Lemuel stiffens when Federline cups his face and leans in so close that their breaths meet each other. Their eyes stare into each other's souls. Then, just as Federline leans in to kiss, his eyes suddenly narrow, and he draws his body back.
"Sorry… This was a terrible joke…."
Lemuel widens his eyes in shock, and anger rapidly raises to his head. He takes Federline's collar as his entire body shakes.
"Who said I took it as a joke?"
"Huh?"
Lemuel presses his lips on Federline's. Federline stops breathing. His eyes shake as he tries to process what is going on. Then, he feels something wet and warm drip on his cheek, and he watches Lemuel pull himself back from their kiss.
"Lemuel…" Federline utters the name, but he is still breathless and shocked that his mind is too blank to come up with words. Watching Lemuel in tears, Federline curses inside. Yet, those tears make his heart soften, and his barriers melt down.
