Both Sides Now.

Chapter 16

Chapter 16.

My phone rings and it startles me to my roots, it’s 8:30 on a Saturday; and I just confessed my love for Alfie Jones a few days ago. I pick it up.
“Hey,” I say
“Hey.” it’s Alfie.
“Oh my gosh hi, how ya doing?”
“Pretty good. I miss you, you know? Come over. My parents don’t know I’m gay and you can ‘bunk’ with me,” he says and I smirk a little. He’s gotten a little cocky as of late and I can’t help but blush, because Alfie Jones is coming out of his shell.
“Yeah ok.” I say packing my bag. I pack an extra pair of underwear and a ratty old shirt and I’m out the door, except my parents catch me at the door so I’m not out yet.
“Where are you going?” my dad asks and I stop in the door frame, So close.
“Uh Luke wants me to sleep over” I say sliding out the door.
“Oh uh, tell him we love him” my mother says and I smile.
“Will do.” I say before closing the door.
The air is hellish and not in the hot way. It’s the beginning of January so it’s to be expected. Except I’m wearing a windbreaker and a pair of canvas shoes, so I guess it’s expected that I’m shivering as I walk to my car.

Knocking on the front door Alfie’s mom answers.
“Charlie sweetie, Tom is here,” she says and I smile as she gives me a hug.
I walk in and hear soft tunes playing on a record player. It’s almost too low to distinguish what’s being played, but Alfie comes down the stairs and smiles at the sight of me.
“Hey Tom” he said blushing a little.
“Hey!” I say taking off my shoes. Alfie’s father walks in from the other room and sees me standing there.
“Hey you must be Tom!” he says and gives me a firm handshake.
“Hey Mr. Jones,” I say.
“Ah call me Abraham,” he says and of course his name is Abraham. It fits the bill.
Heading up the wooden steps we enter Alfie’s room. Basically an attic but with fluffy grey carpets and mellow yellow walls, and a porthole window that stares out into the local neighborhood. Well the parking lot for the antique shop. He looks into my blue eyes and I look at his green gold ones and he wanders over to a boom box and presses play. It’s my mixtape, men without hats begins to play as he turns back to me. He walks past to lock the door.
“Oh, so this is a locked door type of deal.”
“No, I just don’t want my parents finding out.”
“Understandable” I say as I lean in for a kiss. He kisses back and it feels so good. I feel like he really gets me. We’re full on making out on his bed his hands tugging my hair and I’m feeling his torso as he brushes up besides me I feel his breath whisper something in my ear, but it’s inaudible. We both stop when we hear a knock on the door. Thank god for the lock!
“Yeah?” Alfie calls.
“I uh brought snacks” his mom calls from the other side of the door. I get up and try to hide my hard on. I decide to plop down on the bed face first as Alfie opens the door.
“Thanks” I hear his voice from the outside of his door.
When he enters the room again he’s wide eyed and he’s smiling like a mad man. He’s holding a tray that has sliced apples and crackers on it, even though it’s 12:30 at night, we don’t go back to school for another week so this whole thing is absolutely amazing.
“I just did that!” he says “I have a boyfriend! Wait that’s what we are right?” as he says this I turn to face him. He places the tray on the ground as he sits on the bed.
“I mean if you want to be yeah” I say nonchalantly trying to play it cool.
“We can’t let anyone know. I’ve seen what they do to people you especially, I can’t let it get worse.”
“Hey it’s ok, Alf we can do it. It really doesn’t have to be public, sorta like a secret. Like it’s what gays have been doing since the dawn of time. We can do it.” I say as I sit next to him, We’re both saturated on the bed his fitted sheets becoming wrinkled. Alfie plops down laying on his side, and I go to face him. Laying on my side.
“I love you.” I say caressing his freckled cheek.
“Me too,” he says taking my hand to kiss it. I can barely see his face since the lamp is the only source of light in basically the entire town. “How’s your bruises?” he asks and I feel him feel my worn cheek.
“They’re pretty good, I mean they aren’t noticeable.”
“Hey if you wanna talk about what happened,”
“im fine.” my voice is soft and I want to say I hate Clint and I want all of this to be over, but I can’t do it.
“I don’t think you are,”
“Clint’s an asshole who said I was cute. And I’m out, I should get to choose who I tell when and where, but that’s thrown out the window, and I can’t tell Abby or Luke about it, because they won’t understand.” My voice cracks a little and my stutter picks up.
“I understand.” He says and I turn to him, I guess he really does. “Listen, what if we wrote letters to each other. Nobody would know that we’re dating, and we can still say I love you through these things and sort out crazy stuff.”
“I guess having a secret boyfriend has its perks.” I say ruffling his hair a little.
“Yeah and if it gets to be too much we can sign our names differently, like instead of using Tom, us T. Or something like that.”
“That’s actually a good idea, I mean it’s like a pen pal except we know what each other look like and well we’re dating.” I say
“You’re so cute!” he says and I drift off in his arms, Snoring lightly.