Chapter 3: The Morning After

Noah slept like a stone, his face pressed against Aurelio’s chest, breath soft, body trembling with the aftershocks of fever and firsts. The early light snuck in through the stained glass and danced gently across their skin. Aurelio hadn't moved an inch. He'd barely slept.

His hand slowly traced along the curve of Noah’s back, feeling the warmth still lingering. He looked down and felt his throat tighten. There were bruises—faint, old, and ugly. Finger-shaped and scattered across Noah’s ribs and shoulder blades.

It took a second to understand what he was seeing.

It took less than that to feel sick.

Noah stirred and groaned, sore in places he hadn’t known could ache.

“Good morning,” Aurelio said softly.

Noah blinked, eyelids heavy. “Didn’t feel like a dream.”

“It wasn’t.”

A pause. Then Noah sat up slightly. His hair was a mess. The hoodie he’d worn was still bunched up around his thighs.

“I remember...it was well sca-..unexpected” he whispered.

Aurelio nodded.

Noah stared down at the sheet. “It was my first time.”

“I know,” Aurelio said quietly. “I realized midway.”

“I should’ve. I’m sor—”

“No,” Noah interrupted. “I wanted it. Even in the haze, I wanted it to be with you.”

They both sat in silence.

Then Noah looked up, searching Aurelio’s eyes. “What are you gonna do now?”

“I don’t know,” Aurelio said. “I’m not a priest. I thought I wanted to be one. But you...”

Noah smiled gently. “I exist. Peacefully.”

The moment was tender, fragile.

They both silent not knowing what to say or how to say so that it doesn't look like a forced conversation or awkward.

Then came the knock on the front door.

Aurelio stiffened.

Noah immediately got up, even though it hurt. He winced but smiled through it.

“It’s okay,” he said softly. “You can decide what you want. I won’t harm your work.”

He began dressing silently, slipping out the back without another word, leaving behind the scent of rain, tea, and sin.

But what lingered stronger than all of that was longing.

Because once you taste warmth, it never leaves you.

Even if you pretend it never happened

He left like a whisper—no door creaked, no floorboard groaned. Just the absence of him.

And in that silence, Aurelio sat there, hand pressed to the spot where Noah had just lain, already missing the boy who had never really belonged to him.

Outside, the storm had passed. But inside, another one had just begun.

—End of Chapter 3—

hello people this is your author here and just so you know it's my first novel and second story on this app and I don't really know how to write stories well I am a self-proclaimed poet, so my stories are like poetry sometimes so for that sorry and your welcome and umm yeah English isn't really my first language so sorry for mistakes and just ignore them please :)

And and and the age gap isn't that horrifying here,you will understand the cover at the end maybe and trust me it's beautiful

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