Heart's Promise

Chapter 10

Joe felt a little too self-conscious as he opened his eyes. He blinked and turned his head to look at Mark who was just stirring. Joe could feel his face turning red as he slowly registered just how close they were. He lay there, his cheek against Mark's shoulder and stared up at his sleeping face, all peaceful.

"Hi." Mark said as he opened his eyes, squinting against the sunlight coming in from the doors to the balcony.

"Hi?" Joe's voice went up an octave as he drew out the word, not knowing what else to say. What were you supposed to say after waking up with someone you had slept with? He felt another wave of heat as he thought about what happened. To say that he had not thought about it before would be an outright lie. In fact, he had imagined what it would be like, countless times. Mark's voice distracted him from his thoughts.

"What are we doing today?" Mark asked, his voice low, still half asleep. He snuggled closer to Joe, kissing his cheek and then his neck as Joe felt his heart hammer away in his chest. He took deep breaths in an effort to calm down.

"Are you alright?" Mark asked, leaning back, frowning. Joe nodded. "You look too flushed." Mark put a hand on Joe's forehead to check if he had a fever.

"I'm fine." Joe said, taking Mark's hand from his forehead and holding it in his own. Mark lay his head back on the pillow and looked at Joe. A moment later, both of them looked away, suddenly shy. Steeling himself, Mark looked up and asked, "Are you hurt?"

"What?" Joe looked at him, taken aback.

"Does it hurt?" Joe found himself smiling at the way Mark was blushing and then he laughed.

"What?" Mark asked, bewildered.

"Nothing." Joe said, still smiling. "I told you, I'm alright."

"Are you sure?" Mark still looked concerned. Joe nodded, smiling and then quickly kissed him on the lips.

"I'm fine." Joe said. "Please stop worrying about me."

"You will tell me won't you?" Mark asked, his eyes serious.

"Sure." Joe nodded. Mark relaxed as he leaned forward and they kissed again. Joe felt Mark's smile against his lips and then giggled as Mark's breath against his neck tickled him. At that moment, Joe was sure that he had never been happier in his life.

Jin woke up with a hangover. He squinted as he opened his eyes. Drinking four beers on a practically empty stomach was not a good decision. Slowly, Jin sat up trying not to move his head too much. He sat cross legged on the bed and rubbed his eyes. The curtains were open letting in the sunlight and he held up his hand against his face. Jin turned to look as the bathroom door opened and Ren stepped into the room.

"What the hell did I drink last night?" Jin asked Ren, yawning. "I did not know beer could give this much of a hangover."

Ren stared at Jin, not knowing what to say. He had been caught completely off guard the previous night when Jin kissed him back. Jin had collapsed almost immediately after and Ren had practically carried him back inside. Jin was asleep even before his body touched the bed. For a long time, Ren had sat on the bed, head spinning. He didn't know what to think. Finally, he had fallen into a fitful sleep and woken up a little after the sunrise. And now here he was, once more at a loss for words as he looked at Jin who was acting as if he didn't even remember. He probably didn't remember, Ren reasoned with himself.

"Have you had four beers one on top of the other before?" Ren asked, looking away. He was not sure he could face Jin at the moment. Ren tried to keep his tone light as he continued. "We probably should have had dinner before. You were out cold, you didn't even know when I put you to bed."