𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮

by the seashore

Jorge's POV:

I've been in Benji's arms twice in less than twenty-four hours, after over a week without his touch.

I want to hate it. Honest to God, I do.

It's supposed to be bad.
It's supposed to be wrong.
It's supposed to be unnatural.

But Benji's embrace feels good.
And Benji's hands feel right.
And our love feels natural.

"Benji?" I chew on the inside of my cheek.

His dark, hazelnut eyes drip with compassion.

"Yes, Jorge?"

"I- I want to try to talk to my mom."

The words leave my lips before I've really given them much consideration.

I need to go home and get my stuff, yes. I've been wearing Benji's clothes for days.

But do I really want to talk to my mom?

I guess I must, subconsciously at the very least, because I said it out loud.

Benji nods, thinking it over. "I could drop you off and wait in the car. And you could text me if anything happens." He suggests.

"Yeah. That sounds good. When can we go?" I ask.

Benji only shrugs. "Whenever you're comfortable."

"Can we go tonight? After dinner?"

"I'm only driving you if you eat your lunch and your dinner." Benji stipulates.

"Okay." I agree.

I know I can do that.

"Want to go into town?" He suggests, trying to lighten the mood. "We could go shopping, maybe get you some lunch." He pokes my ribs.

"That sounds nice." I smile, almost intertwining our fingers.

I let the urge to grab his hand die inside of my chest. I just can't make myself do it quite yet.

I know Benji won't rush me to do anything with him, either.

Benji's POV:

Jorge and I take our time walking side by side into the main town square. It's a rather large block near the seaside that is lined with rows of shops. Some stores are small mom and pop places, filled with unique charms and trinkets. Others shops are brand name companies, where you know what you're getting when you walk in.

My hope is that I'll get to give Jorge a fun, relaxed day before he has to face his mom.

We enter the main square, and I know exactly where I want to go first.
A gift shop, simply called "Casey's Gifts", was filled to the brim with toys and food.

"This place looks cute." Jorge comments.

I nod in agreement, following him inside. My eyes land on a small, chocolate colored, stuffed bear. It's curly fur is the same color as Jey's hair. Right away I decide I have to get it for him.

As he's distracted by the shelves of merchandise, as I slip away to the checkout counter to buy the bear. The woman asks me if I'd like to bag it, but I decline.

Jey is waiting for me at the door. "What did you get?" He inquires.

I bring the bear out from it's hiding spot behind my back.

"Its fur looks just like your hair." I become shy, suddenly, nervous that he'll think the bear is dumb. Or that I'm dumb.

A raging blush crosses his cheeks as he smiles at me. I hand the bear to him and he holds it tight to his chest.

"Now, if you're ever too anxious to touch me, you can touch the bear." I offer.

He pecks the nose of the teddy bear, causing my heart to flutter.

He wishes he could kiss me.

"Thank you Banjo. I love it." He looks at the bear, and then up at me.

"And I love you." I would've poked his little nose, but I know better.

Instead I just smile at him looking down sheepishly.

We only poke our head in some shops, and others we take our time in. But that's not what really matters to me. I don't even care about the clothes and candies these stores have to sell. I'm just happy I got Jey to leave the house for something other than school. It would make my mom happy, too.

"Do you think I should come out to my mom?" I ask Jorge, when my mom comes to mind.

Jey studies my face for a moment. "I think she would-" He pauses, grasping for the correct english words. "Be happy for us." He manages.

"You really think so?"

He nods. "Not so sure about your Dad, though."

"Yeah." I sigh. He's not wrong.

Up ahead I spot my favorite kebab place. It's a rather small building, but it's tidy and modern.

"So, you promised me you'd eat your lunch, right?" I ask teasingly.

He rolls his eyes, but nods.

"I want you to try the best kebabs in the world." I lead him toward the building.

After we place our orders and get the kebabs, Jey is surprised when I tell the cashier I want them to-go.

"Where are we going?" He looks at me, puzzled, as I grab the bag of food.

"I want to eat at the beach with you."

"I- I think I'd like that." Jey clutches the bear closer to his chest.

"I would too." I say smile softly at his gesture of affection toward the bear.

The beach is right beside the shops, so it doesn't take long for us to find a soft spot in the sand to sit. The waves crash in an almost soothing manner against the marbled rocks. And, although the sand is a little warm to the touch, I'm comfortable beside Jey. The smell of the water almost makes me nostalgic, as I think back to the times I played along the shore when I was younger.

I grab the bag of kebabs, handing one off to Jey and keeping one for myself. I start to eat without hesitation, when I notice Jey simply staring at his kebab.

"Jey." I scold him lightly.

He looks down at his lap. "I'm sorry, Benji. I'm trying."

I scoot closer to him, sympathetically. I put a hand on his skewer, a verbal sign to put it down. He drops it back in the bag.

I place the kebab I had been eating off of against his lip. I can tell he's hungry. But he makes no move to eat it.

"I'll wait all day for you, Jorge." I tease.

Reluctantly, he takes a small bite.

Then I take a turn, hungrily chewing down on the delicious kebab. They really are the best.

Realization clicks in Jey's eyes. I'm eating with him. He's not doing this alone. If he wants me to eat, he'll have to eat as well.

Taking note of the hunger in my eyes, he leans in for another bite, this time his jaw moving with more confidence.

Sharing a kebab by the seashore might seem like a small thing to any other couple. But for me and Jey, it's a huge leap of progress.

I couldn't be more proud of my boy.

[This is kind of a sweet filler/fluff chapter. Sorry if it was boring, haha. I just wanted to say a quick and big thank you for 5k!! That's such a huge milestone, and I'm seriously so glad that you guys are favoriting and commenting :) I'm so proud of this little story, and I hope you guys love it as much as I do.]