"Take off your shirt and get on the bed."
"Huh?!" Timothy took a step back.
"I'm going to massage you. You'll be less sore tomorrow and it'll help with your bruises. I also got you some ice." I lifted up an ice pack.
"Oh. Uh..." He eyed the ice pack. "I-I'm good actually."
"It won't be that cold."
"That's not the problem. I'm just tired, so-"
"So? You can relax. Take off your shirt."
"I don't want to."
I rolled my eyes. "I've seen your tits before, T. No one cares." I got up.
"It's just embarrassing." T crossed his arms over his stomach.
Ah, the body insecurity thing. The reason T didn't like to eat. Maybe he thought he looked fat, I don't know.
I sighed. "Arms up."
"Josh,"
"It's not a question, Timothy."
He was blushing and obviously embarrassed as he lifted his arms up.
I pulled off his T shirt and led him to the bed.
"Lie on your back first."
T lay his head on the pillow. He laced his fingers over his stomach again.
"You look fine." I pulled his hands apart. "Alright, tell me if it hurts."
I started at T's shoulders. He was so fucking tense, and it didn't help he was so skinny. It was like massaging straight bone. I tried to work through it but it was like he was getting tenser.
"Relax!" I snapped.
"Okay..!"
The whole time T was frowning.
"Does it hurt or not?" I moved to the tops of his arms.
"Uh- ah!" Timothy moaned.
"Does that hurt?"
"Yes!" T panted. "Maybe you should be gentler!"
"I am being gentle!"
"No. You're not!"
I felt like I was barely applying pressure.
"How about now?" I whispered.
T gasped as I touched his chest.
God, why was this so sexual?
T gulped and nodded.
"Still hurts?"
He nodded again. I really couldn't see his eyes anymore cause his hair covered half his face but I could tell he was watching me. This was way too erotic. At this rate I was about to go for boner number two.
"I'm going over those old bruises now so it's gonna hurt regardless but I'll be gentle."
T's nodded.
He flinched a little when I went over the bruise. Now he was biting his lip. Fucking hell. Yeah, there it was.
I only wanted to massage him so he would feel better! Why did I have to be tested like this?!
I moved to his pecs and T released his bottom lip and breathed in. His breaths were so gentle. It was turning me on even more.
"That feel good?"
T nodded.
I remembered his nipple was his soft spot. I 'accidentally' grazed his nipple and T licked his lip. His chest rose and fell with his breathing.
"Sorry about that." I teased. "Getting excited?"
T's cheeks colored even more.
"It's okay if you are."
"Shut up, Josh." T turned his head.
I chuckled. He was sooo busted.
I worked my way down his stomach. "Any sore spots here?"
"Everywhere."
"Ah, yes, you probably worked harder these past three days than in the past three years."
T sighed, blowing some of his hair in the air.
After working through his whole upper body I told him to turn over.
Now this is where things got tricky cause.. There's basically no way to not stare at Timothy's ass but now it was within reach which meant I had to control myself.
I started at the top of T's neck. I heard all his pleased sighs and breaths and it was really riling me up. I applied a bit more pressure to his shoulders since they were so tense but they soon relaxed. I enjoyed the sensation of his soft skin as I made my way to his waist.
"Does it hurt here?" I asked.
No reply.
"T, does it hurt?" I asked again.
Still nothing. I leaned in and brushed T's hair out of his eye. He was sleeping. Guess he was relaxed now.
I smirked and kept massaging. Only when I reached his hips things got heated again.
I mean, come on! He wouldn't even notice if I pulled his pants down right now! He'd never know! And.. with all the sports we'd been doing he was bound to be sore.
I traced the dimples on his lower back. They were leading the way!!!!
I looked at T's sleeping face. He looked so innocent. And if he was a girl it'd be totally fucked to do it.
"Fine. You win." I grumbled.
T sighed and curled into himself. He was like a little cat.
"Fuck you, Timothy." I whispered. I leaned in and kissed his nose. "Sweet dreams."
I got up and saw the ice pack on the bed. "Almost forgot."
I grabbed it and applied it to the red spot on T's arm. Hopefully this would help with the bruising. I left it on there for twenty minutes and went to bed after a nice long shower.
✪
I slept in as I assumed T also did. I checked my messages and they were full of crap from the boys and I had three missed calls from Jennifer.
I sighed and called her back.
"What?" I sighed.
"Wow, so angry. Pretty hot."
"Get to the point, Jennifer."
"Just wanted to inform you I'm dating someone else. Thought you should hear it from me and all."
"Wow, congrats. Hope you're happy." I was about to hang up when she said the guy's name.
"Come again?"
"Dave. We've been together for a while but kept it quiet to spare your feelings. Hope you don't mind." She sounded proud.
"You're such a whore, Jennifer."
"You're just mad you've missed your chance."
"Oh, that wasn't a chance, it was a death trap. Goodbye, slut!" I hung up.
I clicked on Dave's messages. Nothing. He hadn't even had the balls to tell me himself. Last I heard they'd just gone on one date.
"Great friends." I mumbled as I threw my phone on the bed.
T time. I stormed right into his room. T was up, sitting on his bed and staring at his phone.
Oh.. right. It's Friday. Fangs could call.
"Are you gonna stare at that thing all day?"
"So what if I am?"
I sighed and sat down. "It's unhealthy."
T just continued to stare at his phone.
"How's your body? Your bruise?" I pulled at T's arm.
"It doesn't hurt as bad. The one on my chest doesn't hurt at all anymore."
"Good." I nodded. I still felt kinda guilty about it. I peered at T and he was biting his lip nervously.
"You know you'll still be able to pick up your phone from anywhere, right? That's kinda the whole point of a cellphone."
T rolled his eyes.
"Let's go do something." I got up.
"Not today."
I sighed. "He could call at night and then you've wasted your whole day, it's pointless!" I grabbed T's phone.
"Come on, Josh!" He got out of bed faster than I'd seen these past few days.
"Nope, I'm holding on to this until he calls." I held the phone high up in the air. T reached for it in vain and then a song started playing. I knew that ringtone. Fangs.
I rolled my eyes and gave him his phone.
"Get out!" T whispered.
"Not a chance."
I grabbed T and pushed him on the bed when he tried to walk away. "Maybe I'm curious about how little old Australia is doing."
T gave up and answered the phone.
"Hey. Josh is here, you're on loudspeaker." T said listlessly. He placed the phone on the bed in between us.
"Hey meathead. Good to hear you're still around."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I read somewhere stupidity is deadly and feared for you, mate."
"Oh yeah? How's high school?" I retorted.
Instead of having a snarky comeback, Fangs just laughed.
"It's actually going really well. My grades are up. Tim, you listening?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
"And things are going great with my dad. We went to a concert yesterday, can you believe it? So, yeah.. couldn't be better."
T's head fell. He looked really sad.
"Of course I do miss you still." Charlie added after T's silence. "Anyway, how are you?"
T thought for a while. "I'm okay." He shrugged.
"He's a jock now. Or.. I'm turning him into one." I said.
"Timmy and sports?" Charlie started laughing so loud it made the sound from the speaker crack.
T smiled but he still looked sad.
"He actually hit the ball a few times during baseball yesterday."
"I'm amazed. So you're back to school then, Tim?"
"Uh.. not yet. Maybe after the break." He shrugged.
That sounded great. I felt hopeful.
"That's good." Charlie sounded relieved.
T fumbled with his hands. The silence was loud.
"Lately I've been thinking.. maybe we should call a little less. Might help us both to move on, you know?"
T's eyes flickered and he opened his mouth to say something but held his tongue.
"Like maybe we should go to like once a month or something. Or just.. when we have something to say. I don't know."
If heartbroken had a face it'd be Timothy's right now. I could see tears well up in his eyes. This was such a private moment I felt like maybe I had to leave but I didn't wanna leave T alone like this.
I reached out to touch his shoulder but he pulled away.
"What do you think?" Charlie asked.
T cleared his throat. "We're already calling so little right now.."
"Look, it's hard for me too, okay? I think about you all day and it's driving me crazy that I can't hold you right now. I wish things were different but they're not. Maybe in two years we could see each other again but now.. It only hurts, Tim."
I could hear it in Charlie's voice. He sounded tough before when he was talking about how great things were but I could tell talking to Timothy made him emotional.
"Look, I gotta go, okay?" Charlie's voice broke. He cleared his throat.
"Already?"
"Yeah." Charlie forced a laugh. "I have a date, actually."
The tear that T had been able to keep inside now rolled down his cheek. He was broken up over it.
"With who?" He whispered.
"Uh.. This girl named Maya. She's kinda like Allie but.. sane?" Charlie chuckled again.
When he heard the silence he spoke again. "You know, maybe you should go on a date too. We should both move on."
"..Yeah... Okay." T mumbled.
"Right, I should go. Love- uh.. I mean.. Take care, Timmy."
Timothy couldn't say anything. The tears were streaming over his face now.
Charlie eventually hung up.
T cried with his head in his hands. It was so hard to see him like this.
"Hey.. It's okay." I reached out again but Timothy got up.
"Please just go away." He sobbed as he ran into the bathroom.
I was scared. I had no idea what he was going to do in there. Was I really supposed to leave? I could at least wait by the door, see if I hear something.
I grabbed my phone and called Joe. I went into the hallway.
"Hello-"
"Please come home. I don't know what he's doing.." I ran my hand over my head.
"Timothy?"
"He just ran into the bathroom, upset. I don't know if he's.."
"Okay, Josh, it's good that you called. Take a breath, it's all okay. There's nothing sharp or dangerous in his bathroom so don't worry. He probably just wants some alone time. I'm coming home now and I'll be there when he needs me, okay?'
"Okay." I hung up.
I went back into Timothy's room and listened by the door. I just heard the shower.
✪
I was relieved when Joe came in half an hour later. After checking on Timothy he said T spoke to him. Everything was okay.
Joe was making food and I told him what happened with Charlie.
Joe shook his head. "That Charlie is just a heartless idiot. Is he trying to hurt him?"
"As weird as it sounds, I think it's his way of dealing with it. He sounded really upset."
"Well, he ought to be!" Joe shook his head. "They never should've been together. If I'd just put my foot down none of this would've happened!"
"Joe, you were grieving too! You were probably just happy to see Timothy smile again, that's not something to blame yourself for!"
"But look at the result!"
"Timothy decided to be with Charlie. It's not your fault it didn't work out!"
I sat at the island table. "He'll get over this. He's strong."
Even though I panicked and worried sometimes I knew T was an incredibly strong person. I believed that he would somehow make it out of this okay.
Joe seemed relieved by my words. He smiled softly and continued cooking.
Timothy ended up taking a three hour shower and went straight to bed after. He slept well into the next day. I knew he wasn't going to go out for a while so I decided to bring something, or rather someone, to him.