Finn had finally done it. He had saved enough money to attend the town's all-boys school. After years of bullying from the public school, he was ecstatic to start his first day.
Of course, Finn hadn't expected to be 20 minutes late on the first...
"Yeah, you should be," I tell him as I feel my cheeks burning intensely. Whether the burning feeling is from the admission that I'm not rich or from his kiss is unclear.
"What if I make you breakfast to apologize?" Mateo is still quite close to my face. His voice is husky as he whispers. I can feel my heart stop as I realize he's inviting himself up to my apartment. I don't want him to see the dumpster fire that is my life behind closed doors. If Mateo comes in, he'll see that my parents aren't there, and then I'll get a line of questions that I have no desire to tackle.
"A-are you saying you want to come inside?" I ask. His eyes are a beautiful shade of brown, and I feel like they can see into my soul. I feel like they're slowly picking apartment my composure.
"Well, you saw my house. Don't I get to see yours?" Mateo asks. He trails a finger down the side of my neck. I can't tell if he's toying with me or if he actually wants to see my house.
"I mean, I guess, but you don't get to judge me just because I live in a shitty apartment complex." I leave out the alone part of my living arrangement. "Not everyone lives in a goddamn mansion." The blush is still prevalent on my cheeks. The blush is now a direct result of shame.
Mateo chuckles and unlocks the car. "It's not a mansion." He crosses over to my side of the street. Of course, he'd say some modest shit like that. I'm sure that every house he's ever been to could easily absorb my apartment like another room. And that room would most likely be the smallest.
"Well, mine is more of a hovel than a home, so..." I trail off, not sure where to go with my thoughts on the subject matter. I open the doors to the complex and say good morning to Morrie. His eyes are silently asking who my man friend is. I smile and shake my head.
I look back at Mateo, who's giving Morrie a wave. I grab Mateo's hand, which seems to catch him off his guard. I pull him toward the elevator. The doors close us inside before I select my floor.
"Are your parents going to be home?" Mateo asks, looking over at me.
There it is. It's the question I hate hearing. Actually, correction, any statement concerning the people who gave me life is one I hate hearing. I shift uncomfortably and let the silence linger in the elevator instead of answering his question.
"Finn?" Mateo questions to get my attention.
"Technically, they are probably at their home." I put emphasis on the word their. My words hold a kind of aggressive tone to them.
"So this isn't their home?" He asks, seeming embarrassed now for bringing up what anyone can tell is a sensitive subject.
My cheeks flush with shame. "No," It comes out as a whisper. I hadn't meant for it to. I'd intended for it to come out with conviction. I wanted the words to show that I was proud to be rid of them. Instead, I only conveyed how alone I truly am.
"Oh," Mateo says, sounding as uncomfortable as I feel.
The doors to the elevator. I walk out, not checking over my shoulder to see if Mateo's following. I fish around my pockets for my keys. I have to jam my shoulder against the door to get it to open. The building is so old that it'd be surprising if the door opened smoothly.
I look around at my pitiful apartment before glancing over at Mateo. He's standing next to me, surveying my garbage apartment. I can tell if the eyes hold curiosity or judgment.
"Welcome," I tell him. I inwardly cringe at the awkward vibes I'm radiating. Maybe my demeanor will prevent him from inviting himself into other guy's apartments.
"It's," There's a brief bit of hesitation before Mateo continues. "Nice."
"Sure," I say in confirmation, even though we're both thinking about how much of a shithole it is.
"Well, I promised you breakfast," Mateo tells me, clapping his hands together in excitement. He starts moving to the kitchen. As Mateo does this, it hits me that I have very little food in my apartment.
He starts to rummage through the fridge. Mateo laughs before looking back at me and saying, "Man, you have three eggs, two pieces of ham, and a container of frosting in here."
"I didn't really have, uh, time to go get groceries this week." I'm hoping he doesn't recognize that the time is code for money.
Mateo's face flushes crimson, meaning he knows what I meant when I said time. "I could always just have you for breakfast."
I hadn't realized I'd been looking at the floor until I looked up to find Mateo in front of me. He was caging me in against a wall. We seemed to end up in this position a lot.
"Would you like that, Finn?" Mateo asks, dragging a thumb across my bottom lip.
"I-I, um," I stutter out. My eyes flicker between his piercing gaze and his lips.
Mateo leans in close to my ear. In a husky voice, he says, "I do believe I asked you a question."
"Yes," I breathe out.
I can feel Mateo's smile against the side of my face. He presses light kisses against my jaw, making his way to my mouth. Mateo starts to kiss me. It's hungry like he can't get enough of me. Mateo bites at my bottom lip, causing a groan to slip from my lips. He takes this opportunity to slip his tongue inside my mouth and begin exploring. Mateo tastes like toothpaste and something else that I can't quite place.
After a few minutes of kissing, Mateo moves toward my neck. He kisses lightly down the side of it. I turn my head to the side, giving him better access. When Mateo reaches the spot where my shoulder meets my neck, he bites down. I gasp just as he starts to suck on my neck. A moan falls out of my lips, and I tangle my fingers in his hair. I tug on his hair lightly as he continues to suck on my neck. He starts to grind against me.
"Oh god," I murmur.
Mateo comes back up toward my face and whispers in my ear. "How's that for breakfast?"
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