Chartreuse (11 page)

Chapter
Twelve

    
Kasen could tell that Rowan was deep in thought, so he remained silent as he
watched the other giving affection to his dog.  Houston was leaning against
Kasen’s leg lazily, breathing heavily as he looked about.  Kasen leaned down to
pat his head as he bit at his bottom lip, and then he finally turned his
attention back to Rowan once more.

    
It was then that Rowan seemed to snap out of it and he gave Kasen a small
smile. Kasen returned the smile as he flicked his cigarette to the ground,
stomping it out with the toe of his shoe before he shifted his weight from one
foot to the other.

    
A siren wailed through the silence of the sleepy morning air, and Kasen turned
his attention to the street as the ambulance passed by them.  He frowned a
little, brows furrowing as the ambulance disappeared around the corner, the
siren fading out.

     
Houston and Napoleon both howled from the sound, and then Rowan lifted a brow. 

     
“I hope it’s not Mrs. Murdock again,” Kasen commented after a moment.  As Rowan
turned his attention to Kasen, the younger fellow continued on.

    
“Her husband passed away four years ago, after sixty three years of marriage. 
It wasn’t long after that when she broke her hip.  And unfortunately, from my
experience with the elderly, once something like that happens it’s hard to
bounce back from,” He frowned, and in turn, Rowan frowned.

    
Sixty three years was an extremely long time to be with someone.  And their
love must have been deep for it to last that long.  Rowan was briefly envious
of Mrs. Murdock and her ability to have a romance for that long.  To keep
someone who loved her that much, for so long.  But then he realized it was
silly to be jealous of an old woman, especially an ailing one.

     
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Rowan offered with a small nod. 

    
“It’s okay,” Kasen shrugged.  “I just know that every time the ambulance heads
in that direction, it’s normally Mrs. Murdock.  I really don’t know how much
more that poor lady can take,” Kasen sighed and then turned fully around to
rest his hand against the stone wall as he peered up towards the sky.

     
“I think it’s going to stay like this all day,” Kasen said, frowning.  “This is
typically a day in which I’d stay in watching movies.”

     
Rowan chuckled, offering Kasen a wide smile as he quirked a thick brow.  “Is
that so?”  He asked.  “Watching movies is normally a great way to spend a cold
afternoon, I think.”

     
“Yeah,” Kasen said, suddenly a bit more excited, which nearly startled Rowan. 
“I have a great horror movie collection.  I tend to watch those more than
anything else.  Unless I decide I’m in a Lord of the Rings mood, in which case,
I’ll sit down and watch all of them consecutively.”

    
Rowan quirked his other brow now, and then he laughed, “That’s like…nine hours
of movies though, right?  I mean, that’s a lot of time to just sit down and
watch movies.  Doesn’t your ass get numb?”

    
He was delighted to see the pink tint return to Kasen’s cheeks as the other
nodded, “Yeah, well, I do take bathroom breaks and such,” He chuckled.  “It’s
no different than watching the Harry Potter films.  I have those marathons,
too.”

    
“Ah, you like Harry Potter?”  Rowan asked.  “I really liked those books, too. 
J. K. Rowling is a pure genius.  I envy people who can come up with such
fascinating worlds.”

    
“I appreciate those worlds, and being able transport there for as long as the
pages will permit,” Kasen sighed gently as he began to tug the leash from his
pocket.

    
Rowan didn’t want him to leave yet.  But he realized the sun wasn’t going to
warm up the area any time soon, and the poor kid was probably freezing to
death.  He chewed his lip, his eyes never leaving Kasen as the boy hooked the
leash up to Houston’s collar.

    
“So, uh..”  Kasen started, and Rowan’s focus was fully on him.  “Would you be
up for a movie day?”

---------------------

     
When those blue orbs connected with Rowan’s brown, he felt the air leaving his
lungs and tingles ran down his spine.  Rowan couldn’t help but to smile before
he nodded. 

     Kasen
was extremely nervous about bringing Rowan back to his place.  But once they
were inside and Rowan was seated on his couch with a drink in hand, Kasen began
to calm down a bit.

      “Would
you like some popcorn?”  Kasen asked, leaning against the doorframe that led to
the kitchen.

    
Rowan looked up from the couch and smiled a little.  “Oh, no thank you.  I had
a big breakfast this morning.  But please fix you some if it’s what you’d like
to have,” He nodded.

     Kasen
nodded a little shyly, moving back into the kitchen where Houston and Napoleon
were sprawled out on the floor, taking a nap.  Kasen couldn’t help but to smile
a little.  Rowan was really in his apartment, and so was his dog. 

     It
just seemed as if the realization hadn’t hit him yet that someone was in his
apartment, other than his mother, and that someone was someone he’d
kissed
the night before.

    
Holy crap, he needed to calm down.  He let out a low breath, licking his lips
before he moved back into the living room to sit down on the couch beside of
Rowan as the movie started.

----------------------

    
Kasen hadn’t been kidding when he said he liked movies.  Rowan wasn’t sure he’d
ever seen such a huge movie collection in his life.  But it excited him to know
that he could learn more about Kasen.

      He
tapped his fingertips against his thigh as he glanced at the screen.  He
supposed one of those most iconic horror movies for anyone to own was the
Nightmare on Elm Street collection, although that wasn’t what they were
watching.

     
Instead, it seemed that Kasen had been more in the mood for a horror comedy. 
Though he wasn’t complaining about it.  He enjoyed the film Zombieland.

      He
also learned that Kasen only tolerated zombie films that didn’t terrify him. 
The only other zombie movie he could watch was Day of The Dead, but only
because logic came into play with the instance of a vegetarian zombie.

     
Rowan was trying very hard not to smile too stupidly as he relaxed against the
couch, taking a sip of his cola every now and then before occasionally stealing
a glance from the other.

     He
got the vibe that Kasen was nervous, which he understood.  He seemed so shy,
and sort of guarded.  Though Rowan wanted to change that…

    
Are
you pursuing some innocent kid?
  He wondered to himself.  Was he?  Was
Kasen really
that
innocent?  He cleared his throat as he shifted,
turning his head when Kasen turned his and he gazed at him.

     “Is
everything okay?”  Kasen asked, blinking.

     “Oh
yeah,” Rowan nodded, giving him a reassuring grin.  “Everything’s just fine. 
This is a really good movie, huh?”

    
“Yeah,” Kasen laughed.  “I love the fact they made zombies funny.”

      In
all honesty, Rowan had never seen Zombieland.  Before he moved to Chartreuse,
he’d kept himself so busy.  He’d tried to keep himself distracted from what had
happened with Elliott. 

    
Yet
here you are, ready to try again just so the same thing can happen once more?

     He
really needed to stop thinking like that.  It wasn’t any good for him.  He had
never been a negative sort of person and he sure as heck didn’t want to start
now.  He wasn’t entirely sure what face he’d been making, but it must have been
one that could make a person concerned since he suddenly felt Kasen’s hand
against his knee.

    
“Are you sure everything’s okay?”  He repeated.

    
Rowan looked into those intensely blue eyes that peered back at him and a
softer smile grew on his lips. 

    
“They definitely are now,” He replied.

----------------------

     It
was nearing the end of the movie and Kasen was beginning to get nervous.  What
else could he do to entertain Rowan now?  Oh, he was bad at this.  He was so
bad at this.  Perhaps this was why he hadn’t attempted dating in high school.

    
Well,
that, and all of the other guys were straight.
 He thought to himself as he
chewed at his bottom lip.  The credits were rolling as he snuck a glance at
Rowan.  The older male was sitting there, his ankle crossed over his knee as he
held his cola in his hand.  Then he was turning his head and their eyes met
once again.

    
Kasen felt his stupid cheeks heating up and he gave a grin before looking
down.  Rowan was going to think he was incredibly weird.

     It
was only when he felt the warmth of fingertips against his cheek that he turned
back to look at Rowan, noticing that he was a great deal closer to him than he
had been before.

     The
closeness made his heart rate speed up a bit as he blinked rapidly, though his
eyes never moved off of the heated caramel ones that stared back at him.  

    
Then he felt Rowan’s thumb tracing over his jawline and he swallowed hard,
feeling his stomach knotting up just as it had the night before.  His eyes
darted back and forth between Rowan’s before he smiled a very shy, nervous
smile.

    
“..Hi,” Kasen said, though his voice was failing him.  It came out soft, a bit
timid. 

    
“Hi,” Rowan replied, his voice just as soft.

    
Kasen really was innocent.  Rowan understood now.  Even with just such a simple
touch, it seemed to send the boy into shambles and Rowan wondered if this was
too much for him to take.

     He
didn’t want him to feel pressured by any means.  But there was just something
about Kasen that attracted him so much, even if he could quite pinpoint it yet.

     Rowan
ran his tongue over his lips, moistening them as he inched in a bit closer. 
When Kasen didn’t pull away, Rowan took that as the okay to kiss him.  He
closed the distance between their mouths, his finding Kasen’s easily.

     It
was just as gentle as the night before, and when Kasen began kissing him back,
Rowan noticed how experimental that Kasen was.  The other was hesitant, but
eager.  His lips would go from soft to firm and back to soft again as their
lips moved together.

    
Rowan’s mouth molded against Kasen’s as he moved his hand that rested against
his cheek to the back of his head.  He tilted his own slightly, deepening the
kiss as his eyes closed and he heard the soft noise that Kasen made.

     He
didn’t mean for it to heat up as it seemed to be doing right now.  Kasen might
have just gotten lost in the moment, but who was Rowan to deny him of this
experience?

    
Kasen was so nervous as they shared another kiss, and his mind was reeling a
thousand miles a minute as he tried to kiss Rowan back in the most proper way
he could.  Rowan’s lips were so soft, so warm, and they made Kasen’s tingle in
a way he’d never known before.

     He
felt the light pressure of Rowan’s hand against the back of his head and an odd
noise escaped him as he tilted his head the opposite way.  He released a breath
through his nostrils as he scooted a bit closer and he parted his lips against
Rowan’s.

     He
had never tasted anything like that before.  Rowan’s mouth was hot, and wet. 
It was something that Kasen decided he could get used to.  His tongue very
slowly, very cautiously slid forth and traced over Rowan’s bottom lip and he
was surprised when he heard the low grown that sounded from the older male.

    
That did something to Kasen that he couldn’t comprehend.  Shivers ran down his
spine and his stomach went insane with butterflies.  He moved his hand to rest
against Rowan’s shoulder and the tip of his nose pressed into the other’s cheek
as he felt the hot, wet texture of his tongue touching back against his.

    
Kasen gasped in surprise, brows furrowed as he shifted slightly, moving even
closer to the other as their tongues began to touch against one another. 
Rowan’s tongue rolled over Kasen’s again and again as their flavors mixed. 

    
Kasen’s mind was shutting down.  It became hazy and he found that he couldn’t
think of anything else.  He wasn’t entirely sure what Rowan was doing to him,
but he knew one thing for certain; he liked it.  

     The
sensation of Rowan’s tongue sliding against his elicited a small noise from
Kasen’s throat, and he felt as Rowan pulled him closer.  Kasen’s eyes were shut
tightly as he focused on the emotions going through him.  This kiss was
different from the first they had shared.  It seemed so much more intense, yet
it was gentle in nature.

     
Kasen’s arm wrapped around Rowan’s neck as he tried to keep up with his pace of
the kiss, and he sincerely hoped that Rowan didn’t mind he wasn’t a pro at this
by now.  Though if given the opportunity, he would most certainly like to
become better at it.