The Sheikh's Rebel (gay) ☑️

17. (Un)Pleasant memories.

"I suppose these are for you?" she exclaimed slightly excitedly. She handed him the accompanying card that was neatly in an envelope. "I'll put this in water." Enjoying the delicious floral scent she walked to the kitchen. Grateful that his mother didn't see his trembling fingers, he opened the envelope. 'Happy now?'  The card wasn't signed. It took him a long time to get the stupid grin off his face.

In the evening he received the liberating message: "Tomorrow 9:00 am, I'm going to pick you up. Jared."

As embarrassing as it was that his mother had to help him wash and dress up, it couldn't ruin his good mood. Obediently, he nodded at all motherly suggestions. He ate his breakfast joking with Naomi and saw the clock move impatiently. The doorbell rang at nine o'clock. "The door is open," Marion shouted from the kitchen. Jared stepped into the living room. "I'm going to get my coat," Tyler said from the table.

"Take it easy, you. We need to discuss some rules first." 
The ruler tone automatically put Tyler on the defensive. "Here?" it sounded in horror.
"Yes, here. I need witnesses," Jared bluntly responded.
Snorting, Tyler leaned against the kitchen wall. "Let's have it," he stubbornly challenged him.
Jared's eyes pinched dangerously together. "This is exactly why I'm discussing it here, Tyler. You act like a little kid, when all I want you to do is heal properly." He walked up to Tyler. "So stop pouting." His thumb slid over Tyler's protruding lower lip, whose heart missed a beat in an involuntary reaction.

"I'll pick you up at 9:00, and you'll be taken home by me or someone else at 3:00. You will do the tasks that you are assigned without discussion and you will stick to the set breaks to rest. Is this clear?"
"Crystal!" His mother and Naomi looked at Jared adoringly. "Can we go now?" 
"Tyler?" said Marion, surprised at the change of mood in her son. "Shouldn't you thank Jared for his efforts and the beautiful flowers he send you?" A shattered blush adorned his cheeks. "Thank you," he hissed through his teeth. 
"It's all right, Marion," Jared appeased, reacting to the appalled expression on her face. "Come on, let's go."

Jared walked out in front of a sulking Tyler. "You need your coat. It's cold outside." In the hall, Jared grabbed the coat from the coat rack.
"I can't put it on myself," Tyler muttered.
"What did you say?" said Jared feigning deafness.
"I can't put it on myself," he repeated louder.
Big and unyielding, Jared stood silently in front of him. Tyler snorted loudly. His heart was pounding painfully against his ribs when he deliberately looked Jared deep in the eye and sweetly asked: "Jared? Would you help me put on my coat?"
With a tiny smile, Jared kept the jacket open for Tyler and helped him in. "You're such a child," he whispered softly in Tyler's ear. Shivers pulled through his body.

Jared helped him get in the car and put his seatbelt on. As a result, his face came close enough for Tyler's to smell his spicy breath and feel the warmth of his skin. He inhaled deeply, ignoring the pain this caused.

The ride to practice was a bigger strain on his stamina than Tyler had imagined. Despite Jared's careful driving style, by the time they arrived at practice, there were thick drops of sweat on his forehead. Jared walked around the car and unbuckled his seat belt. Gallantly he helped him through the back entrance of the practice where all the staff were waiting. He was hailed as a returning hero. After half an hour of kissing, cautious hugs and a lot of chatter, Jared broke off the party. "We're glad Tyler's back, but now it's time for everyone to get back to work."

Jared walked him to his office. Because his left hand was in a splint, it was impractical to have him type out notes and such, but had Marcus suggested, entering numbers would be doable. So it came that Tyler started a new challenge; accounting. It was something he could sink his teeth into and he was grateful to Marcus for that. He followed every instructions given to him.