Forbidden (BoyxBoy)

Chapter XVI: Silver

Jason.

"Have you had dinner?" Alaric asked. He looked uncomfortable, his feet shuffling on the floor. But there was something else there too, something that made him look like he was thinking deeply. My stomach growled at the thought of food. 

"No, I haven't." I admitted. His face lit up, and he waltzed over to the fridge. It gave me an opportunity to take a good look at him. 

He looked good, wearing another one of his turtlenecks, this one a deep burgundy. I couldn't help but feel a little amused at imagining his closet, filled with turtlenecks of every colour, all lined up in neat a row. His slim jeans clung to the shape of his long, slender legs. He had the body of a long distance runner, all long lines and lean muscle that moved beneath his clothes subtly. I remembered the way his slim waist felt beneath my fingertips and involuntarily held my breath. 

You have to stop thinking like this, Jason. 

"Good, because I like to cook." He grinned, turning around from the fridge with an arm full of ingredients. I was surprised, most guys our age could barely cook toast, but then I guessed that living alone meant he had to feed himself. I had to admit that I was impressed. 

Alaric placed the ingredients on the kitchen counter between us and glided over to the stovetop, putting water on to boil. He then returned with a chopping board and a knife. He picked out a few ingredients- some bacon and mushrooms, an onion, some parsley- and began to slice them up into neat piles. His agile, slender hands worked quickly and efficiently, and I got lost in watching them, the places he had touched me becoming alight once more. 

"So, what kind of movies do you like to watch?" He asked me, looking up from where he was dicing an onion effortlessly. It was hard to draw my eyes away from him whilst he worked, the way he moved in the kitchen both mesmerizing and peaceful. He looked more relaxed, and the most uncontrolled that I had ever seen him. 

"Um," I had to think hard. "You know, the usual, I like a bit of action, maybe some sports movies here and there. My favourite movie of all time is probably Remember the Titans. It's about a mixed-race football team in the sixties, and how they come together to win the season." I explained, a little embarrassed. Alaric probably thought it was lame. His taste was probably more refined, filled with film noir and movies like The Breakfast Club. He had stopped working whilst I spoke, giving his full attention to me in a way that made me squirm.

"I love that movie." He smiled. The water behind him was at a boil, and he grabbed some spaghetti from the cupboard, placing it in the pot with a pinch of salt. 

"And you, what's your favourite?" I asked him, eager to know more about him. I wanted to remember this, and everything about him, when my year of being human was over. I wanted to remember his favourite movie, and his favourite place, and his favourite food. I wanted to remember the feeling of his gaze on my face, and the paleness of his skin against the red of his turtleneck, and the way the smell of rain and jasmine followed him wherever he went. 

"Pride and Prejudice, hands down. Excellent book, great movie." He said simply. I had seen it, one movie night when it had been Elise and my mother's turn to choose the film. I remembered the ornate suits the men wore, and the delicate, precise dancing the characters always seemed to be doing. Thinking about it, I could picture Alaric in that era, dressed up in tailcoats and top hats. 

It was a romance, a love story, and he wasn't scared to admit that it was his favourite. I didn't know how to feel about that, but it stirred something warm and happy inside of me. My heart beat wildly in my chest, and I felt adrenaline kicking in. Taking a deep breath, I nudged the wolf into the back of my mind, calming it down.