Blue House | Tronnor

Chapter 5, Zoe POV

Alfie came first, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with his beanie covering most of his hair. My heart can't help but flutter a bit when I see him, and it stops beating entirely when he embraces me in a hug. Hugs are underrated. It's so nice to feel the warmth of another person around you, and to feel their heartbeat and know that they care about you. It's nice how my head fits perfectly on his shoulder. It's nice to feel his muscles relax when I run my hands over them gently. It's nice to smell his cinnamon cologne and feel his arms around my back, pulling me closer to him. It's nice how my small frame fits perfectly in his muscular one. When the long hug is broken, we're both blushing, so I break the silence by grabbing his hand and leading him upstairs. His room is right next to mine, so he parked his bags there and came into my room with me, his eyes widening at my makeup drawer. "Would you like to watch a film?" I asked shyly, pleased to see his cheeks redden a bit. "Yeah, I'd love that!" he exclaimed. We browsed through the choices on Netflix, debating over several movies but finally settling on How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I love this movie for more reasons than one--for example, last year when I did Grinch Makeup on Joe at Christmas. Or all the times I watched this with friends in December while eating homemade gingerbread cookies.... I smiled at the thoughts that filled my head. This would be one more pleasant memory to go with this movie.

Halfway through the movie, Alfie and I were sitting on the bed next to each other with about a foot in between us. I bit my lip, wanting to be closer. As if he had read my mind, Alfie scooted a bit closer and wrapped an arm around me, glancing over to see if it was ok with the change in position. I gazed at him instead of the movie, snuggling into his side while he hugged me tight. I turned my head a bit so I could see the movie, but I couldn't focus with my heart beating twice as fast as it normally did. "I'm glad you're here," I murmured into his shoulder. I let his cinnamon smell fill my nose. It smelled like Christmas. He looked down at me and pulled me onto his lap, cuddling me close. "Me too little one," he said. I smiled and tucked my head under his chin, curling into a comfy ball and watching the rest of the movie in easy silence.

I rubbed my eyes and yawned, awakened by a buzzing near my head. My eyes snapped open as I sat bolt upright, looking at Alfie. He lay on my bed, hair mussed up and beanie askew. We had fallen asleep during the movie. I softened and turned to my phone, still vibrating, and slid my finger across the screen to answer the call. "Hello?" I questioned. "Hey Zoe, it's Connor! I'm outside your house.... Does your doorbell not work?" came the voice through the other end. "Shit! I'm so sorry Con, how long have you been there?" I asked, slipping out of my room quietly and padding downstairs so as not to disturb Alfie. "Not long, don't worry Zo," he reassured me. I nodded and unlocked the door, opening it up for Connor. He stepped in and embraced me, but not like Alfie had. This was a friendly hug, one filled with brotherly love. "It's so good to see you Connor," I sighed, closing and locking the door behind him. "I'm sorry, but you're sleeping on the couch. I drew names out of a hat," I said, biting my lip. "Oh that's fine," he reassured me. We walked upstairs together and I showed him his couch, told him he was welcome to look through the kitchen, and excused myself to fetch Alfie.

I gently shook his shoulder. "Alfie, wake up, Connor's here," I said. "Alllfffie!" I complained as he pulled me down into a bear hug, laughing. "We have to get up, it's 6 pm!" I mumbled into my pillow. He finally stood up and stretched, then scooped me off the bed and carried me into the living room where Connor stood. When he saw us, a huge grin broke across his face. "I won't tell," he said hurriedly as Alfie gently put me down. Zalfie wasn't public yet, and we both wanted to keep it that way for a while."Thanks mate," Alfie said, stepping forward to hug Connor. "So what about you, do you have a special girl in your life Connie?" I asked. Instantly, his breath got caught in his throat and his hands trembled a bit. I frowned. "Connor?" I persisted, my forehead creased with worry. "Zoe, Alfie... I'm gay?" he half asked, half answered. I released a little scream of excitement and hugged him, and Alfie smiled ear to ear and clapped him on the back. "Connor, I'm so proud of you!" I exclaimed. I could only imagine how hard it must be to come out of the closet. "How long have you known?" I asked, still beaming. He looked beyond relieved, and he smiled slowly too. "I think I kind of always knew, I was just too scared to think about it, but I really registered it at the end of 2013," he responded, then nervously added, "Do me a favor and don't tell anyone yet, ok?" Alfie and I both immediately assured him that we wouldn't, and he was safe with us. He looked like someone had taken an enormous weight off his shoulders, and I was happy for him.

That night, I couldn't sleep. I lay in my bed, staring up at the ceiling through the inky black cloud of darkness, and tried to calm my mind. It was like trying to tame a hurricane. My thoughts whirled around my head, faster and faster with less and less clarity. It took me hours to realize that tonight was one of those nights where I simply couldn't sleep, but when I did realize, the first thing I did was head to the kitchen. I turned the lights on just enough that I could see, grabbed a cereal bar, and headed back towards my room. Something stopped me at Alfie's door though, and I stared at the white wood. Should I go in? I didn't want to wake him, but at the same time, I wanted to be next to him. I wanted him to cuddle me and talk with me. I rubbed my eyes and pushed the door open, wincing as it creaked. My feet (sporting knee high socks) carried my to the side of his bed. "Alfie?" I whispered. He stirred, rolling over and facing me. As my eyes adjusted to the darker environment, I saw that his eyes were open and he was looking at me. "It's me, Zoe. Can I..." I broke off, because he had pulled me down on the bed next to him. My stomach fluttered, but I pushed the nervous feeling away as I curled up. I wore a long sleeve shirt that was maroon and a bit big for me, fuzzy grey shorts, and knee high red socks to keep my feet warm. Alfie, however, wore no shirt, and what seemed to be similar to joggers. I blushed uncontrollably, glad that he couldn't see my rosy cheeks in the dark. I felt safe in his strong arms, and I soon fell asleep to the beat of his heart.