Flushed (Troyler AU)

Chapter 18

Troye's POV (unedited, yet)

My eyes fluttered open slowly, the irritating bright light causing me to shut them again. Tyler's back was pressed flush against my chest and my arm was wrapped tightly around his waist. I felt the steady movement of his chest with each breath he inhaled and exhaled. I lifted my head from the pillow, deciding I could no longer pretend to sleep, despite my efforts. I gazed upon my beautiful boyfriend and instantly a smile broke out on my face, the sight simply too comely to avoid. His features were relaxed, the look on his face seemingly ingenuous and the corners of his lips were curled upwards.

It was heartbreaking that I would have to leave him in a few hours, the initial feeling of him next to me was still unaccustomed to. I felt horrible, since he did not know I would depart so soon, especially after last night. It was the one thing I wanted to stray away from, seeing his pretty face contorted with discontent and perhaps, disbelief. I was aware that nothing could be done to prevent me from telling him, unless I picked up my bag and left with haste. Although it would seem as if this was just a one night stand, when it was truly the complete opposite.

I brushed away the stray hairs fallen to his forehead, which shielded his peaceful appearance from my eyes. The time was unknown and I would have rather kept it this way, the seconds we had together ticking down with every number on the clock. I couldn't possibly prolong my stay, the idea unrealistic, yet oh-so desirable.

If I stared any longer, it would be considered creepy and so gently, I pulled my hand away, untangling our bodies in the process. I scooted to my side of the bed and rolled out with chariness, trying not to awake Tyler from his slumber.

I pulled on a pair of briefs before walking over to the other side of the bed and kneeled before Tyler. As I placed a light kiss to his forehead, his eyes crinkled and his thick eye lashes flittered briefly across his cheekbones. He shifted in the cocoon of blankets, his body shivering from the lack of warmth. I debated pulling the covers higher, but changed my mind as I realized this would probably disturb him.

I made my way into the kitchen, grabbing the coffee pot and two mugs, setting them down on the counter. As I waited for the coffee to brew, silent hums of my new, unreleased song echoed through the room and I tapped my bare foot lightly against the cold tiles. My thoughts twisted and jumbled in my head; from Tyler to my upcoming album.

It would only take a few more weeks until it was finished and released. The album art had been designed months ago, even before the studio and I was happy with its final product. The fans were going insane, predicting song meanings from the little snippets of lyrics I posted to twitter a while back. The excitement was building as the release date approached, each day flying by in seconds. From the interviews, appearances, photo shoots and promotions my life was undeniably hectic, an outsider having truly no clue how busy my days were. And I couldn't deny myself the enjoyment that came with it all, just seeing the positive responses and the toothy grins of everyone around me made it all worth it.

A world tour was already being planned to promote the album, which would kick off approximately two months after. The management was ecstatic for me, something about seeing me grow and mature as an artist, although I've had plenty of time to do that. Everyone kept saying this third album would blow up, break the internet and sell millions of copies. Or perhaps they just acted in such because it would bring them more money than the previous (after all, it was what mattered most).

I needed to stop focusing on the future and instead on the present. And right now that was Tyler. I poured the fresh coffee into the mug and added some cream to both, knowing our orders were practically identical. A door creaked open and I waited, momentarily frozen, thinking a sleepy Tyler would wobble over to me and wrap his arms around my waist-like in the movies.