bsumone | ❝ You fairies love where love is wise and just ❞

The proper thing to do would be object. Being in the same bed with the person he's been fantasizing about seemed like a very bad, no good idea. On the other hand, they were both so tired, what could possibly happen?

So he didn't make a decision immediately. Instead, he gathered up some pajamas from the small dresser next to the desk and made his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth and change. He wouldn't be surprised if Eli was already dozing by the time he returned.

Eli was already dozing but his hand was held out to the spot where James would sleep to wait for him. Like if he had his hand there the movement would wake him enough to be able to be assured the man got in bed. Otherwise he was peacefully sleeping, a little smile on his face.

He couldn't help being so happy that all his dreams were really coming true, after all.

For a moment, James just gazed at him. He definitely needed rest. It would be easy to say he opted for the couch because he didn't want to rouse Eli but... He's also pretty sure the boy would see right through that. And, well, wasn't it a little insulting to keep treating Eli like he's some danger? They're in the privacy of his home; there's no threat of someone just walking by and catching them.

Finally, James exhaled slowly and took a moment to take off his glasses and plug in his phone before climbing very gingerly into the open space in bed. It was a full-size so there was enough room for two. He carefully scooped up Eli's hand and, well, the plan was to move it closer to Eli so James wouldn't end up laying on it. Instead, he kept a hold of it.

"Sleep well," he murmured very quietly.

The movement made him stir and he opened his eyes a little. Smiling at the man, he scooted just close enough to be able to hold hands more easily. "...you too."

And then he was completely out, content that James wasn't going to sleep on the couch. It was hours that he slept, not until early afternoon when the light finally made him stir. He was still tired from all the lack of sleep he'd been having lately but he was used to that and was more interested in looking to see if James was still in bed or if the man had gotten up yet.

James woke maybe an hour earlier. Enough time to have some tea and, from the sound of it, was currently in the shower. He felt pretty gross from his bender the night before and just wanted to wash that all away. He must've been in there for a little while before Eli woke because it was only a few minutes more before the water shut off. And a few minutes after that before James emerged, fully dressed in dark slacks and light blue button-down, hair still wet.

his eyes went to the bed and he smiled seeing Eli there. "You're awake. Do you want anything? Tea, something to eat?"

James had such a nice smile. Eli took a moment to enjoy it before he got up and stretched. Getting out of bed, he hummed a bit then nodded. "Food and tea sounds really good. Thanks."

Quickly, he stole a kiss before giving a playful smile as he headed into the bathroom so he could at least sort of get ready. He wouldn't be able to do anything like changing his clothes or anything until he got back to his place but he could still at least rinse the sleep off of his face a bit. It was better than nothing.

Oh. James couldn't help staring a little when Eli stretched like that. The guy really had a nice body. No wonder considering he's been dancing practically all his life. That kiss drew him back out of his thoughts and James found himself grasping at Eli's wrist before he could get too far away with a quiet "Wait."

And then he leaned in to kiss him. Properly. Not some fleeting brush of lips. Nor was it some hungry, breath-eating kiss. Just something a little more... grown up than they've shared before. And when it was done, he let go of Eli's wrist so he could go wash up and James headied to the kitchen to fix him some tea and instant oats.

Surprised, he paused as he was caught, turning to face James. And oh was he glad that he was caught too. Because that kiss that he got was beyond nice and it made him melt into it. Even if they were going to have to be careful about where and when they kissed for several more months Eli couldn't wait to get more of these.

Smiling again when it ended, he watched him head to the kitchen before sliding into the bathroom to wash up. Then he headed out and poked his head around until he found the kitchen, coming over to sit at the table while he watched the man.

"You are really good at kissing, by the way."

He couldn't help a quiet chuckle. Eli probably didn't have a lot of experience with that, but James wasn't about to point that out. Nor would he mention that he himself has had plenty of practice. Even though he's divorced, he's still a man with needs and desires so, it's not like he's been celibate all this time.

"I'm usually really good at breakfast, too, but I wasn't prepared for a guest." Usually his only morning company was his daughter when she stayed here. And since it wasn't his scheduled time, he didn't really have the groceries to make a nice breakfast. Therefore, he set a mug of tea and a bowl of instant oats in front of Eli instead.

"Do you need any milk or sugar?" For the tea.

"That's okay. My usual breakfast is toast because it's easy and fast and lets me sleep later. Milk though please."

He very much wasn't bothered by the breakfast he got, happily digging into it. This was seriously good even if it was just basic instant stuff. Better than dry toast at any rate. He could live with that. "What kind of snacks do you like by the way? I can look through what I have to see if I've got some I can grab for you."

"I'm not picky," he replied while getting the milk from the fridge. "We should probably avoid anything too messy." Since they're not supposed to be eating there... Leaving a lot of crumbs behind could attract pests the librarians wouldn't know to look out for. "I like a mix of sweet and salty," he added.

"I can do that." He had a few easy snacks that would work. Including a bag of kettle corn. That would be a great snack that would be easy to clean up later if there was a problem. With a nod of thanks for the milk, he added a bit to his tea before having some.

"How do you want to do this? Getting there and going in, I mean." Eli imagined they might need to go separately. Then he could get in there and make sure he got a room for the day which his boyfriend could join him in.

How indeed. James looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, we could go pick up my car," which meant yet another rideshare. "I could drop you off at your place so you have some time to get freshened up. We can pick a time to meet at the library and I can meet you there maybe ten minutes later?"

Sipping his tea, he thought about that. The library closed early so if they went right away they'd have time to do all this and get there with enough time to stay until closing. Eli thought about that a bit before nodding with a bright smile on his face. "I'll pay for the ride to get your car. You already paid for a lot last night."

Because he was upset with him and made him do that but that seriously wasn't the point.

James waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. You have more important things to spend your money on." That dance academy couldn't be cheap. Plus his own housing and daily life expenses... Yeah, no. James definitely could cover this.

"I'll schedule the ride while you're eating so it will be here when you're done."

"It's not that much..." He pouted a bit but he didn't fight it further. After all, he really did appreciate his boyfriend watching his back like that. Eli knew that he had a lot that he had to pay for right now until graduation. After that he'd be able to join a company. Maybe by then he and James would be living the dream and living together...

It was a nice thought. Smiling at his boyfriend, he nodded to show he understood and finished tucking into breakfast. When he was done, he politely went to go rinse his dishes and grabbed his stuff and shoes so they could go get the car together.

It really shouldn't make him feel this giddy just watching Eli moving around so comfortably in his house. If they could get through the next few months -- until Eli graduated -- this could become a regular thing. It's been some time since James had anything in the future to actually look forward to.

While Eli gathered his things, James tugged on his jacket -- it wasn't quite cold enough yet for his actual winter coat. He felt a little more self-conscious, though. It was daytime now and they were leaving his house together. But in the safety of the car, he promptly reached for Eli's hand again and held on all the way to the bar. His own car was still in the lot, right he left it last night. That's probably not unusual since a lot of people go to bars in their own vehicles and then up in a cab or a rideshare to get home.

It's an older model car, something he's had for over ten years now. But it worked and maintenance didn't cost more than it was worth, so he kept it. Why take on an extra expense if he didn't have to? The only problem with it?

"The passenger door sticks. It won't open from the outside," James explained as he unlocked it. Once he got inside, he leaned across the seat to open the door from within so Eli could get inside.

"If it was a newer car I'd think you were just using that as an excuse to open the door for your boyfriend," Eli teased as he got in the car after James opened it for him. Settling in, he got himself buckled up then gave the directions to his place. On the way he also pointed to where they were going until they got to a pretty tiny apartment building that didn't look the best.

But at least it was gated.

Looking around super fast, he made sure no one could see then leaned over to kiss James on the cheek as he got out. "See you in about a half an hour okay?"

With that, he ran inside so he could go get ready and make himself look cute for their date.

At least the apartment wasn't in the worst part of town. It may look a little sketchy, but it could always be worse. That didn't mean James had to like it. Unfortunately, at this time, there really wasn't anything he could do about it. It's not like he could suddenly invite Eli to live with him. That would just be uncomfortable with them still being teacher and student. Not to mention Malory being around part of the time.

Maybe this would prompt him to get the upstairs of his house finished by the end of the school year. He'd gotten it cheap because the upstairs loft hadn't been finished into a proper living space. He hadn't needed it since there was enough room for him and Malory.

Wow. Wasn't it a little premature to think about Eli moving in? They'd barely even started this relationship a few hours ago!

James smiled when Eli kissed him and gave a small wave as he departed. And you can bet he stayed parked right where he was until he watched Eli vanish into the building. Then and only then did he leave.

He didn't have any errands to run, so he just drove around for a bit until it was time for them to meet. James made sure he was a few minutes early, waiting to see Eli go into the library before, too, went inside about ten minutes after. He wandered near the study rooms until he found the one Eli had booked. Then he knocked lightly to be let in.

Eli was quick to get properly cleaned up and dressed with his book bag over his shoulder. Then he was off to the library after snagging a ride. Getting the room was easy since he came here a lot and he even was able to grab several books of poetry. After that it was just a matter of waiting.

Boy did his face light up when he saw his boyfriend though. Quickly he closed the blinds so that way they'd have privacy before letting him inside. With the door closed, he wrapped his arms around him to give him another kiss.

"Hi."

With the blinds closed, he felt safe enough to pull Eli tighter against him and draw that kiss out a little longer. James wasn't really sure what was making his heart race: Eli or the fact that they were still, very technically, in public. Well, did it matter much? Here they were holding each other for the first time.

It was nice. Except that part of his mind that was savoring what Eli's body felt like against his. That went onward imagining it in other ways... Jesus, he's a 54-year-old man. He should not be this horny! He pulled back finally and managed a smile despite the mental images playing out in his mind.

"Hi. You look nice."

"Thanks."

Seriously, the man was so good at kissing. Sure, he didn't have a lot of experience since he only had less than a month's worth of dating experience under his belt but that was fine. What mattered to him was that James was great at this and he loved it. Giving him another peck on the lips, he gently pushed those glasses back up onto that handsome face.

"We have the room until the library closes. It's all ours."

As long as Eli was happy with it, that's what mattered. There was bound to be a gap in experience, all things considered. There's no need for James to point it out again and again. Eli's most certainly aware of that fact.

So he smiles and then glances over to the books Eli's selected. He's familiar with most of the names, but wonders if there's some rationale behind the selections.

"ARe you familiar with Christina Rosetti?"

"I'm about to be. Because you're going to read some of her work to me right?"

Going over to the table, he made sure their chairs were close and looked until he saw the collection of her work. Holding that out to James, he sat down and smiled as he waited to see what his boyfriend was going to share with him.

James lifted his hand to indicate he didn't need the book. He turned his chair slightly so it was facing Eli before he sat down in it. He cleared his throat, then began.

"'I loved you first: but afterwards your love
Outsoaring mine, sang such a loftier song
As drowned the friendly cooings of my dove.
Which owes the other most? my love was long,
And yours one moment seemed to wax more strong;
I loved and guessed at you, you construed me
And loved me for what might or might not be –
Nay, weights and measures do us both a wrong.
For verily love knows not ‘mine’ or ‘thine;’
With separate ‘I’ and ‘thou’ free love has done,
For one is both and both are one in love:
Rich love knows nought of ‘thine that is not mine;’
Both have the strength and both the length thereof,
Both of us, of the love which makes us one.'"

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject