Page 26 of Capturing Perfection

Once he composed himself, he noticed other sounds around him. They kinda sounded like beeps, sweeps, and creeps, but he’d been assured that was normal at first. It would take his brain a little while to rewire itself and match those beeps and creeps into meaningful information. He had time on his side though. He was one of the fortunate few who’d been deaf for lessthan a year. That meant that the brain would remember quicker, and he would supposedly adapt much faster than someone who’d been lost their hearing many years ago.

There was some kind of trilling noise and Logan swung his head around, trying to identify the sound, then he heard a rumbling sound from his left. He turned to look and saw Clay’s lips moving. He focused on Clay’s face.

“Logan, what do you hear?”

“I hear?”

Wait! What is that? Holy Crap!

“I hear … me! I hear my voice again.”

He saw Erin hang up the phone on the desk. That noise must have been the phone ringing. Weird.

“What does your voice sound like, Logan?” Erin asked.

“It sounds … Hello? Hello? Can I hear me now?” He snickered at his lame attempt at a joke, then turned to Erin. “I sound kinda like a pubescent alien. Like I’ve sucked on helium or something.”

“That’s totally normal. We’re going to do some more adjustments, then I’ll see you again tomorrow. If you feel anxious or get a headache, it’s okay to take the processors off for a little while. We’re bombarding the brain with a lot of information right now, and it might get stressed out.”

Logan was still in shock that he could understand most of what Erin had just said, so he just nodded dumbly. An hour later, he and Clay left the medical campus and headed back to their hotel. The second they stepped outside the doors, he stopped dead, looking around in amazement. He’d forgotten all the unique sounds outside. There was a buzz and the sight of a car pulling away from a parking spot caught his attention. He picked up a chirping sound when they walked beneath a tree where a bird sat in the branches singing.

“Logan?”

He turned his head at Clay’s voice and smiled. “Yes?” Clay swallowed when Logan responded.

“Are you hungry?”

“Sure. Can we pickup something and take it back to the room?”

“Absolutely.”

Logan couldn’t stop smiling as they made it back to their hotel with bags of fast food. Once again secure in their little haven, the first thing Logan did was turn on the TV. He heard noises, but it was difficult to understand the dialogue.

Hmm, that’sa lotharder than understanding people. I’ll have to keep using the closed captions for a while.

The TV screen went black, and Logan turned to see Clay standing beside the bed with the remote in his hand.

“What’d you do that for?”

Okay, my voice is still a little weird, but not quiet as chipmunkie.

“Come here, Logan.”

He walked toward Clay, and when they were only inches apart, Clay secured him within the circle of his arms.

Clay leaned back and made sure Logan was watching him. “Logan Callen, I am so proud of you and … I love you.”

The tears started flowing again. He’d heard the words. There wasn't a screen between them acting as an impersonal translator. Clay had said them before. He'd said them a lot over the last few months, but Logan had sensed more than heard the words. He’d seen CLay's love, he’d felt that love, he'd eagerly tasted Clay's love, but now … now all the sounds associated with Clay's love were available and Logan found his vision wavering and his lip trembled.

Clay’s arms wrapped around him and pulled him close. Their bodies pressed tightly together as he crumbled, overcome by all the fear, all the anxiety and all the frustration he’d lived with notonly since the explosion but since he came to live at the Shelby’s house when he first met Clay. Clay’s presence, his friendship and now his love laid the stones on his path to healing. He clutched at Clay’s back as his lover’s hands soothed him. When the tears dried up and the trembles calmed, he swiped at the wetness coating his cheeks.

“I love you, too, Clay. I love you … so much.”

Their lips met softly at first, but the tender connection quickly flared into bright, passionate need. Their tongues twisted and twined together. In warm waves, they lapped against each other, searching for the mingled taste that unified them.

Logan’s head swam. He was adrift in a sea of thoughts and emotions. The only thing serving as anchor was Clay’s touch. He spun Clay around, and their bodies mimicked the freefall of his mind until cushioned by the mattress. Clay expelled a harsh breath as Logan’s weight collided on top of him. Logan gripped Clay underneath his arms and used his leverage to arrange their position lengthwise on the bed.

“Jesus, Logan. I’m not your rag doll,” Clay cursed before resuming their kiss.

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