{ #4 } The Darker Side Of The Moon (MxM || 18+)

Chapter 32 - Step Back?

The Darker Side Of The Moon
Book 4 of The Black Moon series
Chapter 32: Step Back?

Gary's POV – Sunday 13 September 2015

"Nooooooooooooo! Noooooooooooo!"

Fuck! Another nightmare!

"Leave him alone!! Nooooooo!"

I can't say Jeremy's nightmare wakes me up with a start because I wasn't sleeping. I knew this was coming and I was prepared. It was barely after midnight when Jeremy started moaning and whining in his sleep. I tried my best to soothe him, holding him in my arms, but it was obviously not enough. Maybe I should have woken him up before he started thrashing in my hold. Whatever, the result is that the nightmare is kicking in and my poor love is having a hard time getting out of it.

He eventually wakes up, drenched in sweat and breathing like he just ran a marathon. It takes me about an hour to soothe him while he keeps weeping against my chest, but he still ends up falling back asleep.

Fuck! If I had known that the boys' visit was going to yield such results, I would have cancelled it. I'm afraid it was all too soon, but Jeremy was so eager to see Liam and Noah that I thought it was a good sign of his slow healing. Jeremy assured me that he had discussed this with his therapist and that Dr. Graaf also concurred it would be beneficial to meet old friends. I should have called the doctor to double check what he exactly advised to Jeremy, but at the same time, I'm not supposed to interfere too much in the therapy, so it's a bit complicated.

Nonetheless, elated by his sudden enthusiasm, I decided to trust Jeremy and called my friends Joshua and Camden to see if they were available to come over on Saturday morning. Josh immediately accepted, of course. I knew Liam had been bugging him to visit us ever since we came back to Chicago, but we both thought it was better to wait until Jer would be ready.

Camden was a little more reluctant. For one, he had been there before me and was skeptical about Jeremy's early promptness to meet friends, fearful it might trigger bad memories. He might have jinxed it, but I think he was just right. Secondly, he also feared for Noah, which I could totally understand. After going through a long phase of irrational guilt, poor boy is finally getting better, slowly recovering by delving into their lifestyle, but Cam dreaded to see him step back if the encounter sparked off negative reminiscences.

Things started quite well and Jeremy's reunion with Liam was just as emotional as I expected. The two friends hadn't met in a year and a half, and knowing how close they'd gotten before Jer's disappearance and how they missed each other, tears were bound to join the party. I'm not sure what happened exactly when Noah arrived. Both Camden and Joshua had agreed to avoid displaying any obvious signs of their lifestyle, so they were dressed normally, with their collars concealed underneath their clothes, and Camden was actually holding hands with Noah, just like two lovers would.

I don't know what went through Jeremy's head when he saw the cute young man, but I can only imagine that he fell into some sort of spiral of raw emotions prompted by memories of their captivity, but there was probably more than this. I saw all colors drain from his face, fear spread in his eyes and as he began to vacillate, I barely had time to reach out to him before he fainted. Although he regained consciousness seconds later, it did jeopardize the encounter.

Little Noah had the beginning of an anxiety attack that Camden managed like a pro. He took him aside and I don't know what he kept whispering him, but it sounded like promises and Noah quickly calmed down. Poor Liam didn't have it easier as he witnessed two of his friends suffer from hysterical agitation, but I guess Joshua found the right words to soothe him too. In the end, everyone calmed down more or less, and the boys were able to talk for a little while. Oh, it wasn't long as Joshua, Camden and I agreed to keep it short afterwards, but it was still enough for Liam to tell Jeremy how much he had missed him and for Noah to promise him that he was getting better.