Head Over Heels ✓

31 / the luckiest

december, age 22

The soft December sun rose at eight o'clock, casting a gentle glow over two sleeping bodies, Lucas's and Asher's limbs tangled together in the hotel bed. As winter deepened and darkened, the nights grew longer and colder and when temperatures had dropped below zero last night, the two boys had wrapped up under the heavy duvet and splashed out on room service and a cheesy film. Up north, they felt the cold so much more than the city that they had called home for over a year now but that had only served as an excuse to get even closer, entwining their bodies as one when the weather had turned.

Asher's twenty-third birthday had come at the perfect time for a relaxed weekend away. After graduating with a first-class honours degree in illustration, he had complete a summer internship at a graphic design company down in Brighton, building up his already impressive portfolio before joining Lucas at the city's branch of Chess House. Although he had been hesitant to work for his mother's company, the job had opened up without her input and he had applied for the position of junior illustrator before telling her.

The company was good to its employees. Although Ishaana had toned down her involvement in the company, throwing herself into raising her daughter and enjoying life with her husband, she was insistent that the values remained. It was a family business after all, one that she hoped her children would take over when she could no longer rule at the helm. Asher and Lucas were in a good position to do so, working their way up the ladder of their own volition.

As much as it helped to be the director's son – and her surrogate son, in Lucas's case – the two of them played the Ishaana card as little as possible, loath to set themselves apart amongst their colleagues. They hadn't needed to go to her to ask for a little extra time off over Christmas when that was a bonus most employees were entitled to: two weeks off for the holidays, or pay and a half for those who chose to work.

Ordinarily, Lucas would have been tempted to take the pay and a half, padding his bank account for a rainy day, but living with Asher had him loosening the purse strings a little. The two lived in each other's pockets, sharing everything: money was no exception. In all but the legal sense, they were a married couple, even working at the same company.

After completing the year-long internship scheme, handling a wide range of tasks to prove his competence and dedication, Lucas had landed the role of copy editor. He was one of only three to continue at the firm, out of seven interns who had helped to build up the Sussex office, and he already had his sights set on rising the ranks to become a senior editor within ten years. The future no longer scared him: the company already felt like home and he had no intention of leaving, mapping out his life around his career and his boyfriend.

After a solid three and a half months of working, the two of them had taken the two weeks off to head back to Farnleigh for the run up to Christmas to spend some time with their families until the new year. Finishing on a half day on Friday, they had kicked off the holiday with an eight hour drive up to Edinburgh, only stopping a couple of times along the way for Asher to refuel himself and the car. Although Lucas had never been a fan of coffee, he had drunk a couple of mochas along the way to keep his boyfriend company. The caffeine kick was totally new to him, never having even had an energy drink in his life. They had made the most of his inability to sleep last night.

Saturday had been a day of celebration and exploration, living it up in a new city though they needed nothing but each other to have a great weekend. Lucas had baked a cake before the trip, smuggling it up to the hotel without Asher noticing until he had been presented with the orgasmic chocolate explosion when they had returned to the hotel that evening. Despite plans to go out, staying in bed with too much food had been preferable.