When Gregory woke up the following morning, he felt the uncomfortable sensation of morning wood. Adonis slept partially on top of him, their legs tangled. His head rested on Gregory's chest; his mouth slightly open as he drooled. Gregory gently slid Adonis off him. The boy's curly hair framed his beautiful face, making him look like an angel in the morning light that shined through the curtains. Gregory touched Adonis' cheek lightly. Why did he feel attracted to this boy? Why couldn't he bring himself to walk away? Why did he crawl into Adonis' bed, knowing nothing good would come from it?
Gregory ran his thumb along Adonis' bottom lip; it was soft, smooth and warm.
He pulled back his hand, cursing himself in his head. Adonis was the last person he should fall in love with, but what if he already had?
His chest felt sticky, and he was sure it was Adonis' drool. Sighing, he got out of bed and went into the bathroom. He locked the door so that Adonis wouldn't walk in on him. He waited for the shower to warm up before going inside. While the warm water soaked his skin, he reached down and rubbed his penis. He imagined Adonis on his knees, his lips kissed the tip of Gregory's penis and then parted to let him enter. He pictured forcing himself into Adonis' mouth. He pumped hard, thrusting into his hand until he orgasmed. He shuddered as he climaxed.
He looked at the cum slipping down the glass. "Shit."
***
Gregory avoided Adonis for the rest of the time they spent together. It was easy to do because Adonis avoided him as well. The boy wouldn't meet his gaze. He would try to then his ears turned red, and something else would grab his fascination—the tiles, a flower, or a painting. They didn't sit together during breakfast. When Adonis finished eating, he mumbled something about having work to do at home, then left.
After Adonis' departure, Gregory, Louis, and Jonas remained at the table. They finished eating breakfast in a small room with a view of the front garden. They watched Adonis ride his bicycle down the driveway, turn onto the main road and disappear.
Jonas casted a skeptical glance at Gregory. He asked, "What did you do?"
"Nothing."
"Why would he act like that if you did nothing?"
"Nothing happened, Jonas."
"You gave him your jacket, and you slept in his room last night," Jonas said. Gregory realized the boy had checked on Adonis while he had slept. Gregory frowned. There had to be a limit to how protective one could be. There was no room for lies. Jonas wasn't looking at him as a friend would. His gaze was cold, angry.
Gregory shrugged and decided to play it cool. He hadn't done anything to Adonis and was therefore, innocent. "What are you implying? I'm perfectly straight. I gave him my jacket because the two of you were staring at him like a bunch of idiots."
Louis bobbed his head to one side then the other. "I will admit that Adonis is real pretty for a guy.... It should be illegal for guys to look pretty; it fucks with your head, man. But trust me, there's a line I won't cross. Not that I have anything against gay people. I love everyone, but I would never cross that line. But you," Louis said, nodding at Gregory, "You did something."
"I didn't," Gregory said, growing frustrated. "Why do you think I did something?"
"He blushed like crazy whenever you looked at him and hardly said a word to anyone. He's acting like a girl who just lost her virginity. What the actual fuck?" Jonas said. "I invited you to my house; I give you my food, and you seduce my best friend. Did you forget that I was the one that introduced you to him? And before I brought you to meet him, I told you, 'Hey, the guy I'm about to introduce you to is beautiful, but do not under any circumstances mistake him for a girl. He is not a girl. Do not kiss him or fall in love with him— do not do any of that nonsense even if he's gay and falls in love with you.' I told you that if you touch him, I would destroy you."
"I swear on my life; I did not touch him."
Both Louis and Jonas studied Gregory carefully.
Gregory stared at them, keeping his emotions from his face. He hoped he looked uncaring and callous. But Gregory felt that the expression he had assumed, kind of resembled the face a person made when they were constipated. He cleared his throat.
Louis said, "He did something."
Jonas sighed. "Of course he did, Adonis was sleeping on top of him when I checked on him this morning." He banged his fist on the table. The spoons swirled in the teacups, and forks clattered on their plates. He stood up. The sideburns on the side of his face made him resemble a fierce young lion. "That's it. Let's fight; get up. I wanted to be nice because your brother died, but you made a promise to me and broke it, and I don't give two shits anymore. You can't use your brother's death to take advantage of people."
Gregory attempted to calm him down saying, "You can't beat me in a fight. You have tried and lost many, many times. I hugged him, alright? It was an intimate hug, I guess, since I was technically half naked but that's all that happened." Tired of defending himself, Gregory cursed himself for getting a boner and making Adonis sleep on top of him. There was no way to rewind time, so the best course of action would be to avoid Adonis till the awkwardness of whatever happened last night passed. He told Jonas, "I'm sorry. I made a mistake; I was sad, and I did something stupid, but I swear, I will never touch him again."
Jonas took a moment to respond, his eyes burning holes in Gregory's forehead. He said, "Since your brother died, I will let it go this time. Next time, I will fight you. Look, I don't give two shits if you are gay, you'll still be my bro, but it cannot be Adonis, okay?"
"Okay. "
"Good," Jonas said, his voice losing some of its anger. They finished their French toast in a tense silence and then it was time for the guests to leave. Louis departed for a café, telling them that he was going to charm a kind girl into dating him. Jonas hung back, glaring as he walked Gregory to the door. He said, "I'm still pissed at you."
"I know. It won't happen again."
Gregory meant it. He went outside; the wind rustled his clothes and hair. His bicycle waited alone on the driveway. He picked it up and walked it to the front gate, his heart heavy and eyes downcast. He felt like a child who had gotten told off by their parent after breaking a vase. It sucked. And it would take a while for his friendship with Jonas to recover.
The gate swung open and Gregory rode his bicycle down the perpendicular street. He thought about Jonas. Did Jonas like Adonis too? Was that why he was so freaking protective?
***