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"You are my world."
#WritcoStoryPrompt104
"Dance with me and pretend the world doesn’t exist,” he pleaded.
And after that, there was no going back.
Karim felt safest cocooned in Jakub’s arms - the warm undertones of bergamot from his cologne soothed the taller boy’s aching soul like a balm.
He’d bought the first bottle of cologne for Jakub two Christmases ago, back when the undeniable passion between them was still unspoken; back when Karim could still convince himself that he would be able to grin and bear it through a relationship with a girl for his family’s benefit.
Jakub had kissed him for the first time later that night. The boys had retreated to Jakub’s bedroom, angling themselves to sit behind the almost-closed bedroom door. Jakub’s parents didn’t allow ANY peers to be in the boy’s bedroom with the door closed. At this moment though, his parents had been occupied by their roles as hosts in their Christmas celebrations.
Seated facing each other on Jakub’s carpeted floor, the boys had shared a laugh before he paused and stared deep into Karim’s eyes. Entranced, Karim saw Jakub’s gaze flicker down to his mouth and back before slowly drifting forward as if pulled by an invisible force.
Karim had wanted to hate the kiss. He’d wished it would have felt strange and wrong - like kissing a brother. Had wanted the boys to part swiftly with laughter and a shared understanding that the moment would be filed away forever as an unrepeatable mistake.
But he hadn’t.
They hadn’t.
Instead, kissing Jakub’s soft, pouting lips had felt like coming home. Karim could not recall another moment in his life that had felt so RIGHT.
They’d flown together again like magnets, drinking in the taste and scent of each other like parched men in a desert of affection.
A sudden rustling sound in the hallway outside had been the only reason they’d separated like they’d been burned. The fear of being discovered in a compromising position somehow dimming the fires that had been lit inside each boy.
What followed was the unfolding of a beautiful love story secreted away in hidden places and moments. While both boys longed to celebrate and announce their love to the wider world, their physical safety remained of utmost importance. Thus, the grudging acceptance of their relationship finding life in the shadows.
Now, two years later, the pair found comfort in each other as the world around them crumbled to pieces.
They’d been found out.
Karim’s family had been furious.
It wasn’t meant to be this difficult.
Up until the start of his friendship with Jakub at age 14, Karim had been content with the idea that his love story had been planned out for him. His parents had drilled their plans for his future into his head from such a young age that Karim had adopted and accepted them without question; He would grow up with, marry, and have 2.5 children with his best friend - Nida.
His parents had an endless stream of comments to spew at Karim upon discovering his relationship with Jakub;
How dare he completely disregard their plans for him and his future?
What about Nida - his best friend since birth, and intended mother of his parents’ future grandchildren?
Where did they, as Karim’s mother and father, go so wrong as to push him into the arms of this disgusting BOY?
How could Karim do this to his parents? What had they done to deserve this brutal attack from their treasured son?
How could he stand there, attempting to defend what was very obviously a symptom of an ongoing psychological issue that he refused to address?
Why wouldn’t he let them help him through the cry for help that this relationship obviously was?
Jakub had shielded Karim from the worst of their spitting mouths and violent gestures with his body. He’d snapped back in defence of his partner.
Karim mourned being unable to appreciate seeing his partner in all his valiant glory in this moment due to the oncoming panic attack overpowering him. The determination of his parents not to acknowledge the genuine care and love Jakub currently demonstrated for their son broke a small but significant piece inside his soul…
Returning to the present moment, Karim tightened his arms around his partner - burying his face into the soft junction where the other’s head met his neck. This was his favourite spot in the entire world. This is where he felt like he could exist as his truest and happiest self.
When everything else fell away, only one truth remained; Karim and Jakub loved each other. Their love was pure and GOOD. There was nothing ‘wrong’ about their affection for each other, regardless of what Karim’s family and extremists in his faith claimed.
As the feeling of Jakub’s hand gently carding through his hair brought out a sob he hadn’t noticed building, Karim brushed his lips against the warm skin resting beneath.
Nida would be arriving at the cabin in half an hour with a fully-stocked ute. Karim and Jakub would drop her off at the next town, so she could get a bus back home, before continuing onwards - starting their future together somewhere new. They were adults now. They had the entire world to search and find somewhere to be their home.
Karim felt a small smile tugging at his mouth as he once again pictured their future together, so close he could nearly taste it; walking hand-in-hand together in broad daylight, grocery shopping interspersed with giggles and cheeky jokes, finally feeling like he had permission to BREATHE.
“I wouldn’t mind if the world didn’t exist,” he whispered into Jakub’s ear, referring to the other boy’s earlier plea. His partner huffed good-heartedly,
“Oh, really?”
Karim knew he didn’t expect a serious response, but he continued anyway, “You are my world. As long as you exist, I think I’d be okay.” He felt a tear drip down Jakub’s cheek, and chose not to acknowledge the small sniff that accompanied it.
“You wordsmith, you,” Jakub chuckled. “I love you, too.”
© O.M.A
#writco #writcoapp #shortstory #lgbtq #Love&love #relationships #Happyending #story #fiction
"Dance with me and pretend the world doesn’t exist,” he pleaded.
And after that, there was no going back.
Karim felt safest cocooned in Jakub’s arms - the warm undertones of bergamot from his cologne soothed the taller boy’s aching soul like a balm.
He’d bought the first bottle of cologne for Jakub two Christmases ago, back when the undeniable passion between them was still unspoken; back when Karim could still convince himself that he would be able to grin and bear it through a relationship with a girl for his family’s benefit.
Jakub had kissed him for the first time later that night. The boys had retreated to Jakub’s bedroom, angling themselves to sit behind the almost-closed bedroom door. Jakub’s parents didn’t allow ANY peers to be in the boy’s bedroom with the door closed. At this moment though, his parents had been occupied by their roles as hosts in their Christmas celebrations.
Seated facing each other on Jakub’s carpeted floor, the boys had shared a laugh before he paused and stared deep into Karim’s eyes. Entranced, Karim saw Jakub’s gaze flicker down to his mouth and back before slowly drifting forward as if pulled by an invisible force.
Karim had wanted to hate the kiss. He’d wished it would have felt strange and wrong - like kissing a brother. Had wanted the boys to part swiftly with laughter and a shared understanding that the moment would be filed away forever as an unrepeatable mistake.
But he hadn’t.
They hadn’t.
Instead, kissing Jakub’s soft, pouting lips had felt like coming home. Karim could not recall another moment in his life that had felt so RIGHT.
They’d flown together again like magnets, drinking in the taste and scent of each other like parched men in a desert of affection.
A sudden rustling sound in the hallway outside had been the only reason they’d separated like they’d been burned. The fear of being discovered in a compromising position somehow dimming the fires that had been lit inside each boy.
What followed was the unfolding of a beautiful love story secreted away in hidden places and moments. While both boys longed to celebrate and announce their love to the wider world, their physical safety remained of utmost importance. Thus, the grudging acceptance of their relationship finding life in the shadows.
Now, two years later, the pair found comfort in each other as the world around them crumbled to pieces.
They’d been found out.
Karim’s family had been furious.
It wasn’t meant to be this difficult.
Up until the start of his friendship with Jakub at age 14, Karim had been content with the idea that his love story had been planned out for him. His parents had drilled their plans for his future into his head from such a young age that Karim had adopted and accepted them without question; He would grow up with, marry, and have 2.5 children with his best friend - Nida.
His parents had an endless stream of comments to spew at Karim upon discovering his relationship with Jakub;
How dare he completely disregard their plans for him and his future?
What about Nida - his best friend since birth, and intended mother of his parents’ future grandchildren?
Where did they, as Karim’s mother and father, go so wrong as to push him into the arms of this disgusting BOY?
How could Karim do this to his parents? What had they done to deserve this brutal attack from their treasured son?
How could he stand there, attempting to defend what was very obviously a symptom of an ongoing psychological issue that he refused to address?
Why wouldn’t he let them help him through the cry for help that this relationship obviously was?
Jakub had shielded Karim from the worst of their spitting mouths and violent gestures with his body. He’d snapped back in defence of his partner.
Karim mourned being unable to appreciate seeing his partner in all his valiant glory in this moment due to the oncoming panic attack overpowering him. The determination of his parents not to acknowledge the genuine care and love Jakub currently demonstrated for their son broke a small but significant piece inside his soul…
Returning to the present moment, Karim tightened his arms around his partner - burying his face into the soft junction where the other’s head met his neck. This was his favourite spot in the entire world. This is where he felt like he could exist as his truest and happiest self.
When everything else fell away, only one truth remained; Karim and Jakub loved each other. Their love was pure and GOOD. There was nothing ‘wrong’ about their affection for each other, regardless of what Karim’s family and extremists in his faith claimed.
As the feeling of Jakub’s hand gently carding through his hair brought out a sob he hadn’t noticed building, Karim brushed his lips against the warm skin resting beneath.
Nida would be arriving at the cabin in half an hour with a fully-stocked ute. Karim and Jakub would drop her off at the next town, so she could get a bus back home, before continuing onwards - starting their future together somewhere new. They were adults now. They had the entire world to search and find somewhere to be their home.
Karim felt a small smile tugging at his mouth as he once again pictured their future together, so close he could nearly taste it; walking hand-in-hand together in broad daylight, grocery shopping interspersed with giggles and cheeky jokes, finally feeling like he had permission to BREATHE.
“I wouldn’t mind if the world didn’t exist,” he whispered into Jakub’s ear, referring to the other boy’s earlier plea. His partner huffed good-heartedly,
“Oh, really?”
Karim knew he didn’t expect a serious response, but he continued anyway, “You are my world. As long as you exist, I think I’d be okay.” He felt a tear drip down Jakub’s cheek, and chose not to acknowledge the small sniff that accompanied it.
“You wordsmith, you,” Jakub chuckled. “I love you, too.”
© O.M.A
#writco #writcoapp #shortstory #lgbtq #Love&love #relationships #Happyending #story #fiction
