Graham and Griffin Ch. 03

Chapter 3

Griffin's POV

Graham just came out to me. I don't know how to react. My first reaction is to grab Graham's hand and say, "Me, too," but instead I do something that is horrible, unforgivable. I get up and walk out of the coffee shop.

I don't really know where I am. I decide to go left towards the thrift store where we had been a half hour ago. When I arrive at the thrift store, I go in, walk to the back of the store and enter one of the dressing rooms.

I sit down on the bench and put my head in my hands. What have I done? Why did I react this way? I should happy. I like Graham. I'm attracted to Graham. Instead, all I feel is fear. Fear that my parents will find out. Fear that Graham will not like me back. Fear that I will never be good enough for anyone.

As I am sitting there contemplating my next step, I hear a voice calling out my name. The voice belongs to Graham.

"Griffin," he whispers. "Griffin?"

I know that I have to face him and my fears. It's now or never.

"I'm in here."

The curtain is pulled back and there stands Graham. His face is red, his dark eyes are wide, his curly hair is sticking out crazily in every direction...he is beautiful.

Graham steps into the dressing room and pulls the curtain closed. He gazes at me with an intensity that causes a reaction in my body that I've never felt before. I know what I need to do. I slowly get up and walk towards him. He steps back, but before he can leave the dressing room I lunge forward and wrap my arms around his waist. He hesitates at first. I can tell he is unsure on how to proceed, but within a few seconds his arms pull me tightly to him. I'm in heaven.

We stand like this for a very long time. I don't know how long. It could have been minutes or hours.

I finally say in a very quiet voice, "I'm sorry."

I nuzzle my nose into his chest. I can hear his heart beating a mile a minute. He lowers his lips to the top of my head and kisses it.

"I know."

Graham's POV

It's been a couple of days since I came out to Griffin. In the back of mind I knew that he might have a really hard time dealing with the fact that I am gay. His initial reaction almost broke my heart, but we were able to clear things up pretty quickly. I accepted his apology immediately and we were able to move on like nothing had changed between the two of us. We were roomies and friends.

After the "incident" in the dressing room, we returned to our dorm, undressed and went to bed. I couldn't get the feeling of his body pressed against mine out of my head. He fit so perfectly into me and his hair smelt so good. I wanted things to go much further.

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It's Wednesday evening and we are both studying in our room. I am sitting at my desk typing away on my laptop. I have an essay due tomorrow and I'm finally finishing up the conclusion. It's a good essay and I'm confident that I will get a pretty good grade. As I am typing the last couple of sentences, Griffin lets out a loud yawn.

I peek over to his side of the room and see him sitting on his bed cross-legged with his laptop in his lap. I can't look away. He's wearing nothing but a pair of plaid boxer shorts. I want to go over, remove the laptop from his lap and ravish his body.

"You done with your homework?" At this point, I'm typing as quickly as I can to finish my essay.

"Yes, finished a couple of minutes ago. I'm looking for a movie to watch on Netflix."

"What are you thinking about watching?"

In my head I'm thinking, "Please, please, please invite me over to watch a movie with you."

He's a mind reader. "Do you want to come over when you are done and watch a movie with me? You can pick anything that you want."

"Okay." I try not to sound too excited. "How about Edward Scissorhands? If it's not on Netflix, I have it on DVD."

A few minutes later Griffin replies, "It's ready when you are."

Ten minutes pass. I save my completed essay and quickly slip out of my clothes until all I have on is a pair of blue boxer briefs. I slowly make my way over to Griffin's side of the room. I stop and take in the scene. He is snuggled in under his down comforter with just a hint of his upper body showing. His eyes are closed and he's breathing deeply.

"Griffin," I whisper.

His eyes flutter open. "Yes."

"Do you still want to watch a movie?"

"I don't know...I'm really tired."

"That's okay. I'm tired, too. Go to bed."

I start to walk back to my side of the room.

"Graham?"

I turn around and Griffin is sitting up in his bed.

"Yeah."

"Will you sleep with me?"

My breath stops for a moment, but I quickly regain my composure.

"Okay."

I move swiftly to his bed, pull back the covers and slip in.

He's lying on his side away from me. I turn my body into him, but I don't make contact with him. Why does he want me to sleep with him? Is he trying to tell me something?

We lay like this for a few minutes. His body is still and I'm almost certain that he has fallen asleep. I close my eyes and slowly begin to drift off. His soft voice suddenly interrupts my descent.

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

My eyes flicker open.

"Yes."

"Just one?"

"Yes."

"Is he still your boyfriend?"

"No. We broke up over the summer."

"Why?"

"We didn't want to have a long distance relationship. Jeremy is going to school in Arizona."

"His name is Jeremy?"

"Yes."

"How long were you together?"

"Almost a year."

Griffin is silent again. I'm not sure where he is going with all these questions. I want to ask some of my own.

"Have you ever had a boyfriend, Griffin?"

His body noticeably stiffens and I'm afraid that I've scared him off. I'm so stupid.

"Sorry. You don't have to answer that."

"It's okay. No, I've never had a boyfriend."

I take a deep breath. I need to be brave. I need to find out if I even have a chance with him.

"Do you want a boyfriend?" The question slips out of my mouth and I instantly regret it. I close my eyes and wait for the repercussions.

I feel a shift in the bed and when I open my eyes, Griffin is watching me, our faces only inches apart. I notice for the first time that he has a tiny mole at the corner of his mouth. I want to lean in and kiss it.

"Why would you ask me that, Graham?"

I take a deep breath and spiral even further into the abyss.

"I want to be your boyfriend, Griffin."