“Oi, that’s mean!” James pouts.
“You want me to be honest?” Gabriel asks, sitting up fully and sliding in next to him. James nods. “I think I fell in love with you the moment you walked into the café that morning, tripped and almost face planted into the table.”
James groans, letting his head fall into his hands. “God, that was so embarrassing. I almost turned around and left.”Gabriel’s hands are back on James’ body, roaming over his back and stomach. “Hmm, I’m glad you didn’t.”
“Really? All this time?”
“Mh-hmm,” Gabriel acknowledges in a soft tone. James reaches out hesitantly. After a moment his hand settles on Gabriel’s shoulder. He whispers as he confesses, “I think it’s why I stayed.”
“What do you mean?”
“The way your presence seemed to be calming me.” He feels his cheeks flush. “Any other person would’ve laughed at me. You chuckled, concern brimming in your eyes and a steady hand helping me onto the bench across from you.”
“Trust me, I was laughing internally.” Gabriel responds, a teasing lilt to his lips. He leans back in for another kiss.
James’ smile is still soft as he mumbles, “I know. Well, I know that now at least. You’ve got a bit of a tell.” They settle into a lean of some kind, with James’ weight resting back against Gabriel’s side.
Gabriel huffs, letting out an amused sound through his nose. The hand that’s on James’ lap starts rubbing small circles on his hipbone, the touch soothing. “How about I’ll get us some breakfast? See if I can get some information about what’s going on.”
*
The day drags on in a similar fashion as the day before. Wherethey trade off watching an episode of something with having a bite to eat and taking a little time for their respective hobbies. Only now James doesn’t need to remind himself not to look too much and to not let his gaze linger. Now they aren’t just sharing their duvets to preserve warmth during a movie, but are snuggling underneath it without an inch of space between them.
Dinner is mostly disregarded snacks and bottles of water they find in one of their bags. Neither one of them feels like leaving the little bubble they’ve created. For all James’ fears about uncertainty and insecurity about the unknown, there isn’t any of it with Gabriel.
He realized during the day that it’s never been there at all. Even if they’ve both been keeping up facades and hiding certain aspects of themselves, James knows that this is real. It’s genuine. It’s something good that he’s reluctant to accept, but will grab hold of with both his hands and keep in a vice-like grip. It’s something good, something worthwhile, and something absolutely terrifying in the way that he’s not scared of any of it.
The last year has shown him that there is no-one out there for him like Gabriel is. Romantic or platonic, Gabriel’s a part of his life and his routine. It’s comforting, knowing that even if things go south between them, Gabriel will still be there. They’re friends above everything else.
As the end credits of another Christmas movie roll across the small screen and James is reluctantly peeling himself away from Gabriel’s comforting hold, the train jolts on the tracks.
For a moment, time stops. The train jolts again, smoother this time, and seems to settle into a slow glide forward. The speaker above the door clicks to life. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re pleased to announce that we’ve been cleared to depart. We’re slowly resuming our journey toward Stockholm. It’s with great regret that we do have to inform you that we’ll be getting there sometime late tomorrow morning, since we can’t travel at top speed yet.”
The man pauses for a moment, the speaker crackling with static feedback. “Due to a refuel we’ll be taking a short stop in Stockholm and leave for Copenhagen after dinner. More information about tomorrow’s schedule will be shared with you as soon as we have it. Thank you. Have a good night.” The speaker shuts up abruptly, leaving the room silent and the occupants basking in their relief. Tomorrow they would be waking up in a new city, ready to be explored and experienced.
Gabriel twists around, clicking off the light. “That was really something, you know?”
“What was?”’ James says to the darkness.
Gabriel’s hand settles back on James’ hipbone, pulling him back against him. His words are soft when he presses a softkiss to the crown of James head, “You confessing to me. I always figured I would be the first one to break.”
James contemplates it for a bit, but decides to voice his concern anyway, “Would you have wanted that?”
Gabriel’s hand smooths down some of the unruly curls. “No, not at all. You just surprised me, that’s all. But then again, your bravery always does.”
28 [James] Stockholm, Sweden
December 20th
James makes sure he’s ready to leave the train as soon as the station comes into view. After having lost so much time to explore Stockholm already, there’s really no time to lose.
Gabriel’s sitting in his chair, nursing a cup of coffee and flipping through his sketchbook. He’s been sketching ever since they woke up this morning. It’s still something to get used to, waking up closer together and actually being in touching distance. The pillows that have been acting as the barrier between them are now back in their respective places, as extras in the closets and the two smaller ones on the chairs by the window.
For just a few seconds things were awkward when James opened his eyes and startled at Gabriel’s proximity. Luckily the initial shock was easily lessened by reaching out to him and tucking a stray piece of hair behind his ear. Gabriel’s eyesimmediately lost their apprehension. The first hour they traded slow, languid kisses and a few more words about what exactly happened the last few days.
“The train isn’t going to go any faster, no matter how much you want it to,” Gabriel gently reminds him. He’s stopped flipping through the pages, now tucking the book into his bag and clicking it shut. He drops it next to the chair and bends down to tie his sneakers.
“I know,” James admits, flushing just slightly. “I just- we’ve already missed so much time.”
