Endless, Forever (15 page)

Chapter Seventeen

Stepping off the plane was the greatest feeling of relief Oliver had ever experienced in his life.  Tension he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in his neck and shoulders started to relax, and he was struck by a profound exhaustion.

Leo opted to drive, immediately on the phone the second they got in the car, and Oliver was dozing by the time they made it back to the house.  The smell of home, the feeling of being away from everything else, struck Oliver hard.  He had a difficult time keeping it together as he threw his suitcases against the wall, and went to the fridge for a bottle of water.

“I’m heading out,” Leo said as Oliver cracked the top and took a long drink.  “You need anything?”

Oliver’s eyebrows shot up.  “How the hell can you go out?  We just got off a bloody international flight.  I want to
die
right now.”

“I can’t sit still.  Mike’s on his way to get me.”  Leo gave him a casual shrug, and though Oliver felt a pang of worry in his gut, he couldn’t bring himself to care much.

“Just be careful.  I’m going to sleep for ten hours, then maybe go see Gabe.”

“Don’t forget dad wants all those forms faxed over to him,” Leo said as he leaned over to the hall mirror and applied some red lipstick.  “They seemed vaguely important.”

Doing his best not to sigh, Oliver nodded and watched as Leo flounced out the door.  He knew on some level he should be more concerned about his brother’s behavior, but he wasn’t going to police how Leo was coping.  As it was, it was taking everything in him not to have Gabe over immediately.  But he knew he needed space, to center his head, and part of that was being on his own for a little while.

Being home was a small comfort, and as he slipped into his room, he found one of Gabe’s discarded t-shirts.  He threw all of his clothes onto the floor, slipped the t-shirt over his head, and crawled into his bed.  It was only moments before sleep claimed him, but it happened in his safe space, surrounded by the smells of home, and the person he loved most in the world.

***

He woke with the sun the next morning, and felt discombobulated by too many hours of being in his bed.  He checked his phone to make sure he hadn’t slept more than a day, then rushed to empty his painfully full bladder.  He scrubbed his teeth, ignoring his stomach which was begging for food, and shuffled back into his room for his phone.  The one thing he wanted more than anything in the world now, was to call his boyfriend.

There was a good chance Gabe was working, but when his boyfriend picked up, he let out a huge sigh of relief.  “Hey, you.”

“Hi,” Gabe said.  “When did you get in?”

“Last night.  Leo buggered off, and I crashed.  Just got up actually, and was hoping you hadn’t eaten yet?”

There was a small pause, then Gabe laughed.  “How about brunch?  We could go to that little place you love by Pacific Beach?”

“You’re a bloody dream,” Oliver breathed into the phone.  “Meet you there in twenty?”

“Already on my way.”

Oliver left off the I love you, in spite of wanting to shout it to any and everyone who might hear it.  Instead he scrambled for some jeans, tying his hair up, hating that he still smelled like a stale airplane.  He kept on Gabe’s shirt, figuring his boyfriend wouldn’t mind so much, and slipped his feet into some sandals.

It was only a fifteen-minute walk, and he was almost bouncing in excitement when he spotted Gabe’s head of shaggy, dark curls waiting amongst the Sunday Brunch crowd.  His feet picked up their pace without him consciously aware of it, and before long he was tugging Gabe into a soft kiss.

“Mm,
God
I have been thinking about that all week.”

Gabe reached up, cupping Oliver’s cheek, his dark eyes drinking him in.  “Me too.  I’ve already put our names in, so it shouldn’t be long.”

Oliver was more than content to stand there with his hands at Gabe’s waist, just holding him.  Gabe didn’t protest when Oliver tucked his face into his neck, and they ignored any strange looks they got as they basked in each other.

“How was the flight back?” Gabe asked after a little while.

“Sodding terrible,” Oliver groaned against Gabe’s warm skin.  “It felt twice as long as the one going over, and Leo was anxious the entire time.  Got no sleep, and I’ve so much paperwork to get sorted.  My mum left everything in my name.”

Gabe brushed his hand down Oliver’s back.  “I’m sorry, sweetheart.  You want some help with it?”

Oliver hummed his appreciation at the offer and the nickname.  “Nah, it’s fine.  Most of it’s just signatures, then I have to fax it over to my dad.  His lawyers will make sure everything’s sorted.  It’s just not something I especially feel like doing.”

Gabe chuckled.  “You know, you were only there a few days and I’m pretty sure your accent is stronger.”

“Oh sod off,” Oliver groaned, and Gabe laughed harder.  “Just you wait til I drag you there, you shit.  You’ll be talking like a Londoner in no time.”

“You really think it’s enough to outweigh my born-in, hysterical American patriotism?”

“You’re an idiot,” Oliver said, raising his head for a kiss.

A few moments later, they were called to their table, lucking out and getting one right at the window.  Oliver immediately ordered a couple of mimosas and the pair filled their plates before relaxing back in their chairs, the soft, early summer sun filtering across the table.

“So,” Gabe said as he nibbled on some of the fruit, “how are you really?”

Oliver wanted to lie, because the last thing he wanted to do was drudge up all the emotions his mother’s funeral had brought to the surface, but he’d made himself a promise to do better.  To
be
better.  “I think I’m alright, but I’m not sure.  I think right now the relief of being home is eclipsing anything else.  I was barely together during the whole thing.  I had to take a couple of Leo’s sedatives.”

Gabe pulled a face.  “Not sure I like the sound of that.”

“I was careful, they weren’t anything illegal,” Oliver muttered, poking at his smoked salmon.  “Mikey gave him something to take in case it became too much.”

Gabe, who knew Mikey from their trans group at the University, licked his lips and looked away.  “I’ve just heard a few things about Mikey lately, and if Leo’s getting really close to him, you might want to be careful.”

Oliver narrowed his eyes.  “What do you mean?”

Gabe let out a breath.  “Maybe we should talk about this later.  You just got in and…”

“No,” Oliver said firmly.  “Being an adult means dealing with this shit when I need to.  So what exactly did you hear?”

“That he’s been into more than just easy shit lately,” Gabe said, shrugging one shoulder.  “More than just pills or weed.”

Oliver licked his lips.  “Like…”

“Like hard stuff,” Gabe said, his voice tense.  “Heroin, mostly.”

“Shit.”  Oliver let out a heavy breath.  “You know for sure?”

“No,” Gabe said in a rush.  “I don’t know for sure, which is why I didn’t say anything before now.  But if he’s giving your brother opiates casually, you might want to just…check.  Or keep an eye out.”

Oliver swallowed thickly.  “I’m trying not to police him.”

“I know,” Gabe said.  “And you’ve done really well there, and he
is
getting better.  But I just…worry.”

Oliver felt torn between worry and anger.  Why would Gabe bring this up now?  And based off a rumor?  But he reminded himself forcefully that Gabe was only concerned.  He was friends with Leo, and he loved Oliver.  He wasn’t trying to stir up anything unpleasant just for the hell of it.

“I’ll talk to him about it,” Oliver said eventually.

Gabe looked sad as he picked up his coffee and took a long drink.  “I am sorry.  I shouldn’t have said.”

“Nah,” Oliver replied loftily.  “It’s really fine.  I’ll sort it, but for now I just want to enjoy this.”

Gabe’s face softened and he smiled across the table.  “That sounds ideal to me.  After this I think we should go back to yours and have a day in.”

“You don’t work?” Oliver asked.

Gabe’s grin widened.  “I might have called out sick.  You know, so we can take advantage of your homecoming.”

Oliver licked his lips.  “Now that’s what I wanted to hear.”

***

They barely made it in the door before Gabriel was on him, pinning him to the wall, devouring his mouth.  Oliver groaned, letting his hands run up the back of Gabe’s shirt, clutching hard against the warm skin just above his jeans.  A knee snaked in between Oliver’s legs, pushing up with slight pressure, making him crave more.  His hips bucked forward as he sought some sort of friction.

“Uhg
…fuck
,” he murmured against Gabe’s mouth.

Gabe grinned against his lips, then pulled back to draw his tongue along the hot skin just under his ear.  “Missed you, want you, fuck…
Ollie
,” he groaned, then took Oliver’s earlobe in between his teeth.  “Bedroom?”

“Can you make it that far?” Oliver joked, even as he grabbed the front of Gabe’s shirt and began dragging him toward the stairs.

They took them two at a time, stumbling, pausing to kiss in the hallway, then in the bedroom doorway.  Gabriel took the lead after that, slamming the door hard, the sound ringing through the room as he bodily shoved Oliver toward the bed.

Oliver fell down hard, his head lolling back as Gabriel straddled him, pinning his hands lightly above his head.  He leaned his head down to kiss him again, long and slow, and so needy.  “Did you miss me?”

“Fuck,” Oliver said, bucking his hips.  “You
know
I did.  Missed you so much.  I love you so much.”

He was babbling, but it didn’t matter as Gabriel began to rummage through the nightstand, refusing to take any more time for foreplay.  “Get my jeans off,” he ordered.

As Gabe searched for what he needed, Oliver’s fingers made quick work of his button and zipper, getting his jeans down around his hips.  Shifting, they broke apart just long enough to get rid of clothes, and Gabriel came away naked and triumphant with a condom and small bottle of lube in his hands.

Oliver took that opportunity to flip their positions, kneeling between Gabe’s legs. He took the lube first, squirting a bit on this thumb before rubbing it up Gabriel’s labia, giving him firm pressure along his clit.

Gabriel’s head rolled back, then his eyes squeezed shut as he let out a long moan.  “Fuck.  Want you in me.  Please.”

Oliver didn’t need telling twice.  His fingers, trembling with need, ripped at the condom wrapping and quickly slipped it on.  He slathered himself with a bit of the lube before grasping Gabe by the backs of the knees and sliding in.

It was hot and so wet, pulsing with need as Oliver picked up a furious rhythm.  Gabe had his head thrown back, his cheeks flushed, breath coming in heavy pants as Oliver pushed in and out of him.

“Good.  Yes, so good,” he babbled.

Gabe tightened around him, canting his hips to match Oliver’s rhythm.  “Harder,” he begged.

Oliver complied instantly, his fingers holding on in a bruising grip.  He felt himself getting closer, cresting, and he quickly reached between them to gently rub at Gabe’s clit, urging him on.  “Come on, love.  Come for me.  Please.”

Seconds later he felt the pulsing, the hot rush of fluid as Gabe let out an obscene groan and came.  Hard.  His mouth opened, eyes clenched shut, and it was all Oliver needed to give in to his own orgasm.  He bent forward, breathing out Gabe’s name as he pulsed hard into the rubber.

When it was over, he fell to the side, his weak hands carefully removing the condom and depositing it into his small bin.  He swiped at his forehead, beads of sweat falling down around his temples and ears, and he chanced a very small smile at his boyfriend who looked barely capable of speech.

“Wow,” Gabe said after a few moments.  “That was…”

“Mm, yeah,” Oliver replied.  He had just enough strength to turn on his side, and he fumbled for Gabe’s fingers.  “God I missed you.  And not just the fantastic shagging.”

Gabe laughed quietly as he shifted over, one arm going over his breasts, the other reaching out to cup Oliver’s cheek.  “I missed you too.  I…I know you’re not all the way better.  I know it’s not just going to end.  But I’m going to try to be better.  To be there for you.”

Oliver let himself close his eyes, basking in the heady smell of their love-making as Gabe ran gentle fingers up and down his sternum.  “You’ve been wonderful, you know.  This entire time.  And I promise I’m going to do better by you.  I just…bloody hell, I love you
so
much.”

Gabe turned to him fully, pressing against his side and tilting his head for a long kiss.  “I love you too, you know.  The day I dragged you and your brother back to mine, I didn’t see this coming.  I thought you were kind of an ass.”