Return the hope

Chapter 25. The sea of love.

The drive to the Marriott Hua Hin Hotel took about three hours. Hope felt every minute of it; he tried to quiet his restless heart and brain, but the birds in his soul, the white ones representing love, hope, and anticipation of something wonderful, were fluttering and frolicking at full speed, creating a joyous, noisy jumble inside him.

He was blushing now and then at the thought of Jake, his insides clenching with the anticipation of an unforgettable vacation, as if he were on his way to an exam that would set the record straight. It was hard to tame the merry hurricane raging inside him, and he couldn't get a handle on it.

And Jake kept adding fuel to the fire by sending him messages: "I just saw a cloud in the shape of a kitten. Look to your left. "Doesn't it look like a kitten?", "The weather's gorgeous today, the sunset's gonna be amazing. "Why don't we go for a walk?", "We're about to stop. "I strongly suggest you use the restroom, kitten. It's a long drive." The last text sent a wave of heat through the guy's body, and his brain was working at full speed again:

"He's here. He's in my life and in my heart. He's thinking about me and I can't help but dream about him. What did he mean by that? Like last time with the school shower, looking for a reunion?"

Even C asked if everything was okay, apparently seeing his neighbor's ears and cheeks reddening in front of his eyes. Hope hurriedly replied that he felt fine, covering the parts of his body that gave away his condition with his hair.

Indeed, a fifteen-minute stop was soon announced, and many people visited the restroom first, then ran to the roadside store to buy goodies for the road. Hope didn't get off the bus right away, his doubts plaguing him:

"What if Lion is really waiting for me there? What if someone sees us or overhears our conversation? But he probably wouldn't do anything without thinking."

Two friends were washing their hands when he entered a simple but clean men's room with six stalls. Walking into the vacant one, he closed up and stood inside for a while, chuckling quietly to himself:

"Gods, what am I doing here? I don't want to go to the bathroom, why did I even come here? Stupid Hope!"

Stepping outside, he made his way to the sink, and scooping some cold water into his palms, he refreshed his face. When he looked up at his reflection, his body shuddered as he saw Lion beside him.

"I've been waiting for you. Madly wished I could hear the smell of peppermint. I wish I could inhale it all the way back to the hotel," he whispered in the guy's ear, leaning almost closely behind him with his whole body and leaning over to the mirror to fix his already well styled hair at the same time.

"And I'd like to be in your arms forever," the thought was unspoken, but Hope turned to her warm cheek and gave it a light kiss, unexpectedly for both of them. A realization came after the action, and he lowered his eyes, blushing, looking at the drip patterns on the white shell.

Jake put his palm to the kissed cheek and whispered again: "That's so cute, kitten. Are you teasing me?"

"Who's to say. You're the one who teases me all the time," Hope's mind raced.

The velvet voice and hot breath against his neck sent a herd of goosebumps coursing down the boy's body and he shivered and hurriedly excused himself, "It wasn't planned. I'm sorry, Hia."

"You don't have to apologize for something like that. Yeah, as I suspected... Hang in there, Jake. This trip promises to be fun....  Kitten, let's forget all our troubles and enjoy this time," Hope's whispered voice, that musky scent mixed with the scent of fresh apple, made him fall even more into the abyss of his desire to possess this man completely. And when he reached for the strong hands on the sink on either side of him to hold them against him.....