Through the Screen

Chapter 27

"i still haven't forgiven you for what you did today," noah muttered, sinking back against the pillows as

he watched abel pull at the hem of his shirt, deciding to sleep shirtless as it was warmer that day.

"me?" abel raised his eyebrows in question, pushing the hair off his forehead. "what did i do?"

"excuse me? what was that in the lounge?" noah referred to abel 's little teasing act and abel just

covered his mouth with the back of his hand to let out a slight giggle, walking over to noah's side of bed

and climbing over the older boy.

"get off me," noah complained as abel straddled his duvet covered body, leaning forward and leaving

soft kisses over noah's neck.

"oh come on," abel teased, shifting closer once noah's warm hands were gripping his hips, his lips

locking on a sensitive spot and sucking the pale skin, earning a shaky breath from noah, his eyelids

fluttering shut.

"d-don't leave marks i have w-work—fuck," noah groaned once abel bit down, on of his hands reaching

up to twist into noah's hair, pulling at the dark locks to expose more of noah's neck, and noah tilted his

head back pliantly, resting it back against the headboard, fingers gripping abel 's hips tightly as he

continued his assault.

"but you're my husband, i can leave marks if i want to," abel argued, purposely trailing his lips further

down, sucking a mark above noah's collarbone and noah just bit his lip, pulling abel closer, and sighing

fervently.

"abel, stop," noah's fingers twisted into abel 's hair, pulling at it harshly to stop his actions, and abel just

let out a soft moan, lips parting at the action. the younger boy's cheeks flushed once he realised the

sound he had made, quickly getting off noah's lap and sitting next to him, covering his body with the

duvet, pursing his lips in embarrassment.

"um, y-you, abel?" noah stammered. "you were into hair pulling? how did i not—what?" he spoke

confused, twisting in his position to stare at abel, slight shock on his face, not because he was judging

him or he found it weird but out of confusion as to why he didn't figure it out earlier.

"n-no, i don't what the hell?" abel dismissed the conversation, cheeks pink, as he shifted his body to lay

down, and noah just sighed, laying down close to abel and pulling the younger boy's body against his

chest.

"why are you embarrassed? it's only me," noah kissed the back of his head and abel just leaned into

his grip, letting a loud breath escape his lips.

"i know," abel mumbled, cheeks still pink as noah's lips left a soft kiss over his cheek, trailing further

only for a moment to leave a string of kisses across his jaw.

"i just thought maybe you found it weird? we haven't been exactly having, i mean, i'm not complaining

but we aren't as sexually, i mean, i know we both have work and we don't get time but—"

"if you want to have sex at two am when you come back from work, i don't mind," noah said novelbin

sarcastically, rolling his eyes, his grip loosening on abel 's waist.

"it's not about when i come back from work it's—"

"oh is it not? so you don't think your work timings have anything to do with—anyways i'm really tired

so," noah sighed, retrieving his arms from around abel and shifting back to create some distance

between them.

"i know my timings aren't exactly ideal but that doesn't mean we ignore each other constantly," abel

argued, turning in his position to face noah, but noah was just laying on his back, blankly staring at the

ceiling.

"okay," noah sighed in defeat, not wanting to start a fight, but abel wasn't having any of it. they had to

talk about this sometime or the other and he was tired of them going around the problem in endless

circles, never trying to find a way to end it.

"you can't just—what do you mean okay? is this it then? are you finally going to start kissing me in the

morning when i wake up?" abel remarked and noah let his eyes fall shut, bringing one of his arms over

his face to let abel know that he was not interested.

"you can't do this everytime noah, you just—why can't we just talk about it?" abel was embarrassed at

noah's lack of interest. does he not care at all?

"let it go abel, it's fine," noah muttered ignorantly, causing abel to sit up in bed in frustration, running his

fingers through his tangled hair.

"it's fine? so the fact that we don't talk properly anymore or that we have sex once or twice a month is

fine? whenever i try initiating anything you just ignore me, and i want to know the reason," abel

demanded, voice raising in volume as he dug his nails into his palm, brown eyes fixed agitatedly on

noah's figure.

"yeah it's fine, there's no reason i'm just tired sometimes," noah doesn't offer much of an explanation,

simply dismissing the conversation and rolling on his side to face away from abel.

"i can't believe you, why do you always—"

"yes abel i always do everything, i am the reason our relationship is failing, you should have never

married me," noah speaks, voice loud and hostile. "is that what you wanted to hear? that you make all

the efforts to make this a happy relationship and i spoil it all the time? well i am sorry for being the

worst fucking husband ever, maybe you should stop trying to fix it then and focus on better things,"

"where the hell did that come from?" abel is yelling now, and noah just squeezes his eyes shut,

pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "i am not saying i do everything or that you're a bad

husband, and focus on better things? like what exactly?"

"i don't know,"

"if you don't know then don't say stuff like that," noah's passive behaviour makes abel want to scream,

but noah doesn't notice that as he still lays unmoving on his side, trying to control his breathing.

"okay," noah replies, and abel just curses under his breath, gripping his hair in frustration.

"why don't you want to talk about it?" abel asks, voice on the edge of impatience and noah just sighs.

"there's nothing to talk about,"

"yes there is," abel urges. "you tell me what's wrong, why you ignore me all the time,"

"nothing is wrong, and i doubt you feel ignored at all," noah rolls his eyes and abel 's lips just part in

disbelief. how can noah be so fucking inconsiderate about this?

"well i do noah," he argues.

"you have friends to take care of you, even a new best friend, so i don't think you should be

complaining about feeling ignored. if anyone should be complaining, that should be me, but of course

you don't care about that," noah scoffs. he knows he may sound more than just a little petty but he

doesn't care. if they are having this conversation, he may as well let abel know that he knows about

whatever may or may not be going on with him and his beloved chris.

"best friend? you mean chris? what's wrong with him? what has he done?" abel is on the verge of

saying something he shouldn't and his fingers are itching against his thighs in annoyance.

"nothing abel," noah sighs. abel can just never take the hint.

"no tell me, i've seen you sulking about him a lot, yesterday you snapped because he was texting me

and you didn't come out of the room when he came over. just, tell me, what is it?" abel seems to string

a few pieces together but he is still so clueless and it makes noah want to rip out his own hair.

"i said it's nothing abel," noah's fingers clench into tight fists, and abel notices that, a possibility

suddenly sparking in his brain.

"are you..jealous? o-of chris?" the words sound ridiculous when they leave his mouth, and more so

when noah's cheeks flush in embarrassment and a lump forms in his throat.

"that's ridiculous noah," abel comments and noah can feel the lump growing fatter, almost to the point

where it's impossible to swallow. of course it's ridiculous to abel, something about which noah has been

insecure for months.

"i didn't say anything," noah chokes out, a deep breath leaving his lips after and abel just sighs, running

a hand through his hair.

"he is just a really good friend," abel doesn't understand. it's not that noah is jealous of chris. he is

afraid and insecure of the possibility that abel may like chris more than he likes noah, and the fact that

abel probably is more comfortable around chris than he is with noah, makes noah want to question

their entire relationship.

somehow in front of chris, everything that they have been through seems to crumble into a

meaningless mess. like it doesn't matter.

and noah is not jealous, he is just afraid.

and abel just doesn't understand that.