Page 38 of Freddie

Jamie sits up and crosses his legs. Fully on display, I can’t help but admire how far he’s come from what Simmons told me about him when they first met in his class. I don’t say anything though, just keep pretending to flick the remote.

“That's honest,” he chuckles.

“Yeah, well, what you see is what you get, Jamie. I don’t care for games; I just wanna be me. Free and full of fashion advice.” Jamie laughs again but schools his face seriously as he leans over to touch my forearm.

“You say you don’t care about games, but you play the brat pretty well. Took me a while to see the real you, Freddie. Has Simmons seen that side yet?”

My new bestie nearly offended me for suggesting I was so one dimensional but his words rang true. Being a brat was fun and a part of me, but sometimes a defence to protect myself. Huffing because I know we aren’t going to go back to fun things like kissing until I talk to him, I turn and lie down to face him; he mirrors me. We link fingers, and he’s smiling, and I can’t help but smile back.

“Well, genius. I have been very real with Simmons. In fact, we’ve kind of thrown the rules of the contract out the window, and I’ve been visiting him here and staying here. Well, not here, in his bed, and sometimes in my cage in the library, which he had custom-made for me, by the way. Anyway, I digress. I actually think that maybe. Well, no. Uhm… “ I trail off, chewing my lips and avoiding Jamie’s intense but lovely stare.

“You love him?” I whip my head back up.

“How did you know that?” I say, as I drop my mouth open wide and stare at him without blinking. He laughs at me. Laughs!

“It’s pretty obvious you both love each other, Freddie. What’s stopping you both from admitting that you’re actually in a relationship?” I stick out my tongue, but he only laughs and tries to pull it.

“Get off,” I shout as I swipe at his fingers. He leaves me be, but the twinkle in his eyes tells me he knows exactly what Simmons and I have been doing. Playing fucking Dom and Sub all the while actually being in a real-world relationship that doesn’t involve kink dynamics. Fuckity fuck.

“I’m scared. There. How’s that for real?” I mumble as I link my fingers back with my bestie.

He pulls me to him, and I sigh into his chest. He pulls the black silk cover over us and even plants a little kiss on my head.

“Don’t be scared, Freddie. He loves you back, I know it,” he says into my hair.

“But what if I go home, Jamie? Scotland is hours away by flight. What if we can’t make it work?”

“Well, then you communicate through it. No games. Just Simmons and Freddie. Two men in love who want to share a life. And I’ll be here for you no matter what. I think you’ve possibly worn me down and now I’m finding myself actually enjoying your company. Brat,” he tells me and gives me a small squeeze before moving so we can look at each other.

I nod with a small smile at him, and with that, we find something to watch until we are all kissed out, and the night takes us under.

Chapter 41

Simmons

Everything was going well. I had my plan ready for confessing my love for Freddie and just needed the right time to do it, which I had decided was going to be today.

Currently chopping feta for his post-swim lunch, I’m in his kitchen treating it like it’s my own. I have my favourite music playing through my phone, which I’ve stuck in a stainless steel bowl to amplify the sound; a little chef trick Freddie taught me.

We had fallen into a relationship without even thinking twice, and although none of us at brought up the D/s contract, it seemed we both wanted more than the original contract had listed. Nearly every day is full of his smile, his scent, and his bratty behaviour.

We're fucking like bunnies and exploring every inch of one another. Freddie has even been letting me choose his cages before I head to work on the nights we sleep at each other’s.

There’s even a latex event happening in the city next to ours that I’ve already booked the hotel for with the plan to make my own dildo out of my cock to surprise him with.

Freddie brings out a fun side of me I didn’t think even existed. Not to say I was never fun, despite the reputation professors get as being boring with a stick up the arse. Ha! Even a little of his Scottish is rubbing off on me.

I finish the salad and place it in the fridge, then take out the marinated chicken for grilling. Just as I’m plating the food, I hear the door bang shut and a set of heeled boots hit the wooden floor of the hallway. Unable to stop the grin on my lovesick face, I finish the meal and pour two glasses of water as Freddie comes running into sight.

He’s holding two boxes. Cardboard boxes. Like packing ones. Fuck.

“Hey! Food smells heavenly, be through in a min,” he shouts and then he’s off as quick as he arrived.

His black fur jacket flapping behind him. I don’t even get to respond before banging from his room starts up and I just sit there like a fool. An in-love fool. What the hell was I thinking? Freddie’s not gonna stay for me. He’s clearly not even thought about staying for me with the way he didn’t even offer an explanation for the boxes before running off to pack.

This is probably just a fun thing for him. Us. Nothing more than something to help pass the time while pining for home and counting the days down until he can move back to Scotland.

Unable to stay standing, I sit on one barstool and let my head fall into my hands, where they are propped on my knees.