Calming A Racing Heart

Chapter Twenty-Two

          The next morning Joshua woke up with a monster hangover. That evil brew Ban had fed him produced a hangover all out of proportion to the state of drunkenness he had felt. He staggered into the bathing room and called for a cold shower. He stuck his head under the icy water hoping to clear some of the pain. It helped a little. Enough that the foggy question of where was Larcin entered his mind. He was used to the two of them waking up together. Vague memories of words that had popped out of his mouth in his drunken state the night before haunted him. After drying his hair, he pulled on a loose pair of sleep pants and headed for the kitchen. He needed something cold and wet to appease the desert his tongue had become.

          Joshua found Larcin standing at the back of the kitchen sipping a cup of Earth coffee. Larcin had become addicted to the brew ever since Joshua had introduced it to him. He liked it best strong and black. Larcin was also only wearing a pair of sleeping pants hanging loosely on his hips. Even with the state of his head, Joshua couldn't help but admire the sleek sexiness of Larcin's long lean body.

          Sitting on the kitchen table Joshua saw a frosty glass of fruit juice. Next to it was Joshua's box of pain killers. Joshua slumped onto the chair on that side of the table. He proceeded to gulp down the entire glass of juice in one go. He left just enough in the bottom of the glass to use to wash down one of the painkillers.

          "I thought you might need that." Larcin was very sympathetic. He'd been there before. "Need another?"

          Joshua handed him his glass. The pain in his head was easing but hadn't reached the point where he could make more than guttural sounds. Larcin refilled his glass from the drink dispenser. Carrying the glass and his coffee cup, he sat at the table opposite Joshua. A few more gulps of juice and Joshua felt capable of speech.

          "I think I owe you an apology, Babe." Joshua stared at his glass, ashamed to raise his eyes. "I seem to remember saying some pretty nasty things to you last night. Can you forgive me? All I can say for myself is I was drunk and it was just a shock to be thrown into the closet like that."

           "Closet?"

           "It's an old Earth term from back when homosexual people were discriminated against. Hiding who they were was refer to as being in the closet."

          "I see. I'm sorry too. This was my fault. I should have insisted we take things slower."

           An awkward silence ensued as they both twiddled with their drinks.

          "You know we don't have to live as a couple." Larcin broke the silence first. "You're free to make a life for yourself anywhere in our world if it's too much for you."

          "Is that what you want?" Joshua whispered, his voice fearful.

          "NO!" Larcin looked up, the horror of that idea plain in his eyes.

           Joshua got up from his seat. In two steps he was around the small table to Larcin's side. He roughly pulled Larcin out of his seat and into his arms. They clung to each other for some time.

           "Don't leave me, Saido." Desperate pleading colored those few words. Joshua took Larcin's face in his hands and gently kissed him.

          "I'm not going anywhere without you, Babe."

          Their next kiss deepened into an expression of their passionate desire for each other, their commitment to a life together. They ended up putting their kitchen table to a use that didn't appear in any of the original design specifications.