Through the Screen

Chapter 111: Epilogue Part 3

ten minutes later they walk out, abel 's fingers wrapping back around the straps of his bag and noah's

pushed in his pocket so neither of them accidentally make a move to hold the other's hand. there is so

much tension between them, not the one that demands answers or brews uncertainty—it's almost

completely the opposite. both of them are aware of their wandering gazes, the way their eyes stay too

long on each other and the way their mouth goes dry once they notice a particular thing about each

other.

noah can't stop staring at abel 's skin,

just how good his champagne skin will look when he sinks his teeth into his neck and mark him the way

he did the last time they were together. he can't stop staring at his wavy hair, how soft it would feel if

noah lets his fingers disappear into the curls and the sounds abel would make when he would pull at it

the slightest. he can't stop staring at his lips, the way the flesh is ruined with cracks and are tinted in

such an inviting shade of red. he can't stop staring at his body, the way his backpack doesn't meet his

spine because of the arch in his back, the way his sweater clings to his curves and the way his tight

jeans accentuate his hips—god he is the most beautiful person he has ever seen.

he has accepted abel 's mistake, and now as abel walks right next to him, breathing in the same air as

him, he still doesn't feel any bitterness towards the younger male. all he feels is the desperation, the

love, the ache in his heart of wanting to start a life with him again. he wants them to live in the same

house and sleep in the same bed and shower and eat and laugh together.

but he knows it's too soon for any of that, right now their hearts are too delicate and they need to take it

slow, to build it up from scratch, to start as friends and then boyfriends and then finally act like the

married couple they are. it's not an idea he can't accept because he knows he owes this to himself, he

needs to be patient, he needs to let things fall into place at their own pace because rushing things has

never brought any good to them.

"where exactly are we going?" abel breaks their comfortable silence and noah looks at him, glad to

catch a glimpse of how abel 's eyes catch the sunlight and appear more golden, the brown pattern

swirling gently and almost distracting noah from his question.

"um, i don't know actually," noah replies after a while. "do you have anything in mind?"

"so you take me on a date after three years and you still aren't prepared? rude," abel nudges him with

his elbow playfully and noah smiles guiltily at him.

noah puts a hand around abel 's shoulders and pulls him a little closer before muttering an insincere

apology.

"sorry baby," he whispers, partly to see abel 's reaction and partly to touch him in some way, and

looking at the way abel 's eyes widen and he chokes on his own breath was totally worth using the

overused nickname.

"w-what did you just call me?" abel laughs, trying to bring humour to the situation to cancel out the

obvious sexual frustration between the two lovers but it seems like noah has other plans because his

hand slides down from his shoulders and snakes under the backpack, his arm wrapping around abel 's

waist tightly which forces them to walk closer to each other.

"want me to say it again, baby?" noah makes a point to bite gently at abel 's earring and abel feels like Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

he could collapse right on the busy pavement, but before he can embarrass himself noah's retrieves

his arm from around him and moves a feet away from him, shooting him a knowing smile.

"what the hell was that?" abel accuses him, trying to cover his red cheeks with his hands and noah just

laughs, grabbing one of his hands and pressing a kiss on the back of it.

"just wanted to see how bothered you get, it's funny," noah lies. well, it's not completely a lie because

noah did want to want abel get flustered and it did humour him, but he also couldn't stop himself from

being close to him.

"you're so annoying," abel mutters, gripping noah's hand tighter and silently hoping that he pulls

something like this again because all abel wants to do right now is for noah to touch him and make up

for all the years that they spent in agonising recovery, and he is definitely too shy to make the first

move. he knows there is a lot of talking that needs to be done in terms of what their relationship is

going to be, if abel is supposed to move in again, are they supposed to just be friends or jump straight

into their married life but all that seems a lot less important when all on abel 's mind is the way noah's

fingers wrapped around the curve of his waist and how noah's lips lingered on his ear and how noah's

teeth scraped against his earlobe.

he might actually go insane.