Perfect Can't Endure - 2. Sunday

Yet another short chapter The next one's longer, I promise XD

I woke up to a change in Asher’s breathing, and he looked amazed.

“How do you always do that?” he asked.

“What?” I asked, my mind still bleary from sleep.

“You always know when I’m awake, and you wake up whenever I do,” he accused. “I’ve only ever seen you sleeping twice.”

I laughed. “Sorry,” I said. “I just listen to your breathing. It helps me sleep, and I guess when it changes it wakes me up.”

“Fine,” Asher said, grinning. “I’ll just stay up later so I can see you sleeping, then.”

I grimaced. “I don’t think that’ll work,” I told him. “It’s your breathing as you sleep that lets me drift off. I never used to sleep much, before I started sleeping with you.”

“Then we’ll just always sleep together,” Asher said, grinning.

I grinned back. “That sounds perfect,” I told him, before getting serious again. “Tommy would figure us out soon, though, and that brings us to the question of who we should tell."

Asher looked uncomfortable. “I don’t really want to tell anyone,” he said. “It’s not that I’m not proud of having you as my boyfriend,” his eyes proved that to me as he said it, glowing with happiness, “It’s just that I’m not ready to come out yet.”

I nodded. “I’m not ready either,” I said, “But I think we should think about telling certain people anyway. If they’re likely to figure us out soon anyway, it’ll go better if they hear it from us.”

Asher nodded, understanding. “I don’t think we need to tell anyone but Tommy, then,” he said.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “I’ll talk to him about it if it would make you uncomfortable, but I don’t think he’ll freak out very much. I don’t know his opinion on any of this, but he’s really chill about everything. I think he’d be a good person to start off with.”

Asher nodded, nervous. “I’m still a little bit scared,” he admitted.

“I am too,” I said, hugging him closer to me. “This is all a bit scary.”

He nodded once, and then again, more firmly. “I think we should go home today,” he said. “I don’t want this hanging over us for any longer than it has to.”

I nodded, but didn’t let go of him yet. “Just please… please promise me we won’t let this get between us,” I begged.

He nodded, and wrapped his arms around my chest, kissing me. “We won’t let anything get between us,” he promised, and we held each other for a minute more before starting to pack up. We walked quickly, to Bear’s delight, and we made it over the hill and back to the canoe by two. We pushed ourselves, trying to get home before dark, but it was too far. We’d made it halfway back by the time the sun disappeared behind the horizon, and we decided to keep going. We paddled into the night, and ended up arriving at two in the morning. We put everything away, keeping Martha and Bernie’s supplies separate so we could bring them back tomorrow, and went downstairs.

“We can tell Tommy tomorrow morning,” I said. “Do you want to be there, or should I take you home first?”

He shook his head. “I’ll be there,” he promised. I smiled at him, and led him into the sauna. We cuddled together on the bench in our boxers, letting the heat relax us, before going to bed. We cuddled again, comforting each other about what would happen in the morning.

“I think Tommy will be OK with it,” I told him again. I think I’d said that around twenty times by now, trying to convince myself. Asher nodded, like he had every other time I’d said it, and hugged me closer to him.

“We’ll be fine,” he told me. “Don’t worry.”

I nodded, kissing him on the forehead, and I felt a yawn coming on.

“Looks like you’ll get your wish,” I told him, smiling sleepily, before my eyes closed over.

I felt him kiss me gently, and I could feel the happy smile on his face. It was the last thing I felt before sleep claimed me, and I can’t think of anything that would have made me happier.