Misguided Ghost (boyxboy)

Enchanted

For the first time since Ralph came back, he was the first to wake up from their sleep. He groaned softly as he stretched his limbs, then he slowly sat up, blinked sleepily, and stared at the naked man sleeping peacefully with his mouth slightly open beside him.

Sleepily, he untangled his arm from Kyle's waist and reached out to caress his face. He smiled lazily and leaned to kiss his lips chastely before he got up from the bed to go to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Ever since he came back, Kyle had been staying with him in his apartment. He was only gone when he had work or when he needed to get his things from his place—which was on the same floor as him in the same building. He remembered Kyle telling him that his twin brother gave his old apartment to him.

Really, they were inseparable. It felt like Canada all over again, but this time, he knew this was in better timing.

After making breakfast and preparing everything he needed, he jumped slightly when he felt a pair of bare, muscular arms around his waist. He grinned and held Kyle's hands, turning his head to kiss his cheek.

"Good morning,"

Kyle just groaned in reply, his eyes still closed as he leaned his head over Ralph's shoulder. He kissed the bare skin that made Ralph shiver from his dried lips.

"You okay?" Ralph asked, turning his body around so he faced Kyle. He immediately wrapped his arms around his neck with a soft laugh, feeling their bodies shake slightly as they swayed around the room.

"Yeah, just," Kyle paused, his hands moving up and down from Ralph's naked waist, rubbing the skin tenderly. "Morning jitters. Let's just stay like this for a while?"

"Okay, prom king,"

"Can I get my morning kiss?"

"No,"

That had Kyle removing his head from Ralph's shoulder to frown and stare at Ralph. There was a small pout on his lips as he sneered. "No? Why not?"

"You have work, babe," Ralph chuckled, pinching Kyle's cheeks. "Come on, let's eat."

It had been over a month now, but he still hadn't shown willingness to go back to work. Sure, everything seemed perfect, but he didn't know if he could face his boss after disappearing without notice. Hell, he didn't know if he still had a place at his work. Though, Kyle did mention a few times that he didn't have to be scared about it.

It felt reassuring that it came from him—it was just, he wasn't ready to come back to work. He was grateful that Kyle understood him.

"Oh, babe! Before I forget, Kim asked me to come to their place, you know, to help with their wedding," Kyle said as he let Ralph fix his dress shirt for him. "Would you like to go with me?"

Ralph bit his lip thoughtfully. His arms stilled around Kyle's shoulders as he stared at Kyle's hopeful eyes.

"Please?"

He chuckled softly, then he nodded. "Fine."

Kyle didn't reply. He just smiled and kissed Ralph on the lips to show he was grateful.

Ralph smiled into the kiss. "Pick you up after work?" he murmured in between the kiss, his lips brushing ever so softly against Kyle's.

"Okay, see you later, then,"

For someone who just got back together with the love of his life, he should be happy. But he couldn't help himself from feeling nervous about whatever was going to happen later. He was going to see some of his friends, and he was nervous about what they were going to say, about what they were feeling, and about what they thought about him.

Especially when he didn't know if Kyle's ex-girlfriend was going to be there. He didn't know if he could handle that.

Sometimes, he wondered what kind of life he would have if he didn't know Kyle. And somehow in some ways, he could not find himself imagining life without Kyle. It felt impossible, and he thought it was kind of absurd. Did other couples feel this way, too?

Parked in the parking lot of the company's building, he sighed as he waited for Kyle inside his car. He bopped his head along to the music he was playing, and he texted his boyfriend to let him know he was already here.

A few minutes later, he heard the sound of a door opening with a soft thud. He turned to the passenger seat and saw Kyle grinning cutely at him as he threw his bag into the backseat. He grinned back and leaned over to greet him with a chaste kiss.

"Hi baby," Kyle kissed back for a mere second before he pulled away to get himself settled in the passenger seat. He closed the door with a thud, stared at Ralph momentarily, and said, "are you ready?"

The drive to Angelo's place felt fast—though, it wasn't. One hour felt like one minute. Nothing extraordinary happened along the way, except listening to music, laughing with each other, and hearing Kyle's stories about what was happening at work these past few months when he was gone.

Before they knew it, they had arrived, and boy, he was nervous.

"Is it too late to back out?"

"Yes," Kyle said, chuckling as he intertwined their hands. "Don't worry, I'll be by your side. Now, come on."

When they got inside, Ralph's first instinct was to drop Kyle's hand as he saw his ex-girlfriend chatting away with the engaged couple. And, he did. To say it surprised Kyle would be an understatement—he felt confused, more so than being hurt.

Everyone inside stopped whatever they were doing when they heard them coming in, and it felt suffocating. The feeling of everyone's eyes on them made it feel like he was drowning and everyone's eyes were the ocean. He breathed heavily as he turned to look at Kyle who was saying something, and yet he couldn't hear.

Ralph gulped as he blinked away, fast. He caught Shelby's unwavering gaze, and that was when he felt cold—he felt the absence of Kyle's hand, and damn, he missed it already.

He felt a pair of hands on either side of his face and saw Kyle's intense and worried gaze, staring at him. He was saying something, but he couldn't make out what it was. He couldn't bring himself to focus.

What was he doing?

Didn't he realize everyone was staring at them?

"I," he started to say, his voice shaky and wavering. It felt like his whole body was shaking, and he just wanted it to stop.

"I-I'm sorry, Kyle. I can't do this," he breathed out, his eyes closed tight. He couldn't bear to see the disappointed look on Kyle's face.

So, he ran away like a coward he was.