Coming to terms with his sexuality, Theodore Moore is a seventeen year old who is just about getting by. He makes minimum wage and has aspiring, out-of-reach dreams to become a lawyer.
Violent and aggressive, Antony Barbosa is everything wrong with...
Antony collapses onto the stairs that lead to the floor of his flat, dragging me down with him. "Ow." I hissed, when I hit my knee on the end of the metal staircase. Antony bursts out into laughter from beside me, twisting his body until he's sitting on the step, his head falling back. I murmur under my breath and sit next to him, resting my elbows on my knees.
Antony hums under his breath, and my eyes snap open when he slowly rests his head on my shoulder. I freeze in my seat and he sighs quietly, his eyes fluttering to a close. "I'm tired." He yawns, and I carefully wrap my arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer to me. "Hmm. Comfy." He smiles, and I stare down at him, admiring every single feature on his beautiful face. If this is the last time I see him as a single man, then I want to relish it all and memorise every single detail on his face in my mind. I want to tattoo his lips to my heart and melt his touch into my skin.
I start at his blemish-free forehead and travel down to his perfectly sculpted eyebrows. His eyes were oak-brown and it was suddenly my favourite colour. It was too dark to see their true colour, but I had already stared into those eyes enough to remember the exact tint of chestnut that they were coloured in. Then, my gaze falls down to his lips. They were plump and coral and parted slightly as he stared up at me. Antony's skin was tan and brown and clear and smooth and in the sun, it shone like no other. He had a little bit of rubble around his mouth and I slowly dragged the back of my finger across it, feeling the prickliness on my skin. He had dark, wavy hair that he always hid under a beanie, and I never asked him the reason.
"Can I ask you something?" I whispered to him, and he stared up at me, licking his lips. Antony nods his head, and I sigh, running my spare hand through my hair, letting it sit on my forehead. "Why'd you always wear a beanie?" I asked him, smiling slightly. "I rarely see you without one." I added, and Antony's eyes flickered all over my face. He lifts his head a little, and I feel his fingers at the back of my hair, pulling at a few strands lightly.
He doesn't answer the question. Instead, he leans forward and presses his lips to mine. It takes me by surprise. It's been about a month since we were this close, and it feels freakishly weird. His lips are soft against mine. The kiss was slow and intimate and it fills me to the brim with hope that I know will slowly diminish over the next few days. I didn't care. Right now, at this moment, it was only me and him and nothing else mattered.
His hand moves to my jaw as he lifts my chin, kissing me more deeper. It's suddenly desperate. He's leaning towards me and I squeeze the back of his neck before he's pulling away, breathing heavily. His forehead is pressed onto my own and my eyes flutter to a close. I feel his warm breath on my lips and I feel him drag his hand down my jaw, resting on my neck.
"Theo-" He begins, but everything comes rushing back. Tom's warning and my promise to my family to move on from this and my truth to Fernanda. Tomorrow, Antony is getting married. In a few months, I'm moving out of this wretched place. I'll move and live my truth in another city.
"You should get some sleep, Antony." I interrupt him, moving away from him. I get to my feet on the stairs, straightening my coat. Antony stays on the ground, staring up at me. He looks heartbroken.
"What?" He asks me softly, a small frown on his face. His eyebrows are furrowed and his eyes are shining, visible by the moon shining down on us. "You're leaving?" He asked me, and it almost brought me to my knees. It almost makes me sit back down and let him kiss me again.
"You've got a big day, tomorrow." I smile, and he clears his throat, swallowing. "Go on, Antony." I sigh, pointing my head in the direction of his flat. "You need to go." I breathed.
"Theo..." He grunts as he pulls himself up to his feet. I step away when he reaches out for me, and his lip quivers. His eyebrow twitches and he takes a step towards me. "Thanks for bringing me home." He smiles, and his whole face brightens up. "It's the last fucking place I wanna be right now, but... whatever the fuck happens, I want you to know that you gave me the best months of my life." He admits, and I'm speechless. I can only stare at him in utter and complete shock and watch as he slowly walks backwards, a small smile on his face. His eyes waver and my body deflates when he turns around and walks over to his flat. He doesn't turn around as he opens the door and walks in. He doesn't look at me before closing the door behind me, and it takes everything in me to walk down the stairs and away from him for the very last time.
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