly meeting Cory's eyes.

"I'm so sorry baby. I didn't realise that I was making you uncomfortable." He said with a worried look in his eyes. " Even when I try to do good, I always manage to fuck it up!" He refused to meet Bennett's eyes.

"It's okay, I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that. And it's only Bennett, not baby by the way.

"Okay my only Bennett." he said looking earnestly in Bennett's eyes.

"Sit on the bed and don't disturb me!" he ordered Cory as he reached for his violin. Opening his sheet music, he lifted the instrument to his shoulder and started to play. The smooth sounds filling the room, seem to resonate inside Cory. It sounded so sad that it felt like his heart would break. Turning onto his stomach, he looked intently at Bennett.

A slight frown furrowed his brow as he played. Sometimes stopping to scribble over the music sheets, then continuing as if there was no break. Cory could see the happiness on his face, the way he lit up while playing the violin. The movement of his body in unison with the music. At times the pace picked up, with him furiously stroking the strings with his bow. His hair falling over his face, obscuring those big, expressive eyes.

To Cory it felt like he was drowning in those eyes that could tell you exactly whether he was happy or sad. As the last notes sounded in the room, Cory's eyes suddenly widened as a thought took seed inside him. His heart feeling as if it was being squeezed by vines. But right now he needed to take it slow, he didn't want to scare Bennett away, especially now that he was a little bit more comfortable around him.

Bennett opened his eyes to see Cory watching him intently. A myriad of emotions clearly visible on his face.

"I can never get enough of listening to you play. You look like an angel, shining so bright that I fear I may not be good enough to be your friend" He admitted miserably, sadness filling those dark eyes of his.

Bennett sighed and walked over to Cory, kneeling in front of the bed so that they were face-to-face. "You are very pushy you know?" he joked with Cory. "You remind me of a bull," his smile grew bigger. "My pushy bull."

"That must mean that I'm a stud, right?" Cory's jaunty smile back on his face, eyes twinkling mischievously.