Chapter Eight
The rush of water broke through the silence of the bathroom as Dalton turned the knobs of the faucet. Water rushed from the spout and spattered against the porcelain tub, changing quickly from cold to hot. He heard the door squeak behind him. When he turned, he found Ethan standing in the doorway wearing nothing but a towel.
“Can I join you?”
Dalton grinned. “Please.”
Ethan dropped the towel and followed Dalton into the small tub. Nervously, the two stood head to head while warm water washed over their naked forms. Dalton chuckled.
“What?” Ethan asked.
“Communal showers are my favorite.”
“Yeah?”
Dalton nodded. “It just feels so intimate.”
“I agree.”
Ethan reflected the same smile and wrapped his arms around Dalton. Water continued washing over their faces, masking Dalton's vision for a moment. He honed in on the sensation of hands delicately caressing the sides of his body, following their movements as they trailed over to his back. A contented sigh escaped him.
“Can I say something forward?” he whispered shakily.
“Of course. Always.”
He smirked. “Is it weird I can't wait to see you again?”
A chuckle echoed between them as Ethan stroked the skin along his back.
“You haven't even left yet.”
“Well, I didn't really plan on leaving if that's okay.”
Ethan grinned. “That's perfectly fine.”
A comfortable silence settled over the bathroom as he turned to grab a bottle of soap. Dalton leaned back against the cool wall to allow space for Ethan to scrub, watching as the bubbles sprang up over that smooth skin. His grin widened.
“What?” Ethan grinned shyly.
“Just watching.” Dalton bit his lower lip. “Here, let me help.”
As he took the hand towel, he bent down and started working on the lower legs. He ran his hands carefully over the skin and scrubbed diligently, delicately, before working his way up to the thighs. Around the flaccid cock and up over the torso he went, pressing carefully against the buff chest and proceeding to the neck. When he reached the face, he found two hazel-brown eyes staring at him with a mixture of affection and confusion. Those parted lips gasped for air.
“Thank you.”
Dalton smiled. “Your turn.”
While Ethan went to work repeating the motions, Dalton stood still in the warm stream of the shower. He watched with wonder from above and tried hard to keep his cock from rising again. A smirk crossed his lips as the hand towel traveled over his waist. When it brushed his cock, it immediately bounced into half-mast and a red hue filled his cheeks.
“Sorry,” he chuckled.
“That's all right. I can take care of you again.”
Dalton shook his head. “I'd rather cuddle up honestly.”
“Well, let's do that.”
After rising up from the floor, Ethan pressed his lips to Dalton's, the two of them interchangeably kissing and smiling. Laughter bounced off the ceramic walls and filled the room with joy, following them out of the shower and into the bedroom where they toweled off. Ethan climbed into bed, his beautiful nude form cuddling up under the sheets.
Dalton watched and rubbed his right arm. “Do you think this is...weird?”
Ethan raised a curious brow. He motioned toward the sheets beside him and moved the covers to accommodate for Dalton's naked body.
“What's weird?” he inquired.
“Well, us.”
While Dalton settled underneath the sheets, a hand touched his chest and he sighed with a grin.
“I mean, it doesn't feel weird,” Ethan replied. “Do you feel weird?”
“No, it's just...” Dalton trailed off and licked his lips. He could still taste dinner, a fine mixture of utter pleasure and delicious roast. “You're kind of my professor.”
Ethan chuckled. “Yeah, I suppose I am.”
“That sort of has consequences, doesn't it?”
“I suppose only if people find out.”
Dalton frowned and stared at the sheets he was gripping. His hands were tense and he hadn't even realized it but relaxing them did nothing to rid himself of the ache he felt in his gut. It continued to pulse despite his effort to breathe normally.
“I'd think a lot of folks would find it to be favoritism,” he vocalized.
“I mean, I guess so.”
“Do you always just guess about things?”
Ethan sat up from the bed, retracting his hand from Dalton's chest.
“Why the sudden worry about this? You didn't seem concerned the other night when you had me on your couch,” he retorted.
“Are you trying to make it out like I was coming on to you?”
“I was in the middle of grieving. You could have picked a better time.”
Dalton raised his eyebrows as he sat up from the bed. “Oh, so you're saying now that I've taken advantage of you.”
It sounded foul coming from his mouth and sudden guilt wracked his form with shivers. The pleasure from dinner quickly faded as his shoulders fell forward, grappling with the nauseous feeling growing in his gut.
“I think I should leave,” he stated while he tossed the sheets.
“I'm not saying that. I'm just saying maybe you should think about your actions,” Ethan continued.
Dalton spun around with his pants in his hands. “I think that counts both ways. I think maybe, now that I'm really thinking about it, you were just feeling lonely and low and upset and that's the reason why we ended up doing what we did.”
As he pulled on his clothes with frustrated motions, Ethan sat up further and leaned over to his side. He reached out.
“I didn't mean for us to argue. I just didn't think we'd talk about it right at this moment. We could give it till the end of the semester,” he offered.
“What? To decide if we really like each other or whether it was just you fishing for comfort?”
Ethan frowned. “That's not the case.”
“Are you sure? How many other students just like me, professor? How many have you had here for dinner to thank them for something similar?”
The question visibly stunned Ethan into silence. He sank into the mattress with a fixed look of stern confusion as Dalton continued to gather what little he had brought.
“I guess I'll see you around campus,” he spat. “Or not.”
And with that, he left. He took his keys from the counter and shuffled mindlessly out the front door to his car. It was chilly, but he didn't bother hugging himself from the biting breeze. He simply sat in his car until he forced himself to take action. As he backed out of the driveway, he caught his reflection in the rear-view mirror and frowned hard at the sight.
He was crying.