Till Death Do Us Part

Chapter 5

Alex watched in bewilderment as Liam kissed the back of his foot as if he had no idea what was going on, in a completely detached posture. His legs dangled helplessly in Liam's hands, and while he was clearly kneeling, it was as if he were kneeling on the ground picking up snow-white flowers, trimming the branches to his liking and holding them in his hands to play with them.

"Go wash up first." Liam raised his head, his tone gentle and his attitude natural as if the scene of kissing the back of Alex's feet just now was a natural part of his daily routine.

Alex instantly felt he had made a big deal out of it, and when he reached the bathroom, he made a point of pouring Liam a glass of mouthwash before he started brushing his own teeth. His teeth were white and beautifully shaped, like full flesh arranged evenly one by one, the white foam staining his pale pink lips, the moist red tongue faintly visible. Alex was halfway through brushing his teeth when he saw through the mirror that Liam had been staring at him, watching him intently as he brushed his teeth, the eyes behind those lenses so focused that they looked like he was watching some academic study.

Alex paused for a moment and spat out the mouthwash.

Liam turned around, picked up a suitably warm face wipe and, without waiting for Alex to refuse, gently wiped his cheeks.

The heat steamed Alex's face as he whispered, "Liam, can you please go out for a minute?"

"Hmm?"

"I want to go to the toilet." Alex continued in a whisper, although he wasn't sure why he needed to lower his voice in front of Liam to address a normal need.

"What Al say to me last night," Liam said, slightly confused, "made me think that Al's request to be together was an inch away."

Alex instantly recalled the events of last night and he was instantly scared again.

What if the ghost child wasn't afraid of the sun?

Alex was already timid and after being scared three times in a row yesterday in one night, he was now pretty much a scaredy-cat, "Then stay with me."

The eyes behind the lenses curved, "Okay."

Alex looked away in embarrassment, perhaps because he knew there was someone next to him, he couldn't get out for half a day this time. The sight of the bathroom brought back memories of the eerie bloody handprints on the walls last night, so thickly interlocked it looked like red paint had been poured over them

His thin lips shushed him lowly in the ear.

Indescribable feelings annihilated his brain, water poured into the toilet, the roots of Alex's thighs shivered with shame, that pretty face filled with a red mist, eyes dense with moisture as if on the verge of tears, "You."

The clumsy mouth does not know what to say.

Liam cupped his jaw and kissed the trembling lips, a touch that left Alex completely dumbfounded.

"Good morning kiss." He laughed.

Alex couldn't smile at all.

At the dinner table, when Liam offered to take Alex with him to the set, he turned Liam down.

"It's not good for me to disturb your work, you go to your work during the day and just remember to come back to keep me company at night." Alex played the image of an understanding boyfriend.

The cold knife and fork cut through the meat, Liam put it in his mouth and chewed slowly for a moment or two, he looked to Alex and praised, "Al is the best."