When The Right Door Opens (17 page)

Once he heard Sebastian entering the bathroom
and when he felt the cold air enter the shower stall, he put on a
mask of indifference. Everything was supposed to be just like every
other day. Jamie was surprised at how eager and needing Sebastian
appeared to be exactly that day and how he ignored Jamie's red
rimmed eyes. What Sebastian did to him however, was more than he
could have done, asking about his day and investigating about it.
He took charge and successfully took Jamie's thoughts away from his
father, if only for a short time. This morning, Jamie tried to
avoid Sebastian's eyes and busied himself with other things. He
didn't want to lie to him, he simply wasn't ready to share it all
just yet.

****

Lying in bed that afternoon, Jamie had his head on
Sebastian's chest, listening to his heartbeat. It was one of the
most soothing sounds he came across recently. Sebastian ran his
fingers through Jamie's hair, like he was combing his soul and
Jamie didn't want to pretend anymore. He wanted the burden off his
chest and he knew that his strongest confidant and his best friend
was lying underneath him.

“I talked to him. Several times. Told him
everything. The truth. My father, I mean.” Jamie waited for
Sebastian's reaction. He didn't make a sound, but the brushing of
his hair had stopped, just a tiny moment, but long enough to pick
up on it. “He disconnected the call yesterday. I didn't dare
calling him again today. I think he was shocked and didn't know
what to do. And I... I wasn't very sensitive. I was just so furious
when he asked me about how I did it to manage so well and... it
simply spilled out of me. The hurt. The anxiety. The frustration.
Everything. Say something! Please.” Sebastian was surprised, but
proud and weighing his words carefully, because he didn't want to
sound condescending.

“I'm proud of you. Very much so. I knew
something was wrong yesterday when I stepped into the shower with
you. Now I know what it was. Thank you for trusting me with it.”
Jamie shuffled until he rested his upper body's weight on his
elbow.

“Really?” Jamie asked, stunned. He had been
waiting for a lecture, but instead Sebastian was nothing but
supportive.

“Of course.”

“I asked you about a suit this morning. Do
you remember that?” Sebastian nodded. His heart started to beat
faster and he was anticipating what was coming next.

Jamie thought this moment would be as good as
any to ask his question. He took Sebastian's hand and kissed his
knuckles, before locking eyes.

“Would you mind going to the cemetery with me
and Agnes tomorrow? My dad told me where my mom is buried and I
want to say my final good-byes. With you at my side. My dad and I,
we had this all planned out and I am not sure if he will show up
after... but I want to go anyway.”

Sebastian's heart sank a bit and he released
a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, but he nodded his
head. What had possessed him to think Jamie would be asking that
crucial other question was beyond him, but he couldn't deny that he
had been hoping for it. Instead, he would support Jamie when he
wanted – no, needed, to grieve at his mother's grave.

“Could you move a bit, I need to use the
bathroom.”

“Did I say something wrong?” Jamie asked,
when he let Sebastian sit up and climb out of their comfortable
cocoon.

“No. No, it's just my bladder needs some
relieve.” Sebastian grabbed his discarded sweatpants and put them
on.

“I'll be right back.” he limped out of the
bedroom and Jamie let himself fall back on the bed, covering his
face with his arm.

“That's truly not the most romantic first
date.” Jamie muttered, when he realized that he and Sebastian had
never been on a proper date in the months they knew each other and
lived together. Not once, they had gone to the movies or had a nice
dinner at a restaurant.

“I'm going to make it up to him.” Jamie
sighed and started to plan how and when he would surprise Sebastian
with their first real date.

In the bathroom, Sebastian washed his face
with ice-cold water and glared at the reflection in the mirror.
How naïve are you? You haven't even been on a date together and
you are expecting him to propose? Lunatic. You haven't even told
each other the L-word. And you swore to never marry again
anyway
. Sebastian thought, but then he wistfully whispered “But
I'd marry Jamie right away.” Sebastian finished in the bathroom and
strolled back to the bedroom.

Jamie had put on boxers and was looking at
the ceiling.

“Hey, I need to tell you something too.”
Sebastian announced with a sigh when he sat on the bed. Jamie sat
up and waited. He had no idea what Sebastian would tell him, but he
listened thoughtfully.

“I've been offered a job. At the Angel's
Hollow Academy of Dance and Expressive Arts. I'm not sure if I am
ready to accept it and I still need to pen that book for the
publisher.” Sebastian intently stared at his fingers in his
lap.

“Do you have an idea what you want to do
about that job? I mean, I know that dancing is your life and your
dream, it can't be easy to see others living that. On the other
hand, you are a very respected and successful ballet dancer, you
could share some of your knowledge. I don't even know if I am
making sense.” Jamie shook his head and Sebastian looked at him
weirdly.

“That's exactly what I've been thinking. And
the answer is: I don't know. I know that I am a really strict and
demanding teacher, I don't know if they could keep up with it and
my working rhythm. And I don't know if I wouldn't turn mean and ask
for things they can't do. What if I demand too much and they hurt
themselves?”

“Aren't those questions for later? Isn't the
foremost question right now if you can even imagine taking the
job?” Jamie sat closer to Sebastian and pulled him down, so that
his head was resting in his lap. Jamie knew that Sebastian liked
this position and when he started running his finger through
Sebastian's hair – just the same way he had done to him earlier, he
felt some tension leave Sebastian's body.

“I think it would be a challenge.” Sebastian
murmured and closed his eyes. He enjoyed Jamie's touches and he was
grateful that Jamie seemed to understand him without judging
him.

“Do you have a deadline? I mean, did they
tell you when you need to accept or decline their offer?” Sebastian
shook his head no.

“I guess they are recruiting now, for the
fall semesters.” Jamie continued to stroke Sebastian's hair quietly
and occasionally, his fingers would caress Sebastian's face in a
sensual manner.

A knock at the door burst their peaceful
bubble.

“Hey, don't answer if you are naked or... you
know...” Sebastian and Jamie could both hear Agnes giggling and
they rolled their eyes at the door.

“We're hungry and are about to order giant
pizzas from Marco's. Do you want some?” Jamie couldn't help but
tease Kai a bit. He faked a loud moan.

“Oh yeah... Extra peperoni. Oh just like
that... Yes...” Sebastian chocked on his laughter and he started
barking loudly.

“We're down in a minute.” he managed to
say.

“Um take your time guys, but you do know,
that there's a child here.”

Jamie laughed when he heard Agnes scold Kai,
telling him that she wasn't a child and also enlightening him that
Jamie was making fun of him.

After getting dressed, Jamie kept Sebastian
from leaving the bedroom just yet. He pulled him into a passionate
kiss. “I love you.” he said against Sebastian's lips and silently
opened the bedroom door to join Agnes and Kai downstairs.

Sebastian was perplexed. Paralyzed. Had Jamie
just said those three words for the first time to him? The
butterflies in his stomach and the fast heartbeat told him yes.
Sebastian raised his fingers to his lips, as if he could feel the
words against them and started to laugh. I love you too. He
whispered to no one in particular, before he took his cane and
joined his family.

~~Chapter 12~~

Jamie cuddled closer to Sebastian, seeking the
comfort of the sleeping man's warm body. He tried to stir as little
as possible, but couldn't sleep and was restless. Not so much his
body, more his mind and his ever thinking brain.

Most of his thoughts turned around today's
event and the fears and hopes coming with it. Jamie had no idea how
he would react upon seeing the grave of his mother and now he had
dragged Sebastian into a new drama of his own. Although it was
incredibly comforting for him to know that Sebastian was there and
at his side, it also made him wonder if he was weak, which he knew
he wasn't after all he had lived through. He had been through a
lot, but he had never been defeated and never been broken. It made
him a proud man.

Agnes had reacted a little indifferently when
Jamie asked her to join him at the grave, but she also said that
she didn't want to go, since she hadn't known know her
grand-mother. Jamie accepted, if only reluctantly, that Agnes
didn't want to go to the cemetery, she had not known the woman and
all she had heard was how she had never wanted to meet her. Jamie
decided that he wouldn't insist and that, if she would ever change
her mind, he'd be at her side. Maybe it was even better this way,
since his own emotions would be unpredictable for himself too.

Kai had suggested to take Agnes and Karen on
a weekend trip instead to divert her, and also to leave Jamie and
Sebastian alone for three days and two nights in a row. It would be
their first time all alone and while Jamie dreaded the first part
of the day, he already nervously anticipated the rest of the
weekend. He had even booked a table at a nice restaurant. But it
would be a long day until they would be there. And after dinner,
his plans involved little to no clothes at all and a lot of naked
flesh and raw desire.

Jamie grinned at the deviation his thoughts
had taken and started waking his boyfriend up in a very adult
manner. Sebastian didn't protest, he only hummed and moaned until
he was in total ecstasy and felt the subsequent post-orgasmic
bliss. The roles were changed and it was Sebastian's turn to suck
every bad thought out of Jamie.

When they both were sweaty and sated,
Sebastian grinned lazily. “Good morning.” he pulled Jamie closer
and kissed him tenderly. Jamie kissed him back more insisting. It
would be a good morning indeed.

****

Down the hall, Agnes was excited to leave for the
weekend. It was her first time to go on a trip and sharing that
with Kai and Karen meant a lot to her. She would have loved it even
more to share the experience with her father and Sebastian too, but
she assumed that they would know exactly what to do with their
alone time and she smirked while pushing some clothes into a bag.
The sounds coming from their room down the hall were not subtle at
all, but instead of blushing or being disgusted, she smiled
knowingly, put her headphones on and turned the volume of her music
up. She wasn't bothered hearing the men being intimate. She was
happy that her father had finally someone in his life who he was
sure about and crazy about and who he wasn't hiding.

Agnes took out a pen and paper and lay down
on her bed before taking a deep breath and starting to write her
first love letter ever. It was for a young boy named Jordan and the
day before, he had asked her if she wanted to date him.

Agnes had almost imploded with emotions since
she had had a crush on Jordan for the last six weeks at least. So
many words came to her mind, but she had only managed a shy
blushing nod in acceptance. During their lunch break, they had
walked to the cafeteria hand in hand for everyone to see. And
everyone did see. Many eyes had stayed glued on them. And after
lunch, Jordan had walked her to her classroom and in front of
everybody, he had kissed her. Her first real kiss. She didn't know
what to do with her hands, when he pulled her near and she was so
nervous that he would pull away and laugh at her inexperience, but
he didn't. He simply put a gentle peck on her lips, as if to make
sure that their first kiss would stay there forever. Jordan
Redmane. Her first kiss. Agnes needed to tell Jamie all about it,
but it had to wait, either until that night, when she was sure,
that he would call to say goodnight, or until when she got back
from her trip. Life couldn't be much better. Everything was finally
falling into place and on top of that, she had butterflies in her
stomach and dared to hope that this was love. She squealed and
signed her letter with a smiley and a heart, before she resumed
packing her bag for the weekend.

Only two hours later, her bag was in Kai's
trunk and she was in her father's arms. She had trouble letting him
go and nerves wanted to meddle, telling her that Kai and his mother
were only strangers and that she'd better stay with her beloved
father. Jamie reassured her that he trusted Kai and Karen and with
all they had planned, she wouldn't even have the time to miss her
old father. Jamie pulled her close and planted kiss upon kiss in
her hair and whispered soft encouraging words that were only meant
for her. She took in her father's lean and muscly frame and sucked
in his scent, for good measure before leaving.

“I smuggled something inside your bag. You'll
know it when you see it.” Jamie winked and for the first time ever,
Agnes realized how beautiful her father was. Maybe his handsomeness
was increased through the love and serenity he was emanating
himself, but it suited him and Agnes felt overwhelmed with love for
her father. She had lots of his features, but her eyes were gray,
just like Lauren's. Agnes envied her father's green eyes. His eyes
were never cold, instead, they glinted mischievously and suddenly
Agnes knew what her father had packed for her. She bet that it was
one of his worn t-shirts.