Get Over It [BoyxBoy]

Chapter Nine

C H A P T E R N I N E —

[Josef]

I don’t feel his lips coming until I feel them against mine. I am elsewhere; I am falling; I am thinking of what almost happened, what could’ve happened. His lips bring me back to the present. They are slick and soft and warm. They reassure me that I’m not falling off a mountain-side and that I’m okay—alive. My heart beat quickens. I don’t react. How do I react?

Do I pull away and remind myself of what my mother tells me?

I’m not gay.

Do I give in and kiss him back?

My lips decide before I do, and they move with his. I push against him. My mind is hazy. All rational thoughts fly out the window. He tugs on my hair. I straddle him. Our tongues touch and party in his mouth.

I hear screaming and we pull away. “What is that?” Max says, running his hand through his messy hair.

“I don’t know,” I say, getting off the bed. “But it doesn’t sound good. I’ll go and see.”

I walk out of the room and into the living room. Outside I hear footsteps and voices. Opening the door, I see the definition of chaos: crowds of people running, screaming, shouting. When I step outside, I know why they are acting like this.

A wall of white dust is running towards us as fast as light. As it moves down the mountain-side it accumulates and grows gradually. It looks like a Dalmatian with the debris hurling along with it.  I feel my hands shake. It is a few miles away; at least, we have time. We’re going to be okay, it’s nothing to worry about. A jolt attacks my body as I realise I don’t know where my auntie is.

Gulping, I run aimlessly, shouting her name as loud as I can. I weave my way through the people and the cabins. My throat begins to hurt like I’ve been singing for too long. She’s around here somewhere, I know it. She is going to be fine. I’m going to find her.

“Get back to your cabin!” an old, fat man with a silvery beard shouts, pointing at me.

I halt, saying, “I can’t, I don’t know where my auntie is.”

“She is safe. We got reports about the avalanche ten minutes ago.” he says. “We’re already prepared. You’ll be safe in your cabin, hurry!”

“But—”

“I promise you she is safe. Now go.”

“I need to make sure. What if she isn’t? I need to go find her.” I say, running past him.

He says something back but I ignore him. The wind makes my eyes water as I run. My cheeks flush. My clothes stick to me like sweat. Where is she? What if she was hiking at the time and she’s been hit by it? I hate not knowing. I need to find her.

I turn my head in the direction of the mountain and it is getting closer, too close. I start to hear it moving, so loud that I can feel it vibrate beneath the earth. I bite my lip. The old man is right. And now I’m probably too late. I run the opposite way, back to the cabin, telling myself that my auntie is safe. I can feel the power of it running through my body. I try to pick up the pace, but my limbs burn as I run and everything is heightened—colours become brighter, my surroundings more distinct—and I want to vomit.

Max is calling my name. For fuck sakes, Max. As I make my way around another cabin, I see him, his face worried, until he sees me. I don’t say anything. I just grab his hand in mine and pull him with me. It’s coming. I watch as it engulfs a cabin a hundred meters or so away. We keep running.