Kiss Me

Part Seven

Marcus

Walker looked like a goddamn angel napping on the couch, hair tousled, hands resting on his belly, curled up in a hoodie with a pin that said bi-furious on it and another one that something in the back of my brain told me was a bisexual pride flag. His eyeliner was smudged where he’d rubbed his face in his sleep. Maybe he should have looked like he was passed out drunk, but he didn’t.

There was the tiniest smile on his face as his chest rose and fell, like he was the most content he’d ever been in his life. It was a shame to wake him, but I had to show up to this family breakfast, and if I was gone when he woke up he’d probably freak out. "Walker," I murmured, not wanting to shout or touch him if he didn’t need that to wake.

His eyes opened immediately, bright hazel ringed with gold, impossible to look away from in the handful of heartbeats he held my gaze for. A warm, soft smile broke over his face. I wasn’t sure anyone had ever been so happy to be woken up, especially not by me. I’d had pillows thrown for less. "I didn't mean to fall asleep," he said, blinking and yawning as he sat up. "Is it super late for breakfast?"

"No, ten past eight. I have to go meet my family for breakfast, I didn't want to leave without telling you."

"Am I not invited?" Walker frowned, still not entirely awake. He was so much softer than I’d ever seen him right now, sleepy and mussed. Not that I was exactly intimidated by him normally, but he seemed a hundred times more approachable when he’d just woken up.

"Uh. It’s not that you’re not invited." I scratched the back of my neck. "Just thought I’d save you the ordeal."

"Wasn’t the whole point of bringing me to save you the ordeal?" Walker raised an eyebrow. I licked my lips. Maybe? The more I thought about what I was doing, the less I understood it. The original plan had involved Kyle. My best friend, someone who I knew where I stood with. Walker was completely different, and I hadn’t planned for any of it. Not, if I was being honest with myself, that I’d planned particularly well to take Kyle with me. It was more that… 'Gimme five minutes," Walker said, interrupting my thought process, which, to be fair, probably wasn’t going anywhere useful.

He stood, stretched so that his hoodie rode up and revealed a few dark hairs peeking over the waistband of his underwear, and then marched off to the bathroom while I was still staring. I sat heavily on the couch, finding it still body-warm from Walker, his smell too, so I decided to play nervously with my phone. Keep my mind occupied. I had woken him at seven this morning, but he fell back to sleep. Honestly, it was nice seeing him twice rouse from sleep.

"Will I do?" Walker asked all of a sudden, startling me as I finished my seventh round of the match-three game on my phone that was there for when I was waiting nervously.

"Definitely." He was in a denim blazer, v-neck black t-shirt and not so ripped skinny jeans. He was hot. He had washed his face and slicked back his hair, and I couldn’t tell if he was wearing a thin ring of eyeliner or if his lashes were just that dark and thick naturally.

"Are your socks knocked off?" He asked humorously.

"If I wasn't wearing shoes, most probably."

"See, I told you I'd knock your socks off."

I looked down at my feet. "Well, I have shoes on so you haven't."

"But I would have."

I shook my head and got up off the sofa and pocket my phone. "Let's go down, but brace your pretty self."

"So you think I'm pretty?" He asked as we left the room. God, did he really only hear what he wanted? Yet it's true. He's pretty.

"Just shut up," I snapped. "Hopefully Aya and Henley will be there….that would make things a lot easier…." My words trailed off. Because it probably wouldn't. My mom was a storm of vile words and she didn't care. Never has, and probably never will. One night when I was just a little kid, I was invited to a birthday party, before all the shit with social media. It was a costume party and my mother hated the fact that anyone spoke to me at all, she cursed me and ripped my costume clean from me. That night had been a ton of fun. My parents had eventually gotten drunk and gone at each other as usual, slurring and spitting vitriol. But it had been humiliating. I’d been foolish enough to hope that things were going to change for me. That was just one of many embarrassing, strange moments in my adolescence. By the time I was seventeen, I hadn’t even cared enough to want friends anymore. At home, I’d become resigned to the fact that my parents were insane and incapable of normal behavior. At that age, my only goal had been to survive the dysfunction long enough to leave. As soon as I was of legal age, I’d gone as far and as fast as I could.

"Hey, earth to Marcus," I blinked and realized we were now standing in the lobby. "They're over there," He pointed. And we both made our way through the lobby and into the restaurant. It was packed. I'm not even sure how many of the smiling people were family and I didn't actually care either. "Morning guys." Walker said with a cheery smile.

I snorted and sat next to Aya, opposite Lily and Darryl. "Morning."

"You finally made it," Lily was absolutely stunning. Glowing and full of great big smiles. Walker plonked himself next to me and leaned in a little. For show...it's for show. But maybe I kind of didn't want it to be just for show. I thought long and hard all night as he slept next to me like a log. I thought about what it would actually feel like if he wasn't a pretend boyfriend, but a real one. Would he shower me with love and adoration and would I be able to handle that. Because my demons are still with me, they're just in hibernation. Would I revert back to the old Marcus who loved play and loved hurting my partner? Would that freak Walker out, even though he kind of likes dishing out pain...or more that what he did was painful. Isn't it basically the same when you boil it down. "Marcus."

"Oh...sorry Lily. I didn't get much sleep," Aya sniggered and I looked at him. "Not like that." I had to make it clear.

"Yeah, apparently he couldn't sleep," Walker added. "I slept like a damn rock," then his attention was firmly back to me. "You want a coffee babe?"

Babe? He called me babe. Okay, so my heart just did a million backflips. "Yeah, sure...and could you grab some bagels and see if they have cream cheese."

"Sure." he smiled and ran his hand over my knee. And got up and left for the breakfast buffet.

"You two look so good together," Lily announced. "I thought that back before...when was it again?"

"Last summer at Kyles barbeque." I said.

"Yes, then. He was all like puppy dog eyes and smiles whenever you walked past him."

"Wow, it's been that long?" Henley asked. They had met Walker at my bar when he came in with Kyle and instantly they got on, like they'd been friends since forever.

I shrugged. "No, it hasn't."

"But it has been for him. That's pretty damn clear," Henley needs to shut up. "You can tell he's completely head over heels for you."

"Henley, not today." He smiled and held his hands up in defense. Then a lump caught in my throat. "Fuck, fuck...incoming."

Lily turned just as our mother appeared from out of nowhere. "Oh, morning mom."

"I see you all gathered without me?" She looked at everyone but me. "Morning sweetheart," She said and kissed Lily on the head. "I'll join you all shortly. I need to say hi to the other family members...oh, the rest will be here in the week. Uncle Dan is coming and thank god he's not bringing that awful girlfriend of his." Fuck I really hate my mom.

"Babe, they didn't have cream...cheese…" Walker stopped as he came face to face with my mother. "Oh, you must be the mother of the bride?" How in the hell did he guess that?

"...and you are?" She asked. Evil was pouring off her in waves as Walker passed me my coffee, along with bagels and those little packets of butter.

"Walker ma'am. Marcus's boyfriend." My moms eyes almost popped right out of there sockets. "It's nice to finally meet you." He held out his hand but she looked at it like it was the most hideous and disgusting thing she'd ever seen.

"Right, I see my son has….odd tastes." She didn't shake his hand by the way and Walker looked like he didn't give two shits either.

Instead he smiled. "Well, I'm an odd one, so I guess it makes me the luckiest guy alive." My mom grimaced, almost baring her teeth.

"Right," she turned away from him and kissed Lily's head again. "I will see you soon sweetheart." And she was off.

"That was awkward," Walker said, and sat next to me. "Sorry, they didn't have cream cheese," Holy hell. He's acting as if none of that had affected him in the slightest while I was sitting here looking for the best escape route. But then again, maybe it didn't affect him and it was only me it bothered. It bothered me that she could treat him that way. Who in god's name does she think she is? Fair enough the woman treats me like a ghost, but don't treat my guy like shit….no, not my guy, my friend. But that's besides the point. Boyfriend or not, she has no right being that way. "Don't let it get you," he whispered in my ear, making me jump.

"I'm not."

"You are and it's fine. I'm not here for her. I'm here for you." Yeah. He's here for me. I asked him to be here for me. He was braving the storm for me. All for me. God, this is hard not to notice him for all that he is. Perfect.