Chalk Butterfly: Part One (First Time Erotic Romance) (7 page)

Alexander sat on his bed, removing his socks
carefully, and flexed his toes against the bandages. He’d been very
careful that day, but his feet were usually the most injured, as he
couldn’t stay off his feet and remain independent.

He brought a foot up to the bed and latched
onto the end of the bandage with his left hand. Unraveling the
gauze took forever and he wasn’t in the mood to prolong the pain.
Even though the gauze was lubricated, it still hardened over the
day and became a bit difficult to remove. He set his jaw, gritting
his teeth together, and tugged the gauze off in one long strip. His
hand stung and his feet ached, but at least the pain was quick.

A few tears rolled down his cheeks, but he
refused to cry out. He didn’t want Elijah to hear, didn’t want
anyone to know how weak he was.

He looked up, catching his eyes in the
mirror. “You’re not weak, you’re strong,” he said, as he pulled the
gauze from his other foot. The words rang hollow and sweat broke
out across his brow. A small sob passed his lips and his hands
shook as the gauze peeled off.

His feet were blistered on the soles and
around the toes. Some of the blisters were popped and stung badly.
He went through the motions of opening the blisters with the
needle, biting his tongue to halt the cries that threatened to
escape as he applied the ointment.

It stung to press against the wounds, but he
had to.

Unraveling the gauze from his hands went
easier, though his hand hurt far worse from his little accident in
the kitchen. His lower back was sore as well from the fall and he
anticipated some small blisters forming over night.

The stinging in his hands was so intense
that his right hand felt numb, just a constant throbbing. He
managed to remove all the gauze from both his feet and hands in
only twenty minutes, and his relief to be snuggled in his bed, safe
from the world, washed over him in blissful waves.

It’d been a difficult day, and he wanted to
hide from the pain and the disappointment.

He curled to his side, ignoring the
throbbing ache in his hand, and let out a low groan, pulling a
pillow to his belly, hugging it tightly.

“Night,” he whispered, blinking away a lone
tear, and fell fast asleep.

***

Daniel shuffled into his apartment, kicking
off his shoes and slipping off his jacket the moment he crossed the
threshold. It felt good to be home after such a long day, though
his home rarely gave him much comfort.

He left the lights out, slipping across the
foyer to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and removing a large
bottle of water. Drinking deeply, he let his mind wander.

The layout of his apartment was ingrained in
his memory, having lived there nearly five years that autumn, and
he was fond of padding around in the pitch dark. It made him feel
further out of the city.

Also, his wealth of possessions, beautiful
imported furniture and fixtures, made him somewhat uneasy.

Daniel had grown up with little, part of a
traveling family that could never put stock or care into what they
owned. They often traveled with just the clothes on their backs,
rooting and uprooting themselves as often as the seasons
changed.

Daniel had lived all over the United States
and in many cities around Europe. His favorite spot had been Idaho,
oddly enough; all those dark quiet nights in the middle of nowhere
had really grown on him.

He snorted, leaning against the counter in
the kitchen; how far he had gone since then! Now he had every
luxury in the world, but they did nothing for him that he had
imagined they would as a child. He was still alone-- still empty.
Work had become what he had always feared, just a means to an
end.

And that end was looming closer and closer
each and every day.

So, he kept the lights off, possibly to
forget his fortunes, the way his life had turned out. But mostly,
the dark hid his walls, lined in unsigned paintings.

Walking into the living room, keen on having
a smoke out on the balcony, a high-pitched beeping met his ears.
His cellphone had a new voicemail.

Chapter
Four

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Elijah was dreaming. It was a very good
dream that involved Elizabeth, an empty library table and a can of
whipped cream.

Things were going much to plan until the
whipped cream started ringing.

“Wha?” Elijah mumbled, sitting up sleepily,
shaking his half-asleep hands out. “I can’t even get to first base
in my dreams, pathetic.” He stumbled aimlessly in the dark toward
the infernal ringing, tripping over his shoes, an end table and one
very annoyed cat. “Who the hell is calling this late? Sorry, Cat!
Sorry! Ouch!”

The cat tangled in his legs and he nearly
fell over. Instead, he bumped into the wall beside the door, his
hand grappling for the phone.

“Guh,” he answered, punching a few keys
clumsily.

“Alexander?” a low voice asked. For a few
moments of pure confusion, Elijah wondered why someone was calling
for Alexander at his house.

“Oh, no, not,” Elijah said. “Not Alexander,”
he got out, his voice cracking as he searched for the light
switch.

“Well, can I speak with him?” the man asked,
sounding quite amused. Elijah could detect a hint of something (was
that jealousy?), under the man’s breath, and he knew that he must
be speaking with the infamous Daniel.

“Sure,” Elijah said, clearing his throat.
“May I ask who’s calling?”

“May I ask who I’m speaking with?”

“Hey, I’m the one who did the asking first,”
Elijah replied. He yawned into the phone and made his way without
disaster through the living room.

“Then you can tell him it’s me,” Daniel said
cheekily, and Elijah snorted.

“Okay, I’ll tell him it’s me, but I’m not
too sure he’ll take the call,” Elijah retorted. “One moment.”
Elijah cupped the receiver in his hand, and opened the door to
Alexander’s bedroom. “Pssst, Alex? You sleeping?”

He could hear Alexander’s slow, even
breaths.

“Definitely sleeping,” Elijah mumbled,
stepping into the room. He didn’t even have to think over whether
or not to wake Alexander. Though he hadn’t a clue to what Alexander
had decided earlier, broken down in the kitchen. “Hey, Alex, rise
and shine,” he said, bending low and shaking Alexander’s shoulder.
He flicked on the bedside lamp and Alexander groaned, rolling over
slightly.

“Goway,” Alexander slurred in his sleep,
brows creasing in annoyance.

“Alexaaaaaaaaaaander,” Elijah said in a sing
song voice. He walked his fingers up Alexander’s nose. Alexander
shook his head, eyes opening slightly.

“Eh?” he asked, and Elijah grinned.

“Phone,” Elijah said. He thrust the receiver
toward Alexander.

“Whosit?”

“Daniel,” Elijah mouthed. Alexander’s eyes
went wide and he sat up, pulling his sore hands from beneath the
blankets. Elijah rarely saw Alexander’s hands unbandaged in such a
state, and was shocked at the blisters on his friends palm.

“I’m fine,” Alexander said, following
Elijah’s gaze. “Is he really…?”

“Yeah,” Elijah replied, holding the phone
out. Even in the dark Elijah could tell Alexander’s lips were down
turned. “Do you want me to tell him you’re sleeping, or—”

“No, it’s fine,” Alexander said.

“Are you sure?” Elijah handed over the phone
warily, watching Alexander’s teeth worry at his lip when his
fingers curled around the receiver.

“Yes, yes,” Alexander whispered.

“So,” Elijah said, “I’ll see you in the
morning?”

Alexander nodded and Elijah walked from the
room, looking back at Alexander as he exited.

Once alone, Alexander stared down at the
phone dumbly. Taking a deep breath and shaking the sleep from his
mind, he pressed the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Alexander, I presume,” came Daniel’s warm
voice. At least that’s how it sounded to Alexander; warm and
comforting. He shook his head, trying to collect his thoughts.

He had something important to say, and he
knew it would be best to just get it out as soon as possible.

“I’ve changed my mind. I am not what you
think, and I’m not in the right place right now to start a…
friendship with you. I’m sorry to be blunt, but I don’t want to
lead you on,” is what he should have said, but his tongue wouldn’t
obey. “Yeah,” he replied instead. “And you’re… you. I mean, Daniel.
You’re Daniel.” Alexander groaned and Daniel made a noise of
agreement.

“That I am,” he said, and Alexander could
tell he was holding back a chuckle. “I received your message. Very
intricate, didn’t have time to listen to it all, but you’re very
thorough.” Alexander bit his lip, his stress increasing as Daniel
continued, his voice playfully soft. “I especially enjoyed the bit
on international politics and the treacherous state of the economy.
You must surely draw up note cards beforehand.”

Alexander swallowed audibly, and Daniel
chuckled.

“No, no,” Alexander sputtered, “it’s all
extemporaneous.” Daniel laughed again, the sound rich and true.
Alexander couldn’t help but smile at this, relaxing back into his
pillows.

“I’m glad you called,” Daniel said, his
voice lowering a touch.

“Oh, well, it’s no problem.” Alexander’s
face flushed. He would get nowhere this way, charmed by the almost
stranger.

“I’m sorry I didn't answer when you called.
I usually keep my phone on vibrate when I'm at work,” Daniel said.
Alexander could hear a door opening over the line.

“Where do you work?” Alexander asked. He
mentally berated himself for prolonging the conversation when he
should have been ending it. He sighed and cradled the phone between
ear and shoulder, lessening the pressure on his hand.

“I think that answer will have to wait until
conversation number two, which will occur tomorrow night at
precisely this hour,” Daniel said. “If you’re free, that is.”

Alexander didn’t reply.

“I called tonight to ask if you’d have
dinner with me Friday.”

“Dinner?” The man was extremely
presumptuous, overconfident even, but still, Alexander couldn’t
find it in him to solidly decline Daniel’s boldness. “This Friday?
As in… um… Friday?”

Daniel laughed aloud once more, and
Alexander’s blush deepened. “Yes, the Friday this week that takes
place after Thursday and before Saturday,” he said. “I thought I’d
take you out to Park Place, you know, somewhere interesting. That
is, if you accept.”

Alexander gulped, shaking his head no,
thinking it over and over in his head like a mantra. He opened his
mouth, confident in his ability to speak one word. “Oh… yes,”
Alexander said, wincing as the words escaped.

“I’m glad,” Daniel said brightly. “So, now
that that’s out of the way, I do believe I woke you.”

“No,” Alexander muttered, finally able to
form the correct words, but they made no impact on Daniel. The man
chattered on.

“Expect me to call tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll
tell you all about my work and you can tell me exactly who the
cheeky young man is that answered your phone.”

“Oh, that’s just Elijah,” Alexander
murmured, and Daniel cleared his throat.

“Tomorrow. You sound exhausted. I feel
terrible for waking you, even if you say I didn’t.”

“It’s not a problem,” Alexander said. He
realized the words were truthful and he was suddenly struck with
the reality that he was indeed grateful for the call. “Really. I’m…
yeah.”

“You are,” Daniel agreed. “Sweet dreams,
Alexander.”

Alexander was caught between smiling and
frowning, somewhat disappointed when the wide grin won out. “Dream,
too, you know. Um, pleasant tomorrows? Bollocks. Um.”

“You’re a darling to say so,” Daniel
said.
“
Pleasant tomorrows to you, too,” he
countered.

And the dial tone met Alexander’s ear.

“God,” Alexander moaned, flopping back in
bed, his smile evaporating immediately. “God, I’m a pushover.”

He set the phone beside the bed, pressing
his hand down with intentional strength. The pain spiked, and he
winced.

He wouldn’t forget.

“I’ll just have to explain when he calls
tomorrow,” he said, turning over again. But this time, sleep did
not find him.

***

Daniel hung up the phone, leaning against
the wall momentarily.

He could see Alexander perfectly in his
mind, coy and soft. Really he oughtn’t get involved with one so
pretty. Those brown eyes coaxed him to let his guard down, but much
like his exquisite furniture, that didn’t mean they would give him
any real pleasure. Only time would tell if the eyes matched the
soul.

Daniel shook his head, frowning bitterly.
Something was different about Alexander, something he couldn’t
quite name, something exciting and unsettling. This wasn’t the same
as Daniel’s other numerous affairs, definitely not.