Early Discoveries

9: Not Even If I Ask Nicely?

The two boys carried on where they had left off in the back yard, washing the grime from the glass, perhaps not as carefully as they had done with the front of the house, but there was at least a noticeable difference. They managed to resist deliberately soaking each other, although neither one of them was particularly dry as their work ended, work that had been punctuated by tender kisses and caresses and much laughter. Once the job was done, Ant emptied the buckets and hung the cloths over the fence to dry whilst Dec went in to get them something cool to drink. They sat together, still slightly damp, with their backs against the fence, chatting away.

The evening was still warm, and sitting in the last rays of sunshine was very pleasant. Anne arrived home as the sun finally disappeared below the horizon, and watched them from the open back door. Heads bowed, almost touching, they were giggling over each other's stories. Anne knew she could be accused of being biased, but to her they just looked perfect together. She turned on the kitchen light to announce her presence to the two boys, but they were so engrossed in each other that they both jumped when she approached them and spoke.

"Thank you for doing the windows, boys, that was sweet of you. Have you eaten?"

Dec shook his head. "We didn't get lunch either, did we?"

Ant suddenly realised how hungry he felt. "We didn't. I didn't realise how late it had gotten." He looked around, surprised at the darkness around them.

"It's a nice night, how do you feel about me throwing some burgers on the barbecue? Won't take long and it'll be nice to eat out here." She was already half way to the kitchen to fetch her apron and some burgers, knowing that the boys wouldn't say no. Dec slowly began to stand up, offering a hand to Ant to help him to his feet. He went off in search of the charcoal and Ant trailed Anne into the house to see what he could do.

In no time at all, the barbecue was glowing hot and the meat was sizzling away on the grill. Dec dragged some chairs and a small table out into the yard and brought out plates for the food. Ant was put in charge of cooking, watching the glowing coals react as the meat gave up its juices, deep in thought. Dec slipped his arms around him from behind.

"You okay? You're real quiet."

"Aye, I'm good. Just thinking about today... and tonight." Ant flipped a burger over, craning his neck to kiss Dec's hair. "I want to make tonight memorable for you. Our first night in our new bed." His voice was so soft and tremulous, such a contrast to the growls of the beast that had been in evidence earlier. Dec brushed his lips over the back of Ant's arm, savouring the smell of his warm skin and smoke mingled together.

"I'm sure you will. You've given me some great memories these past few days, Anth. You've also given me a hell of an appetite – is that ready yet?"

Ant chuckled. "Aye, window cleaning does make you hungry, doesn't it?" He lifted the burgers from the barbecue and piled them on a plate. "All done here. Come and get it!"

Anne stepped out of the kitchen with a tray of drinks in front of her. Dec ran over to her to take them from her, put them on the table and then pulled out a chair for her to sit on.

"Thank you, Declan. This looks good, Ant." The boys sat down next to each other, piling their plates high with food. Pretty soon there was little left but crumbs. The two boys quietly began to chat, small giggles escaping every once in a while. Anne watched on, a smile forming at the sight before her.

"You two are so beautiful together." She spoke causing Ant and Dec to be abruptly interrupted from their bubble to turn towards her. "I don't think I've ever seen either of you so happy before."

Ant blushed slightly. It embarrassed him to be praised in such a way yet he still felt proud that it was him who made Dec the happiest. He had so many contradictory traits in his personality – the life and soul of the party one moment, quiet and shy the next. Confident and yet prone to panicky self-doubt; and as Dec had found out recently, gentle and calm for the most part, and a raging beast in bed. Dec knew which part of Ant's character he preferred. It was the part of Ant that only he had ever seen.