Perfect

10. Sleep Talking

C h a p t e r T e n

Taylor pushed Xander on the chest and shove him to the other side of the sofa while he sat at the other end also before the door opened and Ella, Jane and Alexis stormed the entrance. Jane gasped when he saw Xander's face.

"Alexander!" She exclaimed. "What happened!?" Jane ran to Xander and sat beside him.

"Don't touch it." Xander said before his mom could touch his bruise cheek. "I hurt myself."

Taylor pursed his lips. He wanted to tell the truth when Xander caught his eyes warning him.

"You hurt yourself!? Tell me how." Xander rolled his eyes.

"Where's Chester?" Alexis said and Jane gasped in realization.

"You found him right?" Jane exclaimed.

"My ex did." Taylor said. There's no point of hiding it anyway. Taylor thought. They already knew.

They all looked at Taylor. What?

"Yes." Xander said. "He's in the room." He pointed the door. "He's okay. Maybe you can talk to him later."

Alexis nodded.

"Well!" Ella clapped her hands changing the mood inside the room. "How about lunch?" She said pointing the kitchen.

° ° °

J A N E and Alexis didn't stayed for lunch bacause they couldn't leave Sandra and Bernard bacause no one of the two knew how to cook.

Taylor knocked at the door before he opened it and he saw Chester sitting on the bed while his back was leaning at the headboard reading his favorite book of all times. He always saw Chester reading that book many times already every time he ran out of books to read.

"Hey!" Taylor said heading to the bed and sat at the edge facing Chester. Chester folded the page as a bookmark before he closed the book and placed it on his lap.

"Care to tell your papa the whole story?" Taylor said in a gentle voice.

"Grandpa was saying mean things to you. He said he don't want you as a part of the family because. . ." Chester paused.

"Go on." Taylor gritted his teeth. He knew Chester already told him about that but he wanted the detailed story. And he felt like s**t. He never belonged anywhere.

"Because you like guys. Dad stood up for you and then I got angry and locked myself in the room. I was planning my escape at the window and tied every available clothe I saw as my way down." Taylor imagined Chester climbing down with those tied clothes from the window like a little assassin. "I went at the place where uncle Clint works and since that bar doesn't allow kids in my age that's why I waited outside."

"How long did you wait outside?"

"About an hour?" Chester said unsure.

"Didn't you know that his shifts starts at one o'clock? What if he haven't seen you and someone kidnapped you. Chester, I'm so. . ." Taylor sighed and raked his hair trying to calm himself.

"I'm so sorry papa. I know I shouldn't have done that but I don't want to live there because they're mean." Chester sniffed. He was crying silently.

Taylor was touched how Chester stood up for him. He sat closer to Chester and hugged him.

"I'm sorry papa. I won't do it again." Chester said between sobs. Taylor carressed Chester's hair.

"As long as you won't do it again." Taylor soothed his back and Chester nodded while hiccuping.

They heard a knock from the door and saw Xander leaning his shoulder on the door frame c*****g his head.

"Lunch's ready." Xander said. Chester stood from the bed, ran to Xander and hugged him. Xander crouched down to Chester's eye level and they hugged each other without saying anything.

Xander cooked their lunch and it was more than tasty that Ella begged Xander to cook their foods and said that she was tired of Taylor's cooking. Taylor snorted on Ella and they laughed.

Taylor always saw Xander wince slightly when he opened his mouth to eat and his guilt and conscience were killing him. The bruise on his left cheek just beside his lips were now colored black and violet. Taylor felt butterflies in his stomach when their eyes met for a split second.

Taylor volunteered to wash the dishes. He was in the middle of washing the uttensils when Xander appeared beside him. They didn't said a word as Taylor continued to wash and Xander looking at him working. It made Taylor so self-conscious of his actions but he tried his best to conceal it by acting normally until he finished his work.

"I'm sorry about your cheek." Taylor faced Xander who was leaning his hip at the counter near the sink. Xander shook his head.

"For the second time, I deserve the punch I wasn't gonnfh-" Taylor pinched Xander's lips with his hands shutting him.

"You don't deserve it." Taylor said and released Xander's lips. The atmosphere suddenly felt awkward. It was a hobby.

Xander couldn't tear his eyes to Taylor especially to his pinkish red lips.

"Thank you." Said Taylor. It was for standing up for Taylor at his own father.

Xander frowned his forehead. "What for?"

Taylor tried to stifle his smile but failed. "Nothing." Xander eyed him suspiciously and Taylor escaped before Xander gets more suspicious.

° ° °

T H I N G S returned to normal after a week. Alexis apologized at Chester and Taylor for judging Taylor's sexuality and who was Taylor to not forgive Alexis.

Another week later and Chester changed his surname from Harrison to Dobson and Xander was already the legal guardian of Chester. Chester and Xander lived at Xander's unit and sometimes at Taylor's. Taylor got to have Chester every weekdays when Xander went to work and Chester's with Xander on weekends and sometimes, Chester was dropped to Joshua's house if needed to.

That night, Xander overtimed to work so Chester was in Taylor's unit. Taylor was editing photos while Chester was on his side watching how he does it and sometimes he asks questions until Chester got tired and sleepy.

Taylor stopped when his eyes were already hurting from always staring at the computer screen. He rested his eyes for half an hour before he stepped under the shower.

Taylor felt refreshed after the shower and wore his pajamas without a shirt. He was wiping his wet hair with a towel when the door opened and Taylor turned to see Xander at the door standing.



Taylor suddenly felt Xander's eyes on him that all the hairs in his body stood.

"Sorry." Xander said.

Taylor opened his closet and grabbed any shirt inside. He wore it trying not to act like he was in hurry but inside, he wanted to cover his upper body as soon as possible. He even felt his hands were trembling.

"It's okay." Taylor said after he wore the shirt. "He fell asleep waiting." He eyed Chester who was sleeping soudly while hugging the pillows with his legs.

Xander smiled and Taylor could see that he badly needed a bed to sleep to.

Xander losen his neck tie that felt like it was suffocating him.

"Do you mind if I lay down for a bit?" Xander said.

"No. Of course not." Taylor said and without wasting time, Xander dive on the bed beside Chester and moaned and sighed.

"Thanks, Taylor." Xander murmured before he drifted to sleep.

Taylor stared at Xander who fell asleep after a second his back touched the bed. Xander must have worked hard and worn his body that he forgot to remove his coat and shoes when he fell asleep.

Looking at the wasted Xander, Taylor sighed before he walked to Xander's direction and removed Xander's black shoes and socks. Taylor stood and stared at the sleeping Xander, he looked so vulnerable.

Taylor sighed before he bent and pulled Xander's neck tie and next was the coat. He need to remove it because for sure, Xander would be bathing with his own sweat if he didn't because the ac was broken and it couldn't cool the room that much.

Taylor undo first the buttons and tried to removed it. It was hard especially the arms part but he managed to removed it after it felt like an hour. Taylor wiped his sweaty forehead. He was sweating just by removing Xander's coat.

He folded the coat with the neck tie and placed it on a chair and below was his shoes. He glanced at Xander again who was frowning and he looked like he was uncomfortable. He forgot to undo a few buttons of Xander's white long sleeve.

"Taylor. . ." Xander murmured while he was undoing the first and second buttons making Taylor's heart skipped a beat when he heard Xander said his name.

He even thought that he woke up Xander but he was wrong. He was more like sleep talking and of all names, why his name?

Taylor switched the ac to high cool and have to pull the comforter since Xander squashed it. Taylor was so tired and he felt like his body were going to crumble anytime after he finished settling the comforter. He eventually fell asleep also on the bed and between them was Chester.

° ° °

T A Y L O R woke up when he felt a light flickered and he could hear giggles and the sound of a camera capturing a photo.

He opened his eyes only to closed it again when a light flashed before his eyes. Chester was taking a photo of him while sleeping. He was about to chase Chester who ran out of the room with his camera when he felt something heavy on his hips. He turned to see Xander's face.

To his surprised, he unintentionally shoved Xander away from him. Xander rolled and almost fell down but Taylor managed to grabbed Xander's arm. Half of Xander's body was hanging when he woke up and freaked out and the rest of his half slid down taking Taylor with him. The both of them fell at the floor with a loud thudding sound together with their painful groans.

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