The Underground

Chapter 55: Proposals

We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening around the Christmas tree, sharing stories of our childhood Christmases and our favorite traditions or memories of the best gifts we'd ever gotten. I didn't remember many things, even though I'd always been flooded with gifts on birthdays and Christmas. I always got any toy I wanted, so after a while, maybe it just didn't feel special anymore.

Later that night, while we lay in bed, once again dressed in our flannel jammies, I told Louis, "I think the best gift I've ever received was when you bought me the necklace at that craft show."

"Really?" He asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

"Yes, really. You knew I loved it, and you bought if for me for that reason only. I can't explain it exactly, but that meant the world to me."

He squeezed me tightly and held on for a long time. When he relaxed his grip on me, he asked, "Are you okay with what happened in the tub? I mean, did I overstep my boundaries?"

I breathed a deep sigh. "I don't know, Lou. I mean, it was amazing, really. And you are certainly welcome to any part of me. I just...I don't get it. It didn't seem quite right for some reason. Maybe because it was only one-sided. Ugh, I feel so stupid. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Hey," he said, kissing my forehead. "If I ever make you uncomfortable, you have every right to tell me that. You know that, right?"

"I do. You make me feel safe and I trust you completely," I told him in absolute honesty.

He was quiet for a while and then he finally asked in a voice barely above a whisper, "Do you want to touch me?"

"Yes."

He wasted no time in kissing me deeply, moving his mouth adeptly with mine, causing my excitement to skyrocket. Soon, I was allowing small moans to escape through our kiss. He kept our lips connected while he took hold of my hand. I began to tremble with nervous energy. I felt my hand brush the skin of his abdomen as he pushed past the waistband of his pajamas. I was surprised by the feel of him as he tenderly guided my fingers to wrap them around himself.

His breath hitched in his throat. He covered my hand with his and slowly, together, we moved up and down. His breathing became heavy and I could hear deep moans rumbling in his throat. I couldn't believe this was happening. He clasped my hand tighter and moved it faster, his groans increasing. I captured his lips in another kiss, swept away by the moment. Only a few moments later, he broke the kiss, his breath caught in his throat and I felt him spasm. The next thing I knew, my hand was completely wet and he was breathing heavily, but starting to relax.

"Wow," I whispered. The fact that I'd just witnessed his most vulnerable moment made me feel weak and delirious.

He laughed a little as his breathing slowed.

"That was perfect."

"Yeah, it was pretty amazing," he agreed.