Taking the Leap

Chapter 16

~Xander~

It was at 5:47am when I realized Achilles loved me. He was sleeping on the bed, nude and gorgeous, mostly under the covers. I was curled on my side, watching him sleep and toying with the necklace he'd given me. The necklace was a surprise and I felt bad for not realizing how thoughtful Achilles was.

Over the past few months he'd been looking at me strangely. Soft and shy. Fond. No one ever looked at me like that. At first I thought he pitied me, because of how badly Corey affected me. The way he still affected me. But then sometimes, Achilles' eyes would turn molten, his voice would roughen and he'd touch me, arms brushing, fingers touching, lips pressed against mine. He loved me.

I felt foolish, suddenly, watching him, realizing how he felt for me and knowing I didn't feel the same way. I worried my necklace, the pendant cool between my fingers. I wasn't sure if I was capable of loving again so soon.

Even sleeping with Achilles had made me cry, because that kind of intimacy was something I hadn't had for so long. It was cathartic in its own sweaty, sticky way.

When Achilles did wake up, he kissed me. He touched my thigh. "Again?" He asked, stroking circles into the skin.

Then, Achilles and I made love, because that's what it was. The feel of him against me made my skin sizzle and my heart hum. He was on top of me and heavy, and that felt nice, too, because it was him. This morning was slow, and Achilles' eyes never left mine as things went on. His eyes would shift from brown to yellow, then gold and back to brown as he kissed me and told me he loved me. The only sound in the room was the low sound of my moaning intermingled with his. Eventually, Achilles shook and shuddered against me, giving me a long kiss before rolling off of me.

I almost laughed because Achilles was asleep again within seconds. I carded my hand through the dusting of hair across his stomach and chest. So, he was one of those guys who fell asleep right after.

I got up from the bed and then sat down quickly again because of how badly my legs wobbled. Fuck, good thing Achilles didn't see that. Wouldn't want to stroke his ego. I lifted myself slowly, making my way to the bathroom.

#

Not much later I made Achilles breakfast. I was trying to slowly move his diet towards healthier , leaner food but today I wanted to give him something different.

I always kept some of my mother's food in the house in case she visited. I turned on two burners, putting water in one pot and rice and water in the other. I mixed the tomato sauce in after the water boiled, adding peppers and onions and pieces of pork to the stew. The other pot was filled with beans and rice. I turned on another burner to steam some vegetables. By the time I turned everything off, I felt Achilles' arms wrap around my waist, and his head nuzzle into my shoulder as he kissed my neck.

"Good morning," He said in his soft, low voice.

I sighed, putting the tops on the pots. "Aren't you late for work?"

He spoke between kissing my neck and nuzzling against the side of my cheek. "I called out. I want to spend the day with you since you don't lecture Fridays." Achilles' warm body pressed against mine in a tantalizing way.

"I made you some food." I said, moving out of his embrace to give him a generous helping of bean rice, stew, vegetables and a tall glass of water. "It's bean rice, some stew and just some vegetables."