Road to Anywhere (boyxboy)

Chapter 18: Inches apart

"Tell me what you want me to be"

☆

Morton feels as if his heart has stopped beating as he waits for a response from Oliver. The silence seems to prolong as Morton lifts his head to look a little closer at Oliver's profile. "Olly?...you awake?" Oliver's mouth seems to slacken and opens a fraction as a light snore emits from it. Morton lets his head drop down onto his own pillow, suddenly unsure as to how he felt about the uncertainty. Was it a disappointment? Relief? He didn't really know. Maybe it was for the best Oliver didn't hear him. 

Morton finally rolls over, turning his back on his friend and tries to get to sleep. He doesn't see Oliver slowly open his eyes. Oliver looks to the van's ceiling, half wondering if what he had heard was part of a dream or reality. Did Morton really confess something of a feeling for him? Something more than just good friends? Oliver bites lightly on his lower lip in thought. Perhaps he needed to put his suspicious mind to the test, when the morning came.

***

Morton awoke in the early hours of the morning, feeling a little jaded, but otherwise fine. He sniffed the air a little, realising it was he who stank. He desperately needed to shower. He looks back to see Oliver stir a little, but his eyes are still closed. He didn't want to talk about what went on in the dark of the night. He was embarrassed enough that his friend had to clean up after him, let alone what he spoke about after. How stupid to admit his feelings when he was at his worst. Now he had to redeem himself. He begins to gather his toiletries together to head for the shower block. 

"Where are you going?" Morton stops as he feels a hand on his arm. 

"I'm just heading for a shower, before it gets busy." Morton says, smiling weakly. 

Oliver sits bolt upright. His face full of concern. "Are you sure? Maybe I should come with you. You might pass out on the way." 

"Olly. I won't pass out on the way." Morton chuckles, as he edges towards the door. "I don't feel sick anymore. I just feel unclean." 

"I should come with you….I'm coming with you." Oliver finally decides as he gets up from his sleeping place and seems to grab what he needs. "Can't have you fainting on the way."

"Olly, I'm not gonna…"

"Shh!" Oliver puts a finger to his lips, making Morton obey at once. "Let's go…."

As they reach the shower block, which seemed to be deserted, Morton heads for the sinks, feeling the urge to brush his teeth extremely pressing. He sees Oliver head to the toilets. "I'll see you at the showers." Oliver calls as Morton nods back in the mirror's reflection. He finishes brushing his teeth and heads to a cubicle to shower. 

He just about manages to get the water to the right temperature and puts his head under the spray when he hears a knock on the shower door. "Morton. Let me in." 

"What?" 

"Hurry! I'm naked." Comes the reply. 

"Go….go in another one!" Morton now says with panic. He wasn't mentally prepared for his friend's nudity at 6:30 in the morning. 

"I can't. Just let me in….I have no shower gel." Oliver replies. 

"Yes you do! I saw it!" Morton says as his voice suddenly becomes high pitched. 

"What…what if you faint in there huh? What if you pass out from exhaustion and no food intake and drown in the shower tray?"

"Jesus! Ok ok." Morton pulls open the bolt and Oliver slips inside. The door slams closed behind the pair and Oliver seems to lean back against the closed door. There they stood, a fraction apart, totally naked. 

Morton turns around straight away, feeling his cheeks overheat. He submerges his face in the falling water, wanting the urge for it to cool him down a little. 

"Are you shy Morton? It's not like you to be shy." Oliver's voice can be heard over his shoulder. 

"I'm not shy." Morton insists.

"Then why don't you turn around?" Oliver again questions. "We are only friends after all. It's not like anything is gonna happen….unless."

"Unless what?" Morton feels his heart beating out of his chest as he senses a coldness of some gel hit the centre of his back, followed by a hand lightly creating a smooth circle over his shoulder blades. The hands continue to glide up and down his back as they create a sensitive tickle. 

"Unless you want more…I mean, it's been a while for both of us. We trust each other right? I don't have a problem with it, even if we are just friends…" Oliver now pushes his body a little closer to Morton's back. Morton felt the contact and it was totally messing with his head. 

"I…I told you. I don't do the…the friends with benefits thing Olly…" 

"Then tell me, what you do want me to be?" Oliver interrupts. He pulls away, instantly making Morton miss the closeness. Morton finally turns around to look at his friend. And there he was, stood totally naked. Hair pressed against his forehead, his lean body with shaven skin as smooth as silk. 

Morton swallows hard. "You heard me. Last night. You heard what I said didn't you." His voice just shy of a whisper.

Oliver looks nervous, almost petrified as he nods. "I wasn't sure if I was dreaming." He smiles shyly, embarrassed at his own emotions. 

"Well I guess I need to make it a little clearer." Morton grins widely. A strange calmness filling his whole being. His hair was totally drenched under the water, with it already getting cool,  but it didn't matter. Nothing else mattered in that moment. "I want you Oliver. I want you as a friend, a lover. I want all of you, every part." 

Oliver blows a woosh of air from his mouth. It really felt like a dream, but this was the reality. A beautiful reality.  "I want the same. I don't know when it changed exactly, but yeah." Oliver laughs as he looks down onto his own naked frame. He then looks back at Morton. "So, what now?" He wonders, raising an eyebrow. 

Morton edges closer to Oliver in the small space. He puts his hands on Oliver's slender hips. He slowly leans in, their lips brush lightly as he utters in a deep voice, "Now, we kiss..."