Inner Peace, Outer Chaos| Alex Rider+Tom Harris|

Five: Night And Day

Apparently, we fell asleep in that position, because we're still like that now. Alex is still asleep, hugging me like he was last night.The film must have ended, and the television is blank. With my free arm, I pick up my phone. The screen displays the time 05:27.

'Hey, Tom?' asks a quiet voice. 'I'm not asleep, you know.' . Wait, what? How does he know I'm awake. He hasn't opened his eyes. I look at Alex, his mouth slightly parted and his eyes still closed.

Damn it, does he have to look so angelic. His eyes are closed, not squeezed shut, but resting gently. His facial expression is relaxed and at peace. It makes me smile to see him calm, able to reach his inner peace through his outer chaos. He has pale freckles that can only be seen from close up. They're adorable. His cheeks are painted with a rose blush, and it makes me realise how much I wish that I put it there. His lips are slightly parted, smooth and a dark pink. It makes me realise how much I wish that I could kiss them. I let myself dream, of a world that we are together, a world that I can hold him, kiss him, and love him without fear. I allow myself to slip away into fantasy. Then his eyelids crack open, and he catches me staring.

'Hi,' he whispers, tilting his head up to me.
'Hi?' I reply, in a subtle state of disbelief.
'Tom...' Alex murmurs, sounding nervous. 'Can we go and watch the sunrise?'
'Of course,' I answer, pulling our conjoined bodies out of bed. Alex stands up next to me, and we walk up to the loft room, which has a skylight. It faces the east, so it's the best place to see a sunrise.

Once we get up there, Alex pushes open the window, and we peer out.

'This time is so strange,' he states, and I'm about to ask him to explain what he means when he continues 'It's like night and day, all at once. It's like nature mixed it all up and it came out beautifully.'

Not as beautiful as you, I think.

The sun, a glowing orb of flaxen, shines out over a hill covered in trees. The shafts of light pour through the black silhouetted leaves, leaving little pools of light in random places. The sky is a warm ombré, beginning above us in a circle of lightest lavender, turning to a pink that can only be described as blossoming hope, which fades into a pale topaz which lights up the everything. The soft light glances on Alex's face, and lights him up like a true angel. His fair hair glints in the morning glow, his eyes shine in curiosity and wonder.

He catches me staring. Wait, HE CATCHES ME STARING! Hell, I'm done for, but instead of trying to explain, I just look him in the eye, and hope he knows what I'm trying to tell him. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. All I can do is wait in fear for him to reach a verdict.

But then, he puts a gentle hand on either side of my waist, and my eyes go wide. What is he doing? He pulls me closer, and stares into my eyes. He gives a slight nod, and somehow I know what he means. I put my hands on his cheeks, butterfly-light, because I'm so scared. I'm scared that it's a dream, scared that it isn't. Scared that it's a joke, scared that it's not. Scared that I misunderstood everything, scared that I didn't. Scared of this, scared without it. But none of that matters anymore because our eyes are closed and his lips are on mine. Lightly. Unsure.

I press my lips to his, a little harder, showing him that it's okay. It's okay, Alex. It's more than okay.

We've found a rhythm, moving against one another, occasionally breaking apart for air. His lips are so soft, and gentle, as if he thinks he'll hurt me if he pushes too hard. I touch him like he's made of butterfly wings, because I don't want to do too much or go too far in case he realises he's made a mistake and cuts me out of his life, disgusted.

His hands on my waist begin to tap a repetitive pattern, the movement unexpected but so good. Everything is so good when it's with him. I don't know why, but I listen to the taps.

../ ._..___..._./ _._____.._/

They keep going, and I wonder if they mean anything.
I gasp when Alex nibbles lightly on my bottom lip, and he smiles into the kiss. He sucks on my lip, and I hum in agreement. I decide to shift a hand into his hair, which is so soft that it slips through my fingers with ease. I start to play with strands of it, and he moans quietly into my mouth. At the noise, I gasp again, and he takes advantage of my parted lips to slip his tongue past my teeth.

Now his tongue is in my mouth and suddenly I don't know where I am, but frankly, I don't care. All that I care about right now is Alex. His hair, his lips, his tongue, his kiss, his taste, his hands on my hips, his fingers tapping. All that I care about right now is us. Our kiss, our touch, our bodies pressed together, our sounds, and the things that cause them, our hearts, racing in time with our lips, our heat, warming each other head to toe.

All that I care about is right now, and how I never want it to end.

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