Alex woke up in a dimly lit room, he could hear the clacking of a keyboard and someone humming low. Montag. Montag? Suddenly everything came back to him. The cafe. The argument. The kiss. He couldn't remember anything after that. He sat up and noticed he was in a bed, why was he in a bed? Was it his bed? He felt his head throbbing, confusion making it worse.
"Oh, you're awake. Are you feeling fine?" Montag spoke softly while approaching the bed.
"What happened? I don't remember anything after you kissed me."
"I kissed you?" He chuckled. "I distinctly remember you pulling my shirt."
Alex blushed and buried his face on the pillow. He'd hoped Montag didn't remember his momentary insanity. He still didn't know why he did that, but the moment seemed right, and he'd be wanting to kiss him since their bathroom incident. He could lie to himself and said it was his way of pushing him away by scaring him but there was no point in that.
"I'm sorry" he said. His voice was muffled by the pillow.
"About what?" He felt Montag's weight sinking the mattress and his voice sounded nearer.
"About kissing you" He lifted his head from the pillow and sat facing him. His face was still blushing, and he fixed his eyes on his shoulder. "That was so unlike me, I really have no explanation for why I did it."
"Don't worry. I liked it, it was unexpected, but it was nice" it was the first time Alex saw his smile reaching his eyes.
"Please don't say that. I promise it won't happen again." He left the bed and stretched his arms. "Why was I in your bed?"
"You passed out. Maybe you were overstimulated since I pinned you to the wall."
Montag's nonchalant way of saying things made his shame worse. Alex felt his cheeks burning, at this rate he was going to have his face permanently red. He cleared his throat and fixed his shirt and hoodie. He brushed his fingers through his hair and walked around the bed.
"Thank you for taking care of me" he extended his hand.
"I couldn't let you unconscious in the street." He stood up and faced him "I'm not a monster, you know?"
He took his hand and Alex was once again flooded with heat from head to toe. Sparks travelled from his fingertips to his chest, his belly, his lips, and groin. He'd never felt anything like it, and he wasn't prepared to face those feelings. He was overwhelmed by the need to kiss him and the prospect of touching him wasn't as scary as before.
"You can let go of my hand now" Montag whispered.
Alex opened his eyes in shock and embarrassment and released his hand. Montag had a smile on his face and his eyes were unreadable, he hated how he couldn't be as cool, calm, and collected. He felt like an open book.
"I better get going, I don't want Andrea to worry" He shifted in place and kept his head down "About my request, you can forget about it. It's not fair of me to ask you to maintain a relationship you don't want."
"I'll talk to them; I understand the situation now. I lashed out at your sister because I felt attacked." He smiled bashfully "And I also want to apologize. I shouldn't have tested your boundaries; I was an asshole."
"You're forgiven. I'm going now."
Without another word he left the apartment. If he spent another minute in his company, he was prone to make a fool of himself saying or doing something embarrassing. Once was enough. When he stepped out on the street it was raining lightly, he covered his head with his hood and took his phone to order an Uber.
"Where the fuck were you and why weren't you answering your phone?!"
Andrea's shrill was probably heard back in Montag's house. She was walking back and forth with Nandor watching her from his cat tree and Julian sitting on the couch. Their worried expressions turned to relief when they realized he was okay.
"I got distracted with a friend."
"You don't have friends. And you should've let me know. I was worried sick; I was considering calling mom and dad."
"I'm in a good mood so I'm going to ignore your crazy behavior. I'm gonna take a shower and go to sleep." He walked by her with a smile on his face.
"Alex" she took his arm and turned him to face her "Baby, are you on drugs?"
"Don't be silly" he released his arm and pinched her face "You can relax now, I'm safe."
He entered his room and got ready for bed. He felt really satisfied with himself and the progress he made to repair her sister's relationships. He felt like her guardian angel, working behind the scenes to maintain her peace and happiness. He was going to make the voluntary decision to forget about the kiss and his attraction to Montag. Acknowledging it and acting on it could only bring trouble.
The next day Alex woke up late. He was starving, the last food in his stomach was the cappuccino he took with Montag, but he arrived too tired to eat anything. He got up and made his bed. He could hear voices coming from the living room, he didn't like it when his sister had visitors, but it wasn't a common occurrence because she understood his boundaries. He left his room and headed for the bathroom to pee, but he was stopped in his tracks by Montag's deep voice.
"That's why I wanted to come and apologize to both of you." His voice echoed through the hall.
Hearing his voice lit him up like a firefly. All his muscles relaxed, and his chest expanded as if he was deprived of air and Montag was his source of oxygen. He should be worried about how he made him feel, he should be concerned about becoming dependent on that feeling. Montag was a drug he couldn't afford to get hooked on.
"Look, bro, you know I appreciate you as a friend and I'd love to get the band working again but I'm worried you're going to lash out at Andrea again" Julian sounded hurt.
"I don't really know what else you want me to do. I already apologized" His voice was flat.
Panic took over Alex. If they didn't make up and reunite the band there was no reason for them to ever meet again. Alex could use band practice as an excuse to see Montag but with no rehearsals there was no chance of ever seeing him again. He knew Montag didn't really care about keeping the relationship going, apologizing was just a favor he was doing for him. He stormed into the room and interrupted their conversation.
"Good morning, guys" he walked towards the kitchen trying to look relaxed.
"It's noon." Andrea's voice sounded surprised. She had an inquisitive look on her face "You're socializing?"
"I-I was hungry, and I didn't know how long you were going to take. Should I leave you alone?" He fixed his eyes on the floor but not before stealing a glance of Montag.
"No, no, no" She reassured him "You actually arrived at a good time."
"For what?"
"I need an objective opinion and since you're not emotionally invested in these relationships, you're the right person." She sat upright and took a deep breath "what do you think about reuniting the band?"
He looked at Julian, he clearly wanted everything to go back to normal, but the respect he had for his fiancé was holding him back. He looked at Andrea, she was looking at Montag with an apprehensive look on her face. She didn't trust him. Alex knew it was wrong to make her believe he didn't have something to gain if the band got together again, but he was desperate and greedy.
"I think everything was taken out of proportion and it is in your best interest to get together again." He said bluntly.
"Then it is decided" Montag spoke loudly and stood up "If you'll excuse me, I need to return to the library, I'm abusing my lunch break."
"I'll text you the details for the next session. I need to let Derek and Debra know. " The relief in Julian's voice was obvious.
"No problem, dude. Just let me know" Montag hugged him, hugged Andrea and then walked towards him with his hand extended "thank you, Alex."
Alex hesitated and looked at his hand for a long time. He was no longer scared of his touch, if he was honest with himself, he craved it, but he didn't know how he would react, and he didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of the others.
"You're welcome" His voice came out like a croak; he cleared his throat and shook his hand "Anytime."
Montag squeezed his hand and grinned. Alex watched him leave with his breath stuck on his chest and the warmth of his hand imprinted on his skin. He was thankful Andrea and Julian were distracted because he was sure his face was all blushed.