Soul Mates (English) (Boyxboy)

Chapter 21

The ring of the metal strings resonated deeply into his ears and down his spine. He watched carefully as Russell's hands carried his fingers all over the guitar, making sounds here and there on the strings and the wood. Some strong, some soft or dry. The song wasn't hectic as anything you heard those days, yet not less complex.

There was no voice accompanying the tunes. Russell had earnestly refused to sing along his song as the shyness dusted his cheek bones with pink. "I sing terribly," he had argued. This surprised Sam ―though not immensely― since he barely got to see his outgoing and apparently overconfident boyfriend acting bashfully. But he knew better. By now, even if their time together was still to be considered brief, he had seen through some of Russell's facets and discovered insecurities below the sparkle.

Russell always ran his hand through his hair when he was anxious, which was often, for he felt self―conscious and abashed easily. Sam found surprising that Russell was worried constantly when he looked so held together, but then again he remembered he himself appeared to joyful all the time.

'It's easy to hide behind a smile.'

However, the little boy, whose head rested on Sam's crossed leg, had no problem humming to the melody rather energetically. Despite his brother, the child was yet to be ripped of the characteristic innocence of the first years of life; and he well demonstrated so with pure cheerfulness emitting out of his pores at the tiniest and most insignificant thing.

'Was I ever like this?'

Sam now knew that the chills running down his spine at that moment where due to his brain sending hormones throughout his systems. He detested not remembering the last time he felt happiness out of just being himself, but loathed more that his brain had to cheer itself up in order to not being shut down. He pushed the thought aside, forcing the ring of the metal strings through his ears, into his mind.

The music drew a faint picture around him which he constructed piece by piece. Warmth, meadows tall enough to cover to his hips, gray clouds cleared up by the sun above and no other sound but the wind howling in his ears.

The child hummed again, and laughed once the song met its end.

"That was great, brother!"

"You liked it?" Russell said, grinning nonchalantly at the boy, ever trying to look cool in front of him. The kid new better too.

"Yes, very much." He also knew Russell liked being complimented.

"Connor's right. That was impressive."

"Of course it was." Russell joked.

The boy jumped from Sam's lap and started bouncing on the bed, stopping at the teenagers' protests, but not less excitedly he said, "You know what would be awesome?! You know?! You could teach me to play too!"

"Oh, you wanna learn?"

"Yeah! And then we could play together and sing horribly together and! And! Guess what?!"

"What?" They both said in unison.

"Get some girls! I mean boys for you, but I could get a pretty girl! Or a pretty boy too!"

Sam was amazed of how much kids knew these days, and how tolerant they could be, unlike most adults.

"Woah, buddy, slow down. I'm not looking for boys. I already have one." Russ chuckled a bit as he rounded Sam's shoulders.

"Really? So you two are dating? Do you, like... kiss and hold hands?"

"That's right," Sam declared.