Alone Together (Gallavich)

twenty-seven

mickey

"I can not believe I let you drag me to see that shit."

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad Mick."

"You're fucking joking right," I asked rhetorically, furrowing my eyebrows at the redhead walking beside me to the train station. All I got in response was one of Ian's classic eye rolls as he turned his head forwards.

"Not my fuckin fault that all the movies out right now are shitty. Besides, getting caught together is a lot less likely when you're seeing Kung Fu Panda 3 than if you're seeing the newest Chris Pine movie, alright?"

"Whatever man," I scoffed, "Just never take me to a fucking Dreamworks movie ever again or I'll burn down every theater on the goddamn south side to make sure it doesn't happen."

Reaching in my pocket, I pulled out a lighter and my box of cigarettes. Taking one from the box and lighting it, I took a drag of the cigarette before holding it out for Ian. His eyes looked down at my hand for a moment, but eventually he grabbed the cigarette and brought it to his mouth.

''Least you could do is say thanks for the date before you fuckin abandon me," he mumbled as he exhaled the smoke and handed the cigarette back to me.

"Stop your bitching," I groaned, taking the cigarette back from Ian and nudging his arm a little before taking a drag. "You know I'm fucking grateful."

"I know you are," he sighed back, looking over and giving me a small smile before grabbing the stick from my fingers.

When we were finally on the L, I made sure to sit at a good distance from Ian just in case someone saw and caught on. It pained me more than I'd like to admit to not fill the gap between our thighs, but having a plan to get us out of hiding, or me, more specifically, helped to motivate me from doing anything stupid.

"You leaving as soon as we get back?" Ian spoke up softly, his head looking down at his shoes and he rested his elbows on his thighs.

"Pretty much. I mean I'll make sure I have everything again before I go but yeah, won't stay too long." I kept my voice calm and low, watching Ian's fingers move around themselves between his legs. Looking at his face, it was clear he was dreading whatever was to come when we got back to his place, no matter if I was staying for fifteen minutes or 4 hours longer. "I'm not in any fuckin rush though," I quickly added, trying to reassure Ian that I wasn't totally psyched about my leaving either.

"Good," he mumbled, keeping his head down.

I sat up in my seat and leaned my head back against the window, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath in an attempt to relax. Without eliminating the gap between our legs fully, I decided to give in a little and shift in my seat so that my shoulder was barely touching Ian's. It was enough to get his attention, however, as he raised his head and, after glancing at me quickly, relaxed more into his seat, slightly easing into the minimal touch of our arms, understanding the boundary and welcoming what he could get.

We road the rest of the ride like that - barely touching and in a subtle saddening silence. The walk from the station to Ian's house was about the same. Every few seconds, I'd catch Ian turning to look at me for a split moment. I figured whatever was on his mind could be said in a minute or two when we walked through his front door, so I ignored it and kept my focus forward.

It seemed I wasn't too far off. As soon as Ian's front door closed behind us, the sides of my jacket were being grabbed by the redhead as his lips pressed harshly against mine. Taken off guard initially, it was a second before I kissed back, understanding the feeling Ian must have had after the last few hours of having to keep everything quiet. Once he pulled away and let go of my jacket, I moved my hands to cup his cheeks as my eyes explored his face.