Disclaimer: This work is of pure fiction and any resemblance of the characters and settings to real life persons, events, circumstances, etc. is purely coincidental. This work involves the youthful discovery and pursuit of love between two teenage boys in contemporary time. If you are not a fan of this kind of literature, please proceed somewhere else. This is not a quick jack off story.

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A/N: It's...it's almost coming to an end...

Copyright kkrimson 2013


Chapter 9
~ Listen ~


~*~*~*~

For the first time in a few days, I felt peaceful while asleep. Maybe it was Andre's hand in mine or his gentle pulse that echoed the melody of his heart. Or is it the keychain than linked our intertwined fingers? I wouldn't know exactly, but I know it felt right. All those unspoken feelings were easily conveyed and understood just from the warmth and tenderness in the little parts of our bodies that made us one.

I woke up to Andre's smiling face. Despite the few scratches here and there, he looked beautiful with those deep and sincere eyes of his. I would have said that it mirrored the sky. I was wrong. It did more than that. For as what I saw, it rivaled even the bluest of summer skies. That was when I understood what he meant when he said that my eyes were a garden. Just looking at his deep pools of water, it brought life and luster to my beads of emerald. They were the perfect match.

"Morning, Peter," Andre said, giving me such a sweet and warm smile. I pushed my chest off the bed and yawned for a bit before showing him my own little smile.

"Morning," I said as I took his hand and brought it to my lips for a sweet kiss. The keychain made a tiny sound, telling both of us that somehow it was alive.

"Peter, you should get going now or you'll miss another day of school," Charlie reminded me as he approached me from behind, tapping on my shoulder. I thought I smelled something peculiar in the air and when I looked at him, he just smiled at me after taking a sip of his black coffee. Yes, I knew that smell as I cringed my nose at it.

"Okay, Charlie," I told him before turning back to Andre. I pressed the keychain more firmly on his hand and brought it to his chest. "Keep it, Andre. Keep it safe."

He threw me a puzzled look and said, "It's yours, Peter. Remember?"

"I know. But I won't be here 'til school lets out so I want you to keep a part of me until then," I told him, caressing his cheek with the back of my hand. He turned his head and gave my hand a kiss before nodding toward me.

"I'll wait for you," he said.

"I won't be long." I stood up and leaned in to place a quick kiss on his lips. It wasn't as dry as last night and his wonderful taste slowly came back to life.

I still felt a bit groggy as I walked out the hospital and hailed a taxi. I didn't feel like taking the bus and a taxi could get me home faster. And damn, the pain in my neck started to kick in. I just sighed, knowing that Andre had to bear so much more pain than mine. But he did hurt me. I shook my head and told myself, `Yes. He did, but you still love him.' And a second thought made its way to my mind, `Am I a martyr now for my own feelings?' I shrugged it off instantly, not wanting to believe in such...nonsense. 'Well, I'm not dead in the frist place.'

I finally made it home just in time before my mom left for work. Right at our front door, she gave me the warmest hug I ever received from her. When she withdrew from me, she held the sides of my face and kissed my cheek, her eyes showing real concern.

"Peter, hunny, are you okay?" she asked.

"Never better, mom," I told her, smiling at her despite how tired I felt.

"I can call in sick for you. You need some rest and how is Andre?"

"It's okay, mom. I think I can make it through one day in school. And Andre's doing great," I said in a happy voice, trying to convince her that I wasn't really tired.

"I'm so sorry, Peter." She hugged me once more. "I know how you feel about Andre. And I think you look cute together." I blushed at her saying that, but just said thanks anyway.

"But I want you to be careful," she added which instantly made me think that she wanted me to practice safe sex which made me blush some more. I never thought I'd hear her giggle, but she did. "I know what you're thinking, hunny. But what I'm saying is you should probably talk things through with Luke. You've been going out with him, right?"

"Yes, mom. And we did talk yesterday. He said that I should listen to my heart. I did and now I know what it's telling me," I said.

"That's good. But I'm a mother, Peter. And I know how good kids are at hiding their feelings. Communication is important. Don't just kiss and make up." She gently caressed my cheek, her eyes looking so nostalgic, before saying, "You're all grown up now, my little boy. Well, I'll see you after work and bring you your favorite ice cream."

"Strawberry," I whispered. "And thanks, mom. You're the best."

Right after she left, I headed to my bedroom and just fell hard on my soft bed. I decided to skip first period and pondered on what my mom told me. `Just how good are kids at lying,' I thought. Luke seemed to be telling the truth yesterday. He wanted me to be happy, to listen to what my heart was saying. Was I being selfish, not really thinking of how Luke would feel? Was I just going to tell him that I listened to my heart, not even bothering to listen to his? What was I supposed to do?

I left my thoughts at that and decided to get ready for school. I decided to just talk to Luke and see where things would end up. And I made sure to listen to his heart. After all, my heart wasn't the only thing that mattered in our relationship. His own heartbeat was loud enough for me to hear. I should probably just listen.

At school, Luke was nowhere to be found. I texted him and tried calling him several times, but his line was dead. It had me worried again. I asked Dillan if he saw Luke and told me something I wasn't expecting.

"He skipped school and practice since yesterday. And I can't reach his phone. I thought you'd know where he was, Peter."

That got me more worried than earlier. It seemed that I wasn't the only one skipping classes. And as far as I knew Luke, he loved baseball too much to ever stop going to practice. But as it was, he didn't show up for two days already.

I wanted to go look for him at that instant, but decided to just wait `til the end of my classes and see if anyone ever saw him around. But, damn it. Time just moved too slowly despite how my heartbeat got faster and faster by the second.

When the bell finally ended my last period, I sprinted across the hallway, shoved my books in my locker and caught up with Dillan.

"Hey, Dillan!" I called out to him. "You have practice today, right?"

"No, Peter. Not `til Friday. Why?" he asked.

"I was hoping Luke might show up there," I told him, feeling disappointed.

"Listen, Peter. I don't know what's going on, but I have a bad feeling about all this. Luke's our ace pitcher, but he just isn't throwing those curveballs right," he said, his grey eyes boring through mine. He sighed and patted me on the shoulder before saying, "But I'm sure you can get through him."

Dillan left after that and I just wandered around campus for I don't know how long, not sure on where I should start looking for Luke. There was only one place where I was sure I'd find him and that was at his house. But somehow I doubted he'd be there.

After several minutes of walking without clear direction, I ended up at the exact same place I was yesterday – on top of that hill under the ever-changing foliage on trifling branches. I heard mild laughter and saw myself leaning against the tree's bark with Luke. Then, I saw a surprised face before me, sharing a tender kiss with Andre. I was seeing all sorts of things, but one particular object with its faint glow under the setting sun caught my eyes. I kneeled and picked it up with my mind saying, `What the fuck?'

I knew in my whole life that I hated coffee. Moreover, it seemed that I hated anything that was brewed. And this object I was holding made my eyes hurt just from looking at it. It was a bottle cap. And I knew where this bottle cap came from – off a bottle of beer.

"You're here," a deep and miserable voice startled me. I turned around to see a very different person before my eyes. His shoulders were slumped, his eyes were lifeless, his handsome face pale and sickly and his red lips were way too dry. A six-pack of beer was in his hands.

"Luke?" I squinted my eyes at him, not sure if it really was him.

"Peter," he mumbled as he made his way toward me, passed by me and sat down heavily by the tree.

"What the hell, Luke? What is all this?" I shouted at him.

"Beer. Bittersweet beer," he told me, opening a bottle with his teeth.

"I know what it is! But why the hell are you drinking that?" I was feeling myself well up with anger.

"I don't know, Peter. It tastes good?" He took in a few gulps and stared at me like I was nobody. Clearly, he wasn't far from drunk.

"You're not making sense!" I moved closer to him and took the bottle from his hand, throwing it downhill. "You don't have to do this. Don't waste yourself, Luke. Please."

"Waste?" he scoffed. "I don't have anything to throw away, Peter."

"You're throwing away your life, damn it! Look at me, Luke," I said, holding the sides of his face, forcing his eyes to look more intently into my own.

"You're beautiful," he mumbled. He reached out his hand and placed it on my cheek.

"No, Luke. Listen to me," I begged him. "Why are you doing this?"

"I have nothing else to do," he answered flatly.

This wasn't Luke talking to me. This was a whole different person. The Luke I knew was strong and driven and would not let any fucking beer influence his thoughts. I hung my head low and forced my eyes shut.

"This was the only thing my dad left in the house when he moved away. I found his stash of beer, Peter," he said, still caressing my cheek. I grabbed his hand and moved it away from me. I didn't want him touching me when he was so much unlike himself.

"Stop this, Luke. Please..." I told him, my voice trembling.

"What, Peter? Stop what?" he said, chuckling briefly. "I stopped hoping for my dad to come back. I stopped playing baseball. I sto...I let you stop loving me."

"But I still love you!" I countered.

"You do?" he slurred, disbelief clear in his words. "You didn't trust me, Peter. You always thought of...of Andre. Did you...did you really love me?"

"Don't say that!" Tears were slowly forming in my eyes. "I love you and you know that. This...this isn't you, Luke."

"I don't know who I am anymore," he admitted.

"You're always the same old Luke to me. You're strong, confident, kind...loving. That's who you are," I told him. My tears already made its way down my face.

"Am I?" he asked. "You're seeing me now, Peter. Am I really like that?"

I didn't know what else to think and what came over me that made me slap his face. Somehow, I wanted to put some sense back into his dense head. Honestly, I wanted to punch him, but that would've hurt more and a bit too much. I knew what I was saying was true and he just wasn't himself. Maybe, that would make him sober enough to stop all this nonsense.

"You...you hit me, Peter," he mumbled, slowly turning his head to look at me once more.

"And I will do it again if you don't stop talking shit," I told him sternly. My tears still streaked down as I tried piercing his eyes.

Silence loomed over us, our painfully slow breaths barely making enough sound as it was. I tried calming myself a bit, thinking of what my mom said earlier. Well, I was talking with Luke. But this isn't the kind of conversation I was hoping to share with him. Our hearts just weren't beating in the same frequency. We weren't hearing each other out. This was way harder than `kiss and make up'.

Luke stood up and walked past me. His short steps crossed over and he really didn't look like he could walk any farther. He stopped just before the ground sloped downhill, stretched his arms out and drew in a huge breath, seeing that he almost bent halfway backward.

"I'm fucking gay and I hate my life!" he shouted, loud enough for those over by the soccer field to almost hear his every word. Luckily no one else was around. Or if there were people nearby, they didn't care to shout back their insults.

"Luke! Get back here!" I yelled at him, slowly making my way toward him.

"What?" He snickered. "I'm just letting it all out, Peter."

He appeared to be falling backwards and I only quickened my pace. His arms flailed as he lost balance and finally fell down the slope, wrapped in my tight hug, my eyes closed. The ground felt a lot harder than yesterday and all I could hear were our painful grunts as we came rolling downhill.

I still held onto Luke like my very own lifeline as I felt myself shudder in fear. Soon, I found myself on top of him. I didn't want to lose him, but all I could do was hug him and sob on his chest. I felt a hand brush by my shoulder and winced at it, stiffening while I hugged him.

"Peter..."

"Damn it, Luke! What were you thinking! You could've gotten hurt! I...I almost..." I bawled in his chest. His hand was on my shoulder once more, running it over my back, hushing the quiet sob that I let out.

"You should've let me fall..." he whispered.

"Don't you fucking say that! Stop being the hero, Luke...Let me protect you...this time," I mumbles in his shirt.

He loosened my grip on him, as he drew my eyes to look at its pale mirror image. I could see tear streaks on his face and he had this sad smile carving out his lips.

"You know, Peter," he started. "I always convince myself that you love me. And I always feel so happy when I make you smile, laugh, blush and...hard. I thought that I alone had this effect on you. But...I was lying to myself. I was no more than one of your best friends."

"You're not lying, Luke. You always had that effect on me. Your smile is just so different from others and how you always look out for me...I love that. And I love you," I said.

"Yeah. But there's always someone better than me, right?" he asked.

"Luke..."

"Tell me, Peter. Did you listen to your heart?" he cut in.

"I...yes," I whispered.

"And it's not me in there, is it?" he pointed out, his hand against my chest, pressed between our bodies. I arched my back to allow a few inches between our faces.

I nodded my head, feeling embarrassed to tell him the truth. It seemed to me that he knew my heart better than I did. He always pointed out its rhythm to me. Right then, I learned that Luke knew how to listen to a person's heart. As for me, I wasn't sure if I could really make out the words that seemed stuck in between heartbeats. I even had some difficulty hearing out my own. But, I knew that I understood Andre's. Was it only his heart that came out clear in my mind? Or did it have anything to do with his beautiful voice.

"I'm sorry. I just...I just feel so weak right now," he said. "I didn't know what else to do and this whole drinking thing just made me feel better."

"But this won't solve anything. Getting drunk won't help you, Luke. And y'know what else?" I asked, resting my hand gently on his, feeling my own faint heartbeat.

"What?"

"You also need to listen to your heart," I told him, giving him a small and sweet smile.

"But...all I hear is your voice," he said with that puzzled look in his eyes.

"I know, Luke. And I'm really happy to be in there. But...you need to listen to the other things it says, not just my own voice," I said, grabbing his hand and putting it against his chest. "You've always looked out for me, been there for me. Thank you for all that. But I want you to start listening to another voice. Maybe your own, maybe someone else's...someone who deserves you more than I do."

"What about you, Peter," he said. "You always listen to Andre's."

"I do," I said, feeling my heart skip a beat at the mention of Andre's name. "But I hear my own voice from his. And I also hear your deep voice from my own heartbeat, but you said it yourself Luke and even pointed it out to me that Andre's voice just seemed louder."

"Sorry if I can't sing as well as him," he said, smiling at me. I giggled at that.

"Well, you nailed the Alphabet song," I told him and heard him giggle as well.

"Y'know? I never got to meet Andre," he said.

"Well, I'm going to the hospital later. Wanna come with me?"

"You think it's okay? He won't hate me, right?" he asked, his voice no longer slurred.

"You saved his life, Luke. Why would he hate you?"

"Coz I took you from him," he answered.

"With my consent, yes. Besides, I know you'll love him," I said.

"I might kiss him," he teasingly said.

"Don't you dare," I sneered at him.

We laughed for a bit, my body comfortably on top of his, and finally ended up looking into each other's eyes again. Small smiles adored our faces as the sun finally made its way down the horizon. It's funny how time flies fast not just when you're having fun, but also when you're with someone you love. I didn't like the thought, having time taken away from you in a hurry when you start loving a person. But even if time flew so fast, you knew that every second was worth remembering.

"So..." Luke trailed off. "What do we do with all the beer?"

"I don't drink. And neither should you. Just throw it away," I said.

"You're kidding, right?" I gave him a serious look and he just sighed. "Fine. We'll dump it along the way. One last thing Peter..."

"What?" I asked him, seeing his eyes flicker with the slighted hint of hope.

"Can I have one last kiss?" he asked. His own heartbeat got louder as it went faster against my tender hand on his.

"You don't need to ask," I said, closing the gap between us.

It was so much like and unlike our first kiss. This didn't catch me by surprise, but it tasted the same despite some bitter taste of beer making its way into my mouth. We were lying, but this time, it was me on top of him. It brought the feelings out from my heart but I didn't hold onto it. Instead, I let all of it go, returning it to its rightful owner. I still loved Luke, but not in the same way I loved Andre. I enjoyed this and no longer felt guilty from sharing a sweet and tender kiss that finally brought closure between Luke and me.

I moved my hands to cup his cheeks, wiping away the last streak of tears and leaned deeper into him, letting myself have the rest of what I missed from sharing a kiss with Luke without a single doubt on my mind. He breathed in deep and I could tell that he wanted, needed to taste every inch of my mouth like he never did before. Our tongues danced their last waltz together, without remorse and unspoken words between them.

When we finally broke apart, both of us smiled contentedly. Luke's eyes were no longer clouded and lifeless, his cheeks displayed a slight crimson shade as did mine and his lips no longer dry and devoid of that wonderful smile and they were the same full and red.

"That was the best kiss, Peter," he said, running his hand through the strands of my hair that covered my ears.

"I should know," I told him. "You only deserve the best, Luke. And I'm really sorry if I'm not the one for you."

"Don't be," he whispered. "I guess we weren't made for each other, huh?"

"Yeah. You'll find the right person soon," I said, starting to push myself off of him and finally stood up. I offered him my hand and he gladly took it as I helped him back on his feet.

"So, I was thinking. Dillan looks cute. And he knows how to catch balls..." he blurted out, causing me to giggle

We soon made our way out the campus and headed for the hospital. I was really looking forward to finally introducing Luke to Andre. I knew they'd be very good friends in no time. Just as long as no kissing was involved. Well, Andre had his own type – boys that looked like me –, so that shouldn't be a problem. Along the way, I asked Luke if he still felt a bit tipsy.

"You slapped the beer out of me, remember? And what better way to shake the beer out of my system than to roll downhill?" he said.

"Oh. I should've done that the instant I saw you," I said.

"Yeah, you should have," he replied.

Not long after we took the bus, the fluorescent glow of the hospital entrance greeted us. We made our way through nurses rushing here and there at the arrival of an ambulance and took the elevator up to the third floor, where Andre's room was. Right before we came in, Luke stopped in his tracks and held me back as well.

"What is it, Luke?" I asked him.

"We forgot to bring flowers," he said.

"Oh." I can't help but smile at him before making up an excuse. "Don't worry. He's allergic to them."

We went inside and saw Andre propped on some pillows, reading something and all alone surrounded by the sickening white color of hospital walls. His eyes darted toward me and he looked a bit surprised when he saw Luke. On the other hand, Luke avoided eye contact. And I started to feel the awkwardness in the air. I sighed and dragged Luke toward Andre's bed.

"Hey, Andre," I greeted him, dissipating the uneasiness that caught me in between him and Luke. "This is my...best friend, Luke. He was the one that saw you got hit by a car and called 911. Luke, meet Andre."

"Hey," said Luke, confused whether to offer a handshake or a fist bump or just leave that part out.

"Thank you, uhm, Luke," Andre went straight to the point. "For saving my life. I'm guessing that you're Peter's boyfriend?"

"Well," Luke glanced toward me. "From what I know, you're his boyfriend."

Andre laughed shyly and a blush crept on his face. He gave me a questioning look and I just smiled at him, giving him a small nod.

"I guess I am," said Andre. His voice sounded a little better or I might just be getting used to it. I didn't want to ever get used to it. I wanted to hear his angelic voice again.

"You're just guessing?" I asked him, but my heart wasn't even tightening for a bit.

"No, Peter," he answered, knowing full well what I meant. "I know that for sure."

He turned his attention back to Luke and said, "You not only saved my life, Luke. You kept Peter safe and made him smile...when I couldn't."

"Hey, no problem." Luke grinned before saying, "Our little Peter needs to be kept safe and always smiling."

"What?" I butt in. "Who said I was anyone's little boy?"

"Well," Andre thoughtfully said. "You're the shortest among us three." He giggled and Luke couldn't help himself but laugh along. I pouted at them.

"Screw you!" I shouted at them. "For your information, I don't need anyone looking out for me."

"Relax, Peter," Luke said. "And we love looking out for you."

"No thanks," I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "If I'm to be treated like a kid, then find yourself another one to care about."

"Ooh," Andre said, amused. "Our little Peter's having a tantrum. Maybe he needs a timeout."

"I'm leaving," I hastily said. "Both of you just...talk or whatever, but I'll have none of this."

I went out of the room and just left both of them to sort things out, if anything needed some sorting out in the first place. Leaning against the door, I let a small smile form around my lips, feeling so happy that two of the persons I cared for the most in the world weren't going at each other's throats. I just hated that they both made a helluva team that loved teasing me so much.

Not much time later, Luke called out to me from inside. I went in and found Luke straddling Andre on his bed. Well, not really. Luke actually stood beside Andre's bed, at the same spot where I left him earlier.

"I have to get home, Peter," Luke said.

"Already?"

"Yes. My mom worries too much lately. And I can't just call her to say where I am right now," he said.

"Oh, right. What happened to your phone anyway? Your line's dead and Dillan can't reach you either," I asked him.

"Threw it away," he simply said. "My dad gave it to me and I don't want to be reminded of that."

"Y'know, you should probably talk to your dad about things. You don't want to leave some questions unanswered, trust me." I saw Andre glance toward me before looking down at his lap.

"Maybe. I'll try, but not just yet," Luke said before turning to Andre. "You keep Peter safe and loved, okay Andre? And don't forget that `Peter Fan Club' we talked about."

"What Fan Club?" I asked them. They just laughed and said `Oh, nothing.'

Luke left after that. Him meeting Andre was a success. There were no violence, blood, name-calling and killing involved. They were cool around each other and I've never felt luckier to have known them more than just personally.

"So..." Andre began. "We're boyfriends again?"

I was sitting on his bed, my foot tapping on the floor as I hummed to a tune that played on my mind. I smiled at him before saying, "We didn't break up, remember? Neither one of us bothered to send a break-up letter or email or whatever."

"So we did get to keep our promise to...," he mindfully said.

"...never get tired of each other," I finished for him. He smiled sweetly before returning to the book he was reading earlier.

"Learning how to play?" I asked him, seeing my old music book, the first one I had, in his right hand. His left arm was in a cast.

"Just going over it again," he answered.

"Which composition?" I asked, trying to peek into the open pages.

"Hm...this one with `my favoreet' written on it," he said, looking at me.

"You already know how to play that. I heard you doing it back at the studio," I pointed out to him.

"Yes. But I want you to hear me play from start to end." He closed the music book and set it aside. He added, "Will you sing while I play the piano? My voice just isn't so good anymore." He tried clearing his throat.

"Of course, Andre. But, we have to get that cast off your arm first," I said, hopping off the bed.

"Duh," he said, rolling his eyes. I giggled at how childish that was.

"Y'know? Luke taught me this really cool thing," I told him.

"What?"

"Listening to someone's heart," I said with confidence. "I know it sounds a bit dramatic and all, but I finally understand now." I moved closer to his side and place my hand on his chest, his heartbeat merging with my pulse.

"So," I continued. "Even if you can't sing again, which I know isn't true, it's not only your heart that'll sing for you. My own heart and Charlie's and everyone else's who heard your beautiful voice will have you singing for them."

Andre smiled, a single tear making its way down his once again rosy cheeks. I hushed him, before he started sobbing, by placing a sweet and tender kiss on his lips. It was only a chaste kiss, but it spoke volumes between two young boys that lovingly held each other's eyes; a garden blessed with the purest of water and the loveliest of cloudless skies.

Fate failed in tearing us apart. Or did it bring us back together? I don't care whichever it is as long as we never lost sight of what's truly important and remember to listen even to the faintest of heartbeats.


~ End of Chapter ~


I didn't realize that I'm almost going over the two week mark to update this story. Sorry for that. And....uhm....ONE more chapter to go and the curtains will finally give closure to everything. And that would be one big update, I think. Then, I'd be able to concentrate on my other story and maybe start off another plot.

Here is my other story on this archive:Measuring Love

To you, who has the time to read this little piece of work, thank you so much. I couldn't ask for more than to have my story span the screen of your computers once in a while. And to some of you who I can say, are now my friends, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'm having lots of fun just sharing a warm (and sometimes steamy) conversation over anything with you guys. And I can't thank you enough for your generous reviews. Really, guys, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I'd love to hear from you. Comments? Suggestion? Violent reactions? Or just anything you have in mind. Send me your thoughts here: krispykrimson@gmail.com



With love and always wishing you the best,
kkrimson.