Babe For The Weekend

Chapter 9 - the golden hour

".. please say something.. anything.."
Joss bore his eyes against Lukes. He could see layers upon layers of emotions stacked on his face, threatening to unravel at the slightest movement of his lips.
"Do you mean it?"
"I've never meant anything more in my life."
Against his better judgement uncertainty flashed on Joss. The words had been changed but it felt exactly the same when Luke had proposed the scheme that had brought them here.
"Luke if this is one of your tricks-," He closed his eyes shut, exhaled and held his breath. "You don't have to do this. You don't have to force things just so we could go back to how it was before we messed things up. We can just stay friends." Joss felt an ache in his chest, and despite the pain that it brings he meant every word.
"I don't want to be just friends." Luke stood firmly, finally letting out all the courage that he had stored in the last seven days. "I want to hold your hands and keep holding it without having to let it go when we run of excuses to do it."
"Luke please.." Joss could feel it, he was caving in, his baseless resolve slowly sinking under a quick sand. His sight had grown misty. He scratched it with the back of his hand and only then he felt the numbing cold that had grown from his hands all the way up to his arms.
"No, listen. You don't have to say anything. Just listen.."
He nodded in response. Luke took a deep breath.
"Joss, I want to make you happy because seeing you happy makes me happy." He chuckled in between his words. "I want to take care of you. I love taking care of you. Joss.. I want to be with you." Luke was finally looked relieved, as if he had waiting for centuries to get that off his chest.
"Now, you don't have to say anything. Just please don't avoid me." He waited for Joss to show any emotion in his face. He waited and waited. And for Joss, he couldn't do anything but to hold his breath, unconvinced of the surreal reality that had befallen him.

"It's okay if you don't feel the same way anymore. I wouldn't blame you if your feelings had already changed. But please.. allow me to stay by your side." Luke tugged on the tip of his finger. "Joss? Please.."
"You gave me a lot think about." Joss answered looking at their hands.
It was only then that Luke was able to breathe.
"Like I said, you don't have to say anything now. It's okay." Luke smiled, relieved.
Joss caressed Luke's face and he leaned in to his touch.
"You look exhausted, Luke. You haven't been sleeping." He stated factly.
"Yeah. Well, I had to do a commercial shoot and I looked for you everywhere so- yeah." He scratched the back of his head, something that Joss had found adorable that the corners of his lips curl into a smile.
"Come up to my room. You can take a warm bath and maybe get some rest." He took Luke by the hand but was resisted by him.
"No. It's okay. I don't want to uhh.. bother you." Even though he was tempted by the offer, Luke had to decline it. He so badly wanted to see Joss' childhood bedroom but right now he know his place. He knew better than to take advantage of Joss' generous nature, again.
"Come. I'm not going to let you go without letting you get some rest."
His heart pumped faster after hearing what Joss said. If he was alone, he would have jumped up and down in joy.
"Come on. You said you want to be with me, right?" Joss reached out his hand to him.
If there was a playful tone hidden in his voice, Luke couldn't tell. His mind had imploded on itself and now he can barely function.
"Okay.." He found himself saying as he reached back for Joss, allowing himself to be lead upstairs.

"Welcome to my room. You can sit there while I get you a change of clothes."
He watched Joss pace the room and rummaged through his closet and placed the clothes in the bed.
"I'll just fill the tub. ..won't take long." Joss disappeared into the bathroom.
Luke could feel his heart beat twice as fast than before. Here he was, seated in a chair, inside Joss' room as Joss himself prepares a bath for him. If he could choose where his life had peaked, Luke would have answered that it was in this very moment.

Joss popped by the bathroom door. "You can go in. There's a towel in the rack."
"Thank you."
Luke was in a total panic. He was submerged in a tub of warm water, naked with Joss just a wall away from him. He wasn't a stranger to having his body seen by him but now that things were different he felt embarrassed about the idea of Joss seeing him in this state. And then he remembered the things he said downstairs. He felt himself cringed at how cheesy and desperate he must have come off. He groaned and completely laid down beneath the comforting warm water.

"Feel better now?" Joss asked, leaning against the headboard of the bed with his feet crossed between the sheets.
Luke nodded, cautiously holding the towel on his waist as he picked up his change of clothes. He could feel the burning gaze behind him.
"What are you turning your back for?" Joss asked playfully. "It's not like this is the first time I saw you naked."
"Stop." Luke chuckled shamefully, hastening even more to wear all the clothes he was given.

Joss tapped the bed inviting him in and Luke went in to lay down at the opposite edge, knee first on the cushion.
"You'll fall off. Why are you so far?"
"I'm okay here."
"Luke, we've slept together a hundred times before- wait, that doesn't sound right." Joss laughed at himself.

The sound of his laughter drew Luke closer, now a palm away from Joss. When the laugh died down, Joss laid down on his side to look at Luke. He tousled his hair. Luke closed his eyes at the sensation and leaned a little closer.
"Luke?"
He opened his eyes and found himself staring directly into Joss.
"Hmm?"
"Do you really meant what you said earlier?"
"Yes, I meant all of it."
Joss paused and Luke in turn began to feel anxious with the silence again. He watched as Joss laid on his back to watch the ceiling for a few moments then turn back to him again.
"Luke?" Joss said softly.
"Yes?" Luke answered halfheartedly.
"I'm yours, if you'll have me.."

And even though it was morning still, Luke felt as if the stars aligned and the sun exploded into a million drops giving light to the hopeless abyss Joss had pulled him from..