Starlight

Monday. Everyone hates Mondays, especially Jack and especially if there’s someone who calls himself an angel living in his apartment. He doesn’t want to sound rude and kick him out for the day but he also doesn’t trust him enough to leave him here alone. God knows what he might do here. He didn’t even know how to turn on his laptop, what if he decides to makes something to eat? He will definitely have no idea how to do that and that might end badly for Alex and Jack’s apartment.

“Hey, what are we doing today?” Alex’s head turned towards Jack as he walked out of his room fully dressed and still confused about what to do with Alex today.

“We aren’t doing anything. I’m going to college and then to work, after that I’ll probably need to get Rian home. Soo… I don’t want to sound rude again, but… I don’t trust you, okay and I don’t want to leave you here alone.”

“Oh,” and again there’s this look. Like a kicked puppy with sad eyes, “Okay then…but I promise I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do. You can trust me. I promise I won’t even leave this couch if you don’t want me to just please don’t make me go out there,” this puppy is stronger than the one before few days. This one’s a fighter.

“Alex, I… I don’t know. I don’t have time for this now…”

“So you just go and I’ll stay here. I promise I won’t touch anything. I’ll sit here and I won’t move from here,” he looked at Jack with child-like eyes.

“I…”

“Just turn on that TV thing and then I will shut up. And I won’t move, I promise.”

I must be crazy if I really consider doing this – Jack thought to himself as he reached for the remote and turned on TV on some random channel. Alex is good when it comes to getting what he wants.

“You can go to the bathroom if you need or…or eat. I don’t want you to starve, okay?” he looked over Alex’s features, taking in his messy hair, chocolate-like eyes and eyelashes that just made his eyes look more beautiful, “but seriously, don’t touch my stuff.”

“Won’t,” Alex chirped behind Jack as he closed and locked the doors.

If he’ll want to steal something or set his apartment on fire these doors will hold him. For a while. And then Jack will be sure to never trust anyone he meets in the park. And writes mysterious notes before that. It’s never the best way to meet someone. Especially if it seems that this someone knows more about you than you yourself.

It seems like his old professor is high or something. It looks like he doesn’t care about their lessons today. He talks about their essays a little and then starts rambling about whole history together, jumping from ancient Rome to Auschwitz and some secret Nazi experiments. Put it all together and it doesn’t make any sense. All of these weird things Alex told, made more sense than this past hour.

“As for your next essay I want you to write about this lesson,” he smiles and sits down behind his big, dark brown desk.

A wave of muttered what and what was he even talking about washes through the room. Everyone turns their heads towards professor only to find him smiling.

“I saw that you didn’t get what I was talking about and yet no one asked me anything. Remember this when you’ll be working on your essays,” he looked at each face that stared at him, “you can go now.”

Next five hours Jack spends at the little book shop, trying to understand his professor. He wouldn’t ask for essay if that whole speech would’ve been just empty talk to fill the time. There was definitely something hidden in that whole thing. Ancient Rome, Auschwitz, Nazi experiments. There should be something that is similar to those time periods and things that happened.

A little voice in the back of his mind says that this is where Alex would’ve said something. Given him something to grasp onto, to get his thought to work in the right direction, but as Alex said – it doesn’t work here. So it’s just Jack and his empty mind until his phone rings.

“Yeah,” he picks up not bothering to look who’s calling.

“Hey man, you will pick me up from the hospital?”

Rian. Of course it’s him.

“How could I forget about you?”

“Great! Your book shop closes at seven, right?”

“It’s not mine, but yeah, at seven. I’ll be there in hour.”

“Okay, call me when you’re here.”

And that’s it. Rian ends the call and leaves Jack with his empty mind. He looks at his phone to see that there’s only thirty minutes left to work, that means he wasn’t even lying to Rian. He will be there in hour, maybe few minutes later.

Then he starts to wonder what Alex is doing. Is he really sitting all day on his old couch and watching TV or has he stolen it, managed to unlock the doors and are far away now? He should’ve thought of some way to contact him today. Maybe found his old phone and give it to him. Then he would be able to call him and know that he’s okay…and his apartment… Of course, he’s worrying more about his apartment than Alex. Why would he worry about Alex? Why should he! He doesn’t even know him! Just the weird stories he told.

Hour and three minutes and he’s calling Rian.

“I’m outside, move your fat ass out of that building!”

“I’m not fat,” he grumbles and ends the call.

After five minutes Rian sits beside Jack as he leaves hospitals parking lot and heads to Rian’s house.

“So, what’s new?” Rian asks, exited to be out of the hospital.

“Not much. Met Alex.”

“What? And that is not much to you?”

Jack shrugs, not looking at Rian and keeping his eyes on road.

“So, what’s he like?”

“Hot but…weird…”

“Like that ever bothered you,” he laughs.

“I mean, he’s really weird. If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me,” Jack nearly runs the car in the nearest tree as he realizes he sounded just like Alex.

“Woah, calm down! Is he really…like…mentally ill or what?”

“No. I don’t know. Maybe. Not that I…I’m not a doctor, I don’t know!”

“Okay,” Rian looks away from Jack, “so have you fucked him yet?” even though Jack is not looking at him, he can still hear the light smirk in Rian’s voice.

“No. Didn’t have time for that,” Jack mutters hating Rian more with every word he says.

“You always have time for that! When are you meeting him? I bet you’re gonna fuck him then,” he adds, more to himself than Jack.

“I’m not going to fuck him! Not now anyways!”

“Not now? You’re meeting him now?” Rian’s eyes are back on Jack and he just wants to disappear.

“Kind of.”

“Kind of? What do you mean by that?”

“He’s in my apartment,” Jack says quietly, like he would be scared to disturb someone.

“What? He’s in your apartment and you didn’t fuck him?” Rian practically yells at him, “why is he in your apartment?” he raises his eyebrows.

“That’s complicated.”

“Really.”

“Mhm…We’re here. Have a nice evening,” Jack looks at Rian, who even doesn’t think to get out of his car, “what?” Jack huffs.

“What are you hiding from me? It’s something about this Alex, isn’t it? Do I know him? Have you been with him before and now you’ve realized that it’s true love and you’re scared to admit it to me? Is he one of those ex’s who don’t leave you alone?”

“No, no and no. You don’t know him, he’s not my true love and he’s not one of those ex’s.”

“Then what? What are you hiding?”

“I can’t. Later, okay?”

“I know how your later works and it’s not working with me.”

“I promise that I will explain everything to you just…not today, okay? I want to go home and sleep.”

“While Alex is there.”

“Yes, while Alex is there.”

“Is he living with you now or what?”

“Oh my God, Rian! Not now okay! Get out and go to your house, sleep and I will go to my house and also sleep. Tomorrow we’ll talk, okay?”

“Mhm…you’re weird Jack Barakat and you’re hiding something from me and I will find out what.”

“Sure you will,” Jack mutters as Rian gets out of his car and walks to his front doors.

He watches as he closes doors behind him and turns on the lights in his living room and only then Jack leaves. He wasn’t lying to Rian when he said he wants to sleep, but will it really be possible with Alex there? He might be bored to death and starving for human company and that means Jack.

What he didn’t expect to see when he stepped in his apartment was sleeping Alex and his wings visible for everyone who comes here. Luckily for Alex it’s only Jack. And sometimes Rian. It’s not too different from that other morning only this time wing that was covering Alex’s back that morning is now draped over the back of the couch, other lying on the floor. Some black, and probably soft, feathers lingering over Alex’s bare back. It’s pretty interesting to look. Not every day you can see something so beautiful.

“How was your day?” Alex’s sleepy voice startles Jack. He looks at his face, but his eyes are still closed and he hasn’t moved.

“Umm…it was long and I’m tired.”

“Mm, I’m starving. Feed me,” he opens one eye and looks at Jack.

“What? You can’t command me in my house!”

“You said I can’t touch anything and I was allowed to go only to bathroom. That’s what I did,” Jack sees small smirk appearing on Alex’s lips. God, how he would love to kiss him right now. Shut up, Jack!

“Right,” he looks away from his face, walks over to his fridge and opens it only to see that there’s not much in it, “you know how to make sandwich or…something else from what we have here?”

He hears that quiet rustling again and Alex’s steps coming closer.

“I can try,” his voice is close behind Jack.

“Right. Then you can do it. Just don’t cut your finger or something and don’t burn down everything here,” he turns around to leave the room, go change and probably sleep, when Alex moves past him, closer to fridge and then he feels them. Soft. They are soft. He looks at them and they are so close to him now. They were so soft and he just wants more. He wants to run his fingers down the feathers and feel every one of them.

“You have cereals?”

“What?” he looks away from the wings and looks at Alex. He’s smirking. He fucking did this on purpose!

“Cereals.”

“Yeah, there,” he points to one of the cupboards and walks away from Alex, kind of still feeling soft feathers against his skin. But he’s not sure, maybe he’s just imagining.

Notes

books. good books. be careful with them. they'll take everything from you. your free time, sleep...