A New Day
Chapter 29
Howie took AJ's face in his hands and gently brushed away his tears with his thumbs as he leaned down and softly pressed their lips together.
"I love you."
Howie breathed the words against AJ's lips as he fitted their mouths together. The touch of lips was brief, soft and gentle; before Howie pulled away. He then proceeded to scatter kisses across AJ's face, covering his jawline before moving onto his cheeks, kissing the tears from his soft skin. Finally his lips pressed softly against each of AJ's closed eyelids, lingering for a few seconds longer before once again pulling back slightly.
AJ's eyes fluttered open, still red-rimmed, but no longer leaking tears, and for a few moments the pair simply stared at each other, the long friendship allowing them to be able to read each others thoughts without the use of words.
AJ reached up and brushed an errant curl behind Howie's ear, revelling in the soft strands as they slipped between his fingers. Howie caught the hand before AJ could move it, bringing it to his lips so he could press a kiss against the pulse point on his wrist.
"Love you." Howie murmured the words again, needing AJ to acknowledge them.
AJ's eyes once again brimmed with tears, this time from the emotion he could hear in Howie's voice. He knew that Howie wasn't lying. He could feel it with every inch of his being. Howie wouldn't, couldn't lie to him, especially not when they were so near to each other as they were at that moment.
"I� I love you too." AJ uttered the words so softly that Howie had to strain to hear them. He did hear them however, and it made his heart flutter in his chest. He closed his eyes, allowing the emotions to sweep through him, before re-opening them and focusing once again on AJ.
"Alex." Howie whispered, before pressing his lips against AJ's once again.
This time, AJ responded almost immediately, letting Howie's tongue into his mouth, where it met and played with his own tongue. AJ wrapped his arms tightly around Howie, as if afraid that he would disappear if he let go. Howie responded by kissing him harder, trying to pour every last drop of his passion and love into AJ's body, letting him know that no matter what, he would never leave him, never stop loving him.
Both were so caught up in their emotions that neither one of them heard the sound of the front door opening, nor the soft footsteps on the stair. Nothing broke into their consciousness until they heard a soft female voice utter two words�
"Oh My�"