Page 33 of Voices

I pull up my favorite pizza place with the best crust and place an order. Sticking my phone in my pocket, I make my way back over to where he’s still looking at the door.

“Pizza will be here in about thirty minutes.” I look at the door and then back at him. “Did you want to do something while we wait? Both Avatar movies are basically the same, with wild blue alien things jumping around and fighting each other. Kind of boring, actually. We can see if something else is on, or we could-”

“What did you just say?” he cuts me off looking like he smelled something bad.

“I was asking if you wanted to watch something else or…”

“No, before that.”

I scratch the side of my head trying to remember what I said. “Umm. Avatar is boring?” I shrug.

“Which is far from the truth. It’s more than just blue aliens jumping around. Have you even watched the movies?” He asks like I personally insulted him.

It’s turning me on watching him get all riled up.

“I have seen bits and pieces, thanks to my little sister, plus I don’t really have time to watch four-hour movies between practice and school.” I snicker at his look of pure shock. His eyes are comically big.

“How can you just say both movies are the same when you haven’t even seen them?! The first movie shows the world of Pandora and how fucked up humans destroy a world they don’t understand. And the second one shows what happens when said humans become greedy and try to take over something that isn’t theirs,” he huffs, crossing his arms.

Where did this guy come from? Not five minutes ago he’d hardly look at me but now he’s determined to prove his point. I think I’m going to enjoy seeing these little personality bubbles pop up.

Chuckling, I look back at the movie and point to it. “They look like they are doing just fine to me. Look how many there are. Wait…are those their kids? And what the fuck is with mini Tarzan?” Okay, maybe I do need to watch this movie from the beginning because the hell is even going on.

Charlie snorts. “Yes, those are their kids. If you actually watched the first movie, you would have seen them cement their relationship and mate under the Tree of Voices.” He shakes his head. “I can’t believe you’ve never seen the movies. The first one has been open for over ten years.”

He stops with wide eyes and steps back looking scared. “I-I’m s-sorry. I d-didn’t mean to snap like th-that. It w-won’t happen a-again, I p-promise.”

He’s back to looking down and his shoulders are up by his ears.

I’m beyond confused about what just happened. I go to lift his chin up, but he backs up to the wall and slides down. He’s got his arms over his head, and his body is in a tight ball sitting against the wall.

I kneel next to him and place my hand on his shin trying to show him everything is okay.

“You have nothing to be afraid of.” I slowly move my hand up and down, from his knee down to his ankle and back up. I hear him take a deep breath and then sniffle.

And my. Heart. Breaks.

What could have happened to him that has him fearing talking about something he’s passionate about? Was he bullied in high school about it? His position is almost identical to how he was curled up at Sip n’ Go, except he was on his side on thefloor and not sitting. But still, it’s such a visceral response that these two instances weren’t the first.

“Charlie, you’re safe. I’d never hurt you. You can talk Avatar and blue aliens all day, and I’d still never touch you. Please believe me. I want to help, not hurt.”

I shift around so I’m kneeling in front of him, and gently pull his arms off his head and hold his hands. They’re cold and clammy. He keeps his forehead on his knees with his eyes squeezed shut. I can tell he’s trying to get his breathing under control because he keeps taking deep breaths, holding it, then slowly letting it out.

I lean forward and bring his hands under my shirt and up to my chest, pushing his hands flat to my skin. I take steady breaths that expand my ribs so he can feel the smooth rhythm. After a minute or so, his breathing is synchronized to mine.

He slowly lifts his head from his knees and lets it thud against the wall behind him, keeping his eyes closed. He flexes his fingers in my chest, so I let his hands go, but he surprises me by keeping them on my skin. He slowly moves them down to my pecs and then to my nipples. My very sensitive, erogenous zone, nipples. His now warm palms hover over them, and he makes tiny circles, barely touching my pebbled skin. My breath hitches, and my cock jumps. If he keeps this up, he’s going to get something very hard stabbing him in the leg.

Not willing to have blue balls twice in one day, I grab his wrists and slowly lower his hands to my abs. His soft fingers trace the dips and grooves around each ab muscle. It feels nice. It’s been a minute since I’ve had anyone touch me like this.

He moves his hands even lower now at the sides of my Adonis belt. He slowly traces the path down until he hits the top of my boxer briefs. My breathing picks up again. He’s not about to follow it down, is he? His eyes are still closed, and his breathing is steady.

How is he not affected by this?

He starts to move his fingers down, over the band of my boxers, then over the band of my shorts. Right as he touches the head of my cock, there’s a knock on the door.

Chapter Eleven

Charlie

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