Kingdoms of Askel

Chapter 7

I woke up awhile later when shifted below me. "Sorry, I did not mean to wake you," he said, his accent warm and pleasant round the words.

Stretching luxuriously, I yawned and pushed myself up a little, to appear at his face. "It's okay," I mumbled, kissing him lightly. "I believe I ought to wake up anyway, if I ever choose to sleep tonight." I seemed round but we had been on my own in the room.

Alone.

The concept made me immediately aware of how close and I were snuggling on the couch. Grinning mischievously, I kissed him again, but harder. He laughed a little, but kissed me returned eagerly. It did not take long for my breath to quicken, my coronary heart following. Desire filled me for this warm, beautiful man underneath me, and I ran my fingers down his chest and slipped them beneath his shirt, to sense his smooth skin.

He reacted by using gripping my hips with his strong hands and moving me over, until I was once greater at once on pinnacle of him. I sighed fortunately and pressed into him. Somewhere in the corner of my mind, I registered a door closing, however 's hands pulling me even more difficult against him, rapidly drove any other thought from my head.

I was fortunately kissing his jaw and transferring to his neck, when a faint, amused laugh woke me from my reveling. I sat bolt upright on 's lap, inflicting him to grunt in surprise. I hadn't realized Kellan was once nonetheless here, and I used to be enormously certain the colour on my cheeks made that painfully obvious to him.

"Sorry." He was laughing a little harder now. He used to be standing in the entryway, grabbing his jacket from a hook by means of the front door. "I'll be out of your hair in a minute...if you want to wait." He regarded to contemplate that for a moment. "Or don't. It really would not trouble me." He shrugged, nevertheless chuckling.

It me. I without delay flew to the different aspect of the couch, too embarrassed to say anything. I seemed over at , hoping he should one way or the other rewind time a few minutes. He just laid there, an amused smile on his face as well now. Irritation flowed via me - men!

Needing to trade the focus somehow, I blurted out, "Where are you going?" It got here out more harshly than I meant it, but it was too late to change that.

He blinked at me, a little surprised from the indignant outburst. I acquired the feeling we virtually should have been having s*x on the couch and he wouldn't have cared. Apparently he was very open about that kind of thing. He probable had solely meant to tease me, now not embarrass me. My inflammation cooled slightly.

"Pete's. We've received another gig there tonight."

"Oh." Now that I used to be paying extra attention to something however my mortification, he did seem dressed differently than this morning - a amazing red, long-sleeved shirt and flawlessly faded blue jeans. He seemed freshly washed too, his hair fabulously messy, however nonetheless barely damp. He looked the rock god that I remembered from the night time before.

"Do you guys choose to go..." he paused, then grinned devilishly, "or stay here?"

I blurted out, extra from remembered embarrassment and irritation, than any actual desire, "No, we are going to go. Sure."

blinked at me in confusion, and what regarded a little like disappointment. "Really?"

Trying to find a way to get better from my unthinking pronouncement, I came up with, "Yeah, they sounded virtually good closing night. I was hoping to hear a little more."

slowly sat up on the couch. "All right. I'll get my keys."

Kellan shook his head at me slightly, an amused grin on his face. "Okay, I'll see you there then."

On the automobile trip there, I tried to cover my earlier embarrassment by using asking about the unusual conversation in the kitchen with Kellan. I looked over at him. "Kellan seems...nice?" I did not mean for it to come out like a question, however it variety of did.

He regarded across at me "No, he is. You sort of have to get used to him. He can seem like a real figjam, but he's a sincerely superb guy."

I raised my eyebrow at his weird Australian slang and smiled, ready for him to explain. Every as soon as in awhile, he would throw words out at me that I had no concept what they meant. He smiled, knowing what I was once waiting for. "f**k I'm Good, Just Ask Me," he explained.

I blushed a little, thinking I preferred the shortened version, and then laughed. "You never sincerely talked about him before. I hadn't realized you guys have been so close." I tried to suppose back over the few instances he had mentioned his buddy in Washington, but nothing jumped out in my head.

He seemed lower back to the avenue and shrugged. "I wager we form of lost contact when I went back home. I talked with him as soon as or twice when I got here back to the States...but we by no means definitely saved in touch. Busy, you know."

Puzzled I said, "I acquired the feeling from him that you were closer. He type of looks to love you?" I felt a little weird pronouncing that; guys weren't generally so blunt with their feelings. It wasn't as if Kellan had been writing him sonnets or anything, it used to be just a feeling I bought from him. His remark of "owing " and "doing some thing for him" - in the guy-verse, that equated love.

seemed to apprehend what I was once talking about and seemed down for a second, a little embarrassed. "It's nothing. I do not know why he makes such a fuss over it. Really, it was once no large deal." He looked returned to the road, biting his lip.

Insanely curious now, I asked, "What?"

He paused, like he'd alternatively no longer inform me, however of course, he in the end did. "Well, you know I lived with him and his dad and mom for a year?"

"Yeah," I said, puzzled as to the place he was once going with this.

"Well, he and his dad had a...strained relationship, I guess you could say. Anyway, one day his dad took it too far, knocked him around a little. I didn't sincerely suppose about it, I simply wanted it to stop. I guess I type of stepped in the front of him, took a blow for him." He seemed over at my reaction for a second, earlier than turning again to his driving.

I stared at him, shocked. I hadn't heard this story before. It sounded precisely like something would do though. My heart squeezed a little for Kellan...

He shook his head, his forehead creased. "That appeared to wake his dad up a little. He didn't hassle him once more whilst I used to be there." He lightly shook his head. "I do not be aware of about after though..." Looking over at me, he gave me his goofy grin. "Anyway, Kellan just kind of felt...like we were greater a family than his real household after that." He laughed and looked returned to the road. "I assume he is extra thrilled that I'm back, than I am."

When we arrived at the bar, Kellan was once already there, sitting with his three other band mates at a table in the returned close to the stage. He used to be sitting on the end, searching comfy and comfortable, one foot propped on his knee and sipping a beer. To his left, was once the longer-haired blonde that I remembered as the bassist. Across from him, used to be the teddy-bear drummer that I'd hoped was once our new roommate, and finishing the circle, to the drummer's left, was the final member of the group, the other blonde guitarist. I was once a little amazed that they weren't hidden away somewhere, getting geared up to play. But they appeared absolutely confident that they have been going to be great, and were clearly enjoyable with a few beers earlier than going up there.

Two girls sitting at the table throughout from them were openly watching their every move. One was once honestly gaping at Kellan. She regarded under the influence of alcohol enough, and intrigued enough, that I concept at any moment she was going to lunge herself throughout the aisle and plop right down in his lap. While Kellan paid her in reality no attention, I wasn't sure if he wouldn't idea if she determined to do just that.

Kellan's interest then again was once currently being held by the bassist sitting subsequent to him. From the door I could not inform what they were talking about, but all of the guys were listening to his story with smiles on their faces.

observed them as nicely and turning to smile at me, he began leading us over to their table. As we obtained close enough to hear the bassist's words, I decided that coming here was once a terrible idea, and wished that I had stored my mouth shut and we have been heat and comfortable, snuggling on the sofa again. used to be pulling me regularly forward though, so I glumly followed.

"...this girl, damn, she had the pleasant rack I've ever seen." The bassist paused to make a crude gesture with his hands...as if the guys would want that announcement clarified. "And the shortest skirt too. Everybody round us was once completely wasted, so I ducked under the table and shoved that skirt as high as it would go. Then I grabbed my beer bottle and stuck..."

Kellan smacked him on the chest, noticing 's and my arrival. We stopped at the cease of the desk earlier than him, chuckling a little. I was once certain I was once blushing, and tried to keep my face as easy as possible.

"Dude...I'm getting to the proper part, hold on." The bassist seem mildly confused.

"Griff..." Kellan pointed over to me. "My new roommates are here."

He seemed up to look at and me. "Oh yeah...roommates." He appeared over at Kellan again. "I leave out Joey, man...she was hot! Seriously, why did you have to tap that? Not that I blame you, but-"

He reduce off as Kellan smacked him in the chest, even harder. Ignoring the bassist's irritation, Kellan pointed up to us. "Guys, this is my buddy and his female friend Askel."

I tried to restoration my face into a smile. I hadn't regarded why his historic roommate had left, and I was once a little stunned and, of course, nonetheless a little embarrassed at the crude dialog we would walked into. smiled and smoothly said, "Hello." I managed to mumble out a, "Hi."

"Hey." The bassist nodded his chin up in greeting. "Griffin." He eyed me up and down, making me extremely uncomfortable and I squeezed 's hand harder, transferring slightly in the back of him.

His could-be twin throughout the desk from Kellan, caught his hand out in a extra well mannered greeting. "Matt, Hi."

"The guitarist, right?" asked him whilst he shook his hand. "You're clearly good!"

"Yeah, thanks, man." He appeared honestly pleased that had remembered what he played. Griffin however, snorted, and Matt threw him a look. "Oh, get over it, Griffin."

Griffin shot him a look proper back. "All I'm saying, is that you definitely messed up that remaining riff. I rock that song, I totally play it."

Ignoring what sounded like an on-going argument, the big teddy-bear looking guy beside Matt stood up and extended his hand to us. "Evan, drummer. Nice to meet you."

We shook his hand whilst Kellan stood up. He walked across the aisle to the drunken women. I idea the one who had been gaping at him before might bypass out at his nearness. He leaned over the again of her chair, brushed aside a lock of her hair and whispered something very intently in her ear. She nodded, flushing slightly, and then he stood, grabbing a couple of empty chairs beside them. The women have been laughing like school girls as he walked away.

He set the chairs down for us at the cease of the table, with a slight smile on his face. "Here, have a seat."

Feeling peculiar about that entire exchange, and no longer entirely cosy with our new companions, I sat down with a small frown on my face. Kellan's smile widened. He regarded to truely experience it when I was once uncomfortable.