His Tiny Sun

Chapter 19 - A Big Deal

CHAPTER 19

A Big Deal

Alan sighed and flipped to his stomach, kicking his feet in the air while he perused his brand-new encyclopedia. It was a warm and beautiful day, which meant the park was full of loud people, making his moment of relaxation a little less relaxing than he’d hoped.

His headphones’ noise-canceling technology, sadly, failed to block the kids’ high-pitched screams—or rather, shrieks —as they ran in circles around the tree under which Alan lay down to enjoy his newest purchase.

Alan couldn’t bring himself to be annoyed, though; not even when he was hit in the back of the head by a stray squirt from their water guns. Their silly games reminded him of the big tree where they’d established their secret base when they were kids; him, Eric, and Marina.

They’d race to the top of the hill, Eric in the lead as Marina let him win, and Alan trailing behind because he had asthma. Alan would then plop down to catch his breath, while Eric and Marina chased each other around the tree. As they grew older, Alan realized that Marina had been doing it to help Eric burn his excess energy, so they could all lay in the grass together and gaze at the sky.

Four days had passed since Eric had apologized. Four days since Alan had last seen Jonah. No further incident had occurred, but Alan couldn’t help feeling anxious nonetheless; he’d never had so much happen to him in such a short period of time before.

All was well that ended well, but there was a feeling of dread tugging at his heart, making him fear that it would all come crashing down at any moment. Did the upcoming weekend have another bunch of crazy events in store for him?

The high-pitched screams slowly died down around Alan. He checked the time on his phone: a quarter past four. Soon, most families with young kids would have left the park to go back home and eat. Alan would then perhaps manage to relax a little before going back home himself.

He was burning to ask Jonah if they could see each other tonight, but Alan feared he wouldn’t be able to stomach two rejections in a row, so he crossed his fingers in hopes that Jonah would reach out. It seemed unlikely, though, seeing as Jonah had already left work, but Alan tried not to imagine the worst this time.

He’d already freaked out enough yesterday when he’d asked Jonah’s permission to call him, which Jonah had declined, saying he needed some alone time. Things had seemed fine this morning when Jonah had called him before heading to work, but still. Alan struggled to keep his anxiety under control.

Alan stretched his limbs and back with a groan, then sat cross-legged on his blanket, tucking his encyclopedia into his backpack. He took his phone and checked his email inbox, a big smile growing on his lips as he reread the incredible comment he got from his favorite reader the night before.

They’d outdone themselves; it was probably twice as long as the reviews they usually left, and it highlighted everything Alan was most proud of in his story. He had a feeling they’d get along if they ever became friends. Perhaps, one day, they would.

“ I refuse! ” John declared in Alan’s headphones—the notification sound Alan had set for Jonah’s number.

? Jonah: Don’t panic

Huh?

Before Alan could ponder further, two strong arms wrapped around him from behind, Jonah’s unmistakable soothing scent reaching his nose. “How did you know I was here?” Alan asked excitedly as he removed his headphones.

Jonah pressed his knees on each side of Alan’s hips and pulled him tightly against his chest. “I followed the clues,” he said, before planting a soft kiss on the tip of Alan’s ear. It tickled.

“The clues?”

“You post a lot of pictures on social media.”

Alan’s eyes widened. He’d never realized his social media activity could allow someone to figure out his exact location. Thank God he didn’t have a stalker. Still, from now on, he’d wait until he got back home before posting his pictures—just to be on the safe side.

“How was your day?” Jonah asked.

Alan wrapped his hand around Jonah’s wrist, stroking it softly with his thumb as he began speaking, “It was nice! First, I went to the café to write, then I went to the bookstore and bought an encyclopedia with amazing illustrations—I’ll show you later. After that, I grabbed a snack and came here to read. How was yours?”

“Hmm…I sent emails. Received emails. Forwarded emails. Exciting stuff.”

Alan chuckled. “I’m jealous.” He tried to turn around to look at Jonah, but his arms held him firmly in place. Alan’s smile wavered; the last time Jonah had suddenly turned stiff and silent had resulted in him putting an end to their relationship.

“So, um…I did something yesterday,” Jonah murmured.

“Oh?”

“I’d appreciate it if you don’t make a big deal out of it.”

Alan’s pulse quickened in anticipation as a dozen thoughts sparked in his head. “Okay.”

“…I started therapy.”

Alan almost made a big deal out of it, but he stopped the happy sounds from escaping his lungs just in time. Instead, he reached for Jonah’s hand and interlocked their fingers together.

I’m so proud of you.

Jonah’s body relaxed around him as he buried his face in Alan’s neck and exhaled a warm sigh. “I’m telling you because I might need some alone time every Thursday. Just a heads-up.”

Oh.

Alan nearly let out a nervous chuckle of relief. It all made sense now. Although he had an awful night following Jonah’s refusal to talk on the phone, he was glad that Jonah put his own needs first. Alan would rather not have Jonah force himself to do something he didn’t have the energy for, just for his sake.

Alan’s anxiety faded, making room for deep affection and pride as he fully took in the implications of Jonah’s news. It took a lot of courage to reach out for help, and even more so to admit it aloud. It was a major display of trust, and Alan couldn’t believe Jonah deemed him worthy of it.

Going to therapy wasn’t easy by any means—it would be a long and arduous journey—but Alan was happy that Jonah was finally getting the support he needed. Perhaps, if Alan were lucky, it would prevent Jonah from shutting him out again. Alan was aware of how selfish he was being, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted Jonah to be happy just as much as he wished for them to be together.

“Can I kiss you?” Alan asked.

“In a minute.”

“Okay,” Alan said, closing his eyes to bask in the moment. The sunlight filtered through the tree’s dancing leaves, and warmed his exposed skin as he breathed the delightful scent of Jonah’s cologne. The pressure from Jonah’s chest, arms, and knees against his body made him feel safe, precious, wanted.

Alan had known men who were affectionate when no one was looking, but became cold and distant in public, as though they were embarrassed—or even ashamed—of being seen with him. Jonah holding him tightly in front of dozens of strangers eased his insecurities, and gave him a near-overwhelming desire to make Jonah feel good in return.

Jonah’s hair tickled Alan as he pressed a soft kiss at the base of his neck. Alan hummed and instinctively tilted his head, giving Jonah access to more of his skin. Jonah accepted the invitation.

Alan felt Jonah’s lips brush his neck as he moved slightly to the left and planted a second kiss, then a third—very soft, very slow—then a fourth. Jonah kept moving further, leaving a lazy trail of delicate kisses from the base of Alan’s neck to his jaw, producing tingles in his wake and making Alan tilt his head further.

Alan failed to suppress a shudder of bliss when Jonah stroked his ear with the tip of his nose, right before starting a similar journey down Alan’s neck, covering his skin with more of his sweet, tender kisses. By the time Jonah had reached his starting point, Alan was panting, and very much aroused.

“Can I kiss you now?” Alan exhaled.

“In a minute,” Jonah whispered in Alan’s ear, before kissing the back of his neck and moving to the other side, where he began subjecting him to the same exquisite torture.

Alan opened his eyes to cast a swift glance around. There was no one nearby for now, or at least, none that could see the face he was making as Jonah’s lips sent jolts of pleasure from his neck to his groin.

He brought his knees closer to his chest to conceal his erection from potential wandering eyes, then barely stifled a moan as every single cell in his body screamed at him to guide Jonah’s hand to where he wanted it the most.

How hot would it be if he did…

Alan closed his eyes again as he imagined Jonah sucking his neck while he let his hand travel down Alan’s chest and stomach. Jonah would unbutton Alan’s shorts, then slide his hand in his boxers and wrap his strong fingers around his throbbing cock.“There are people nearby,” Alan would protest weakly, barely managing to keep his hips still.

“Then don’t make a sound,” Jonah would whisper in his ear, before starting to move his hand. Slowly, so slowly. So very slowly.

“More,” Alan would beg under his breath, “please.”

Jonah would nibble on his earlobe, while his free hand moved to cup his chest. His thumb would trace small circles against his nipple, while his other hand pleasured him just a little bit faster. “Like this?”

A shaky breath would be the only answer Jonah needed, and before Alan had the time to beg for more, he would pick up the pace, making Alan bite his lip as he did his best to suppress the moans that wanted to escape his lungs.“I want to make you come,” Jonah would purr into Alan’s ear, moving his hand faster, “right here, in front of all these people. Can you stay quiet for me?”

“I’ll have to go soon,” real life Jonah said, to Alan’s absolute dismay.

“Aww!”

Jonah let go of him and sat back, finally allowing Alan to look at him— god, how could a man be so incredibly handsome ? If one could get an orgasm simply by admiring the most striking man in the world, Alan would soon find out.

“We have relatives visiting,” Jonah said with a grimace.

“The whole weekend?”

“The whole week . They’re leaving next Friday.”

“Will we get to talk on the phone?” Alan asked, suppressing a pout.

“I’ll call you every night—well, if you want me to.”

Alan nodded as he scooted closer and leaned in for a kiss. He was saddened by the news, but sulking would do no good. He would smile and make the best out of the few minutes he still had left with Jonah. Besides, Alan was happy that Jonah had living relatives that were healthy enough to visit; he would probably be having a great time hanging out with them.

It would be an excruciatingly long week for Alan, but he had a new fantasy to explore in his writing now; it would keep him busy for a few days, at the very least.

Those who’d subscribed to his erotica account were in for a treat.