Take My Hand - Lashton

Chapter Thirty-six

Chapter Thirty-six

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Laying against Aaron's chest, his eyes closed as he listened to an audiobook. Aaron could hear incoherent words through the headphones and closed his own eyes as he played with Luke's hair.

Luke hadn't left their flat in a month. Aaron left most days but could never get the younger man to come with him. He knew he told him that he could only go out with him in fear that he may run off and find Ashton, but now Luke was refusing to even leave the house for a walk. His skin was becoming dry from the lack of fresh air and his eyes watered when he read books. Aaron didn't understand what was going on.

Kissing Luke's forehead, Aaron pulled the headphones out of Luke's ears. Luke's eyes flickered open and he stared up at the older man. He didn't say anything, he thought the eye contact was enough to tell him he's listening.

"I thought we could go to the shop, get some food? We're running low." Aaron suggested. Spring was drawing closer, the sky was a bright blue and the daffodils were illuminating the footpaths. Luke licked his chapped lips and shook his head. The brightness of spring appealed to him, anything but this drab flat appealed to him. But Aaron had told him he wasn't allowed outside, so Luke was determined not to go outside — whether that was what Aaron meant or not. Aaron controlled the words, he extended the meaning. Sometimes when Aaron was at work, Luke would stick his head out of the window and other times he would stand outside the front of the building. But he had to be careful not to be there when the smokers were otherwise Aaron would smell it on his clothes.

Aaron sighed. "Come on Luke! You can't stay in here forever, what are you scared of?"

Luke carefully sat up and took the headphones out of Aaron's hands, twisting them gently around his phone. Barely exercising his voice, living in silence with his boyfriend, Luke responded croakily. "I just don't want to."

Shaking his head Aaron disagreed. "There's always a reason Luke! Look, you're getting out of the flat today whether you like it or not! I'll drag you if I have to." Luke smiled to himself. He knew Aaron was capable of harshly pulling him from room to room in the flat, but he knew he would express such violence in publish. He was desperate. Aaron saw Luke's smile and didn't like it. He leaned over and took Luke's face, prying his skin down so it couldn't form any sort of content expression. "You can sit in the car. You can sit in the car and I will go in and do the shopping—"

"Like a dog," Luke said but it came out awkwardly, Aaron's grasp preventing his jaw from moving correctly for any coherent sounding song to come out. "Make sure you leave the window open!"

Aaron let go and pushed Luke's head back harshly. The younger man lay against the arm of the sofa rubbing his chin gently. "Don't test me today Luke!" he seethed.

Luke sat up once again as Aaron stood up and made his way over to their kitchen. "I'd rather you take my hand than keeping holding my face."

"What?" Aaron spat, turning round to look at his boyfriend with confusion. The bluntness of his words and expression of opinion was unusual. Every now and then Luke would say what he thought about something, but Aaron thought he'd learnt by now to keep it himself.

"I like people holding my hand, Ashton knew that—"

"Get your shoes now!"

-

"How is he?" Aaron didn't hear the words at first. As he saw the man approaching him all he could hear was Luke's words ringing through his head about how he liked his hand being held and how Ashton knew that. He didn't understand. He held Luke's hand plenty of times. How could Luke expect him to hold his hand when he was being so disobedient and saying things like that? Holding his hand wasn't going to teach him anything. "How is he?" the voice said again, more insistent this time.