Page 44 of Primary Seduction
Trent walked up the stairs to the first floor, looking at photos along the way; they covered the whole wall, and he was careful not to knock any. He saw Max grow up on the climb of those stairs, and it was a strange thing. He didn’t have many pictures of growing up, maybe he could ask his mum for some.
Reaching the landing, he saw five doors. Max hadn’t said which was his, so he went to the first one and saw a well decorated green bedroom that didn’t look lived in. The second was another bedroom, this time in shades of brown. The third was the bathroom. He hit jackpot at the fourth bedroom. Blues and dark browns continued in here, but there was a more lived-in feel to this room, which was confirmed by the items on the bedside table and the rumpled sheets.
He didn’t want to linger too much in Max’s bedroom; he felt like he was getting a glimpse he shouldn’t be. He grabbed Max’s duffle bag from the top of the wardrobe as Max had instructed and laid it on the bed, feeling a certain sense of déjà vu from when he left Trish. He searched the chest of drawers and wardrobe for the items Max had listed, and then hit the bathroom for his toiletries. Once all those were packed away, he headed to the lounge to get some of the books he’d requested. Trent was amazed by the variety of subjects and with how much they had in common. He made a mental note to mention it to Max, and maybe they could discuss history as that was Trent’s favourite subject and seemed to be an interest for Max, looking at the shelves full of historical novels and non-fiction.
Just as he placed some books in the bag, a knock came at the door. He debated answering it or not, as it wasn’t his house, but someone had probably seen him walk in anyway.
When he opened the door, he saw an elderly lady stood there.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“Yes, please. Is Max here?” she said.
“No, he’s not at the moment.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Who are you then?”
Trent bit his lip to keep from smiling. So, Max has a neighbourly busybody. That should be fun to tease him about later.
“I’m Trent. Max is staying with me for a few days.”
She clapped her hands together and put them to her smiling mouth. “Oh, how wonderful. I can’t believe he’s finally met someone. I never thought it would happen, you know. He was always alone, except for those ‘people’ he brought back late at night. It wasn’t good for him. I told him that several times, but he wouldn’t listen. Oh, I’m so happy he’s found you. What do you do, Trent? How long have you been together? Would you like to come around for tea one day? I bet Max is over the moon with you. I can’t wait to tell everyone that my Max has a boyfriend. Oh, how wonderful!” she finished as she walked off down Max’s drive.
Trent was stunned. The woman hadn’t even stopped to let Trent answer her questions. He had never heard so much come out of someone’s mouth so quickly before. It was only as she got to the path and threw back, “Tell Max to bring you around on Sunday afternoon!” with a wave that he tried to shout a denial back at her.
“I’m not his boyfriend!” he called to no avail. She just waved and carried on, no doubt heading to set the rumour mills alight.
“Well, shit.” Trent stood there for a second longer, then shook his head and closed the door. He chuckled to himself. He had so much to tell Max when he got back home.
****
They sat on the sofa in Trent’s house, drinking hot chocolate with a film on in the background while Trent regaled Max with his adventures.
“Oh my god. She didn’t?” Max covered his eyes with his unoccupied hand, groaning, this time not in pain. He chuckled. “That’s Mavis. She lives a few doors down and means well, but she’s right nosy.”
Trent noticed Max said this with love, not in an unkind way. They obviously got on well, and he could just see them bantering back and forth, chatting like old biddies.
“Well, she told me to tell you to bring me around on Sunday afternoon!” Trent laughed when Max groaned again. “I’ll let you explain on Sunday.”
“Thanks! I thought you were my friend! She will go on and on about how I should’ve kept you on a leash to make sure you didn’t run. She’ll never let me hear the end of it. I should make you come with me so I can keep her off my back for a while.”
Trent laughed although the idea of having Sunday lunch with Max and his old biddies sounded nice. Real nice. Too nice.
He must’ve been quiet for too long because Max said, “I’m only joking. I won’t throw you to the wolves.”
Trent looked over at him and saw he’d finished his drink. “Let me take that.” He took the mug and placed it, with his, on the coffee table. He leaned back again, resting his arm along the back of the sofa. It was only as he did it that he realised his fingers were quite close to Max and the effort it took not to touch him was immense. All he had to do was extend his fingers and he’d be touching Max’s neck. He frowned down into his lap, not moving his arm yet in case Max figured out he was uncomfortable.
He still couldn’t understand where these thoughts were coming from. He couldn’t ever remember being attracted to a man before, but then had he ever really had the chance to sow his seed. He looked at Max again, seeing his gaze on the screen. His heart beat so hard, he was worried Max could hear it or even feel it from where he sat.
Biting his lip, Trent knew he had to decide. His breath came fast as he extended one finger towards Max. The first touch made Max jump and glance over at him. Trent saw him swallow hard, and then look back at the TV. He ran his finger along his neck, making goosebumps appear, and watched as Max closed his eyes and leaned his head a little further forward. Trent didn’t know what he was doing, he was just following his instincts. Another finger joined the first, smoothing up and down Max’s neck and hairline.
“What are you doing, Trent?” Max whispered.
“No idea,” he replied.
“Do you even know what you want?”
“I don’t understand what I want,” he answered honestly. “All I know is how I feel when you’re around.”
