AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He closed his eyes and waited for blackness to seep in around the corners of his mind, extinguishing all thought.
6
Lee wasn’t in the habit of waking up before the alarm, but then, he also wasn’t in the habit of sharing a bed with Alex.
Slowly, careful not to jostle the mattress, Lee raised himself up on one elbow to study Alex’s face, relaxed in sleep, lips slightly parted and brown hair a little tousled. He really was beautiful—no wonder since he stemmed from a long tradition of selective breeding.
More than that, though, Leelikedhim, liked his smart mouth and subtle sense of humour, how bloody hard he must have worked to be here because no one landed a spot on the national team based on daddy’s clout. Alex’s family had wealth to match their titles, so he could have chosen to spend his life wasting his parents’ money. Instead, he was here. Had clawed his way through the youth system just like Lee had, actively defying his father’s wishes while Lee’s mum just hadn’t cared, too busy with her own crap.
With a measured exhalation, Lee turned away to slide out of bed. On silent feet, he padded over to the half-open balcony door, sunlight slanting through where they’d left the curtains partially open last night, painting diagonal lines across the floor.
The air outside was still fresh and tasted of salt, the sun-flooded balcony granting a sweeping view of the beach and the sea beyond. Lee grabbed a blanket off one of the lounge chairs and wrapped it around himself before he propped his elbows on the railing, letting his thoughts flow in time with the waves.
They’d won.
Japan was next.
Japan ranked quite a bit worse than the Netherlands, so it should be an easier match. On paper, at least.
Alex, still asleep in Lee’s bed.
Pretty boy. Whatmadnesshad prompted Lee to admit that he’d found his inspiration in porn?
It was a bloody miracle Alex had taken it as well as he had. He had, though, and Lee exhaled through a flash of embarrassed heat.Moving on.
Moving on—to the realisation that if Alex got caught sneaking out of Lee’s room, it would be a hard one to explain given they were a tad old for sleepovers. It could easily lead to someone goading Alex into clarifying that he fancied women, not men, and then Lee might be forced to claim the same to circumvent suspicion. Fuck no. He wasn’t ready to come out, but he’d rather avoid actively lying.
He needed to wake Alex up, send him back to his own room.
After returning inside, Lee pulled the curtains open to let the light in. Alex made a small, protesting noise when sunshine washed over his face, but rather than wake up like Lee had hoped, he rolled away, presenting Lee with the smooth curve of his back.
Well.
That left Lee with three options, as far as he could see. One, water; two, be loud; three, shake Alex awake. As Alex deserved neither water nor being yelled at, door three it was. Lee perched on the empty side of the bed, briefly hesitating before he reached out to lightly touch Alex’s shoulder.
“Hey.”
No reaction.
“Alex?”
A deep breath, Alex’s shoulder shifting under Lee’s touch. Quickly, Lee withdrew his hand, curling it into a loose fist against his stomach. Alex rolled over a moment later, blinking up at Lee through hazy eyes.
“Time to get up,” Lee said softly, refusing to feel shy about their proximity.
“Yeah?” Alex’s voice was sleep-rough, different from their usual morning routine of Alex having been awake for some fifteen minutes already, thrumming with energy, by the time Lee rolled out of bed.
“Yeah.” Lee inhaled and glanced away. “You should sneak back to your room before everyone gets up.”
“Sneak back to my room?” Alex’s smile, still tired around the edges, carried a hint of mischief. “Are you ashamedof me, Lee?”
“You’re hilarious,” Lee told him, dry as chalk.
“Thank you. Not enough people appreciate that about me.” With a yawn, Alex sat up, the sheet falling down to his lap. When he swung his legs out of bed and got up, clad in only his boxers, nothing indicated that he felt any more self-conscious around Lee than he had before.
“Think your sense of humour is like marmite, mate—an acquired taste.”
Alex threw a grin over his shoulder. “Aww,man. Now that’s just mean.”
