CHAPTER 26

Steven leans into Xavier and kisses him. Xavier smiles.

“Your breath stinks.”

“Liar.”

Xavier giggles.

“Your papa will kill us.”

He hops onto his feet and tugs onto Xavi's arm.

“Let’s go.”

Xavier kisses Steven’s hand.

“ let’s stay a bit longer. I miss you.”

“ We literally spend the whole day together Xavi.”

“But I have to maintain my distance from you. I hate it. You are there in front of me and I can’t even kiss you, or touch you or grab you.”

He says. Placing his hand on Steven’s thighs.

“Don't you hate it?”

“no I don't. Even if I can't touch you, kiss you or grab you, your presence is enough for me. And the night is ours. No one can keep me away from you when the sun sets and I wish we had the whole day l dreaming about all the stuff I am going to do to you at night.”

Xavier smiles at Steven’s answer. Steven locks his lips with Xavi’s.

Xavi undoes his belt and frees his cock.

“This is very inappropriate Xavi. What if your papa comes looking for us?”

“He isn’t that agile you know. I think he’ll wait till you are satisfied.”

“Xavi....”

Steven’s words evaporate into thin air as Xavi’s tongue touches his sensitive skin.

He gives in to the pleasure of the touch, forgetful of the horror that was approaching them.

The minute Steven heard Audrey’s voice was also the minute he came in Xavier’s mouth. Shuddering with pleasure. And when the shudder passed he pulled his cock out of Xavier’s mouth and pushed it back into his jeans. Everything happened in such a short time span, that he didn’t even get to see Audrey’s face. She ran for her life, horrified by what she had witnessed. Yet Steven sat there for a moment, his eyes stuck on Xavier’s mouth with his cum dripping out of the corners. Damn.

Xavier sat there scared to death. As Steven cleaned his face, his mind had figured out all the reasons for Audi to hate him. She must be disgusted by him, met by revulsion from her insides. Will she ever accept him now. Knowing the truth about him? Will she ever see him the same.

Steven tries to calm him down , but Xavier feels like dying.

“ We need to find her Steve. We need to find her.”

“Don’t worry Xavi, we will. But first you need to calm down. The damage is done. All we can do now, is try and make her understand. And we can’t do that if you don’t steady up.”

Xavier starts crying at his words.

“What if she does not understand? What if she tells papa? What if they separate us?”

“ Stop over thinking my love. We’ll deal with whatever waits for us. Get a grip. We will make it through.”

Xavi weeps silently into Steven’s arms.

“We need to find her.”

He speaks again. Wiping his tears he gets to his feet.

The next half an hour Xavier and Steven run hither to thither, looking for Audrey. Gilberto thinks they have lost their balls.

“What did she do?” he asks them.

But they are too panicked to answer.

It is Xavier who notices her sitting in the car, hiding from their vision.

“I am sorry.”

He says unlocking the car’s door..

“No.” Audrey says spamming the door shut with force.

“ I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have invaded your space like that.”

Xavier can hardly make out what is she saying.

He once again tries to get her out of the car. But she is adamant, not to make conversation.

“Oye! What is all the this fuss about? You father is busy here and you ask think this is the best time to fight?”

He yells at them.

“ Get you asses here.”

Xavier sighs with relief. At least she hasn’t exposed the truth yet.

He knocks on the door.

“come let's go. He's calling for us.”

The horses neigh as they her near.

“I'm sorry Audi.”

“I don’t want to talk about it Xavi. “

“Okay find. Talk to me when you're ready. But just hear me out for now. I didn't mean for things to unfold this way, okay. I’m sorry you had to see us like that. “

Xavier let's out a sigh.

“I love him, Audrey. And I don't want to lose him. He makes me all that I am today. And without him in half a human.”

He grabs her left hand in his right and continue.

“please Audrey. Let me be the one who tells about Steven and me to papa.”

Audrey stops in the track, and stares at him.

“I won't Xavi. I won't ever tell on you. “

Xavier nods and joins Gilberto in loading.

Steven stares at Audrey and Xavier. He feels bad for Xavi. The hurt is so apparent in his face that Steven feels like holding him in his arms and wrapping him in kisses. He wants to console him with love. Somewhere in his mind, he is confident that Audrey won’t let them out. She loves his brother too much to be so callous in her decisions. But then again, if under any condition he does, things will be worse than they already are.

“Why are crying?” Gilberto shouts at Audrey, irritated by the drama she is putting forth.

“Nothing. I’m having a headache.”

“ Well, sure you’ll have a headache if you cry unnecessarily . “

He pauses to gauge his reaction.

“ Or did you happen to see something you shouldn’t have?”

For a moment Steven’s and Xavier’s heart stops beating. The fact that Gilberto’s brain has worked out the equation of Audrey’s discomfort and has related it to Steven and Xavier is enough to make them suffocate.

“What does that mean.” Xavier asks.

Gilberto arch's his neck to look at his son.

“Am I taking to you?”

“I was just asking.”

“Don’t. Audrey, tell me what happened.”

“Nothing papa.”

“Nothing my ass. Tell me.”

“I just asked them to hurry up and instead of doing so they gave me a dress down.”

Gilberto peers at Audrey.

“So now their nonsense is more important than all this work? If they think they can ignore me and leave the burden for me to deal with, I reckon, they can go do whatever the hell they want. I don’t give a damn about it.”

Xavier clicks his tongue at Gilberto’s words.

“ Papa. We were just tidying the stable. You know how Jon complaints about all the mess we create when loading the horses. And Audrey just kept pestering us.”

Audrey looks at Xavier in disbelief. She could have spoken the truth but he didn’t care. He had to go blame it all on her.

“ Hm.”

Gilberto nods slowly.

“Better get the last lot loaded. Nana has made chicken today.”

Everyone nods in unison and gets to work.

Xavier knows that even while working Audrey's peripheral vision will be stuck on him and Steven. And so he tries to maintain as much bodily distance from him as possible.

It's just been two years since they are together. There is so much left to do, to experience. So much love left to be expressed. This is not the end he wants for this relationship. Even though he knows they can't be together for life, he still wants it to last for as long as possible. He has so much love mercy to give and it will be a tragedy of things were to enter so soon.

The memory of the torture that it used to be to love Steven silently is engraved in his mind. For years he admired him, cared for and loved him from afar. The first time that he confessed to Steven, he almost peed in his pants. Steven had been understanding but he had no clue about his own sexuality ‘Are you sure?’

“How do you know?”

“Have you dated someone?”

“A man.”

“How will you do it?”

He asked all sorts of questions. And Xavier did the best he could in answering them.

With time Xavier started dating Rio, his neighbour. Steven was dating Charlie. They would often go on joint dates, mostly suggested by Charlie herself. He still remembers how annoyed Steven would be the whole time. Irritated by Rio.

“You can do better than him Xavi.”

He would say.

Until one day Rio got drunk and started kissing Xavier in front of Charlie and Steven. And the man lost his shit. It was as if for so long, Steven had forgotten that there was physical intimacy involved. And when he caught the glimpse of it, he beat the shit out of Rio.

That was the last time Xavier saw Rio.

He didn't show Steven his face for a week or so. And when he did, it was too tell Steven that their friendship was over.

“Go to your girlfriend. Maybe she'll knock some sense in you, you jackass.” He shouted.

And Steven's reply?

Steven kissed him. The fastest way to solve a fight.

At first the hesitance was overshadowing the kiss, but once Steven grew familiar with Xavier's lips, it just happened.

And that was that.

They started dating. Steven told Charlie that he had herpes and Charlie was scared to death.

But today as he stands beside his Papa he knows that the end of the romance is near. And looking at his sister only emphasizes on the fact that acceptance will not come. And even if it does, it won't come easy.

After lunch Xavier and Steven sit in the worry stable.

“She won't talk.” Xavi says.

“Neither about us, nor to us.”

Steven scoffs.

“That is there youngest member of the family imagine how the older members will react.”

“Let's be more careful and maybe we'll will never have to figure out.”

“Will you marry me?” Steven asks blatantly.

“Yeah right.” Xavier laughs it off.

“No really. If I were to ask for your hand in marriage, will you marry me?”

Xavier looks at the line of his eyes with she's full of sadness.

“I would love to. Even if it's just a dream, it's a beautiful one. And I would love to marry you in it.’

“You never know Xavi, my love. Dreams do come true.”

Xavier smiles.

“I hope they do.”

They lean in for a kiss before Audrey slams the door open.

Xavier and Steven state at her, waiting for her to say something.

“Have you done it in my bed?”

She asks.

“What?” Xavier exclaims.

“Have you or have you” Audrey emphasizes.

Xavier is reminder of the time they did. Since Audrey was out, yet had such into get room and made love. Over and over again. But Xavier had made sure to clean up, change the sheets, set everything back to place as well. But in the moment telling her the truth seems to be a volatile idea. And so Xavier's decided otherwise.

“No.” He shouts.

“yes.” Steven shouts with him.

They look at each other like file caught in the lie.

Somehow Steven had decided this was the perfect time to play the truth master.

And it's not until Xavier had said no, that he realizes his stupidity. And so he does what anybody in his place he would have done. He changes his answer.

“No.” He exclaims.

“Yes” Xavier exclaims in return.

Audrey begins to cry again and runs out of the room. Within seconds she comes back and stands close to Xavier.

“the day we get home, you better clean my room with detergent and sanitizers. Every freeaakkkiinnnnggg inch of it. Is it clear?”

“Yes ma'am.” Xavier replies, holding his head down.

Audrey walks her way out in annoyance.

“Fool.” Steven says to Xavi.

“Yes you definitely are.” He replies. His heart relived.

“I want you.”

“I want you too. Let’s get away from here.”