Page 114 of Freshman

Alfie kissed past the taste of blood, until the intoxicating cocktail of Nate made him buzz. Their tongues brushed, and Alfie’s surrendering moan vibrated between them. He turned his head, and Nate latched his lips on to Alfie’s neck, kissing and sucking.

Nate used his teeth. Alfie quivered at the gentle pinch. Then sighed at the soothing press of Nate’s tongue against the sting.

They broke apart at the sound of a horn, and Nate glanced at the waiting van.

“We’ve got to go.”

Alfie lifted his cuffed hands. “Can you remove these?”

Nate hummed. “I will. Soon…”

Alfie lifted his bound hands over Nate’s head and hooked them around his neck.

“Trust me, Freshman. I’m going to take care of you,” Nate murmured. “I promise.”

And Alfie believed him.

26

Epilogue

Snow fell outside the window.

Earlier, Alfie had sat outside under the porch and listened as it landed. A blanket of white stretched out in front of him, and in the far distance, mountains erupted from it. There were reindeer, specks of them on the white canvas that huddled then dispersed. Nate had pulled him in from the cold, fussing over Alfie and wrapping him up in his arms.

Alfie had sunk into his embrace, releasing a tension that had wormed its way into his bones since the day Nate rescued him from the prison van.

They wouldn’t be here unless Nate thought it was safe.

Alfie had exhaled against Nate’s chest, letting himself go boneless for a few minutes before stepping back outside with Nate to help unload the car.

They’d arrived that morning, unpacked, then collapsed into bed and slept a solid eight hours.

That had been the morning, but now it was evening.

It was dark outside.

The sun had gone down a long time ago.

Everywhere in the cabin was cool, everywhere except where Alfie currently was.

The fire crackled, spitting out red sparks, and the flames danced, swaying left to right when the wind blew against the top of the chimney. But the heat, and Alfie’s proximity to it, was not the reason he was feverish. He shook, trembling.

A layer of sweat covered his skin, and he panted as his eyes rolled back in his head. Nate had told him their fantasies weren’t just that, they were futures too, and there was one he was eager to turn into a reality as soon as possible.

They escaped to Europe, and with the money Nate had hidden away under different names, he took them north. Alfie blindly followed, conscious of their names being announced from TV sets and printed in newspapers.

They kept their heads low, avoided well-populated areas and didn’t stay in one location for too long. It wasn’t easy. There were close calls. But Alfie trusted Nate to take care of him like he’d promised to, and when they stocked up on supplies and travelled deeper into the wilderness, he should’ve realised where they were going.

He gasped, rubbing his cheek against the rug. It was soft and thick, which was a blessing. He’d been on his knees for hours with a hand between his shoulder blades keeping him down. Alfie would’ve clutched the sheepskin beneath him, but his wrists were tied together, fingers interlocking and squeezing when the sensation got too much.

He needed to come apart, but every time he got close, every time he started to go over, Nate sensed it and pulled back. He kept Alfie teetering on the edge.

“You like that, Freshman?”

Nate’s voice was low, and his breathing hitched, slightly erratic as he kept himself in check. Alfie had glanced back once and seen the heat in Nate’s blue eyes, the absolute focus in his expression as he held his own desire back to give Alfie what he needed.

Alfie could only nod. With the side of his face pressed into the rug, he heard the rustle against his ear, and when he stopped, the rapid thump of his heart filled the silence.

---